Notes for Ramey

Lawyers in Sharkskin Suits

2012-01-20T21:08:00.007-05:00

It's really getting ridiculous on TV with the attorney ads. The latest editions have suggested how the legal staffs prepare for them. As you know, medical literature describes all medications in detail, right through the chemistry. It tells you how the medication works and what organs it affects---Then, it gives you detailed information on side effects and warnings. "Don't take this

From Gold to Insanity

2012-01-08T15:19:00.001-05:00

"Look closely at history in the making..." begins the announcer for another 'gold' coin rip-off. He describes in detail a real coin before craftily crossing over to what he is actually selling: a coin 'proof' [not a real 'proof' in coin collecting] that is not a coin of the realm but a slug with 24karat gold 'cladding.' "...price can only be guaranteed for 7 days..." He slyly indicates that

Christmas 1907-2011

2011-12-22T01:09:00.000-05:00

This is a poem of 100 years ago. The reference to 'central' is to the telephone exchange at the time. There were no button or even dial phones in those early years. Hello Central? Give me the drugstore---but not if Mr. Gower's alone. Twas the night after Christmas in Santa-Claus land And to rest from his labors St. Nicholas planned. The reindeer were turned out to pasture and all The ten

Local Vocals

2011-11-21T14:30:00.000-05:00

Excerpted from ‘Name That Sound’ a biographical essay: During the week we’d often see a funeral, and sometimes on Saturday or Sunday a wedding. One of the joys of being an altar boy was being called to serve at a funeral during school hours. I don’t mean the funeral was a joy---we were properly respectful. We were just happy to feel important enough to be called from class and spend a few

Application Form for Candidates for the Offices of Representative, Senator and President of the USA

2011-11-14T13:30:00.001-05:00

This test must be completed by the candidate [not a staff member] at one time, at a controlled location, without staff around, and with independent proctors. Answer the questions clearly, completely and without evasion or misleading statements. Time limit is two hours. The candidate must go through an airport-type full body scan before answering the essay questions. Appropriate official

The Privilege of Explaining Privilege

2011-11-06T12:21:00.002-05:00

I've become tired of hearing the term 'privilege' bandied about by the Liberals in their class warfare efforts. Like so many other terms from the building of America, Liberals and minority groups have taken perfectly good words and bastardized them into another meaning, thus taking the terms out of our general discourse. According to the online dictionary: "Privilege: a. A special advantage,

So Near an Oak [1]

2011-11-01T17:31:00.004-04:00

So nearAn oak stood I,And heard soft rustle fromZephyr-kissed leaves…O, sweet, relaxedI was!DrowsySense persuadedMe to lie at oakenTrunk, and smiling midst scents of wild…I slept.Peaceful Visions floatedThrough my eager mind, andI dreamt of she I knew…yet knowNot now?BeheldI a unionOf true beauties, and itWas mysterious to me, forI haveSeen her,And now I seeHer not. Unturned face with Unseen eyes

New Format

2011-10-28T22:06:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends: As we age, we all slow down a certain bit---what with normal wear and tear, disease, and accident. Well, I've been laid up with a repaired umbilical hernia and several diseases and degenerations and other things you don't want to know about. Consequently, my energy has led to reduced writing efforts.As a result, I'm combining all my blogs into one. So, political, personal, and

Carmina and the Vonage Commercial

2011-07-04T21:53:00.004-04:00

*So many commercials and movies today are using Carl Orff's music 'Carmina Burana' these days, that one would assume it's modern. It isn't. According to Wikipedia: "Carmina Burana..., Latin for 'Songs from Beuern' ..., is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces were written almost entirely

Only the Names Were Changed to Protect the Unknown

2011-05-18T17:43:00.006-04:00

I've found a fascinating diversion in Genealogy. I started off with the simple premise of finding my Family Tree back to the 19th century or a little earlier, if possible. But I got carried away. Following certain branches of the family, I've visited fourteenth century Italy [through France], fifteenth century Sweden, tenth century France, and eleventh century England---pretty much branching

The Atlas Coffee and Bean Company's Untold True Story

2011-04-16T01:46:00.000-04:00

*Opening soon is the movie 'Atlas Shrugged Part I' from the novel of Ayn Rand. I probably won't get to see it in a theater, but I look hopefully to an early television/cable showing. The story is just as pertinent now as it was in 1952 when the book was published. The book itself is rather lengthy, so the producers expect to make three parts of the movie story. Although I believe much of the

Great Caesar's Ghost oh Astronomer!

2011-03-27T22:53:00.002-04:00

* All my life, I thought Superman boss, editor Perry White, had originality with his constant plaint "Great Caesar's Ghost!" I now know better. The term comes from the title of a Newspaper comic strip 'Great Caesar's Ghost!..and Great Caesar's Goat' by A E Hayward back in the 1910s. It consisted of a comic Julius Caesar living in Rome [by name only; the city had a mix of Roman buildings and

The Chickens, the Scary Words, and the Scientists

2011-01-21T23:51:00.004-05:00

* Burger King is promoting a 'buy one and get one free' deal on one of its chicken sandwiches. The ad doesn't say, but is there an extra processing and handling fee for the doubling? There is on all those TV commercials that double your order: Start whisper - "Just pay separate processing." - End whisper. Some say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but Burger King comes close with this

2010-12-19T19:09:00.002-05:00

CHRISTMAS SONGThough this is over 100 years old, I like in thismodern World. May all my readers have aMerry Christmas and Happy New Year--T N McCoyWhy do bells for Christmas Ring?Why do little children sing?Once a lovely, shining star,Seen by shepherds from afar,Gently moved until its lightMade a manger-cradle bright.There a darling baby layPillowed soft upon the hay.And his mother sang and

Easy Feet and the Fushigi Ball

2010-12-03T01:49:00.005-05:00

These are the days that try our souls, for we're torn between the commercial and the religious aspects of Christmas. I'm not going to give a dissertation on the religious meanings here, but I can tackle some strange 'deals' in the market place.*First though, I'll make a casting call. I think a movie producer [probably MGM] should quickly sign Connie Talbot or Jackie Evancho for a remake of the

Sweet Ad-of-Mine!

2010-10-13T22:13:00.001-04:00

*If ITT Tech is so great, why does its ads include the statement that school 'credits are unlikely to transfer.' To a regular college that is. If they can't transfer to a run-of-the-mill college, what good are they? And what respect can graduates expect to find in real life? What should be better taught to high school students is the importance of a college degree---and from a school whose

Where's the Beef? - When You Need It?

2010-09-24T13:33:00.003-04:00

*Some people want to know why I criticize the Democrats/Liberals and Obama all the time. Hey! It's not like it's a mission in life. I'd rather sit around and read Westerns. Sadly, though, we have a media that sits in the corner with the Democrats/Liberals and Obama and won't report the truth. Not enough Conservative writers are available to the general public, so I add what I can. And it's

Celebrities, Shills/Lawyers

2010-09-16T17:42:00.001-04:00

*Lawyers are proving again and again that they are basically unethical, and in many cases it goes to a corrupted state. Ads on TV now sound like fishing expeditions with the hope of finding a client to give them 30% or 40% of any settlement. I find this distressing. It seems the lawyers are checking every drug possible to examine the stated side effects around which to prepare a commercial---

Couch Potatoes the Size of Elephants!

2010-08-10T17:38:00.002-04:00

*According to Breitbart on August 6, the ubiquitous 'scientists' discovered that "Genetic sequencing of sea sponges from the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef showed the ancient marine animal shared many of its genes with humans, including a large number typically associated with disease and cancer." So, now we're connected with sea sponges? Is that why we 'squeeze' one another? Is that

Whisper: just pay separate processing and shipping

2010-07-31T19:30:00.003-04:00

*Every time I see a documentary about a sunken ship and its investigation, the sea seems filled with snowflakes. I'm not a marine biologist. Does anyone know what those things are? They seem to be floating with the current and make the sunken ships seem like Christmas decorations. Are they plankton? Krill? I can see that they're not air bubbles. They vary in size and seem solid, if flaky.

Hot off the Presses fromYour Friendly, Retired CPA

2010-07-04T22:24:00.001-04:00

*Looking for cheap phone service? A system called OOMA professes to give you free home phone service. BUT! Firstly, you have to have a working land-line, meaning your phone company still provides service for what? $20 a month? Then you have to buy the OOMA equipment in various configurations for $249.95; pay $40 to transfer your existing phone number; $12 to change your number or the name on

Here We Go Again!

2010-05-09T19:16:00.001-04:00

No, I didn't dry up and blow away. I've been through some of the travails of life. For several weeks I had the flu. For several more weeks I tried to nurse my computer back to health. But I failed. And so did my hard drive. I lost a lot of data I forgot [or couldn't find] to back up as well. Thus I spent time in search and recovery---and recovered nada. Dell sent me a new hard drive, but

Mutual Harmony

2010-01-21T14:19:00.000-05:00

In my retirement years, I look more closely at commercials, ads, and movies; and the inconsistencies, poor grammar, and occasional misinformation stand out like red flags. I just don't think the current crop of writers is up to snuff, especially those in the advertisement industry.Money Mutual has an advertisement with a picture of Montel Williams: Get a short term cash loan of up to $1,000 by

My Wishes for 2010

2009-12-31T22:57:00.001-05:00

In welcoming the New Year, I have many wishes. These are only a few of them.1. Proper and limited use of the word 'alleged:' I wish newspapers would tone down their constant use of the word 'alleged.' When a person commits a crime with numerous witnesses, or such person truely confesses after being confronted with overwhelming evidence, I don't think the term 'alleged' is appropriate anymore.

Christmas Song

2009-12-20T22:52:00.004-05:00