The Three "Blue" Amigos

These three guys---Nicks, Cruz & Manningham---should prove to be the difference on Super Bowl Sunday. Sorry, but I don't think the Patriot secondary is up to it.

And a freak out alert should be issued on Victor Cruz.

Later

One World Trade Center

The Freedom Tower tour was taken back in September of 2011.

It's quite a bit taller now, and construction is supposed to wrap up by late 2013. Can't wait.

Later

Free advice

Today marked the fourth time now that I participated in the packaging and removal of all, thats' all of the worldly belongings of an entire family.

Three of these families hailed from public housing, while the other did not reside in public housing. But the one thing they all have in commom was when they realized they had an issue with bedbugs, they decided to self-treat with products from the local big box hardware store rather than seek professional help.

And by professional help, I don't necessarily mean pest control operators. The staff and management of most public and private housing complexes can be considered as much---professional help---since they too have been coming up to speed on all things bedbugs from an educational standpoint. One of these folks told me just today, "We'll be dealing with this for the rest of our lives," with no argument offered by me.

Below: 38 contractor bags and counting...

It's depressing to remove every single thing that a family owned only hours before with the knowledge that all of it is headed for the trash heap. Clothes. Furniture. Toys. Electronic devices. All of it.

And my only point, the advice I offer is to run screaming for professional help if you even suspect you have an issue with the most resilient of the blood-sucking invaders.

As for this other apartment pictured below, they are asking for serious trouble with other sorts of pests.

29 days 'til termite season. Thank goodness!

Later

Video Flapdoodle

Nope. No freaking football today.

My hands are trembling. I feel queasy.

I loved this here band. But I realized they'd probably be a collection of cab drivers without "The Voice."

RIP Ben.

This here band rules. Not the chickie, the band. And I always loved this particular version of the sex kitten gone crazy stalker bitch.

Later

Sunday morning one-liners

Somebody wrote something about having a right to gripe. Here goes, strap yourselves in…

The Obamabots tell us that securing our borders is impossible. Nope, cannot be done. Too epic in scope. But in the next breath they tell us that we can alter the climate by way of behavior modification. Idiocy, I call it.

They tell us that there are two Amerikas. The rich and the poor. Commie swill like that. Nah, it’s more like, the gluttonous, growing public sector and the shrinking, indentured private sector.

Let me get my head around this: Because others have more than you, your solution to this supposed inequity is to occupy a sidewalk for a year or two? Yeah, let me know how that works out.

The prevaricating puppet in D.C. claims he opened “thousands of acres” to oil and gas drilling. That’s cute and all, but why not open the areas known to be reservoirs to drilling?

Oh, and after three years, the ambivalent one is still yammering on about creating jobs, as if he knows anything at all about it. But since we have no industry to speak of, job creation has been limited to the public sector which produces nothing.

The clueless despot also says all children should be required by law to remain in high school until they either graduate or arrive at their 18th birthday. So if they absolutely do not want to be there and have no interest in learning, forcing them to hang around helps whom?

If ObamaCare is going to be so wonderful, then why is the Fedrule Govmint handing out so many exemptions to companies from sea to greenish sea?

The so-called “economic stimulus” sure created a lot of jobs. As in, temporary jobs that have since disappeared as green company after green start-up have all gone bankrupt. Bought any solar panels lately? Wind turbines? Beet-powered cars?

And the Chevy Volt, the Chevy Volt is so bad, it actually makes 5-dollar a gallon gasoline sound good. More stimulus gone wrong.

Despite the fact that average Amerikans need the government’s permission to do their jobs, the Nirvana seekers on the left point to the financial crisis as an excuse for needing more regulations. In New York, what I do on a daily basis at Pennsylvania work sites is illegal. In New York, by law, two people are required to do what I do. The reason? Safety. During my career, I have missed one work day due to a work-related injury.

Despite a $16 trillion deficit (probably 18 by today), the secular socialists (democrats) think that providing a free college education would be a great idea. Well, during an election year it’s a great idea.

Despite the fact that all of Europe is in a demographic and socioeconomic death spiral, we still have left-leaning politicians modeling their vision of Amerika on facets of Europe’s inarguably failed model.

On a more local note, we have to vote for somebody or other in a couple of months. Does anybody have any idea about when this gerrymandering nonsense will actually be accomplished? What district do I reside in? Who can I vote for? Will Wilkes-Barre and Erie be in the same voting district?

Anywho, see what happens when there is no football or American Idol to distract me? Be careful what you wish for.

Later

2008 Block Party

Who knew this would be the end of what was fast-becoming an institution?

Certainly not me.

Later

Dumb

I've been blogging for twelve-plus years now. I've been at it so long, I can barely recall life before blogging.

I've gone places and done things most people would never even dare to dream about doing. I've met the movers and shakers. I've met those who shape the news. I've met those who report the daily news. And I've had my few fleeting moments of ill-found celebrity.

I've made a gaggle of new friends because of my electronic exploits. And I've also created a still growing army of people who despise me for it.

Still, in retrospect, I think I'm dumb for having done so.

Later

Socks for Jocks

Wanna know what pisses me off to no end?

No? Tough, here it comes.

It pisses me off when radio talk show hosts, who cannot generate calls despite the perceived importance of their chosen subject matter, make cracks about how the listening audience must be too easily distracted by things such as American Idol, NASCAR or pro sports in general.

In other words, since they cannot motivate us to call, we're flat-out accused of being easily distracted, stupid, politically lethargic and/or not nearly as engaged in the pressing matters of the day as they are.

First of all, I did not destroy the United States, the self-centered politicians and the know-it-all pundits took care of all of that. And to imply that our undying allegiance to Ricky Rudd or our fascination with any or all facets of pop culture is leading us closer to the abyss is so much tainted swill, even the societal piglets shy away from it.

Let's assume that I pay too much attention to pro football when I could be devoting myself entirely to saving the world. So what? I'm not some former prostitute turned congressional wonk, or some former drug-crazed hippie turned all-knowing proprietor of ever-flowing wisdom.

I'm just some guy who loves barely controlled ultra violence, and I need not be chastised because someone else needs ratings to remain under-employed. In addition to that, even if I was distracted by singing boobs auditioning for other marginally talented singing boobs on television, such a distraction does not a war, a deficit or a partisan divide make.

The so-called know-it-alls of the world are destroying things quite nicely without any of my input, so why take an on-air dump on me when you've set off on some boring radio tangent?

And what, pray tell, do the self-important radio talk show hosts do when they are not on the air covering the important stuff? Uh, do they lock themselves in a room and strategize about how best to save Amerika herself? Or do they drink and dance and twist and strum just like those they would so easily chastise? Do they rub their mutated members up against their pathetic honies, or do they sit alone and click on every single link at Real Clear Politics?

Look, talking about the issues does not a Ghandi make. Conversely, not talking or caring about the issues does not make for a chump, or add to any part of any existing problem.

Do you really want to chastise somebody? Yeah, then chastise those same few insider folks you so predictably go all weak-kneed for.

Or as we used to say back in the day before talk radio, put a sock in it!

As for me...

I'd like to teach the world to sing...

Later

Kistler

Unfortunately, I was there.

Remember, I’m the termite technician. And as soon as Spring arrives in full, I’ll be right back to doing what I do best…using termite biology and termite behavior against termites…the only insects that can digest cellulose, uh, wood, er, your biggest investment.

W-B school sprayed for bed bugs

According to Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Jeffrey Namey, a single bed bug was found on the floor of a fifth-grade classroom Thursday. Students were removed from the classroom, their parents were contacted and an extermination company was brought in, Namey said.

The exterminators did not find any additional bed bugs, but at their recommendation, the entire fifth-grade pod, a total of five classrooms, was sprayed for the bugs Friday evening, Namey said.

“We have expanded it beyond the scope of the original problem,” Namey said, adding that exterminators will also do a follow-up inspection following spraying.

I have no comment other than to say that the WBSD is taking this isolated incident very, very seriously and is sparing no expense.

Trust me on this.

Later

Barry says Malvinas, the British say Falklands

Way, way south of here, way down there where the seas are frightfully cold and the land masses so rare, nobody would fight over any inch of that again, right?

Well, nobody paid the Falkland Islands any notice since 1982 until the British scored a major oil find in the territorial waters off of the Falklands.

Enter Barry Soreto…

Britain has received a slap in the face by its so-called closest ally, the US government, in a dispute with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

Washington once again put its weight behind Argentine when it endorsed Buenos Aires' call for negotiations to resolve an ongoing dispute over the chain of islands at the center of a 1982 war, British media reported.

The General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) at its meeting in San Salvador last Tuesday approved by unanimous consensus a draft declaration on the question of the Malvinas Islands, which was also endorsed by the Obama government, said the reports.

Critics accused the US of not only siding with Argentina, which had been heavily pushing the issue, but also with a number of anti-American governments including Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua.

Britain and Argentina fought a bloody war in 1982 after Buenos Aires invaded the nearby islands. Hundreds of people were killed on both sides of the conflict. Since then the UK government has imposed sovereignty over the islands and grant islanders British citizenship.

Britain has also resisted international calls for the two nations to negotiate the issue. The latest declaration also called for Argentina and Britain to enter talks over the sovereignty of the Falklands.

Nile Gardiner, an analyst with the Heritage Foundation, referred to President Obama's recent visit to London, where he called US-UK partnership as “essential”, saying that “the US should at least stay neutral on the Falkland issue”.

"British sovereignty over the islands is not an issue for negotiation. ... This is a slap in the face for America's closest friend and ally," he said, adding “this is a bizarre foreign policy”.

Washington signed on to a similar resolution in June last year, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear in a joint press conference with Cristina Kirchner in Buenos Aires in March 2010 that the Obama regime fully backs Argentina's calls for negotiations over the Falkands.

The State Department has also insultingly referred to the Islands in the past as the Malvinas, the Argentine name for them.

Enter history...1982...

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Face it confused folks, our secular socialist, Barry Soreto, has yet to a meet a long-standing American ally he wouldn’t screw over in the name of further world-wide revolution, tumult and uncertainty.

And the British?

Let them eat Michelle's tofu/wheat germ cake.

Later

Nike CEO at Paterno memorial

Whether you agree or disagree with his very pointed sentiments on the Penn State Board of Trustees, you have to admire his willingness to speak his mind.

Well, at least I do.

Phil Knight...

Later

Cefalo at Paterno memorial

Poignant, funny and sad.

Video: Jimmy Cefalo On The Paterno Way: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Austerity Now!

What's all this confusion about Peyton Manning's immediate future?

I say he'd make a great backup to his brother Eli.

Just sayin.

When I was a kid, I did not miss a Coughlin football game unless work prevented me from attending.

I forget which season, but my cousin and I once walked from Wilkes-Barre to Wyoming Area’s football stadium so as to not miss the-then battle of unbeatens. 7-0, if I remember correctly. We often rode train box cars to games up Pittston way, as well as south towards Meyers’s stadium and Hanover. Walked to Plains stadium for every home game.

I especially liked attending games at Meyers when the most speediest of the players were poised to cut on that artificial rug. And to this date, the fastest person I ever saw playing on that rug was Pittston’s Jimmy Cefalo.

Being that I took those games way too seriously, Cefalo’s domination of Coughlin gave me fits. And yesterday, at Joe Paterno’s memorial, Jimmy Cefalo came real, real close to getting my tear ducts to activating. After all these years, one way or another, the guy is still getting to me.

So, we’ve gone and got our first ever county manager, some well-traveled guy from California, who is slated to take control of our county government in late February.

Meanwhile, it seems that our newly-seated council has adopted a budget that will include no new taxes, but significant staffing cuts. The dreaded A-word was even uttered…austerity.

And with that news the cries of reduced services rang out from both inside and outside the governmental fray. Yep, they say 100 or so layoffs will result in lessened services.

Really? Like what? Where’s the draconian hit? Seriously, can the average resident of Luzerne County get through a single week without the assistance of the Luzerne County government? Boy, I sure hope so.

What are we talking about here? Does the county provide life-sustaining services to very many of us? Or are we worried that it might take longer to get a dog license? What do we need more, convenience or a balanced budget?

During this Great Depression II, many, perhaps most businesses reduced staffing levels, which obviously means customer service took a hit. It’s inevitable. Oh, but we cannot slash public sector jobs. Oh, no, that might affect the services those jobs supposedly provide.

And in a county carrying a half billion in outstanding debts and paying crushing debt service payments on a yearly basis, that sort of thinking is useless, short-sighted poppycock.

It’s time that the folks paid to toil away under the rotunda start living within their means so as to not make it any more difficult for us to live under our means. Across-the-board cuts. Permanently furloughed employees. Union concessions. Divestitures. All of the above. Whatever it takes. It’s time.

Austerity Now!

And how ‘bout this one…

Outspoken residents again overshadow W-B council meeting

WILKES-BARRE - Peter Gagliardi called Thursday night for a more civil discourse between city council and its frustrated residents, even outlining three principles he believes will help keep increasingly sensational encounters off of YouTube.

"After a while, these episodes rub off on your reputation," said Gagliardi, of South Hancock Street. "After a while, people are going to think of Wilkes-Barre as a place it's just a never-ending mudslinging contest."

Hallelujah! I’ve been saying this for years, that the monthly freak shows at city hall accomplish nothing, save for damaging the city’s reputation.

Oh, and now that the long sought after credit card receipts have been found, what next? Indictments? Hand cuffs? Perp walks? Not likely.

But with the discovery of the long-illusive statements, I see yet another city employee, Marie McCormick, has been vilified by the so-called activists.

Here’s one for you: Name for me a city hall employee who has not been vilified, defamed, slandered or libeled by the self-appointed defenders of humanity and you will win a prize not donated by a mystery philanthropist.

And they wonder why I stopped attending the monthly freak shows. Er, the city council meetings.

Later

Jintszilla II?

Yep, the Jints are heading back to the Super Bowl to tarnish Tom Brady's stalled legacy all over again. Old news, I know.

But, what I wrote yesterday was spot-on...

The running games are about equal. Both defenses can bring a big pass rush with their front four. If the Giants take TE Vernon Davis out of the mix to a large degree, the 49ers wide receivers are not talented enough to pick up the slack.

The edge at quarterback has to go to Eli and the Giants. And I think the three-headed wide receiver beast--Nicks, Cruz & Manningham--are coming into their own and becoming too much for most any NFL secondary to handle for sixty minutes.

The 49ers had all of 12 completed passes during nearly five quarters of football. A whole 12. And they were distributed as follows...Gore 6-45, V.Davis 3-112, Walker 2-36, Crabtree 1-3.

So the Jints did not control Vernon Davis as I had hoped for, which adds them to a very long list of teams that could not. But, if you subtract the six receptions by the running back and the two receptions the other tight end managed, that leaves a whopping one reception coming from San Fran's inept, practically nebbish wide receivers. One.

In addition, the Giants' trio of wide receivers were just too much for that stout San Fran defense to handle. Actually, that defense played well enough, that defense deserved to go on to the Super Bowl.

So, to my persistent email hater, know that I have forgotten more about football than you will ever learn from your red-headed step-sister.

Oh, no! The Eagles signed away Steve Smith!

So, can that patchwork, that work-in-progress of a secondary up New England way handle the Giants' trio of wide receivers? It seems highly doubtful.

And if the striking parallels between the Jints' '07 and '11 seasons aren't eery enough already, know that Tommy the Ken Doll Brady is going to have his uniform dirtied and bloodied all over again, just like he last did in the '08 Super Bowl.

Somebody cue the music for Jintszilla.

On a whole other subject, I am not nor have I ever been a big fan of college football. In my damaged mind, college football is the minor leagues.

With that stated, I have never been a fan of Penn State football. Penn State, to me, always seemed kind of slow and plodding along. Almost a throwback to the days of black-and-white and leather helmets. Almost outdated.

But I always recognized and respected what Joe Paterno did for that institution and what he meant to that institution. And if I was a member of that board of trustees right about now, I'd have a very hard time looking at my despicable self in the mirror.

May he rest in peace, despite what Penn State did to him.

Sez me.

Later

Stadium Tribute

The former haunt of the New York Football Giants... Later

Sunday morning musings

Remember when we used to sneak wine sacks into events such as these? How times have changed when we’d be better served sneaking in some pepper spray. Or brass knuckles.

Candlestick Park security plan includes cops posing as Giants fans

If it were a TV show, maybe it would be called SFPD Blue.

That plan to beef up security for Sunday’s NFC title game at Candlestick Park, which for a change has less to do with preventing folks with bombs or guns or other assorted weapons into the building, includes a fascinating wrinkle.

In order to ensure that fans who choose to root for the Giants aren’t abused by 49ers fans who reportedly abused Saints fans last Saturday, undercover police officers will be posing as Giants fans.

And they say New Yorkers are a tough crowd. Jeez.



How in Allah’s name is this news? Again.

Travel costs since ’04 stun activists

WILKES-BARRE – One month before they voted to raise taxes 31 percent in 2008, three city council members and the city controller spent five days in Orlando, Fla. on a taxpayer-funded trip that cost more than $3,000 in hotel fees alone.

The trip to the annual convention of the National League of Cities was among dozens of excursions city council members and other city officials have taken over the past seven years that have cost taxpayers more than $113,000 in hotel and conference fees, according to a review of credit card statements of four city officials from 2004 to 2011.

If some of us were being honest, we’d chill with the feigned outrage. These travel expenses have been budgeted year-in and year-out, and year-in and year-out somebody makes it into an issue.

I fail to see how a $10,000 expenditure is so offensive as part of a $33 million budget. And when I see that people are questioning the effectiveness of attending seminars and the like, I scoff at them for underestimating the necessity of continuing education as well as the value of picking the brains of one’s peers. Been there, done that, and it’s usually well worth the cost.

Must be a really slow right-to-know week, heyna?

Here’s the obvious solution to this non-problem, this trumped-up bullspit: The $10,000 normally put aside for the trips goes to more productive uses, like, um, like buying some nifty new recycling containers. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Can’t have enough commingling containers, can we?

Or maybe we can resume the much-complained about Diamond Drops on New Year’s Eve. Yeah, we can congregate there in front of all of the businesses that closed only hours before, drink way too much when nobody is looking and get ourselves a case of frostbite. Yeah, that will show those no good council sumbitches!

It’s interesting that even though we have had significant turnover on city council, with three of the five members being new to the redundant fray, we are still demonizing city council.

Seems like the so-called “activists” won’t be content until they wrest control, install their myopic ways and plunge the city into another round of financial paralysis.

Seems like it.

Okay, Bill. You asked, so here it is.

The New York Football Giants at the San Franfreako 49ers.

The running games are about equal. Both defenses can bring a big pass rush with their front four. If the Giants take TE Vernon Davis out of the mix to a large degree, the 49ers wide receivers are not talented enough to pick up the slack.

The edge at quarterback has to go to Eli and the Giants. And I think the three-headed wide receiver beast--Nicks, Cruz & Manningham--are coming into their own and becoming too much for most any NFL secondary to handle for sixty minutes.

If the O-line protects Eli, the Jints win handily. If they do not protect Eli, all bets are off.

Either way, I will not be disappointed. We took a 7-7 triage unit and fought our way to the NFC championship game. And it’s hard to bitch about that, no matter where it ends.

With that said, I wonder what doubts would run through Tom (Ken Doll) Brady’s mind if he ended up in a Super Bowl rematch with these Jints who ruined his perfect season not so long ago.

We shall see.

Later

S.U.S.

I loved the punk band Ruts the Crack when they, ahem, broke out in 1979.

Their so-called hit at the time was "Babylon's Burning". But "S.U.S.," British for, "Search under Suspicion," had me doing my level best to damage my hearing beyond repair.

Search under Suspicion? It's a cop thing loosely translated as making up a reason to thump somebody.

2007


1979


Later

Peter Schilling? Say it ain't so!

My brother Ray (1970-2007) was a dyed-in-the-wool metal-head.

Whether it was Metallica, Megadeath, Guns 'n Roses or Judas Priest, he rocked by the simple creedo "If it ain't loud, it ain't worth a fu>k." Something, by the way, that I, his father/brother had instilled in him.

Yet, when I bought my first computer back in '96 and showed him how easy it was to file-share and burn music to discs, he begged me to burn the following song that practically brought him to tears when he heard it after all the years had passed since it was released in the early '80s.

2010


1983


I busted his stones, of course. But I never asked him what his emotional attachment was to this song. And, unfortunately, I'll never get a chance to ask him.

So for that reason, I now find myself emotionally-attached to said song. And I'm not even sure as to why.

Whatever.

Later

SOPA Cabana

Actually, the Internet was much more fun back in the day before the maximum commercialization and the bum's rush towards regulation and taxation.



Later

New VH

The new Van Halen CD--A Different Kind of Truth--will hit the Gallery of Sound stores on February 7.

After a 16-year hiatus, David Lee Roth is back on vocals. And Eddie's son Wolfgang is the new bass player.

The new tour starts in Philadelphia, and I'd bet the tickets are selling briskly. Between Roth's showmanship and Eddie's guitar pyrotechnics, they are to big rock shows what Obama is to piling up big debts.



Still and all, I still wish Patty Smythe had accepted Eddie's long ago offer to front the band.



If only.

Blue Cheese(heads)

Gee, last night was a ton of fun.

Yes, despite the one-sided officiating, the defending champion Green Bay Packers got their asses handed to them by way of a Giants-supplied blowout.

It got so bad during the second half, much to his shock and dismay, Aaron "Double Check" Rodgers even dirtied his uniform...a first during all of the 2011 season. True, I swear.

Warning: This first video contains launguage not suitable for an Aaron Rodgers commercial. But it does give you an inkling of how most Giants fans felt going into yesterday's game.



This video, from Sports Illustrated, is as safe and pure as the wind-driven show in Green Bay.



Later

Hail Mary

"Discount Double Check" my ass!



Better luck next year.

Later

Pack vs. Jints

If you feel the need to fight Giants fans, there are probable better venues in which to start said fight...



Oh, and fu>k the Green Bay Packers. Going back to the NFL's inception in 1921, which team has more championships? And which team has more Super Bowl wins?

Later

September flood video

Compelling video footage of the temporary flood barrier at the Market Street bridge in Wilkes-Barre giving it up to the river.

From Scott Spinucci/Wilkes-Barre TV...



Maybe next time.

Later

Exclusive

Secret video culled from the January 2, 2012, Luzerne County Council meeting.



Later

Cheap stuff

Folks, if you're looking for major league sports apparel, you need to take a look at this...

House of Deals 570

I was there. No, it's not a brick-and-mortar store. I was there at the local dude's house. Sharp looking stuff and very, very affordable. Oh, and very cluttered.

Really cool Jints stuff, too.

Later

D.S.S.com

Take the full tour...

Dirty Spending Secrets (Washington liberals don't want you to know...)

U.S. tax dollars are spent on Chinese prostitutes? Outrageous! To tell with those foreign whores. Our dollars should be spent on our own prostitutes!

Later

Dead People on Parade

I'd say the Democrats, who fight every attempt at verifying identities at the polls, now have egg where their two faces used to be.

James O’Keefe Video Purports to Show Ease of Voter Fraud in N.H. Primary

Purports?



The accompanying comments: Donate to projectveritas.com On January 10th, Project Veritas reporters walked into New Hampshire Polling Locations during the Presidential Primaries, saying dead people's names. We stated the name of a dead person we got from the NH obituaries. The names of the deceased were both Registered Republican and Democrats And in almost every case, saying a dead person's name, we were handed a ballot to cast a vote. We used no misrepresentation and no false pretenses. in fact, in almost every case, we insisted we show ID and they insisted that we vote without showing ID. Thanks to DailyCaller.com for breaking story.

Fun, er, scary stuff.

Later

Last year could only be categorized as the year of hellacious weather and disasters here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

We had a freaking man-made earthquake, a tropical storm, a hurricane, a flood of historic proportions and the Philthydumpia Eagles.

So the way we're going, I figure this thing will suddenly appear in the Nord End sometime this year...



Video by Gort

Later

Stone-ageistan, American Style

Does anybody see any actual peeing going on?



Later

Class Warriors or: Dingleberries R U

Nobody sends email anymore, except for this guy who used the tired “more fortunate” line on me because I have a career, a pile of really cool toys and seemingly because I‘m more than happy in my fast-wrinkling skin.

I hear this well-worn gibberish every single day on talk radio, and repeated by vapid, class-baiting politicians and less than original, easily-led bloggers: “You’re more fortunate than some others.”

Pest Control Technology magazine listed me as a top-four finalist for its 2010 Termite Technician of the Year award. And wait for it…top-four throughout all of North America. And my employer named me as it’s termite tech of the year winner for 2010, an honor that had never been bestowed upon any tech employed by my district.

Now, when you consider the training, retraining, state testing, manufacturer testing, periodic company testing, mandated continuing education, regional conferences, seminars and work-related injuries I’ve had to quietly endure; I will not and can not call myself lucky. And let us not forget the years, the tens of thousands of hours of hands-on experience I have amassed.

My employer, rated as “America’s Finest” by Pest Control Technology magazine put me in a position to succeed. They have invested heavily in my continuing training as well as my continuing education. And succeed I did.

I’m real good at what I do. Some say the best. You don’t pay me for chemicals, you pay me for expertise. I’m not fortuitous, I’m just flat-out good. So, please, spare me the class warfare drivel.

In addition, I’m not some heartless republican boob, as many Democrats like to paint the political opposition as.

During my formative years, I did the welfare and the subsidized housing bit. I’m not saying I liked it much, but it did teach me how to develop a serious work ethic, as well as be as mean as I felt I had to be when anyone looked down on me or mine. I was mean because we did not seek out poverty and the perceived freebies as too many mistakenly assumed, we were dumped into poverty by absentee fathers.

I know what it’s like to grow up on the then-economy brand substandard foodstuffs, government surplus cheese and powdered milk. Despite the rage that simmered inside of me, I had to endure the not-so-hushed comments when my mom produced her food stamp booklets at the check-out aisle. Trust me, I did’t do indignity very well.

We did the bulk of our shopping at Kresge's, McCrory's and at church rummage sales. Until I got hired at Percy Brown's, the great majority of my wardrobe consisted of hand-me-downs. We had no wheels. When we needed to get somewhere, we set out of foot. And that included carrying groceries from the supermarket all the way home.

I was embarrassed by the free lunch coupons in junior high to the point of not redeeming them. That‘s, skipping lunch altogether. (And they wonder why I skipped out for some Kresge’s pizza once Percy A. Brown & Co. put a decent jingle in my formerly empty pockets by age 14.) And I hate what being broke, worried and always figuring out how to get by until the next meager check arrived did to my mom. Basically, it wore her out. And she checked out at 49.

Trust me, I know some people are less fortunate. And having been there and done that, in most cases, I even know why. But don’t ever presume to tell me that I am, or have been “more fortunate” than anyone else. Good or bad, I am what I am because I made myself into what I am.

And I’ll give you a big heads up: The only way to escape poverty’s white-knuckled clutches is by forever chasing a buck. By developing that serious work ethic. By busting your ball bearings, even when you’re tired, even when you don’t have a ride or even when it’s inconvenient beyond all get-out.

And that’s exactly what I don’t see coming from the vast majority of those who would cry poverty today.

As Francis Vincent Zappa once said, “You are what you is.” As in, “less fortunate” for lack of any sustained effort.

Piss me off!!!

Blessed are they who win

I think this is starting to get out of hand.

1985's St. Elmo's Fire reworked into Tim Tebow's Fire?



If Timmy & the Broncos take out Ken Doll & the Patriots, I'll take my place in a pew the following Sunday morning.

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Saint Tebow?

This first video is pretty funny stuff, which is a complete surprise coming from long-suffering Saturday Night Live.



But this one, this one smacks of a sign from, a sign from, a...



Okay, self-impressed atheists. Explain that one away.

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Busted my ya-yas on this one

This one kind of pissed me off after I posted it.

If any local media outlet had posted this many behind-the-scenes pictures, they would have been confidently waiting for a photo/journalism award.

But, you know, bloggers blow and deserve no such awards. Oh, and they have no recourse when the decorated journalists continually rip them off.



You gotta love the canopy picture right there in the beginning. High noon on a sunny Saturday. One person on the first block of South Main Street. One. One.

One!

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Bikeabout pics

This video begins and ends with pictures I took of my grandparents' North Washington Street home being torn down.

I was heartbroken when my well-heeled uncle wrestled control of the old homestead from my mother. And I was besides myself dangerously angry when he paid to have it torn down.

Family shouldn't screw family, no?



Like I said, too tough to cry.

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Jeez. Did I do that?

If I'm willing to post this crazed swill again, you know the end must be near.



Note the finger, critics.

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9/11: What We Saw

With my made-for-TV-movie of a boyhood behind me, I've always prided myself on the fact that I'm just too tough to cry.

Tonight, that was put to the test.







G'nite

Only in Wilkes-Barre

Here it is, kiddies…the latest non-smoking gun.

Million-dollar mystery in Wilkes-Barre

It's the million-dollar mystery.

More than five years ago, Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton led city residents to believe money from a grant, the city's general fund, community development coffers and emergency services tax bankrolled the $860,000 purchase of three new fire engines.

In reality, an anonymous donor stepped forward with a $1 million gift specifically earmarked for the new fire equipment, according to interviews with city officials and documents reviewed by The Citizens' Voice.

We have reached the point of political activism gone gluttony, the point of absurdity, wherein the right-to-know hunt for the smoking gun in Wilkes-Barre has gotten old. And stale. And tired. And surprisingly annoying. Sorry, but that’s where I’m at.

I often wonder to myself how Wilkes-Barre can continue to exist at all with the abject negativity on parade that somehow, stupidly passes as the political opposition.

An anonymous donor gave the city a huge stipend. And in the small minds of those who fancy themselves as kings, that is proof of corruption? I’ve typed it before and I’ll type it again…only in Wilkes-Barre.

Unlike the reporters in this city, my calls do not go unanswered. And I can tell you that the name of the anonymous donor is a name you would not recognize. It’s not a name tied to any corruption scandal, past or present or otherwise.

Why wasn’t the overly generous donation made public when it happened? Uh, I dunno. So as to not set the do-it-yourself forensic investigators, i.e., the frustrated and overzealous city republicans off on the exhaustive hunt for the self-centered, favoritism-seeking philanthropist?

And allow me to float this electronic balloon. If we had stuck with the status quo in this then-failing city, if we had not changed administrations, would that hefty donation have come our way in the first place?

Methinks not.

Think, people. Trust me, it doesn’t hurt none too much.

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During a previous life...

I once made mention of the fact that my then-amazed brother swore that foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay copied my act. After seeing Ramsay on TV, I asked Wifey, “Was I really that bad?” She answered in the affirmative. Yeah, I guess.

After 26 years, Friendly's closes its Dallas location

In 1983 I was transferred to that restaurant and charged with a mission: by any and all means possible, bring the out-of-control food cost back down where it should be.

After less than a week, I targeted the short order staff which did next to nothing according to specifications. And being my predictable self--vulgar and theatrical--I called out the kitchen manager right in front of his horrified minions. Well, that is, after I had smudged into his chest an undercooked burger that he had served to a customer.

Anyway, I brutalized this staff for months on end. And some members of that kitchen staff complained. Some quit. One even cried as he quit. And many complained to the general manager and also to his boss, the district manager, all of which I summarily dismissed with the cost of food still so incredibly out of whack.

Months passed. I was literally hated by most of the staff, many of which were complaining about me to the customers. And after the passage of those months, it finally occurred to me that the kitchen staff was vastly improved since first I set foot in this store. But the food cost didn’t budge from it’s lofty perch.

So one night, that kitchen manager (who’s respect and trust I had earned) and I grabbed two six-packs and set about spying on the store after it had closed for the night. Nothing.

So we tried it again the next night. And the next night. And then the night after that. Lo and behold, during the dead of night the back door swung open and the janitor proceeded to load cases of frozen food into his vehicle. Had his own key, he did. Food cost problem solved. Bang!!!

But when I thought back about all of the endless grief I treated that kitchen staff to, all I could think was, Oops! Sorry, guys. And girl. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Right?

And with that, I was off on my next improve-or-else mission: Edwardsville. Franklin’s culinary version of The Bronx/Fort Apache, where no manager ought dare tell the short orders what to do.

You don’t want to know about that carnage. The police reports are probably still on file, though.

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Unsportsmanlike Conduct

I thought the Democrats did away with Christians.



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Safety Dance

Defense wins...what was it again?



YEE-HAW!!!

Go Blue!

I believe that following this Super Bowl, Tom Brady had to wash his uniform for the very first time.



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Home Rule: 1-week Report Card?

How’s that Home Rule thing working out so far? That was the starter for yesterday’s drawn-out conversation. Circumlocution, you could call it.

Well, you’d think that after one week it’d be virtually impossible to draw anything close to conclusions, but I do have a few thoughts.

First of all, I’m surprised by all of the consternation concerning the rumored front runner for the county executive post. Did we really believe that we’d search the world over and find a perfect candidate for the appointment? I never thought we would, unless we managed to fill the ear of someone who loves a challenge.

And those people do exist. I remember from my restaurant days that there is no quicker route to stardom than assuming control of a under performing store and turning it around. Taking control of a store that is achieving or exceeding expectations and continuing those profitable ways only proves that you are as capable as the previous general manager.

Getting back to the so-called front runner for the executive post, his employment track record is some cause for concern in that he seems to change jobs about as often as I change the filter in my coffeemaker.

Another serious cause for concern is the fact that the county council seems to have split into two rival factions…the Urbans and everybody else. So far, it seems as if Pop and Junior have their own agendas.

And I wholeheartedly disagree with Pop’s assertion that we should have put more emphasis on recruiting a local to fill the executive seat. By bringing in an outsider, at least the ages-old party politics, past allegiances and the behind-the-scenes power brokers will lose their grips on Luzerne County governance. At least, I hope.

I did not agree with the council’s decision to keep the process of recruiting an executive behind closed doors. Sorry, but I was told that this switch to Home Rule would bring with it a transparency in government where none existed before. And with secrecy being it’s first official overt ( or covert) act, council did not fill me with optimism going forward.

I once asked Councilman Harry Haas what his favorite color was? His response? Transparency.

Exactly! That’s what the populace of this county needs and expects. And I would not only remind him, but all of the 11 people we now look to for open and honest governing that more than anything, we need and deserve some transparency for the first time in our troubled history.

Still, we need to be remindful of the fact that this transitional period should prove to be messy considering that the outgoing commissioners did their level best to make it messy by saddling us with a 2012 budget that reeks of sabotage.

So, how’s that Home Rule thing working out so far?

To definitively answer that question would be akin to bemoaning an individual’s lack of accomplishments despite their obvious infancy.

We’ve only got a week by which to judge the state of things. But I would go as far to say that by having an 11-person council of people who seem to refuse to be on the same page, at least initially, I am troubled more than I thought I would be at this early stage of the revolution.

Remonstrance? Hell, at this point I’d settle for sanity tinged with some civility.

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Dumb All Over

To a president who mistakenly thought Arab Spring was a good thing, and who is still working to bring an Arab Spring to Syria, I offer the following video which was posted, by me, on July 28, 2006.

If you enable religious fanatics in any way, death, destruction and untold suffering is sure to follow.



So it is written.

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The Argument for Palin

Warning: Grandma might not approve of some of the language.



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Moonbats for Paul

Apparently, Ron Paul's vociferous supporters are to moonbattery what the candidate is himself.

Sanctioned or not, this attack on John Huntsman (including his adopted daughters) goes way, way, way overboard.




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The Oblahblah Song

As many of you know, I am an avid bicyclist.

If you remember correctly, during his presidency, Dubya was endlessly mocked, scorned and ridiculed whenever pictures of him riding his mountain bike were published. And I never understood why a guy would be castigated by mostly panty-wastes for riding a mountain bike off-road. I mean, could they do it? No? That's what I thought.

Then, when Jesus H. Soreto (or whatever his name is) took office, I spied a picture of him riding his glorified tricycle on the streets of Chicago and damn near choked to death on my ill-timed swig of Diet Coke.

And at that very moment, this old Dr. Demento classic came flashing across my brain.



Hard to argue that.

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"Agnes" film trailer

Amazing video of the Wyoming Valley during and after the 1972 flooding, particularly of downtown Wilkes-Barre. Running time is 7:39.

"Agnes" film trailer

Enjoy

Colorado: Proprietary My A$$

Since this was posted at FOX News, I figure most of you leftists (quasi commies) missed it.

Colorado Takes the Lead in Fracking Regulation

With a top government scientist calling for more research into the possible health effects of hydraulic fracturing, Colorado has enacted the toughest fracking disclosure rules in the country.

Companies have been reluctant to reveal exactly what those chemicals they are for fear that competitors will copy what they consider proprietary secrets.

Under an agreement brokered by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper energy companies have agreed to disclose to the public at least the chemical family of each chemical they use. The disclosure must be made within two months on an independent internet database: FracFocus.org. Anyone can go to the site to look up chemicals used in the fracking of virtually any well in the state of Colorado. Representatives from both the energy industry and environmental groups who were involved in the negotiations credit Hickenlooper, a Democrat and businessman who once worked as a geologist in the energy industry, with bringing the two sides together.

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Fracking & Earthquakes: Cause and Effect?

I am not a geologist, nor do I play one on TV. But this stuff has my interest piqued and then some.

What You Need to Know About Earthquakes and Fracking

“Well, we look at the evidence. Youngstown is an area which doesn’t have a history of earthquakes. This disposal well started operating in December of 2010. Three months later, the earthquakes began and the earthquakes are trickling along. From March to November, you have nine earthquakes, all of a similar size, 2.5, 2.1, 2.7.

On Christmas Eve, there was a magnitude 2.7 earthquake. Our location of that Christmas Eve earthquake was about one kilometer from the bottom of the well and the location of the earthquake was sufficient evidence that there could be a link.”

CBS NEWS VIDEO...



Interesting reading...

After Earthquakes, Ohio Decides To Stop Fracking Process To ‘Help Stop The Ground From Shaking’
Ohio Earthquake Likely Caused by Fracking Wastewater
Youngstown Rocks: Is Fracking Causing Earthquakes in Ohio?
The Link Between Cracking and Fracking

Local earthquake...

NEPA residents rattled by earthquake
Did Fracking Cause the Virginia Earthquake?

Must-see video: Earthquake in Virginia -- 3.1M @ "FRACKING" operation -- 37.200°N, 81.885°W



From Wilkes-Barre TV@YouTube…


 
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Cruzzzzz!!!

Check the video. A ho-hum 3-yard out pattern goes for a 74-yard TD. Such is life with Victor Cruz on the field.




Right in the beginning, the following video shows a snippet of what we saw from the then undrafted rookie during the 2010 preseason. That said, he never made it onto the field during the 2010 regular season
During the run-up to this season, Eli Manning’s injured safety blanket, WR Steve Smith, took his sure-handed but unspectacular act to the Eagles. At the time, the football pundits said it was their modest gain and our huge loss.

My son reluctantly agreed, but I didn’t necessarily see it that way. I pictured WR Mario Manningham, WR Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz being too much for most any secondary to handle.




With Cruz compiling 1,536 of QB Eli Manning’s 4,933 passing yards (both Jints records), I’d say Victor Cruz’ emergence was exactly one season late.

Anyway, the multitudes of injured are returning. The oft-injured offensive line has now stabilized, as has the once-decimated defense. And with Cruz stretching the opposing defenses, this here 9-7 playoff team could be as dangerous as they want to be. I guess it's all up to offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, who Jints fans less-than-affectionately refer to as Kevin Kill-Drive.

First up: A southern dome team coming north to New York in January.

Here’s hoping it’s blustery and cold as a witches implant.

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NYG!

Despite being a mash unit on both sides of the ball for most of the year, we took out both the Dream Team and America's Team.

Sweet!

The Knoxville grandrodents

The Knoxville contingent of my family--Peace, Scott, Gage & Taylor--made it home safely yesterday. Yep, and Wifey has already started taking down the three metric tons of Christmas decorations.

For those of you who used to know Gage, he is now 10-years-old and starting to sprout in a vertical sense.

Taylor is now 8-years-old and always seems to have one eye on fashion.

My daughter Peace (No, I wasn't at Woodstock) is still a good kid, a great mom, but I can't speak to the wife part.

End family update.

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Top 45 Pics of 2011

According to BuzzFeed, that is.

The 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011

Here's to hoping the Mayans were good with numbers.

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