Friday, July 22, 2011

Friday Around the Water Cooler 7/22/2011

Another Friday.....here so soon.  This week's big news stories include  the talks regarding  raising the debt ceiling, the extremely hot weather that is covering a lot of the country and the investigation concerning  Rupert Murdock's involvement with the phone hacking done by the now defunct  News of the World tabloid.

These are some of the lesser reported stories that you might have missed.

Quitting Your Job in a Creative Way


After working for 22 days straight without a day off, a Taco Bell manager at the Depew Taco Bell near Niagara Falls, made a decidedly creative change to the neon sign.

Adam, whose last name was not identified, had a beef (no not the taco beef) with his boss who refused to give him a break. That whole "take a break today" doesn't fly at Taco Bell.

Last Thursday, Adam decided to put his resignation in writing. 



Is it safe to say, that maybe Adam shouldn't expect a  favorable reference from his now ex-boss?



Doctor...Who Needs a Doctor?

A Florida man is being charged with  felony aggravated child abuse after a feeble attempt to remove his son's cast with a 10 inch circular saw.  Unfortunately for the father and the son this proved not to be a very well executed plan.

Lawrence Roberts did manage to remove part of the cast but in the process he managed to remove part of his son's thumb and index finger. Roberts went to the home where his 15 year old son lives with his mother and brought the saw that he uses in his job working construction.

The boy was taken to Coral Springs Medical Center then transferred to a Fort Lauderdale medical facility for emergency surgery for severe injuries to his hand.

His father was released on  a $7500.00 bond.


Is it safe to say that Lawrence Roberts isn't being considered for Coral Spring's "Father of the Year" award?



Running Bear

For the last four years, John Hearn has been riding his bike three times a week to work at Tyndall Air Force Base. Last Thursday he started at 6:10 AM to ride the 12 miles along US 98.  His weekly routine, however, took a decidedly unroutine turn at 6:40 when he saw something big and black out of the corner of his eye.


look both ways before
crossing the
street
 Hearn was broadsided by a black bear that was estimated to be about 250 pounds. Both the biker and the bear were knocked to the ground.

Witnesses said both "crash victims" seemed shaken. The bear scurried off into the woods.  Hearn was left with a great deal of road rash and a damaged bike.  One of the witnesses drove him to the base.

Hearn said he has had a couple of previous accidents involving cars and keeps a very close eye out for turning vehicles.  This is a first...colliding with a bear.

John is not planning on seeking damages.  As the bear didn't carry insurance there is nothing to done.


Am I Dead or Disabled?

Fox News reported that 60,000 of California's more than 2 million disabled parking placards issued by the Dept. of Motor Vehicles might have been sent to dead people.

Every two years the DMV does an audit and the Los Angeles Times reports that this year the cross check showed about 56,000 placard holders are deceased.

The DMV acknowledges that there is a great deal of abuse within the system and more than a third of the placards displayed are done so illegally.  The agency is studying ways to make the process more efficient.

Maybe a Breathalyzer... just to make sure there is a breath.


Tit for Tat for TSA

A Colorado woman is accused of putting her hands on a TSA agent at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.


Does she look remorseful?
 According to court records, 61 year old, Ukari Miyamae grabbed the left breast of a TSA agent and twisted it.    Prior to the groping incident, Miyamae was refusing to go through a security scanner.


Officers said that Miyamae admitted to the crime.   She is being charged with felony sexual abuse.

There is an old adage about "don't get your tit in a wringer".  Someone, one evidently doesn't pay attention to old adages.



The Good for the Day....  No one died in any of our odd stories this week. (that's an improvement over some of the other weeks)


The Bad for the Day... The newspaper article about the father that removed the cast, actually had the street address of the boy and his mother's home.  I am sure she is thrilled with her idiot ex.


The Weird for the Day...Authorities say that Michigan bride, Tammy Lee Hinton was arrested after exchanging vows at a Jackson area church.  Ms Hinton was arrested for a 3 year outstanding warrant on a felony charge. She was release after 30 minutes and scheduled to return to court on Monday, July 18th.  She failed to show for the court date.

There is a wedding photo that is sure to be memorable.


A little song to go with the RUNNING BEAR





Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Maybe Some Motivation Would Help

Oh, I am totally taking the easy approach today.    I got a fun email  from my hubby as he is the guru of all that is email and  I am passing bits and pieces of it on to you.   I am not trying to be lazy...well, maybe I am.  We are getting ready to leave town today and unfortunately for me, I have a million things left undone.   Perhaps, I should get organized.




Or maybe I just need to persevere and get myself busy...






But for right now, I am going to send a few more motivational posters your way. 




















Are you totally motivated now??   Obviously, I am not as I am still procrastinating.....


The Good for the Day.... Once we are there, it will be nice to see our family.


The Bad for the Day.....it is hotter than Hades in the Midwest right now.


The Weird for the day....

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Two Thoughts on Kansas City




Two Thoughts for Tuesday




Yesterday, hubby and I needed to go to one of the local shopping centers to pick up a few things.  Those of you that are regular readers know that I am not a big fan of shopping.  However, if I can use it as an excuse to walk around, people watch and have a meal thrown in for good measure, then it's not so bad.


I especially like sitting on the benches by the fountains and watching all the families toss their coins in for wishes. 



Thought #1 - Kansas City's Official Nickname is the City of Fountains
Kansas City has a lot of interesting neighborhoods, shopping districts, and tourist attractions. However, our city is known as the "City of Fountains".  There are more fountains in Kansas City  than any other city in the world with one exception: Rome.   Really, if KC has to come in #2 for fountains, I guess it isn't so bad coming in behind Rome. 



A little background about the fountain...

In Kansas City, which is known as “The City of Fountains” there is one outdoor fountain that is the most famous and most frequently photographed.  The J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain was dedicated in 1960 however the history of the fountain began decades earlier.
Jesse Clyde Nichols, known usually as J.C. Nichols, was an important developer in Kansas City who lived from 1880 to 1950.  His developments figured prominently into the expansion and appearance of Kansas City.  He was responsible for the Country Club Plaza that is known as the first suburban shopping area in the United States.  In 1922, when his plans for the Plaza were revealed, a shopping district specifically designed for people arriving in cars had not been heard of.  Nichols is considered a pioneer in that type of development, and Country Club Plaza has remained a successful shopping district since the time of its creation.

The fountain was originally created in Paris by sculptor Henri Greber in 1910.  Although actual meaning of the statuary is uncertain, the four large, cast bronze equestrian figures reportedly represent four mighty rivers of the world: the Rhine, the Seine, the Volga and the Mississippi.



same fountain different view


Thought #2 Kansas City has one of the coolest libraries in the world.  (at least in my opinion)


This is the downtown branch of the Kansas City Library

same library, different view


One of the most unusual  examples of unique architecture in Kansas City, has to be the facade of the parking garage for the Central Branch of the public library. The garage wall was designed to look like a row of giant books lined up on a shelf. The book spines, which measure approximately 25 feet by 9 feet, are made of signboard mylar. The shelf showcases 22 titles reflecting a wide variety of reading interests as suggested by Kansas City readers and then selected by The Kansas City Public Library Board of Trustees.

The garage behind the "books" was constructed in 2006 in response to the need for additional downtown parking. Community input was requested on ways to beautify the new structure and ultimately the idea of a bookshelf evolved.

Community members and patrons were asked to vote on the titles to be displayed and the ones chosen reflect a wide range of famous literature. Titles of the 22 volumes represented include "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien and "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury among many others.


The Good for the Day...fun things to look at in the city you live in or by.

The Bad for the Day....Not taking advantage of the things your city offers

The Weird for the Day....Having huge books line a downtown street.









Come Join Top Sites Tuesday and be #1 on BlogDumps!

The purpose of this Meme is to encourage
Networking between bloggers to have fun while doing it!
Make sure to visit all the other participants and leave comments
View More Top Sites Tuesday Participants on Technorati here.
See who Tweeted this Post!