Major tornado damage in southern Oklahoma City

| May 20, 2013

I’m not looking forward to watching the news tonight … my thoughts and prayers go out to those in the path of these deadly storms. USAToday LINK

Travel press for Cincinnati and Taylor’s upcoming graduation

| April 21, 2013

I think we’ll spend some money for a meal downtown Cincinnati next month as a way to celebrate my son’s Geography and Urban and Regional Planning degree from Miami University. He will graduate next month and has spent quite a bit of time working and studying revitalization projects downtown (he does have his gown … [...]

This possible Great White Shark seems a bit too far south?

| April 18, 2013

I’ve been sort of monitoring the sharks along the Florida coast for a couple years and with the advanced GPS locators tagging a few Great Whites, the migrations are amazing. A story from the Key West Keynoter newspaper seems to have one even farther south than Mary Lee. A Massachusetts man diving with his father [...]

What do you know about Social Security Disability?

| April 11, 2013

If you are the average healthy American who is working or independently seeking a job, you might be as unknowledgeable as I am when it comes to knowing anything about government benefits. I’ve generally assumed that those who are “disabled” are not capable of functioning or were disabled on the job due injury. What I [...]

Pitiful. Bureaucratic incompetence is part of the problem

| April 5, 2013

We’re hardly sputtering along when it comes to getting Americans back to work. One wonders why we bother to spend so much money on government when our over compensated bureaucrats only add to the problem. If it were not so frustrating and painful, government’s adding “programs,” meddling with tax rates and monetary policy and out [...]

Dow Industrials Close at Record High of 14253.77

| March 5, 2013

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged Tuesday to its highest closing level ever jumping 125.95 points to finish above the previous record of 14164.53 set on Oct. 9, 2007. The low was a year and a half later bottoming out at 6547.05 on March 9, 2009. For those holding or buying “long” and in the [...]

Promising additional drug treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

| February 26, 2013

While keeping an Internet-eye on research regarding medical conditions impacting friends and family, I came across a positive research article on an additional medication that is being looked at to treat Parkinson’s Disease. Northwestern University is planning another clinical test in hopes this new added drug treatment will slow the progression of the calcium build [...]

Using retired police officers as substitute teachers

| January 28, 2013

Butler County Ohio’s high profile local Sheriff Richard Jones is addressing the recent hot button topic school security with a “two for one” idea by putting trained retired police officers in school buildings as substitute teachers. Many of our local schools once had resource officers in the schools, but budget constraints due to the slow [...]

Montpelier Ohio schools will have armed janitors

| January 12, 2013

One would expect some of the conservative western or southern states to adopt deterrents when it comes to criminals targeting gun free zones like public schools, but the Montpelier Exempted Village School Board of Education has been quick to adapt here in Ohio. They approved (5-0) to permit four of their janitors to carry handguns [...]

Millions in the northeast U.S. await Sandy

| October 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy is still hours away from coming ashore in the northeastern U.S. but the winds, waves, rains and surge are already making an impact. Officials and residents are taking no chances and predictions are triggering evacuation orders for hundreds of thousands of residents, the cancellation of more than 7,700 airline flights. Schools and mast [...]

Electric car battery maker A123 files for bankruptcy protection

| October 16, 2012

Once again, our tax dollars were squandered on another failed green energy company. This time the once promising A123 Systems Inc. (AONE -74.67%) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. A123 was one of the Obama Administrations’ handpicked companies to be given a handout … free money … and took nearly $250 million taxpayer dollars [...]

With the electoral college, what does a popular poll mean?

| October 15, 2012

I’m not sure I would put a lot of faith in polling this year, especially following 2008 which saw a turnout unique in our recent history. Who knows if the motivation and base for either party will vote in the same numbers … and who knows if it even matters with the electoral college vote? [...]

What do the unemployment numbers really mean?

| October 5, 2012

The unemployment numbers were released this Friday morning and looked 4 tenths better than August (7.8% from 8.2%) drawing suspicion from those who suspect a political conspiracy. Since the numbers are generated in questionable ways including phone polls, who knows? This is still good news for President Obama who will who will point to economic [...]

Markets up after Fed action while mideast continues in turmoil

| September 14, 2012

While the financial markets here in the U.S. climb due to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke initiating QE3 and adding more dollars to the economy, the Muslim fanatics in other parts of the world protest, breach U.S. embassies and kill Americans. The current response from the Obama Administration has been cautious and seemingly sends mixed messages [...]

A Dow Jones WSJ subscription: Where am I going wrong?

| September 13, 2012

I’m finding a nutty pricing structure for for my morning newspaper and a questionable explanation (or lack of one) from Dow Jones in my attempt to renew my Wall Street Journal subscription. It sort of reminded my of a Twitter conversation last week on how  Amazon sells some paperback and hardback books cheaper than they [...]

Mitt Romney’s VP choice of Paul Ryan expected today

| August 11, 2012

So much for the “Mitt’s VP app” introduced by the Romney campaign last month. While paying attention to Twitter last night (and sharing a few tweets – right), the app on my iPad sat quiet. Each cable news channel was speculating who would be announce as Gov. Romney’s running mate and Foxnews campaign follower, Carl [...]

Curiosity landed on Mars “beaming” back its first photo

| August 6, 2012

Although not the most interesting of photographs this morning, it definitely excited those who are interested in space exploration and the study of Mars. Early this morning, NASA’s billion dollar rover plunged at 13,000 mph through the thin Mars atmosphere and landed inside a giant crater. It “beamed” back this black and white photo confirming [...]

Making Your Own Insect Repellant

| July 30, 2012

With a recent 2012 report that we have a case of West Nile Virus close to home here in Ohio, this “how-to make insect repellant” post from The Boat Galley is timely. Check out the full article here or some of the article below. Store the mix in a dark plastic bottle so it won’t [...]

A few thoughts on the senseless killing in Aurora Colorado

| July 21, 2012

As I contemplated the senseless killing early Friday morning at a theatre in Aurora Colorado, I wondered just what I should focus on. I thought maybe the much maligned second amendment right of a citizen to own a firearm or perhaps the possible influence of movies … but neither more restrictive gun control or a [...]

Blame our dysfunctional government in Washington DC

| July 10, 2012

Unless politicians “create an environment” that encourages risking capital and investing in American businesses, it will continue to be a struggle to grow our economy. I’m seeing more cities and counties running out of tax revenue and many more will be forced to declare bankruptcy unless thing change soon. Out of work and financially stressed [...]

Ugly numbers when looking at unemployment

| June 23, 2012

WSJ graph showing how unemployment has impacted the nation’s mature workforce. This can’t be good since many are only a few short years away from not even being able to work. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303506404577448751320412974.html Posted via email from RichC’s posterous

More “Operation Twist” from the Fed

| June 20, 2012

Of course … it is also an election year. Hmm? How much will the market move when Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke speaks this afternoon? Operation Twist, in which the central bank sells short-term securities and buys the same amount of longer-term debt to lengthen the average maturity of its holdings and keep borrowing costs low, [...]

Investors sour on downbeat of negative economic news

| June 1, 2012

The Dow’s gains for the year have been officially wiped away. After thinking 2012 might be the year we work our way out of the long recession, the job numbers tell otherwise. After all the debt-financed stimulus, continued wasteful spending and inefficient use of tax receipts coming from Washington DC … confidence is slipping and [...]

Anarchists had multiple targets in northeast Ohio

| May 1, 2012

Traveling through NE Ohio today, I had thought about driving across route 82 this morning … but hearing the news that anarchist planned to blow up had me rethinking my route (not that there was really any danger — thank you FBI). I’ve often thought, that just as with the “interstate snipers” from a few [...]

Israel regarding Iran: 2012 is going to be a critical year

| April 23, 2012

The U.S. and its allies finalized operations in Iraq last year, but continue to struggle with what victory looks like in another theatre of operation (Afghanistan). The sabers also rattle a bit louder this weekend regarding another possible middle-east war. This weekend Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Benny Gantz  was interviewed by the [...]

One step closer to a no holds barred Romney vs. Obama fight

| April 10, 2012

It looks like the contest is about over for the GOP candidates … although the smart money has been on Governor Romney for a few months now … but it has been difficult for Mitt Romney to land a knockout blow, as challengers seemed to tag-team against him for the last year. Yet in the [...]

Where’s the line between free and offensive speech?

| March 25, 2012

Americans seem to be flirting with politically correct issue of “hateful distasteful speech” once again. After some trashy talk in the previous couple of elections, from the media notables and celebrities targeting Sarah Palin to the death threats to cartoonist for caricatures of Muhammad, Rush Limbaugh is being targeted for his inappropriate comments of Sandra [...]

The end of an era — the Encyclopedia Britannica ends print edition

| March 14, 2012

As is blatantly obvious in my business (printing), publishing history and information to paper is becoming as obsolete as recording sound to vinyl or video to magnetic tape. The Encyclopedia Britannica, which has been in continuous print since it was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1768, said Tuesday it will end publication of its [...]

The Loop Current again — once a concern for the BP oil spill

| March 13, 2012

Strange story about the Loop Current that runs around the southern tip of Florida and a three month voyage of the abandoned Lucky Dog (previous story).   PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL – A boat that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in December has reappeared – on a beach on the east coast of Florida. [...]

Storms cut a wide swath thru 10 Midwestern States

| March 3, 2012

Following up on yesterday’s Tech Friday weather watching post, I had no idea that we were in store for this much destruction; the front spawned over 80 tornadoes and impacted ten midwestern states. I’m sure the death toll by these strong storms without the advancements and communications available to those monitoring severe weather. It is [...]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.