In the latest news, Eugenio Scalfari, co-founder of La Repubblica, says that Pope Francis told him in an interview that there is no hell. Scalfari is an atheist and a long time friend of the Pope. 

 

Scalfari is known for not recording or taking notes when interviewing his prey, I mean interviewees. Although this would on the surface tend one to believe anything the guy writes is suspect to the truth, he is a long time friend of the Pope. Besides, the reporter quotes the Pope as saying, "They are not punished, those who repent obtain the forgiveness of God and enter the rank of souls who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot, therefore, be forgiven disappear. There is no hell, there is the disappearance of sinful souls."     

 

The Vatican poo-poos this as pure mierda, and reminds all that the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire.' The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs." (1035)

 

What a relief. The Catholic church that hides pedophile priests and charges families to hold mass for their loved ones have publicly denounced the quote! All is once again pure nirvana again.

 

So let us all raise our glass and propose an Irish toast to Satan and his minions, also known as, politicians. 'May your soul be in Heaven an hour before the Devil knows you're dead'.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stanford Students Protest......

Earlier this month students at Stanford protested that Apple is not doing enough to prevent them from constantly checking their phones for things like Facebook and Twitter and other apps that they have downloaded! The leaders of the group protesting are computer majors! These unsupervised college kids want the company that makes the devices to help them stop using them too much. COME ON!!! Do you buy a car and then blame the car manufacturer when you wreck it due to your negligence?.

 

Isn't this the epitome of people's lack of responsibility? Whats next? Protesters carrying signs insisting that toilet paper makers insert directions in each package as to how to use the product and establish a 24-hour toll-free hotline to read said instructions to the user! Or better yet, provide a step by step video that they can see on their cell phones. Afterall, they already admit that their life is useless without the device attached to their free hand.

 

 

 

I stated this before and will emphatically do so again...

 

I have had about all the stupidity I can handle in this life!

 

 

   

 

 

   

Julias Ceaser

 

I was talking recently with a friend and the conversation somehow turned to a life experience I had with a very smart little pug mix that we named Vini. The above picture is not of her but is a very close facsimile. That is except for what appears to be a male appendage extruding from the hind parts.  

 

When her name was chosen we had no idea that she would live up to it so well. She came to us through my mother who had a pug that mated outside of her breed. No one really knew who the father was. She saw that she was to live a very good life in an upscale neighborhood with a big fenced in backyard and owners that showered her with loving, a bottomless food bowl, and every treat under the sun. Then she conquered every kid within a three block radius. Every munchkin in the neighborhood knew Vini. They would come knocking at the door and ask, "Can Vini come out and play"? We would ask her if she wanted to and if she did she would jump up and bark and we allowed her out. If she wasn't interested she would lay down and whimper and leave it to us to disappoint the munchkin. Disappointment did not come often but when it did we soon learned to temper it with a lollipop to send the munchkin away with sadness in their eyes but a sugary treat in their mouth. So in a way, the dentists loved Vini too.

 

We got a blonde German Shepard later and Vini made it clear that SHE AND SHE ALONE ruled the household. After a few nose scratches and other aggressive behaviors, the shepherd quickly fell in line.

 

Unfortunately, we discovered that Vini was missing from the backyard one day when we arrived home. We put out the word through the munchkin grapevine but never heard or saw Vini again. I can only hope that wherever she was taken that they realized that they had a true gem of a dog. But then, knowing her personality, she conquered them too!!!  

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever happened to dependable journalism? Remember when a reporter actually had principles and exercised them. Or at least made an honest effort to report both sides of the truth. But what is the truth? Isn't it simply what you as an individual have concluded to believe is right? If this is so don't you need all available information to make a truly informed decision? 

 

The explosion of the internet and more specifically the unfettered growth of blogs and self-proclaimed "news" sources have given birth to an individual right?? to plaster their opinion all over the globe and use misinformation and partial information to push their agenda be it good, bad or simply self-gratifying. The worst part of this is that sheeple, and you know the type, take this as the truth and harness themselves to the bandwagon and go full out with guns ablaze to convince people of the truth with the attitude of don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.

 

Social media throws gasoline on this truth and fans the flames like a wind tunnel on steroids. Then the sheeple choose a side and start breathing fire like the mythical dragon not realizing, or caring, that so much that they are parroting is as real as that mythical dragon. Then talk about how messed up and despicable the world is. Never realizing that THEY are a big part of the problem and no part of the solution!

 

So in my humble opinion until the mainstream media, Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, NY TIMES, etc. stops reporting with only the information that they want you to hear and gets back to having real principles and doing their due diligence and reporting ALL SIDES of an issue nothing has a chance to improve. Don't get me started about the bloggers and independent journalists that post for clickbait or just to garner as many sheeple's to their flock as possible. As my wise grandparents used to say,

"They aren't worth the gunpowder to blow them to hades".     

 

 

  Pay no attention to them. 

Their opinion does not count.

 

 

 

 

 

Politics are funny.? The leaders? Provide their form of entertainment? Are we back in grade school on the playground watching fellow schoolmates bicker as they watch us from the corner of their eye smiling inside and saying to themselves, "Gosh darn, I'm the baddest and this proves it. Look at all the kids WATCHING ME! Here, let me show 'em!     

 

One-up-manship is for children and bullies. Not for the people that are supposed to be our leaders. The very people that are being paid by us to spend their time and energy solving problems and doing the right thing to help make sure that our future is securely laid with the right stepping stones for our prosperity and overall well being. 

 

There is always the old saying, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em". SO.......... 

AND

 

 

 

 

Ben Beagle

1928-2018

Ben was a columnist for the Roanoke Times from 1954 and semi-retired in 1992 from the grind of daily reporting. He did continue to write for the Extra column section till 2010. His writing skills were unique and always entertaining. I was always left feeling a little warm glow from his humorous style, somewhat like the one I got from

Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame. 

Ben passed away on Saturday, March 17. He had suffered a stroke and spent his final days in a rest home in North Carolina.

 

For more information about this fine fellows life click here. 

 

 RIP

“Old No. 36”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Week in Costa Rica

Next week is Easter week here in Costa Rica, March 25-31. That means that if you want to be in the spirit you and your family, friends, take 2-3 days off or all week and head to one of the many beaches. If decide to stay around the homestead you'll be in the minority and find traffic and crowds to be delightfully scarce.

 

There have been some changes to the way the holiday is celebrated here. When I lived here in the 90's we shut down our manufacturing facilities for the week as many companies did and for those that qualified it was a week of paid holiday. Now as then each employee earns one day of vacation for each month worked by law. Most manufacturing has left the country and been replaced by call centers for banks, insurance, other financial businesses. Due to their 24/7, 365 day needs it is harder for workers to acquire the full week so they settle for the 2-3 day option.

 

Another change. Businesses like shopping malls and restaurants stay open the entire time. Before many closed for the week and in many ways they just rolled up the sidewalks due to lack of people around. 

 

Back then there was nothing to do anywhere in the cities and towns so I found myself at home watching TV and playing pool, billiards, and drinking at my bar. I was new to the country and had no desire to explore. Due to poor infrastructure and no GPS I had no desire to go out and get lost for days in a country that I did not speak the language. Thank goodness my bar was fully stocked and I had cable TV and a large swimming pool in the backyard.                                                               

 

This being a predominately Catholic country there are numerous religious processions, parades, with people dressed in the traditional garb of the time when Christ was here on earth. There are the three wise men as well as the Virgin Mary and Jesus statues carried in the

streets with somber people following behind. I have seen several of them and I can attest to the fact that some of the parade-goers did not have virgin margaritas before arriving for the activity. But then Jesus's first miracle WAS turning water into wine.        

 

There are many beaches here to visit and all are only a 1-2 hour drive. The bus service to 90% of them is very good. You can book a package that is all-inclusive at the hotel and does include the bus fare. Or you can stay at home and entertain the grandkids for most of the week. Chasing them around the park and planning day trips to keep them happy and get some education at the same time. Just make sure the bar is stocked for your recovery in the evenings when you put them to bed and collapse in front of the TV.  

 

footnotes:

The tradition of Easter baskets and hiding Easter eggs does not exist here.  

Since there was no clear winner in the presidential election,

 the runoff will be Easter Day this year!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

We are blessed with the time you spent with us 

and the knowledge you shared with us

See you on the other side amigo.

Hasta Muerte Coffee Shop

A parody of a wishful

 true-life occurrence. 

PO=Police officer  EO= Employee owner

 

PO: Good morning and Buenos Dias. 

EO: Whadda ya want?

PO: I want to welcome you to the neighborhood and talk about how we can work together to assure the success of your new business, and of course a cup of your fine coffee.

EO: We don't need your help. You are a cop and we have a policy of asking police to leave for the physical and emotional safety of our customers and ourselves.

PO: I see. Since this is your policy my fellow officers and I will respect that although I wish we could respect each other and work and live together in harmony. I'll just take a large coffee to go, please

EO: You are a cop and we have a policy of asking police to leave for the physical and emotional safety of our customers and ourselves. NO COFFEE FOR YOU!

PO: But coffee is something that I need to stay alert as I patrol to help keep the neighborhood safe from robbers and violent protesters.  

EO: You are a cop and we have a policy of asking police to leave for the physical and emotional safety of our customers and ourselves.

PO: (as he is leaving and looking around at the patrons) OK. I hope that all of you know the tried and true saying: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR. YOU JUST MIGHT GET IT. Good day and good luck.

 

The next day in the early evening

911 operator: 911, what's your emergency.

EO: Send the cops. There are protesters outside and they are getting restless.

911: What are they protesting? 

EO: Undocumented immigrants. I don't like the look in their eyes and a couple of them keep grabbing their crotch and winking at some of my fellow EO females and patrons.

911: So they are protesting illegal aliens and making sexually suggestive actions.

EO: YES YES!!

911: Stand by and I'll despatch the closest marked units to your location. This is the Hasta Muerte Coffee Shop, correct?

EO: YES YES!! AND HURRY!!!

911: Sir, I have just spoken to the Sargent and he said he is heading back to HQ to change his clothes and leave his weapon and will be there ASAP. He asks if you will have a fresh pot and maybe a sweet pastry ready when he gets there.

EO: WHAT!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

911: No sir. He said that he respects your wishes that an officer in uniform carrying a weapon is not welcome because he is a cop and you have a policy of asking police to leave for the physical and emotional safety of your customers and yourselves. He would feel horrible if his uniform and revolver put even one of your customers in therapy or sent them screaming for their coloring books. 

EO: I just saw a police car screaming by with the siren blasting!

911: Yes sir. I told you the Sargent said he was heading back to HQ. We hope that the noisy sirene didn't send anyone there into their safe space never to be seen again. 

EO: WHAT IS THIS!! A NIGHTMARE?!

911: OH, no sir. We completely respect.......One moment, please. The Sargent is hailing me............... 

EO: If he doesn't hurry bullets may be hailing down on us!!!!!

911: Sir, the Sargent said to let you know, that you need the support of the actual community to keep this place safe. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

 

Read the real article here.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Code of Silence

They say, or at least I have heard, that if you say, "I'm not racist", that you probably are. In this day and age of society a man can say when he wakes up today I am a woman or vise-a-versa and you are to be treated accordingly. At the rate humanity is changing soon you can say I am a space alien and the politically correct crowd will accept this and stone to death anyone that has the gall to look at you as a troubled human being. 

 

As the image above eludes to I want to touch on the problem that continues to be a thorn in the paw of the peoples of the United States. As an example read this article.

 

I live in Costa Rica and can say that without a doubt that there may be some racism here but in my 11 year total here I would put it on the scale of finding hens teeth. Unless you count the distaste of Mexicans and Nicaraguans. These Latins are seen as second class citizens by the overwhelming majority here. 

 

The problem in the States is that there IS a history of slavery and many just can't let that go. They blame their misfortunes on it. Black people that is. Or as they prefer to be called African-American. I submit that that preference in itself in a way breeds contempt toward Caucasians. And of course BLM. So do white and Asian and every flavor of humanity that you can think of. People should never be pigeonholed because of their skin color. However, their actions, or lack of, is their true color of character.  

 

Until the day dawns where people of all colors, creeds, etc. lets go of THEIR PREJUDICE it does not matter who the leader is. He/she will never be in harmony with themselves OR others.

 

Get in touch with your Higher Power. Whoever or whatever that is......    

 

   

 

     

March 8, 2018

Members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps operating the switchboards in France during World War I.

Today is International Women’s Day, and we’d like to recognize a group of 223 women.
In 1917, on the eve of the U.S. entry into World War I, Washington drafted 2.8 million men into military service. The Army realized that its success would rely on the Allies’ use of a new technology: the telephone.
Enter the Hello Girls, a group of bilingual telephone operators selected for working the switchboards in France, connecting the front lines with supply depots and military command. They often handled more than 150,000 calls a day.
But because they were women, the U.S. government denied them veteran status for more than 60 years after the war.
“The unfortunate reality is their service wasn’t officially recognized with veteran status until 1979, when a small fraction of those who served was still alive,” Doran Cart, a senior curator at the National World War I Museum and Memorial, said. “To achieve that point of hard-won recognition took a monumental effort.”

***Reprinted from The New York Times 03-08-2018

The #MeToo Oscars Celebrate Kobe Bryant’s Short Film, Ignore Past Allegations

 

So let me get this straight. This #METOO is a movement that was created to give those that have suffered sexual or physical abuse a voice to come forward and identify their abuser(s). To place them under a microscope and to be outed for the slimeball slugs that they are. The trash that needs to be shunned by the masses. The person that as my grandmother used to say are "lower than whale shit and that is at the bottom of the ocean". They are to be reviled when their name is put out there even before they are given an opportunity to defend themselves from this accusor because she/he deserves empathy right away for the tragic event(s) that has been thrust upon them.

 

But wait. I missed that these rules, this criterion only applies to SOME of the listed uglies...... So now I'm confused. According to the actions of the elite, some from the dreaded LIST can receive a pardon and have an Oscar bestowed on them. 

 

I searched the internet to no avail to find this exception criterion. This has me thinking that it MUST be on the dark web somewhere. All you need to access it a secret password and be totally devoid of any semblance of a conscience. 

 

So Kobe Bryant wins an Oscar? If Harvey Weinstein could average 30 points a game, would they welcome him back, too? Furthermore, if you’re going to honor a film about a teenager being initiated into gay sex by a man in his 30s, then why ban Kevin Spacey? 

 

        

 

     

 

 Members

Seth Fleishman, Tony Krucinski, and Frank DeBonis

It's Sunday and many are attending church or just sleeping in and planning their hangover remedy to attempt a return to the real world after painting the town last night with a brush that no longer has any bristles. 

 

I'm doing neither. But I heard a tune yesterday that I just can't get out of my head. Since misery loves company I will now plant that tune in your head too. It is a band that was formed in 1995 in Sussex County in New Jersy by Tony Krucinski. They are a cover band that released this song in 2014 and it went viral. 

   'I Don't Look Good Naked Anymore'

Drinking the hangover remedy, wink wink, 

and eating aspirin while listening is optional.

 

 

How many will do the right thing?

The Oscars are to be awarded in a few days, Sunday, March 4 to be exact.  One of the traditions is the swag bag that is given to the nominees. So as these deeply concerned citizens that lend their faces, voices, and opinions to the woes of the current state of affairs in these United States of America I was wondering what they may do with the $100,000 worth of gifts in their swag bags.? 

The following opinion employs hyperbole, a rhetorical technique that dates to ancient Greece, in which the author deliberately and wildly exaggerates for the purpose of entertaining, informing, exciting and persuading. Certain statements in it should not be taken literally.
 

 

Astute reporter: I can't help but notice that you are carrying your swag bag,

Nominee: Yes and let me tell you no one has seen the troubles that I have seen to earn this bag of crumbs!

Astute reporter: Oh, can you extrapolate on the horrors so that your dedicated slobbering idiot followers can know those normally unspeakable things that I am sure has left permanent scars on you.

Nominee: (chocking back crocodile tears) Why should I waste my valuable time! Empathy is NOT something they could EVER understand. They could never walk a mile in MY ruby studded moccasins.

Astute reporter: That may be true but I believe an understanding would help them worship you even more.

Nominee: Well in that case. The rivers are deep and the mountains are high. You can never know how many times I was forced to sigh. The studios insisting that I do interviews and readings and casting calls. The very nerve of the casting piss ons expecting ME to show up before noon!! Have you ever? Don't get me started about the director. What a total nim wit.

Astute reporter: That does sound like a nightmare on Elm Street. How you survived I'll never understand. I'm sure that everyone wants to know what you plan to do with the $100,000 worth of goodies. At this time I should make it clear to all that you will have to pay taxes on the goodies in the bag.

Nominee: You see!!! The tribulations hoist upon me never ends. I have to pay taxes on gifts!

Astute reporter: But we all have to pay taxes.

Nominee: That's what's wrong! We need to become a socialist society. Then there will be no taxes and everyone will be equal.

Astute reporter: In that type of society the Government takes things away from the achievers and spreads it around to everyone so that all are equal in their possessions. So what you are saying is that you will donate all the things in the swag bag to charity.

Nominee: What planet are you from? I earned these things, they are mine!

Astute reporter: But you said at the beginning that they are crumbs and that you want a socialist society. One that helps their fellow man and has what you have. You know, your sacrifice is THEIR sacrifice.

Nominee: You are miss quoting me!! Their pleasure is watching the crap I play in for their entertainment. I sacrifice for them!! Hey, I really like that suit you are wearing. Guards, pull your weapons and strip him. That suit will look better on me at the next Oscar presentations. And remember kids, don't be a Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. DON'T GET CAUGHT fooling the dumb masses. You know, like your parents.