Thursday, May 12, 2016

Read your Friggin’ Bible, she demanded!

Hitting a rough patch lately, I traveled down to the Hunger Coalition to ask for some food. It was crowded as the administrators had thoughtfully added a free dog vaccination service for the community that same day. I had been lucky to find a good parking spot for my big rig, and after checking in at the desk, started milling around outside the bustling waiting room on that nice afternoon.

As one food recipient began exiting with his vehicle from the front row, two cars suddenly started vying for his prime parking spot. Since he pulled out to the right, this gave a woman approaching from the left an advantage to grab the spot; and as she had a handicapped placard displayed in her window this seemed like a natural fit to the outside observers. However, her spot-snagging immediately triggered anger with the motorist on the right and that wiry woman started aggressively honking her horn and flipping the bird toward the handicapped parking woman. Not only that, but in this swift scene the angry woman decided to block someone else in, and then quickly emerged from her rig to confront the handicapped woman.
The troubled woman sprinted up to the window of the handicapped woman and started shouting surreally, “You know that man was saving that spot from me! And you took it! READ YOUR BIBLE! READ YOUR FRICKIN’ BIBLE!!

This about did it for me. I read newspapers, and had inkling that this is about when bullets sometimes start whizzing, so I slipped into the waiting room. But then half of me was compelled to check out the wiry woman, so I eased back out and starting analyzing her.  Immediately after the thumping bible encounter the poor woman directed her intensity to a young man whose small dog had pooped tiny droplets in the mulch-bed. “Do you mind going to your car and getting a plastic bag to clean up your filth? I’ll watch your dog!” and then she grabbed his leash and stole his seat. Then she started boisterously passive-aggressively exclaiming: Oh, this dog is my favorite kind; I really like him!

At this juncture, I thought of grabbing my recently published article “Merge right with kindness” of the dashboard of my work-rig and tucking it into her car (which was still blocking in some other poor soul). Then I reconsidered because I felt that prophet-sizing kindness there would likely only piss her off even more and wondering who else she might have heatedly confronted that afternoon I didn’t want to be next.
So here breaks the fourth wall: Since Abner N. remarked that he wouldn’t read my whimsical “Merge Right with Kindness” article until I weaved it properly into this tale; his goading me to become a better writer leads me this rejection letter from a modified version of the ‘merge’ story (which I had been desiring to slip into the nasty bible lady’s window):

We received your guest opinion submission and it was reviewed by Robert Ehlert, Editorial Page Editor. However, it was not accepted for publication. We simply receive more guest opinion submissions than can possibly be accepted for publication. And with the Legislature just ending and a presidential election year, we are extremely backlogged right now.

If you have any questions, you need to contact Robert Ehlert directly at 377-6437 or email rehlert@idahostatesman.com.

Thank you,

Peggy Calhoun
News Assistant
Idaho Statesman

On Wed, Apr 6, 2016 at 10:43 PM, <smavo@cox.net> wrote:


Merge right with kindness

Our sturdy work crew witnessed some disconcerting scenes recently during the commute where traffic quickly comes together by the bridge under construction near the Ketchum hospital. After seeing one ill-mannered incident that looked like it could lead to an altercation one of my guys said, “In situations like these, I just try to focus on good intentions for the troubled people involved,” as he motioned with some blessing gestures.

*
Then, another colleague clicked on Wikipedia and spoke aloud: “Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions.”

*

Our anchor man observed with thoughtful intensity: “Some people are just having an awful day and everybody is allowed that. However, some poor folks are experiencing a series of really bad days; think about some of your own worst days. And getting behind the wheel of a vehicle may be the one thing that temporarily gives some people a powerful sense of freedom and control, while many other aspects of their life are in shambles.”

*


Which drives me back to the blessing gestures: When motorists merge, it would bring better understanding if more were to reflect on what their most highly revered spiritual figure would do to create a better convergence at our future community bridge.

*


And with this harmonic jazz in mind; as they’ve done well to lessen dangerous conditions for other large mammals, perhaps our Idaho Transportation Department could develop a contest for aspiring graphic artists to come up with an icon to be displayed on new “Merge right with kindness” road signs.

*


Our quixotic high-hope for this persuasive art to work is that some impolite motorists will shift their behavior over from nasty bird-flipping, and upgrade to sturdy peace signs playfully shared with two nice fingers.




Monday, May 09, 2016

Thankful for “relatively harmless” results of airport deicing study


It was inspiring to read the recent Express report “Runway deicer isn’t polluting land around airport” and I’m grateful that the airport authority went to the trouble of conducting the suggested feasibility tests. Moreover, we all should be appreciative for the amazing magic dissolution abilities that water simply has for healing misplaced poisons of Mother Earth - especially with this recent season of 110% normal precipitation helping with great assist.



However; beneath the surface and before this issue gets too quickly brushed aside, I wonder if the residents who live in close proximity to the airport such as those on Broadford Highlands are completely comfortable with the results of this test, which did include some ambiguous statements. After all, most of the houses there were constructed in the era when the more toxic ethylene glycol was being rigorously and copiously applied as a deicing agent to help our local aircraft fly.




I believe that the majority of Broadford Highland residents care about their friends and family and they wouldn’t want to offer any friend a drink of questionable water. So I wonder if a few of the residents there were to ask the Friedman Airport Authority to extend their already comprehensive study to a just a few more wells in their neighborhood and then my intuitive suspicions about poor water quality in that area were proven to be unfounded, then we all might rest a little easier on this important healthy issue. 

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Cut off your nose or spite your Facebook?
(Sense of smell is important)

I read with great interest about a qualitative study which indicates that given a hypothetical choice, a majority of today’s youth would prefer to give up their sense of smell rather than live without their social networks.
I’m curious as to how this poll was conducted because instead of giving an instant response to such a significant dilemma, this strikes me as the type of quandary, albeit theoretical, that one should mull over wisely a few days before giving a final answer.
Take, for instance, the importance of being able to smell a fire or gas leak before it builds into an explosive nature. And what about spoiled food, with our smart noses ready to save us from sickness and worse? If we went insensibly snout-less, wouldn’t most of us miss the simple pleasures and familiarity of distinctive aromas and perfumes emanating from friends and beloved ones?
Smell is the sense most closely intertwined with our memories. When we take a healthy walk through the mountainous woods on a vibrant snowy evening feeling powerfully connected to nature, it’s a nostalgic joy to breathe in somebody’s fireplace blazing in the misty distance, which reminds us sweetly of other golden days.
With this in mind, I wonder if more of today’s youth reflected on this, would they truly give up their good sense of smell and prefer to paint rosy Facebook pictures. Perhaps I’m a nosy Luddite, but I sense something sour when I see many of our youth believing social networks are the greatest thing invented since the fresh fragrance of warm sliced bread.


Thursday, March 31, 2016

Merge right with kindness


Our sturdy work crew recently witnessed some disconcerting scenes during the commute where traffic quickly comes together by the bridge near the Ketchum hospital. After seeing one ill-mannered incident that looked like it could lead to an altercation one of my guys said, “In situations like these, I just try to focus on good intentions for the troubled people involved,” as he motioned with some blessing gestures.


Then, another worker clicked on Wikipedia and spoke aloud: “Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions.”


Our anchor man observed with thoughtful intensity: Some people are just having an awful day and everybody is allowed that. However, some poor folks are experiencing a series of really bad days; think about some of your own worst days. And getting behind the wheel of a vehicle may be the one thing that temporarily gives some people a powerful sense of freedom and control, while many other aspects of their life is in shambles.
Which drives me back to the blessing gestures: When motorists merge, it would bring better understanding if more were to reflect on what their most highly revered spiritual figure would do to construct a better convergence at our future community bridge.


And with this harmonic jazz in mind; as they’ve done well to lessen dangerous conditions for other large mammals, perhaps our Idaho Transportation Department could develop a contest for aspiring graphic artists to come up with an icon to be displayed on new “Merge right with kindness” road signs.


Our high-hope for this persuasive art to work is that some impolite motorists will shift their nasty behavior over from bird-flipping and upgrade to sturdy peace signs shared with two nice fingers. 





Saturday, March 19, 2016

Merge right with kindness

Our work crew witnessed some disconcerting scenes lately during the commute where traffic quickly comes together by the bridge near the hospital. After seeing one ill-mannered incident that looked like it could lead to an altercation one of my guys said, “In situations like these, I just try to focus on good intentions for the troubled people involved,” as he motioned with some blessing gestures. 


Then, another worker clicked on Wikipedia and spoke aloud: “Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions.”


Our anchor man observed with intensity: Some people are just having an awful day and everybody is allowed that. However, some poor folks are experiencing a series of really bad days; think about some of your own worst days. And getting behind the wheel of a vehicle may be the one thing that temporarily gives some people a powerful sense of control and freedom, while many other aspects of their life is in shambles.
Which drives me back to the blessing gestures: When motorists merge, it would bring better understanding if more were to reflect on what their most highly revered spiritual figure would do to create a better convergence at our future community bridge.


With this harmonic jazz in mind; as they’ve done well to lessen dangerous conditions for other large mammals, perhaps the Idaho Transportation Department could develop a contest for aspiring graphic artists to come up with an icon to be persuasively displayed with new “Merge right with kindness” road signs.



And the high-hope for this to work is that some impolite motorists will upgrade their behavior from nasty bird-flipping, over to peace signs with two nice fingers. 

Friday, March 18, 2016

Re: What is your first Internet Experience?

Postby Schmazo » Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:03 pm
Around twenty autumns ago, before I even had a clue about what surfing the Internets is, my friend 3V3T2 who is a computer guru snapped a few photos of me while I was donning a six-foot long blond wig while sipping beer next to a campfire. (I'm a large man.)

I had purchased the blond wig earlier that week at a local thrift store for 3 bucks, and with Halloween soon approaching I thought owning it held potential for a some good laughs or a prank.

A few months later, in the middle of winter 3V3T2 invited me into his office to watch some football playoffs. While there, he booted his computer up and during halftime exclaimed, "Schmazo, you really need to check out this website."

It was a site called something like "Am I a hottie or not?" and as we scrolled through the photos you could see a variety of profile pictures. They had women's and men's categories and you could vote on each photo by clicking anywhere from 1 to 10.

I looked at the women featured for a few minutes. There were some good looking women, but since it was a new invention it appeared that the limited amount of random photos would repeat themselves after a few minutes.

Meanwhile, the second half of the Redskins game was starting and I started to turn from the computer to the television programme, but 3V3T2 persuasively insisted that I keep looking at the photos, because there was this really great looking chick who hadn't come up yet that I would enjoy seeing.

And then it happened: I sat there stunned seeing a photo of myself wearing that blond wig by the campfire on the World Wide Web for all to see! On top of that he had listed me in the Women's category, and with the compilation of votes I was rated as a mere "2."

I glared at Steve in the mirror laughing at me, and I do remember laughing a bit at myself as well: but mostly I remember exclaiming, "THANKS FOR PUTTING MY PICTURE ON THE INTERNET, DICK!" :shock2:

For a few weeks after that trying to be a good sport, I went into his office sometimes to see what my rating had gained on the world hottie circuit. Then, I found that I could vote for myself and experimented with giving myself some tens. But this never seemed to raise the rating much.

After a few weeks I figured out that instead of waiting for my profile photo to come up randomly, I could cheat by clicking the back button and then vote for myself quickly again with another 10. But even with that effort, I never could raise my rating above 2.9. Seems other forces of judging beauty were against me. :lol2:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Luckily, my photo now seems to have been expunged from the permanent record. I've looked around a few times in depth too, but can't seem to find me:


https://www.google.com/search?q=TALL+ME ... 24&bih=653

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Merge right with kindness

Our work crew witnessed some disconcerting scenes lately during the commute where traffic quickly comes together by the bridge near the Ketchum hospital. After seeing one ill-mannered incident that looked like it could lead to an altercation one of my guys said, “In situations like these, I just try to focus on good intentions for the troubled people involved,” as he motioned with some blessing gestures. 


Then, another worker clicked on Wikipedia and spoke aloud: “Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions.”

Our anchor man observed with intensity: Some people are just having an awful day and everybody is allowed that. However, some poor folks are experiencing a series of really bad days; think about some of your own worst days. And getting behind the wheel of a vehicle may be the one thing that temporarily gives some people a powerful sense of control and freedom, while many other aspects of their life is in shambles.
Which drives me back to the blessing gestures: When motorists merge, it would bring better understanding if more were to reflect on what their most highly revered spiritual figure would do to create a better convergence at our future community bridge.


And with this harmonic jazz in mind, as they’ve done successfully for other large mammals; perhaps the Idaho Transportation Department could develop a contest for aspiring graphic artists to come up with an icon to be persuasively displayed with new “Merge right with kindness” road signs.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Merge on the bridge to kindness

Our work crew witnessed some disconcerting scenes lately during the commute where traffic quickly comes together by the bridge near the hospital. After seeing one ill-mannered incident that looked like it could lead to an altercation one of my guys said, “In situations like these, I just try to focus on good intentions for the troubled people involved,” as he motioned with some blessing gestures.

Then, another worker clicked on Wikipedia and spoke aloud: “Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions.”

Our anchor man observed with intensity: Some people are just having an awful day and everybody is allowed that. However, some folks are experiencing a series of really bad days; think about some of your own worst days. And getting behind the wheel of a vehicle may be the one thing that temporarily gives some people a powerful sense of control and freedom, while many other aspects of their life is in shambles.


Which drives me back to the blessing gestures: When motorists merge, it would bring better understanding if more were to reflect on what their most highly admired spiritual figure would do to create a better convergence at our future community bridge.


And with this harmonic jazz in mind, as they’ve done successfully with other large mammals; perhaps the Idaho Transportation Department could develop a contest for aspiring graphic artists to come up with an icon to be persuasively displayed with new “Merge right with kindness” road signs.

Sunday, February 07, 2016

More misplaced poisons of Mother Earth

 More misplaced poisons of Mother Earth

It’s been inspiring to read the recent letters of ecological concern by Eloise Christensen and Kerrin McCall regarding cleaner snow removal policies. Their letters remind me of a similar concern for the soil at Friedman Memorial Airport, which has been thoroughly contaminated through decades of aircraft deicing.

With the large budget that our Hailey airport has, it would be nice to see board members consider a feasibility study along the lines of a large indoor heated de-icing structure for aircraft to taxi through before flying off. Such an arrangement could be designed with environmentally friendly drains for collecting the used de-icing fluid, and then cleaning and recycling it.

Another potential improvisation to remove dangerous ice would be by beaming aircraft with modernized microwave systems. Constructing a heated hanger for airplanes to pass through shortly before takeoff would lessen the amount of de-icing fluid or microwaves required. In summer, the de-icing booth could even be designed to double as an aircraft wash bay, where frequent engine cleanses would contribute to improved airplane fuel efficiency.


Meanwhile, our thoughtful community should look forward to the ongoing proactive research and letters of public interest from Eloise and Kerrin. After all, we would be less polluted as people if more folks cared about our fragile environment as much they do. 

Friday, February 05, 2016

Misplaced poisons of Mother Earth

It’s been inspiring to read the recent letters of ecological concern by Eloise Christensen and Kerrin McCall regarding cleaner snow removal policies. Their letters remind me of a similar concern for the soil at Friedman Memorial Airport, which has been contaminated through decades of aircraft deicing.

With the large budget that our Hailey airport has, it would be nice to see board members consider a feasibility study along the lines of large heated indoor de-icing structure for aircraft to taxi through before flying off. Such an arrangement could be designed with environmentally friendly drains for collecting the used de-icing fluid, and then cleaning and recycling it.

Another potential improvisation would be to remove dangerous ice by beaming aircraft with modernized microwave systems. Building a heated hanger for airplanes to pass through shortly before takeoff would lessen the amount of de-icing fluid or microwaves required. In summer, the de-icing booth could even be designed to double as an aircraft wash bay.


Meanwhile, our community should look forward to the ongoing proactive research from Eloise and Kerrin. After all, we would be less polluted as people if more folks cared about the proper handling of misplaced poisons from good Mother Earth as much they do. 

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