Is Bardarbunga about to erupt!

Iceland - Say it ain't so! Back in 2010, the Iceland volcano known as Bardarbunga blew her top. This event caused utter travel chaos causing more than 10 million air passengers to be stranded as a result of its ash cloud and cost the European economy an estimated £4 billion ($4.9 billion). And now geologists are warning that pressures are once again rapidly building. Another eruption could bode ill for travelers in America who might be seeking travel to Europe in the coming months!

Dutch capital bans pedal-powered bars!

AMSTERDAM – A ban on group-powered pedicabs that are popular with inebriated tourists and stag parties has taken effect in the busiest sections of downtown Amsterdam.

The ban on so-called "beer bikes" kicked in Wednesday, a day after a court rejected arguments from four operators that the prohibition promoted by the Dutch capital was too drastic. The Amsterdam city government says the contraptions are a public nuisance.

The pedal-powered vehicles resemble small trailers more than bicycles and are configured to work as bars on wheels. Passengers sit around a table on stools fitted with pedals and trundle around the city while they are served beer and other drinks.

Beer bikes have long angered Amsterdam residents, who complain they block roads and cycling paths and encourage drunk and rowdy tourists.

Not to be discouraged, I took the bull by the horns on this issue and have sent Mayor Bill de Blasio a proposal that New York City take up the cause and resurrect this time honored tradition in his fine city! After all, I reasoned, the place is already full of drunks and other assorted rowdies... What could go wrong?

Disturbing news from Australia concerning the flu!

Australia, the continent down under, has been going through the worst flu outbreak in its history. And now as the season winds on down for them, new concerns about the effectiveness of this year's flu vaccine are coming to the fore!

As a Queensland family mourns the sudden death of an 18-year-old student who fell ill with the flu, experts have revealed this year’s vaccine “wasn’t a perfect match”. And that's not good news for the US if the same strains migrate northward over the coming months!

According to 7News out of Australia, 'Madeleine Jones was supposed to turn 19 on Saturday but while holidaying with her boyfriend in Queensland, she began to show symptoms of the illness.

Five days on, the law and business student was admitted to the intensive care unit at the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane where she fell into a coma and never woke up.
It is not known whether Ms Jones was vaccinated or not, but those responsible for creating the flu vaccine have revealed it has done little to stop the epidemic.'

Random thoughts for October 20, 2017!

Rebooting the French Dip!

One of my favorite restaurant foods would be the French Dip with a side of au jus! A truly delectable combination of bread, beef and sop, if ever there was one! However, there's one thing wrong with that name. Interestingly, this culinary creation originated in America, not France! Apparently, some LA California eatery called Philippe’s came up with the first recorded mention of it way back in 1908! (Even French fries (which are often served as a side), were originally invented in Belgium! So, you can't always go by a name when trying to figure where some foods originated from. A rather messy way to go about naming foods, in my book. So, I thought that perhaps now was the time to 'reboot' the French Dip into something more PC...

Recently, i launched a campaign to rechristen it to the 'LA Dipper.' And, while I was at it, I felt perhaps that the beef drippings, (aka the 'au jus') could also be changed to plain old 'slop'. So, now when ordering this classic, you could ask for a LA Dip n Slop with a side of Belgium fries! Wow! Talk about being political correct! Inspired by my genius, I've even tried to call Governor Jerry Brown's office to see what he would think, but so far he's been out of the office each time I've tried...

Bernie Sanders is leading the polls!

Speaking of French Dips. Just look at Bernie Sanders and the fact that he was currently leading the 2020 Presidential candidate polls on the Democratic Party side! (A factoid that is driving many Republicans mad with happiness). Both they and I can just imagine what a wide appeal such an avowed Socialist would have in the upcoming general election in 2020!

Yes, I can just see it now. Old Bernie standing up there on a podium in early 2020 under the glare of media cameras, doing his best to convince voters everywhere that piling trillions more debt on top of the staggering amount we already owe, would not be completely insane! I mean, what could possibly go wrong with that kind of thinking? Go Bernie!

The Country Mart crawl!

As the years have flown on by, increasingly, my body has become more and more infirm and in meed of exercise. I'd begun to look, ever more longingly, at those neat enclosed malls where old farts like myself can get in a bit of exercise while also staying out of the elements. I think they're referred to a Mall Walkers! You can catch packs of them shambling around in endless circles most every morning in the neighboring town of Branson. Wikipedia even has a neat definition; 'Mall walking is a form of exercise in which people walk or jog through the usually long corridors of shopping malls. Many malls open early so that people may mall walk, however stores and other such facilities generally do not open at this time, though vending machine concessions are available.' Wow! I found myself in total geriatric envy...

Then it came to me that even though there was no mall in my particular town, we did sport a nicely sized grocery store! It's called Country Mart and I've discovered that if you are very careful, you can get there early and walk and walk and walk....

Avoiding the flu bug! Ten strategies.

The 2017-16 flu season promises to be a tough one. At least, that's a few of the indications I was seeing from the so-called experts. So, how can you avoid, or at least, limit the chances of catching Influenza this year?

1. Avoid crowded venues!

Visits to grocery stores and shopping malls should be kept to a minimum. If you do venture out, try and go during the early morning hours when fewer people are out and about!

2. Wash your hands!

If everyone remembered to wash their hands fairly often, we'd all see fewer colds and flu problems! Make a special effort to wash up after any outdoor excursion or contact with others.

3. Avoid touching your face!
   The average person touches their face with their hands 1-3 times every 5 minutes! (There! You just did it again)! Try to curtail this nervous habit by groping tying your hands to your waist instead. Just kidding....

4. Butt those hands!
   Butting hands with someone else, as a form of greeting is way better than shaking them. You'll walk away with only a fraction of the germ transfer that might otherwise occur. Then, visit step #2 again.

5. Avoid anyone who looks ill! - Duh!
   When your out and about, keep your situational awareness keyed up. Watch out for anyone who appears even slightly ill and if you see someone like that, head the other direction!

6. Get a flu shot!
   Of all the things you can do to help avoid a week or more of abject misery, an early season visit to your doctor, health clinic or pharmacy could be just the ticket. Only, remember, after getting your flu shot, it still takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective!

7. Use credit cards, not cash!
   During the hectic holiday periods when many of us tend to shop a lot more than we usually do, cash becomes a great medium of germ exchange. Switch, instead, to credit cards or even better opt to make most of your gift purchases on line!

8. Eat well, exercise and get plenty of sleep!
   Maintaining your over all conditioning, getting plenty of sleep and eating a balanced diet will do wonders for how you feel and can add some protection against rhino viruses and the flu bug.

9. Avoid stress!
   Right next to following the advice in #8, reducing stress has a direct impact on that status of you immune system. Anyone who has made it through a holiday like Christmas can attest to all the opportunities to become stressed out!

10. Skip those holiday parties and stay home!
    OK, so this one might be a little hard to do.

And, in the endof times!

In the end of times, so did mankind fade from this earth. And, over eons of time, so it was that all he had built crumbled into dust and was no more...

So, it was on a day in October, that I asked God. 'What was the point?'

It took some time for me to hear a response. Then God said... '

Now more than ever, we need to stand united!

That we all live in trying times, is a given. But, as a Nation, we've been there before... God is good and God is kind and sometimes He laughs, cries and hurts for His children. Those who would intentionally harm a Republic, for personal gain, do need to die. For they have committed treason of the highest order!