Retiring Guy's Digest: 2015-04-19

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Meet Tom DeLay, Convicted Felon

Photo credit: Wikipedia (public domain)

Quote source: Raw Story

Tom Delay, Convicted Felon. (Washington Monthly, 11/26/2010)

Quoting the New York Times.

During his tenure leading House Republicans, Mr. DeLay established a new low in ethical conduct among Congressional leaders. He put family members on his campaign payroll, took lavish trips paid for by lobbyists and twisted the arms of K Street lobbyists to ante up and donate to his party's candidates and hire more Republicans. But his conviction on Wednesday came from something else entirely, a scheme to steer corporate contributions to Republicans in the Texas Legislature.

Has Paul Soglin been listening to 'The Best of Bobby Goldsboro'?

Wisconsin State Journal, 4/25/2015

“We have a dangerous situation,” Soglin said in an interview. “What am I going to do when some child playing on the Square or State Street picks up a needle and is infected? This is about health, safety and crime.”

Flashback to July 22, 1990, and this excerpt from "State Street -- a road less traveled," an article in the Wisconsin State Journal.

The State Street championed by then-and-now Mayor Paul Soglin achieved one goal: to transform a deteriorating, congested shopping district into a distinctive, culturally vibrant area of shops, sidewalk cafes, street musicians and horse-drawn surreys.

Related post:
UPDATE: State Street stalwarts, 6 years later. (2/1/2015)

Aerial View of Downtown Missoula Montana

Note the appropriately named Broadway (starting at 0:23), where angled parking is still permitted.

Downtown Missoula.

Angled parking was also the rule along Central Avenue in downtown Great Falls for many years. Now a "halfsies" regulation appears to be in place.

From Retiring Guy's postcard collection

DNC Vice Chair serves up one of the week's best Scott Walker zingers

Photo credit: City Pages

Quote source: Capital Times

("Minnesota Democrats slam Scott Walker during trip across the border")

An animated video of the bridge.

More information about this shared Minnesota-Wisconsin project can be found here.

Zeta Beta Tau: No Mission Accomplished Here

Source: Zeta Beta Tau

Zeta Beta Tau fraternity members disrespected us, wounded veterans say. (CNN, 4/24/2015)

None of the above.

"People were urinating off the balconies, throwing up in the elevators, making suggestive and sexual comments about veterans with their service dogs and derogatory and suggestive comments about their wives."

Related posts:
Yet another fraternity fails to live up to its creed. (3/11/2015)
The Vision, Spirit, Motto, and Values of Greek-Letter Organizations. (1/29/2015)

No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative Phil Roe, M.D., Tennessee's 1st Congressional District

Photo source: U.S. Congress

Quote source: U.S. Representative Phil Roe, M.D.*

*Wherein he agrees 'that we must be good stewards of the environment', a statement seriously undermined by his 0% rating in 2014 from the League of Conservation Voters.

Tea Party Caucus member Roe was re-elected to a 4th term in 2014 with 83% of the vote.

Required reading for Rep. Roe and his northeastern Tennessee constituents.

Climate Change in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Macalaster College Environmental Studies Department.)

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article13852676.html#storylink=cpy

3% lifetime rating (0% in 2014) from the League of Conservation Voters.

No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll.

Alabama Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives. (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one world: coal. Which is odd, since Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production, good enough for an overall ranking of 13. The state's peak year of production: 1990)

1st District. Bradley Byrne (R). Proposed an amendment that would have cut all FY 2015 funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
2nd District. Martha Roby (R). Voted YES on opening Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling and barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. Signed the No Climate Tax Pledge by Americans for Prosperity.
3rd District. Mike Rogers (R). League of Conservation scorecard: 2013: 0%. Lifetime (2003-): 9%.
4th District. Robert Aderholt (R). Without bothering to fact-check, he uses a discredited petition rejecting climate change to make a point.
5th District. Mo Brooke (R). Climate Experts Testify that Climate Change Projections are Unreliable and Misleading.
6th District. Stephen Baucus (R). League of Conservation scorecard: 2013: 0% Lifetime (1993- ): 8%

Alaska Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

At-large District. Don Young (R). Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans.”

Arizona Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

4th District. Paul Gosar (R). Takes his environmental cues from cattle and sheep producers.
5th District. Matt Salmon (R). This quote sums up his view: “I found the source of global warming is coming from the hot air coming out of Washington.” Signed Koch Brothers "No Climate Tax" pledge.
6th District. David Schweikert (R). Known to throw a hissy over "the Al Gores of the world". Chairs House Subcommittee on Environment.
8th District. Trent Franks (R). League of Conservation scorecard:2013: 11%. Lifetime (since 2003): 5%.

Arkansas Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Rick Crawford (R). Vow to his constituents: "As long as the Obama EPA continues its assault on farmers, I will continue to fight senseless regulations that only serve to cripple American agriculture."
2nd District. Tim Griffin (R). Perhaps one of the few scientists in the Republican House caucus. As far as global warming is concerned, he claims "that there are a lot of shenanigans going on with the data."
3rd District. Steve Womack (R). Loves his fossil fuels.
4th District. Tom Cotton (R). Claims the earth's temperature hasn't warmed in 16 years, a climate denier meme. The reality: 9 of the 10 warmest years on record occurred since 1998.

California Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Doug LaMalfa (R). Ask him about air conditioners, packing plants, or praying for rain.
4th District. Tom McClintock (R). Still smarting that he never received a Nobel Prize in the 3rd grade.
8th District. Paul Cook (R). ALEC shill for the Keystone pipeline.
10th District. Jeff Denham (R). Appears to think that climate skeptics are on "the right side of the issue."
21st District. David Valadao (R). Represents a portion of California's Central Valley, a hotbed of climate skepticism, as the representative's League of Conservation Voters scorecard indicates.
22nd District. Devin Nunes (R). Throws hissy fit, a Republican specialty, over what he calls Obama's extremist climate agenda.
23rd District. Kevin McCarthy (R). Bemoans those dang "harmful regulations".
25th District. Buck McKeon (R). 7% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard after 24 years in House.
31st District. Gary Miller (R). 3% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard after 14 years in House.
39th District. Ed Royce (R). A liberal among the California Republican caucus: a 13% lifetime score on the League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard.
42nd District. Ken Calvert (R). Although comfortably ensconced in the Republican environmental mainstream, he's not above making an heretical remark or two.
45th District. John Campbell (R). Signer of Americans for Prosperity "No Climate Tax Pledge"; 9% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters,
48th District. Dana Rohrabacher (R). Mouths the same climate denier meme as the newly elected U.S. Senator from Arkansas.
49th District. Darrell Issa (R). The richest member of Congress, he recently won the League of Conservation Voters "Climate Denier Award".
50th District. Duncan Hunter (R). Can you top this? "Thousands of people die every year of cold, so if we had global warming it would save lives."

Colorado Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

3rd District. Scott Tipton (R). Tree rings tell us all we need to know.
4th District. Cory Gardner (R). Another beneficiary of the 2010 Tea Party wave. And he adjusted his views accordingly.
5th District. Doug Lamborn (R). Works tirelessly to assure that climate change remains "an extremely controversial topic". (Is also a big fan of impeaching Obama.)
6th District. Mike Coffman (R). Solidly parks his butt in the the-science-is-not-quite-settled camp.

No House Republicans hail from Connecticut and Delaware.
Florida Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Jeff Miller (R). "Flintstones, meet the Flintstones. They're the modern Stone Age fam-a-lee."
2nd District. Steve Southerland (R). Spouts the company line.
3rd District. Ted Yoho (R). "I'm not smart enough for that."
4th District. Ander Crenshaw (R). All talk, no action.
6th District. Ron DeSantis (R). As reported by ThinkProgress, a majority of Congressional Republicans are climate deniers. At this point in the exercise, we appear to have unanimity.
7th District. John Mica (R). 7% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters after 22 years in the House.
8th District. Bill Posey (R). Sez climate change has been with us since the Earth was formed. (Pick your date.)
10th District. Daniel Webster (R). 9% score from League of Conservation Voters during his 2 terms in office.
11th District. Richard Nugent (R). 6% score from League of Conservation Voters during his 2 terms in office.
12th District. Gus Bilirakis (R). Big fan of fossil fuels.
13th District. David Jolly (R). Happy to drift along with the fossil-fuel flow.
15th District. Dennis Ross (R) It's all about personal responsibility.
16th District. Vern Buchanan (R). Proud to represent his rich waterfront property owners.
17th District. Tom Rooney (R). One of 48 Republican House members with a 0% score from the National League of Conservation Voters in 2013.
19th District. Curt Clawson (R). Suggests that climate change "may not exist".
25th District. Mario Diaz-Balart (R). Not ready to jump on the global warming bandwagon.
27th District. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R). Chicken Little, apparently, is one of her favorite folk tales.

Georgia Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Jack Kingston (R). Ask him about climate change, and he'll give you his troglodyte views on evolution.
3rd District. Lynn Westmoreland (R). One of the Republicans who threw a hissy fit when the Defense Department announced its climate change initiative.
6th District, Tom Price (R). During 2009 floor debate on a climate-change bill, he asked colleagues for a moment of silence for lost jobs.
7th District. Rob Woodall (R). Like his colleague Lynn Westmoreland, Rob believes that climate change discussions should be, at best, marginalized, not expanded.
8th District. Austin Scott (R). "Absolutely" skeptical when it comes to climate change.
9th District. Doug Collins (R). Ranked by National Journal as the most conservative member of the state's House delegation (90.2% rating, 16th overall).
10th District. Paul Broun (R). Believes that climate change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated by the scientific community. Got his butt kicked in the 2014 Georgia Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
11th District. Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R). Surgical masks for every cow.
14th District. Tom Graves (R). Has a facility for stringing cliches together.

Idaho Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Raul Labrador (R). According to this list, one of the scariest.
2nd District. Mike Simpson (R). Tries to come across as reasonable, but his words are contradicted by his 7% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters. (Lifetime = 9 terms, 18 years.)

Illinois Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

6th District. Peter Roskam (R). Once referred to climate change as "junk science".

13th District. Rodney Davis (R). Content to spout the company line.
14th District. Randy Hultgren (R). Asserted in 2009 that "we're headed in to a bit of a colder time."
15th District. John Shimkus (R). "The B-I-B-L-E/yes, that's the book for me/I stand alone on the word of God/the B-I-B-L-E!!"
16th District. Adam Kinzinger (R). Gives new meaning to "all-inclusive".
18th District. Aaron Schock (R). When it comes to support of environmental issues, he's all talk and no action.

Indiana Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. Jackie Walorski (R). “That’s My Congress” notes Rep. Walorski has followed a conservative course when voting on environmental legislation -- and everything else, for that matter. Earned a 0% rating from the League of Conservation Voters after her first year in the House.
3rd District. Martin Stutzman (R). Signed Americans for Prosperity’s “No Climate Tax Pledge” a month before being sworn in as a member of Congress in 2010.
4th District. Todd Rokita (R). This climate change denier respects "God's green earth". Anyone who thinks otherwise is arrogant.
5th District. Susan Brooks (R). The Walorski summary fits Brooks to a T.
6th District. Luke Messer (R). Considers climate change a social issue.
8th District. Larry Bucshon M.D. (R). Climatologists are only in it for the money.
9th District. Todd Young (R). Describes himself as a climate agnostic.

Iowa Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

3rd District. Tom Latham (R). Earned a 8% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters in his 20 years of Congressional service.
4th District. Steve King (R). Rep. King explains it all for you.

Kansas Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Tim Huelskamp (R). A fossil fuel kinda guy, More development and utilization = jobs jobs jobs.
2nd District. Lynn Jenkins (R). Knows how to tap dance her way through a town hall forum.
3rd District. Kevin Yoder (R).http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_9.html More of the same.
4th District. Mike Pompeo (R). Uses social media to trumpet his climate skepticism.

Kentucky Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Ed Whitfield (R). In the pocket of coal industry.
2nd District. Brett Guthrie (R). Another Corncracker Soldier fighting against the "War on Coal".

4th District. Thomas Massie (R). Not your garden-variety Republican.
5th District. Harold Rogers (R). Serves as the Supreme Commander in the fight against the War on Coal.
6th District. Andy Barr (R). A foot soldier fighting against the War on Coal.

Louisiana Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Steve Scalise (R). The empty-headedness of GOP talking points. You can't make this stuff up.
3rd District. Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R). From coal to oil. "All politics is local".
4th District. John Fleming (R). Like him on Facebook.
5th District. Ralph Abraham (R). Sez Keystone Pipeline will create 40,000 construction jobs.
6th District. Garret Graves (R). Possible renegade?

Maine Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. Bruce Poliquin (R). One of the newest members of the House Republicans Climate Skeptics caucus.

Maryland Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Andy Harris, M.D. (R). Fighting to insure clear-channel outlet for Republican climate skepticism propaganda.

No House Republicans in Massachusetts delegation.
Michigan Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Dan Benishek, M.D. (R). Well now, here's a Republican who claims to be a scientist!
2nd District. Bill Huizegna (R). Makes no bones about where he stands on global warming, climate change.
3rd District. Justin Amash. Meet Mr. Contrarian.
4th District. John Moolenaar. For this newly elected representative, the photo at his energy issues webpage tells us all we need to know for the time being.
6th District. Fred Upton (R). Baby, it's cold outside!
7th District. Tim Walberg (R). Another Tea Party hypocrite.
8th District. Mike Bishop (R). New guy spouts the company line.
10th District. Candace Miller (R). "Just ask the dinosaurs."
11th District. Dave Trott (R). The Wolf of Oakland County.

Minnesota Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. John Klein (R). Likes his energy dirty.
3rd District. Erik Paulsen (R). Lotsa talk on the environment, but his voting record tells the story.
6th District. Tom Emmet (R). Creator of the phrase, "Al Gore's climate porn". (All you need to know: He now serves the district Michele Bachmann represented.)

Mississippi Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Alan Nunnelee (R). Apparently, when it comes to America's energy sources, the dirtier the better.
3rd District. Gregg Harper (R). Not a believer.
4th District. Steven Palazzo (R). Looking out for the interests of oil, natural gas, and coal

Missouri Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. Ann Wagner (R). Puts climate science in diapers.
3rd District. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R). God forbid we should take a global approach to climate change.
4th District. Vicky Hartzler (R). Sings a duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside!" with her Michigan colleague Fred Upton.
6th District. Sam Graves (R). Speaking of out-of-touch.
7th District. Billy Long (R). He's a coal man.
8th District. Jason Smith (R). Another coal man, holdin' on to yesterday.

Montana Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

At-Large. Ryan Zinke (R). His views on the environment undergo a transformation once he runs for Congress.

Nebraska Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Jeff Fortenberry (R). After receiving a pat on the back from ConservAmerica, his rating from the League of Conservation Voters take a big tumble.
3rd District. Adrian Smith (R). A denier from his first day in the House.

Nevada Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. Mark Amodai (R). A 3% lifetime score from the League of National Conservation Voters. His actions belie his words.
3rd District. Joe Heck (R). In the climate-change-has-always-been-with-us camp.
4th District. Cresent Hardy (R). Revels in his far-right conservatism.

New Hampshire Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Frank Guinta (R). Content to spout the company line.

New Jersey Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. Frank LoBiondo (R). Received an endorsement from the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund in October 2014 even though his 2013 score of 25% was well below his lifetime score of 63%.
3rd District. Tom MacArthur (R). In office just over a month, MacArthur is content to vote the party line.
4th District. Chris Smith (R). An exception to the rule. On the other hand, his score from the League of Conservation Voters took a nosedive in 2013.
5th District. Scott Garrett (R). A proud member of the 'Anti-Science Climate Denier Caucus'.
7th District. Leonard Lance (R). A poster boy for Republican moderation thrown out the window.
11th District. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R). Pushing the envelope, Republican-style.

New Mexico Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. Steve Pearce (R). Call the science of climate change "crap".

New York Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Lee Zeldin (R). Take the "what me worry/Alfred E. Neuman" approach to climate change.
2nd District. Pete King (R). Basically, a "drill, baby, drill" energy position.
19th District. Chris Gibson (R). An independent Republican voice when it comes to climate change
21st District. Elise Stefanik (R). A possible RINO alert.
22nd District. Richard Hanna (R). Claims to believe that climate change is occurring but his 11% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters doesn't exactly back him up.
23rd District. Tom Reed. (R). Co-chair of the House Natural Gas Caucus. Big fan of fracking.
24th District. John Katko (R). It certainly seems like a wishy-washy statement.
27th District. Chris Collins (R). After his 1st year in Congress, Collins was awarded a 3% score from the League of Conservation Voters.

North Carolina Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. Renee Ellmers (R). 5% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters.
3rd District. Walter Jones (R). You'll be forgiven if you think you've heard this before.
5th District. Virginia Foxx (R). She makes climate change sound like God's fault.
6th District. Mark Walker (R). When it comes to climate change, Walker has gibberish at the ready,
7th District. David Rouzer (R). Well, you know.....
8th District. Richard Hudson (R). Imagine the views from the Outer Banks.
9th District. Robert Pittenger (R). Throw up his hands in despair in 2006.
10th District. Patrick McHenry (R). 10 years in Congress, 3% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters.
11th District. Mark Meadows (R). As Moe would say, "You numbskull!'
13th District. George Holding (R). Gets right down to the specifics!

North Dakota Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

At Large District. Kevin Cramer (R). Like his Alabama and Kentucky colleagues, he appears to be in the pocket of the coal industry.

Ohio Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Steve Chabot (R). You'll be forgiven if this sounds all too familiar.
2nd District. Brad Wenstrup (R). Jobs now trump the long-term health of the planet.
4th District. Jim Jordan (R). After 8 years in Congress, a 3% score from the League of Conservation Voters.
5th District. Bob Latta (R). The man has a way with words.
6th District. Bill Johnson (R). Favorite song: "Coal Man".
7th District. Bob Gibbs (R). A 'sound science' kinda guy.
8th District. John Boehner (R). I suspect the list of 'not qualifieds' is lengthy.
10th District. Michael Turner (R). His say-nothing-in-50-words-or-less statement on energy makes him sound like a dimwit.
12th District. Pat Tiberi (R). Espouses the 97/3 reasoning.
14th District. Dave Joyce (R). Meet Rep. Boilerplate.
15th District. Steve Stivers (R). Boilerplate: What comes around, goes around.
16th District. Jim Renacci (R). Singing in unison with his colleagues Joyce and Stivers.

Oklahoma Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Jim Bridenstine (R). A member of the Republican drill-baby-drill caucus.
2nd District. Markwayne Mullin (R). A member of the anti-science climate denier caucus.
3rd District. Frank Lucas (R). An expert in flatulence.
4th District. Tom Cole (R). Forgot to include "all of the above".
5th District. Steve Russell (R). Congressional newbie joins in on a chorus of "Drill, Baby, Drill!"

Oregon Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

2nd District. Greg Walden (R). Mentored by John Boehner.

Pennsylvania Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

3rd District. Mike Kelly (R). Fossil fuel cheerleader.
4th District. Scott Perry (R). The congressman opines on scientific theory.
5th District. Glenn Thompson (R). Expert in reader's advisory services.
6th District. Ryan Costello (R). Newbie ready to play ball with the usual Republican, fossil fuel-infused suspects.
7th District. Pat Meehan (R). Passes one of the litmus tests for Republicans in Congress.
8th District. Mike Fitzpatrick (R). Shhh!! Let's talk about this in my office.
9th District. Bill Shuster (R). 'Corporate welfare' for the wind industry? NO! 'Corporate welfare' for the fossil fuel industry? YES!
10th District. Tom Marino (R). Proud to share the views of his constituents on Facebook.
11th District. Lou Barletta (R). Appears to have the whitest teeth in Congress.
12th District. Keith Rothfus (R). Drank the 1998 Kool-aid.
15th District. Charlie Dent (R). A finger in the wind.
16th District. Joe Pitts (R). Based on his League of Conservative Voters rating, he's all talk and very little action.
18th District. Tim Murphy (R). He's a coal man.

South Carolina Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Mark Sanford (R). Sold his soul to the Tea Party
2nd District. Joe Wilson (R). A climate denier, emphatically.
3rd District. Jeff Duncan (R). Answers to the 'all-of-the-above' roll call.
4th District. Trey Gowdy (R). What's he hiding?
5th District. Mick Mulvaney (R). Calls global warming claims 'baseless'.
7th District. Tom Rice (R). Loves fossil fuels, loves the Tea Party.

South Dakota Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

At-large District. Kristi Noem (R). Of a climatological, meteorological, astrological, thermological, cosmological, and ecological frame of mind.

Tennessee Congressional delegation: U.S. House of Representatives

1st District. Phil Roe (R). His energy plan includes "all of the above."

Friday, April 24, 2015

In the News: Parma, New Madrid County, Missouri

[Pronounced MAD rid, just like we in Wisconsin pronounce BER lin.]

Source: Wikipedia (as is map below)

Black Mayor Is Voted In and a Small Town’s Staff Empties Out. (The New York Times, 4/23/2015)

2010 census: 713, down from 852 in 2000.

Parma’s main strip looks like a bombed-out Wild West town, with abandoned brick buildings — an awning collapsing from one of them — broken windows and piles of rubble inside. There are two convenience stores and a couple of farming-related businesses, but generally little commercial life. Things here faded over the past several decades, as did the surrounding area, as small-time farming was overtaken by industrial operations, hurting the economy, residents said.

Sources: City Data, U.S. Census Quickfacts

Here ends another episode of The Land That Time Forgot.

The Rev. Pat Robertson might be moved to say that this weather map is God's continuing punishment of Californicators

Precipitation is in the forecast over most of the West.

But, except for a northeastern sliver of the state, California gets bypassed. Again.

(The weather map is from today's New York Times. Red arrows added.)

Related posts:
Traffic noise competes with almond grower's interview. (4/8/2015)
Californians' majority view of drought: Some serious stuff but no water rationing, please. (3/19/2015)
California intensity: From abnormally dry to exceptional drought. (3/19/2015)

In the News (Stuff You Can't Make Up): Strippers at Chinese Funerals

China Says Please Stop Hiring Funeral Strippers. (The Wall Street Journal, 4/23/2015)

As my son just commented, "Why don't they just have an open bar, or a big spread of food?"

According to a statement from the Ministry of Culture on Thursday, the government plans to work closely with the police to eliminate such performances, which are held with the goal of drawing more mourners.

100 Years of Frank Sinatra: "The Huckle Buck"

Recorded on April 10, 1949, Sinatra's version of "The Huckle Buck", one of many covers, was his only song to reach the top 10 from mid-1947 through 1953.

As the Popular Song website explains.....

This was the heyday of "competing" recordings. Columbia would see a Decca hit rising up the charts, and rush to put a Sinatra version out. RCA would persuade Perry [Como] to record it. Capitol's Johnny Mercer would try his hand, while Mitch Miller would use someone from the Mercury stable, usually Frankie Laine in 1949. Thus listeners might have as many as four versions of a song playing on the radio at any given time, while record buyers could choose between six or more versions on the shelves. It was common, and nobody thought much of it, although there was a "race" to record and press competing copies. But it was business, the records were made quickly and released.

In my estimation, the best-ever version of "The Huckle Buck".

Thanks to reruns, I became a huge fan of "The Honeymooners" by my early teens. And remain so more than 50 years later.

As for my own version of 'The Huckle Buck", a little movement in my sacroiliac in 1949 had nothing to do with the song, I'm sure.

Perhaps I was just excited about my baptism.

With Mom, with Grandma Luthgren

Other Frank Sinatra 100 posts:
"Our Love". (2/14/2015)
"I'll Never Smile Again". (2/15/2015)
"Fools Rush In". (2/16/2015)
"Dolores". (2/17/2015)
"Oh Look At Me Now". (2/18/2015)
"This Love of Mine". (2/20/2015)
"There Are Such Things." (2/24/2015)
"Night and Day". (2/26/2015)
"The Night We Called It a Day". (2/27/2015)
Paramount Theater, December 30, 1942. (3/2/2015)
Reveille with Beverly. (3/4/2015)
"You'll Never Know". (3/7/2015)
Higher and Higher. (3/8/2015)
"People Will Say We're in Love". (3/10/2015)
The Shining Future. (3/17/2015)
"I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night". (3/19/2015)
Step Lively. (3/20/2015) .
"Saturday Night (is the Loneliest Night of the Week)". (3/21/2015)
"You'll Never Walk Alone". (3/23/2015)
"Oh What It Seemed to Be". (3/24/2015)
Anchors Aweigh. (3/26/2015)
"Day by Day". 3/27/2015)
Till the Clouds Roll By. (3/29/2015)
"Always". (3/30/2015)
It Happened in Brooklyn. (3/31/2015)
"I've Got a Crush on You". (4/3/2015)
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". (4/5/2015)
"It Only Happens When I Dance With You". (4/7/2015)
The Miracle of the Bells. (4/9/2015)
The birth of Tina. (4/11/2015)
The Kissing Bandit. (4/16/2015)
"Some Enchanted Evening." (4/19/2015)
Take Me Out to the Ball Game. (4/22/2015)

No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative Kristi Noem, South Dakota's At-large Congressional District