May Is What Month??

Why yes!  Yes it is!!

National Barbecue Month

Y'all know what to do!

Git out there and enjoy!!

What Are We Celebrating This Month?

Here they are, ladies and gentlemen--all the things we're celebrating here in America in this new October month:

Adopt A Shelter Dog Month
AIDS Awareness Month
American Cheese Month
Antidepressant Death Awareness Month
Bat Appreciation Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
(World) Blindness Awareness Month
Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month
Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Celebrating The Bilingual Child Month
Children’s Magazine Month
Christmas Seal Campaign (10/1-12/31)
Church Library Month
Church Safety and Security Month
Class Reunion Month
Co-op Awareness Month
Cut Out Dissection Month
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Dyslexia Awareness Month
Eat Better, Eat Together Month
Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month
Emotional Wellness Month
Employee Ownership Month
Energy Management is a Family Affair-Improve Your Home Month (10/1-3/31/13)
Financial Planning Month
Feral Hog Month or Hog Out Month
German-American Heritage Month
Global Diversity Awareness Month
Go Hog Wild – Eat Country Ham
Halloween Safety Month
Head Start Awareness Month
Health Literacy Month
Home Eye Safety Month
Italian-American Heritage Month
International Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month
International Starman Month
International Strategic Planning Month
International Walk To School Month
LGBT History Month
Long Term Care Planning Month
Month of Free Thought
National Animal Safety and Protection Month
National Apple MonthNational Applejack Month
National Arts & Humanities Month
National Audiology Awareness Month
National Bake and Decorate Month
National Book Month
National Bullying Prevention Month
National Caramel Month
National Chili Month
National Chiropractic Month
National Cookbook Month
National Cookie Month
National Crime Prevention Month
National Critical Illness Awareness Month
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
National Dental Hygiene Month
National Dessert Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Depression Education & Awareness Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National Ergonomics Month
National Fair Trade Month
National Family Sexuality Education Month
National “Gain The Inside Advantage” Month
National Go On A Field Trip Month
National Kitchen & Bath Month
National Liver Awareness Month
National Medical Librarian Month
National Orthodontic Health Month
National Pasta Month
National Physical Therapy Month
National Pickled Peppers Month
National Pizza Month
National Popcorn Poppin’ Month
National Pork Month
National Pretzel Month
National Protect Your Hearing Month
National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
National Reading Group Month
National Roller Skating Month
National RSV Awareness Month
National Sarcastic Awareness MonthNational Sausage Month
National Seafood Month
National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
National Stamp Collecting Month
National Toilet Tank Repair Month
National Window Covering Safety Month
National Work and Family Month
National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
Organize Your Medical Information Month
Pear and Pineapple Month
Photographer Appreciation Month
Polish American Heritage Month
Positive Attitude Month
Raptor Month
Rett Syndrome Awareness Month
Rhizomes and Persimmons Month
Rhubarb Month
Right Brainers Rule! Month
Self-Promotion Month
Spinach Lovers Month
Squirrel Awareness Month Link (Different Than Squirrel Appreciation Day in January)
Tackling Hunger Month
Talk About Prescriptions Month
Vegetarian Month
Wishbones for Pets Month (10/15 – 11/30)
Workplace Politics Awareness Month
World Menopause Month

What will you be celebrating?

Memorial Day, a reminder

Val: Why do you go out there?

Sandra:  Because dead people give such good advice.

Val: What advice do they give?

Sandra: Just one word- live!” 

― Tennessee Williams, Battle of Angels

Happy Mother's Day

Snow. In May. In Kansas City

From photographer/friend Roy Inman :

Last time it snowed in Kansas City in May was on the 3rd in 1907. Union Station was completed in 1914, same year that WWI started. We are talking history-making stuff here folks.

Short-sighted, Greedy Corporate America is Robbing Us of Our Middle-Class: Happy May Day

For anyone who's been paying attention the last several years, we know the companies across the country are hiring more and more part-time positions instead of hiring full-time people and work. Instead of hiring one 40 hour person, they hire two 20 hour people.

Why?

Well, first, it gives the company more flexibility in the work schedule but second, and more important to the company, they don't want to pay benefits.

Health care, health insurance, dental insurance, vision, 401k, any and all of it, forget it, it's out the window.

How great for the companies, eh?

And with our health care system being the most expensive in the world and going ever higher, it's all the better for them.

To a point.

In the meantime, the people hired can't make a living wage.

How do you pay for rent and food and car and health and life insurance and, oh, take care of your children and pay for a car on a part-time wage?

We all know it's not possible.

And those expenses, I list above, are all without the additional need and yes, expenses of having a family.

So the middle class suffers. And shrinks.  And more people get kicked down to a lower class status. Or, worst yet, become homeless.

But what the companies and corporations don't take into consideration is that this hurts them, too.

How do you get committed, intelligent, familiar, hard-working employees and associates unless or until you pay them fairly--and commit to them--with full-time work?

How do you get someone who's truly familiar with your products and/or services unless they're there long-term---years---and dedicated to those products and services and company?

The answer is, of course, you don't.

So your sales and/or profits naturally suffer.  This is a matter of the old, old, very familiar situation of getting what you pay for.

Yet it's a spreading concept and situation in our nation.

This is no way to build and keep a middle class, ladies and gentlemen. This is no way to keep a functioning nation.

Henry Ford, the car magnate from early in the last century knew this. Fortunately, some companies, rather famously, like Costco, know this and for it they are rewarded with growth and profit.

We have to somehow stop this trend but with "free market Capitalism", it likely can't be stopped.

Here's hoping it's a short-term experiment, of sorts, that is shown to fail quickly so we can turn this around.  Part of the way we do that, part of the way we get this changed back is to solve our health care system's problems and situations of being so obscenely expensive that it wrecks not just household budgets but whole states and our nation's economy.  And that's what is happening, to all of us.

The Walmarts and 24 Hour Fitnesses and restaurant chains that are doing this must be stopped. They must be changed. They have to learn the error of these ways.

It makes for a very mean culture and society that can and would take advantage of its people and staff this way.

Workers of the world, unite, indeed.

If anyone thinks we--America--the working class and the lower and middle class don't need Unions and that solidarity and strength in numbers and organization, they need only look at this example, this situation to prove otherwise.

Otherwise, it's "God help us."

Because the wealthy and corporations surely won't.

Link to a list of articles on this topic:

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_rn=11&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=14&gs_id=1k&xhr=t&q=companies+cut+hours&es_nrs=true&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=companies+cut+&gs_l=&pbx=1&fp=1&biw=1366&bih=668&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&cad=b

Big weekend for the city

Yes sir, there are a great deal of things going on in Kansas City this weekend.

First up is one of the year's best First Friday in the Crossroads because it's not blistering hot or freezing cold right now. That should be a terrific turnout.

Second is the Brookside Art Fair.

Next up is Cinco de Mayo so every Mexican restaurant in the area will also be packing them in.

Finally--it's a short list, if even a full weekend--"The Avengers" movie opens. I expect it will be packed, for those interested.

So, whatever you're doing this weekend, y'all, have a great time. Let's be careful out there.

Happy May Day! (too)

Or, better known as International Workers Day, "...a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries. It is also celebrated unofficially in many other countries."

In recognition of May Day and International Workers Day, the movie, "Koch Brothers Exposed" will be shown tonight at 7 pm at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church at 4501 Walnut Street right here in our very own Kansas City, Missouri. Hope you can attend. (Information at 2nd link, below).

And no, this is not "Commie" or Communist. At all.

Enjoy your day, y'all.

Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day; http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/05/may-day-occupy-labor-immigration-general-strike-breaking-news-reports; http://www.kochbrothersexposed.com/about

For our first full day of Spring

To Spring, indeed

Happy Spring, y'all. Enjoy.

Apparently the Summer shooting season is starting early

Apparently it's beginning the Thursday BEFORE Memorial Weekend. 

First there was this:

Man shot during carjacking
I was hoping, when I read the headline, that I'd find that the person attempting the carjacking was the one shot but, unfortunately, it wasn't to be.

And that lead me to this, the next one:

One killed in shooting near 29th and Highland in KC

I hope Mayor James has some good plan up his sleeve like getting together with community, church and civic leaders all across the city so we can hopefully reduce the number of these ignorant, pointless shootings this year.  I kept hoping the last mayor would do that but no, it apparently made too much sense.

Big and busy weekend for KC

Yeah, if you can't have fun and/or learn something this weekend in Kansas City, you have serious problems.

Tonight, it's "First Friday" , of course, in the Crossroads District, downtown.

This should really be a "rip snorter", for lots of reasons, mainly having to do with the fact that it's supposed to turn sunny this afternoon and, while cool, it's perfect for going around down there. It will be great for seeing all the art, artists and performances, before it gets Summer hot and humid.

You won't want to miss that, likely.

Be forewarned, though--hundreds or thousands of us are going to be going down there so parking will be looney. Here's a thought--either take "The Max" bus from further in the city, down Main Street and zip in easily or park outside the area a bit and walk in. That's the only thing that will make sense.

Secondly, the new Egyptian Gallery at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opens tonight.

Yowza.

I've been waiting for this all winter. It should be a stunner. (Again, big crowds. If you don't like them, wait a week and it will improve). Also, this is a ticketed event, understandably, so don't think you're getting in free. Just sayin'.

And then Sunday is Mother's Day--but you knew that, right?

If you're taking Mom out for dinner, you'd better already have your reservation or some secret plan to get yourself out of your jam.

That's only three things but those right there, along with everything else we have to do--right?--will fill up the weekend quickly and nicely.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Clay Chastain? Back? Again?

What sick, twisted thing (things?) did Kansas City do to deserve being haunted and hounded by Clay Chastain, again and again, over the last many years?

I'm thinking it was either the racism of the city that divides us, physically, too much, even to this day, or the city sprawl that has us from Platte City to Louisburg and from Odessa to Gardner--or both.

That must be it.

Did you hear this?

Clay Chastain is back YET AGAIN to try to get signatures for another freaking campaign to get light rail? I heard it on KCUR this morning.

Holy cow.

This guy never gives up.

He has got to LOVE attention, don'tcha know? But I've thought and said that for years.

And get this--rather than him come to us for our signatures, he got the lapdog media in town to announce for him that he'll be at Union Station tomorrow so WE CAN COME TO HIM.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Man, that's good.

Yeah, right, Clay. We'll be right there.

Hold yer breath.

I think I might go down myself, with my camera, and take pictures of him standing there, all alone, waiting for people to come in.


Have a great weekend, y'all.

I know I will.