Wednesday, December 30, 2020

It's never as bad as it can be. Remember that.

 A house can always fall on yer head... 

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On the road, trying to find a better life somewhere else in America during the two 1930s disasters, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Photo: Dorothea Lange.
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US solider inspecting Nazi looted art found in a church in Ellingen, Germany, 1945
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There's something to be said for being a 'baby-boomer'. Here's 9 signs you were born in the 1950s.

Do you remember these major moments, iconic toys and classic shows?

1. You went to five and dimes

Forget the Dollar Store - you shopped at Woolworth’s. You bought candy, nuts, toy soldiers, makeup, hair clips, balloons, handkerchiefs - whatever childhood treasure you could afford with your precious nickels. And after shopping, you sidled up to the lunch counter for the most delicious sandwich and fountain soda you’ve ever had. Try getting THAT at Wal-Mart.

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Everything old is new again.

If you don't think Biden's Presidency is gonna be Obama 2.0, you're just plain nuts.

 President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team crowned dairy industry lobbyist and former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to lead the Department of Agriculture. Vilsack won out over House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s pick, Rep. Marcia Fudge, who was also backed by progressives. Whereas Fudge represented an opportunity to unite the USDA’s rural and urban constituents and address the agency’s long history of racial discrimination, Vilsack is a rerun of pro-corporate policies that continue to drive rural communities away from the Democratic Party.

The secretary of agriculture is an underrated and important Cabinet member whose work intersects with climate change, workers’ safety, racial justice, antitrust, rural development, and of course, feeding the country.
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2. You knew a lot of teen brides


Your 18-year-old sister might have been the first, but she definitely wasn’t the last teen bride you were close to. You had cousins, neighbors, and classmates who graduated high school and tied the knot within weeks. (Heck, maybe it was even you.)It seems unthinkable these days, when the average age of newlywed women is around 27, but between 1950 and 1960, first-time wives averaged about 20 years old. And you know what? It seems like most of those people are still married.
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3. The Bomb was the scariest thing, ever


Putin’s got nothing on Khrushchev. You know — you were there for the bad ol’ days of the Cold War, when the fear of Russia, communism, and all-out atomic Armageddon permeated your everyday life. You probably remember your parents talking about Joe McCarthy and Sputnik, and you definitely remember duck and cover drills in school — as if hiding under your desk would protect you from nuclear fallout. Decades later, it seems almost silly…or does it? ... 

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4. You watched Ed Sullivan


I remember sitting in the living room floor in my grandmothers house watching the Beatles on Sullivan on a round-screen Dumont B&W TV. Every Sunday night, you flipped on your parents’ (brand new!) black-and-white TV, cozied up on the couch with your family, and settled in for an hour of sheer, unadulterated entertainment, a.k.a The Ed Sullivan Show. You loved the excitement of it all — the comedy, the groundbreaking musical acts (The Beatles, for pete’s sake!), and even Señor Wences. In fact, today, you can imitate Sullivan’s distinctive “really good sheeew” accent without thinking twice. Of course, as years passed, you also watched Smothers Brothers, Shindig!, American Bandstand, and even Sonny and Cher, but nothing quite compared to Sullivan.
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No matter what you may be looking for, you can click on any Amazon link - any posted item you see featured here on the blog (even the banner above) to get to Amazon. 
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5. You played with unfussy, iconic toys

Every time your grandson’s teddy bear starts flashing lights and singing, you cringe. That’s because you know good toys should be simpler — starting points for activity and imagination — like the toys you grew up with: hula hoops, Play Doh, Mr. Potato Head, Etch-a-Sketch, and Lincoln Logs. But take heart, Nana. There is hope. That American Girl doll is basically a pricier Chatty Cathy, and your granddaughter still wants an Easy Bake Oven.

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Listen to the news - they make it sound as if the Republicans don't want you to get any money. They really are despicable scumbags.

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6. You listened to radio, and bought music on 45s

Whether it was Murray the K, Cousin Brucie, or good ol’ Dick Clark, radio DJs were your prophets of rock and roll. And when they endorsed the new Beatles or Ricky Nelson single, you didn’t wait for it to magically appear on your phone. Nope. You went to the store and bought a 45 for $0.75 a pop. Then, you brought it home, played it to death, and stored it in your cool carrying case so — god forbid — it didn’t get scratched. Even today, the sound of skipped needles make you shiver a little inside.
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So THAT'S what they meant by 'sock hop'. 
Never knew that.
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7. Your food was real food, except when it wasn’t.


On one hand, you grew up eating fresh, from-the-earth meals: You remember what strawberries are supposed to taste like and won’t settle for anything but honest-to-god ice cream (none of this “frozen dairy product” baloney). Who knows? Your family’s milk might have even come from the milkman; in 1963 about 30% of U.S. homes received glass-bottle delivery. On the other hand, you also came of age during the glory days of processed food. TV dinners, canned soda, and boxed cake mixes were part of your everyday diet, and — gasp! — you ate margarine because butter had the wrong kind of fat. (Whoops.) Nowadays, you attempt to stick to real food. But try as you might, when Hamburger Helper calls, something deep within you must answer.
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I don't know why everyone's getting so worked up. Don't you know these people are much more important than you are? 
Of course they are - just ask them.
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8. Everyone smoked. Everyone.


No, seriously. Your family smoked at the dinner table. At the supermarket. At work. (Can you imagine your coworkers lighting up today? Holy moly.) In fact, when the surgeon general issued the Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health in 1964, more than half of American men and over one-third of women were habitual smokers. How could they resist? You vividly remember ads with athletes, movie stars, and doctors — doctors! — encouraging you to take a drag. Heck, all the cool guys wore a pack of Luckies in their shirt sleeves (“LSMFT: Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco”). And even though it seems like everyone quit around 1992, get this: About 14% of Americans still smoke.
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9. You remember where you were when…


JFK was shot
The Beatles debuted on Ed Sullivan
MLK was shot
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper’s plane went down
RFK was shot (just two months later)
We landed on the moon
You can describe each occasion in detail, down to the shoes you wore that day. And you know the only modern event to rival any of them was 9/11.
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she would have accepted an offer to serve as Joe Biden’s running mate — but admitted to relief at not being picked. Whitmer became an early favorite to join the Democratic ticket after he vowed to select a woman as his vice-presidential partner.
“If Joe Biden had called and said ‘I need you to be my partner and be my running mate’ I would have said yes,” she told a FOX affiliate in Detroit. “This election was that important.” But when asked about her reaction to Kamala Harris ultimately being tapped, Whitmer was candid. “There might have been a sigh of relief over here at the governor’s residence,” Whitmer said. “I think everyone was pleased with the outcome.”
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This is a great idea - plugs in to any outlet...



Find it here for only $ 14.00 bucks - grab a couple:
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They ain't that 'racy' and she thinks she's hotter 
than she actually is. Juss' sayin'.
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Police shot and killed an 18-year-old man who charged at them while wielding a machete in Brooklyn on Tuesday night — after he nearly chopped off a woman’s thumb. 
 
Explain to me again about who's gonna stop a maniac like this guy after you 'de-fund' your police forces? You fuckin' morons.
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That's Barbara (the world-famous jewelry maker to the stars also known as 'my wife') holding our newest addition, 'Niki', named after my brother's daughter.  

I was lobbying heavily for 'Shithead' but I got outvoted - but then again I always do. Always. 
 
I was told 'Shithead' is a dog's name and that I should have known that.
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The guy's name is WANG for fuck sake - 
did you expect something different?


Alexander Wang (pictured left with model Bella Hadid - so that's who she is) has been accused of being a 'sexual predator' by several anonymous accusers, many of whom claimed Wang had drugged them with MDMA and sexually assaulted them at events in recent years, WWD reported.The allegations against the designer were shared on Instagram (center) by industry watchdog, Sh* Model Management, who urged the public to boycott his label, according to the report. 'Alexander Wang is an alleged sexual predator, many male models and trans models have come out and spoken about the alleged sexual abuse that Alexander Wang has inflicted upon them,' the post read. 
Included in the post was a clip by model Owen Mooney (right) who had earlier uploaded a TikTok video claiming he had been 'touched up' by a 'really famous' fashion designer in 2017. Although Mooney did not initially name his alleged abuser, he later uploaded a follow-up video following speculation from viewers and confirmed it was Wang. he obviously isn't making shitloads of money as a model. Juss' sayin'.
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I have a shitload of 'em - I'll give ya one a day till they're gone.
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I had a dog that stupid once...
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If I left you with this - JUST this - would you be okay with it? I probably wouldn't...


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Blood-thirsty squirrels are behind New York's latest crime-wave: Deranged rodents are attacking Queens residents for food -leaving them needing hospital treatment and fearing to step outside their homes.
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 I have two sets of these in the truck with me at all times. Great drills, charge super fast, hold a charge forever, a lot of torque for a cordless, and - the set is on sale right now.


At only $ 139.00 for the 20v set along with the charger and the bag, this is one helluva deal
See it for yourself here:
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Freddie's brother Frankie in our lanai. One of a coupla friggin' hundred fake pink flamingos around the encampment.
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God - I thought she was dead years ago. For the record Petula? I hate that fuckin' song with every bone in my body. Juss' sayin'. Fuckin' HATE it. Hate. It, It sucks.
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This is a really comfortable work shoe. 


Find 'em here at a really good price:
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4 comments:

  1. Hmm, Etch-A-Sketch,where I grew up only the rich kids had those
    My wife was 19 and me 20 when we married, she proposed, she called and said I'M PREGNANT!!! and yes we are still together. I got to hear I'm pregnant 4 more times
    We didn't have our 1st TV until after the Kennedy assassination. We were not yet fluent in English, well at least my parents weren't. The week's highlight was the Italian Hour on Saturday mid-evening radio

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  2. The 1st Kennedy I was in the 5th grade (Kailua, Hawaii), I remember the teacher telling us as we left the room. The next Kennedy my dad told me when I got up (Redondo Beach, CA). For the moon landing I was in our living room (Torrance, CA), there were neighbors over. When we started attacking in the first Gulf War I was on the hanger deck at CGAS Chicago listening on the radio. For 911 I was just starting the day at Buster's Front End Shop in Bemidji Minnesota, again we listened over the radio as the second plane hit the other tower....

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    Replies
    1. They're all memorable. There'll be nothing memorable about 2020.

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