A recent high school class reunion prompted me to look up an old girlfriend or two beforehand.  I signed up with MyLife.com, an internet search engine and started looking.  I never made any connection with anyone and forgot about it until a couple of days ago.

Over the weekend I received an e-mail from MyLife announcing that my yearly subscription had been renewed and that the charge on my Visa account was 60 dollars.   Huh?  Sixty bucks!

My original signup was in the neighborhood of $15.  I now noticed  the fine print said the subscriotion would eventually renew at the "regular" price. 

Now, the regular price did not at all fit into my plans, so I called the 800 number and expressed my wish to cancel.  The young man on the other end said that was impossible because the charge had already been made on my account. 

After a minute or so of explaining to him that "no renewal" was the only acceptable solution he softened a bit.  Well, yes, he could offer me a 6-month plan for only $48.  There was more discussion - actually a monologue from me - and he softened again.

The new price was $18 for a three month plan.   Still unacceptable to me and more of my harangue followed.   When I paused to take a breath he mumbled something about his supervisor and put me on hold. 

Thirty seconds followed and he returned with the good news that the charges had been reversed -goodbye!

If you are using MyLife take my advice and look up your account before the automatic renewal.  It will make your life so much simpler.

I held myself back and bit my lip.  I really wanted to get as close to The President as I could today, and boo loudly as he passed by.
Thoughts of being singled out by the secret service restrained me from expressing my dissatisfaction with the mess he has has created.  So I stayed home.

I was no Bush fan either, but his performance was markedly better.

The only other President that raised my hackles as much was Richard Nixon.

Reporters need to agree on their stories:

Metro home sales plunge more than 45%
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel     August 11, 2010

Prices stabilizing as home sales rise
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel     August 12, 2010

Mighty quick turnaround...

Our government has been unable to stop waves of people crossing our borders without going through checkpoints that they created.  Even though one after another law pertaining to immigration and visas for visitors have been enacted, enforcement has been elusive at best.

Our government has passed these regulations, but neglects to act when lawbreakers openly defy the rules. One of our united states wishes to enforce the law.  Our government disagrees and has stopped the Arizona law.  Now there are several other states wishing to enact a similar bit of legislation.

My sister-in-law, from another country, occasionally lives in the United States.  She dutifully follows the law and returns to her homeland following the prescribed regulations.

Why then should she not just ignore the rules as do hundreds of thousands of others and stay here ad lib?
It is because shes has character, responsibility and respect for our country as well as her own.

Those values are what has made our country strong. 

Lets acknowledge those who follow the rules that we adopted decades ago.

For the first time since it's beginning, I'm going to be out of town for Falls Fest.  It is always such a pleasure to meet old friends and acquaintances while volunteering in the ticket booth.

Meg and I are instead motoring down to the Atlanta area to visit one of my sons and his family.  It is fixin' to be the hottest weekend of the summer, but I hope to be riding in air conditioned comfort in my car.

I have slowly morphed into one with a distaste for airline travel.  So many long, delayed and cancelled flights have set me to to anxiously await this road excursion.

I hope that all who remain in the Falls will take advantage of a great party on Garfield Drive and enjoy the hot weather with a brat and a beer or two.

Early this morning a group of young people between 14 and 21 assembled at the school across from my house.  They brought with them drums and all of the percussion trappings needed for a drum and bugle corps.

They used the school as a rehearsal site for the holiday parade.  At about 9 a.m. they began to practice their routines.  They practiced and practiced all day until midafternoon.

It was quite apparent that these were not just a bunch of off-the-street musicians.  Their warm-up session was precise and demanding. They stood in the hot sun during the hottest part of the day goiong over their performance again and again.

They will be performing in the parade tonight.  Watch for them!    They are excellent!
More tomorrow.

Three cheers to the Supremes!  Some recent Supreme Court decisions have not found a lot of favor with me.  But yesterday,  the court actually held strong for one of our rights under the constitution.  Amazing!  To be sure, I am not a gun owner and never hope to be.  Nevertheless I believe that it is of utmost importance to preserve all of our liberties granted under the Bill Of Rights. So we, as citizens, continue to rightfully own arms - for now.

Three boos:  To WTMJ TV channel 4. WTMJ was the only newscast I happened to see today, but it made me sick.  Other stations may be guilty as well.  A grieving parent at her child's death site was captured on video and broadcast to the community. 
My objection is that the mom's face was shown very close up in a moment that should have been only private.  The camera was so close that you could easily count her eyelash hair.  Broadcasters, please have a little empathy and back away for a wide shot and give grieving family members some private space.

A couple of years ago a new taste sensation came to the Falls. it was a great new barbecue restaurant, BB Quick.   I made regular stops there for great tasting sandwiches.  Many others did that as well.  Sometimes there would be a line stretching out the door waiting for service.

After a while, open hours were reduced and  the store eventually became unused and empty.  BB Quick was gone.  No one seemes to know why or where it had gone.

Doing some unconventional and creative sleuthing, Paul's Falls has uncovered the answer.  We can report to you now that Terence, the owner, had become ill and could not both recover and keep open the store at the same time.

Terence is feeling better now and may be forming plans to re-open.

I, for one, am eagerly looking forward to once again eating those spectacular ribs.

Today I had the pleasure of crossing Lake Michigan on the Lake Express.  This car ferry moves between Milwaukee and Muskegon on somewhat boring trip across the lake.

Ours was a one day round-trip because we were taking a couple of grandkids to Michigan for a family outing.  We left Milwaukee early in the morning  (6 a.m.) and arrived 2-1/2 hours later in Muskegon.  The crew and staff were quite friendly. 

We were very happy that the weather today was perfect for this excursion.  Waves were non-existant and the ride was quite similar to an automobole ride but much smoother.

The major problem was that we were not dressed warmly enough.  The main cabin was quite chilly and we shivered in low 60 degree temperatures on both crossings.  We thought the air conditioning was on full tilt, but it was just air from outside that was so cold.

Arriving back in Milwaukee we found  the dock to be at 88 degrees F, but  only a mile offshore it was 63.

If you plan to use the sundeck  prepare for a surprise.  Because the ship travels so fast, the wind blowing on the top deck seems to be hurricane strength.  It is not.  Probably about 35 or so, but you must hold on to a railing so as to not be blown down.

Altogether it was a nice diversion from the day to day routine and I recommend it if you have a chance.  The Muskegon harbor is beautiful and I'm glad that we had the opportunity.

Until recently I spent most of my online time "surfin' the net."  There were so many interesting things to do and people to meet.  The shopping is great, too, there is nothing that you cannot get.

Two months ago I discovered iTunes.  I had overlooked it before because I was happy listening to music from my own collection which has been downloaded to my ipod.  This discovery was a result of purchasing a new Mac from the Apple Store.

 iTunes is a whole lot more than music for sale.  You, with the help of iTunes and a broadband connection, can get a well rounded college education for no cost whatsoever.

Interested?  Download and install the free iTunes 9.
Then start iTunes and select  iTunes Store on the left column.
On the top tool bar select iTunes U.
Voila!  A whole new world of education is at your disposal.  There are hundreds and hundreds of college level courses, both audio and video that are presented to you - totally free.

Try it.  I would like to know if you find the subjects to your liking.

I am saddened to see Mr. Hintz leave the Menomonee Falls School system.  He is a shining star among those in his profession.  I had only a few contacts with him -  they were most professional -  and all of my acquaintances tell me that they will miss him.  It is unfortunate that  his tenure is so shortlived.  I hope that the school district will find someone at least as able to fill this job as Mr. Hintz.  It isn't easy and he will be missed.

In these years of political discontent,  I'm wondering why we could let someone like him slip away.  He stood up for all of the standards that meet my expectations. 

Best of luck to all.

Time flies when you're having fun!  And, for me, time has flown.  Since my last post several exciting things happened that have taken my time away  from blogging.

The most recent was a trip to Phoenix for a short visit with some old friends.   We had a wonderful time together and managed to see a couple of our grand kids as well.  

Unlike a couple of earlier trips this year, this one was entirely on an airline that has friendly people, is well managed, and flys on time.  The airline?   Southwest.  Gosh, what a difference from my recent trips to hell on Midwwest/Frontier.

Flight attendants, baggage handlers, schedules and the rest of their operations made flying pleasurable once again.  Of course TSA was a bit of annoyance, but that passed quickly.

The biggest reason for my late blogs is the arrival of my new i-Pad.  It had been on order for nearly a month when the UPS driver rang my doorbell on April third.  The delivery man told me that he was astonished  by so many recipients standing at their windows in anticipation of  finally getting their hands on this electronic marvel.

Since that day, I have become more addicted to the internet and all of its offerings than ever before.  To my wife's dismay, I now have on my lap a device that I carry under my arm with which  to read newspapers, books, websites and the like on a moment's impulse.  It has become an extension of my self.

I would write more, but my addiction is calling.

The people taking the census are working as hard as they can.  They are working as hard as they can to make sure that thir budget is all spent leaving nothing left over.

Several weeks ago I received my first piece of mail from them telling me to watch for another piece of mail coming in a few days.

The second piece of mail arrived as promised.  It was the actual census form.  It was asking how many people had slept in my house as of April second.  No brainer.  I'll just fill it out on the third and send it back in their postage paid envelope.

Two days ago a third mailing arrived.  The card urged me to hurry an send back my information.  It implied that many others had done so promptly.  Certainly, they noted, I should not be the one to make a government employee come around and have to ask me in person.

Hmmm. I went back and re-read the questionnaire.  Indeed April 2nd. was the date specified.  OK, if this is the way they want it... I filled out the form and mailed it back this morning.

I'm expecting another mailing next week asking how many people did stay overnight on the second.  Fill in the number of unexpeced visitors you might have had.

Easy come - easy go.  It is only money.  Someone else's.

Those of you who know me know that I am a technogeek.  Satellite dishes, communications devices, computers and the like consume nearly every moment of my day.

Yesterday something new happened to me that had me muttering to myself that technology was passing me by.

Meg and I went to see Alice in Wonderland at the Mayfair Imax theater.  The movie was in 3-D with incredible computer/human actors in a truly remarkable exposition.  The 12,000 watt sound system was the needed touch to make me shake my head in disbelief.

Had I not actually seen it, I would not have believed such a film could exist.

I cannot explain the intricate detail built into each frame of this 95 minute movie.  You will have to see it for yourself in order to understand.

The theater was sold out and I expect that will happen many times over again in the next few weeks.  Alice is also shown in a 2-D version for a smaller cost than the $13 charged for 3-D.

Spend the extra couple of bucks, you won't be sorry.  The movie is rated PG but may be a bit too intense for kids under six.

A few months ago I wrote about an unfortunate experience that I had on Midwest Airlines.  It caused me to be more than 12 hours late arriving at my destination.  I vowed to never use that airline again.

But, in February we had a family reunion planned at a ski resort near Bozeman, MT.  It worked out that the best way to get there was via Frontier Airlines, the major carrier in that area.  Frontier is now part of the corporate combination encompassing Frontier, Republic and Midwest.

With no other choice I booked a Frontier flight with a stop in Denver. The flight started well and I thought I would finally get that warm chocolate cookie promised in their ads.  As we approached Denver the cabin attendant came by with two cookies for me,  Aah!  Unfortunately, they again were not warm.  But, this time they were more than cold.  Frozen solid in fact.  I had to wait 20 minutes for them to thaw to room temperature before taking the first bite.

Switching planes in Denver became a hassle.  The new aircraft had mechanical problems and we had to wait an hour before another could be found.  We were hurried on to the plane and the attendant began her safety speech, but stopped and waited.

It seemed that they noticed that all our baggage was still on the cart awaiting stowage.  We were informed that there was a shortage of ground crews today, but they would be arriving shortly. Shortly was another hour.  Upon closing the final compartment the head ground crew man winked and todk the cabin attendant  "We'll get you there when you get there."

That accomplished, another 20 minute delay was in store as the pilot waited for the necessary paperwork to be completed.  Another half hour at the de-icing station and we were on our way.

Arriving in Bozeman mor than three hours late meant that our ride up to the lodge was long gone.  Fortunately, a private shuttle service was available and we shelled out an unplanned c-note and made it to our lodging.

A beautiful week followed, including a day-trip to Yellowstone on a snow coach.  Truly beautiful.

Returning home became another adventure.  Hoping for the best we were seated on the plane waiting departure.  Shame on me for thinking that everything would be all right.  We waited for 20 minutes and were informed that the plane was 300 pounds overweight.  Rather than kicking people off, they chose to remove a dozen bags and put them on another flight.

You guessed it. I fumed while I watched my wife's bag go on to the cart and off to limbo.

But wait, good news!  There had been an arithmetical error and bags could be put back on.  Great!  Unfortunately the put only half back.  Meg's was still to go to never never land.

That process took another half hour and we were off.  Arriving back at Denver we had to sprint several hundred yards to the next depature gate.  We made it just as they were closing the door, but another 30 seconds would have meant several more hours until the next available plane.

The rest of the trip was un-eventful.  We were thankful to finally be home.Meg's bags arrived late the nest afternoon at our home.

In two months we have a flight to Phoenix planned, but this time it will be on Southwest.  Needless to say, we are hoping for better results.

I'm off on a ski-vacation this week and had the opportunity to read the following article during a snowstorm.
I found it quite interesting and pretty much on the mark.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100222/lessig

To find out more about this author see:   http://lessig.org/info/bio/

I yield the blog today to the words of  Kitty Werthmann, a lady in her late eighties.  I first heard this story  on the radio while awaiting election returns Tuesday evening.  This is quite lengthy - nearly as long as those from another blogger on this site.   I learned quite a lot from her historical recollection.   Here are her words directly quoted:

“What I am about to tell you is something you've probably never heard or will ever read in history books. I believe that I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide 98% of the vote. I've never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.



In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates. Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn't want to work; there simply weren't any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people, about 30 daily.



The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other. Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna, Linz, and Graz were destroyed. The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted.



We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933. We had been told that they didn't have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group -- Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. 
Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.



We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.

After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.

Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn't support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.



Hitler Targets Education Eliminates Religious Instruction for Children

:

Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler's picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn't pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles, and had physical education.



Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail. 
The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.



My mother was very unhappy. When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn't do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun no sports, and no political indoctrination. I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn't exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.



Equal Rights Hits Home
:

In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn't work, you didn't get a ration card, and if you didn't have a card, you starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn't have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.



Soon after this, the draft was implemented. It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps. During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines. When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.



Hitler Restructured the Family Through Daycare

:

When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages 4 weeks to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the total care of the government. The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.



Health Care and Small Business Suffer Under Government Controls

:

Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna . After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full. If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.



As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.



We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn't meet all the demands. Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.



We had consumer protection. We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.



Mercy Killing Redefined

:

In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work. I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.



As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.



The Final Steps - Gun Laws

:

Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long after-wards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.



No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up. Totalitarianism didn't come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.



After World War II, Russian troops occupied Austria. Women were raped, preteen to elderly. The press never wrote about this either. When the Soviets left in 1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the process. They sawed down whole orchards of fruit, and what they couldn't destroy, they burned. We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the population barricaded themselves in their houses. Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the troops mobilized. Those who couldn't, paid the price. There is a monument in Vienna today, dedicated to those women who were massacred by the Russians.

This is an eye witness account. Its true those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.  America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don't Let Freedom Slip Away! "

In Ted Klumb's blog there has been some talk of your claim of local corruption.  You have stated that the unfortunate hotel deloper was "shaken down"  for money.  That is clearly illegal - a felony - and can be prosecuted.   Why have you or the developer not taken this to the district attorney?  Is it because there is no truth to the accusation?

There was no corruption in government befor you took office.  One could not even buy lunch for the Village Board President when Mr. Greco was in power.  He wouldn't allow even that.

Scott Krause has replied to questions regarding his position on Ted Klumb's blog below.

Whether or not you care to vote for him, it's worth taking time to read it.

To the surprise of no one, the State has now ruled that the Falls Primary will go on as scheduled.

For any remaining followers of the person pictured below me, remember that this whole election mess is a result of  election changes created by Da Slinks  (CS & JD), when they messed with well-respected rules and championed a new system that has cost not only dollars, but has caused worthy citizens to refrain for running for office.

BTW, the wanna be public servant could relieve some governmental costs by paying hs property taxes which are still unremitted as of this writing.

'Nuf said.  See you at the polls on Tuesday.