News and Current Events - 2012

[doodler]

There are the "rules" grocery stores have about plastic bags... for instance, only certain things can go in them together. And I came home yesterday with a number of bags that had just one thing in them... a 4 pack of pudding in one, bread in one, chips in another. The chicken was not in with the beef. And the packaged lunchmeat and cheese was not in with either the chicken or the beef. And yet, the baggers don't like it when I ask that two 2 liter bottles of pop be double bagged. If the store offers paper... which none around here seem to do... everything is confined to the same bag.

Hi Nancy.

[Tony_]

There are the "rules" grocery stores have about plastic bags... for instance, only certain things can go in them together. And I came home yesterday with a number of bags that had just one thing in them... a 4 pack of pudding in one, bread in one, chips in another. The chicken was not in with the beef. And the packaged lunchmeat and cheese was not in with either the chicken or the beef. And yet, the baggers don't like it when I ask that two 2 liter bottles of pop be double bagged. If the store offers paper... which none around here seem to do... everything is confined to the same bag.

   I guess the rumors about you and Jamie Oliver were, as usual, internet foolishness.  Tabloids; sheesh  ......

[killersmom]

Hey, Tony. Did you get any weather from the first named tropical storm, or due to get some from Beryl?

[Tony_]

 Hi, Linda !  No, not a bit.  Beryl, if it comes here, would be as a tropical low, after going over 300 miles of land.  But it will probably be here Tuesday, when I have a dentist appointment.

 Meanwhile, I think they  ought to change the names of these storms.  British.  Say, Phoebe, Nigel, Daphne......something different to annoy us  .

[killersmom]

LOL!
That's a thought. I need to look and see when the last one was named Linda!
Yes we do seem to get the wet weather when we have to be out in it!

We are getting unseasonably cold weather out here. And really really high winds.

[doodler]

Do west coast storms operate off their own list of names?

If so, when the national weather service or whoever makes hurricane predictions announces the expected number of tropical storms and hurricanes each year, does their guessimation include BOTH coasts or just the Atlantic?
And if not, does nobody CARE how many come off the Pacific?

[killersmom]

I know they are a separate list of names, Sherry. As far as I know the predictions are only for the Atlantic. There are so few that form off the west coast of Mexico and South America, that there is not much interest in predictions. Only interest is garnered if one forms big enough to impact Hawaii.
When I lived in Texas, periodically one would form down around the Gulf of California and come across Mexico and impact Texas weather, but that is about it. Oh and typically in the Pacific they are called typhoons.

[killersmom]

Oh cool! Google is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, with their Google Doodle.



Of course it helps that their headquarters is in the Bay Area.

[doodler]

Thanks Linda. That explains why there are two "B" storms in the news at the same time.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Thanks for your thoughts on banning plastic bags.

I was just remembering that when I was growing up, we used to
frequent a grocety store that would pack our groceries into boxes.
I guess they were boxes that contained the items they bought to
sell.  Which is where the "boxboy" term came from I guess.  Are they
baggers now?

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Oh cool! Google is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, with their Google Doodle.



Of course it helps that their headquarters is in the Bay Area.

Thanks for that, Linda, I love it.  The Golden Gate bridge is one of the most
beautiful sights.  When I was in Frisco once I took a helicopter tour over it and
a boat tour under it.

PBS has been repeating a documentary on the building of the bridge recently.
(Might be under the American Expereince series.)  It's very good.  I love the
photos of the location before during and after it was built.

I saw a news segment recently about plans to put a metal net along the sides
to keep the enormous number of people who jump off it every year from doing so.
(I forget the number, but it's an incredible number of people.)  The net is supposed
to not only catch them from jumping, but it's designed to also injure you (really hurt
you) if you do jump. (Supposedly a deterrent.) It's not officially approved yet becasue
the cost of it is also quite enormous,something like $14 million.  Also, I imagine there
might be those who object because wouldn't that alter the look of the bridge, at least
somewhat?

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Seems like a lot of "milestone" anniversarys this year:
The 75th anniversaries from 1937 include the Golden Gate Bridge,
the Hindenburg disaster, which I heard practically nothing about,
and the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

[oilgun]

Thanks for your thoughts on banning plastic bags.

I was just remembering that when I was growing up, we used to
frequent a grocety store that would pack our groceries into boxes.
I guess they were boxes that contained the items they bought to
sell.  Which is where the "boxboy" term came from I guess.  Are they
baggers now?

We've called them bag boys for as long as I can rememeber.  The ones at my local supermarket are pretty damn sexy in a rough trade kind of way and they are pleasant and polite.

[killersmom]

Thanks for that, Linda, I love it.  The Golden Gate bridge is one of the most
beautiful sights.  When I was in Frisco once I took a helicopter tour over it and
a boat tour under it.

PBS has been repeating a documentary on the building of the bridge recently.
(Might be under the American Expereince series.)  It's very good.  I love the
photos of the location before during and after it was built.

I saw a news segment recently about plans to put a metal net along the sides
to keep the enormous number of people who jump off it every year from doing so.
(I forget the number, but it's an incredible number of people.)  The net is supposed
to not only catch them from jumping, but it's designed to also injure you (really hurt
you) if you do jump. (Supposedly a deterrent.) It's not officially approved yet becasue
the cost of it is also quite enormous,something like $14 million.  Also, I imagine there
might be those who object because wouldn't that alter the look of the bridge, at least
somewhat?

Some interesting facts about the construction and payment.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was built over a four and a half year period between 1933 and 1937. It is the second largest suspension bridge in the United States.

The bridge cost $37 million, but was funded by municipal bonds that cost an additional $39 million dollars in interest. The entire cost of the bridge was paid for by tolls before the final bonds were retired in 1971. A rough estimate of the $76 million the bridge cost (including interest) in 1933 is over $1.2 billion in 2007 dollars.

[killersmom]

I saw a news segment recently about plans to put a metal net along the sides
to keep the enormous number of people who jump off it every year from doing so.
(I forget the number, but it's an incredible number of people.)  The net is supposed
to not only catch them from jumping, but it's designed to also injure you (really hurt
you) if you do jump. (Supposedly a deterrent.) It's not officially approved yet becasue
the cost of it is also quite enormous,something like $14 million.  Also, I imagine there
might be those who object because wouldn't that alter the look of the bridge, at least
somewhat?

From what I have heard, this project keeps getting shot down. It it ever went up for vote, it would be defeated. There is just no money for it. There is NEVER a report on the news or in the papers about a jumper. I have never seen or heard of one since I moved here in 2007, although I know there are a lot of them.