Drudge Targets Mayor

I  check out the Drudge Report fairly regularly.  Our daily newspaper subscription is going to run out sometime soon and we are going to read our news online.  We have gone on a vacation hold when we knew we would be too busy to get the paper read and asked to have the subscription lengthened for as many days as we are gone (read that as "too busy to read the paper".)  Thus we have probably extended beyond what might be polite.  One can avoid those advertisements that fill the November and December newspapers. 

          So we check out Drudge, and a few world wide bookmarked newspapers.  It was amusing to see our taxing mayor on top of the list this morning.  Suttle unrolls toilet paper tax. 

"Mayor Pushes Washington For Federal Toilet Paper Tax..."  If the tax goes Federal, Omaha folks won't be tempted to drive over the bridge to Counsel Bluffs, to load up on TP. That was good thinking of him.  Counsel Bluffs gets all of our gamblers pocket change the way it is with their River Boat Casinos.

Toilet Paper Tax

The headline in this morning's paper contains a lot of toilet talk. "Mayor unrolls a novel way to wipe out sewer costs."  The article includes his proposal for a ten-cent federal tax on every roll of toilet paper you buy.  Omaha has been mandated to start a multi billion-dollar sewer project.  Of course funding is unavailable and there is a completion date demanding dirt must be dug and trunk lines put down to replace old outdated sewer lines by 2024.

Ten cents per roll seems like a lot.  We all know what the Boston colonists did over the tea tax, which led to our tea party demonstrators of today.  Toilet paper tax could lead to a toilet party, heaven forbid.

This is the same mayor that I signed the petition to recall..and got myself in the paper and on television.  He taxed our restaurants and even the folks that drove into Omaha to work from out of the city limits.  The latter has been withdrawn as it bordered unconstitutional as it was flagrant taxation without representation.

I am beginning to feel sorry for our mayor.

Only a Chair

When I went online to see what I could find on purchasing a good chair, I discovered that I am not alone in my sitting angst.  Actually sitting in any chair is very uncomfortable unless the mint chocolate chip ice cream pleasure overrides the sitting pain.

The above unique dining chairs fit in with our lifestyle.  They were on sale.  The price was right.  We had to take the table that went with them.  The second set of four had to be ordered from Kansas City.  I was charmed by the colorful insets.  At first I thought they were stone, but with closer inspection I suppose they are ceramic tiles. I wouldn't be too surprised if they are concrete.  Beware if you are charmed by a chair. 

The Kansas City four had to be assembled at home.  I am very fortunate to have had a "handy" man in the house for going on 57 years.  He had them assembled in no time..actually he started in the afternoon and it was nearly dark when he brought the last of them into the house.  He assembled them on the tail gate of his pick up.

Around the table (no, not the new one which is much too small for company) they retained their charm until we tried to get up.  The back legs caught on the carpet and had a tendency to fly over backwards.  It was alarming and we tried to move the table so they wouldn't break the sliding glass to the back porch.  Shopping for slides and attaching them to the 16 back legs was a bit of a chore in itself.  It took a power drill and some Gorilla Glue to get them to stay put.

As I was dusting them, a Safety Usage Sheet called "Chairs" came down from under the seat of one.  It was interesting:
1. Make sure to follow all assembly instructions provided
2 NEVER stand on the chair (not my bold and caps)
3. DO NOT sit on the edge of the chair.  Sit only in the center.
4. DO NOT lean back with excessive force as chair may tip over
5. Keep fingers AWAY from swivels, tilts, and castors, as well as any sharp edges
6. Make sure to routinely check and tighten all screws, nuts and bolts
7.  GRASP CHAIR FIRMLY BEFORE SITTING
8. Any defects that could cause bodily harm should be reported to place of purchase immediately.

How we sit relates more to culture than anatomy, and many cultures are chair-free. Gandhi sat on the floor as a way to resist “Westernization” and honor local customs. The hammock originated 1,000 years ago in migratory cultures of Central America—woven from the bark of the Hamack tree, it traveled light, floated above the ground to fend off insects, and breathed in the humid air.
Pasted from <http://www.onegoodchair.com/competition/2009/> 

 The spine “works” well when a person stands, curving gently inward at the lower back and neck and outward between the shoulder blades and at the pelvis. When a person stands, the disc pressures are lower than when the person sits.  There is little disagreement about this basic fact: The human spine

and muscular/skeletal system are two areas most vulnerable to the stresses of sitting.  
You no doubt notice that this site had a design competition in 2009.  I noticed that a few of the designs could have doubled as Inquisition Torture apparatus.

No doubt Gandhi had the right idea.  But then he apparently never had a bad knee or arthritis.

Ash Wednesday

As I write this our community at Holy Cross is gathering for the liturgical imposition of ashes.  Our pastor will mark the forehead of each worshiper with black ashes in the shape of a cross.  With each imposition, our pastor will say "Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shall return." 


And why am I not there instead of here?  Not driving is such a confinement.  One adjusts mentally when they know there is no sense in taking such chances on a whim.  Pain requires a bit more medication than is good for operating machinery, as the label says. "No alcohol," either. So be it.

" I know that Lent is going to be a very hard time for me. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life.  I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions. There are not times or places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you."

"Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able to taste with joy the new life that you have prepared for me."