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The Curse of Self Check Out

March 13, 2016 11:49 am / 1 Comment on The Curse of Self Check Out

Last week the Mrs. and I visited Giant, our local super market. Throughout this great country of ours we have these stores everywhere with different names. Living here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Salisbury in particular, we only have two choices, Giant or Food Lion. Food Lion was recently purchased by Giant for those who do not know. Giant by the way is owned by Royal Ahold, a Dutch company. They also own Stop and Shop, although they are not in our neck of the woods.

No Whole Foods, Publix, Albertsons, or Trader Joe’s in our neck of the woods. We were once told in an article in our local paper that a Harris Teeter would not be opening here as we were not sophisticated enough to warrant them coming here.  Come to think of it, I never even saw an Editorial in the paper about that.

Royal Ahold, the designation “Royal” from Dutch Queen Beatrix in 1987, awarded to companies that have operated honorably for one hundred years. Well, I contend that they do not operate honorably and you only have but to go through the Self Check-out to prove this.

We went to the store to pick up a few items, not a lot mind you.The store was quite crowded, perhaps a snow storm pending? Every register had a line and there was even a line of several people waiting on Self Check Out. What the hell we thought, three people waiting, eight machines, be done in a flash, right? Wrong!

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Step one, declare nationality. Think about it people, how often are we told, we are all one? At least Bernie Sanders’ says something like that.  Not in a grocery store Mr or Ms politician. They also want to know if you brought your own bags, which we do. The provided plastic bags rip and of course environmentally, are a disaster. After telling the machine we have our own bags, it tells us to place bag on the proper space for bagging. Instantly we hear, “Remove item from bag and please scan.” Now we’ve put nothing in yet understand. I repeat the process, not once, but two or three times at least.

Lights, sirens, customer needs assistance, “Bad Boys, Bad Boys, What you gonna do when they come for you?”

Up walks a 18 or 19 something polite young man, most likely a Salisbury University student to provide assistance. S U is our local University by the way. “What seems to be the problem Sir,” he asks politely. I explain about the bag and scan question the robot uttered and he just smiled. He scanned his do all,  I’m in charge here card and started my process all over again. “ Just start from the beginning sir, you’ll be good now.”

Our helper leaves and goes off to another flashing light. We remove the bag, place the bag back on the stand and hear “Remove item from bag and please scan.” My wife looks at me, rolls her eyes, much as she does when I have erred in one way or another. I clear my throat, as I’m told by my wife and children is something that I do when consternation is present.

I beat our helper to the problem, remove the bag and attempt to rectify the issue myself, wrong. There is now a prompt on my screen, “Please wait for assistance.” Yes, the light is flashing, and there’s that Bad Boys music in my head again. I glance around and see that I’m getting that, “ you stupid @#” after a brief wait. It appears there are several other morons getting assistance also.You dummy, visualizes from several folks in the wait line. I am now with furrowed brow. Back comes my helper.

On this occasion our aide stays with us, starts the process again for us, hits a button or two, places the bag in the holder, squaring it up all pretty like and begins.  He in turn gets the same prompt several times. I’m starting to feel a bit better of myself. Finally he is able to scan an item and places it in the bag. “Your all set now sir,”  he says. “Oops” I say. “Gotta put my reward # in.” Start over Rooster. Ok, everything is in properly, once again he double checks the bag. He neatly places the bag on it’s designated spot. “Ah Ha,” “Please remove item from bag and scan.” He’s a moron also people.

The young lad then proceeds to go into a Doctoral Dissertation about the lack of the machine being able to recognize bags other than what is plastic and hanging on the racks. Mind you now, my bag is a “Giant” bag, bought at this store. We begin once more. Bingo, after several more tries it works, finally we’re off and scanning.

I take a glance at the line, the lady in front has this look on her face that could commit murder. Steam is being emitted from her nostrils, her leg is driving her foot into the tiles, much like a bull about to charge the Matador.

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I am truly in fear for my life. I look at her, point to myself, shake my head “Not me,” point back to the Robot and plead “it’s this thing.” She is not amused, I am in the spot light,“Bad Boys” chimes in my head.

I scan a few items and am now on a roll. Then the unthinkable happens, I now have to scan two bottles of wine. “Please wait for assistance.” Blue light special tuns on, I start to tremble and glance towards the raging bull standing in line. She looks at me in disgust, daggers are piercing me, thrust from her eyes. Over once again over comes this lad to verify this 72 year old, soon to meet his demise at the hands of this vile woman in line, is in fact over 21 and legally able to purchase the wine. We have a bottle of KJ Chardonnay and Raging Bull (HOW APPROPRIATE) Cabernet.

BrowserPreview_tmp31I’m finished, just have to get through scanning my card. I fumble for my wallet, pull out the card, push the necessary Credit buttons. God forbid I should push the Debit button, the Bank will charge me 2% to do that. Plus, I’ll most likely enter the wrong Pin on this fateful day.  “REJECT,” Crap, I used my Sam’s club card. I glance around, feeling guilt like never before, I reach for my wallet again, knowing everyone is looking at me now and start over. I replace Sam’s card and pull my Rapid Rewards. Gotta get those points you know.

Finally it tallies, issues me my receipt, and I grab my one bag. It’s taken me longer this trip than purchasing a pre Thanksgiving meal for 25. One Bag, 7 items, two bottles of wine. As I turn to leave I’m face to face with “HER.” I smile and say, “I hope your experience with this machine is more pleasant than mine. Have a great Day.”  She glares!

Raging woman

Please, make her experience be everything that mine was, payback you know.

“Royal Ahold,” yep, )(  an appropriate name.

For some more on why Self Check-Outs don’t work:

http://www.marketplace.org/2012/03/30/life/commentary/why-self-checkout-lanes-dont-work

Rooster Logo    Semper-fidelis

Who agrees with Daylight Savings Time?

March 12, 2016 2:24 pm / 2 Comments on Who agrees with Daylight Savings Time?

“Why are we still doing this,”my wife asks. “You want more daylight, get up earlier.”

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Here’s what “The Atlantic” says:

What Is Daylight Saving Time? The History Behind Why We Set Our Clocks Forward and Back
Mic By Kathleen Wong
March 8, 2016 7:27 AM

On March 13 at 2 a.m., almost everyone who lives in the United States (unless you live in Hawaii or Arizona) and 78 other countries will need to turn their clocks forward by one hour for daylight saving time, according to NJ.com. As always, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday of March and runs for about eight months until the first Sunday of November, when clocks are turned back an hour.

Daylight saving time started in 1918 during World War I as a way to allegedly conserve fuel, according to NJ.com. The public didn’t like the idea, and daylight saving time fell to the state’s discretion until the Uniform Time Act of 1966, according to Live Science. But the idea of “maximizing daylight” can actually be traced back to the late 1700s to Benjamin Franklin, according to the Atlantic.

Read more: Daylight Saving Time Isn’t Just Annoying — It Could Be Bad for Our Health, Says Science

In 2007, daylight saving time was lengthened by a month due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, according to NJ.com.

View photo
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What Is Daylight Saving Time? The History Behind Why We Set Our Clocks Forward and Back
Source: Sonja Langford/Unsplash

Unfortunately, the energy savings that come with daylight saving time aren’t very significant, according to the Atlantic. In 2008, the National Bureau of Economic Research found that while the use of lighting dropped, the use of air-conditioning increased in turn.

So not only is there a lost hour of sleep, but the hour of extra sunlight doesn’t really provide many health benefits, according to the Washington Post. Experts have found more suicides, headaches and workplace accidents around the start and finish of daylight saving time. A large component of that mood disrupting has to do with the change in the circadian rhythm, or the body’s 24 hour cycle (which also deals with sleep).

Another Soldier of the Greatest Generation

March 11, 2016 11:32 am / Leave a comment

Forward

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s office posted this today and I thought it was worthy of sharing .

Thank you Lt. Col Magellas

LtCol Megelles

 

The 82nd Airborne’s Most Decorated Officer

March 11, 2016 | Molly Edwards | http://spkrryan.us/1QGVpy5

Speaker Ryan meets 99-year-old Lt. Col. Magellas

Week by week, Speaker Ryan greets many different Wisconsinites as they visit the nation’s capital. On February 2, one visit in particular brought a special sense of pride to the speaker when he came face-to-face with a true American hero—Lieutenant Colonel James “Maggie” Megellas, originally of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. And boy does he have a story worth sharing.

In mid-1943, then-26-year-old James Megellas joined the 82nd Airborne division of the United States Army to defend the nation’s freedom during World War II, and his actions thereafter were nothing short of legendary. That’s why a grateful nation honored him with a February ceremony in the Cannon House Office Building—a place steps from the U.S. Capitol that houses congressional offices like the Veterans Affairs Committee.

In attendance at this ceremony was a fellow Wisconsinite: Speaker Paul Ryan. They exchanged stories and laughs of being Wisconsin-bred, with plenty of Packers talk thrown in. As always, Lt. Col. Megellas was the definition of modesty. “You make me proud to be from Wisconsin,” the Lt. Col. said to Speaker Ryan. “Are you kidding?” responded Speaker Ryan. “I’m the one who’s proud.”

There was no doubt about it: Everyone there was in the presence of an American hero. Lt. Col. Megellas is the 82nd Airborne’s most decorated officer, having received both the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star. Two stories of his heroism stand out in particular.

medals

Then-First Lieutenant Megellas was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross—the U.S. military’s second-highest decoration—for his heroic actions on September 30, 1944, in Holland, when he single-handedly dismantled an enemy observation outpost and machine-gun nest.

He was also awarded a Silver Star for his heroic actions on January 28, 1945, when he single-handedly attacked—and destroyed—a 50-ton Nazi tank during the Battle of the Bulge in Herresbach, Belgium.

Today is this hero’s 99th birthday. We celebrate him, and we celebrate this truth: It is because of American heroes like Lt. Col. James Megellas that Americans have the freedom we all enjoy today.

For that, we should all be thankful. Happy birthday, Lt. Col. Megellas!

Lt Col Megellas

Speaker Ryan’s Press Office | H-232 The Capitol | 202-225-0600

You Are Here Notre Dame Prof: Our Schools are Committing ‘Civilizational Suicide’

March 6, 2016 11:09 am / 2 Comments on You Are Here Notre Dame Prof: Our Schools are Committing ‘Civilizational Suicide’

Intro

The below is from http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/

Should you take the time to travel to Intellectualtakeout on occasion you will come upon many thought provoking titles. If you go a bit further, or is it farther, your senses might be additionally peaked, or is it peeked?

Is it too late to avoid a new dark age?

I posted this on Facebook earlier today. Where are we going, what are we doing, and who is responsible?

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I can only think of Matthew 7:7 – Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: But in today’s world, to whom do we pose these questions?

‘For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.'(St Thomas Becket)

We must need change, right? Is there a Guy Fawkes out there in 2016?

Be it through book, the internet, or travel back in time, educate yourself.

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From http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/

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Dr. Patrick Deneen has taught in some of America’s finest universities. He has been a professor at Princeton, Georgetown, and is now in the political science department at Notre Dame.

So what’s his assessment of America’s best students?

“My students are know-nothings.”

In an extremely important essay posted to Minding the Campus titled “How a Generation Lost Its Common Culture,” Deneen further describes his students:

“They are exceedingly nice, pleasant, trustworthy, mostly honest, well-intentioned, and utterly decent. But their brains are largely empty, devoid of any substantial knowledge that might be the fruits of an education in an inheritance and a gift of a previous generation. They are the culmination of western civilization, a civilization that has forgotten nearly everything about itself, and as a result, has achieved near-perfect indifference to its own culture.”

Deneen accurately diagnoses the problem: that schools today no longer seek to initiate students into a particular tradition, their tradition:

“But ask them some basic questions about the civilization they will be inheriting, and be prepared for averted eyes and somewhat panicked looks. Who fought in the Peloponnesian War? Who taught Plato, and whom did Plato teach? How did Socrates die? Raise your hand if you have read both the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Canterbury Tales? Paradise Lost? The Inferno?

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Who was Saul of Tarsus? What were the 95 theses, who wrote them, and what was their effect? Why does the Magna Carta matter? How and where did Thomas Becket die? Who was Guy Fawkes, and why is there a day named after him? What did Lincoln say in his Second Inaugural? His first Inaugural? How about his third Inaugural?  What are the Federalist Papers?”

Usually, people assume that this distressing situation is due to the failures of the modern education system. But according to Deneen, that is not the case. On the contrary, he writes that modern students’ ignorance is the education system’s “crowning achievement… the consequence of a civilizational commitment to civilizational suicide.”

He explains:

“What our educational system aims to produce is cultural amnesia, a wholesale lack of curiosity, history-less free agents, and educational goals composed of content-free processes and unexamined buzz-words like ‘critical thinking,’ ‘diversity,’ ‘ways of knowing,’ ‘social justice,’ and ‘cultural competence.’

Our students are the achievement of a systemic commitment to producing individuals without a past for whom the future is a foreign country, cultureless ciphers who can live anywhere and perform any kind of work without inquiring about its purposes or ends, perfected tools for an economic system that prizes ‘flexibility’ (geographic, interpersonal, ethical).”

If one holds to G.K. Chesterton’s maxim that a pessimist criticizes that which he doesn’t love, Deneen is no pessimist. He cares deeply for his students, and is frustrated that they haven’t been taught “what is rightfully theirs.”

But he is no false optimist either:

“But even on those better days, I can’t help but hold the hopeful thought that the world they have inherited—a world without inheritance, without past, future, or deepest cares—is about to come tumbling down, and that this collapse would be the true beginning of a real education.”

As Alasdair MacIntyre lamented in After Virtue, “[T]he barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time.” It’s perhaps too late to avoid a new Dark Age. Now is the time to begin the effort of recovery and rebuilding.

A Dying Breed

February 27, 2016 3:22 pm / Leave a comment

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by D. Barry Fisher| Special to The Advocate

On July 24, 1944, U.S. Marines stormed two narrow beaches on Tinian, a South Pacific island in the Northern Mariana Island chain. Their mission was to clear out a Japanese garrison of 9,000 troops and secure the island so it could be used for strategic air combat for the 20th Air Force.

While the Marines met little resistance upon the initial beach landing, the Japanese were dug in with over 100 gun emplacements and resisted for nine days before the island was secured. Subsequently, Tinian became one of the most active airports in the world, given the number of B-29 Superfortress bombers that departed the island for bombing raids on Japan’s homeland. Most notably, the “Enola Gay” carried the first atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.

One of those Marines that waded in after off-loading from a Higgins boat, which were designed and built in New Orleans, was Clyde Hymel, soon to turn 90.

Recently, Hymel told me his story.

A lifelong resident of Garyville, Hymel joined with approximately 41,000 other Marines. He carried a 16-pound Browning automatic rifle as his primary weapon.

He lost several of his fellow Marines during the siege, even though fighting on Tinian took fewer American lives than several other islands that were invaded.

But things did not get easier for Hymel.

Soon after Tinian was secured, his unit was shipped to Guam. He and his fellow Marines were initially assigned to jungle patrol to root out the Japanese from their hiding.

Hymel said the jungle was so thick it was hard to maneuver and find the enemy as they were masters of hiding in caves, tunnels and the cover of the jungle itself. Automatic rifles and hand grenades were the primary weapons for getting the Japanese soldier out of hiding. The general rule was to take no prisoners.

After completing jungle patrol duty, Hymel said he was assigned to the 9th Anti-Aircraft Battalion on Guam for the remainder of the war. This group was so successful at their mission that the Silver Star, which is awarded for gallantry in action against enemies of the United States, was awarded to each member of his battalion.

The war ended in 1945, but Hymel remained on the island for a year before mustering out of the military and returning to Garyville.

After the war

Shortly after getting back home, Hymel married and raised eight children. He made a career at Godchaux’s Sugar Co. for several years, but spent the last years of his work life with Kaiser Corp.

In his spare time, he continued his boyhood love of hunting, fishing and trapping.

Hymel seemed to view life as one big adventure from his war experience to exciting times in the swamp. He told of how once a 10-foot alligator he had on a line charged him with mouth agape. His boots had gotten stuck in the mud, causing him to fall backward into a sitting position. His only defense, he said, was to stick his semi-automatic rifle in the gator’s mouth and pull the trigger several times. That alligator was then his. Just another day in the swamp.

Although his age may have slowed him down somewhat, it hasn’t diminished his quest for adventure.

Just a few years ago, he went skydiving with four of his grandchildren and one of his sons. He recently visited the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., and traveled back to Pearl Harbor, where he and his battalion waited several weeks in 1944 for a convoy to ship them to Tinian.

It was truly a privilege and honor to meet and visit with Clyde Hymel. A true American, he is a member of the “greatest generation,” having endured the Great Depression, active combat duty of WWII and overcoming many adversities to survive and raise a family.

Thank you, Clyde! Many Americans recognize your contributions and owe you and other servicemen, a great debt of gratitude.

We will not forget.

— Fisher lives in Zachary

A Look Back, my first blog on Google.

February 20, 2016 6:35 pm / Leave a comment

A Tribute to a Hero

February 20, 2016 9:36 am / Leave a comment

Some of you may know I retired from the CT State Police some 28 years ago. We get frequent updates of this, that, and other things from time to time via email and our Alumni News Letter. Thanks to the Internet you can still feel a part of your past and keep track of who’s doing what and the various things going on. Our CT State Police Alumni Association does a wonderful job.

I did not know Darrell D Stark but obviously there was a true American hero living in close proximity to my first posting, Troop “C” Stafford Springs. Troop “C” has moved from Stafford Springs to Tolland, CT a more central location in the geographical responsibility area. The troop even has their own Face Book page.

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Troop C, Stafford Springs, CT (Now a Sr. Ctr.)

 

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Troop C, Tolland, CT

On the first Monday of each month all OF’s, ( Old Farts) get together at a local eating establishment, tell war stories and catch up on what each is doing as well as who’s not doing well. This American Hero was a guest and speaker at one of Troop “Cs” breakfast sessions.

I received this today and just wanted to pass it along. It’s short, a wonderful read and a person, “The Donald,” would dispute being a hero.

I’ve included a few links that look back on the history of where Darrell’s mis-adventures took him for those who may be interested. I’m sure many of us, me included, have no clue as to some of this history. We all owe it to ourselves, to know from whence we came. I remember an old quote from John F. Kennedy; “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea – whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came.” Thank you to Darrell and all the men and women of World War II, Where might we be now?

Semper Fi.”

Stark, Darrell D

Stark, Darrell D.

Darrell D Stark, 92, of Stafford Springs, CT, husband to the love of his life for 69 years, the late Julia (Ridzon) Stark, passed away on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at Evergreen Health Care Center surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in Ardmore, OK, son of the late Frank H. and Gladys (Pollard) Stark. He left his loving family in Oklahoma at 16 to work in the Civilian Conservation camp in Montrose, CO. He enlisted at 18 in the United States Army and was a very proud member of the 31st infantry. He surrendered in Bataan, Philippines on April 9, 1942, and saw the horrors of the death march. He spent time in the Cabanatuan and Davao Penal Colony and Bilibid prison, and then spent 62 days on the Hellship Canadian Inventor and arrived in Moji, Japan in September or October of 1944. He worked in a factory in Yokkaichi, Japan for three or four months until the factory was destroyed by an earthquake. He then went to Toyama and was liberated there in August 1945.

http://time.com/3334677/pow-world-war-two-usa-japan/

After returning to the United States, he was hit by a car and that is when he met the love of his life working at the military hospital. Darrell was a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient. He retired as a corrections officer from the State of Connecticut. Darrell was a member of the Strazza, Tonoli-Emhoff Post No. 26 American Legion, V.F.W. Post No. 9990 of Stafford, and the Italian Benefit Society. He spent a lifetime trying to help those who suffered from PTSD, talking to veterans at the VA or veterans at the prison, they all had the same thing in common and all handled it differently. He loved to be on the go and if one of his children was not able to take him to lunch or out and about he would say “that’s ok, I’ll call Dave or Fred”. Thank you Dave Walsh and Fred Bird, he loved you both like family. He also had adventures with Hope Frassinelli every Friday since his beloved Mimi passed away. We cannot forget the reporter that came to interview with him and found a new family and new projects that he would give her to do, Amber Wakley, thank you.

He is survived by his three children, Darrell W. “Butch” Stark and his wife Dolores, Darlene Dion and her husband Edward, and Judy Gilbert and her husband Ronald; nine grandchildren, Jennifer, Amy, Cynthia, Eddie, Chris, Michael, Peter, Nancy, and Stephanie; 15 great grandchildren; two brothers, Donald “Bud” Stark and his wife Reta, and Gerald “Ed” Stark and his wife Ruby; two brothers-in-law, Edward Ridzon and Daniel Ridzon and his wife Pat; very special friends, Dick and Shirley Hills; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by three sisters and two brothers.

His funeral service will be held on Monday, February 22, 2016 at 10 A.M. at Introvigne Funeral Home, Inc., 51 East Main St., Stafford Springs, CT. Burial with Military Honors will follow in South Cemetery, Tolland, CT. Calling hours are on Sunday from 1-4 P.M. at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to the Stafford Youth Center, 3 Buckley Highway, Stafford Springs, CT 06076, American Legion Post No. 26, 10 Monson Rd., Stafford Springs, CT 06076, or please show an act of kindness towards a veteran.

For online condolences or directions, please visit: http://www.introvignefuneralhome.com

Editor, Darrell was an honored guest at the Troop C monthly breakfast.  The above photo was taken at the May 2015 breakfast when he spoke of his war time experiences.  He was a true hero of the greatest generation.  May he rest in peace.  kb

Rooster LogoSemper-fidelis

The United States Must Do It’s Fare Share

February 18, 2016 5:55 pm / Leave a comment

Isn’t it amazing that a Man living in a walled city in Italy can go to the border of Mexico and the United States at El Paso, TX and not want the United States to have a means of accounting for those who wish to come here.

One thing Pope Francis said he did know was that “a person who thinks only of building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, isn’t Christian.” Pity the poor brick masons, next we know they will be in the unemployment line.

John Nolte, who writes for Breitbart was quoted as as saying  “And all I’m asking is that for the good of the world Pope Francis allow America the same border security the home of no less than St. Peter enjoys.”

I’m assuming Pope Francis could order such a thing tomorrow, and after the walls came down he could also choose to greet the wave of “pilgrims” with the “warmth of the love of Christ.”

Of course Pope Francis would never do such a thing because he knows what would happen: Vatican City would be no more, everyone’s security and well-being would be compromised, and the standard of living for close to a thousand residents would be destroyed.  Chaos would completely destroy the home of St. Peter.

Just as the loss of Vatican City would be detrimental to the world, so too will the loss of an America as we know it if our culture and free enterprise system is exploded into a giant welfare state by waves of immigrants embraced by mercenary, power-hungry Democrats desperate to use them to increase the power of the State.

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Courtesy of mysunnylittlecorner.com

Vatican City’s walls allow the Vatican to save itself in order to hold tight to an invaluable culture that exports its generosity and charity and missionary work.  Vatican City cannot take everyone in and survive. And it must remain Vatican City or be destroyed at the expense of all the incalculable good it does.

By all means, Pope Francis should push and prod and even shame America and Americans to give and give and give and give. We should do whatever we can to help the refugees in the Middle East and do whatever we can to influence and help Mexico and its people.

But we cannot do that if we’re no longer America.

John can be followed on Twitter @NolteNC        

2013 report – And who’s #1?

This is a list of countries by immigrant population, based on the UN report Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2013 Revision.[1]

Country Number of immigrants Percentage of
total number of
immigrants
in the world		 Immigrants as
percentage of
national population		 Notes
 United States 45,785,090 19.8 14.3
 Russia 11,048,064 4.8 7.7
 Germany 9,845,244 4.3 11.9
 Saudi Arabia 9,060,433 3.9 31.4
 United Arab Emirates 7,826,981 3.4 83.7
 United Kingdom 7,824,131 3.4 12.4
 France 7,439,086 3.2 11.6
 Canada 7,284,069 3.1 20.7
 Australia 6,468,640 2.8 27.7
 Spain 6,466,605 2.8 13.8
 Italy 5,721,457 2.5 9.4
 India 5,338,486 2.3 0.4
 Ukraine 5,151,378 2.2 11.4
 Pakistan 4,080,766 1.8 2.2
 Thailand 3,721,735 1.6 5.6
 Kazakhstan 3,476,233 1.5 21.1
 Kuwait 2,920,000 1.3 70
 Jordan 2,925,780 1.3 40.2
 Hong Kong 2,804,753 1.2 38.9
 Iran 2,649,516 1.1 3.4
 Malaysia 2,469,173 1.1 8.3
 Ivory Coast 2,446,171 1.1 12.0
 Japan 2,437,169 1.1 1.9
 South Africa 2,399,238 1.0 4.6
  Switzerland 2,335,059 1.0 28.9
 Singapore 2,323,252 1.0 42.9
 Israel 2,046,873 0.9 26.5
 Netherlands 1,964,922 0.9 11.7
 Argentina 1,885,678 0.8 4.6
 Turkey 1,864,889 0.8 2.5
 Qatar 1,600,955 0.7 73.8
 South Korea 1,230,000 0.5 2.9
 Sweden 1,130,025 0.7 15.9
 Bangladesh 1,396,514 0.6 0.9
 Syria 1,394,227 0.6 6.4
 Austria 1,333,807 0.6 15.7
 Uzbekistan 1,266,278 0.6 4.4
 Nigeria 1,233,592 0.5 0.7
 Venezuela 1,171,331 0.5 3.9
 Belgium 1,159,801 0.5 10.4
 New Zealand 1,132,828 0.5 25.1
 Oman 1,112,032 0.5 30.6
 Mexico 1,103,460 0.5 0.9
 Belarus 1,085,396 0.5 11.6
 Greece 988,245 0.4 8.9
   Nepal 971,247 0.4 3.5
 Kenya 955,452 0.4 2.2
 Portugal 893,847 0.4 8.4
 China 848,511 0.4 0.1
 Croatia 756,980 0.3 17.6
 Libya 755,974 0.3 12.2
 Ireland 735,535 0.3 15.9
 Bahrain 729,357 0.3 54.7
 Ethiopia 718,241 0.3 0.8
 Burkina Faso 696,983 0.3 4.1
 Norway 694,508 0.3 13.8
 Poland 663,755 0.3 0.9
 South Sudan 629,577 0.3 5.6
 Brazil 1,847,274 0.8 0.9
 Denmark 556,825 0.3 9.9
 Serbia 532,457 0.3 5.6
 Uganda 531,401 0.3 1.4
 Hungary 472,798 0.3 4.7
 Rwanda 452,406 0.2 3.8
 Democratic Republic of Congo 446,924 0.2 0.7
 Sudan 446,707 0.2 1.2
 Chad 331,251 0.2 3.4
 Czech Republic 439,116 0.2 4.0
 Republic of Congo 431,470 0.2 9.7
 Costa Rica 419,572 0.2 8.7
 Dominican Republic 402,506 0.2 3.9
 Chile 398,251 0.2 2.2
 Gabon 394,953 0.2 23.6
 Moldova 391,508 0.2 11.2
 Guinea 378,464 0.2 3.2
 Zimbabwe 360,992 0.2 2.6
 Ecuador 359,315 0.2 2.2
 Ghana 358,829 0.2 1.4
 Macau 333,269 0.2 58.8
 Sri Lanka 324,977 0.2 1.5
 Azerbaijan 323,843 0.2 3.4
 Armenia 317,001 0.2 10.6
 Yemen 314,683 0.2 1.3
 Tanzania 312,778 0.2 0.6
 Egypt 297,448 0.2 0.4
 Indonesia 295,433 0.2 0.1
 Finland 293,167 0.2 5.4
 Cameroon 291,792 0.2 1.3
 Latvia 282,887 0.2 13.8
 Tajikistan 275,735 0.2 3.4
 Algeria 270,407 0.2 0.7
 Palestine 256,517 0.2 5.9
 Burundi 254,477 0.2 2.5
 Benin 234,241 0.2 2.3
 Slovenia 233,293 0.2 11.3
 Luxembourg 229,409 0.1 43.3
 Kyrgyzstan 226,960 0.1 4.6
 Turkmenistan 226,327 0.1 4.3
 Liberia 225,484 0.1 5.3
 Mozambique 218,881 0.1 0.8
 Philippines 213,150 0.1 0.3
 Estonia 209,984 0.1 16.4
 Senegal 209,398 0.1 1.5
 Cyprus 207,313 0.1 18.2
 Malawi 206,578 0.1 1.3
 Brunei 206,173 0.1 49.3
 Togo 202,476 0.1 3.0
 Romania 198,839 0.1 0.9
 Mali 195,553 0.1 1.3
 Georgia 189,893 0.1 4.4
 Paraguay 185,776 0.1 2.8
 The Gambia 162,919 0.1 8.8
 Panama 158,417 0.1 3.8
 Bolivia 154,330 0.1 1.4
 Lithuania 147,781 0.1 4.9
 Botswana 146,456 0.1 7.2
 Republic of Macedonia 139,751 0.1 6.6
 Reunion 136,493 0.1 15.6
 Central African Republic 134,237 0.1 2.9
 Niger 132,294 0.1 0.7
 Colombia 129,632 0.1 0.3
 Djibouti 123,537 0.1 14.2
 Afghanistan 105,090 0.1 0.3
 Peru 104,919 0.1 0.3
 French Guiana 104,291 0.1 43.3
 Burma 103,117 0.1 0.2
 Zambia 98,907 0.1 0.7
 Guadeloupe 97,081 0.1 20.8
 Albania 96,798 0.1 3.1
 Sierra Leone 96,368 0.1 1.6
 Iraq 95,780 0.1 0.3
 Mauritania 90,206 0.1 2.3
 Angola 87,436 0.1 0.4
 Maldives 84,230 0.1 24.4
 Bulgaria 84,101 0.1 1.2
Guernsey Jersey Channel Islands 82,592 0.1 51.0
 Guam 80,770 0.1 49.6
 Cambodia 75,556 0.1 0.5
 Uruguay 73,528 0.1 2.3
 Mayotte 73,107 0.2 32.9
 Guatemala 72,764 0.1 0.5
 Vietnam 68,290 0.1 0.1
 United States Virgin Islands 63,271 0.1 59.3
 New Caledonia 63,037 0.1 24.8
 Bahamas 61,343 0.1 16.3
 Martinique 60,653 0.1 15.0
 Namibia 51,448 0.1 2.2
 Bhutan 50,862 0.1 6.7
 Belize 50,860 0.1 15.0
 Morocco 50,771 0.1 0.2
 Montenegro 50,708 0.1 8.2
 North Korea 46,813 0.1 0.2
 Andorra 45,086 0.1 56.9
 Mauritius 44,997 0.1 3.6
 Isle of Man 44,688 0.1 52.0
 Suriname 41,670 0.1 7.5
 El Salvador 41,615 0.1 0.6
 Nicaragua 41,482 0.1 0.7
 American Samoa 40,845 0.1 71.2
 Haiti 38,061 0.1 0.4
 Curacao 36,865 0.1 23.2
 Tunisia 36,526 0.1 0.3
 Aruba 35,950 0.1 34.9
 Jamaica 34,907 0.1 1.3
 French Polynesia 34,830 0.1 12.8
 Iceland 34,377 0.1 10.7
 Trinidad and Tobago 32,488 0.1 2.4
 Malta 34,455 0.1 8.0
 Madagascar 34,313 0.1 0.1
 Barbados 32,280 0.1 11.3
 Antigua and Barbuda 28,733 0.1 31.9
 Honduras 27,503 0.1 0.4
 Sint Maarten 27,021 0.1 59.7
 Swaziland 25,524 0.1 2.0
 Papua New Guinea 25,441 0.1 0.4
 Somalia 24,593 0.1 0.2
 Monaco 24,299 0.1 64.2
 Northern Mariana Islands 24,155 0.1 49.9
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 23,197 0.1 0.6
 Fiji 22,828 0.1 2.5
 Laos 21,801 0.1 0.3
 Bermuda 19,066 0.1 29.1
 Guinea-Bissau 18,024 0.1 1.1
 Mongolia 17,225 0.1 0.6
 Cuba 16,177 0.1 0.1
 Eritrea 15,798 0.1 0.2
 Cape Verde 14,874 0.1 3.0
 Guyana 14,770 0.1 1.7
 Caribbean Netherlands 12,613 0.1 65.9
 Comoros 12,511 0.1 1.7
 Liechtenstein 12,208 0.1 33.1
 Saint Lucia 12,180 0.1 6.7
 Seychelles 12,079 0.1 13.0
 Timor-Leste 11,565 0.1 1.0
 Grenada 11,367 0.1 10.7
 Turks and Caicos Islands 11,356 0.1 24.8
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10,260 0.1 9.4
 Equatorial Guinea 10,141 0.1 1.3
 Gibraltar 9,662 0.1 33.0
 British Virgin Islands 9,144 0.1 32.3
 Solomon Islands 7,870 0.1 1.4
 Anguilla 6,520 0.1 45.6
 Dominica 6,419 0.1 8.9
 Sao Tome and Principe 6,345 0.1 3.3
 Greenland 5,694 0.1 10.4
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 5,673 0.1 10.5
 Samoa 5,623 0.1 3.0
 Palau 5,590 0.1 27.8
 Tonga 5,436 0.1 4.8
 Western Sahara 4,932 0.1 0.9
 San Marino 4,399 0.1 15.4
 Faroe Islands 3,641 0.1 7.4
 Cook Islands 3,234 0.1 15.4
 Vanuatu 3,108 0.1 1.3
 Lesotho 3,095 0.1 0.1
 Wallis and Futuna 2,885 0.1 20.5
 Kiribati 2,619 0.1 2.6
 Micronesia 2,600 0.1 2.6
 Nauru 2,070 0.1 21.1
 Falkland Islands 1,975 0.1 62.1
 Marshall Islands 1,705 0.1 3.2
 Montserrat 1,321 0.1 25.9
 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 972 0.1 17.1
  Vatican City 799 0.1 100.0
 Saint Helena 590 0.1 14.3
 Niue 552 0.1 37.1
 Tokelau 298 0.1 25.4
 Tuvalu 148 0.1

Cheers to a GREAT SUPER BOWL GAME!!

February 7, 2016 12:13 pm / Leave a comment

Babe Ruth’s summer house on the market | New York Post[]
“Sometimes when I reflect on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. I think, “It is better to drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.”
Babe Ruth
Lyndon Johnson
“If all you had to look forward to was sleeping with Lady Bird you’d stay drunk too.”
Lyndon B. Johnson


“When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.”
Paul Horning
 
“24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not.”
H. L. Mencken

Do-You-Know-If-you-are-going-to-Heaven-406
“When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let’s all get drunk and go to heaven!”
George Bernard Shaw


Beer & Pizza - Guardian Games
“Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.”
Dave Barry

Beer: Helping ugly people have sex since 3000 B.C.!
W. C. Fields
0001820000834-500x500

Remember “I” before “E,” except in Budweiser.
Professor Irwin Corey

6-pack-cardboard-beer-bottle-carrier-75-case
To some it’s a six-pack, to me it’s a Support Group. Salvation in a can!
Leo Durocher
th
One night at Cheers (TV Sitcom), Cliff Clavin said to his buddy, Norm Peterson:
“Well, ya see, Norm, it’s like this…A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members!  In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine! That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

beer toast

  

Cheers to a GREAT SUPER BOWL GAME!!

Sunday Inspiration #25

February 7, 2016 11:17 am / Leave a comment

By on Feb 07, 2016

 

Today’s Sunday Inspiration: When you think about the things that can change your life, you might think of the negative things first like an accident, losing your job, or the news of a loved one becoming ill.

But, there’s plenty of room for good things to happen, too.

Getting healthier, improving a relationship, or creating a rewarding career all take effort, but the life-long satisfaction these bring can help fill-up your soul when they are emptied-out by the bad.

Today, remember the good things and let them take up more room in you.

good things
Get more Sunday Inspiration: thebridgemaker.com/sundayinspiration

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