Sorry all, but the weather has been DESTROYING me! Lots of shoveling, commuting to work has been rough, so yeah my blogging has been REALLY light.
So time for a good-old news dump. First from Farm Dad, a story that mirrors the blackness of my heart, but not my actions:
A Massachusetts man faces multiple charges after allegedly shooting cars left in parking spots that had been shoveled of snow, days after two feet of snow blanketed the town.
Jose Osorio was arrested Friday after witnesses reported he fired multiple shots at two parked cars that were parked in shoveled spaces on a street in Fall River, Massachusetts.
…Furtado said when officers arrived they found Osorio in the area and later found a handgun at his address. Osorio faces multiple charges, including carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a firearm after being convicted of a violent crime and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.
I don’t know if any other cities have this ritual. The only other snow-locked city I’ve lived in was Portland Maine, and even in places with little to no parking, you don’t see this, but in the urban areas of Massachusetts, after a snow storm you see all sorts of sundry junk on the side of the road, from traffic cones to lawn chairs to cardboard boxes. See the city can’t plow parking spots if a car is in them, so residents move their car and shovel the spot. When they leave the tradition is to leave a trinket in the spot to note that it was shoveled by somebody who expects to have it back when they return.
Of course they don’t OWN the spot, so anybody can park there. Every winter you hear about fist fights and vandalized cars when somebody moves some trash that isn’t theirs from a city space and parks there. Still this story takes the cake. Also interesting that given Massachusetts’ “Universal Background Checks”, and requirement for license for ownership, this violent felon still seemed to have a gun, and given his behavior, certainly deserves the trouble he’s in!
Next up from the Bubblehead Les News Network, a story on my “Snow Shoveling Medicine”:
Producers of Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee whiskey scored another round of U.S. sales growth in 2014, while exports topped $1 billion for the second straight year, a distilled spirits trade group said Tuesday.
Mixed together, U.S. revenues for bourbon and Tennessee whiskey rose by 9.6 percent to $2.7 billion last year, the Distilled Spirits Council said. Domestic volume shot up 7.4 percent to 19.4 million cases, it said.
The revenue and volume gains last year were similar to increases the category registered in 2013.
“Consumers in the U.S. and around the globe are increasingly enjoying bourbon and Tennessee whiskey because of their distinctive flavor profiles and authentic American heritage,” said the council’s chief economist, David Ozgo.
The domestic numbers reflect sales from producers or suppliers to wholesalers.
I’ve always loved bourbon, my Dad’s a bourbon drinker. I’ve drank a fair amount of Scotch in my life, and while that stuff is GOOD, I like the characteristics of Bourbon better. Still when it comes to “Status” drinks, we have the various Cognac, like Hennesy, Tequilas like Padron, the myriad of small-batch craft vodkas, and Scotch. Scotch for all of my life has been the “Status” drink that you imagine two gentlemen sitting down for business or pleasure, maybe over a fine cigar and/or a rare steak. Reading older novels and films set in the early 20th Century or before, it seems that Brandy was the “Status” drink enjoyed by men in the evenings, often with crushed velvet smoking jackets.
Now it appears that Borbon is in vogue. I’ve been watching the prices, and so far my favorite whiskey is not going up in price, but I’m sure that will happen, given how long it takes to make a good barrel of the stuff.
Last from the Wife some politics:
This time eight years ago, when she first ran for president, Hillary Clinton was already officially a candidate.
“I’m in it to win it,” she said in a YouTube video posted on January 21, 2007.
But even though a second Hillary Clinton for president campaign is all but certain, she and those close to her are debating when she should jump in the race, potentially delaying her entry by months.
There is no waiting for Republicans, who are engaged in a furious behind-the-scenes scramble for advisers and donors. Mitt Romney, Republicans’ nominee in 2012, announced Friday he would bow out after just three weeks on the presidential speculation treadmill. Three Republican senators, two current governors and one former governor have all made active moves toward campaigns.
There could be ten or more Republican candidates by this summer. That might be when Hillary Clinton gets around to officially moving toward a campaign, if she heeds some confidantes, who are privately arguing for an announcement in July to coincide with the start of the third fundraising quarter. Delaying until the summer is an idea that is said to be gaining momentum against those who want to stick to the plan for an April start date.
The possibility of the delay is very real but still unsettled.
I’ll say right now, I don’t think it’s going to happen, or it’s going to be a “Stunt Run” like Newt Gingrich (despite his lack of interest he did fairly well because of the poor GOP showing) or Donald Trump. Hillary has been told by advisers that she won’t win. Her book tour was a DISASTER, and her poll numbers went from AMAZING, to horrible, the more she made public appearances. I think she’s making all these noises so fellow Democrats will continue to respect her name recognition, and have them vie her to stump for them.
OK there’s the news!
