What, Really, Is a Dutch-American?

I suppose that it would be possible to think of me as a Dutch-American. My ancestry is mixed European, really, with Dutch the largest component. My mother, who was in a great position to know, always told me that I was half-Dutch, half-Irish, half-English and half-assed. See, I told you that she ought to know. ;o) But I don’t think … Continue reading

The Auto Ad Death Race

Automotive advertising has taken a turn for the lethal. There is no other way for it to end up. These ads, of late, are full of video footage of successful young men driving their (sometimes) mediocre cars at ridiculous speeds through the downtown portions of major metropolitan areas. Even Volvo commercials are doing it. Safety, indeed.You will a see young … Continue reading

Popups, Pop-Unders, and Idiots

I am a both stumbler and a Stumbler. Because I have multiple sclerosis, I have become a journeyman physical stumbler. I am also a user of StumbleUpon. Not a pathological Stumbler, yet, I don’t think, but, a Stumbler nonetheless. For the uninitiated, StumbleUpon is a sort of Match.com or eHarmony service for you and Websites. You tell StumbleUpon what sort … Continue reading

The Pesky Sound of Whining in Kansas

Unusual hearing follows traffic stop From the Lawrence Journal-World, September 1, 2007 Laura West claims the Kansas Highway Patrol trooper who stopped her “vessel” on the night of June 11 west of Lawrence had no right to arrest her. She’s never had a driver’s license and doesn’t need one, West said as she represented herself Friday in Douglas County District … Continue reading

Why is there so much sadness?

Everywhere we turn, we find sadness, disasters, tragedies, sob stories, tear-jerkers, angst, distress, misery, melancholy and woes. The news is full of it, the Internet is full of it, our entertainment (!?!) is full of it. Sometimes, it all gets a little overwhelming. It seems like an airborne plague of negative energy, lurking above us, waiting to come down like … Continue reading