Category Archives: Family & Friends
The Trump Tower of Kennett, MO
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Our Man in Kennett, Charles Jolliff forward this digital clip:
“Jan McElwrath, executive director of the Kennett Chamber of Commerce, announced there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at 2 p.m., Monday, May 19, 2008, at the new Ely Walker Apartments. “Although I’m sad to say that Gov. Matt Blunt will be unable to attend, I’m very pleased to say that Ms. Sheryl Crow will make an appearance,” McElwrath said. “So we are expecting a wonderful turnout for this event.”
So, Sheryl Crow is second-choice after the governor? Uh huh.
Before being converted to posh loft apartments, the old Ely Walker building was a shirt factory. I remember walking by on a hot summer day and peering in to watch row upon row of women making shirts. No air conditioning back then and the work looked damned hot. But these were probably pretty good jobs that –like so many others– have moved off-shore. I’m sure my old hometown would like to have them back.
Let’s hope Charles is feeling fit enough to get some pix of SC holding those big scissors.
iFoil government brain intrusion
My friend David hopes to "eliminate unwanted speaker interference noise and government brain intrusion" with the new iFoil Hat for iPhone
Sheryl Crow rocks Redneck Riviera
Our man in Pensecolda, Matt Zeni, files this review of Sheryl Crows performance at the civic center last Saturday night:
“She talked about traveling to Panama City with her family many years ago and going to Mrs. Reed’s trailer park where they rented a space for a week or two with their “cool” Airstream trailer. She and the band traveled to Panama City Saturday and saw a lot of changes with many, many condos but Mrs. Reed and her trailer park are still there. She also mentioned that she ‘hangs out’ down the road in Destin.
She looks terrific for being 46 years young and all she had been through the past three years and she touched on the events in her life the past few years. She was incredible [photos]. First time I saw her in concert. I had the chance to talk with her about 5-10 minutes when she was (in Columbia, MO) about ten years ago. She was in town for a concert and for MU homecoming and she was at the station(s) with her parents.
She was amazing. I even called a friend back in Columbia while in the civic center before the show. She asked me to call her back when Sheryl played her favorite song, My Favorite Mistake. I did and Tracey enjoyed the 6-7 minutes thanks to T-Mobile. Nothing like a live concert on your cellphone! I saw quite a few cellphone and I-phones sending video and audio to all parts of the world.”
Thanks for the report, Matt. Makes a boy wonder how concert promoters will stop thousands of fans from streaming live video from concerts like this. Or if they should try.
Third-world Crime and Punishment
From the monthly newsletter written by my brother and his wife:
“During Medieval times when there was a theft in a village, the people set up a “Hue and Cry”. This meant yelling, “Thief!” at the top of one’s lungs so that the other villagers would be alerted and the thief would be caught. The system worked so well that often the hue and cry would be heard several miles away from the scene of the actual theft.
Here in Indonesia, a third-world country, there is also a system of “Hue and Cry”. Only, the word thief is changed to the Indonesian word for thief, “Maling”. As we and I sat down to lunch today, we heard the local “hue and cry” of “Maling! Maling!” and we ran outside to see who the thief was. He was a cowardly one; that was evident by the way he yanked the necklace off my next door neighbor’s neck and continued on his way ON HIS MOTORCYCLE!
This is a frequent occurrence in this country and if/when the thief is caught, he is usually beaten by the crowd while waiting for the police to show up. He then may or may not receive a fair trial, depending on how much money the family can put up for his bail.”
John Mays in costume
Came across this photo of my father, obviously taken at one of those places that put in a costume for a vintage photo. Not sure when or where this was taken or who he is supposed to be.
Carnival Pix
I really like this photo by my friend Charlies Jolliff. More of his pix from the 2006 Delta Fair in Kennett, MO.
NOBODY beats the Claw Machine!
Chinese for lunch. As we were leaving, Scott dropped some quarters in The Claw Machine. JUST missed the purple elephant on the first try and got him on the second.
I have NEVER seen anyone beat The Claw Machine. They make the “claw” so feeble it can’t hold any weight. But Scott beat it. As we left, the owner was coming over with a screwdriver to loosen up the old claw.
Dr. Robert Fox, DDS
Authentic coffeehouse experience
“Howard D. Schultz, the chief executive of Starbucks, announced sweeping changes on Wednesday for the company as it seeks to reconnect with customers who have left for competitors or pared back their coffee budget in hard economic times. The initiatives are intended to restore an authentic coffeehouse experience to the stores and, in turn, re-energize an ailing stock that has lost half its value in the last 15 months.” — NYT
I’ve never thought of Starbucks as “an authentic coffeehouse experience.” You can still find that in some cities. Madison, Wisconsin has some great coffee shops. And we have a nice one here in Jefferson City.
The Coffee Zone is my favorite hang-out. Taisir is the owner and he’s there every morning at 6:30 (that’s when he opens, I’m sure he’s there earlier).
He knows what his regulars drink and often has it for them by the time they step up to the counter. He’s got free wifi and plays an eclectic mix of music that beat’s Starbucks hands down.
When I come back from a trip I sometimes tease, “I got me some Starbucks while I was in (wherever).” To which Taisir replies, “Tastes like Maxwell House, yes?”