Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
It is well and truly 2017 in New Zealand and Australia so it is time to kick off the Diner for 2017. Let's hope that 2017 is better than 2016.
Regards ... Tim.
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Bubba the fry cook and Mable the waitress say HOWDY and HAPPY NEW YEAR to the folks down under!!
WB 
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Mable says, "it depends on whether you have more of a fondness for Kabobs or cold cuts"
WB
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My vote is for kabobs!!
Randy
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I fell in love with Greek diners on the midnight shift...endless cups of great coffee..i never understood why all the diner owners who worked insane hours and they were all heavy gamblers..if they dreamed a number they would put 50 or a hundred dollars on it. If they hit the meal was on them and a bottle of ouzo for the booth ! Crazy days !
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Phil, I worked many a midnight shift years ago, and I can't remember how many times I stopped past the diner on the way home and had moussaka for breakfast - or was it supper? Maybe lunch? When you work a rotating 24/7 schedule, definitions of which meal is what tend to blend into an amorphous mass.
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Happy New Year!
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Happy new year folks!
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Happy New Year Everyone!
Anyone else do this? I pulled up my email and saw messages from Stamporama threads and thought "Oh Goodie, stuff to read!" and immediately discovered they were all my own responses to threads! 
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Happy New Year everyone!
Some of you know I am a DJ on a local radio station. http://wrdv.org/, RDV 89.3 FM in the Philadelphia area. The station's format is Big Band and Swing weekdays 8:00 to 6:00 and the evenings and weekend covers swing, Gospel, Country Gold Classics, Doo Wop, Rhythm and Blues and early Rock and Roll. I play Blues on Wednesday nights 10:00 to 1:00. I also fill in a lot for other DJs and tonight I will be on 7:00 to 10:00 PM EST. I will be playing an hour of Soul from Philly, Chicago and New Orleans. The next two hours will be Classic Rock cuts from the 70's and 90's. Check it out and relive some misspent years of your youth.
There is a link on the WRDV home page on the top right side to turn on the radio.
Vince
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Good music! Makes me want to go jump in my Mustang and cruise the avenue.
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Good Mornin' Y'all,
My wife's birthday is today and we are both off work....nice!
We will be picking up the kids (daughter and granddaughter) on our way to Grand Rapids -
taking my wife to see Frederik Meijer Gardens' display of "Christmas Around The World"
Then taking her to dinner at the #1-voted seafood restaurant in the Grand Rapids area (on a list of 100 eateries); Leo's!
Should be a good time had by all.
Hope you all have a fine day as well.
Randy
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Hey Randy, that sounds like a great day! Happy B'day to your lady.
Packing up the Christmas decorations 
always a sad task but watching the Twilight Zone Marathon!
Today starts our 30 day diet and exercise boot camp. No processed foods, no red meat, no refined sugar and no alcohol for 30 days it truly changes the way you feel.
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Hi Randy! Have a great day. Funny thing, I have been to Leo's!
I used to represent a major account to Steelcase and travelled to their facility a number of times.
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Time for a morning coffee break and a fresh cup.
Hope everyone's getting a good start (or finish) on the day.
Been spending waaaaay too much of my free time on stoking fires and keeping the wood boxes filled. First forecast of snow this year comes on Thursday. Chances look pretty slim at this point and we're back to near 60 by the middle of next week. The roller coaster continues and the ol' sinuses are taking a beating from it. The air is just so dry!
I started working in a new WW album this past week. The coverage compared to my old album is amazing. The U.S. section in particular has illustrated spaces for virtually every variation. All other countries have a 25-75% increase in coverage as well and plenty of room, in the binder, for expansion. Still not the ultimate setup, but a huge improvement, nonetheless. So far, I'm only mounting new material, but will likely transfer stamps from the old album. That ought to be quite an undertaking, almost like starting over.
About time to head back, ya'll have a great day,
WB
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Making a nice pot of beef tips and gravy to put over mashed potatoes for supper tonight. The house smell so good when something is cooking for a while. I have mounted most of the new stamps I received for Christmas. Went to the dentist this morning and now catching up on some odds and ends that needed to be finished around the house. 2017 is starting out pretty well other then the cold here this week and more snow coming again.
Thank all who kept my friend in your thoughts. She is doing very well and has been moved to a rehab center. With both legs and one foot broken in the car accident she is still not able to bare weight on either foot yet. The doctor is saying about the middle of March. She is pretty tired of just laying there. But we are glad she is because we almost lost her.
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Still musing fruitlessly over morning coffee on those Yugoslavian King Peter II overprints!
For those unacquainted with this gripping drama: I noticed that several wartime occupation overprints on the 1939 King Peter II definitive set seemed to have different perforations, a fact unmentioned in my Gibbons catalogue. Many of these were offered on Delcampe, some I bought and returned in dismay. I found myself trying to gauge perforations on onscreen stamps and used (so I learn this morning) a less-than-authoritative method of doing so.
This morning, then, a couple of fellows on SCF (sorry, SOR, but you have not so far been able to assist) come to the rescue, at least up to a point. The first chap reminds me that counting holes in perforations is not the best way: one should count teeth, and then only across the printed image, not the entire stamp. Fair enough, I probably should have known that, but doing so does not in this instance make the problem go away.
A second chap states baldly that, yes, there were two separate perforations on the KP2 stamps, one the 12.5 which is standard and cited in Gibbons, and the other a 13, which is definitely not cited in Gibbons, but which conforms to the occupation stamps I sent back as 'reprints'. Unfortunately, he gives no evidence at all for the provenance of these '13's. Are they authorised in Scott? In Michel? In Yvert? Were they produced in Belgrade pre-war and not used until later? Were they produced from scratch in Rijeka or Ljubljana during the war? He does not say.
What he does say is that Fiume and Kupa Zone overprints were never postally used and that Scott mentions but does not authorise them. Gibbons, on the other hand, lists used prices for all such issues. Or did, in their Europe 3rd edition (1978) catalogue. Has something been discovered in the last 40 years? I gots to know!
I wonder if those chaps down under in that stamp forum know anything about this?
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Good morning to all from a chilly North Carolina!! For the past 2-3 days, our local area news shows have been all over the possibility that we might have some snow starting tonight thru Sat. My daughter came by yesterday on her weekly visit and we both decided to have some quality father-daughter time by making a trip to our local grocery to pick up and few things and watch the natives go 'snow crazy' due to the weather reports. Here is a copy of my posting about it on Facebook:
"After watching the local news programs going on for the last 24 hours about the big, major, (possible 2-4 inch snow fall), blizzard due to hit us starting Friday night, I decided I needed some comical relief. Daughter came by this afternoon and we took a trip to the local Food Lion grocery store for our weekly trip to pick up a few things. As we walked the store chatting, we made sure to talk loud enough to be heard by other shoppers as we passed. Going by a lady getting some cans of soup, we talked about the 'new' weather forecast raising the snowfall total up to as much as 14 inches and lasting for 2 days. She put an extra 6 cans of soup in her cart. The guy near the beer cooler decided to add 2 extra 6 packs. And the lady with 1 loaf of bread in her cart headed back for another after we passed by. There were a few more but I think that is enough for you to get the idea of our outing. Just love mentioning snow to a Southerner. HEHEHE"
We and our pets are now well stocked until Feb. Will cook up a large pot of Polish cabbage (galumpki) stew shortly which should last thru the "storm" (latest forecast between 2-5 inches of snow). And then several days of scanning and creating new offerings for SOR.
Mike in NC / meostamps
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Mike - your latest posting made me chuckle.
It's the same here every time Environment Canada posts a Weather Warning, whether it's wind, heavy rain or snow.
If its a warning of 'possible' snow flurries, the local hardware stores sell out of snow shovels, batteries, candles and ice melt the first day the warning is posted. The two grocery stores on this island turn into a zoo with bottled water, bread, milk and other basic foods disappearing off the shelves faster than the clerks can take them out of their storage rooms. It's quite comical to watch.
Surely on an island of only 10,000 residents every household has a snow shovel? We may not get snow more than once or twice a winter, but it's always enough that you need a shovel to remove it. Perhaps the people are like me & just bunker down and wait for the snow & ice to melt? BUT I have had a snow shovel since I moved here 25 years ago, even though it's seldom been used.
I have a hard time grasping the fact that people do not have 'some' emergency supplies on hand and enough food to last them for at least a week or two should an emergency arise. We do live on an island, on a earthquake fault and they are always harping at us to Be Prepared for a disaster.
This past month there have been so many ads on our local Buy, Sell, Wanted listings of people looking for seasoned firewood. Come on people. It ALWAYS is cold here in December & January. Order enough firewood in the Spring to last you through the next winter, and don't drive around looking to steal someone's firewood that they have stored on their property.
Last winter 'someone' drove up my lane to my house in the middle of the night and helped themselves to a cord of MY stacked firewood, rather than pay the going rate of $300+ a cord.
The latest craze this winter has been people damaging gas caps on vehicles and stealing gasoline.
Liz (waiting for yet another storm system to hit us today and throughout the weekend).
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Hi Liz,
Yep, the 'natives' here tend to go a little crazier than normal whenever the word snow appears in a forecast. You would guess that after so many years they would finally learn how to handle it but they just seem to loss it when the word appears. Here is a link to our local major news web page... http://www.wbtv.com/
Being retired, I have no need to drive in it so as usual will just wait until the sun melts it all away next week. Always have a stock of can stuff, soups, pasta, etc in the cabinets to last at least 1-2 weeks. The grill on the deck has a full tank of gas and there is a bag of charcoal just in case we need to use the older backup grill. And a kero heater out in the shed for heating just in case a tree (or a dumb driver) takes down the power lines.
Personally, I think the local news people own shares in the grocery stores around here and do all they can to boost the stores sales profits and their own share value with their reports. By noon today, they should start breaking into the programs every 1/2 hr or so with their reports of 'conditions' and snow reports.
I am guessing the farmer who lives nearby will have his plywood plow hooked up to his tractor and will come by to clear our road sometime late Sat afternoon.
Mike / meostamps
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Meostamps. good to hear from you...its the same in the Hudson Valley..let the weather man mention snow you can count on the Hannaford supermarket..known as Sweetbay in the Southland being bustling with folks with full carriages of supplies. I guess they do not realize the roads will be clear within 24 hours. Of course i am different, i still come out with the 3 things i went to get.
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I am further east of Meostamps in NC and the snow forecast has been all over the place - anywhere from 3 to 8 inches - all depends on the position of the low off the coast. It will be cold for sure and supposedly near record levels too.
I do not drive in the snow if at all possible. There are too many people trying to drive and then you risk getting hit by someone. This is why most stay inside.
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My backyard, right now! We had a little snow here west of Philadelphia. Not enough to complain about, even our street was clear by the time I woke up. I work from home on Fridays, so I'm not going anywhere. The photo was taken from a second story window! I did have to go outside this morning and sweep off my wife's car so she could go to work!
No need to go out for supplies here. We recently joined Sam's Club and my wife bought the industrial size carton of everything! I'm better stocked than a mini mart!
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Well, the fun has just begun down here in Rowan County, NC. Sleet started falling about a 1/2 hour ago and then changed over to snow after about 10 mins. My carport roof has a nice white layer on it right now. Outside temp is around 37F so it will probably change to rain for awhile until the temps drop down a few more degrees in a couple of hours. Heads up Angore, coming your way next!!!!
Mike / meostamps
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How long does it take to sort 1000 ww different off paper stamps by country?
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Mike, that multi-layer stuff can be dangerous. One year in New Jersey we had that freezing rain, a foot of snow, topped off with more freezing rain. Then it all froze solid and it stayed cold out. Nothing moved for a few days. Ice is the great equalizer of vehicles, 4 wheel drives slide just as well as cars!
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"How long does it take to sort 1000 ww different off paper stamps by country?"
Depends on how good you are at sorting stamps, what the stamps are, and how you want to sort them. Either way, does it really matter? It's a hobby for relaxation, not a time trial.
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Tom, we normally get 2 snow falls a winter at the most around here and usually no more than 2-3 inches worth. The air temps were over 32F for the short time the sleet fell so it just melted on the roadways and should not be any problem. The State DOT did run brine trucks all day yesterday and today over all the major roads which should work fine as we did not get any rain to speak of to wash it away. Just a light snow falling, about 1/2 inches worth so far and since the temps are now at 32F all we should get from now on s/b snow. It will be cold Sun & Mon mornings (down to the low teens F) but a high of 60F on Thursday so we can just wait it out. Have plenty to do indoors until then.
The only one not enjoying the snow is my indoor-outdoor cat, Mr B. He is giving me the evil eye as he looks out the den window. He wants to go out and blames me for the snow. I told him if he has a problem, he should call his buddy David Giles up in Ottawa and complain to him as he is the one sending the cold temps down here. HEHEHEHE Here is a picture of him that my across the road neighbor took on one of his daily visits to their place.
Mike / meostamps
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Morning. The power is on, internet is up, and have coffee.
Here in Hillsborough, NC, we got about 3 inches overnight. It is sleeting now. Supposedly just north of us they got a lot more in Roxboro. I do not mind the snow since I planned to work on my stamps but just means no one is going anywhere until Tuesday. It is going to be quite cold and roads icy.
I will be working on some custom album pages today and got in some hinges to mount some Malaysia stamps on Steiner pages.
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Good morning all from a snowy NC!! Now that the sun is up we can see the effects on last night's storm. Looks to be about 5 in. of snow on the ground and some flakes still falling. They are saying that should stop around noon. Temp right now at 25F with a high in the low 30's predicted for the day. The worst will be on Sun & Mon mornings as they are calling for the temps to drop to around 10F and highs in the 30-40F range at best. No power outages reported in our county so it appears we got 99% snow and very little freezing rain overnight. We will start warming up on Tuesday (30f-50f) range and higher still as the week goes on.
It seems Mr. B made the right decision and stayed in last night. Do not see any cat paw tracks out on the back deck. He is curled up asleep in the living room, right next to a heating vent. Guess he is finally learning in his old age, hehe.
Stay safe and warm, y'all
Mike in NC / meostamps
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Hi Al, Just saw your post. Thought your area would get at least as much snow as we did. Winter storms are always tricky to predict around here.
Our place is at the top of a hill in our sub-division. 2 of my neighbors from the bottom of the hill took advantage of my standing offer to them to park their pickup trucks in our spare driveway so they can use them if needed. Snow/ice storms in the past have sometimes made it quite difficult to get up the hill and out to town. Hopefully, the farmer will be by today with his tractor to move off some of the snow so the sun can do it melting job.
Mike / meostamps
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Mornin' Y'all,
8:45 here and working on my second cup-o-joe.
We have had snow on the ground now since before Christmas and not much chance of it leaving for quite a while.
This morning's temperature was a big hearty 7 degrees F. That's about normal for January around here.
Been getting a few things around in preparation of our first stamp club meeting of the year.
We don't meet in December, so its been a while.
We meet at a place called The Coffee House - a big 2-story house turned into a business.
We meet in the upstairs which has a large 3-leaf dining table and 8 high back chairs.
All refreshments - coffee, lattes and such; donuts, muffins, etc; - are paid from club funds.
A very cozy place for a get-together.
I am acting president until April when our club president returns from Fla.
We all always look forward to talking about the holidays, seeing what others have acquired, and also going through the APS approval books
that come once a month.
Hope everyone is having a good morning!
Randy
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Mike, it is actually still snowing here lightly and will take more measurements. The house finches are enjoying the bird feeders with seed.
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It has been snowing steadily here in New York City since ten o'clock this morning. It's windy and quite cold. I would like to stay indoors, but my granddaughter is celebrating her fifth birthday this afternoon and I will need to make my way, via subway, to her place, which is about three miles away.
David
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The final tally looks like 4 1/2 to 5 inches which is a lot of us. Since it was warm a few days ago, the roads are more ice than snow.
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Good morning everybody, from a cold and snowy NY state.... No soaking today, will be working on my Aussie stamps... ( which were soaked the past two weeks )..On my second cup of coffee, and my second sticky bun. ( need a good sugar rush to work on those Aussie Stamps ). Yesterday was a pajama day and slept to 2:30 p.m. so I have to make up for some lost time...Cheers and happy stamping..
"The final tally looks like 4 1/2 to 5 inches which is a lot of us"
Angore...is the state of North Carolina closed...
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Not completely closed but many were stuck at home. It was below 10 F so roads are still slick. It happened Friday night and Saturday so a lot less of an impact and fewer on the road. I suspect schools will be closed Monday and probably delayed opening on Tuesday.
I spent yesterday creating album pages for booklets and started mounting some Straits Settlements and Malaysia stamps. The Supersafe hinges are not really peelable.
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Yep, it is COLD down here this morning. We have moved up a couple of degrees from 10F earlier but do not expect to break the 32F mark until sometime tomorrow afternoon. The farmer did come by with his tractor yesterday afternoon and scrapped off most of the snow from our road outside but now there is a layer of ice that needs to melt when the temps rise and the sun comes out. So that looks like Tuesday for that to happen.
Mike in NC / meostamps
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Well, I guess an old dog can learn a new trick or 2. Just managed to download an app which let me make a VOIP call to a fellow collector in India. Spoke for about 20 mins. for a cost of about .17 cents USD. Had been exchanging emails and chats via Facebook with him over the past several years. Was a great experience.
Mike in NC / meostamps
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My Big Mistake... I asked the Mrs if I could buy the 2016 Scott Catalogs
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You did it all wrong!
First you tell your wife that you are going to collect old postal Jeeps and that you just bought this collection on eBay:
Once she stops screaming you say, "OK, maybe I'll just get a new stamp catalog instead".
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A quiet weekend, but one in which I joined at last that ever-expanding club of 'People who have been Trashed by the Australian Forum'. I was unwise enough to make a comparison (note: not denigration) between their Image Uploading procedure and others, including ours. This brought down the fury, contempt and visceral hatred which many of us know and love from down under. My thread was instantly closed with a flounce and a sneer from someone styling himself 'The Pom', while the ever-endearing Glen Stephens directed me, not without another sneer, to the website's Image Uploading instructions. This served only to prove my point (9 steps in their procedure. I reckon 3 in SOR).
When confronted by online rudeness, I regret my instant reaction is to wish to land a firm punch on the perpetrator's nose. I really must relax and grow up.
Weather-wise the UK cannot compete at this time of year with the rest of Europe or, it would seem, from many locations in the US. 'Grey, damp and cool', I'm afraid, no more. But in Moscow they've had the coldest Christmas Eve (6th January) for 120 years. My correspondent notes that the ritual striking of the clock is followed by the national anthem, to which many of the older Muscovites sing the Soviet words to that stirring tune rather than the rewritten version. 'There is great nostalgia here', he writes, 'for the old Soviet Union, where most people gained little from the capitalisation (sic) of Russia, and lost a lot in terms of the social benefits'.
This strikes a puzzling note, does it not - as if someone pined for the good old days of the Third Reich rather than modern unified Germany? But the old Muscovite in his seventies would know nothing at first hand of the mass starvations and purges of the 1930s, and may only remember Khrushchev, Brezhnev and later Gorbachev with little of the taint of Stalinism. I probably need to know more about modern Russia before I understand any of this.
Meanwhile, the coffee cup is drained and I must go about the day's business!
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It was 8 degrees here in central NC. I got a lot done this weekend mounting my Malaya/Malaysia stamps -- all those Federal territories.
I will be working from home today. I do most of my work online or using a computer anyway so not a big impact.
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Just plain cold here! Last Thursday, they got 4" of snow, 50 miles north and 2" 20 miles south, not a single flake here, though. It just split and went around us.
Mid to upper 60's by midweek, but then a "significant event" ice storm possible by the end of the week. I don't mind rain and even a little snow, but ice is a whole different story. Back in January of 2009, we had a major ice storm that laid down over 2" and nearly destroyed half the trees on the property. It even uprooted entire trees and took out power lines all over the area! All night long, you could hear the cracking and crashing sound of branches echoing up the hollers. Some so intense, it sounded like cannons going off! It took the better part of two years to clean that mess up and I'd just as soon not go through that again!
On a lighter note, I started breaking down my old album to transfer the stamps to a new one. While it's a lot of work, it's kind of fun getting a close look at stamps I've evidently ignored for a number of years. A lot of this material was put in back when I was 10 or 12 years old and had very little idea of what I was doing. Now that I have access to catalogs, it'll be interesting to see what I might have missed back then.
Hope everyone has a great day,
WB
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Another cold day: 18 F (-8 C or 265 K).
I was able to spot watermarks with some Maylasian stamps using my scanner.
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Ok... Good morning...The boss sent me an email to get my arse into work for two or three days.. Maybe I will make enough to buy those freaking catalogs.... Catalogs = the Donalds English..not the Queens...
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Good morning Diner friends...on my 3rd cup of coffee...
Yes I have a retirement plan
I plan to work on my stamps..... 
came back from last nights stamp meeting with another pound or two of stamps on paper..
I guess I will be soaking this weekend... 
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Courtesy of my Spam folder:
Dear Customer,
We can not deliver your parcel arrived at January 11.
Please check the attachment for complete details!
Thanks and good regards,
Samuel Davenport,
USPS Senior Office Manager.
Apparently the post office is cutting corners since Sam seems to have an email address with a Ukraine extension. There's a zip file attached that I will not touch. Delete!
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Good morning everybody.... Big decision had to be made for today... Either watch the football games, or go to a stamp show in nearby New Jersey... Well after about 8 seconds of deep thought .. I decided to call up my buddy PhilB..and we will be off to the stamp show around 11...
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Bob, where is there a stamp show in NJ today? I don't see it on any calendar
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I can only wish there was a stamp show within driving distance. With the Chiefs game delayed until evening, I'd have time to do both. We were planning on heading up to K.C. for the game, but the freeze line is between here and there and the roads are treacherous. So, it's a day of working on stamps, drinking cappuccino and catching the game on the tele later. (with a cold beer and Nachos, of course)
GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!
WB
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Tom...Wayne firehouse..wayne new jersey.every third sunday of the month.. The guy who runs the show does not advertise on Stampshows dot com nor in Linns... He does a large mailing every month
Whitebuffalo...no wings !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hey Bob, I burnt out on wings about week 6, brats and bloomin' onions about week 12 and nachos are easy, so it leaves me more time to work on my stamp collection. I look at it as "constructive munchy management".
Have a great day at the show and you and Phil be careful out there!
WB
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Hey WB. Would LOVE to see the Chiefs win it all this year. They represent old school AFL. Please lord, anybody but the Pats. Tom Brady got beat up bad last night and they still won by 20 points.
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Ernie, I'd love to see a rematch between the Packers and Chiefs, now that's old school!!
Packers up 7-3!!
WB
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Another damp, wet day today, the clouds low and impenetrable. My second Poetry class starts this evening - the first was last Friday, where the subject was Modernist Poetry, not an area for which I have had much affinity in the past, so it's now or never (as I informed the group!) that I come to terms with The Waste Land, the Emperor of Ice Cream and a lot of European stuff I've never understood. First off was a discussion of Modernist precursors, so we read a stirring bit of Whitman and poems by Apollinaire and Baudelaire. It wasn't hard, as our tutor said, to hear echoes of the first two in the songs of America's most recent Nobel Literature Prize winner!
Our tutor is a devotee of William Carlos Williams, and so would surely enjoy the film Paterson, which is doing the rounds over here. For those of you tired of fantasy monsters, superheroes and unfeasible space epics this amusing, understated (and judging by the Golden Globes and Bafta nominations, underrated) film is an ideal mind-relaxant!
Through the post my membership card for 'The Hopkins Society', a group devoted to Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of our half-dozen greatest poets. Naturally he has never been commemorated on a GB stamp. But who has? Tennyson, Wordsworth, Burns... perhaps someone else would like to complete that list.
Also via email this morning a refund from an Italian dealer of dubious intent - but you can read that dismal saga in another thread. Now it's off in the rain to the supermarket for the week's provisions...
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Am missing work today. Everything here is ice covered - even the icicles have icicles. I actually put on my coveralls and tried to get down our gravel driveway to the gravel road so I could give my husband a road report. Carried an ice chopper for support. Ended up holding that up and sliding down on my rear end. Pretty fast trip. Watched the maintainer (large piece of road equipment usually used to grade dirt roads but fitted with an ice blade in the winter) drive by. He was kicking up a spray of ice about 10 feet high. Now we have one track down the middle of the road that is still icy but now covered in ice chips and the edges of the road are nothing but sheets of ice covered in ice chips. Hoping they spread some gravel later. Husband is stuck in town and will likely have to sleep at the hospital where he works nights. Very glad schools were already closed. Still raining here and that is still turning to ice. The weatherman says it will warm up as the day goes on. For now, I am finally back inside in front of a warm fire having breakfast. Very thankful we still have electricity. Looking like a good day to organize some stamps.
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Bright and sunny today, but gloves and scarf weather. Found out yesterday that I had featured in many of the UK's national newspapers! The reports referred to the death of George Michael, a school contemporary of whom had publicised his juvenile efforts at poetry as featured in his school magazine for 1974. In passing, it was suggested that GM's songwriting abilities may have been the result of my creative writing lessons, as he had been in my class a couple of years earlier as a nine-year-old. Not likely, I'm afraid, though I do remember him quite well. It was a generous reference, though so far I've had no offers to run lucrative Creative Writing courses!
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/george-michaels-old-classmate-uncovers-9616246
Ian, found the above link for others to view.
Mike / meostamps
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Very cool Ian!
Although I've never been a big fan of of his music, as oftentimes happens we've been giving his stuff a second look and listen since his untimely passing. Two things are certain, he was definitely talented and had a very unique voice. Sounds like you made a bit of an impression on those young people. Kudos to you.
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Gerard Manley Hopkins is indeed one of the greats. I think it is a wonderful idea for there to be a Hopkins society.
After all I am a supporter of the American Chesterton Society.
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A few politically-oriented posts just prior to this, although benign in nature, have been removed.
Reminder from The Management Team:
Effective December 1, 2016:
Politics are acceptable only when they help inform the history of a stamp, a cover, or the period in which it was used. Politics, for its own sake, is now just off limits.
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Bubba the fry cook says, "if ya don't want runny pancakes and cold coffee, then this is a..."
WB
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That's sad Michael.
I am on boards for my other hobby where there are no politics allowed. And for good reason. You see the same happy souls from those boards on FaceBook and they are raving political maniacs!
I never saw that on this board. I thought it was nice and insightful conversation. And with the international participation on this board, I always liked to see the varying views from other countries.
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oops sorry
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Tom - To some extent I enjoyed politics on SOR too, but the post that was just redacted is an example of why we can't have politics on SOR.
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Tom, this wasn't a decision I made on my own. It was a policy decision made by the entire Management Team. The reason politics is no longer allowed on Stamporama is for the same reason it isn't allowed on other sites, just like you stated.
I think that since it was shut down, the conversations in the Discussion Boards have been much more civil. That's how we would like it to stay. Stamporama was created to foster discussion related to philately. Politics can be discussed in private messages, emails and the many web sites that are designed for such discussions.
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Good morning everybody from beautiful ( but very foggy ) Shrub Oak, New York... Well yesterdays stamp show was a big disaster... 1 stamp dealer and the comic book dealer. Well all I can say is that I am a gluten for punishment.. Found out that their is a show in Mineola NY, about a 65 min. ride ( according to map quest ).Going with a buddy from my stamp club, and will be looking for some manila stock cards for Meo-mike and some 102 cards for some dude in Red Hook.. Will be also looking in the cover bins, and also some stamps..
Cheers... and happy stamping
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Go get them Bob...Make them an offer they can't refuse, HEHEHE.
Thanks
Mike / meostamps
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Greetings all. Beautiful morning in Jacksonville, Florida. Today is going to be a great day. My middle daughter is home from Tallahassee for the weekend. She was in a cooking mood so she made us a wonderful meal of fajitas and a big bunch of guacamole. Everything came out delicious and her mom and I sat on the couch watching Law and Order and Family Fued while it was being prepared. It was so nice to have her here and in such a good mood. Love that child.
Just can't seem to find the time to work with my collections the way I'd like to. During the week is almost impossible and on the weekends we always seem to be running around visiting my mom, the in-laws or the outlaws. Time is at a premium and with trying to put these kids through school, money is too. I'll sneak in buying a couple mid-range priced stamps soon.
NFL predictions for today:
Atlanta barely squeaks by Green Bay at home. patriots blow out the Steelers.
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Anyone else notice that SOR isn't sending out post notification emails? I get those for the categories I have an interest in.
It's a windy Monday here in PA. Not a comfortable thing for those of us who live under tall trees! So far the trees are just getting cleaned of small dead branches, I already see a few barrels full of sticks out there.
Here's a photo I just took in the backyard. A few wind storms ago, this huge tree came down across the brook. There was a resounding crash and the earth shook. It felt like something hit the house. It was late evening and dark out so I didn't find out what happened until daylight. This photo is taken from a distance (yes I was standing in the middle of the brook!) to see the length, but imagine this tree is the size of a telephone pole. And notice that it hit so hard that it shattered.
As I headed out to take this picture for this thread, the little red fox who hangs out near my pool took flight and I got to see him fairly up close. A fine little critter the size of a dog, maybe 20 pounds or so. No, I didn't have the camera ready this time.
I'm working from home this week because my client is travelling. Just as well with the weather and the fact that the bridge I often use to travel to New Jersey across the Delaware River is closed due to a crack in the infrastructure. This is the bridge on the Turnpike, so it's a major one that carries 75,000 cars a day. No telling when it will open again.
Glad I'm not going anywhere. So this should be an easy week. I'm manning the home office and answering inquiries as they come in. I have a training program I'm setting up, and will attend my meeting schedule. Otherwise, maybe I'll get some album pages done!
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Hey Tom, that tree looks like firewood to me.
Spent a few hours with my son and grandsons kicking around along the creek looking for these. This is yet another hobby and a great way to spend an afternoon. Amongst the lot are whole and broken arrowheads, some unfinished pieces, pottery sherds and various other tool and utility items. My son found about the same amount of material, while the grandsons mostly picked up mussel shells and played in the mud and water. They were a sight by the end of the outing!
...and this is what's possible if you're in the right place, at the right time. A 5-3/4" Dovetail point that I found a few years back.
WB
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WB! Firewood indeed! Only the previous owner of my house converted our fireplace to gas. I should post it out on our neighborhood email chain and see if someone wants to come do the work!
I love those arrowheads. I've never found anything like that, full of history! I watched that one show about guys with metal detectors who were finding civil war bullets.
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Would not have minded finding this lot!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-38688644
May even have bought a few stamps.
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That large dovetail point is a real beaut! I have seen a collection of two. Nothing quite like that.
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Morning...at work having some coffee and going through my email. I continue to make progress on mounting my 2016 stamps and had to place an order for more mounts.
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I stayed up way too late last night. I was surfing You Tube and found a biography of Beethoven. It wasn't the best presentation, as it seemed to be rushed, but I did learn a couple of things that I didn't know.
When the program was over, "suggested" related videos were presented to me. On one was a picture of a young woman playing a piano. She was dressed in a short dress and very high heels, and the caption of the video said that she was playing a Beethoven piece. Of course I had to watch it out of curiosity. This woman is simply amazing. Her name is Yuja Wang. Here are a couple of videos of her. There are plenty more on You Tube.
Performance
https://youtu.be/ACWMJb2Q0_I
Documentary
https://youtu.be/LRpmSBRP-pU
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The last 24 hrs. have been a little interesting. Just got home awhile ago after spending a day/night at Rowan Medical in Salisbury. Awoke yesterday with a heart flutter, causing my heartbeat rate to jump to 140+ from a normal 70-80 range. Blood pressure also moved up but not as much. I already had an appointment scheduled that morning with my doctor so he sent me across the street to the hospital for an EKG. They confirmed the high rate and moved me into the ER where the doc put me on a med to bring the rate back down and kept me overnight for meds and additional tests. Everything went back down to normal and an ultrasound showed no problem. So I am now back home with a new med to control the heart rate. Not certain of the cause but best guess it might be connected to my lung cancer problem/treatments. Either way, home now, doing fine, intending to get some rest over the next few days and just take it easy.
Mike / meostamps
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Take it easy, Mike, and don't on any account go hunting for that Beethoven link above! Watching that made my heart-rate shoot skywards.
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Glad you checked out ok, Mike. Please just take it easy for a while. And sending good thoughts your way.
-- Dave
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Michael G. thanks for the Yuja links. I've just spent the past hour listening to her. Too bad she's not playing with either the DSO or FWSO this season. I'd be there for sure.
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Ted, I looked that up too. I was hoping she'd be down here for a concert. I really would love to see her perform live. Maybe she'll add a concert date? Something to put on my list of things to do. Maybe 2018?
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Meo...take your new meds and work on some stamps.....
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Scary stuff Mike, best wishes on getting through it!
It always amazes me at how quickly advanced some young peoples talents evolve. There are some incredibly talented youngsters out there and that young lady at the piano, is no exception!
WB
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Hey Bob, fully intend to do so after I share my usual pecan twirls and large cup of tea breakfast with Brownie the Wonder Dog. The wife said he was running around the house Monday night looking for me while I was in the hospital. He was happy when he saw me yesterday.
I just posted a note on my Facebook page which might be of interest to some members here. The State of NC (and I believe other states) have a personal tax reduction program for elderly people whose INCOME level is under a certain limit. It does not count the value of homes, cars, money in the bank, etc just income. The limit here is $29,500 and since we were just under that last year, I landed up savings over $250+ on our property tax. Not back for spending a hour to complete all needed paperwork. So you might want to check the website of your county or state tax collector's office to see if they offer the same type of program. It might save you or elderly family members or friends some decent money when you tax bills come around in August/Sept. In NC, the dealing for filing is the end of June. Here is a link to the form for NC residents if interested. http://www.dor.state.nc.us/downloads/fillin/av9_2017.pdf
Time to make Brownie happy.
Mike in NC / meostamps
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I get less tolerant as I get older. Today, for example, I received an order of stamps in which more than half were noted "out of stock". So why were they in your price-lists, then, Mister? Oh, because it's too much trouble to update those, I expect.
Did I get a refund? No. So my money accrues interest in his account until I can be bothered to order again from him.
Were the stamps I got OK? Up to a point. Up to this point:
That one's gone straight back, together with a demand for a refund cheque (and an undamaged copy - fat chance!).
There must be other 'New Issues' dealers in Britain somewhere. I'm off to find them.
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I began my day with a non-philatelic surprise cWW2:
{newsreel} The Secret Rescue: American Nurses and Medics Return from Albania
"Rescue in Albania" // Documentary Film ... 27m
Harold Hayes Survivor of Secret World War II Odyssey Dies at 94
Q/ Re: newsreel. When did they get their hair done? On the British patrol boat?
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
If the embedded links do not play for you, you can cut'n'paste:
https://youtu.be/2No81Ad2aJQ
https://youtu.be/eZ8szhccfZM
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I never knew this about Albania. And I consider myself fairly informed about Europe during and post WW2. I always saw Albania as a tiny closed communist nation ruled by a ruthless dictator. Learned something new today. And hairdos.
Tad
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Looks like we're going to continue to lose notable people in 2017 like we did in 2016. I just saw that Mary Tyler Moore has died. I really liked her acting, and her sitcom was among the best ever made. She also was a strong advocate for several good causes. RIP, Mary.
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Michael,
No Beethoven in the link you posted (but some RockyManinoff at around 1:40)
Here's a modern interpretation of 3rd movement of his sonata #14 in C-sharp minor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZuSaudKc68
Beethoven's piano sonatas are the best of his work. We play them all the time (or try), literally. My son's working on the first movement of the above sonata (but on piano).
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My Beethoven reference was regarding the so-so Biography documentary, which after it was over brought the suggested music videos. There are videos of her playing Beethoven. Here's one of them:
https://youtu.be/itLAlTJt8cs
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I'm headed out to the radio station to play three hours of the blues on http://wrdv.org/ Just click on the little radio on the right side of the screen.
I'll be on 10:00 to 1:00 EST.
Vince
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Here's something freaky, at least for me. In about two weeks' time, I'll be on Social Security. Back in the day, would I have even thought that day would have come? It was even surrealistic doing the paperwork and going to the Social Security office. It's an encounter of another one of those "life's moments". 
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Hey Michael. You earned it. Hoping it's there for me one day. Sad part is, it's part of my retirement plans.
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It has been a tumultuous week. My car has officially died. It served me loyally for 12 years before giving up the ghost.
Now I have to work on finding a new car to buy. I plan on buying a new car (rather than one previously used).
I am looking for a mid to full sized car.
Any recommendations?
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Smauggie,
What will you need the car to be able to do? We love our Subaru outback for its ability to go almost anywhere, but I need all-wheel drive every day. Will you be doing in-town driving mostly? Good luck and have fun new car shopping!
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The vast majority of my driving is around town. As I am getting older in age I am beginning to weigh the merits of a small crossover/SUV but without advanced off road abilities. Getting in and out of a higher seat is nice. I did some test drives today and I like the Ford Escape. Hopefully soon I can test drive the Mazda CX-5 These vehicles are in my price range.
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"Looks like we're going to continue to lose notable people in 2017 like we did in 2016. I just saw that Mary Tyler Moore has died."
And now John Hurt.
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Barbara Hale, of Perry Mason and 40's and 50's movie fame, passed away yesterday. I am a big Perry Mason fan...have the whole series on DVDs and watch them while exercising on my treadmill.
I got a shipment of mounts in yesterday so will be trying to finish up my US 2016 new issues on custom album pages.
Al G.
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Just got back from another trip to Duke Cancer Center (about a 4 hour trip from here in Hendersonville NC). I highly recommend Duke to anyone who is seeking top medical care; but more importantly they have outstanding food services! Incredible selection ranges from their own outstanding buffet to in-house Panda Express, SubWay, Chic-fli-A, Salad Express, Starbucks, Einstein Bagels, etc.
But I do have to add that Duke is not the least costly hospital. I had a kidney removed a few months ago, checked in on Thursday, operation on Friday, and drove home on Sunday, 3 nights. Hospital room cost = $60,000 (just the hospital cost, not the operation, tests, imaging, etc!). Total medical costs in the last 20 months is now north of $2.1 million. Hurts more than the illness and needless to say, puts a bit of a damper on the stamp budget.
Agree with hoping that 2017 is better than the last couple of years.
Don
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Best wishes Don,
Hoping the doctors and care givers are able to implement exactly what you need for a fast and full recovery. All the very best in 2017.
Ernie
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I'm glad I live in Canada. All hospitalization, procedures, tests and physican costs are fully covered. Good luck with all the medical costs there in the States......
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Best of luck Don.
To come from Hendersonville, you likely came in I-85 so not that far from where we live. I live about 15 min from Duke Hospital.
Al
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It just dawned on me that 2017 marks my 55th year collecting stamps.
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To the cinema yesterday for the newly-opened (in the UK) Hacksaw Ridge, a well-made, if fairly conventional film about some remarkable goings-on at Okinawa in 1945. As is my custom I dropped in on the chatboards of the Internet Movie Database, and was amazed to see how many vitriolic, rude, insulting, racist and sexist remarks had been made recently, not about the film itself, but about those who presumed to comment on it. "GIRLY MEN Don't Like This Film" proclaimed one post; I sidestepped the dismal prospect of scrolling through the responses and counter-responses to find out the argument (if there was one) behind this. "Bitch!" hollered another, inserting an exclamation mark where the i goes, as if this somehow validated the comment. "Jew!" spat a third, on what evidence was not immediately clear.
What is going on here?
In the interests of good fellowship I have deleted the final two sentences of this post.
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Come on, Guthrum... really?
"What is going on here? I struggle to think what, in the past few days, could have prompted the bigots and the loudmouths to feel confident in emerging from under their stones to spew this stuff in public."
Do you really think those types of comments are new to the internet discussion boards just "in the past few days"?
The new policy of no political discussions has prompted a more sneaky, veiled political commentary on SoR. bobbemyseh Hoy vey.
-Ernie
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Ernnie,
You said what I was thinking. It is showing up in other threads also. Some people just need to grow up. It is so childish and distracting to keep on with this nonsense.
I like the notes to moderator instructing "this is not political" please don't remove. Why would you put that disclaimer if it is not political. Don't the moderators of this site have more to do then try to keep up with the foolishness?
Vince
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Bubba, get yer fryin' pan!
Michael, congrats on a great accomplishment! You should write an essay on the changes you've seen over the years.
WB (feelin' the love!)
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Don,
Take it easy and get well. It sounds like you are in good hands at Duke.
grorod,
since you don't pay for any medical expenses up there in "Canada", who does pay for medical services? I'm confused, I don't understand how it is free. Can I come up there and get free medical service?
Vince
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Vince, here is the answer to your question on who pays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Canada
We do pay for the cost of prescription drugs although some have private or works coverage. Calling an ambulance is a private cost, around CA$250 I think. (not confirmed, just off top of head.)Just checked the web, boy was I wrong. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/no-free-ride-ambulance-bills-in-manitoba-highest-in-canada-1.2947262
Medical costs are tax deductible but only over a set base figure dependent upon income.
I guess the answer is "don't get ill", easier said than done.
Vic
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WB, I have often written little snippets on this site and elsewhere about some of the past doings in the hobby that I have seen or read about from stamp newsletters going back to the early 1900s.
I used to have a small collection of "The Westerner" (I think that's what it was called.) from the early 1900s. It is/was? a philatelic newspaper. When I read several editorials, letters to the editor and an article or two in the newspapers that said (remember this is the early 1900s), "Stamp collecting is a dying hobby." I started to discount all discussions relating to that premise. I also see this in the print of model railroading magazines that model railroading is a dying hobby.
The hobbies persist. They have changed over time. They may not be the same as they were 100 years ago, but they are still here.
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Here's one of the "huh?" moments.
I was looking at listings of things for sale related to a performer. Someone was selling signed photographs of the performer. The seller stated in the item description that the performer, "signed autograph in person". Well, I would hope so!
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"Don't the moderators of this site have more to do then try to keep up with the foolishness?"
Yes, like trying to share our enjoyment of the hobby with others here, which is what this site is supposed to be about.
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Oooooohhh, nice zinger Michael!
Text deleted by moderator
(Modified by Moderator on 2017-01-31 14:12:01)
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"...The hobbies persist. They have changed over time. They may not be the same as they were 100 years ago, but they are still here..."
I concur. People look at the decline of the brick and mortar stamp stores, club memberships, and shrinking publication subscriptions and think that the hobby is dying. In my opinion the hobby has simply evolved. All of the above where impacted by the internet. The way we get information has undergone a paradigm shift; we want and expect to get our information in real-time and mostly for little or no cost.
Sadly our hobby has lagged behind this information access evolution. Many clubs and organizations were slow to embrace this change and to this day still have not made the transition very well (i.e APS website and online resources). Catalog and album publishers should be light years ahead of where they are now. Some dealer have made the transition but many others have not.
To be honest and I don't know how others feel about it, but it sometimes feels to me that we (online hobbyists) are a bit like 'redhead step children'.
Don
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I think a few more posts should have been deleted by the mods.
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Why people have the misconception that medical costs are free in Canada is a mystery to me.
Medical costs are NOT 'FREE' in Canada. A portion of our Federal & Provincial Income Taxes are used towards the cost health care in this country. In some Provinces we pay monthly medical insurance premiums or pay a Provincial health tax based on income when we file our income taxes.
Each Province has their own medical plan and each plan differs.
In British Columbia residents pay monthly premiums for basic doctor & hospital services. If your income drops below a certain level, your premiums are reduced. If you are very, very low income or on social assistance you pay nothing.
These premiums are not tax-deductible. Drug prescriptions and medical supplies providing they are prescribed by your physician are tax-deductible but are only allowed if the expenses are more than a percentage of your income (I think it's 3%).
For prescription drugs Senior Citizens in some Provinces (not British Columbia) pay a small dispensing fee of a couple of dollars for each prescription. In BC we pay 100% of prescription costs until we reach a yearly deductible and then BC Pharmacare pays a percentage of the costs. The cost of many drugs & medical supplies do not apply towards your yearly deductible.
If you travel outside of your home Province to another Province within Canada we are advised to purchase 'Out-Of Province Health Insurance'. To answer Vince's question - NO you cannot come up here and be covered under our Health Insurance and we cannot come to the USA or any other country and have out health costs covered unless we have private health insurance plans or 'Out-Of Country Health/Travel Insurance'.
Liz
NOTE TO THE MODERATORS - If this message is considered to be political in nature, please delete. It is meant to clear up the misconception being relayed that health care is free in Canada. It is NOT free.
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A bird just flew into my back patio glass door...that's the end of that bird and the glass door...
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Liz,
I don't and didn't believe heath care was free in Canada. I was questioning grorod's post about everything being covered in Canada.
"I'm glad I live in Canada. All hospitalization, procedures, tests and physican costs are fully covered. Good luck with all the medical costs there in the States......"
I did check out Vic's links to Canadian health care I see it is not free and seems there are limits on the when and what care is received. I'm not saying it is better or worse. Maybe I read too much in the post because it looked to me as a comparison to care in the States compared to Canada and I wanted to understand free care was better and what is included with free.
Vince
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"A bird just flew into my back patio glass door...that's the end of that bird and the glass door..."
"Think we should've told him about Windex?"
WB
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If you like this kind of music https://youtu.be/o44L_e9bZrk
then tune into http://wrdv.org/
tonight 10-1 EST. I will be playing more music from the festival.
Vince
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I test drove the Subaru Crosstrek and the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The Crosstrek was too small for me, and the Outlander really impressed me. It's at the top of my list now. Still have to try out the Kia Sportage and the Mazda CX series.
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Antonio, my first "Japanese" car was a 1973 Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi) I paid $1,900 for it and i sure did not lose any money on it. Once i learned where the headlight dimmer switch was (on the column not on the floor by the left foot) it ran great. It was a tiny wagoh..but so were my kids..the steering was great...i think it was rack and pinion. I do not know of any Mitsubishi dealers in my area.
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Antonio,
Being a certified mechanic for the past 26+ years, I can recommend that you skip the Kia Sportage;
The Mitsu Outlander has had a good track record and I/we see it very little in our shop other than the occasional oil change.
Just a wrench-turner's thoughts!
Randy
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Good morning everybody from beautiful Shrub Oak New York... ( home some of the greatest stamp collectors in the world )...
Antonio..may I suggest one of my favorites....The Ford Pinto....
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true story :
My dad said he bought a Ford Pinto brand new off the lot and he and my mom were driving one day and the steering wheel came off of the steering column while he was driving down the road. NOT COOL.
Ernie
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In the latter half of the 1990's my best friend had a 70's Pinto and we went everywhere in it. The Kia Sportage was already at the bottom of my list and I haven't test drived it yet. Now I won't even bother. Thanks for the good advice Randy.
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I owned a 1972 Ford Pinto and in short order I had a wreck and it was totaled. The car never ran that well ...stalled occasionally and then hard to start. It was basic transportation and more reliable than the Vega due to the engine issues. The Vega was much harder to work on too.
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"My dad said he bought a Ford Pinto brand new off the lot and he and my mom were driving one day and the steering wheel came off of the steering column while he was driving down the road. NOT COOL. "
LOL, brings back memories. In the 1980s and 1990s I owned and drove nothing but Studebakers. My daily driver was a 1950 black Business Coupe. I had done a daily driver type restoration (not frame off). The car was quite reliable, got great gas mileage, and I actually drove it in the movie 'Dirty Dancing'.
But I was never able to pull the steering wheel for a decent refurbishment. I must have tried ever puller every made; the wheel simply would not come off without me doing damage to it. It was held on with a single nut; the steering column was really just a long threaded pipe. (Back then it was not uncommon for steering columns to impale driver in a crash!)
Stupidly I had left off the retaining nut for at least two years, convinced that wheel would never, ever come off that column. Wrong. of course it came off; the day my wife was driving it down the road! Thank goodness she managed to stop but to this day I still hear about it!!
Don
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i drove over the Hudson River this morning on the Kingston Rhinecliff bridge...there was a barge being pushed down the river and not a speck of ice anywhere. Ten years ago they would have needed a Coast Guard ice breaker to cut a channel in the ice. Coming back home i had a nice eagle keeping me company..they love to sail over the bridge.
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My brother in law had a yellow Pinto wagon. He bought it used off a new car dealer's lot and paid way too much for it. He had a problem with it. Every so often it would not start. He'd pay someone to tow it to their shop, fix it and then the problem would repeat itself. One time it did this in front of his parents' house. I listened to it, opened the hood and gave the starter solenoid a whack. In those days the solenoid was fastened to the inner fender well. The car started instantly. I told him what I did and that if he had that replaced, he'd be golden. I knew it went right over his head.
A few months later he had enough, and asked me to sell the car for him. Since it was registered and insured I drove it. A few days later, the car refused to start. I gave the solenoid a whack and it started. I drove to the auto parts store and bought a new one. Two bolts and three wires later, the car started and ran well the rest of the summer!
I looked in his glove box and there was a huge wad of repair receipts. Over and over garages all over New York had "fixed" the car. Receipts not two months apart declaring that they did a complete tuneup and replaced the plugs, and did other unnecessary repairs. Any mechanic would have noticed the plugs were brand new, so it was sheer fraud on the unknowing fellow. And not one of them even tried to replace that faulty solenoid!
It was a nice little car to drive. It had a four speed and I loved tooling around. I was sad when someone actually decided to buy it!
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Phil said,
"Does it come with a tank of gas ?"
I thought you weren't supposed to put gas in them due to explosion risk....LOL!
My sister had a (well-)used 1974 Vega....the year they DIDN'T sleeve the cylinders in an ALUMINUM engine block! The car had less than 80k on it and smoked like crazy.
I personally had 2 Chevettes - great little cheap cars to buy, drive and fix!
I snapped a camshaft in two on my first one - no worries! Took me all of an hour to put another one in and be back on the road! Camshaft sat on the very top of the engine in what was called a "cam carrier". Piece of cake to remove it and bolt a used one on in it's place!
Drove that car all through my automotive schooling years!
Randy
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i remember when i worked at IBM in the 1970s and 80's quite a few if the guys traded cars every two years..unless they were real car nuts or had to keep up with the neighbors ..it did not make sense to me to have a permanent car payment !
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Randy, i almost remember the name...the little Pontiac where they took a v8 engine and cut it in half to make a four cylinder. A kid i knew purchased one and i thought he was joking until he lifted the hood...time frame 1963. P.S. gas was dirt cheap, who needed a 4 cylinder engine ?
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In 1971 I got my first job. It was at a full service gas station (there really weren't any others at the time). Regular gas sold for $0.31 per gallon. About six months into the job, the price went up to $0.34. Now I was just a 16 year old high school student. People would drive up to the pumps. I'd go out and greet them. Many would roll down their window, called me a "thief" and drive off. How I bet they wish that gas was that price now!
Regarding a Pinto, I had a 1972 medium goldenrod colored Pinto hatchback. I got it when my 1968 Opel Kadette quit running. Never had any mechanical problems with it, although it tended to burn some oil. I traded it for a 1978 Camaro Rally Sport. The Pinto's body was rusting out pretty bad, especially the driver's door, but that was it.
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My wife drove Pinto's from about 1978-'84. She worked in downtown Wichita and they were perfect for getting around in city traffic. As they died, we would use the rack and pinion steering in the outlaw cars we were racing. I'm not a big fan of Fords, but the Pintos suit their purpose and the early Mustangs appealed to me. In the end, like Michael, it was a '68 Camaro that set me down the path of Chevys still to this day. There's nothing like a big block Chevy with a 4 on the floor!
WB
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My 1999 Camaro was one big POS. The '78 gave me very little trouble, and I put the miles on that baby.
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It was my 1980 Chevy Citation that turned me off GM forever. My wife had Cavalier (82?) and it was a really nice car (upgraded interior, good 2.0 engine, handled well) but I never forgave GM. She got a later model but it was not as good as the first production design. The father in laws S-10 and Impala (did not handle well at all) never impressed me either. I was a Mopar man (dad was big on them) since the 80's. They had body hardware issues (things I could fix) but the base was usually very solid (engine, trans, etc)
I worked as a mechanic for a couple summers and did much of my own work for some time. I also drove cars to and from auctions and dealers so spent much time fixing things to get them right.
One of my favorite cars was a 1969 Pontiac GTO with a radial tuned suspension. We had a pair of green ones they were quiet, roomy, and rode very well. My second favorite was the early 70 Chevelles. As all GM cars did, they rusted out around the back glass. The early Ford Torinos were very nice as well. I always wanted a Plymouth Duster though.
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And a very happy Superbowl Sunday everybody..........Getting ready to go to my sons house for the big game, wearing my NY Jets Tim Tebow jersey...( Just to bust my sons chops )he's a big Patriots fan...Also picked up a big package of Tums for the heartburn tonight. Well have fun watching the game, and if it gets boring there is always the stamps to play with....Go Jets
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Wow... looks like we are going to have to call Atlanta the Cleveland of the South! 
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Probably the best Super Bowl ever! When I don't have a dog in the fight I just like to see a close or come from behind game. I never was a Gaga fan but she nailed it with probably the best half time performance ever. Most of the time I go away from Super Bowls thinking that was a waste of time.....this one wasn't!
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Happens so often in the NFL where a team jumps out to a huge lead and loses focus. Can never do that with New England.
28-3 Atlanta quickly turned into 31 unanswered points 28-31 New England. What a 4th quarter, and what a catch.
I didn't have a dog in the hunt in this game. I just want an entertaining game. It didn't look like it was going to be that, but Brady woke up. He was invincible in the 4th quarter and OT.
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Michael, Touche'
You chose your words better than I. "Dog in the fight" is to politically incorrect especially when talking football.
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I agree with you about Lady Gaga. I had never heard her sing before. he has a very good voice.
The drones were amazing.
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I did not see or hear one second of the Super Bowl. I was working with my stamps and listening/watching MST3K shows. I am not a big sports fan especially pro level these days.
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News on the radio this morning is that the Russians Hacked the Superbowl.
I think it's time to have some more coffee.
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I'm not a football fan since I grew up outside the USA. Still we had it on in the den to see what politics may have happened (thankfully not), and the controversial commercials. Even I found the end of the game exciting. When they went into OT and they were about to do the coin toss, I told my wife "this toss decides the game". And interestingly enough it did!
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"News on the radio this morning is that the Russians Hacked the Superbowl."
And 3 million illegal aliens cheered for the Patriots.
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I have never, ever seen a football team completely implode like Atlanta did last night. They choked bad. The Falcons defense was exhausted by the 4th quarter. If their offense had done ANYTHING in the 4th they would have won. Gotta hand it to Brady, he's the man.
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This thread has gotten long and it is taking a while to load. I'll start another thread for the Diner.
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When I select the thread, it opens and jumps to the last unread post in less than 1 second. The jumping to the last thread is the real time saver. It is pretty quick but I have a fast connection.
Al
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0.34 in 1971 = $2.01 in 2016 as adjusted with inflation.
Gas was cheaper in 1971, a bit
Tad
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Tad, that's interesting.
I have thought that the commercials telling people to go out and buy silver and gold as a hedge against inflation was really nothing over nothing. Buying an ounce of gold years ago was with dollars that were worth more. The price of gold has risen as the value of the dollar has shrunk due to inflation. Probably about the same results as your example with the oil. The only time that I see where there is a difference in rising prices, except for inflation, if there is a monetary collapse, or huge speculation drives up the market ala the Hunt brothers with silver in the late 1970s.
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Here is the active thread of the SOR Diner.
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Ha! It must be a sign. SOR returns and the appalling rainy weather we have had (it seems like for months!)seems to have changed today and it's a lovely sunny, late afternoon now.
I felt a bit delicate today as I drank a fair bit at a friend's house yesterday where I'd been invited for lunch. I think it was the Sloe Gin she'd made that tipped me over the edge!
I'm delighted to say I've finally moved all the junk out of a small, spare bedroom and turned it in to a study for my stamp collecting. Anything to do with stamps is in there with my desk and a comfortable arm chair. I spent an hour or so rearranging books and magazines etc today but I think it's finished now.
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Chuckle for the day...
I went to Walmart pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions. As usual the young girl attendant asked, "Date of birth?"
I reply, "9-16-58"
She looks at me and says, "I need the day too."
I reply, "Do you really think I was born in 1658??"
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Haha. You dont look that old Tom!
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Hey Tom... the post was suppossed to read "You don't look that old". Ahh, 1658. Good year. Rise of Lord Protector oliver cromwell. Wonder how Brits see him now. Hero? Villain?
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In all these western movies and TV shows, have you noticed there is never a character names for a northern city? Coming soon....The new TV Show - The Man from Fishkill.
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"Ahh, 1658. Good year. Rise of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Wonder how Brits see him now. Hero? Villain?"
Oliver Cromwell and the English Civil War do not feature in the British primary curriculum, and so young minds eager for knowledge are denied that period (and Sam Pepys, and the Great Fire, and the Plague, etc., etc.)
Whether older children study, or remember much about the period from secondary school I do not know. Somehow I doubt it. So the answer, Ernie, is that Brits do not really see Oliver Cromwell at all - no film (since Richard Harris in 1970, in a film that ends just as Cromwell's political career starts) or TV series has been made, and he forms no obvious part of the national consciousness.
His statue remains defiantly in front of the Houses of Parliament, so tourists may well notice him, but the rest of us... no.
For those of us with an interest in history, who have perhaps read Antonia Fraser, Cromwell, Our Chief of Men (1973), the simple dichotomy does not hold: at times a hero, at others, a villain, a man who found the trappings of power restrictive - perhaps more of a soldier than a politician.
For those who are Irish, there is no argument. Cromwell was a murderous villain, and they will tell you so to this day, with plenty of evidence in support.
So, do we categorize a man by his worst moments? Does his appalling record in Ireland wipe out any positives he may have accrued during the rest of his life? We may debate that, but sooner or later we fall back on the only way stamp-collectors have to determine our country's view of the man. Does he appear on any of our stamps?
No, he does not. He thus becomes surely by far the most significant historical figure in British history not to be 'honoured' with a commemorative issue.
Good answer?
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Think the nearest GB got to Cromwell were the stamps issued in 1992 for the 350th. Anniversary of the Civil War, but no mention of Cromwell.
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Those are some really lovely model railroad layout pictures. I saw a very nice railroad and trains based stamp exhibit once at a stamp show in Kent, WA. Given that the stamp club that sponsors the show used to be the Boeing Employees Stamp Club (now the Evergreen Stamp Club) there have been several rather incredible exhibits related to airplanes and stamps with great historical pictures of real planes and comparison planes on stamps over the past few years that I have had a chance to go to the shows. Between the exhibits and a former, fellow church member who used to be a B-52 pilot and collects planes on stamps plus the Antonius Ra presentations here on Stamporama, I am starting to look at airplanes on stamps as an interesting topical option although so far I am continuing with my world wide and Canada collections as my major activity. I have never done a topical collection before. I have made great headway though on the Canada collection for the 1912 to 1978 period and made my first purchases on the province stamps for Newfoundland this week.
I did acquire the first two items for my USA collection that I didn't have that I have bought in several years. I have done a few upgrades where some stamps had some known flaws or eBay auctions presented some opportunities in the past couple of years but no new stamps in quite a while due to sticker shock.
For the first time I got a chance to go to the Seapex (Seattle Collector's Club) show this year. I really enjoyed visiting the dealer's tables this year. Most fascinating item seen was an ancient stamp album that only covered the years's 1893 to 1894 in a standalone world album.
I read in the American Philatelist yesterday that the Birmingham, Alabama stamp club will be hosting a regional APS show in February 2018. I attended shows in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Jackson several times when I lived in Birmingham and remember seeing the most interesting civil war exhibit I have ever seen at one of the shows.
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The other evening I watched a show called Restoration Garage, about the Guild of Automotive Restorers in Canada. A nice car show without drama. The owner David Grainger went to an airshow and there was a lot of cool background on early aircraft, including interior footage in a Ford Tri-Motor, the plane that probably carried a lot of our airmail covers. The commentary was about the auto makers in the war effort and showed aircraft engines by Studebaker and planes assembled by General Motors. I'm not a plane guy but I found it very interesting.
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Studebaker Owned Curtis-Wright and they supplied the B17 engines. They also built a 'Weasel' which was a pretty cool tracked vehicle.
Don
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As far as Oliver Cromwell is concerned most fictional references (historical novels) show the Royalists as the Goodies and the parliamentarians as the "Baddies" forgetting of course the excesses of Prince Rupert's mercenaries and the legendary Stuart stubbornness of Charles 1. Any other monarch in history( other than another Stuart) would have been able to come to some "arrangement" in other words compromise. Of course it didn't help that most of the Stuarts were Catholics and it was thought that Charles I, although nominally a protestant was constantly flirting with Catholicism, and after Tudor times Catholicism equalled Treason.
Of course Regicide is a terrible crime, and references imply that there was some reluctance to go down that road. However as in almost all violent revolution what starts out as a "broad church" ends up with ever more extreme elements in charge. ( France 1789 and the "Terror", Russia 1917 and the Bolsheviks ).Violent politics is like brewing beer -the scum rises to the top ! While I don't believe in Cromwell as evil personified, some of his influential fellow travellers were not Saints !
It doesn't help of course that the victors get to write the history and although on paper Parliament won the battles and the military war, once the restoration of James II came the propaganda war at least was lost (forever ?)
The truth is that there were atrocities on both sides, but there were also highly principled men on both sides too.
Malcolm
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This image is for the nephrologist who said I would not survive the night in Nov 2015, the Wake Forest University oncologist who told me I had 6 months to live in June 2016, and the Duke University oncologist who told me I had a 15% chance of surviving a year in Jan 2017. This week I had dialysis on Monday, chemo on Tuesday, dialysis on Wednesday and Friday and 12” of snow last night. Ha! I am still vertical and shoveling this morning and loving every minute of it!
I am sure these professionals are right, Stage 4 cancer prognosis is not rosy. But to be honest after a while you get acclimated to the grim outlook and just start living, and enjoying, each day one at a time.
Don
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Life is a precious gift!
But then, you already know that, don't you, Don....
Best Wishes to you!
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Happy New Year Everyone,
It is well and truly 2017 in New Zealand and Australia so it is time to kick off the Diner for 2017. Let's hope that 2017 is better than 2016.
Regards ... Tim.
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Bubba the fry cook and Mable the waitress say HOWDY and HAPPY NEW YEAR to the folks down under!!
WB
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Mable says, "it depends on whether you have more of a fondness for Kabobs or cold cuts"
WB
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My vote is for kabobs!!
Randy
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I fell in love with Greek diners on the midnight shift...endless cups of great coffee..i never understood why all the diner owners who worked insane hours and they were all heavy gamblers..if they dreamed a number they would put 50 or a hundred dollars on it. If they hit the meal was on them and a bottle of ouzo for the booth ! Crazy days !
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09:49:08pm
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Phil, I worked many a midnight shift years ago, and I can't remember how many times I stopped past the diner on the way home and had moussaka for breakfast - or was it supper? Maybe lunch? When you work a rotating 24/7 schedule, definitions of which meal is what tend to blend into an amorphous mass.
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Happy New Year!
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Happy New Year Everyone!
Anyone else do this? I pulled up my email and saw messages from Stamporama threads and thought "Oh Goodie, stuff to read!" and immediately discovered they were all my own responses to threads!
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Happy New Year everyone!
Some of you know I am a DJ on a local radio station. http://wrdv.org/, RDV 89.3 FM in the Philadelphia area. The station's format is Big Band and Swing weekdays 8:00 to 6:00 and the evenings and weekend covers swing, Gospel, Country Gold Classics, Doo Wop, Rhythm and Blues and early Rock and Roll. I play Blues on Wednesday nights 10:00 to 1:00. I also fill in a lot for other DJs and tonight I will be on 7:00 to 10:00 PM EST. I will be playing an hour of Soul from Philly, Chicago and New Orleans. The next two hours will be Classic Rock cuts from the 70's and 90's. Check it out and relive some misspent years of your youth.
There is a link on the WRDV home page on the top right side to turn on the radio.
Vince
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08:47:43pm
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Good music! Makes me want to go jump in my Mustang and cruise the avenue.
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Good Mornin' Y'all,
My wife's birthday is today and we are both off work....nice!
We will be picking up the kids (daughter and granddaughter) on our way to Grand Rapids -
taking my wife to see Frederik Meijer Gardens' display of "Christmas Around The World"
Then taking her to dinner at the #1-voted seafood restaurant in the Grand Rapids area (on a list of 100 eateries); Leo's!
Should be a good time had by all.
Hope you all have a fine day as well.
Randy
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Hey Randy, that sounds like a great day! Happy B'day to your lady.
Packing up the Christmas decorations always a sad task but watching the Twilight Zone Marathon!
Today starts our 30 day diet and exercise boot camp. No processed foods, no red meat, no refined sugar and no alcohol for 30 days it truly changes the way you feel.
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Hi Randy! Have a great day. Funny thing, I have been to Leo's!
I used to represent a major account to Steelcase and travelled to their facility a number of times.
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Time for a morning coffee break and a fresh cup.
Hope everyone's getting a good start (or finish) on the day.
Been spending waaaaay too much of my free time on stoking fires and keeping the wood boxes filled. First forecast of snow this year comes on Thursday. Chances look pretty slim at this point and we're back to near 60 by the middle of next week. The roller coaster continues and the ol' sinuses are taking a beating from it. The air is just so dry!
I started working in a new WW album this past week. The coverage compared to my old album is amazing. The U.S. section in particular has illustrated spaces for virtually every variation. All other countries have a 25-75% increase in coverage as well and plenty of room, in the binder, for expansion. Still not the ultimate setup, but a huge improvement, nonetheless. So far, I'm only mounting new material, but will likely transfer stamps from the old album. That ought to be quite an undertaking, almost like starting over.
About time to head back, ya'll have a great day,
WB
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03:14:11pm
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Making a nice pot of beef tips and gravy to put over mashed potatoes for supper tonight. The house smell so good when something is cooking for a while. I have mounted most of the new stamps I received for Christmas. Went to the dentist this morning and now catching up on some odds and ends that needed to be finished around the house. 2017 is starting out pretty well other then the cold here this week and more snow coming again.
Thank all who kept my friend in your thoughts. She is doing very well and has been moved to a rehab center. With both legs and one foot broken in the car accident she is still not able to bare weight on either foot yet. The doctor is saying about the middle of March. She is pretty tired of just laying there. But we are glad she is because we almost lost her.
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Still musing fruitlessly over morning coffee on those Yugoslavian King Peter II overprints!
For those unacquainted with this gripping drama: I noticed that several wartime occupation overprints on the 1939 King Peter II definitive set seemed to have different perforations, a fact unmentioned in my Gibbons catalogue. Many of these were offered on Delcampe, some I bought and returned in dismay. I found myself trying to gauge perforations on onscreen stamps and used (so I learn this morning) a less-than-authoritative method of doing so.
This morning, then, a couple of fellows on SCF (sorry, SOR, but you have not so far been able to assist) come to the rescue, at least up to a point. The first chap reminds me that counting holes in perforations is not the best way: one should count teeth, and then only across the printed image, not the entire stamp. Fair enough, I probably should have known that, but doing so does not in this instance make the problem go away.
A second chap states baldly that, yes, there were two separate perforations on the KP2 stamps, one the 12.5 which is standard and cited in Gibbons, and the other a 13, which is definitely not cited in Gibbons, but which conforms to the occupation stamps I sent back as 'reprints'. Unfortunately, he gives no evidence at all for the provenance of these '13's. Are they authorised in Scott? In Michel? In Yvert? Were they produced in Belgrade pre-war and not used until later? Were they produced from scratch in Rijeka or Ljubljana during the war? He does not say.
What he does say is that Fiume and Kupa Zone overprints were never postally used and that Scott mentions but does not authorise them. Gibbons, on the other hand, lists used prices for all such issues. Or did, in their Europe 3rd edition (1978) catalogue. Has something been discovered in the last 40 years? I gots to know!
I wonder if those chaps down under in that stamp forum know anything about this?
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Good morning to all from a chilly North Carolina!! For the past 2-3 days, our local area news shows have been all over the possibility that we might have some snow starting tonight thru Sat. My daughter came by yesterday on her weekly visit and we both decided to have some quality father-daughter time by making a trip to our local grocery to pick up and few things and watch the natives go 'snow crazy' due to the weather reports. Here is a copy of my posting about it on Facebook:
"After watching the local news programs going on for the last 24 hours about the big, major, (possible 2-4 inch snow fall), blizzard due to hit us starting Friday night, I decided I needed some comical relief. Daughter came by this afternoon and we took a trip to the local Food Lion grocery store for our weekly trip to pick up a few things. As we walked the store chatting, we made sure to talk loud enough to be heard by other shoppers as we passed. Going by a lady getting some cans of soup, we talked about the 'new' weather forecast raising the snowfall total up to as much as 14 inches and lasting for 2 days. She put an extra 6 cans of soup in her cart. The guy near the beer cooler decided to add 2 extra 6 packs. And the lady with 1 loaf of bread in her cart headed back for another after we passed by. There were a few more but I think that is enough for you to get the idea of our outing. Just love mentioning snow to a Southerner. HEHEHE"
We and our pets are now well stocked until Feb. Will cook up a large pot of Polish cabbage (galumpki) stew shortly which should last thru the "storm" (latest forecast between 2-5 inches of snow). And then several days of scanning and creating new offerings for SOR.
Mike in NC / meostamps
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09:27:48am
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Mike - your latest posting made me chuckle.
It's the same here every time Environment Canada posts a Weather Warning, whether it's wind, heavy rain or snow.
If its a warning of 'possible' snow flurries, the local hardware stores sell out of snow shovels, batteries, candles and ice melt the first day the warning is posted. The two grocery stores on this island turn into a zoo with bottled water, bread, milk and other basic foods disappearing off the shelves faster than the clerks can take them out of their storage rooms. It's quite comical to watch.
Surely on an island of only 10,000 residents every household has a snow shovel? We may not get snow more than once or twice a winter, but it's always enough that you need a shovel to remove it. Perhaps the people are like me & just bunker down and wait for the snow & ice to melt? BUT I have had a snow shovel since I moved here 25 years ago, even though it's seldom been used.
I have a hard time grasping the fact that people do not have 'some' emergency supplies on hand and enough food to last them for at least a week or two should an emergency arise. We do live on an island, on a earthquake fault and they are always harping at us to Be Prepared for a disaster.
This past month there have been so many ads on our local Buy, Sell, Wanted listings of people looking for seasoned firewood. Come on people. It ALWAYS is cold here in December & January. Order enough firewood in the Spring to last you through the next winter, and don't drive around looking to steal someone's firewood that they have stored on their property.
Last winter 'someone' drove up my lane to my house in the middle of the night and helped themselves to a cord of MY stacked firewood, rather than pay the going rate of $300+ a cord.
The latest craze this winter has been people damaging gas caps on vehicles and stealing gasoline.
Liz (waiting for yet another storm system to hit us today and throughout the weekend).
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Hi Liz,
Yep, the 'natives' here tend to go a little crazier than normal whenever the word snow appears in a forecast. You would guess that after so many years they would finally learn how to handle it but they just seem to loss it when the word appears. Here is a link to our local major news web page... http://www.wbtv.com/
Being retired, I have no need to drive in it so as usual will just wait until the sun melts it all away next week. Always have a stock of can stuff, soups, pasta, etc in the cabinets to last at least 1-2 weeks. The grill on the deck has a full tank of gas and there is a bag of charcoal just in case we need to use the older backup grill. And a kero heater out in the shed for heating just in case a tree (or a dumb driver) takes down the power lines.
Personally, I think the local news people own shares in the grocery stores around here and do all they can to boost the stores sales profits and their own share value with their reports. By noon today, they should start breaking into the programs every 1/2 hr or so with their reports of 'conditions' and snow reports.
I am guessing the farmer who lives nearby will have his plywood plow hooked up to his tractor and will come by to clear our road sometime late Sat afternoon.
Mike / meostamps
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Meostamps. good to hear from you...its the same in the Hudson Valley..let the weather man mention snow you can count on the Hannaford supermarket..known as Sweetbay in the Southland being bustling with folks with full carriages of supplies. I guess they do not realize the roads will be clear within 24 hours. Of course i am different, i still come out with the 3 things i went to get.
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I am further east of Meostamps in NC and the snow forecast has been all over the place - anywhere from 3 to 8 inches - all depends on the position of the low off the coast. It will be cold for sure and supposedly near record levels too.
I do not drive in the snow if at all possible. There are too many people trying to drive and then you risk getting hit by someone. This is why most stay inside.
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My backyard, right now! We had a little snow here west of Philadelphia. Not enough to complain about, even our street was clear by the time I woke up. I work from home on Fridays, so I'm not going anywhere. The photo was taken from a second story window! I did have to go outside this morning and sweep off my wife's car so she could go to work!
No need to go out for supplies here. We recently joined Sam's Club and my wife bought the industrial size carton of everything! I'm better stocked than a mini mart!
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Well, the fun has just begun down here in Rowan County, NC. Sleet started falling about a 1/2 hour ago and then changed over to snow after about 10 mins. My carport roof has a nice white layer on it right now. Outside temp is around 37F so it will probably change to rain for awhile until the temps drop down a few more degrees in a couple of hours. Heads up Angore, coming your way next!!!!
Mike / meostamps
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04:25:07pm
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How long does it take to sort 1000 ww different off paper stamps by country?
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Mike, that multi-layer stuff can be dangerous. One year in New Jersey we had that freezing rain, a foot of snow, topped off with more freezing rain. Then it all froze solid and it stayed cold out. Nothing moved for a few days. Ice is the great equalizer of vehicles, 4 wheel drives slide just as well as cars!
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"How long does it take to sort 1000 ww different off paper stamps by country?"
Depends on how good you are at sorting stamps, what the stamps are, and how you want to sort them. Either way, does it really matter? It's a hobby for relaxation, not a time trial.
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Tom, we normally get 2 snow falls a winter at the most around here and usually no more than 2-3 inches worth. The air temps were over 32F for the short time the sleet fell so it just melted on the roadways and should not be any problem. The State DOT did run brine trucks all day yesterday and today over all the major roads which should work fine as we did not get any rain to speak of to wash it away. Just a light snow falling, about 1/2 inches worth so far and since the temps are now at 32F all we should get from now on s/b snow. It will be cold Sun & Mon mornings (down to the low teens F) but a high of 60F on Thursday so we can just wait it out. Have plenty to do indoors until then.
The only one not enjoying the snow is my indoor-outdoor cat, Mr B. He is giving me the evil eye as he looks out the den window. He wants to go out and blames me for the snow. I told him if he has a problem, he should call his buddy David Giles up in Ottawa and complain to him as he is the one sending the cold temps down here. HEHEHEHE Here is a picture of him that my across the road neighbor took on one of his daily visits to their place.
Mike / meostamps
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Morning. The power is on, internet is up, and have coffee.
Here in Hillsborough, NC, we got about 3 inches overnight. It is sleeting now. Supposedly just north of us they got a lot more in Roxboro. I do not mind the snow since I planned to work on my stamps but just means no one is going anywhere until Tuesday. It is going to be quite cold and roads icy.
I will be working on some custom album pages today and got in some hinges to mount some Malaysia stamps on Steiner pages.
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Good morning all from a snowy NC!! Now that the sun is up we can see the effects on last night's storm. Looks to be about 5 in. of snow on the ground and some flakes still falling. They are saying that should stop around noon. Temp right now at 25F with a high in the low 30's predicted for the day. The worst will be on Sun & Mon mornings as they are calling for the temps to drop to around 10F and highs in the 30-40F range at best. No power outages reported in our county so it appears we got 99% snow and very little freezing rain overnight. We will start warming up on Tuesday (30f-50f) range and higher still as the week goes on.
It seems Mr. B made the right decision and stayed in last night. Do not see any cat paw tracks out on the back deck. He is curled up asleep in the living room, right next to a heating vent. Guess he is finally learning in his old age, hehe.
Stay safe and warm, y'all
Mike in NC / meostamps
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Hi Al, Just saw your post. Thought your area would get at least as much snow as we did. Winter storms are always tricky to predict around here.
Our place is at the top of a hill in our sub-division. 2 of my neighbors from the bottom of the hill took advantage of my standing offer to them to park their pickup trucks in our spare driveway so they can use them if needed. Snow/ice storms in the past have sometimes made it quite difficult to get up the hill and out to town. Hopefully, the farmer will be by today with his tractor to move off some of the snow so the sun can do it melting job.
Mike / meostamps
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Mornin' Y'all,
8:45 here and working on my second cup-o-joe.
We have had snow on the ground now since before Christmas and not much chance of it leaving for quite a while.
This morning's temperature was a big hearty 7 degrees F. That's about normal for January around here.
Been getting a few things around in preparation of our first stamp club meeting of the year.
We don't meet in December, so its been a while.
We meet at a place called The Coffee House - a big 2-story house turned into a business.
We meet in the upstairs which has a large 3-leaf dining table and 8 high back chairs.
All refreshments - coffee, lattes and such; donuts, muffins, etc; - are paid from club funds.
A very cozy place for a get-together.
I am acting president until April when our club president returns from Fla.
We all always look forward to talking about the holidays, seeing what others have acquired, and also going through the APS approval books
that come once a month.
Hope everyone is having a good morning!
Randy
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Mike, it is actually still snowing here lightly and will take more measurements. The house finches are enjoying the bird feeders with seed.
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It has been snowing steadily here in New York City since ten o'clock this morning. It's windy and quite cold. I would like to stay indoors, but my granddaughter is celebrating her fifth birthday this afternoon and I will need to make my way, via subway, to her place, which is about three miles away.
David
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The final tally looks like 4 1/2 to 5 inches which is a lot of us. Since it was warm a few days ago, the roads are more ice than snow.
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06:47:47am
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Good morning everybody, from a cold and snowy NY state.... No soaking today, will be working on my Aussie stamps... ( which were soaked the past two weeks )..On my second cup of coffee, and my second sticky bun. ( need a good sugar rush to work on those Aussie Stamps ). Yesterday was a pajama day and slept to 2:30 p.m. so I have to make up for some lost time...Cheers and happy stamping..
"The final tally looks like 4 1/2 to 5 inches which is a lot of us"
Angore...is the state of North Carolina closed...
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Not completely closed but many were stuck at home. It was below 10 F so roads are still slick. It happened Friday night and Saturday so a lot less of an impact and fewer on the road. I suspect schools will be closed Monday and probably delayed opening on Tuesday.
I spent yesterday creating album pages for booklets and started mounting some Straits Settlements and Malaysia stamps. The Supersafe hinges are not really peelable.
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Yep, it is COLD down here this morning. We have moved up a couple of degrees from 10F earlier but do not expect to break the 32F mark until sometime tomorrow afternoon. The farmer did come by with his tractor yesterday afternoon and scrapped off most of the snow from our road outside but now there is a layer of ice that needs to melt when the temps rise and the sun comes out. So that looks like Tuesday for that to happen.
Mike in NC / meostamps
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Well, I guess an old dog can learn a new trick or 2. Just managed to download an app which let me make a VOIP call to a fellow collector in India. Spoke for about 20 mins. for a cost of about .17 cents USD. Had been exchanging emails and chats via Facebook with him over the past several years. Was a great experience.
Mike in NC / meostamps
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05:54:55pm
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My Big Mistake... I asked the Mrs if I could buy the 2016 Scott Catalogs
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You did it all wrong!
First you tell your wife that you are going to collect old postal Jeeps and that you just bought this collection on eBay:
Once she stops screaming you say, "OK, maybe I'll just get a new stamp catalog instead".
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A quiet weekend, but one in which I joined at last that ever-expanding club of 'People who have been Trashed by the Australian Forum'. I was unwise enough to make a comparison (note: not denigration) between their Image Uploading procedure and others, including ours. This brought down the fury, contempt and visceral hatred which many of us know and love from down under. My thread was instantly closed with a flounce and a sneer from someone styling himself 'The Pom', while the ever-endearing Glen Stephens directed me, not without another sneer, to the website's Image Uploading instructions. This served only to prove my point (9 steps in their procedure. I reckon 3 in SOR).
When confronted by online rudeness, I regret my instant reaction is to wish to land a firm punch on the perpetrator's nose. I really must relax and grow up.
Weather-wise the UK cannot compete at this time of year with the rest of Europe or, it would seem, from many locations in the US. 'Grey, damp and cool', I'm afraid, no more. But in Moscow they've had the coldest Christmas Eve (6th January) for 120 years. My correspondent notes that the ritual striking of the clock is followed by the national anthem, to which many of the older Muscovites sing the Soviet words to that stirring tune rather than the rewritten version. 'There is great nostalgia here', he writes, 'for the old Soviet Union, where most people gained little from the capitalisation (sic) of Russia, and lost a lot in terms of the social benefits'.
This strikes a puzzling note, does it not - as if someone pined for the good old days of the Third Reich rather than modern unified Germany? But the old Muscovite in his seventies would know nothing at first hand of the mass starvations and purges of the 1930s, and may only remember Khrushchev, Brezhnev and later Gorbachev with little of the taint of Stalinism. I probably need to know more about modern Russia before I understand any of this.
Meanwhile, the coffee cup is drained and I must go about the day's business!
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It was 8 degrees here in central NC. I got a lot done this weekend mounting my Malaya/Malaysia stamps -- all those Federal territories.
I will be working from home today. I do most of my work online or using a computer anyway so not a big impact.
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Just plain cold here! Last Thursday, they got 4" of snow, 50 miles north and 2" 20 miles south, not a single flake here, though. It just split and went around us.
Mid to upper 60's by midweek, but then a "significant event" ice storm possible by the end of the week. I don't mind rain and even a little snow, but ice is a whole different story. Back in January of 2009, we had a major ice storm that laid down over 2" and nearly destroyed half the trees on the property. It even uprooted entire trees and took out power lines all over the area! All night long, you could hear the cracking and crashing sound of branches echoing up the hollers. Some so intense, it sounded like cannons going off! It took the better part of two years to clean that mess up and I'd just as soon not go through that again!
On a lighter note, I started breaking down my old album to transfer the stamps to a new one. While it's a lot of work, it's kind of fun getting a close look at stamps I've evidently ignored for a number of years. A lot of this material was put in back when I was 10 or 12 years old and had very little idea of what I was doing. Now that I have access to catalogs, it'll be interesting to see what I might have missed back then.
Hope everyone has a great day,
WB
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Another cold day: 18 F (-8 C or 265 K).
I was able to spot watermarks with some Maylasian stamps using my scanner.
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10:06:32am
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Ok... Good morning...The boss sent me an email to get my arse into work for two or three days.. Maybe I will make enough to buy those freaking catalogs.... Catalogs = the Donalds English..not the Queens...
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10:18:08am
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Good morning Diner friends...on my 3rd cup of coffee...
Yes I have a retirement plan
I plan to work on my stamps.....
came back from last nights stamp meeting with another pound or two of stamps on paper..
I guess I will be soaking this weekend...
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Courtesy of my Spam folder:
Dear Customer,
We can not deliver your parcel arrived at January 11.
Please check the attachment for complete details!
Thanks and good regards,
Samuel Davenport,
USPS Senior Office Manager.
Apparently the post office is cutting corners since Sam seems to have an email address with a Ukraine extension. There's a zip file attached that I will not touch. Delete!
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06:05:58am
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Good morning everybody.... Big decision had to be made for today... Either watch the football games, or go to a stamp show in nearby New Jersey... Well after about 8 seconds of deep thought .. I decided to call up my buddy PhilB..and we will be off to the stamp show around 11...
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Bob, where is there a stamp show in NJ today? I don't see it on any calendar
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I can only wish there was a stamp show within driving distance. With the Chiefs game delayed until evening, I'd have time to do both. We were planning on heading up to K.C. for the game, but the freeze line is between here and there and the roads are treacherous. So, it's a day of working on stamps, drinking cappuccino and catching the game on the tele later. (with a cold beer and Nachos, of course)
GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!
WB
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09:57:54am
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Tom...Wayne firehouse..wayne new jersey.every third sunday of the month.. The guy who runs the show does not advertise on Stampshows dot com nor in Linns... He does a large mailing every month
Whitebuffalo...no wings !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hey Bob, I burnt out on wings about week 6, brats and bloomin' onions about week 12 and nachos are easy, so it leaves me more time to work on my stamp collection. I look at it as "constructive munchy management".
Have a great day at the show and you and Phil be careful out there!
WB
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Hey WB. Would LOVE to see the Chiefs win it all this year. They represent old school AFL. Please lord, anybody but the Pats. Tom Brady got beat up bad last night and they still won by 20 points.
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Ernie, I'd love to see a rematch between the Packers and Chiefs, now that's old school!!
Packers up 7-3!!
WB
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Another damp, wet day today, the clouds low and impenetrable. My second Poetry class starts this evening - the first was last Friday, where the subject was Modernist Poetry, not an area for which I have had much affinity in the past, so it's now or never (as I informed the group!) that I come to terms with The Waste Land, the Emperor of Ice Cream and a lot of European stuff I've never understood. First off was a discussion of Modernist precursors, so we read a stirring bit of Whitman and poems by Apollinaire and Baudelaire. It wasn't hard, as our tutor said, to hear echoes of the first two in the songs of America's most recent Nobel Literature Prize winner!
Our tutor is a devotee of William Carlos Williams, and so would surely enjoy the film Paterson, which is doing the rounds over here. For those of you tired of fantasy monsters, superheroes and unfeasible space epics this amusing, understated (and judging by the Golden Globes and Bafta nominations, underrated) film is an ideal mind-relaxant!
Through the post my membership card for 'The Hopkins Society', a group devoted to Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of our half-dozen greatest poets. Naturally he has never been commemorated on a GB stamp. But who has? Tennyson, Wordsworth, Burns... perhaps someone else would like to complete that list.
Also via email this morning a refund from an Italian dealer of dubious intent - but you can read that dismal saga in another thread. Now it's off in the rain to the supermarket for the week's provisions...
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Am missing work today. Everything here is ice covered - even the icicles have icicles. I actually put on my coveralls and tried to get down our gravel driveway to the gravel road so I could give my husband a road report. Carried an ice chopper for support. Ended up holding that up and sliding down on my rear end. Pretty fast trip. Watched the maintainer (large piece of road equipment usually used to grade dirt roads but fitted with an ice blade in the winter) drive by. He was kicking up a spray of ice about 10 feet high. Now we have one track down the middle of the road that is still icy but now covered in ice chips and the edges of the road are nothing but sheets of ice covered in ice chips. Hoping they spread some gravel later. Husband is stuck in town and will likely have to sleep at the hospital where he works nights. Very glad schools were already closed. Still raining here and that is still turning to ice. The weatherman says it will warm up as the day goes on. For now, I am finally back inside in front of a warm fire having breakfast. Very thankful we still have electricity. Looking like a good day to organize some stamps.
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Bright and sunny today, but gloves and scarf weather. Found out yesterday that I had featured in many of the UK's national newspapers! The reports referred to the death of George Michael, a school contemporary of whom had publicised his juvenile efforts at poetry as featured in his school magazine for 1974. In passing, it was suggested that GM's songwriting abilities may have been the result of my creative writing lessons, as he had been in my class a couple of years earlier as a nine-year-old. Not likely, I'm afraid, though I do remember him quite well. It was a generous reference, though so far I've had no offers to run lucrative Creative Writing courses!
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/george-michaels-old-classmate-uncovers-9616246
Ian, found the above link for others to view.
Mike / meostamps
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Very cool Ian!
Although I've never been a big fan of of his music, as oftentimes happens we've been giving his stuff a second look and listen since his untimely passing. Two things are certain, he was definitely talented and had a very unique voice. Sounds like you made a bit of an impression on those young people. Kudos to you.
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Gerard Manley Hopkins is indeed one of the greats. I think it is a wonderful idea for there to be a Hopkins society.
After all I am a supporter of the American Chesterton Society.
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A few politically-oriented posts just prior to this, although benign in nature, have been removed.
Reminder from The Management Team:
Effective December 1, 2016:
Politics are acceptable only when they help inform the history of a stamp, a cover, or the period in which it was used. Politics, for its own sake, is now just off limits.
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Bubba the fry cook says, "if ya don't want runny pancakes and cold coffee, then this is a..."
WB
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That's sad Michael.
I am on boards for my other hobby where there are no politics allowed. And for good reason. You see the same happy souls from those boards on FaceBook and they are raving political maniacs!
I never saw that on this board. I thought it was nice and insightful conversation. And with the international participation on this board, I always liked to see the varying views from other countries.
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Tom - To some extent I enjoyed politics on SOR too, but the post that was just redacted is an example of why we can't have politics on SOR.
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Tom, this wasn't a decision I made on my own. It was a policy decision made by the entire Management Team. The reason politics is no longer allowed on Stamporama is for the same reason it isn't allowed on other sites, just like you stated.
I think that since it was shut down, the conversations in the Discussion Boards have been much more civil. That's how we would like it to stay. Stamporama was created to foster discussion related to philately. Politics can be discussed in private messages, emails and the many web sites that are designed for such discussions.
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05:03:16am
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Good morning everybody from beautiful ( but very foggy ) Shrub Oak, New York... Well yesterdays stamp show was a big disaster... 1 stamp dealer and the comic book dealer. Well all I can say is that I am a gluten for punishment.. Found out that their is a show in Mineola NY, about a 65 min. ride ( according to map quest ).Going with a buddy from my stamp club, and will be looking for some manila stock cards for Meo-mike and some 102 cards for some dude in Red Hook.. Will be also looking in the cover bins, and also some stamps..
Cheers... and happy stamping
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Go get them Bob...Make them an offer they can't refuse, HEHEHE.
Thanks
Mike / meostamps
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Greetings all. Beautiful morning in Jacksonville, Florida. Today is going to be a great day. My middle daughter is home from Tallahassee for the weekend. She was in a cooking mood so she made us a wonderful meal of fajitas and a big bunch of guacamole. Everything came out delicious and her mom and I sat on the couch watching Law and Order and Family Fued while it was being prepared. It was so nice to have her here and in such a good mood. Love that child.
Just can't seem to find the time to work with my collections the way I'd like to. During the week is almost impossible and on the weekends we always seem to be running around visiting my mom, the in-laws or the outlaws. Time is at a premium and with trying to put these kids through school, money is too. I'll sneak in buying a couple mid-range priced stamps soon.
NFL predictions for today:
Atlanta barely squeaks by Green Bay at home. patriots blow out the Steelers.
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Anyone else notice that SOR isn't sending out post notification emails? I get those for the categories I have an interest in.
It's a windy Monday here in PA. Not a comfortable thing for those of us who live under tall trees! So far the trees are just getting cleaned of small dead branches, I already see a few barrels full of sticks out there.
Here's a photo I just took in the backyard. A few wind storms ago, this huge tree came down across the brook. There was a resounding crash and the earth shook. It felt like something hit the house. It was late evening and dark out so I didn't find out what happened until daylight. This photo is taken from a distance (yes I was standing in the middle of the brook!) to see the length, but imagine this tree is the size of a telephone pole. And notice that it hit so hard that it shattered.
As I headed out to take this picture for this thread, the little red fox who hangs out near my pool took flight and I got to see him fairly up close. A fine little critter the size of a dog, maybe 20 pounds or so. No, I didn't have the camera ready this time.
I'm working from home this week because my client is travelling. Just as well with the weather and the fact that the bridge I often use to travel to New Jersey across the Delaware River is closed due to a crack in the infrastructure. This is the bridge on the Turnpike, so it's a major one that carries 75,000 cars a day. No telling when it will open again.
Glad I'm not going anywhere. So this should be an easy week. I'm manning the home office and answering inquiries as they come in. I have a training program I'm setting up, and will attend my meeting schedule. Otherwise, maybe I'll get some album pages done!
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Hey Tom, that tree looks like firewood to me.
Spent a few hours with my son and grandsons kicking around along the creek looking for these. This is yet another hobby and a great way to spend an afternoon. Amongst the lot are whole and broken arrowheads, some unfinished pieces, pottery sherds and various other tool and utility items. My son found about the same amount of material, while the grandsons mostly picked up mussel shells and played in the mud and water. They were a sight by the end of the outing!
...and this is what's possible if you're in the right place, at the right time. A 5-3/4" Dovetail point that I found a few years back.
WB
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WB! Firewood indeed! Only the previous owner of my house converted our fireplace to gas. I should post it out on our neighborhood email chain and see if someone wants to come do the work!
I love those arrowheads. I've never found anything like that, full of history! I watched that one show about guys with metal detectors who were finding civil war bullets.
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Would not have minded finding this lot!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-38688644
May even have bought a few stamps.
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That large dovetail point is a real beaut! I have seen a collection of two. Nothing quite like that.
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Morning...at work having some coffee and going through my email. I continue to make progress on mounting my 2016 stamps and had to place an order for more mounts.
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I stayed up way too late last night. I was surfing You Tube and found a biography of Beethoven. It wasn't the best presentation, as it seemed to be rushed, but I did learn a couple of things that I didn't know.
When the program was over, "suggested" related videos were presented to me. On one was a picture of a young woman playing a piano. She was dressed in a short dress and very high heels, and the caption of the video said that she was playing a Beethoven piece. Of course I had to watch it out of curiosity. This woman is simply amazing. Her name is Yuja Wang. Here are a couple of videos of her. There are plenty more on You Tube.
Performance
https://youtu.be/ACWMJb2Q0_I
Documentary
https://youtu.be/LRpmSBRP-pU
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The last 24 hrs. have been a little interesting. Just got home awhile ago after spending a day/night at Rowan Medical in Salisbury. Awoke yesterday with a heart flutter, causing my heartbeat rate to jump to 140+ from a normal 70-80 range. Blood pressure also moved up but not as much. I already had an appointment scheduled that morning with my doctor so he sent me across the street to the hospital for an EKG. They confirmed the high rate and moved me into the ER where the doc put me on a med to bring the rate back down and kept me overnight for meds and additional tests. Everything went back down to normal and an ultrasound showed no problem. So I am now back home with a new med to control the heart rate. Not certain of the cause but best guess it might be connected to my lung cancer problem/treatments. Either way, home now, doing fine, intending to get some rest over the next few days and just take it easy.
Mike / meostamps
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Take it easy, Mike, and don't on any account go hunting for that Beethoven link above! Watching that made my heart-rate shoot skywards.
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Glad you checked out ok, Mike. Please just take it easy for a while. And sending good thoughts your way.
-- Dave
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Michael G. thanks for the Yuja links. I've just spent the past hour listening to her. Too bad she's not playing with either the DSO or FWSO this season. I'd be there for sure.
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Ted, I looked that up too. I was hoping she'd be down here for a concert. I really would love to see her perform live. Maybe she'll add a concert date? Something to put on my list of things to do. Maybe 2018?
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08:40:16am
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Meo...take your new meds and work on some stamps.....
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Scary stuff Mike, best wishes on getting through it!
It always amazes me at how quickly advanced some young peoples talents evolve. There are some incredibly talented youngsters out there and that young lady at the piano, is no exception!
WB
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Hey Bob, fully intend to do so after I share my usual pecan twirls and large cup of tea breakfast with Brownie the Wonder Dog. The wife said he was running around the house Monday night looking for me while I was in the hospital. He was happy when he saw me yesterday.
I just posted a note on my Facebook page which might be of interest to some members here. The State of NC (and I believe other states) have a personal tax reduction program for elderly people whose INCOME level is under a certain limit. It does not count the value of homes, cars, money in the bank, etc just income. The limit here is $29,500 and since we were just under that last year, I landed up savings over $250+ on our property tax. Not back for spending a hour to complete all needed paperwork. So you might want to check the website of your county or state tax collector's office to see if they offer the same type of program. It might save you or elderly family members or friends some decent money when you tax bills come around in August/Sept. In NC, the dealing for filing is the end of June. Here is a link to the form for NC residents if interested. http://www.dor.state.nc.us/downloads/fillin/av9_2017.pdf
Time to make Brownie happy.
Mike in NC / meostamps
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I get less tolerant as I get older. Today, for example, I received an order of stamps in which more than half were noted "out of stock". So why were they in your price-lists, then, Mister? Oh, because it's too much trouble to update those, I expect.
Did I get a refund? No. So my money accrues interest in his account until I can be bothered to order again from him.
Were the stamps I got OK? Up to a point. Up to this point:
That one's gone straight back, together with a demand for a refund cheque (and an undamaged copy - fat chance!).
There must be other 'New Issues' dealers in Britain somewhere. I'm off to find them.
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I began my day with a non-philatelic surprise cWW2:
{newsreel} The Secret Rescue: American Nurses and Medics Return from Albania
"Rescue in Albania" // Documentary Film ... 27m
Harold Hayes Survivor of Secret World War II Odyssey Dies at 94
Q/ Re: newsreel. When did they get their hair done? On the British patrol boat?
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
If the embedded links do not play for you, you can cut'n'paste:
https://youtu.be/2No81Ad2aJQ
https://youtu.be/eZ8szhccfZM
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I never knew this about Albania. And I consider myself fairly informed about Europe during and post WW2. I always saw Albania as a tiny closed communist nation ruled by a ruthless dictator. Learned something new today. And hairdos.
Tad
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Looks like we're going to continue to lose notable people in 2017 like we did in 2016. I just saw that Mary Tyler Moore has died. I really liked her acting, and her sitcom was among the best ever made. She also was a strong advocate for several good causes. RIP, Mary.
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Michael,
No Beethoven in the link you posted (but some RockyManinoff at around 1:40)
Here's a modern interpretation of 3rd movement of his sonata #14 in C-sharp minor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZuSaudKc68
Beethoven's piano sonatas are the best of his work. We play them all the time (or try), literally. My son's working on the first movement of the above sonata (but on piano).
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My Beethoven reference was regarding the so-so Biography documentary, which after it was over brought the suggested music videos. There are videos of her playing Beethoven. Here's one of them:
https://youtu.be/itLAlTJt8cs
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I'm headed out to the radio station to play three hours of the blues on http://wrdv.org/ Just click on the little radio on the right side of the screen.
I'll be on 10:00 to 1:00 EST.
Vince
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Here's something freaky, at least for me. In about two weeks' time, I'll be on Social Security. Back in the day, would I have even thought that day would have come? It was even surrealistic doing the paperwork and going to the Social Security office. It's an encounter of another one of those "life's moments".
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Hey Michael. You earned it. Hoping it's there for me one day. Sad part is, it's part of my retirement plans.
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It has been a tumultuous week. My car has officially died. It served me loyally for 12 years before giving up the ghost.
Now I have to work on finding a new car to buy. I plan on buying a new car (rather than one previously used).
I am looking for a mid to full sized car.
Any recommendations?
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Smauggie,
What will you need the car to be able to do? We love our Subaru outback for its ability to go almost anywhere, but I need all-wheel drive every day. Will you be doing in-town driving mostly? Good luck and have fun new car shopping!
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The vast majority of my driving is around town. As I am getting older in age I am beginning to weigh the merits of a small crossover/SUV but without advanced off road abilities. Getting in and out of a higher seat is nice. I did some test drives today and I like the Ford Escape. Hopefully soon I can test drive the Mazda CX-5 These vehicles are in my price range.
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"Looks like we're going to continue to lose notable people in 2017 like we did in 2016. I just saw that Mary Tyler Moore has died."
And now John Hurt.
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Barbara Hale, of Perry Mason and 40's and 50's movie fame, passed away yesterday. I am a big Perry Mason fan...have the whole series on DVDs and watch them while exercising on my treadmill.
I got a shipment of mounts in yesterday so will be trying to finish up my US 2016 new issues on custom album pages.
Al G.
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Just got back from another trip to Duke Cancer Center (about a 4 hour trip from here in Hendersonville NC). I highly recommend Duke to anyone who is seeking top medical care; but more importantly they have outstanding food services! Incredible selection ranges from their own outstanding buffet to in-house Panda Express, SubWay, Chic-fli-A, Salad Express, Starbucks, Einstein Bagels, etc.
But I do have to add that Duke is not the least costly hospital. I had a kidney removed a few months ago, checked in on Thursday, operation on Friday, and drove home on Sunday, 3 nights. Hospital room cost = $60,000 (just the hospital cost, not the operation, tests, imaging, etc!). Total medical costs in the last 20 months is now north of $2.1 million. Hurts more than the illness and needless to say, puts a bit of a damper on the stamp budget.
Agree with hoping that 2017 is better than the last couple of years.
Don
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Best wishes Don,
Hoping the doctors and care givers are able to implement exactly what you need for a fast and full recovery. All the very best in 2017.
Ernie
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I'm glad I live in Canada. All hospitalization, procedures, tests and physican costs are fully covered. Good luck with all the medical costs there in the States......
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Best of luck Don.
To come from Hendersonville, you likely came in I-85 so not that far from where we live. I live about 15 min from Duke Hospital.
Al
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It just dawned on me that 2017 marks my 55th year collecting stamps.
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To the cinema yesterday for the newly-opened (in the UK) Hacksaw Ridge, a well-made, if fairly conventional film about some remarkable goings-on at Okinawa in 1945. As is my custom I dropped in on the chatboards of the Internet Movie Database, and was amazed to see how many vitriolic, rude, insulting, racist and sexist remarks had been made recently, not about the film itself, but about those who presumed to comment on it. "GIRLY MEN Don't Like This Film" proclaimed one post; I sidestepped the dismal prospect of scrolling through the responses and counter-responses to find out the argument (if there was one) behind this. "Bitch!" hollered another, inserting an exclamation mark where the i goes, as if this somehow validated the comment. "Jew!" spat a third, on what evidence was not immediately clear.
What is going on here?
In the interests of good fellowship I have deleted the final two sentences of this post.
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Come on, Guthrum... really?
"What is going on here? I struggle to think what, in the past few days, could have prompted the bigots and the loudmouths to feel confident in emerging from under their stones to spew this stuff in public."
Do you really think those types of comments are new to the internet discussion boards just "in the past few days"?
The new policy of no political discussions has prompted a more sneaky, veiled political commentary on SoR. bobbemyseh Hoy vey.
-Ernie
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Ernnie,
You said what I was thinking. It is showing up in other threads also. Some people just need to grow up. It is so childish and distracting to keep on with this nonsense.
I like the notes to moderator instructing "this is not political" please don't remove. Why would you put that disclaimer if it is not political. Don't the moderators of this site have more to do then try to keep up with the foolishness?
Vince
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Bubba, get yer fryin' pan!
Michael, congrats on a great accomplishment! You should write an essay on the changes you've seen over the years.
WB (feelin' the love!)
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Don,
Take it easy and get well. It sounds like you are in good hands at Duke.
grorod,
since you don't pay for any medical expenses up there in "Canada", who does pay for medical services? I'm confused, I don't understand how it is free. Can I come up there and get free medical service?
Vince
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Vince, here is the answer to your question on who pays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Canada
We do pay for the cost of prescription drugs although some have private or works coverage. Calling an ambulance is a private cost, around CA$250 I think. (not confirmed, just off top of head.)Just checked the web, boy was I wrong. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/no-free-ride-ambulance-bills-in-manitoba-highest-in-canada-1.2947262
Medical costs are tax deductible but only over a set base figure dependent upon income.
I guess the answer is "don't get ill", easier said than done.
Vic
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WB, I have often written little snippets on this site and elsewhere about some of the past doings in the hobby that I have seen or read about from stamp newsletters going back to the early 1900s.
I used to have a small collection of "The Westerner" (I think that's what it was called.) from the early 1900s. It is/was? a philatelic newspaper. When I read several editorials, letters to the editor and an article or two in the newspapers that said (remember this is the early 1900s), "Stamp collecting is a dying hobby." I started to discount all discussions relating to that premise. I also see this in the print of model railroading magazines that model railroading is a dying hobby.
The hobbies persist. They have changed over time. They may not be the same as they were 100 years ago, but they are still here.
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Here's one of the "huh?" moments.
I was looking at listings of things for sale related to a performer. Someone was selling signed photographs of the performer. The seller stated in the item description that the performer, "signed autograph in person". Well, I would hope so!
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"Don't the moderators of this site have more to do then try to keep up with the foolishness?"
Yes, like trying to share our enjoyment of the hobby with others here, which is what this site is supposed to be about.
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Oooooohhh, nice zinger Michael!
Text deleted by moderator
(Modified by Moderator on 2017-01-31 14:12:01)
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"...The hobbies persist. They have changed over time. They may not be the same as they were 100 years ago, but they are still here..."
I concur. People look at the decline of the brick and mortar stamp stores, club memberships, and shrinking publication subscriptions and think that the hobby is dying. In my opinion the hobby has simply evolved. All of the above where impacted by the internet. The way we get information has undergone a paradigm shift; we want and expect to get our information in real-time and mostly for little or no cost.
Sadly our hobby has lagged behind this information access evolution. Many clubs and organizations were slow to embrace this change and to this day still have not made the transition very well (i.e APS website and online resources). Catalog and album publishers should be light years ahead of where they are now. Some dealer have made the transition but many others have not.
To be honest and I don't know how others feel about it, but it sometimes feels to me that we (online hobbyists) are a bit like 'redhead step children'.
Don
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I think a few more posts should have been deleted by the mods.
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05:55:54pm
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
Why people have the misconception that medical costs are free in Canada is a mystery to me.
Medical costs are NOT 'FREE' in Canada. A portion of our Federal & Provincial Income Taxes are used towards the cost health care in this country. In some Provinces we pay monthly medical insurance premiums or pay a Provincial health tax based on income when we file our income taxes.
Each Province has their own medical plan and each plan differs.
In British Columbia residents pay monthly premiums for basic doctor & hospital services. If your income drops below a certain level, your premiums are reduced. If you are very, very low income or on social assistance you pay nothing.
These premiums are not tax-deductible. Drug prescriptions and medical supplies providing they are prescribed by your physician are tax-deductible but are only allowed if the expenses are more than a percentage of your income (I think it's 3%).
For prescription drugs Senior Citizens in some Provinces (not British Columbia) pay a small dispensing fee of a couple of dollars for each prescription. In BC we pay 100% of prescription costs until we reach a yearly deductible and then BC Pharmacare pays a percentage of the costs. The cost of many drugs & medical supplies do not apply towards your yearly deductible.
If you travel outside of your home Province to another Province within Canada we are advised to purchase 'Out-Of Province Health Insurance'. To answer Vince's question - NO you cannot come up here and be covered under our Health Insurance and we cannot come to the USA or any other country and have out health costs covered unless we have private health insurance plans or 'Out-Of Country Health/Travel Insurance'.
Liz
NOTE TO THE MODERATORS - If this message is considered to be political in nature, please delete. It is meant to clear up the misconception being relayed that health care is free in Canada. It is NOT free.
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A bird just flew into my back patio glass door...that's the end of that bird and the glass door...
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Liz,
I don't and didn't believe heath care was free in Canada. I was questioning grorod's post about everything being covered in Canada.
"I'm glad I live in Canada. All hospitalization, procedures, tests and physican costs are fully covered. Good luck with all the medical costs there in the States......"
I did check out Vic's links to Canadian health care I see it is not free and seems there are limits on the when and what care is received. I'm not saying it is better or worse. Maybe I read too much in the post because it looked to me as a comparison to care in the States compared to Canada and I wanted to understand free care was better and what is included with free.
Vince
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"A bird just flew into my back patio glass door...that's the end of that bird and the glass door..."
"Think we should've told him about Windex?"
WB
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If you like this kind of music https://youtu.be/o44L_e9bZrk
then tune into http://wrdv.org/
tonight 10-1 EST. I will be playing more music from the festival.
Vince
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I test drove the Subaru Crosstrek and the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The Crosstrek was too small for me, and the Outlander really impressed me. It's at the top of my list now. Still have to try out the Kia Sportage and the Mazda CX series.
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Antonio, my first "Japanese" car was a 1973 Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi) I paid $1,900 for it and i sure did not lose any money on it. Once i learned where the headlight dimmer switch was (on the column not on the floor by the left foot) it ran great. It was a tiny wagoh..but so were my kids..the steering was great...i think it was rack and pinion. I do not know of any Mitsubishi dealers in my area.
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Antonio,
Being a certified mechanic for the past 26+ years, I can recommend that you skip the Kia Sportage;
The Mitsu Outlander has had a good track record and I/we see it very little in our shop other than the occasional oil change.
Just a wrench-turner's thoughts!
Randy
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05:44:53am
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Good morning everybody from beautiful Shrub Oak New York... ( home some of the greatest stamp collectors in the world )...
Antonio..may I suggest one of my favorites....The Ford Pinto....
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true story :
My dad said he bought a Ford Pinto brand new off the lot and he and my mom were driving one day and the steering wheel came off of the steering column while he was driving down the road. NOT COOL.
Ernie
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In the latter half of the 1990's my best friend had a 70's Pinto and we went everywhere in it. The Kia Sportage was already at the bottom of my list and I haven't test drived it yet. Now I won't even bother. Thanks for the good advice Randy.
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I owned a 1972 Ford Pinto and in short order I had a wreck and it was totaled. The car never ran that well ...stalled occasionally and then hard to start. It was basic transportation and more reliable than the Vega due to the engine issues. The Vega was much harder to work on too.
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"My dad said he bought a Ford Pinto brand new off the lot and he and my mom were driving one day and the steering wheel came off of the steering column while he was driving down the road. NOT COOL. "
LOL, brings back memories. In the 1980s and 1990s I owned and drove nothing but Studebakers. My daily driver was a 1950 black Business Coupe. I had done a daily driver type restoration (not frame off). The car was quite reliable, got great gas mileage, and I actually drove it in the movie 'Dirty Dancing'.
But I was never able to pull the steering wheel for a decent refurbishment. I must have tried ever puller every made; the wheel simply would not come off without me doing damage to it. It was held on with a single nut; the steering column was really just a long threaded pipe. (Back then it was not uncommon for steering columns to impale driver in a crash!)
Stupidly I had left off the retaining nut for at least two years, convinced that wheel would never, ever come off that column. Wrong. of course it came off; the day my wife was driving it down the road! Thank goodness she managed to stop but to this day I still hear about it!!
Don
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i drove over the Hudson River this morning on the Kingston Rhinecliff bridge...there was a barge being pushed down the river and not a speck of ice anywhere. Ten years ago they would have needed a Coast Guard ice breaker to cut a channel in the ice. Coming back home i had a nice eagle keeping me company..they love to sail over the bridge.
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My brother in law had a yellow Pinto wagon. He bought it used off a new car dealer's lot and paid way too much for it. He had a problem with it. Every so often it would not start. He'd pay someone to tow it to their shop, fix it and then the problem would repeat itself. One time it did this in front of his parents' house. I listened to it, opened the hood and gave the starter solenoid a whack. In those days the solenoid was fastened to the inner fender well. The car started instantly. I told him what I did and that if he had that replaced, he'd be golden. I knew it went right over his head.
A few months later he had enough, and asked me to sell the car for him. Since it was registered and insured I drove it. A few days later, the car refused to start. I gave the solenoid a whack and it started. I drove to the auto parts store and bought a new one. Two bolts and three wires later, the car started and ran well the rest of the summer!
I looked in his glove box and there was a huge wad of repair receipts. Over and over garages all over New York had "fixed" the car. Receipts not two months apart declaring that they did a complete tuneup and replaced the plugs, and did other unnecessary repairs. Any mechanic would have noticed the plugs were brand new, so it was sheer fraud on the unknowing fellow. And not one of them even tried to replace that faulty solenoid!
It was a nice little car to drive. It had a four speed and I loved tooling around. I was sad when someone actually decided to buy it!
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Phil said,
"Does it come with a tank of gas ?"
I thought you weren't supposed to put gas in them due to explosion risk....LOL!
My sister had a (well-)used 1974 Vega....the year they DIDN'T sleeve the cylinders in an ALUMINUM engine block! The car had less than 80k on it and smoked like crazy.
I personally had 2 Chevettes - great little cheap cars to buy, drive and fix!
I snapped a camshaft in two on my first one - no worries! Took me all of an hour to put another one in and be back on the road! Camshaft sat on the very top of the engine in what was called a "cam carrier". Piece of cake to remove it and bolt a used one on in it's place!
Drove that car all through my automotive schooling years!
Randy
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i remember when i worked at IBM in the 1970s and 80's quite a few if the guys traded cars every two years..unless they were real car nuts or had to keep up with the neighbors ..it did not make sense to me to have a permanent car payment !
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Randy, i almost remember the name...the little Pontiac where they took a v8 engine and cut it in half to make a four cylinder. A kid i knew purchased one and i thought he was joking until he lifted the hood...time frame 1963. P.S. gas was dirt cheap, who needed a 4 cylinder engine ?
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In 1971 I got my first job. It was at a full service gas station (there really weren't any others at the time). Regular gas sold for $0.31 per gallon. About six months into the job, the price went up to $0.34. Now I was just a 16 year old high school student. People would drive up to the pumps. I'd go out and greet them. Many would roll down their window, called me a "thief" and drive off. How I bet they wish that gas was that price now!
Regarding a Pinto, I had a 1972 medium goldenrod colored Pinto hatchback. I got it when my 1968 Opel Kadette quit running. Never had any mechanical problems with it, although it tended to burn some oil. I traded it for a 1978 Camaro Rally Sport. The Pinto's body was rusting out pretty bad, especially the driver's door, but that was it.
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My wife drove Pinto's from about 1978-'84. She worked in downtown Wichita and they were perfect for getting around in city traffic. As they died, we would use the rack and pinion steering in the outlaw cars we were racing. I'm not a big fan of Fords, but the Pintos suit their purpose and the early Mustangs appealed to me. In the end, like Michael, it was a '68 Camaro that set me down the path of Chevys still to this day. There's nothing like a big block Chevy with a 4 on the floor!
WB
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My 1999 Camaro was one big POS. The '78 gave me very little trouble, and I put the miles on that baby.
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It was my 1980 Chevy Citation that turned me off GM forever. My wife had Cavalier (82?) and it was a really nice car (upgraded interior, good 2.0 engine, handled well) but I never forgave GM. She got a later model but it was not as good as the first production design. The father in laws S-10 and Impala (did not handle well at all) never impressed me either. I was a Mopar man (dad was big on them) since the 80's. They had body hardware issues (things I could fix) but the base was usually very solid (engine, trans, etc)
I worked as a mechanic for a couple summers and did much of my own work for some time. I also drove cars to and from auctions and dealers so spent much time fixing things to get them right.
One of my favorite cars was a 1969 Pontiac GTO with a radial tuned suspension. We had a pair of green ones they were quiet, roomy, and rode very well. My second favorite was the early 70 Chevelles. As all GM cars did, they rusted out around the back glass. The early Ford Torinos were very nice as well. I always wanted a Plymouth Duster though.
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02:35:32pm
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And a very happy Superbowl Sunday everybody..........Getting ready to go to my sons house for the big game, wearing my NY Jets Tim Tebow jersey...( Just to bust my sons chops )he's a big Patriots fan...Also picked up a big package of Tums for the heartburn tonight. Well have fun watching the game, and if it gets boring there is always the stamps to play with....Go Jets
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Wow... looks like we are going to have to call Atlanta the Cleveland of the South!
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Probably the best Super Bowl ever! When I don't have a dog in the fight I just like to see a close or come from behind game. I never was a Gaga fan but she nailed it with probably the best half time performance ever. Most of the time I go away from Super Bowls thinking that was a waste of time.....this one wasn't!
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Happens so often in the NFL where a team jumps out to a huge lead and loses focus. Can never do that with New England.
28-3 Atlanta quickly turned into 31 unanswered points 28-31 New England. What a 4th quarter, and what a catch.
I didn't have a dog in the hunt in this game. I just want an entertaining game. It didn't look like it was going to be that, but Brady woke up. He was invincible in the 4th quarter and OT.
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Michael, Touche'
You chose your words better than I. "Dog in the fight" is to politically incorrect especially when talking football.
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I agree with you about Lady Gaga. I had never heard her sing before. he has a very good voice.
The drones were amazing.
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I did not see or hear one second of the Super Bowl. I was working with my stamps and listening/watching MST3K shows. I am not a big sports fan especially pro level these days.
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News on the radio this morning is that the Russians Hacked the Superbowl.
I think it's time to have some more coffee.
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I'm not a football fan since I grew up outside the USA. Still we had it on in the den to see what politics may have happened (thankfully not), and the controversial commercials. Even I found the end of the game exciting. When they went into OT and they were about to do the coin toss, I told my wife "this toss decides the game". And interestingly enough it did!
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"News on the radio this morning is that the Russians Hacked the Superbowl."
And 3 million illegal aliens cheered for the Patriots.
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I have never, ever seen a football team completely implode like Atlanta did last night. They choked bad. The Falcons defense was exhausted by the 4th quarter. If their offense had done ANYTHING in the 4th they would have won. Gotta hand it to Brady, he's the man.
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This thread has gotten long and it is taking a while to load. I'll start another thread for the Diner.
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When I select the thread, it opens and jumps to the last unread post in less than 1 second. The jumping to the last thread is the real time saver. It is pretty quick but I have a fast connection.
Al
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
0.34 in 1971 = $2.01 in 2016 as adjusted with inflation.
Gas was cheaper in 1971, a bit
Tad
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Tad, that's interesting.
I have thought that the commercials telling people to go out and buy silver and gold as a hedge against inflation was really nothing over nothing. Buying an ounce of gold years ago was with dollars that were worth more. The price of gold has risen as the value of the dollar has shrunk due to inflation. Probably about the same results as your example with the oil. The only time that I see where there is a difference in rising prices, except for inflation, if there is a monetary collapse, or huge speculation drives up the market ala the Hunt brothers with silver in the late 1970s.
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Here is the active thread of the SOR Diner.
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Ha! It must be a sign. SOR returns and the appalling rainy weather we have had (it seems like for months!)seems to have changed today and it's a lovely sunny, late afternoon now.
I felt a bit delicate today as I drank a fair bit at a friend's house yesterday where I'd been invited for lunch. I think it was the Sloe Gin she'd made that tipped me over the edge!
I'm delighted to say I've finally moved all the junk out of a small, spare bedroom and turned it in to a study for my stamp collecting. Anything to do with stamps is in there with my desk and a comfortable arm chair. I spent an hour or so rearranging books and magazines etc today but I think it's finished now.
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Chuckle for the day...
I went to Walmart pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions. As usual the young girl attendant asked, "Date of birth?"
I reply, "9-16-58"
She looks at me and says, "I need the day too."
I reply, "Do you really think I was born in 1658??"
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Haha. You dont look that old Tom!
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Hey Tom... the post was suppossed to read "You don't look that old". Ahh, 1658. Good year. Rise of Lord Protector oliver cromwell. Wonder how Brits see him now. Hero? Villain?
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
In all these western movies and TV shows, have you noticed there is never a character names for a northern city? Coming soon....The new TV Show - The Man from Fishkill.
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
"Ahh, 1658. Good year. Rise of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Wonder how Brits see him now. Hero? Villain?"
Oliver Cromwell and the English Civil War do not feature in the British primary curriculum, and so young minds eager for knowledge are denied that period (and Sam Pepys, and the Great Fire, and the Plague, etc., etc.)
Whether older children study, or remember much about the period from secondary school I do not know. Somehow I doubt it. So the answer, Ernie, is that Brits do not really see Oliver Cromwell at all - no film (since Richard Harris in 1970, in a film that ends just as Cromwell's political career starts) or TV series has been made, and he forms no obvious part of the national consciousness.
His statue remains defiantly in front of the Houses of Parliament, so tourists may well notice him, but the rest of us... no.
For those of us with an interest in history, who have perhaps read Antonia Fraser, Cromwell, Our Chief of Men (1973), the simple dichotomy does not hold: at times a hero, at others, a villain, a man who found the trappings of power restrictive - perhaps more of a soldier than a politician.
For those who are Irish, there is no argument. Cromwell was a murderous villain, and they will tell you so to this day, with plenty of evidence in support.
So, do we categorize a man by his worst moments? Does his appalling record in Ireland wipe out any positives he may have accrued during the rest of his life? We may debate that, but sooner or later we fall back on the only way stamp-collectors have to determine our country's view of the man. Does he appear on any of our stamps?
No, he does not. He thus becomes surely by far the most significant historical figure in British history not to be 'honoured' with a commemorative issue.
Good answer?
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
Think the nearest GB got to Cromwell were the stamps issued in 1992 for the 350th. Anniversary of the Civil War, but no mention of Cromwell.
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Those are some really lovely model railroad layout pictures. I saw a very nice railroad and trains based stamp exhibit once at a stamp show in Kent, WA. Given that the stamp club that sponsors the show used to be the Boeing Employees Stamp Club (now the Evergreen Stamp Club) there have been several rather incredible exhibits related to airplanes and stamps with great historical pictures of real planes and comparison planes on stamps over the past few years that I have had a chance to go to the shows. Between the exhibits and a former, fellow church member who used to be a B-52 pilot and collects planes on stamps plus the Antonius Ra presentations here on Stamporama, I am starting to look at airplanes on stamps as an interesting topical option although so far I am continuing with my world wide and Canada collections as my major activity. I have never done a topical collection before. I have made great headway though on the Canada collection for the 1912 to 1978 period and made my first purchases on the province stamps for Newfoundland this week.
I did acquire the first two items for my USA collection that I didn't have that I have bought in several years. I have done a few upgrades where some stamps had some known flaws or eBay auctions presented some opportunities in the past couple of years but no new stamps in quite a while due to sticker shock.
For the first time I got a chance to go to the Seapex (Seattle Collector's Club) show this year. I really enjoyed visiting the dealer's tables this year. Most fascinating item seen was an ancient stamp album that only covered the years's 1893 to 1894 in a standalone world album.
I read in the American Philatelist yesterday that the Birmingham, Alabama stamp club will be hosting a regional APS show in February 2018. I attended shows in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Jackson several times when I lived in Birmingham and remember seeing the most interesting civil war exhibit I have ever seen at one of the shows.
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
The other evening I watched a show called Restoration Garage, about the Guild of Automotive Restorers in Canada. A nice car show without drama. The owner David Grainger went to an airshow and there was a lot of cool background on early aircraft, including interior footage in a Ford Tri-Motor, the plane that probably carried a lot of our airmail covers. The commentary was about the auto makers in the war effort and showed aircraft engines by Studebaker and planes assembled by General Motors. I'm not a plane guy but I found it very interesting.
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
Studebaker Owned Curtis-Wright and they supplied the B17 engines. They also built a 'Weasel' which was a pretty cool tracked vehicle.
Don
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10:33:13am
re: The SOR Diner 2017
As far as Oliver Cromwell is concerned most fictional references (historical novels) show the Royalists as the Goodies and the parliamentarians as the "Baddies" forgetting of course the excesses of Prince Rupert's mercenaries and the legendary Stuart stubbornness of Charles 1. Any other monarch in history( other than another Stuart) would have been able to come to some "arrangement" in other words compromise. Of course it didn't help that most of the Stuarts were Catholics and it was thought that Charles I, although nominally a protestant was constantly flirting with Catholicism, and after Tudor times Catholicism equalled Treason.
Of course Regicide is a terrible crime, and references imply that there was some reluctance to go down that road. However as in almost all violent revolution what starts out as a "broad church" ends up with ever more extreme elements in charge. ( France 1789 and the "Terror", Russia 1917 and the Bolsheviks ).Violent politics is like brewing beer -the scum rises to the top ! While I don't believe in Cromwell as evil personified, some of his influential fellow travellers were not Saints !
It doesn't help of course that the victors get to write the history and although on paper Parliament won the battles and the military war, once the restoration of James II came the propaganda war at least was lost (forever ?)
The truth is that there were atrocities on both sides, but there were also highly principled men on both sides too.
Malcolm
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
This image is for the nephrologist who said I would not survive the night in Nov 2015, the Wake Forest University oncologist who told me I had 6 months to live in June 2016, and the Duke University oncologist who told me I had a 15% chance of surviving a year in Jan 2017. This week I had dialysis on Monday, chemo on Tuesday, dialysis on Wednesday and Friday and 12” of snow last night. Ha! I am still vertical and shoveling this morning and loving every minute of it!
I am sure these professionals are right, Stage 4 cancer prognosis is not rosy. But to be honest after a while you get acclimated to the grim outlook and just start living, and enjoying, each day one at a time.
Don
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re: The SOR Diner 2017
Life is a precious gift!
But then, you already know that, don't you, Don....
Best Wishes to you!
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