Leave It To Beaver

I recently got to meet Jerry Mathers, of Leave It To Beaver fame. He was in town promoting an organization that helps get prescription drug coverage to those who need it. Read more here...www.pparx.org

And print it!

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of Lee Elia's infamous 1983 rant in which he labeled Cubs fans bums. Those were the days when it was easy to get a ticket to Wrigley. The team was horrible and they'd be lucky to get 10,000 fans. They'd close off some sections so they didn't have to clean them later. Oh, there were no lights either, but it wasn't bums who hung out watching daytime baseball. It was the true-blue fans who were there, taking a half day off or playing hooky. The fans who supported the team even when they were hopelessly out of the race even by the All Star break. I know he was sticking up for his players but as Harry Carey might have said it at the time "Holy Cow, they stunk."

Welcome!

First let me say congratulations to Elizabeth Wooley on the birth of her daughter! And welcome to Marianne Manko who takes over the 10pm anchor chair with Jerry Lambert at Channel 20. Let's see, you just missed an earthquake, but tornado season is upon us. And coming from Texas, our winters will take some getting used to as well. Then there's the government goofiness (that's probably the same everywhere.) So if I haven't scared you off yet, congratulations and welcome to Springfield!

Bad Example

I found this interesting. You may have already known that for years, advertising cigarettes on TV or radio has been banned, but did you know in the early 60s the Flintstones actually endorsed Winstons? See the video here...http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4ed37fe846 What else don't I know about my beloved cartoon characters? Did Shaggy ever calm his nerves after a ghostly encounter with a shot of Jack Daniels? Did Yogi Bear steal cases of camper's beer along with their pic-a-nic baskets? Was it spinach or steroids that made Popeye so strong?

Gesundheit!

Well, here I am thinking deep thoughts again. Like, why do people say "Bless You" when you sneeze? A sneeze isn't a life threatening situation and often means nothing more than the environment you're in may be dusty or something has tickled your nose. Now, a cough which could be the sign of a cold, bronchitis or something worse, seems like a better time to bless someone. Why not a "bless you" if you bump your head, stub your toe or even get a painful paper cut? Perhaps the sneeze is simply more of an interruption, some being quite loud. Maybe the "bless you" is a way of saying, "your loud sneeze has interrupted my thoughts, but it's ok."

Tax Time!

Tomorrow's April 15 so if you haven't done so, get those tax forms in the mail. You may have heard there's a simplified form this year, only 2 lines. 1. How much money did you make last year? 2. Send it in.

Driving 101

Ok, time for a quick refresher. When you see this sign (such as in the construction area on I-72) it means you should merge to the left as soon as possible. It does not mean keep going in the right lane til the last possible minute, then put your blinker on and hope someone lets you in. This causes a bottleneck. Or maybe you think the sign is kidding...ha, ha, I'm sure the lane's open...what are all those orange cones for? Construction season's here again, let's drive safely and smartly!