Here we are live (not really) at Ford's Bar and Grill and my hot roast beef sandwich just arrived via cheerful waitress Katie. This entree, with mashed potatoes and gravy, a generous scoop of buttered corn and TWO rolls, is one of my favorite dishes. And it's especially good here at Ford's. Ah, here comes my beer...Pabst Blue Ribbon on draft...in a frosty glass! Now, what's in store for us with today's Reflections.
Have you heard this one? Not long ago, the man some have called "America's most hated man" because of his price-gouging with the drug Daraprim, has been arrested on federal charges stemming form his losing a lot of money for hedge fund investors. Martin Shkreli, 32, is charged with taking $11 million dollars from Retrophin, a pharma business he once CEO, to reimburse unhappy clients (some call that embezzlement).Maybe he was gonna pay it back.The feds are charging him with securities fraud and conspiracy. "Bio-tech's bad boy" could get 20 years. I doubt if they use expensive drugs in prison.
Under "dumb and dumber", the feds are cracking down on Allegiant Air for basic stupidity. The FAA is pushing for more pilot training so they don't run out of gas. An incident this summer found two pilots, who just happen to be execs with the firm, had to make an emergency landing at a closed airport because they didn't enough full fuel to reach their destination. Maybe these "pilots" need to watch old war movies like "Twelve O'Clock High," "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" or "Island in the Sky" to learn how to manage fuel use. Maybe even "The High and the Mighty." But then, planes are equipped with an old-fashioned gadget called... a FUEL GAUGE!
My friend Dan Mathews of the Highway Patrol just dropped by and I asked him, as I do all my friends and strangers alike, if he had a favorite quote or words of wisdom to share with my readers and Dan related this nice little tidbit.
It seems Jerry, a boy about 8 years of age, had saved a puppy from drowning in a flooded street. Jerry got an award and after the ceremony Jerry told Dan that he was scared while pulling the puppy to safety. After shaking the boy's hand, Dan imparted these words to the young hero. "Bravery is a man who's scared but still does what he has to do." I think we ALL can learn from that!
It's come to my attention that being honest and sharing your thoughts concerning religion could get you fired. Seems one Larycia Hawkins, a TENURED political science professor at Wheaton College, had the gall to state that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. The "school" (I use that term sarcastically) is filing papers to terminate Dr. Hawkins since she has refused to resign. While it's true that Christians worship Jesus as The Redeemer and Muslims look to Allah for their salvation, both Christians and Muslims (and Jews) recognize the same God as the creator of the universe. It is quite obvious those behind the drive to remove such a firebrand as Dr. Hawkins haven't read the Qur'an! And what happened to free expression? Looks like at Wheaton, a "center of higher learning" (again sarcasm), any verbal support of the religion followed by Muslims can get you in deep kimchi! Freedom of religion? Yes, as long as it's the RIGHT religion.
I read the comics everyday in our local paper and I've read them for many years, as I'm sure many of my readers have.
Classic "Funnies" of old like Peanuts, Miss Peach, Pogo and one of my all-time favorites, Tumbleweeds, were staples in newspapers across this land. Calvin and Hobbs, Bloom County (then Outland) and Doonesbury came along, some to pass from the scene. Overboard, Pearls Before Swine and of course, Garfield, are real favorites for me.
But over the years, "comics" have, in my opinion, declined dramatically. More and more of them feature one (maybe two) lame characters in just-as-lame situations. This includes the single panel entries as well. I see these daily panels as cheap generics, probably much less costly for the papers. (In generics, you often get what you pay for, like paper towels). But alas, these "Funnies" ARE syndicated works!
I might be prejudiced (sour grapes?!) since I approached some of the same syndicators a few years ago to handle my writing. Since I'd been writing a community column for two local papers for awhile, I felt my chances were good. Wrong! I was fed the line that the work was good...BUT.
So, work that I felt was good (and told so by others in the newspaper business) was unacceptable but what I see every day with lame characters and situations gets high marks and syndication. Sigh.
What have I learned from this? If I should find myself seeking syndication again (yeah, sure!), I'll be sure to include one or two lame characters along with at least one lame situation. That combination will probably ruin a good column but it just might work!
Well, I've finished my meal and Katie's brought me another icy cold Pabst. Glenn Miller's "Little Brown Jug" is wafting from the Wurlitzer, so I think I'll just sit back, enjoy the music and watch the patrons come and go for awhile. Until next time, remember this Irish blessing (I'm an honorary Irishman):
May the road rise up to meet you,
May he wind always be at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
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