Another Funny Coronavirus from my neighbor… Moe Howard from the Three Stooges.
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Funny Coronavirus PSA… by my neighbor!
Why We Are A Divided Nation
Today, you have the right wing blaming the Democrats for the government shutdown and the left wing blaming the President. We are a nation dangerously divided along party lines, within families, and amongst friends to the point where it’s easier to just “unfriend” someone as oppose to read another one of their annoying posts.
So, how did this come about? It wasn’t like this in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Yes, there were disagreements, but nothing at the levels we see now. The advent of the Internet did play an important role, but the real answer lies in the Fairness Act of 1949. Continue reading
Title of my Next Book
The name of my next book is “The Zero Sum Conclusion”. I’d love to hear what you think that means. Think 50 years into the future
Religious “NONES” Need To Organize!!!
How do you organize a group of people who shun organizations but need representation? In other words, how do you herd cats? Any ideas?
This is a great article on the rise of the religious “nones” or those without religious affiliation.
Boredom and Brilliance
How To Remove Sealer From Brick
How To Remove Sealer From Brick
If you want to remove a sealer from your patio brick, use a hot water power washer.
There, I said it. Nothing more, nothing less. I’ve tried several different methods and, quite frankly, this is the best way to go. If you go to your local rental company on a Friday afternoon, they will usually rent the machine to you for the whole weekend and charge you for just one day. You’ll need a truck to haul it around though. Make sure you use a machine that has at least 3500 psi but you don’t need any more than that.
Here is what my brick looked like after the sealer had turned into an opaque haze:
I tried muriatic acid and it did nothing. I used a sealer remover, which sort of worked, but was so slow, tedious and expensive. Finally, I saw a video about using a hot water power washer and gave it a try. Here are the results:
You can see the difference!!! Spectacularmongo!
The hot water power washer peeled the sealant right off. It was messy and it wasn’t fast but it worked really well. Make sure you wear old clothes because you will get dirty and wet. The gun is hot so wear a long sleeve shirt, plus, steel toed shoes are a MUST. This washer will tear your toes right off.
Now, my brick is back to its original form and I am loving it!
Good luck.
Boredom and Brilliance
I was spending the weekend at Crystal Cove State Park enjoying the ocean view 
with my wife and daughter when I noticed that all my daughter wanted to do was watch a TV show on her cell phone. We couldn’t get her to play in the sand or even take a nice sunset stroll with us. Then while I was going into town to get groceries, I heard an NPR podcast with Manoush Zomorodi about her new book, “Bored and Brilliant – How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self.” All of a sudden, the light bulb went off.
Manoush has figured out one of the biggest problems with today’s society and made me realize that cell phones and social media platforms are sucking the creativity right out of us as human beings. We’re all guilty of peeking at our phones unconsciously throughout the day, but I didn’t realize how obsessive we were about this until she explained the phenomenon. Of course, I immediately bought her book and am reading it now.
I implore you all to listen to her podcast because it will change your life. Well, if nothing else, it will chance your opinion of cell phone use.
Reverend Jed: Memories of a Madman
There was a nice article in my college town newspaper about Brother Jed and my college days.
Here’s an excerpt:
And if entertainment executive/author TOM LOPINSKI (left) hadn’t crossed paths with one JED SMOCK (right) during his years at the UI (off and on, 1976-81), his most recent novel would have one less colorful character.
For the Georgetown-born Lopinski, now director of music licensing for the Disney/ABC Television Group, the most memorable campus personality wasn’t a coach or a professor but rather a preacher — though not the traditional presiding-over-Sunday-services variety.
“Reverend Jed entertained students every spring and fall with his fiery sermons and a relentless desire to save us all from ourselves,” Lopinski says. “I spent many an afternoon sitting on the campus grass watching a crowd form around him as he spun tales about spiritual enlightenment and captured our hearts. He ignored the subtle slurs, constant giggling behind his back and in-your-face direct rebukes that followed him everywhere… READ MORE
Thomas Lopinski - Author 