September is for surprises

The summer comes to the end, and Winter is in the distance.

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64 Responses to September is for surprises

    • Fred Stiening says:

      The USGS confirms that North Korea has exploded a significant nuclear weapon that registered as a magnitude 6.3 earthquake.

      • TheChairman says:

        All the ‘news’ sites are blaming Trump for an impending conflict; their comment sections are overflowing with liberal antipathy. Trump has been in office for 7 months. I don’t see any articles pointing a finger at Obama & Co. for letting it fester 8+ years.

  1. Fred Stiening says:

    For people who subscribe to Amazon Prime, the PBS series of Bob Ross creating paintings is available for free to help you relax while we wait.

  2. Parrott says:

    Man if the SRG site was up I bet it would have had a weather alert headline across the front, ‘Alert Irma on the way’ . Strap down your shipping containers ! (maybe)
    ( Now 99 % ‘no it wouldn’t’ since I suggested it might have).

    I can’t remember the hurricane or the year , but I remember listening to the Norfolk VA radio station and they had taken up residence in a large building in downtown Norfolk to ride the storm out. Live, It was good. Found them on SRG. Can’t remember the call letters, written down somewhere here, i think.

    Question to Countess, does the period go inside the parens or outside the parens, if a sentence ( fragment) is in parenthesis ?
    thanks
    parrott

    • Fred Stiening says:

      I get confused about periods (and queston marks) used with quotation marks. My memory was that if the period was part of the quote, it goes inside, but if the quotes are not enclosing a quote, the punctuation goes outside:

      “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” was said by whom?
      There are few people who can claim to be “Great Americans”.

      • CC1s121LrBGT says:

        For a time, I had worked for a British company and became aware that these rules vary by country. Especially interesting is where to the the comma after that divides a sentence.

        USA: “Listen to this stream,” he said.
        UK: “Listen to this stream”, he said.

        You can play with this using the grammar checker in Microsoft Word by changing your language to different versions of English to get suggested corrections.

        I googled just know to confirm and saw an article saying that the British version is starting to take root in America. I think that is a good thing. I have punctuated my sentences that way for ages, partly because as a programmer, and someone with advanced mathematics, it seems to me to be the logical way to group items.

        I suggest you may becoming confused for those two reasons, the American version is not logical and because the British version is starting to appear in America.

      • TheChairman says:

        I tend to favor the UK style/rules; it is English, and also because computer programming syntax tends to follow suit. Of course, my term papers were always marked down by teachers.

    • countess robini says:

      dearest parrott: the ap stylebook is the bible of punctuation in the newsroom. ap says the period belongs inside the parens.

  3. Fred Stiening says:

    Country Singer Don Williams has died at age 78

  4. Seems a lot of us here like Chris Plante. WVLK in Lexington, Ky. has added him to their lineup in the 10 am-noon Eastern slot. He replaces Lee Cruse, who has a lot going on as morning news and midday co-host at WLEX-TV.

    • CC1s121LrBGT says:

      Thanks, JerseyDevil. I believe KCMO in Kansas City also has him from 10-1 ET, for the full three hours (with a one hour delay. )

      Reliable live streams seem to be WGOW AM Chattanooga, WXML in CT and the flagship WMAL in DC which also has the podcasts.

      The magic of Chris Plante, for me, is he crazy politically incorrect nicknames for people in the news and some of the shock value associated with what he says regarding them. Michael Savage has that to some degree but seems to be heavier on the hostility and lighter on the humor than Chris Plante. I will say that I got a chuckle just now that prompted me to reply to your note while listen to Savage criticize CNN and the people that work there, including someone that he referred to as “Jake Woodpecker” . lol

      • Parrott says:

        yeah, Plante is funny. especially when he gets rolling on Chelsea manning, Holy Cow !
        I don’t know about you guys, but how are you finding new radio stations to listen to? ‘tunein’ sucks, nothing plays from there.
        I H radio: I refuse to allow on my computer.
        I tell you, I have about seven or eight stations I roll through and its getting slim.
        luckily I wrote down some old call letters for some of the older ones I listened to in the past. & Links.
        sucks not having SRG. It was unique and you didn’t have to worry about it leaving turds on your computers hard drive. It was cutting edge.
        I actually had to turn an actual radio on the other day to listen to savage opening monologue. Thats all I listen to of savage, just the beginning.
        parrott

        • Fred Stiening says:

          Countess has a C Crane WiFi radio. It uses the Reciva database

          • CC1s121LrBGT says:

            I have a Grace internet radio that also uses the Reciva database. Prior to owning the radio, I was able to register as a user on the Reciva site and use it to play stations on my PC. That was about 10 years ago and I am not sure that they still let you register on the site unless you have a radio. The User Interface it not all that straight forward but it is good for stations.

            Stations don’t really help unless you know what you want to listen to. I know you like talk radio and one of the best sites for that is http://www.talkstreamlive.com/ It shows you icons for all the talk show hosts that have shows now and then you can click on them and see the stations. It is a good substitute for SRG but does not let you see what will be in the next hour as SRG did. It is not perfect, but it is main SRG replacement for talk shows.

            Truth be told, I don’t like to listen to live streaming – too many commercials and often too many boring subjects. Instead I prefer to download the podcasts of my favorite shows and skip the commercials.

            One show that I would recommend is probably the only live Saturday morning political interview show – 6 AM – 8 AM on WMAL. I only listen on podcast because the how is about half commercials and local traffic and news. Skipping past them and playing it back at 2x speed, I can listen to the full two hour show in about a half hour. https://audioboom.com/channel/wmal-saturday-talk

          • countess robini says:

            the c crane radio has a thing on it that lets you look up stations by genre. it’s been ages since i made any real changes to the pre-set buttons i programmed into the radio when i got it years ago but i do remember that search-by-genre feature.

            by the way, i absolutely love my cute little c crane internet radio but i gotta tell you: the clicker is truly awful.

            speaking of c crane, last week i got a pillow speaker from them. (I’ve had one for years but i think it’s still in something i have yet to unpack. so i broke down and bought another one.)

            it’s a little round speaker thing with padding and a blue fabric cover over it. (no color choice on the fabric.) it has a nice long cord that kind of bends where it’s attached to the speaker (so it doesn’t snap/break.) the one i got also has a volume control button on the cord so you don’t have to fiddle around in the dark with the volume control on the radio. (I have the pillow speaker plugged into the wonderful sony clutch radio i’ve had for years — the same one chairman got for mrs. chairman.)

            the pillow speaker costs $24.99, plus shipping.

            it’s worth every dime. this set-up let’s me fall asleep at night to bbc world service without the sound disturbing fred.

            • CC1s121LrBGT says:

              I have pillow speaker that I have plugged into one of my internet radios. It is a very nice thin flat stereo pillow speaker that I had found on Amazon. I like it a lot.

              A newer option is the very small wireless bluetooth earbugs. Some are now small enough so that you can lie on your side and with a pillow you don’t really feel them. I had tried it once with wired earbuds but woke up one morning and nearly dragged the radio off the dresser and onto the floor because I had forgotten I was wearing them.

              If your radio does not support bluetooth, you can buy a bluetooth adapter.

        • countess robini says:

          dear parrott: now that i’ve sort of figured out the buttons in the car that make the windshield wipers work and the windows go up and down, i’ve moved on to learning the radio buttons. when i’m out by myself for shopping and errands, i push the button that just keeps moving you along from station to station. (I think it says “seek” on it.) i found an oldies station last week using this method.

          for me, there is still something amazing and magical about listening to live radio over the air in the car. or the house. or anywhere. i love radio.

  5. Fred Stiening says:

    Through the magic of virtualization and super fast communications lines, SRGuide was moved from one data center in Dallas to another. The transfer was completed in about 7 minutes with nothing more than me pressing a virtual button from 1000 miles away.

    In the good old days, such a move would have taken weeks of planning, a shutown of many hours and a substantial risk of physical damage to a physical server.

  6. Fred Stiening says:

    I learned today that Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), leader of the #nevertrump movement, is related to the Udalls. His dad was a first cousin of Senator Mo Udall. Mormons are smart enough to not throw all of their support to a single political party

  7. countess robini says:

    there’s been a flap recently in philly over a statue of former mayor frank rizzo that’s been on public display for years.

    i talked to my sister in jersey a few days ago and she informed me that another piece of public art is now on display right near the rizzo statue. here is a link to the story that ran in the inquirer, along with a pix.
    http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/arts/mural-arts-adds-an-afro-pick-sculpture-to-the-plaza-with-rizzos-statue-20170912.html

    • Fred Stiening says:

      That could be useful for cutting cheese

    • CC1s121LrBGT says:

      Frank Rizzo had several controversial careers. Local people knew him for his police work and then elected him as mayor… and that is how most people outside the area know him.

      After he was mayor, he had a third career in talk radio, on a 50,000 watt clear channel station… if you don’t know it if, it is because it was before streamingradioguide.com πŸ˜‰ Fortunately a clip of it exists on youtube. Caution, the first 5 or 6 minutes of the 11 minute clip are commercials preceeding the show. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwdxP7WLXn4

      • countess robini says:

        for a philly girl, it was neat to listen to all those old commercials. thanks.

        • CC1s121LrBGT says:

          Glad you enjoyed that. You may remember Bill Corsair & his Rascals on WCAU back in the early 1970s. I listened to it before I discovered Larry King on the overnight.

          Here is a short sample:
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCDH67Rcb68

          • countess robini says:

            yes, i remember this show. regular callers invented cute names for themselves that they used when calling in.

            i, too, switched over to larry king when i discovered his late-night radio show on mutual. got to meet him when he came to philly to do a show sometime in the early 1980s. (my late husband interviewed him for a newspaper story and i tagged along.)

            he had a producer named tammy haddad who was with him for years on radio and, if i remember correctly, she moved with him when he started doing the tv show on cnn. then she left the show. things changed. not for the better.

    • briand75 says:

      Amazing how much of retail is distressed. Yes – Amazon and other online merchants cut deep into brick and mortar sales, but Toys R Us has the presence where kids can see and touch – isn’t that still important? Ah – maybe I am becoming old fashioned.

      • Fred Stiening says:

        Over the years, I went in their stores a couple times. I expected a welcoming environment with a talking giraffe. Perhaps some model trains or toys set up to experience. What I found was open racks like a Costco or Aldi’s and minimal staff.

        • CC1s121LrBGT says:

          Toys’R’Us was a great place to take kids to see the toys advertised during their cartoons – like the Sears catalog was for us in the 1960s. When I first went there, they did have staff, but with their financial problems, they cut back to save costs.

          Their prices were high and Walmart carries all the popular toys at much lower prices. For the less popular toys, Amazon has them at lower prices and has a phone app so you can see the Amazon price before you leave the Toys R Us store.

          Lots of toy shopping is for kids to buy presents for their friend’s birthday parties – invitations are sent more than 2 days in advance.

          Other shopping is for kids to identifiy to their parents what they would like for their birthday, or for a religious holiday (such as Christmas) – both are also more than 2 days in advance.

          There is very little impulse buying for toys and correspondingly little need to pay impulse buying prices.

          Al Gore killed the Giraffe – not from the global warming of all his private jet flights, but from when he invented the internet. πŸ˜‰

      • briand75 says:

        I see they actually did file Bankruptcy today. My late wife used to work there many years ago and it was as you describe back then. There have been buyouts/mergers since which seem to have made the company into a placeholder that generates very minimal revenue.

      • countess robini says:

        you can be old-fashioned here. it’s fine.

    • Fred Stiening says:

      It is only the US part of the company. I wonder if the proceeds of the debt was sent outside the country. Goldman Sachs fingerprints are all over this deal…

      http://nypost.com/2017/09/19/toys-r-us-strange-silence-forced-its-bankruptcy/

  8. Fred Stiening says:

    Already bankrupt Puerto Rico is being clobbered by Hurricane Maria…

    β€œMaria – I just met a wind named Maria, and suddenly that name will never be the same to me”

  9. Fred Stiening says:

    Heidi Harris has been dumped from KXNT-AM in Las Vegas for posting her opinion on Facebook that children put up for adoption should be placed with married couples, not two gay guys

    http://www.ktnv.com/news/contact-13/las-vegas-radio-host-sparks-controversy-over-same-sex-couple-adoptions

  10. Parrott says:

    Hey parrott is back How are you all ? I have been away at work , hate the work.
    I hope all is well , and no hurricane is knocking on your dooor. I watched San Andreas movie again. Good luck mexico.
    Hey Chairman, is sept a good time to visit MI ?

    Thank you for answering my questions on punctuation Mrs Countess. You’re the best !
    Hope to see you all one the other side since the rapture is this Saturday the 23 . Or not.
    but if we are I will be wearing my N&W archives shirts, cause I have archives this weekend in roanoke. ( I told mrs parrott she can find me since I wont be at the house on saturday, I will have my N&W shirt on)

    have you all tried Mr, Jefferson’s Virginia whiskey ? its good,

    it helps me get through work,
    best regards
    Parrott

    • TheChairman says:

      Welcome back Parrot. I’ve been drifting in and out, busy selling our MI house. September is okay, but we’re getting a ‘last blast’ of summer this weekend: high 80’s low 90’s. October is when the leaves really change color (north to south).

      • Fred Stiening says:

        Heading to Belize?

        • TheChairman says:

          lol… actually, I’m partial to southern Chile and Argentina.

          In fact, we are getting ready for our seasonal migration to Arizona. Being as we are both 55+, a 2-3 story house with stairs is not part of our future. i.e. We want a single level house in MI. In 2018 we’ll look in U.P. on St Marys River or Lake Huron/Michigan. The Mrs. wants a ‘water view’.

          • CC1s121LrBGT says:

            Ever been to what people in Phoeniz call “Arizona’s Beach”? i.e., the salt water beach of “Rocky Point”? Most people outside Arizona don’t know how close the salt water is… even people there forget about it until the fall rainy season. I’ve never been and hope to visit some day. Any thoughts?

            • TheChairman says:

              Puerto Penasco as it’s known… where the desert meets the sea. Until you reach the beach, you’ll know you’re in Mexico for sure. The beach zone has been largely Americanized, and there’s a Sam’s Club and and a few other chains. Popular with retirees and (in spring) college students.

    • countess robini says:

      dear parrott: missed you (fred mentioned just a day or two ago you’d been real quiet.) glad you’re back.

      looks like you’ve been travelling much lately. i remember back in the spring you were planning a trip to quebec. did you make it there yet?

  11. CC1s121LrBGT says:

    September Surprise : As I am typing this, I am listening to Jerry Doyle on an advertisement / psa talking about the importance of advertising and giving a toll free number for people to call if they want to advertise on his radio show. It was during a break in the Eric Wattenburg show. A real voice from the past.

    • CC1s121LrBGT says:

      BTW- That Eric Wattenburg is the son of Bill Wattenburg, an interesting talk show host that you had told me about a few years back, Fred. I heard the show on WGOW Chattanooga as I wrote the note above on the 24th.

  12. Fred Stiening says:

    Supplication on bended knee is an interesting way to give President Trump respect

  13. Fred Stiening says:

    National EAS test today at 2:20 PM ET

  14. Fred Stiening says:

    Hugh Hefner is still dead

  15. Fred Stiening says:

    For the first time in probably 35 years, I parallel parked. I have the male gene.

  16. Fred Stiening says:

    β€œLet’s make a deal” host Monty Hall has looked behind his final curtain

    • CC1s121LrBGT says:

      Carol Merrill is still standing…. she she hopes to make it through her own door number 77 on January 19 2018.

      What was the name of that store in Chicago that seemed to sponsor many of the prizes that Ms Merrill presented?

      • CC1s121LrBGT says:

        Answer: It was the Spiegel Catalog. (founded by Joseph Spiegel in 1865)

        • Fred Stiening says:

          What was their zip code?

          • Parrott says:

            my parents use to get the Speigel catalog and the Aldens catalog.

            60609,
            I had a uncle that lived near there, before they moved to Barrie Ontario.
            parrott

            • CC1s121LrBGT says:

              That sounds right, Parrott. One could google it their address / zip today may be different than what it was.

              I did not remember that, but I do remember “H3C 3A8”. I am sure you could figure out what it is with a google search. It was the postal code for Radio Canada International, and the CBC Northern Service in the 1970s. Before people had text messaging, email or even fax machines, they wrote letters and send them via the post office. If you wanted to reach one of their shows, that was part of their address. It was also the address for the CBC studios and offices in Montreal.

              I have used that postal code many times in the internet age. 15 years ago, I used a music streaming service that was only available to Canadians. It was before they started looking at IP addresses – they only required a mailing address WITH POSTAL CODE in Canada. If you ever visit your uncle, you may want to install some apps for Canadian stores (to go on a Timmie Run, for example) and H3C 3A8 may be just the ticket. πŸ˜‰

    • Fred Stiening says:

      For some brain exercise – the Monte (sic) Hall probability puzzle

      https://www.khanacademy.org/math/precalculus/prob-comb/dependent-events-precalc/v/monty-hall-problem

      By the way, Monty Hall was a Canadian

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