Happy Ending for Cactus Jack

A curious Yorkie-terrier mix puppy smacked face first into a cactus plant and remained stuck to the cactus until someone heard the yelping from his backyard. The Good Samaritan called the Arizona Humane Society, and the organization immediately dispatched workers accompanied by emergency rescue personnel to save the distressed dog.





The Good Samaritan had already removed a bucket full of cactus needles by the time rescuers arrived. Throughout the ordeal of extracting the remaining invaders, Cactus Jack, as Humane Society workers eventually named him, wagged his tail without a whimper.

After a veterinarian examined him, he was pronounced in good condition and given antibiotics to stave off possible infections. Cactus Jack remained at the Arizona Humane Society for a week until staff deemed him ready for adoption. So many people wanted Cactus Jack Thursday that names were placed in a bucket to determine who would adopt him. Sara Messerschmidt won the drawing and transported  him to his new home that day. She had been searching for a puppy, and when she saw his story, she know Cactus Jack was the one for her.  Because he attracted so much interest, eight other dogs were adopted in an hour last Thursday.

One look at his face convinced this blogger that Cactus Jack will make an adorable pet for Sara. I hope she lives in an area far away from cacti, so that his curiosity won't land him in another prickly situation.

Read More

Beware of Marco Rubio's Views on Foreign Policy

Marco Rubio, Republican Senator from Florida, delivered a foreign policy address at the Brookings Institution Wednesday in which he detailed a foreign policy that calls for more global intervention and stated, "What happens all over the world is our business." Well, of course we must pay attention to the world because we're all entwined globally. However, that does not mean we must send troops to reflect our interest. This blogger has wearied of the parade of wounded vets whose lives and those of their families have been affected adversely.



Rubio will not support deep defense cuts or avoid interventions that argue "enough is enough.". The United States has neither the economic means or numbers of people serving in the military to handle the hot spots in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. We have ample evidence to show that Iraq has devolved into infighting among various stakeholders, and Afghanistan does not act with a unified vision because much of it still operates with a tribal mentality. Senator Rubio, your ideas return to a time when military action occurred without much public scrutiny. Citizens are paying more attention today. I don't want my tax dollars spent on actions that produce a zero sum gain. A major part of the reason we have a current deficit lies in the unnecessary wars in which we have engaged in the last decade.

He believes that the United States must be involved in all global turmoil. I suggest that his stance borders on ludicrous. Our resources have been stretched to the breaking point, and we can't possibly deal with every problem in the world  We must concentrate on those that pose the greatest danger and operate under irrational leadership, such as North Korea and Iran.

Rubio scares me, especially if he runs as Romney's VP, and readers must use due diligence when they vote in the coming election. Previous posts have dealt with the power of women to send a strong message. We must tell him in direct, persuasive language that we don't want to engage in war with other countries unless they attack us here. Rubio and others who have the same message are not promoting an effective approach to current world problems.

Read More

Madeleine McCann Case Reopened

Madeleine McCann disappeared May 3, 2007, while on vacation with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Scotland Yard Detective Police Chief Inspector of Homicide and Serious Crime Command, Andy Redwood, has appealed to Portugal to reopen the case which it closed in 2008. He and his team of 37 are reviewing approximately 40,000 pieces of evidence and have identified 195 leads that could yield important clues.

Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, fell under suspicion initially but have since been removed from the list of suspects. They have fostered attention to the case throughout the five intervening years in hopes someone will see her and notify police. The AP composite above shows Madeline just before she turned four along with an age progression showing how she might look today. 

Chief Inspector Redwood told reporters, "We believe that is the only way that we can properly establish what has happened to Madeleine McCann and ultimately bring closure by solving this case. I am satisfied that there are opportunities there for Madeleine McCann to have been taken as part of a criminal act. Within that, we can see unanswered questions."


This case garnered worldwide attention five years ago and hundreds of possible sightings have been reported. The Scotland Yard team still has some that it feels are worthy of further investigation.

Read More

The Insanity of Approving Florida's 12th Public University

Governor Rick Scott's "deer in headlights" expression in the photo at left, typifies his modus operandi since taking office in 2011. Friday, he signed a bill establishing Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland as the twelfth university in the state's system. With a flourish of his pen, Scott circumvented a decision made last year by Polytechnic's Board of Governors. Outgoing Senator JD Alexander bullied them to the point where they would allow the campus to split away from USF Tampa, after meeting certain benchmarks, including a minimum enrollment and accreditation, neither of which have yet been met.





Polytechnic currently operates as a branch of the University of South Florida in Tampa, and its creation as a separate university will adversely affect the money that USF receives.  In fact, Scott slashed $300 million from the budgets of the eleven existing universities in the state. Scott tried to reassure taxpayers that “the new university will not result in additional financial strain on the State University System.” Ham on Wry believes that the governor must use voodoo math for his calculations. In order to offset the losses, USF has already announced tuition increases for next year.

Taxpayers and parents of students attending Florida's public universities should remember this when Governor Scott is up for reelection in 2014---not soon enough for this blogger. His actions have vastly favored businesses over citizens, as have those of the Republican-dominated legislature. This latest outrage came in the form of a bill approved by the legislature. Together, the governor and the legislature have decimated fire and police services and educations budgets have suffered as well. We don't have to wait until 2014 to rid ourselves of yahoo legislators. We can do that this November.

One bright spot has emerged from all of this nonsense. Senator Paula Dockery, a Lakeland Republican, said Scott’s pledge to be fiscally accountable to taxpayers “has been irrevocably broken,” by establishing another unnecessary public university. At least one Republican has the good sense to call him out on his ignorance. She deserves a hearty round of applause for her courage in breaking the lock-step mentality in the Republican Party.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/21/2760476/gov-rick-scott-approves-bill-creating.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/21/2760476/gov-rick-scott-approves-bill-creating.html#storylink=cpy 

Read More

Wake Up, Women of America!

Representative Virginia Foxx, pictured at left, Chairperson of the Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee is woefully out of touch with the current astronomical costs of higher education. Her following comment about people who graduate with student debt should raise the hackles of students and parents everywhere in America. "I went through school. I worked my way through. It took me seven years; I never borrowed a dime of money. I have very little tolerance for people who tell me that they graduate with $200,000 of debt or even $80,000 of debt."

Well, whoopee for you, Virginia.  That was 1968; this is now. Why is Ham on Wry addressing this to women?  Because it's only part of the purpose of this post, and many students have single moms.

In 1968, the average yearly cost for tuition, room, and board for a public university was $1,245. In today's dollars, that equates to $1245.00 for a year of college (National Center for Education Statistics). Does anyone who is paying for a higher education attend a university or college that charges so little for a year of college?  How can anyone in the position of chairing a committee that involves higher education make such an off-the-wall statement? This person actually holds a position of deciding how tax dollars are spent for higher education.

Digest that information for a minute before continuing readers, because the next information should anger any woman who has suffered violent abuse.  Republicans are threatening to vote no on the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act passed in 1994 when Clinton was President because lesbians have been included in the new version. Take a moment to research Janice Shaw Crouse and Phyllis Schlafly to learn their views on this issue. To those readers too young to remember Phyllis Schlafly, she spearheaded the movement against the Equal Rights Amendment in the 70's. Essentially, she feels that VAWA promotes divorce. Well, duh!  If she ever bothered to visit CASA or any of the thousands of shelter for abused women and their children she might have an epiphany about the wisdom of leaving a violent relationship.

Rush Limbaugh is another case in question, but readers can access the previous blog about his reference to a law student as a "slut" because she advocated for coverage of birth control in health care plans.  He did not, however, call for eliminating Viagra or Cialis.

This year more than ever, women must educate themselves about every candidate on the ballot, support well-informed female candidates, and rid the nation of misogynist who endeavor to make women second-class citizens. And, by the way, the overwhelming majority of candidates in question are Republican. 

Read More

A Farewell to Dick Clark

AP file photo from 1957

The photo of Dick Clark on one of the American Bandstand shows brings back fond memories of that era when I was a wannabe teenager. When this show hit the airwaves, rock and roll hit new heights and gained a legitimacy that it previously lacked.  Dick often sat among the regulars on bleachers and handled his role as MC in a casual, unassuming way that made him seem like a friend.

I couldn't wait to get home from school every afternoon to watch the kids from Philadelphia dance on the show and see what singer would perform that day. Arlene and Kenny, Justine and Bob, Bunny and Ed, regulars on the show, vied for the most time in front of the cameras. Jerry Lee Lewis was first to perform on the shoe and Chubby Checker launched a new dance called the the twist in front of an audience on American Bandstand. Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka, Fats Domino, and Chuck Berry appeared on the show in the early days as well. Fabian was the one singer that I thought had zero talent, and he didn't last long on the pop scene.

Clark asked teenagers their opinions of new records through Rate-a-Record. During the segment, two audience members each ranked two records on a scale of 35 to 98, after which the two opinions were averaged by Clark, who then asked the audience members to explain why they had chosen the scores.  Those comments often made a record climb the charts or caused its doom.

Dick Clark embraced rock and roll and made it okay to sing along and dance the crazy dances of the that day. The mashed potato, watusi, the stroll, the jerk, etc., could be danced without a partner so anyone who wanted could participate. He was the quintessential nice guy that everyone found ways to praise for his role in the rise of rock and roll and its eventual evolution into the music of today.

Bidding good-bye to Dick Clark is like losing an old friend. He was a gentleman in a business filled with greedy promoters and managers. Farewell to a man who was truly "a legend in his own time."

Read More

Grace, the Loyal Labrador, Goes Home

Grace will not be going home with the man who videotaped her as she guarded an injured yellow lab that had been hit by a car. He made certain she was safe and visited her at the shelter where she was taken for examination. Instead, she will return home with the couple that owns her.

Staff at the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control shelter took care to verify that the couple were the true owners of the dog, whose real name is Maggie. While at the center, a vet checked Maggie, spayed, her and implanted a  microchip to ensure that she will never be a dog with no name.


The unidentified owners will answer to authorities as to why Maggie was loose without a leash, why she had not been neutered, and why she hadn't been vaccinated or licensed. They had been searching for her ever since she disappeared and had even checked at the shelter, but she hadn't been taken there yet when they visited. Shelter staff described Maggie as extremely gentle, and her story attracted many people who wanted to adopt her. Ham and Wry admonishes the owners for their lack of proper care for this special animal. Now that Maggie has had so much attention, I hope her owners take better care of her.

Read More

Hillary Clinton Kicks Up Her Heels in Columbia

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proved that she can let her hair down Saturday night in Columbia. She arrived at Cartagena's Cafe Havana with a dozen female aides just after midnight.  She danced the rumba, drank beer from a bottle, played the maracas and shook hands with each of the 11 band members before leaving about an hour later. Now there's a woman who knows how to relax and have fun! 

Some reporters tsk tsked that Hillary shocked attendees in Cartagena for the Summit of the Americas held during the past weekend. Others wrote that she acted in appropriately in the face of continued unemployment in the US and military personnel in harm's way.  Give me a break! She deserves some stress relief after all she has faced since taking office.




The same writers that accuse her of scandalous behavior must not watch any of the drivel that passes for reality TV. I guess some reporters have nothing better to do than criticize people in the public eye.  Ham on Wry disagrees with those who believe she stepped out of line and applauds her. "You go, girl!"

Read More

The Undeniable Differences Between President Obama and Mitt Romney

Ham on Wry is tackling some issues in today's blog that will factor into the election in November this year. Understanding other cultures and global challenges occupies a position as an important consideration one can use to choose a candidate to for President. The United States can not insulate itself from the rest of the world because a global economy and instant communication exist today. It is impossible to disengage from the variety of relationships we have with manufacturing, financial, communication, and technology partners, for example. President Obama has lived in multi-cultural environments and attended school in Jakarta, Indonesia when his step-father, a student at a college in Hawaii, was called home after President Suharto took office. Some see that as a drawback. This blogger views it as an asset that allows him to understand some of the biggest current trouble spots .

President Obama has overseen the elimination of Osama bin Laden and some of his top leaders in Al Quaeda and has gained respect from G8 members and other allies. His call for working in tandem with other nations to solve the crisis in Libya proved successful as well. He avoids knee-jerk decisions to send our military into nations that are facing internal conflicts and haven't attacked the United States. A major part of the reason we face a budget deficit lies in the fact that he inherited the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars from his predecessor. Previous blogs have listed the financial outlay and the cost in injured soldiers and damaged or lost equipment.

President Obama understands the financial strains many families face because he experienced them himself. He lived with his grandparents for many years, who had money constraints that forced them to live humly. He faced adversity as the son of a white mother and African father, which allows him to understand those kinds of problems in our society. His wife sometimes sneaks into target or a grocery store, just to mingle with people other those who frequent the White House. Obama "feels our pain."

To those who continue to doubt his citizenship or his religious affiliation, I say, "Get over it!" These criticisms mask the true intent of such doubts. President Obama is mixed race, and some people have problems accepting him as their leader. Shame on all of them! Every human has well over 99% of the same gene make-up and Caucasians are a minority in the world. It's time to bury racial issues and live fully in the 21st century.

Mitt Romney has led a mostly privileged life. He was the last-born of George and Lenore Romney and went to public school until he reached 7th grade, at which time he attended Cranbrook, an all boys prep school in Bloomfield Hills near Detroit where the Romneys lived. George Romney served three terms as the Governor of Michigan and served as Richard Nixon's Secretary of HUD, so Mitt was exposed to politics at a very young age.

Mitt served as a Mormon missionary in France, so he lived in another culture, which, at the time, was predominately white. However, France is one of our allies, and it didn't teach him anything about third world nations. He met his wife Ann Davies before leaving on his mission and returned home when he felt he was losing her affection. They married soon after and had five children, all boys.

Romney spent his career in consulting, starting at Boston Consulting Group, then joining Bain, and eventually headed Bain Capital as its CEO. Not long after making the switch, he changed the model from buying start-ups to buying existing firms with borrowed money, known as leveraged buyouts. He garnered an excellent reputation for a fair management style and success in running Bain Capital. The company's main aim was to maximize the value of acquired companies and the return to Bain's investors, rather than creating jobs at the acquired companies. As such, some of the LBO's wound up in bankruptcy and many were forced to lay off large numbers of employees. That alone stands in stark contrast to what Obama is trying to do his first term. It creates a disconnection with the current emphasis on lowering the unemployment rate in the US. Mitt Romney knows how to make money,  but he does not know anything about creating jobs in the businesses of which he was a part.

The majority of Americans don't have money in offshore accounts, nor do they have a personal net worth of    at least $190 million in blind trusts and an additional $75 million or more in blind trusts for their heirs. I don't know whether Ann has ever shopped at Target or a local grocery, but I suspect she has had a great deal of help in handling household affairs with that kind of money. Mitt strikes me as a decent human being who has no idea how to interact authentically with ordinary people because he isn't one and really never has been.

No matter what a reader thinks of President Obama personally, I don't think we can afford to change the nation's leadership in the middle of the many conflicts in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Mitt might be a nice guy, but running this country isn't about profit, it's about people.

Read More

Loyal Labrador Stays With Dog Pal Struck by Car

Photo provided by LA Country Animal Care and Control to AP

Aptly named by Los Angeles County Animal Control staff and volunteers, Grace, a black Labrador, refused to budge when another dog was struck by a car Wednesday in La Puente, California. She stood by the yellow Labrador, despite the danger posed by oncoming traffic, and remained there until Animal Care and Control arrived on the scene and took her to the shelter.



Many species of animals have demonstrated an amazing capacity to grieve in the same way Grace did when a video capture her lying down next to her stricken friend.  Elephant herds will halt their journeys when they encounter a dead elephant, no matter whether it belonged to another herd, and trumpet their sadness at its loss.
Ham on Wry believes we can learn much from animals about loyalty and selflessness, such as Grace demonstrated.

No one has stepped forward to claim 2-year-old Grace, so she is available for adoption. This blogger hopes she finds a special home.

Read More

George Zimmerman Charged with Second-Degree Murder

Forty-five days after Trayvon Martin was killed, Special Prosecutor Angela Corey announced Wednesday that George Zimmerman will face second degree murder charges. At a press conference in Jacksonville, Florida, Corey added that Zimmerman had surrendered peacefully and is being held in an undisclosed location.
   





From this blogger's point of view, arresting Zimmerman was a no-brainer and should have occurred the day George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin. In no way, do I presume Zimmerman is guilty, but police should have locked him up until a timely investigation was conducted. Stand Your Ground shouldn't be taken to mean that people who kill others receive a "get of jail free card" automatically because they claim self-defense. If this law stays on the books, it should be amended to clarify the immense gray area that currently exists. Frankly, Ham on Wry fervently supports its repeal because we have a mechanism already in place to handle homicides.

Second-degree murder is ordinarily defined as 1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable "heat of passion" or 2) a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender's obvious lack of concern for human life. Second-degree murder may best be viewed as the middle ground between and first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. (from findlaw.com)

Corey expressed chagrin over the fact that, “So much information got released on this case that should never have been released. There has been an overwhelming amount of publicity that we hope will not keep us from picking a fair and impartial jury.” Even some of the witnesses that have been quoted don't agree on what they saw, so the public must take care not to form an opinion of guilt or innocence until all the facts come out at trial.

As reported in yesterday's post, Zimmerman's attorneys resigned when Zimmerman stopped communicating with them.  Mark O'Mara took the case late Wednesday and revealed that Zimmerman will plead not guilty to the charge of second degree murder. O'Mara also said he will work to have Zimmerman released on bond Thursday.

Unless something drastic occurs, Ham on Wry will move on to other topics and make this the last post on the Trayvon Martin case until the trial verdict is read.

Read More

George Zimmerman Pulls a Disappearing Act

Zimmernan's Lawyers, Craig Sonner (l) and Hal Uhrig (r), Joe Raedle, Getty Images

In an unexpected turn of events, George Zimmerman's attorneys withdrew from the case Tuesday but left the door open to representing him again, if he communicates with them. The lawyers admitted that they had never met with Zimmerman in person and their only contact had been by phone, e-mails, and texts. Zimmerman has not responded to their messages since Sunday.


Against the advice of his attorneys, Zimmerman contacted Special Prosecutor Angela Corey and also called Sean Hannity of Fox News. If all this is isn't odd enough, in another bizarre twist, Zimmerman created a website titled therealgeorgezimmerman.com, although it was inaccessible Monday night. Zimmerman's legal team speculate that Zimmerman might have left Florida because he fears for his safety.

Ham on Wry's patience for a resolution to the Trayvon Martin case has worn to a frazzle, so I can't imagine how his family can bear all this waiting. Good news came earlier from Special Prosecutor Corey when she promised an announcement concerning the case by Friday. Ham on Wry has believed all along that police should have arrested Zimmerman and taken him to trial, given that he shot an unarmed teen. It could have saved everyone many weeks of agony and calmed all of the interested parties.

Read More

State Attorney Dismisses Grand Jury in Trayvon Martin Case

Bruce Lipaky,  Florida Times Union via AP

Florida State Attorney Angela Corey will decide the fate of George Zimmerman alone. She announced today that she would not use the grand jury scheduled to convene Monday by State Attorney Norm Wolfinger, who handled the case before it was given to Corey. She has established a reputation for not using grand juries when unnecessary, and she has never used one before, except when required by law. Since the case does not involve an allegation of premeditated murder, Corey is not required to use a grant jury to make the decision under Florida law.




In a prepared statement, Benjamin Crump, one of the attorneys representing the Martin family, said, "We are not surprised by this announcement and, in fact, are hopeful that a decision will be reached very soon to arrest George Zimmerman and give Trayvon Martin's family the simple justice they have been seeking all along." Other attorneys echoed the same sentiment as Crump.

Ham on Wry wonders what is taking so long to conclude the investigation, as details about progress have not been released. Crump's office essentially cut off any further discussion about the case after making the statement public, when it added, "At this time, the investigation continues and there will be no further comment from this office." Now, everyone must practice patience in waiting for the investigation to conclude and remember that opinions are not facts.

Read More

Floridians Free to Dye Animals

We who live in Florida breathed a huge sigh of relief Friday when Governor Rick Scott signed a bill making it legal to dye animals again after a 45-year ban. I can't tell you how often I'm tempted to grab one of my pets and dye it hot pink or fuschia, but didn't because I feared jail time. Now I can dye them with impunity.




The astute reader will immediately wonder why Florida would have such a law on the books in the first place. Harking back to 1967 when the ban took effect, parents frequently gave children dyed chicks for Easter because it was all the rage. But then what?  The dye started wearing off, the chicks grew into chickens, and no one was prepared to deal with that. Some hapless chickens probably wound up on the dinner table while others perished because the owners didn't have the foggiest notion of how to care for them. Most likely for that reason and the fact that certain dyes can endanger animals' lives, Dade county vet and legislator Dr. Elton Gissendanner worked tirelessly to pass the law in 1967. During the most recent legislative session, the provision allowing animals to be dyed was added by Broward representative Ellyn Bogdanoff at the request of a Broward county groomer who wanted to be able to dye highlights into the fur of dogs presented in dog shows.

That same astute reader might also ponder why Governor Scott signed the bill that overturns the one on the books, in spite of thousands of protests against allowing animals to be dyed. The bill also ends the ban on selling or giving away chicks before they are 4 weeks old and bunnies before they are 8 weeks old. As of Friday, the governor's office had received 266 calls and 4,315 emails in opposition to the bill. Why did Scott ignore animal activists? The provision for allowing dyeing was added to a larger agricultural bill, and he said it was important to pass it. Shame on Ellyn Bogdanoff for tacking such a ridiculous provision onto an important bill.

Readers, move to Florida if you love superficiality and nonsense because you'll find plenty of it here. Florida politicians can't seem to draw legal redistricting lines or understand that the Stand Your Ground law is fraught with holes as illustrated by the Trayvon Martin debacle. The state has so many yahoos in the legislature that reasonable, logical citizens shake their heads at the antics of the current mob of dummies. Ham on Wry suggests that the efforts of Florida lawmakers to pass ridiculous laws bear the name Trivial Pursuit. It would aptly characterize the year 2011 and thus far in 2012.

Read More

Five Blacks Shot, Three Die in Tulsa

Tulsa Chief of Police Chuck Gordon and Mayor Dewey Bartlett /AP James Gibbard

Black residents of North Tulsa are taking extra precautions today in the aftermath of five separate shooting incidents Friday that left three people dead and two in critical condition. Police are searching for a white man driving a white pick-up that was spotted at the scene for three of the shootings. All of the victims were walking when they were attacked. One told police that the man in the pick-up stopped to ask directions and then opened fire.

Tulsa's police department has a history of problems and faced accusations of corruption. In December, a former federal agent and three ex-policemen received jail terms for using false search warrants, committing  perjury, and stealing money, among other charges. Against that backdrop, the Reverend Warren Blakney Sr., president of the Tulsa NAACP, said "avid distrust" between the black community and the police department had raised concerns that the shootings wouldn't be fully investigated, so he contacted the police to emphasize the importance of cooperation with the Black community to keep the investigation from becoming contentious.


Police released the names of those killed as  Dannaer Fields, 49, Bobby Clark, 54, and William Allen, 31. Fields was found wounded, Clark on a street, and, ironically, Allen died outside a funeral home. Officers found the other two men  in another yard two blocks away and took them to hospitals in critical condition.


Ham on Wry hopes this case is handled quickly and effectively to quell any unrest that emerges around suspicion that these crimes were racially motivated.

Read More

Project Glass-The Next Big Thing You Don't Need

After spending over two years in development, Google has released its Project Glass prototype eyewear. Pictured at left, they have a sleek, almost borg-like appearance designed to make the wearer into a walking computer. Google claims this souped-up version of actual glasses will provide users real-time information right in front of their eyes






Google X, Google's secret research and development facility, has several designs that might eventually be chosen over the model shown. No matter what style Google eventually releases, the glasses will function as a mini smart phone. A video camera and a small piece of glass sit over the right eye, with no lens on the left. Google states, "We think technology should work for you -- to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don't."

Although the concept is beyond cool, Ham and Wry shudders as the thought of a mob of visitors in Times Square crashing into each other like bumper cars and making it impossible for New Yorkers to navigate through the most crowded piece of Manhattan. No worries yet. These glasses won't be available for many years.

Read More

Romney Says Obama "Out of Touch"

Ham on Wry finds it interesting that Mitt Romney accused President Obama of being "out of touch" Wednesday. His pathetic attempts to relate to Americans who don't hobnob with the wealthy elite included "mom jeans", stilted humor, and failed attempts to portray himself as "one of the gang." His laughs appear forced and his body language screams, RIGID. He failed in his bid to win the nomination in 2008 for good reason. Romney doesn't understand the middle class.


President Obama has two school-age children and his wife sometimes sneaks out and shops at grocery stores and Target, so he knows what an average American faces every day with rising prices and shrinking incomes. Romney has led a privileged life from birth and moves in circles to which most Americans have no access. His world differs from ours in that rising prices matter little to someone who can afford to buy anything he chooses. In Ham and Wry's view, Mitt Romney is sorely out of touch with middle America and positively has no understanding of poverty.  His father George understood poverty, but Mitt never experienced wanting things he couldn't afford.

The American Energy Alliance, which has ties to the Koch Brothers, billionaires who own oil pipelines, has already released a ridiculous negative ad blaming President Obama for the spike in gas prices and it includes the funding for Solyndra as a red herring. C'mon people! How stupid can viewers be if they believe something funded by billionaires who support conservative causes because it puts more money in their pockets.  Gas prices are basically out of the hands of a single individual. Did Americans blame Gerald Ford for the skyrocketing gas prices and long lines at gas stations in 1974?  No! It's not a Republican or Democratic issue. Much of the increase stems from the oil producing nations in the Middle East. They set the price of a barrel of oil produced by OPEC.

This blogger will continue to harp on researching information and ignoring ad campaigns from either side. Our founders wanted well-educated citizens to vote their beliefs because they understood the issues and the candidates. Please don't go to the polls in November, if you believe that you don't have the responsibility to inform yourself about all of the issues and the platform which the candidates stand on.

Read More

The Hunger Games Continues Its Win at the Box Office

The Hunger Games knocked out the competition to claim highest numbers at the box office this weekend, after having the third best opening of all time the previous weekend. Adapted from a young adult novel by Suzanne Collins, the movie captures the main thrust of the book. My niece read the entire trilogy and recommended that I see the movie. Wow! What a ride!



Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark from District 12 are pictured above in the costumes designed by Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) to wow the crowd as they are introduced to the Capitol crowd eagerly awaiting the start of the games. Each of the 12 districts in the nation must send a boy and girl each year to "The Hunger Games", a fight to the death until all but one of the participants die. Readers can find many synopses online to gain a basic understanding of the plot.

The costumes in the movie absolutely dazzle in their brilliance and innovation. In particular, Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tunnis) stand out in their unusual hairstyles and clothing.
Effie is pictured above with Katniss during the ceremony to pick the male and female tributes from district 12, a coal mining district. Below Caesar is shown on the set of the live telecast of "The Hunger Games". Both characters change hair color to match the lavish outfits that they wear.

The movie offers a metaphorical look at a future state divided starkly into haves and have nots.  The culture has devolved into a shallow society, and the ruling class uses the games to control the masses. The ending had a Romeo/Juliet moment but offered a surprise to the expected outcome. It both entertained and enlightened, and I highly recommend it. Parents should accompany children under 12, and I suggest leaving those under 8 at home.

Read More