This'n'That; August Twenty-Third #2; On A Sad Note....

The "Truckin' Bozo" Not Well
    Word came during the Lonsberry Show on WHAM (1180-AM) aroun noon, yesterday.  A listener from Florida related that Dale Sommers, better known in the trucking industry as "The Truckin' Bozo," is in failing health and currently in hospice care.  "The Boz'," having concluded his last broadcast, will be sorely missed by those in the trucking industry; from the company driver to the owner-operator and everyone in between.

"The Boz'" in his at-home broadcast studio

    This is the guy who--almost singlehandedly--kept America's drivers 'between-the-ditches' with his overnight radio broacasts, catered exclusively to the trucker and trucking industry issues.  In 2004, due to failing health, Mr Sommers 'retired' from his overnight show and--after a move to Florida--resurfaced on the XM-Radio system.
    I know Dale personally and I've never met a nicer individual nor a more accessable popular personality.  Through my association, I met such "Bozo-Insiders" as 'Brooklyn (Paul Sasso)' and other regular callers-in to the program.  This brings to mind a situation involving 'Brooklyn' a lost caller!
There was this guy--a non-trucker--who lived on Long Island, NY, and regularly called into the show.  After a time, this caller--for the life of me, I can't remember his name--hadn't 'reported in.'  Between Dale and 'Brooklyn (I think Paul's sister was a nurse in the NYC area)' the 'Long Island guy' was found, admitted for his on-going kidney problems, in one of the local hospitals.
    Another anecdote involving 'Long Island Guy (and a little bit of "blowing my own horn"):'  For one reason or another, he was having trouble getting "The Truckin' Bozo" show.  I decided that I could help him with the anonymous donation of an XM-Radio system.  After speaking privately with Dale and while at Crete Carrier Corp's Kansas City (Mo) Terminal, I bob-tailed to a retailer, bought the system that would work and had it shipped to Dale's home in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Dale made sure that the system got to 'Long Island Guy.'  As a sidebar:  Another regular--truck driver; I can't remember his handle either--listener to the show donated some compatable wireless speakers to 'Long Island Guy.'
    As 'Yoda' mentioned in one of his posts on the subject that if you believe in prayer, here would be 'the best use' of some for "The Boz'" and "Lumpy!!"  I for one, wouldn't be surprised at yet another Bozo Resurrection!!
God Speed, Dale!!
Til Nex'Time....

This'n'That; August Fifteenth #1; Ship Wrecks

For Those Interested In Ship Wrecks
    And I am, which makes me lucky enough to be listening to the Bob Lonsberry Show on WHAM, Rochester.  Mr Lonsberry interviewed a +/- 69 year old gentleman who's into ship wrecks. Mr Jim Kennard spoke at length about several ship wrecks he and his partner and crew have located and explored.  Mr Kennard's website also includes wrecks others have discovered.  If you have any interest AT ALL in ship wrecks, particularly those in the eastern Great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence River as well as several of New York's Finger Lakes; you need to check out the map of 'finds' thus far!! 
Enjoy, Y'all!!
Til Nex'Time....

This'n'That; July Twentieth #1; Smerlas

Freddie On The Radio!
    Remember Fred Smerlas is subbing for Bob Lonsberry TODAY, 9AM-1PM, eastern on WHAM, 1180AM and http://www.iheart.com/#/live/1505/?autoplay=true.  If history prevails, it should be a heluva ride!!
Enjoy!!
Til Nex'Time....

This'n'That; July Nineteenth #2; NEWS ALERT!!!

Bob Lonsberry OFF; Fred Smerlas ON!!
    Tomorrow--July Twentieth--Bob Lonsberry will be off the radio as well as all next week; on a "beach-to-beach" road-trip to California to deliver Aubrey's car to the Presidio-of-Monterey Army language school.

Fred Smerlas, Bills nose tackle

    To cover the audio 'hole,' the WHAM radio 'powers-that-be' are having Fred Smerlas--the ever-famous, the outspoken conservative, the Hall of Famer, the Pro Bowler, retired nose-tackle for the Buffalo Bills--host the Lonsberry show!!!  Mr Smerlas--time-and-connections, permitting--is the only standing guest personality on the Bob Matthews sports show--same station--every Wednesday evening, 6-8PM, unless the dam' Yankees are playing.

Fred Smerlas at his 'Sunday job'

    Think Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Jim Quinn, Rose Tennent et al, are far right-wingers?!? 
You ain't heard nuthin' yet!! 

Fred Smerlas (left)

Mr Smerlas will be live and on-the-air 9AM-1PM, Friday, 07/20, WHAM Radio-1180AM.  Even on the internet: http://www.iheart.com/#/live/1505/?autoplay=true and/or http://www.wham1180.com/main.html .
If you ain't listenin....' you ain't a conservative!!!
Til Nex'Time....

This'n'That; April Twenty-Sixth #2; Farm Socialism

owe-bama To Slowly Socialize U.S. Farms
    "Clown Prince ZERO-bama, the Narcissist" and his communist Department of Labor just can't leave BAD ENOUGH alone!!  This latest (as far as I know) advance of federal control over all aspects of American life came to light (for me, at least) during a call to the Bob Lonsberry radio show on WHAM1180, Rochester N.Y., a couple of months ago.
    After Bob initially broached the subject, he received several phone calls, one from a fruit farmer in the growing areas hat surround Lake Ontario in Monroe and Wayne Counties.  Said caller explained how this latest DoL invasion into the working life of the American farmer would strangle the family farm concept in the United States.  No longer would his children or neighboring youngsters be allowed to operate ANY motor-driven apparatus, so long as it was on a farm property.  It gets even more ludicrous:  The farmer's--under 16--child is restricted from the simple task of mowing the lawn with a powermower.  A neighboring child--on residential; non-farm, property--of any age, can mow residential lawns to his heart's content, so long as any of the lawns are not on a family farm!!
    On June 9, 2011 the socio-fascist "Clown Prince" issued an executive order to boost his ratings among farming, rural residential families, voters.  Said executive order was to enhance the federal government's involvement in rural activities, from financing to communications, to science-and-technology, to drug control policy; every aspect of American life, rural or not!!
Let me point you toward:
Executive Order #13575 (Establishment of the White House Rural Council);
Section 4 (Missions and Function of the Council):
paragraph (a)  "make recommendations to the President, through the Director of the Domestic Policy Council and the Director of the National Economic Council, on streamlining and leveraging Federal investments in rural areas, where appropriate, to increase the impact of Federal dollars and create economic opportunitites to improve the quality of life in rural America;"
paragraph (b)  "coordinate and increase the effectiveness of Federal engagement with rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, education and training institutions, health-care providers telecommunications services providers, research and land grant institutions, law enforcement, State, local, and tribal governments, and nongovernmental organizations regarding the needs of rural America;"
Got that?!?  Sounds like the "Clown Prince"--FINALLY--wants to do something; ANYTHING that will actually benefit SOMEONE in America, right?!?
Well...... NOT SO FAST!!  I'm thinkin' the aforementioned is nothing more than presidential s&m for upcoming rural economic strangulation.  Now let's have a look at just some of the activities listed in a U.S. Labor Department proposal affecting said rural, farm, family-farming, families:
1.  Would prevent anyone under 16 from working with animals when they are branded, castrated or vaccinated;
2.  Would prevent anyone under 16 working in a pen with an un-castrated male bovine, porcine or equine over 6 months old;
3.  Would prevent anyone under 16 from working on a ladder or scaffolding more than 6 feet off the ground;
4.  Would prevent anyone under 16 from using powered machines, from electric drills to tractors;
5.  Would prevent anyone under 18 from working in stockyards, grain elevators, feedlots, livestock exchanges and auctions.
    I gotta tell'ya.... this labor department bullshit seems to run up against the "Clown Prince's" Rural Council bullshit.  What happens when bullshit collides with bullshit?!?  Everyone involved gets splattered!!
Don't these prevented activities fly in the face of E.O. #13575, Section 4, Para (a)  "....create economic opportunities to improve the quality of life in rural America...."
Don't these prevented activities fly in the face of E.O. #13575, Section 4 Para (b)  "....increase the effectiveness of Federal engagement with rural stakeholders...."
Not only that.... where does "Michelle Antoinette" weigh in relative to her "Get'cher ass off the couch, fat boy" program of anti-obesity?!?  Surely this will affect her "Eat as I say, not as I eat" policy!!
    One can only guess, but one thing's fer-sher:  Nobody in the federal government has a phuckin' clue what the others are doin'!!!
'Splain to me again why YOU elected this Arschloch!?!
Til Nex'Time....

This'n'That; April Thirteenth #1; Wegman or Ide?!?

To Get Away From All Things 'owe-bama!'
    Let's 'set-the-stage' here: 
This is about platonic "love(or, better yet: LIKE)-from-afar."
It's about Bob Lonsberry's choices versus Justin Case's.
Bob Lonsberry works for--among others--WHAM Radio in Rochester, N.Y.
On his ride into work on I-490, Bob had to pass a billboard which featured Colleen Wegman, President of her family's Wegman Food Markets, Inc.  He--on many occasions--professed his "love-from-afar" for Ms Wegman.  This went on for many months, slowing when said Ms Wegman's billboard was covered over.
    I too, have a local advertiser as my "love-from-afar," that being Ms Stephanie Ide.  Ms Ide has been doing tv ads for her family's business: Dick Ide Honda.  In person, I'm supposing her smile will light the most dark, dank, dismal room she enters!!  The real 'hook' here is verbal/audio:  When she's doing a particular ad featuring directions to the dealership, Stephanie drags out the word 'in' as "....i-n-n-n PENFIELD...."
    While I think I've made the better choice, you take the poll or write a comment and let me know!
Til Nex'Time....
http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HomepageView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&clear=true
http://www.dickide.com/
[Stephanie Ide] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cleHGqki6Y&feature=BFa&list=ULCCUAXGxhODE&lf=channel
[Colleen Wegman] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw7xDnk6DfI

This'n'That; April Tenth #3;Rush Preempted!

Why Lonsberry; Why Now?!?
    As you may--or may not--know, Bob Lonsberry works at two central-western New York radio stations, WHAM, Rochester and WSYR, Syracuse.  The Rochester show is on from 9AM to 1PM; the Syracuse show from 3PM to 5PM.  One must also know that WHAM broadcasts Rush Limbaugh on a one-hour delay: 1PM to 4PM.  The infinite wisdom of someone at the WHAM Studios decided that a 'Bob-preemption' of Rush was more important than listening to Rush, himself!!  Said infinite wisdom obliterated Rush's second-hour.  Mr Lonsberry gains nothing by this action, he's already broacasting from the Syracuse job!!
    Bob has a large family so I understand his need for extra employment; hence two--five-day-a-week--radio jobs, plus whatever profits his website http://www.fubowear.com/ generates.  If I need to be told what to think, I prefer  Rush--over Bob--to accomplish that task.  I harbor no ill will for Bob Lonsberry, I--at various times, in various blog entries--promote said website; I just prefer Rush AFTER Bob, not Rush PREEMPTED BY Bob!!
Til Nex'Time....

This'n'That; March Twenty-Sixth #2; CFLs

'Curly-Fry' Lightblubs (CFLs)
    The 'Curly-Fry' lighbulb is the only legal lightbulb since January 1, 2012, right?!?  You've been relegated to a dim reading light, not matter what size CFL you use, right?!?  Not so.... and.... Not so!!!
    Leave it to American ingenuity to find a LEGAL way around the 'Curly-Fry' lightbulb mandate! A guy--who just happened to own the company--called Rush Limbaugh's talkshow a couple of weeks ago with the solution to the 'dim-bulbs' we're being subjected to--both politically and realistically!!  The lightbulb also got 'a mention' on Jim Salmon's Home Repair radio show on WHAM Radio, Rochester, N.Y., yesterday (03/25). 
    The 'long-and-short' of it is, Larry Birnbaum found a way around the federal law requiring 'Curly-Fry' lightbulbs by manufacturing and marketing the "rough service" incandescent lightbulb.  These bulbs--not only legal in the U.S.--will last an astounding 10,000 hours!!  The company is also looking for more distributors for their products.
Til Nex'Time....
http://www.newcandescent.com/index.html
http://www.wham1180.com/pages/JimSalmon.html

This'n'That;October 20th

Have Ya Ever Been on Social Security? I now am on it..... having started it several months ago at the "grand ol' age" of 62. There's a well hidden secret about it. My cash benefit is just under $1k/month. Last month I get this form to fill out. They wanna know-by the month, how much I've been earning at my regular job. That's when I find out that the Social Security Administration restricts my non-SS earnings to less than $14k/yr. I've been paying into the system since I was 15 years old, when I started picking potatoes and hand-setting type at a newspaper.....THAT'S 47 YEARS !!! IS THAT STUPID, OR WHAT??? With the Democrats in power and they-the party that never has found a tax they couldn't increase or a "give-away" program they couldn't fund/start-they should want me to work as much as I can!!!! The more I work, the more tax money they can piss away!!! My increased labor means increased payments to both the IRS and SSA!!! WHADDA BUNCHA IDIOTS!!!!! Wanna Know More About ACORN?? Originally, their philosophy was to promote their cause[s] on a national or global level. They've since changed their focus to the local. The change has proven to be ingenious!! The political culture of cities tends to be further to the left than the nation as a whole, thus less resistant to ACORN's views. City and county legislators as well as local and regional reporters tend to be less sophiisticated than their national counterparts, hence slower to grasp ACORN'S level of radicialism. The local business communities are generally disorganized, the membership focused on world and national affairs rather than the trivial details of local, regional politics. With this local view, ACORN has managed to have laws enacted by local governments that the federal government would only laugh at and "shoo them away." ACORN's strategy seems to be that if they can get enough idiotic laws enacted in enough communities, they essentially will have a "national policy." Mitch Klein, a top ACORN organizer working with the Baltimore chapter, perfected it's in-your-face aggressiveness. He had underlings: ***Pile garbage in front of City Hall to protest the lack of services in poor neighborhoods. ***Bring huge inflated rubber sharks to disrupt a bankers' dinner. ***Stage a profanity-laced protest infront of Mayor Martin O'Malley's home. "They unloaded a busload of people shouting some pretty ugly things and scared the daylights out of my wife and kids" the angry Mayor complained. "I thought it was a pretty cruddy thing to do." ACORN is unapologetic about its tactics. "We're up in their face," an enthusiastic representative said. [Despite-or perhaps because of-the intimidation, ACORN still gets $50,000 a year from the City of Baltimore to provide housing counseling to the poor.] This belligerence increased both membership and donations at the Baltimore chapter. These increases have been instrumental in ACORN's clout at city council meetings. ACORN has successfully changed Baltimore's City Charter-redefining city council districts in ways the activists believe will make it easier to gain more control over the council. Much the same thing has evolved in the City of Sacramento, Ca., and the California state government. This chapter now has a $300,000 annual budget and has become a force in California state politics. ACORN recently pushed through legislation that makes tenent evictions more difficult. The facts are out there......... I could go on and on with references of ACORN's "heavy handed" tactics........... but what's the use?? I doubt that anyone will be able to break through "the fluff" Recent ACORN Abuses It seems that ACORN has registed the ENTIRE DALLAS COWBOYS active roster to vote......not once, but TWICE!!! Once in Nevada Once in Missouri Idn'nat special?!?!?! It seems that ACORN registered so many questionable voters in Ohio that it flooded the system!! Ohio's Secretary of State sued to get out of verifying each of 200,000 questionable voter registrations. One court gave her a date to have it done, she appealed. The next court told her she didn't have to do it!! I guess we'll be thanking O-bomb-a for the eventual fall of this, the longest lasting democracy [actually a representative republic] in history!!! What do O-bomb-a and Osama have in common?? ***They both have friends who bombed The Pentagon !!! Oh......Before I Forget Again.... For those who aren't in the Rochester, N.Y., or Salt Lake City, Ut., radio markets you probably won't know Bob Lonsberry. I listen to practically every broadcast. In Rochester at least, Bob is a celebrated radio talk show host with WHAM [1180AM] radio, where he does three hours a day [11AM-2PM, eastern]. In Salt Lake City, he broadcasts on KNRS [570AM] radio 5AM-9AM, mountain time. He also writes a daily column for his website which usually concern local [both radio markets] or national interests/concerns. At least in Rochester, he does a daily podcast [called the "Bobcast"] which deals with almost anything. Anyone who likes to listen to an intelligent, insightful individual, ya gotta check Bob out!!! www.wham1180.com www.570knrs.com www.lonsberry.com ...And Another Personality.... The Rochester radio and print market is home to several professional, semi-pro and amateur sports teams as well as hotly contested college and high school rivalries. The guy that keeps all these teams sorted out, the public informed is Bob Matthews. Bob has a pretty full workday; He's a sports reporter for the D&C, writes a sports blog for the D&C, hosts a two-hour sports call-in show on WHAM [1180AM], 6PM-8PM. He also is a contributing sports columnist for the Gannett News Service. http://php.democratandchrolicle.com/blog/sportsx/ www.wham1180.com matthews@democratandchronicle.com I'd like to quote a portion of Bob's Sunday column: Brown Set The Stage For Davis To Win Heisman Davis in turn blazed a trail for future black recipients of the prized trophy. Jim Brown helped Syracuse University recruit Ernie Davis. I wonder if Brown helped Davis become the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis is getting some long overdue recognition with the release of The Express, the movie about the life and times of two-time All-American who died at age 23 of leukemia before he could play in the NFL. Brown, who played nine stellar seasons with the Cleveland Browns and arguably was the all-time greatest NFL player, played three seasons at Syracuse. He didn't win the Heisman Trophy and didn't receive nearly as many votes as he should have in his 1956 senior year, possibly because he's black. Brown rushed for 986 yards in only eight regular season games, scored 14 touchdowns, kicked 22 extra points and intercepted 3 passes that season. He led the nation in Yards-per-carry [6.2] and had seven 100-yard rushing games. With a bowl bid on the line in the season finale, he scored an NCAA-record 43 points in a 61-7 victory over Colgate. But Brown finished a distant fifth in Heisman Trophy balloting. He was first in the East [there were five regions] and fifth in the South, but received only 118 first-place votes for winner Paul Hornung of Notre Dame. SU was 7-2 that season, including a 28-27 loss to TCU in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame was 2-8 and outscored 289-130. Hornung threw 3 TD passes and 13 interceptions, averaged 4.5 yards per carry and kicked 14 extra points. Some observers said he won the Heisman for career achievement. Hornung had a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers, but he was no Jim Brown. No one was-including the three other players who outpolled him for the Heisman Trophy in 1956 [ Johnny Majors, Tommy McDonald, and Jerry Tubbs]. Davis played for Syracuse from 1959 through 1961. By then Brown had established himself as the best player in the NFL. Davis was the star running back on SU's national championship team in 1959 but didn't finish in the top 10 for the Heisman Trophy. He also failed t o make the top 10 in 1960. His senior year wasn't the best of his collegiate career, but he won the Heisman Trophy in a close vote over Ohio State fullback Bob Ferguson, who had the luxury of sharing the running load with lightnine-and-thunder halfbacks Paul Warfield and Matt Snell. SU coach Ben Schwartzwalder said the award to Davis was "a tribute to his three years really, not just one." If Horning diserved the Heisman in 1956, Davis more than deserved it in 1961. I wonder if Brown's instant success in the NFL had any influence at all on Heisman voters who passed on him in 1956 to give Davis his just due in 1961. Brown and Davis played for the same school and Davis left his footbal idol in the dust in yards per carry. Brown averaged 5.2 yards and rushed for 666 yards for 5-3 SU in 1955 and averaged 6.2 yards and rushed for 986 yards for 7-1 SU in 1956 [not including the Cotton Bowl loss to TCU]. Davis' numbers [regular season]: 1959---98 carries for 686 yards; 7.0 yards per carry; 8 TDs. Syracuse was 10-0 in the regular season and Davis was Cotton Bowl MVP [a 23-14 win over Texas]. 1960---112 carries for 877 yards; 7.8 yards per carry; 8 TDs; SU was 7-2. 1961---150 carries for 823 yards; 5.5 yards per carry; 12 TDs; SU was 7-3 in the regular season and Davis was Liberty Bowl MVP [a 15-14 win over Miami]. Brown blazed the trail for Davis at SU and Davis blazed the trail for tuture black Heisman Trophy winners. Black players have won the Heisman Trophy 27 of the last 47 years. Ernie Davis always will be the first. Imagine the time involved just in doing the research for this portion of his Sunday column!!! Nearly all his columns are this "stastic-loaded!!!" Check 'em out if ya have the chance!!! Til nex'time......