Senator Bernie Sanders now chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and is the senior senator and dean of the Vermont congressional delegation
Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) has been assigned seats on four high-profile Senate committees, including the Agriculture, Commerce, Judiciary and Rules committees.
Rep Becca Balint (D-VT) will serve on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, her office confirmed Thursday, and more assignments will likely be announced in the coming days.
Well, it's official. The 411 people tried to call too, and the call failed. They don't have any idea why the call won't go through, and they also tell me that the O Operator is ONLY for people with land lines. So I'm hosed. So, puddle, can you try to call me instead?
Ah! At least I got a different message this last time! It now says: "The call cannot be completed because the person being called is temporarily unavailable."
Oy, modern technology...! Is everyone sitting on the edge of their seats wondering if puddle and I will ever connect today? 🤣
While waiting... Here's a story (sent to me by my cousin, after she found it somewhere) about the way phone help ought to still be...
The Black Telephone 📞 Part 1: Those of us old enough to remember when the phone was wired to the wall, usually in the kitchen, can relate to this story. I loved this read. When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box.. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time. My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please," I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. "Information." "I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question "Nobody's home but me," I blubbered. "Are you bleeding?" the voice asked "No, "I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts." "Can you open the icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice. After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts. Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, "Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?" She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, " Wayne , always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please." "Information," said in the now familiar voice. "How do I spell fix?" I asked All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston.
Part 2: I missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy. A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle . I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. "Information." I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?" There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now." I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?" "I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls." I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister. "Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally." Three months later I was back in Seattle . A different voice answered, "Information." I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" she said. "Yes, a very old friend," I answered. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this," She said. "Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago." Before I could hang up, she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne ?" " "Yes." I answered. Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you. The note said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean." I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant. Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today?
California Looks to Make EV Charging Networks More Accountable [Click] I was surprised to see from the map that Fresno County (the isolated one between the greater San Francisco Bay Area and the greater Los Angeles area) has a lot of chargers. —Alan
I am still somewhat short of breath, but this morning I can breathe freely for the first time in several weeks, and am not coughing up mucus; I wonder if I had a sinusitis that was cured by the SinuSoothe nasal spray I have been using regularly again. Visit with the medico Monday AM. ---Alan
Another satisfied customer! Glad to hear it. Three bottles (for the price of two) is about a year's supply for me, and cost-wise about the same as Flonase (which I have not taken because I don't want to induce a fungal sinusitis). ---Alan P.S.: Have you noticed that after each of the ingredients it says "1C"? That is homeopathic notation for one percent. It is way stronger than typical homeopathic remedies, but will surely make a good impression on people interested in homeopathy, who probably overlap with those who seek "natural" remedies. ---Alan
We got more thanan inch of snow last night/today, with a trace still coming down. So this is the day I was scheduled for a haircut and to go out to dinner. Fortunately the barber shop is a bit over 3 blocks away, with the nearest restaurant about the same distance and the farthest I regularly visit about another 3 blocks.
Windier than I would have preferred, but I went on to the farther restaurant because the sidewalks between were mostly clear. The rabbit ragout was excellent as always.
Excuse me, Bill, but I am reminded of a late-1940's movie set in France. A fellow orders some sort of rabbit dish in a restaurant, and when it arrives the fellow next to him leans over, looks or points at the food, and meows. ---Alan
{listener}
ReplyDeleteSenator Bernie Sanders now chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and is the senior senator and dean of the Vermont congressional delegation
Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) has been assigned seats on four high-profile Senate committees, including the Agriculture, Commerce, Judiciary and Rules committees.
Rep Becca Balint (D-VT) will serve on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, her office confirmed Thursday, and more assignments will likely be announced in the coming days.
{listener}
ReplyDeletepuddle! Mea culpa!
Notes for you on the previous thread. ❤️
As the Chinese say-- Wenti bu da (problim no big). xox
Deletepuddle
{listener}
DeleteI’m 2nd in line at grocery register. Then 10mi to home!
OMG!!!
DeleteI have been trying to call you, puddle, for a half hour straight and I keep getting the message “Your call cannot be completed as dialed” !!!
I called 411 who were less than helpful.
I called 611 also no help.
I attempted texting with someone about it and that was even worse.
I miss the old fashioned OPERATOR!
I’ll keep trying. But meanwhile, email me the correct number. The one I’m using ends in 5007.
XOXOXXX
Well, it's official. The 411 people tried to call too, and the call failed. They don't have any idea why the call won't go through, and they also tell me that the O Operator is ONLY for people with land lines. So I'm hosed. So, puddle, can you try to call me instead?
DeleteAh! At least I got a different message this last time! It now says:
Delete"The call cannot be completed because the person being called is temporarily unavailable."
Hoping all is well.
I was calling myself from the 5008 number, lol! Just sent you ab email asking for YOUR NUMBER.
Delete{listener}
DeleteYup.
I sent my number at 5:27 and 5:33
Hoping my phone number came through okay! I could post it cryptically here if needed.
DeleteOy, modern technology...!
DeleteIs everyone sitting on the edge of their seats wondering if puddle and I will ever connect today? 🤣
While waiting...
Here's a story (sent to me by my cousin, after she found it somewhere) about the way phone help ought to still be...
The Black Telephone 📞
Part 1:
Those of us old enough to remember when the phone was wired to the wall, usually in the kitchen, can relate to this story. I loved this read.
When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box.. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time.
My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway.
The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please," I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. "Information."
"I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience..
"Isn't your mother home?" came the question
"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked
"No, "I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."
"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.
I said I could.
"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math.
She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.
Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, "Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, " Wayne , always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please."
"Information," said in the now familiar voice.
"How do I spell fix?" I asked
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston.
Part 2:
DeleteI missed my friend very much.
"Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle . I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please."
Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.
"Information."
I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."
I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"
"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally."
Three months later I was back in Seattle .
A different voice answered, "Information."
I asked for Sally.
"Are you a friend?" she said.
"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," She said. "Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."
Before I could hang up, she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne ?" "
"Yes." I answered.
Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you. The note said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean."
I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today?
🌟 WE HAVE CONNECTED!!! 🥳
DeleteYour story reminds me of the old song "Hello Central, Get Me Heaven"
Delete---Alan
Or "Give Me Heaven" not sure which any more.
Delete--Alan
California Looks to Make EV Charging Networks More Accountable [Click] I was surprised to see from the map that Fresno County (the isolated one between the greater San Francisco Bay Area and the greater Los Angeles area) has a lot of chargers.
ReplyDelete—Alan
Welll, if people take the central valley route rather than the coastal route between SF and LA, Fresno is a logical place to top off the battery.
DeleteOne sees a fair number of Teslas hereabouts. Politically the area is considered reliably Republican, but not as nutty as Shasta County.
Delete---Alan
Tiny radioactive capsule goes missing in Western Australia [Click] No details, but how could such an item not be inside a large, vividly marked, secured and lead-lined container?
ReplyDelete—Alan
The Ojibwe spirit horse is the only known indigenous horse breed in North America [Click] One can’t help but wonder if the male genome might be recreated; that would be a very reasonable thing to do. Much more reasonable that trying to create a mammophant.
ReplyDelete----Alan
Professor Emeritus Gus Cothran, who holds one of the largest horse genetics databases in the country at Texas A&M University, contends that while Ojibwe horses are a breed developed by Indigenous people in Canada, their roots are not native to Canada. “They are derived from horses that Europeans brought to North America. They did not originate in North America as a distinct strain of horse,” Gus says, classifying them as a mix of Spanish mustang and Canadian horses originally from France. [Click]
Delete---Alan
I was hoping that they could be traced back to Siberia, or to the Vikings. Oh, well.
Delete---Alan
Antibiotic resistance induced by the widespread use of antidepressants [Click] Eek.
ReplyDeleteI am still somewhat short of breath, but this morning I can breathe freely for the first time in several weeks, and am not coughing up mucus; I wonder if I had a sinusitis that was cured by the SinuSoothe nasal spray I have been using regularly again. Visit with the medico Monday AM.
ReplyDelete---Alan
I'm glad you are getting better, Alan!
DeleteMy fourth order for SinuSoothe is enroute from the UK right now!
And I have you to thank for it.
Another satisfied customer! Glad to hear it. Three bottles (for the price of two) is about a year's supply for me, and cost-wise about the same as Flonase (which I have not taken because I don't want to induce a fungal sinusitis).
Delete---Alan
P.S.: Have you noticed that after each of the ingredients it says "1C"? That is homeopathic notation for one percent. It is way stronger than typical homeopathic remedies, but will surely make a good impression on people interested in homeopathy, who probably overlap with those who seek "natural" remedies.
---Alan
I didn't know that. Thanks!
DeleteI got the pack of three also. But I plan to offer one to my DIL who suffers with allergies.
We got more thanan inch of snow last night/today, with a trace still coming down. So this is the day I was scheduled for a haircut and to go out to dinner. Fortunately the barber shop is a bit over 3 blocks away, with the nearest restaurant about the same distance and the farthest I regularly visit about another 3 blocks.
ReplyDeleteHoping it's not too very cold and windy for your night out, Bill.
DeleteWindier than I would have preferred, but I went on to the farther restaurant because the sidewalks between were mostly clear. The rabbit ragout was excellent as always.
DeleteExcuse me, Bill, but I am reminded of a late-1940's movie set in France. A fellow orders some sort of rabbit dish in a restaurant, and when it arrives the fellow next to him leans over, looks or points at the food, and meows.
Delete---Alan
What Happened To Google Search? [Click] I am reasonably well pleased with Startpage.com
ReplyDelete—Alan
I sue goodsearch. They employ the Yahoo search engine but give my favorite charity a penny for every search I do.
Deletesue = use
Delete