Hay is for Horses

Some parties in upstate New York horse country have been stealing bales of hay. It has been estimated that over 3000 bales have been pilfered in three years to the tune of $30,000. The average horse consumes about 150 bales per year. And in times of drought or inclement weather hay prices can soar. At the other end of the food chain I recalled the late Bill Veeck's book entitled "Thirty tons per day" which represented the amount of manure produced at his Suffolk Downs Race Track.
tjs

The Sounds of Silence II

This is for all you holdouts still clinging to your land lines. The first modern bath tub was put on the market in 1842 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone invention in 1876. So if you took a bath in 1842 you could soak undisturbed by the telephone for thirty-four years. But you might look and feel like a prune.
tjs

The Sounds of Silence

This popular song by Paul Simon high on the charts in 1966 included the line "the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls" and this was mentioned in the NYTimes this week. Back then service on the "underground" was not perfect which prompted a graffiti artist to borrow and adapt the Latin phrase "Gloria Mundi is sic of transit" - a prophet with a sense of humor which we all need to survive urban life.
tjs

Political Correctness

There was a time when candidates' children were shielded from the glare of the campaign. You never saw Amy Carter on camera. But it seems that times have changed. Cruz has his young daughters in a campaign TV ad. Trump's adult daughter is socially friendly with Clinton's daughter despite their respective parents sparring. And Christi was musing about a possible conversation with his daughter about college tuition. So I have coined a phrase "Doters' Daughters".
tjs

Holiday Weekend

I have a confession to make. During the holiday weekend I was persuaded to view the new Star Wars motion picture extravaganza wherein one of the heroes is a robot. Presumably we will hear plenty from this offering at Oscar time with their special effects and costumes. And on the heels of this dazzling creation there came Downton Abbey once again to jar one back to the twentieth century. As for Star Wars I recall the analogy with the Manhattan phone directory "Not much plot but what a cast!"
tjs

Cue the Statistician

They say that crime is down in New York City but two police commissioners differ on what constitutes a "shooting". Apparently the bullet has to actually "hit" you - a near miss is NOT a shooting! Last week a professional athlete had his Uber ambushed at 4:30AM - the thieves took his iphone, wallet and metal chains and then took his gold teeth caps before shooting him in the leg. A "combination" crime that will be a field day for those statisticians. And a kind of kick in the teeth besides.
tjs

O Dem Golden Slippers

Oh, to be in Philadelphia on New Year's Day to witness the parade of string bands down Broad Street as they have done since 1901. Facebook described it as a "folk festival" which would not sit well with the natives. The real parades take place later in the day when the bands return to their respective neighborhoods i.e. Two Street in South Philadelphia where if you were lucky the band might serenade you outside your home with a chant that might sound something like - "Here we stand before your door - just like we did the year before - if you don't have whiskey give us gin - open the door and let us in." Happy New Year.
tjs