EATING A BIT OF CROW.

I received a comment from reader Judilyn about charities and how false and outdated the information I passed on was. SHE CHECKED WITH SNOPES, which is what I should have done. Trusted friends can just as mistakenly pass on bad information as I did to you, my readers.

So, I'm eating crow and here is the correct information:

The e-mail I copied into my blog yesterday has been circulating since 2005, out of date, and dead wrong in some cases.
The following efficiency information is derived from the Charity Navigator web site, the GuideStar web site and Forbes magazine's November 2009 special report on the 200 Largest U.S. Charities. Salary information is taken from Schedule J (Compensation Information) of the various charities' IRS Form 990 filings, an annual reporting return that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS which provides information on the filing organization's mission, programs, and finances. (In the context of this article, the term "efficiency" refers to the percentage of total budget/expenses that each listed organization spends on providing charitable programs and services, while the term "compensation" or "pay" includes salary, one-time payments, and deferred compensation.)

• UNICEF: The e-mail is not specific about which executive is being referred to here, as UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) is a global organization with offices in 190 countries. We're assuming the reference is to the President and CEO of the United States Fund for UNICEF, Caryl M. Stern, whose last reported total yearly compensation was $472,891, not $1,200,000. Both Charity Navigator and Forbes rate this organization's efficiency at 91%, far greater than the 14% claimed in the e-mail cited.  In response to the claim that UNICEF's CEO receives "a Royal Royce for his exclusive use where ever he goes," UNICEF told us that "There is no Rolls Royce or company car provided for any staff member at UNICEF or the U.S. Fund, including the President and CEO of the U.S. Fund or UNICEF’s Executive Director.
• American Red Cross: The information presented above is outdated (as of October 2010), as Marsha J. Evans resigned her position as CEO of the American Red Cross in 2005. The current President and CEO of the American Red Cross (since 2008) is Gail J. McGovern, whose total yearly compensation for 2010 was about $1,037,000 (considerably higher than the $651,957 figure mentioned in the email) and for 2011 was about $561,000. Charity Navigator and Forbes both rate this organization's efficiency at 92%, much higher than the 39% figure claimed in the e-mail.
• United Way: The United Way is another charitable organization that operates on both global and local levels. We're assuming the e-mail references the President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, Brian A. Gallagher, whose last reported total yearly compensation was $717,076 (including a base salary of $415,613, which is a bit higher than the $375,000 figure reported in the email.). Charity Navigator rates this organization's efficiency at 89%, while Forbes rates it at 85%, both much higher than the 51% efficiency claimed in the e-mail.

• Salvation Army: The information presented in the email is outdated, as W. Todd Bassett stepped down as National Commander of The Salvation Army in April 2006; the current National Commander of the Salvation Army (since 2010) is William A. Roberts. The Salvation Army is not required to file a Form 990 with the IRS because it is primarily a religious organization, but according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Roberts' last reported total annual compensation was $126,920, much higher than the $13,000 reported above. Forbes rates this organization's efficiency at 82%, a fair bit lower than the 93% figure claimed in the e-mail.
• Goodwill: Goodwill Industries International is not a business that takes in donated items and resells them for a profit. It is a not-for-profit organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges. Goodwill raises money for their programs through a chain of thrift stores which also operate as non-profits.The CEO of Goodwill Industries International is not Mark Curran, nor does he make $2.3 million a year. The current President and CEO of Goodwill is Jim Gibbons, who in 2011 received a total reported compensation of $725,000.
• March of Dimes: Charity Navigator rates the March of Dimes' efficiency at 64.6%, a fair bit lower than most of the charities mentioned here, but much higher than the 10% figure claimed in the e-mail example quoted in the email.
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Charity Navigator rates the efficiency of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 70.3%, considerably lower than the 100% figure claimed in the email.
• Ronald McDonald Houses: Ronald McDonald House charities operate at local levels in dozens of different metropolitan areas in the U.S. with varying levels of efficiency. Charity Navigator rates the efficiency of the parent organization at 89.5%.
• Lions Club International: Charity Navigator rates the efficiency of the Lions Clubs International Foundation at 83.9%.

There you have it, folks. Mea culpa for not checking a reliable source. And, it is smart to check charity navigator for any organization you are not sure about.

Here is the snopes address if you want to check others:

Origins:   When deciding which charities to donate to, many people consider an important factor to be the "efficiency" of these organizations — that is, what percentage of the monies taken in by a given charity goes to funding its mission rather than being eaten up by costs such as fundraising activities, salaries, and other administrative overhead.The e-mail reproduced above, which began circulating in 2005 and has beenre-circulated every year since then around Christmastime, attempts to steer potential
donors away from inefficient charities. Unfortunately, much of the information it presents was inaccurate back in 2005, and it has grown only more so in the years since then, resulting in a misleading and outdated view of various charities. We attempt to present accurate and up-to-date information about the named charities below
Read more at http://snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp#66aO066DXtt4XREs.99

Origins:   When deciding which charities to donate to, many people consider an important factor to be the "efficiency" of these organizations — that is, what percentage of the monies taken in by a given charity goes to funding its mission rather than being eaten up by costs such as fundraising activities, salaries, and other administrative overhead.The e-mail reproduced above, which began circulating in 2005 and has beenre-circulated every year since then around Christmastime, attempts to steer potential
donors away from inefficient charities. Unfortunately, much of the information it presents was inaccurate back in 2005, and it has grown only more so in the years since then, resulting in a misleading and outdated view of various charities. We attempt to present accurate and up-to-date information about the named charities below.
The following efficiency information is derived from the Charity Navigator web site, the GuideStar web site and Forbes magazine's November 2009 special report on the 200 Largest U.S. Charities. Salary information is taken from Schedule J (Compensation Information) of the various charities' IRS Form 990 filings, an annual reporting return that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS which provides information on the filing organization's mission, programs, and finances. (In the context of this article, the term "efficiency" refers to the percentage of total budget/expenses that each listed organization spends on providing charitable programs and services, while the term "compensation" or "pay" includes salary, one-time payments, and deferred compensation.)

• UNICEF: The e-mail is not specific about which executive is being referred to here, as UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) is a global organization with offices in 190 countries. We're assuming the reference is to the President and CEO of the United States Fund for UNICEF, Caryl M. Stern, whose last reported total yearly compensation was $472,891, not $1,200,000. Both Charity Navigator and Forbes rate this organization's efficiency at 91%, far greater than the 14% claimed in the e-mail cited above. In response to the claim that UNICEF's CEO receives "a Royal Royce for his exclusive use where ever he goes," UNICEF told us that "There is no Rolls Royce or company car provided for any staff member at UNICEF or the U.S. Fund, including the President and CEO of the U.S. Fund or UNICEF’s Executive Director.
• American Red Cross: The information presented above is outdated (as of October 2010), as Marsha J. Evans resigned her position as CEO of the American Red Cross in 2005. The current President and CEO of the American Red Cross (since 2008) is Gail J. McGovern, whose total yearly compensation for 2010 was about $1,037,000 (considerably higher than the $651,957 figure mentioned above) and for 2011 was about $561,000. Charity Navigator and Forbes both rate this organization's efficiency at 92%, much higher than the 39% figure claimed in the e-mail.
• United Way: The United Way is another charitable organization that operates on both global and local levels. We're assuming the e-mail references the President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, Brian A. Gallagher, whose last reported total yearly compensation was $717,076 (including a base salary of $415,613, which is a bit higher than the $375,000 figure reported above). Charity Navigator rates this organization's efficiency at 89%, while Forbes rates it at 85%, both much higher than the 51% efficiency claimed in the e-mail.

Read more at http://snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp#66aO066DXtt4XREs.99

Origins:   When deciding which charities to donate to, many people consider an important factor to be the "efficiency" of these organizations — that is, what percentage of the monies taken in by a given charity goes to funding its mission rather than being eaten up by costs such as fundraising activities, salaries, and other administrative overhead.The e-mail reproduced above, which began circulating in 2005 and has beenre-circulated every year since then around Christmastime, attempts to steer potential
donors away from inefficient charities. Unfortunately, much of the information it presents was inaccurate back in 2005, and it has grown only more so in the years since then, resulting in a misleading and outdated view of various charities. We attempt to present accurate and up-to-date information about the named charities below.
The following efficiency information is derived from the Charity Navigator web site, the GuideStar web site and Forbes magazine's November 2009 special report on the 200 Largest U.S. Charities. Salary information is taken from Schedule J (Compensation Information) of the various charities' IRS Form 990 filings, an annual reporting return that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS which provides information on the filing organization's mission, programs, and finances. (In the context of this article, the term "efficiency" refers to the percentage of total budget/expenses that each listed organization spends on providing charitable programs and services, while the term "compensation" or "pay" includes salary, one-time payments, and deferred compensation.)

• UNICEF: The e-mail is not specific about which executive is being referred to here, as UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) is a global organization with offices in 190 countries. We're assuming the reference is to the President and CEO of the United States Fund for UNICEF, Caryl M. Stern, whose last reported total yearly compensation was $472,891, not $1,200,000. Both Charity Navigator and Forbes rate this organization's efficiency at 91%, far greater than the 14% claimed in the e-mail cited above. In response to the claim that UNICEF's CEO receives "a Royal Royce for his exclusive use where ever he goes," UNICEF told us that "There is no Rolls Royce or company car provided for any staff member at UNICEF or the U.S. Fund, including the President and CEO of the U.S. Fund or UNICEF’s Executive Director.
• American Red Cross: The information presented above is outdated (as of October 2010), as Marsha J. Evans resigned her position as CEO of the American Red Cross in 2005. The current President and CEO of the American Red Cross (since 2008) is Gail J. McGovern, whose total yearly compensation for 2010 was about $1,037,000 (considerably higher than the $651,957 figure mentioned above) and for 2011 was about $561,000. Charity Navigator and Forbes both rate this organization's efficiency at 92%, much higher than the 39% figure claimed in the e-mail.
• United Way: The United Way is another charitable organization that operates on both global and local levels. We're assuming the e-mail references the President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, Brian A. Gallagher, whose last reported total yearly compensation was $717,076 (including a base salary of $415,613, which is a bit higher than the $375,000 figure reported above). Charity Navigator rates this organization's efficiency at 89%, while Forbes rates it at 85%, both much higher than the 51% efficiency claimed in the e-mail.

Read more at

http://snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp#66aO066DXtt4XREs.99

BE CAREFUL TO WHOM YOU GIVE.

Today is play day. Jim and I are taking a day off to take pictures of an "endangered species", old barns and miner's cabins. I mistakenly thought yesterday was Saturday. We both worked in the motor home kitchen. yesterday. Thinned canned goods, tossed stuff we don't use, etc.. I did the wash and worked on mending a rug and some paperwork and pictures, etc. Jim received an email from our friend Al Penta with a list of charities  that you DON'T want to support. This is the biggest "giving" season of the year. Be wary.

How many ways can you spell G R E E D?

THINK BEFORE YOU DONATE! SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS: As you open your pockets to do a good thing and make yourself feel good, please keep the following facts in mind: The American Red CrossPresident and CEO Marsha J. Evans' salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses MARCH OF DIMESIt is called the March of Dimes because only a dime for every 1 dollar is given to the needy. The United WayPresident Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits. UNICEFCEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per month) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE. Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause. GOODWILLCEO and owner Mark Curran profits $2.3 million a year. Goodwill is a very catchy name for his business. You donate to his business and then he sells the items for PROFIT. He pays nothing for his products and pays his workers minimum wage! Nice Guy. $0.00 goes to help anyone! Stop giving to this man. Instead, give it to ANY OF THE FOLLOWING GO "GREEN" AND PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE IT WILL DO SOME GOOD: The Salvation ArmyCommissioner, Todd Bassett receives a small salary of only $13,000 per year(plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization. 96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause. The American LegionNational Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth! The Veterans of Foreign WarsNational Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth! The Disabled American VeteransNational Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth! The Military Order of PurpleHeartsNational Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth! The Vietnam Veterans AssociationNational Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth! Make a Wish: For children's last wishes. 100% goes to funding trips or special wishes for a dying child. St. Jude Research Hospital 100% goes towards funding and helping Children with Cancer who have no insurance and cannot afford to pay. Ronald McDonald Houses All monies go to running the houses for parents who have critically ill Children in the hospital. 100% goes to housing, and feeding the families. Lions Club International 100% OF DONATIONS GO TO HELP THE BLIND, BUY HEARING AIDES, SUPPORT MEDICAL MISSIONS AROUND THE WORLD. THEIR LATEST UNDERTAKING IS MEASLES VACCINATIONS (ONLY $1.00 PER SHOT). Please share this with everyone you can.

I would like to add some information to the above. During our recent rim fire, the Red Cross performed poorly according to volunteers who worked the fire. They brought inadequate and moldy supplies, treated volunteers as though they were stupid and gave conflicting orders to volunteers who were on the scene working two days before the Red Cross even arrived. Most of the supplies came from local businesses. The Red Cross did very little. (Not every member was callous and arrogant.) I'm also reminded when we burned out, the Red Cross refused my dad a loan, not a handout, a loan.

Locally, our food bank is in desperate need of food this year in both Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. They don't have enough to give turkeys to needy families this year.

For international and local charities, Oxfam is one of the best. International Heifer, is another. (I hope I have that name right.) It is about supplying money to buy goats, chickens, a calf, etc. to enable people to help themselves, rather than handing them money or rice or wheat.

Finca makes small loans to people to allow them to start small businesses to become self-sufficient.

Covenant House provides food, clothing and housing for people in need. Not as big a  problem where the weather isn't brutal.

Solar Cooking International supplies solar devices for cooking and pasteurizing water in countries with plenty of sun and not much money for fuel.

Our local Elks Club supports abused children.

Hope you'll dig deep this year since childhood hunger in the United States is getting more serious with cuts to food stamps. Don't wait for the holidays to open your wallet. Americans, by the way,  are the most giving, charitable people on earth.

(AFTER PUBLISHING, I REALIZED THE GRID I COPIED IS TOO WIDE FOR MY PAGE. THE LAST AND WORST OF THE CHARITIES IS GOOD WILL. NOTHING GOES TO HELP OTHERS.

RESTAURANT IMPOSSIBLE COMES TO MURPHYS.

The local papers were all atwitter with Restaurant Impossible scheduled to come to Murphys to "turn around" Hillbillies Restaurant which apparently is struggling. Chef Robert Irvine from the food network, had had enough of awful dinners  and decided to add Dinner Impossible and Restaurant Impossible to his show, with a great deal of apparent success. The whole area was so full of parked cars, the parking lot filled with television crew and equipment, I couldn't get near the place while they worked their "magic". I slipped out yesterday a.m. to get a part for my sprinkling system leak and stopped to take pictures and talk to the owners about the experience. They promised to maintain a no pictures policy until the show airs sometime in early January.
She handed me a sample menu and said their menu has not changed, the proposed items are not neccessarily what they will be serving. Well, so much for no information. The restaurant was apparently voted Best Breakfast in Calaveras County and it has two hotels and a vacation rental in close walking distance.

Hillbillies has had two previous owners under a different name and succeeded and I've eaten there many times. I have never been there since it became Hillbillies and I questioned why? Maybe the name turned me off suggesting a lot of burgers and fast food style eatery? And, the menu is a mix of burgers and upscale, "tablecloth" menu items? Strange mix. The spokesperson for Hillbillies told me they will be opening for dinner when the menu is fixed. Previously, just breakfast and lunch. Well, I'm curious enough to try them out, but two frog leg entree's are kind of puzzling. Is it a new trend I don't know about?  I'll keep you posted as time goes by. In the meantime, you can check out Restaurant Impossible at their website below:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurant-impossible/index.html


I did manage to get my sprinkling system mend accomplished with Jim's help. It was buried deep and a tough fix. I wouldn't have been able to do it without his assistance. He literally had to get under the pipe and hold it up with his giant screwdriver while I glued. I've come to hate sprinkling systems because they are constant maintenance. My friend Art is going to help me with a rainwater catchment system hopefully before I leave and get back on the road in January.

Today, we play.

OUR BUSY LIVES.

These last two days have been horrendously busy ones. My friend Ann was hospitalized, I went to visit her. She is out now home and her caretaker is sick. I went to look after her on the 5th for several hours while her live-in caretaker went to prompt care.  The home healthy care nurse ordered the place quarantined because both of them have pneumonia and don't want Ann exposed to anyone else's germs.

My living room propane heater needed servicing. I have wood heat for back up, but just like to take the chill off cold mornings before starting my day. We don't need to fire up the wood stove yet because daytime temperatures are still ambient. Art Alexander fixed it. It needed a new thermocoupler and the fan needed oiling. Art is a good friend.

His daughter was murdered for insurance money by her husband, Karl about 20 years ago. She was in the shower when the house erupted into flames. The broken bathroom window was boarded over. The fire supposedly started from a kerosene soaked rug in front of the bathroom door. In those days we had a volunteer fire department and they were not educated enough to detect whether the fire was deliberately set or not but Art and the neighbors suspected. Karl took off with their two kids and moved to the East Coast as soon as he collected the $100,000 insurance settlement. (The house was rented.) Karl then collected $700,000 in insurance money on his 21 year old son last year. He saw the opportunity to kill him by shoving a car the son was working on off the jack so it crushed him. This time, Karl's wife turned states evidence. She was wired, she got him to admit on tape that he killed him and now the investigation into Christine's death by fire is also part of the investigation. Art is jubilant that at last this monster is behind bars and facing a trial. He prayed for this day to come and we celebrated over a glass of wine.

I also had my Prius serviced before Art arrived. The check engine light went on while I was on my way to Orgeon.  These smart cars have a computer in them. The computer told me that some dampness occurred near the inverter board which is installed under the driver's seat. Doug and I verbally traced the probable source of moisture from my air conditioning system. Now I can have my air conditioning system flushed without an expensive trip to the dealership in Modesto.

I began work on fixing a sprinkling system leak. The pipes are buried about ten inches deep and digging them out around entwined root systems was a huge job. I put a soak hose on them to finish the job today. I found the crack in the pipe. Two major water leaks have cost me a bundle in water bills over the last three months, two of those months I was gone. My yard worker fixed one leak two weeks ago; this leak was pretty invisible but the water bill alerted me to the second leak.

Ann's situation reminded me of my friend Sandee Voges, who has myasthenia gravis. She fell and hit her head on the tile in her bathroom and couldn't get up. She adopted a medium sized dog who was about to be euthanized. The dog she rescued saved her life. Amy came to her rescue, licking her awake. Sandee held onto Amy's collar and the dog dragged her to the nearby bedroom where Sandee could reach up,  pull the cord of her phone down off the night stand, and call 911. Pets. They are such a wonderful presence in our lives, especially as we age. (Sandee lives in Arizona.)

Then, I like to keep up with the news and politics. Saw this funny poster:

I hope this doesn't offend anyone. I thought it was pretty funny.

Then the rather meager "study", where two scientists dissected two different chicken nuggets from two different fast food restaurants and found 40% chicken in one, and 50% chicken in another, except, the chicken had ground up blood vessels, cartilage and skin with very little muscle meat. That, as they say, is disgusting. The scientists admit, not all chicken nuggets were examined and it was a tiny sample just to see if the nuggets lived up to their claims of "healthy and good for you.." etc. I guess, they'll do a bigger sampling in the future. Fatty, breaded, laden with sugar and flavor enhancers, you would do well to keep your kids away from such stuff no matter how good they taste. (That is my opinion.)

Yes, I'm busy. Retired people I know claim they don't know how they ever worked and raised children. They are busier than ever. Would I have it any other way? NO!

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.

I hooked up to Lady Bits an internet site written by Quinn Norton who wrote a four-part series on violence against women. She travels all over the world and has had horrible, horrible threats because she speaks up for women's equality. I've given some generalized quotes from her first article below.

I basically did errands all day yesterday and have more today. So, if you don't want to read or hear stuff like this, many women feel safer if they don't know, read no further.

But, it is a men's issue as well as a women's issue. Below is PHD. Jackson Katz in a video on TEDx talks. Very much worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTvSfeCRxe8

EVERY DAY, WOMEN DIE BECAUSE THEY ARE MURDERED BY THEIR FAMILIES AND PARTNERS. ON AVERAGE, 3 PER DAY IN AMERICA AND 2 PER DAY IN U.K.

ICELAND'S NUMBERS FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN PAY IS CLIMBING WHILE THE NUMBERS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE FALLING.

THE  WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ESTIMATES THAT 10 TO 69% OF WOMEN HAVE REPORTED BEING A VICTIM OF VIOLENCE. (THAT IS WORLD WIDE.)

HIGH PROFILE WOMEN GET MORE THREATS OF VIOLENCE THAN REGULAR WOMEN.
THE VITRIOL, THREATS OF RAPE, BEATINGS, DEATH, DISMEMBERMENT, ENSLAVEMENT AND MAIMING AGAINST WOMEN WHO DARE TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST SUCH BEHAVIOR IS REAL IN SOME CASES AND JUST MEANT TO INTIMIDATE WOMEN INTO SILENCE IN OTHER CASES.

SOCIAL MEDIA, AND WHAT WOMEN ARE TALKING ABOUT ON THEIR BLOGS, IS THERE IS A TERRIFYING NUMBER OF MEN WHO THINK IT IS OK TO RAPE AND KILL WOMEN SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN.

MEN CONSTRUCT MANHOOD. THEY DO IT TOGETHER. THE WHOLE WORLD NEEDS A MANHOOD THAT DOES NOT RELY ON THE ABILITY TO ATTACK OR DEMEAN WOMEN. TO KEEP THEM IN SERVILE POSITIONS AND PAY THEM LESS THEN MEN; TO ASSUME A NEED TO FEEL SUPERIOR TO WOMEN.

IT CAN ONLY BE FIXED BY MEN.

GUN OWNERSHIP QUESTIONED.

Gun ownership is proliferating in our country and it scares me as a mother, grandmother and citizen of a country that is increasingly violent.
Somehow, I’ve given the impression I’m against gun ownership. And I am, in several ways. First, I know that everyday citizens have no need for semi-automatic and automatic weapons and I don’t believe they should be sold on the open market or on-line. They belong in the military.

Second, I believe that the media has blown way out of proportion a need for everyone to own guns and be able to protect themselves, fueled by the National Rifle Association and the increased sensationalizing of news.

I was raised learning to shoot and hunt, though I didn’t kill anything or like it when my brother came home with a dead rabbit. Killing porcupines seemed all right because they chewed on our log house. My dad killed many deer, and we ate as much venison as we could. It was the American Way, rural life.

As an adult, I learned to shoot a shotgun, and practiced with a pistol on a range, target practice with my husband and friends. Not much time, but, I experienced that form of shooting and it didn’t appeal to me.

Here, then are personal experiences that make me want to counsel people through this blog, don’t carry weapons, don’t keep them in your house. I don’t believe I should take that right away from others, I just think weapons in the hands of kids, now grown up, who have spent much of their childhood in front of television and violent computer games is a recipe for disaster.
I think uneducated people who carry guns, because they consider themselves manly or macho with a weapon are a danger to the safety of the general population and there should be some provision needed to prove their competency.

Okay, personal experiences. My youngest brother, had a paper route and one bright morning he witnessed a murder of passion. He was only twelve years old. (Not of television or computer generation.) He watched a man aim a gun at a dog that had been biting his kid. The guy went to the house to kill the dog and ended up killing the man. It ruined his life, his kids, the family, etc. etc. You get the point. If he hadn’t had a gun he might have settled the problem with his fists.

My boys had paper routes. Our driveway was big so the papers were delivered to our house and all of the local paperboys folded papers together on our driveway. One boy would always act up, shop lift candy, take one of their bikes and not return it and so on. One day the father returned my son’s bike and apologized and explained to me that his son had accidentally shot his sister and he always does these things to attract punishment because he must live the rest of his life seeing his sister in a wheel chair. The father rued the day he ever bought and kept a handgun.

A cousin of mine, while cleaning his rifle, accidentally shot and killed his own son. It goes without saying what such a tragedy does to a family.  My cousin drank himself to death.

I belonged to a babysitting co-op as a young mother. One member called me (because my husband was a cop) and said she was terrified of her husband because he threatened to kill her repeatedly and he had multiple guns in the house. George got her to sign a complaint against him with a restraining order and helped her remove the guns and turned them in to the Fremont Police. He got his guns back, and she laid in wait for him and killed him before he could hurt her or her children. The laws about domestic violence were different then.
I gave my handguns, reluctantly,  to my son who wanted them. I worried until his boys were grown and in college about that gun, (one was stolen)  in that house. And it still poses a potential, lethal problem to young men, partying…playing, possibly drinking even though I know, the boys don’t drink. I don’t like it.  It still can happen…it happens.
Maybe I’m overly fearful. But, drive-by shootings, gangs, death in the streets is so common, we hardly acknowledge them. So, I will continue to be against private gun ownership and for making it very difficult and exacting a privilege to own one.

WHAT WEAPONS SHOULD A CITIZEN CARRY?

An atmosphere of fear has been promulgated by newspapers, real events and gun dealers and manufacturers. They want an armed too the teeth America. But, what do we really need in the way of guns for protection? My friend Randy Vining asks this question. Here is his post on the subject that I’ve copied with his permission.

HOW DEADLY SHALL WE ALLOW A CITIZEN TO BE?

Posted: 31 Oct 2013 05:06 PM PDT

FOUND: A GUN ENTHUSIAST WITH THE COURAGE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION.
Ask your gun loving friends this question and watch them turn cowardly—hem and haw—wiggle and lie, evade and accuse. Almost none of them have the courage to confront this question rationally. But I found one—Here he is:

He was having his morning coffee—I asked the question—expecting the usual evasiveness. BUT SURPRISE:—he answered succinctly and un-defensively: SEMI-AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. And he added: There is no legitimate need for automatic weapons. (other than military)

I had stopped to photograph this provocative sign. He told me people stop often with their cameras.

In Prescott, Arizona—

This may be the biggest gun store in Arizona—

a veritable supermarket of deadliness.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: I salute this brave man—did you notice he is carrying a sidearm? (Arizona has perhaps the most permissive gun laws) He operates this store.

I think I agree with his answer—-at least for now—It seems a reasonable middle ground between too much and too little—and until so many mass murders occur that it will seem logical to begin restricting them—as happened in Australia. I feel safe in Canada because they have so seriously restricted firearms.

Twice in 8000 nights of boondocking I have felt comforted by my weapons—outside Sheridan, Wyoming In a lonely place– 4 (drunken?) Indians roared up yelling and began to rock my rig. I was not afraid–because I was armed—and they soon went away.

More seriously, in Lafayatte, La I was accosted by a carload of angry blacks–yelling and cursing me for some supposed traffic infraction. I apologized profusely several times—not knowing what I had done—while just out of sight I held my equalizer. Luckily they did not attack.

All in all my guns have caused me more trouble than they are worth. In Concord, Massachusetts the cops took my weapon—disassembled it and gave it back the next day.
I DON’T KNOW HOW RANDY’S EXPERIENCES STACK UP AGAINST ANYONE ELSE’S, BUT HE ECHOES MOST OF THE PEOPLE I’VE TALKED TO AS DOES THIS GUN STORE OWNER. SEMI- AUTOMATIC WEAPONS ARE NOT NECESSARY FOR PROTECTION. THEY HAVE ONE PURPOSE, NOT HUNTING, NOT PROTECTION, THEY ARE FOR KILLING.
Randy writes an interesting blog:  Here is his address:
http://www.mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/

DAY OF THE DEAD IN MURPHYS.

The Day of the Dead, celebrated in Murphys, was a good opportunity to take some time from mundane chores and head for town. Jim got into a shirt he bought in Central America or Mexico, where he has seen a genuine Dia de los Muertes celebration and parade.

The first altar we came to was celebrating the life of Frenchman, Maurice Chevelier,  erected by a French couple who run the tasting room in Murphys "Mall". Another we encountered later celebrated Julia Child.

The Marisola Olive Oil tasting room had a more personal remembrance, perhaps each employee put up pictures of deceased loved ones.

I liked the "home-made" aspect of it. These are just cardboard boxes decorated with pictures. That is what the celebration is all about, once a year, remember our loved ones who have passed and celebrate life. In the deepest jungles of Brazil, where graves are close to home, the people celebrate with an altar on the grave. Typical food is empanadas.
The other element of the celebration is to place things on the altar that the deceased person cherished, often favorite foods.  Flowers and candles are typical. This one was a mystery to us, the pliers and acorns. I can only admire and speculate, the cuts in the paper, the crayons, perhaps an artist who used these tools? Made crafts from acorns?

Inside of an art gallery  is a huge picture frame altar where visitors were encouraged to pick a tag and write the name of a loved one you wish to celebrate and hang it from the tree. Very touristy, and I expect that is what most of this celebration is about here in the new, re-invented Murphys, that visitors love so well.

Speaking of re-inventing, suddenly, the Murphys Hotel has a ghost of "long-standing" with an elaborate story about her lost lover, and devoted employment at the hotel, her death and ghostly antics only witnessed by employees. Ghosts are very popular in the Motherlode.

I really enjoyed the day. We followed the mariachi band from place to place.

The costuming. There was a costume contest and parade. And participants like us who dressed up a bit. But, this costume was beautiful and very elaborate. I hope she won.
This girl was taking a picture of the mariachi band.

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Miss Northern California Teen attended with her father.

A second band entertained from a porch in the middle of town. They were a good listen.

My neighbor, Pam Chisholm, got into the spirit of the day.

Two places in town offered face painting.

This gentleman was in front of the Gene and Norman Tanner house that  is now a vacation rental. He had the place outfitted to the max.

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You could by a skull and decorate it.

He had very authentic Mexican candelabra and the typical cakes sold all over Mexico for this day.  He served candied pumpkin, another traditional food. Many of the 21 altars around town had traditional cakes.

He had set-ups where you could have your picture taken.

Even an altar to remember and celebrate your favorite pets.

What I liked most about this celebration was how uncrowded it was. Here, in front of the Peppermint Stick, is a scene right out of the fifties. I thoroughly enjoyed walking town, even if half the businesses have changed hands, several times, and I can't remember what they were. The Peppermint Stick and the Murphys Hotel have withstood the onslaught of too many wine tasting rooms. The celebration won't stay this way for very long.  At 6:00 p.m. there was a candlelight procession to the St. Patricks Church Cemetery. We opted to skip home for dinner and a movie. We watched Tootsie, which neither of us had ever seen before.  I swear, we are culturally deprived. LOL

RVER'S, DO THEY CARRY GUNS?

Do RVers carry guns for protection? Since there are millions of RVers out there, that is a loaded question. Pun intended. But, how safe do RVers feel on the road? I gave both of my husband’s service revolvers to my son after he died.  I was uncomfortable with them in the house where a potential assailant could steal it, use it on me, or a grandkid could find it and have an accident no matter how well I’ve hidden it.
One of those revolvers was stolen from my son’s garage. It was, he thought, well hidden. He still has the second one. He doesn’t carry it and doesn’t go to a shooting range, or use it. It has sentimental value to him.

Jim traveled 17,000 miles, across Mexico and through every country in Central America, in his motor home, in 2004, without a gun. It was clear before he started, you don’t carry a weapon or you’ll end up in a jail. Period. He has been a full timer for 18 years and has never felt the need to carry a gun. He does carry a weapon, of sorts. He has an ice pick just above the door. He has a small, narrow, hardwood bat also near the door by the passenger seat. He used to carry a loud noisemaker air horn. He has never felt the need for a more serious weapon.
Having just read about another lone gunman attack, shooting an automatic rifle at an airport yesterday,  makes me think about the lunacy of selling automatic rifles to anyone who wants one. Let’s face it, the supposed screening process does not work which is exactly the way the gun manufacturers like it. (The NRA is now a gun manufacturer in case you didn’t know.)

Jim and I have had one incident where a “weapon” was used. We were parked at a bus station waiting for an early morning shuttle to take me to an airport. We were in Arizona and three drunks came knocking on the door about 10 p.m. waking us up.  Jim opened the small kitchen window and asked what they wanted. They were pretty incoherent and kept up some babble, have you got some…, whatever. I’ve forgotten what they were asking for.  He took out his weapon, his cell phone and said, leave or I’ll call the cops. He had to say it repeatedly and hold up the phone and pretend to press a couple of buttons.  They went away, and awhile later they came back. Jim used the same weapon, they backed off a second time and went away for good.
My weapon of choice at home is a can of bee spray by my bedside, and an air can of loud noise in my car small enough to conceal in my hand. Pepper spray small enough to have on a key chain is available if you work where you have to walk to a dark parking lot at night.
The best weapon, is being careful not to put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, but, as we all know, shit happens.
Our good friend, Randy Vining, a fellow full timer,  does carry a weapon. I’ll come back to his story. And, I’d like to hear from other RVers about weapons.

HALLOWEEN SCARES.

This is an optical illusion that I got from a website entitled Halloween Optical Illusions. I enjoyed Halloween soooo much as a kid. We liked it when someone would decorate and entice us in and scare us half to death. We couldn't wait to go back to the same house the following year.
Today, kids are overprotected and  attend chaperoned parties, or closely guarded trick or treating, which is safe, but where is the thrill?  Are the dangers of trick or treating overblown? I don't have an answer for that. I do know that my son, several years ago, sat on his dimly lit porch with his pumpkin full of candy and he would give a scary laugh as the kids came up to his porch. Some kids got wide-eyed and scared and would hang back. They would watch half fearfully while they grabbed a piece of candy from the pumpkin and ran with their booty.  One mother lambasted him for scaring her daughter and shouted at him, "This isn't about being scary, my daughter is a Princess."  Now he turns off his lights at Halloween and no longer attempts to give out candy. He figures the next parent might sue him for scaring a kid.


Another optical illusion. But, if you really want scary, all you have to do is read the newspapers, for me, on-line.
I found a stomach turning video of what goes into cooking oil in China. Shudder. 
You probably don't want to watch it, but here is the link:
http://www.alternet.org/food/stomach-turning-video-youll-be-grossed-out-what-goes-cheap-black-market-cooking-oil-china

Then there is the Arkansas cop who tasered a woman because she refused to show him her breasts? Well, I had a hard time to believe this one. But, it is scary because it is true.
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/lawsuit-ark-cop-chased-and-tased-woman-after-she-refused-show-him-her-breasts


You kind of have to cross your eyes to see the full skull in this one. Hint-the apron drawn tightly at the waist is the skull's teeth.
No one is going to be scared by the optical illusiions, but they are creative. The news, on the other hand, is definitely scary. But, away with that. How about fifty states, fifty sandwiches?

http://www.zagat.com/b/50-states-50-sandwiches?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=desktoptopperformers#4

Arkansans like a fried baloney sandwich. Maybe that cop ate a few too many.
Hey, Happy Halloween.  BOOO!