Thursday, July 24, 2014

What makes up an attack?

I was just dialing across my Verizon cable channels, when I came across the Destination America network, which was featuring a program called, "Unsealed: America's Conspiracy..." (according to the liner on the bottom of the screen. Verizon's subtitle for that current episode was, "U.S. military may be under attack by alien aggressors." I have a question: If the U.S. military was under attack by pacifist aliens, would they actually be under attack?

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Quote collection

As I have said before, I can collect quotations because it doesn't cost anything, and Blogger analytics tells me these are some of my most read blogs. If you just stumbled across this, I believe the most important things I've written appear in the December 2010 to February 2011 posts. With that shameless plug done, here's some new ones: When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't have to do anything. You just let them talk. That's what happened here. --President Obama, on the Donald Sterling situation If you wanna have life you can't be hanging out with dead stuff. --Joyce Meyer Silence is golden. Duct tape is silver. Just shut up. --Howard Bragman, reputation.com (again, in the context of Donald Sterling) Corrugated boxes tell us everything about the economy. --Michelle Caruso-Cabrera They put capital letters on the sign. That means they mean business. Or, maybe, it's nature's way of weeding out the timid. --unknown actor in a commercial. The actor delivering the lines sounded profound, bordering on epic. The problem is that it really means nothing. What was being sold? Beer If I answer the cell phone, will the ringing in my ears stop? --Woody Paige Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does (buy) a more comfortable misery. --Joe Kernan

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

On flea markets in South Hampton Roads, VA--specifically the new one on Oceana Blvd.

One thing I have done for extra income over the years has been selling items at flea markets. When I moved to the southern part of the Hampton Roads, VA metro area, the largest one was (and in physical size, still is) Ingram's on Military Highway. The first time I went with my son, who was selling that day, we arrived at 4:30 am to get a space. Over the years, it has gone downhill to the point that one can show up at 7 am or later on Saturday to get a space, and just whenever on Sunday. This is mainly due to the potential customers walking through the market becoming fewer and less affluent. I fully well understand that this business does not have the profitability to justify significant advertising, and in the case of this market, is a business secondary to the used car sales and repair that goes on in the main building on weekdays. It may have to do with a lack of, and crowded parking. I have heard that the local politicians do not like that type of business, but I don't know for certain about that. There are at least two other smaller ones on nearby off streets in that neighborhood, but I never sold at either or those. One of them has a manager who doesn't seem concerned whether people rent his spaces or not. Anyway, just recently, a new flea market started at 1243 Oceana Blvd. in Virginia Beach. I went there last Saturday. Because it is reletively new, the amount of customers has room for improvement, but it is a significantly less impoverished group, and I did relatively well. Because, as I have said in other blogs, my health is less than optimum, I no longer sell at markets regularly, but, as it is a tiny piece of cultural change in my area that can easily go unnoticed, I figured I would mention it. They are open Saturdays and Sundays.