Rise and Shine --- Making a list

Good Morning and welcome to the day before the night before Thanksgiving!?!

Remember when the only time you were able to give Santa ideas for Christmas gifts was when the Sears catalog arrived in the mail. For those who don't know, it was a phone-book sized tome that had everything from appliances to zippers.
The clothes were in the front, but, much more importantly, the toys were in the back. In my memory, half the book was filled with pictures of toys. There were cars, trains, blocks, games, lions, tigers and bears, oh my. We spent hour after hour going through the book, making a list, crossing things out, making another list. There were toys to ask Santa for, there were toys to ask your grandparents for and there were toys for every interest.
When Christmas morning came along, most of the gifts were from the clothes front, but, hey, there were toys in there as well.
"Look, Dad, Santa brought the electric football game I always wanted!!!"
Of course, that electric football game never worked quite right. After setting up the plays and turning on the vibrating field, all the players 'ran' to the sidelines. Hey, it was still fun.
Now, though, there is no Sears catalog in the mail. Instead, it's been replaced by about 1,000 other catalogs that arrive on a daily basis. Every Web site that offers toys sends along a catalog.
Now, with three children who are making lists, crossing things out and making other lists, I long for the Sears catalog. At least it was all in one place. Now, there is a different list each day after 'reading' each catalog.
Yeah, our parents had it easy.
Then again, they didn't have this:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

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Rise and Shine --- Getting good buys

Good Morning and welcome to another wet Tuesday!

All right, since we all need something, how about a game-plan for Black Friday, or the day everybody hits the road and sits in traffic before fighting for a parking space at the mall.
Here's the deal, there are too many people out too early in the morning. Most don't get up on a normal day until around 7 a.m. But on the Friday after Thanksgiving, they are hitting the snooze button at 3 a.m. in order to get that $10 VCR.
Here's the thing, while there are probably some decent buys early in the day, this year stores are going to be trying to get you out the whole season.
Besides, those early-morning buys are mostly junk you wouldn't buy at the Dollar store, but seriously need them on Black Friday. Last week, one store offered a $6 turkey pan. Well, you get what you pay for. Many were soon complaining the non-stick surface was adding some extra flavor (and black spots) to their dinner.
Here's the deal. After eating dinner Thursday, sit down and map out exactly what you need to buy and for who. Then check out which stores have the best buys and focus on those. Better yet, wait a day and forget about the crowds.
By the way, if you are in the children's department at Macy's, just put the stuff back on the hanger. Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you should throw it on the floor.


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Rise and Shine --- Playing with numbers

Good Morning and welcome to the week we officially can start singing holiday songs!

So, last week a study came out that showed the link between television ads for fast food and childhood obesity. Later in the week, the fast food industry said the study was based on old information.
Old information or new information, it doesn't matter. Sure, places like McDonald's and Burger King can can come out with statements about how healthy their choices are or how they have diversified their menu.
Sure, they have added something called 'Apple Fries' to their children's menu. They offer salads. Some offer baked potatoes. Some offer veggie burgers. OK, one offers a veggie burger, but it's also microwaved.
Blah. Blah. Blah.
The bottom line is the fast-food industry gets you hooked, then keeps you coming back with cute jingles and junky toys. No child would be happy to find 'Apple fries' in their meal. They want french fries. They want soda instead of water. They want as much junk as possible.
Then, as they finally calm down and are resigned to the fact they are stuck with 'Apple fries,' they can look over at mom or dad's tray and see french fries drowning in ketchup next to the salad with salt-laden dressing.
Yeah, that will work.
The bottom line is the ad makers are wrong. The giant King or quick songs do get children wanting to take a walk into a McDonald's. Once there, it's time for fat, salt, sugar and whatever else fine stuff they can jam in there.
They figure if they get the children to complain enough, the parents will give in and get a super sized meal.
How can anybody think this is good?



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Rise and Shine --- A 2004 memory

Good Morning to the birtday princess and those opening the doors!

So, the stock market crashed again Thursday. Sending the numbers down to levels not seen since 2003. So, what about 2004?
Do you remember 2004? That was the year we (we? We? WE?) elected George W. Bush for a second term as president. That, though, wasn't the only planet changing event.
How about the Boston Red Sox winning their first World Series since 1918? It was the year of the big NBA brawl between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, something the league still hasn't really been able to recover. It was also another year of Eagles playoff failure. In 2004, the Birds lost to the Carolina Panthers (Carolina Panthers) in the NFC title game.
Meanwhile, the final Oldsmobile rolled off the factory line. 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' wins 11 Oscars and is crowned the greatest movie of all time that nobody can actually sit through.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed Dec. 31, 2004 at 10,783.01.
Beyoncé was the big winner in the music world, taking home five Grammys and establishing herself as a monster in the biz.
Then there was a little thing that happened the Monday before Thanksgiving. A little girl who would quickly become the focus of the whole world was born. She had a hard time breathing at first, but now can outyell anybody anywhere.
Some say having a daughter changes you in some way, softens you. Maybe that's true. It's a smile that can make even the worst day better.


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Rise and Shine --- Stop the madness

Good Morning and thank you to Mother Nature for stopping that wind this morning!

OK, yesterday's online poll question here at delcotimes.com was: Do you stop at stop signs?
Here's the breakdown: 92 percent said yes, 6 percent answered sometimes and 2 percent clicked 'Depends if I'm in a hurry'
So, what does that mean? Well, it means many who answered the online poll are liars. The next time I see 92 percent of drivers even slow down at stop signs will be the first time (or something like that).
Here's the facts (OK, not facts but an observation): Barely anybody stops at stop signs. It doesn't matter if there are children walking nearby or police officers driving by (who, by the way, don't stop at stop signs either) or slippery conditions. For some reason, Delaware County drivers see stop signs as a sign to speed up. The other day, while out walking, I saw at least 15 cars not even put on the brakes when going through the neighborhood. Now, mind you, there are a lot of people around all the time and a lot of children either walking home from school or just out playing.
Yesterday, while waiting outside of a school, in the span of five minutes, seven cars blew through stop signs in Lansdowne. One was a Lansdowne police officer who, when I dared said something, slammed on the brakes and told me to mind my own business.
Now, I know there are a lot of problems out there and everybody is in such a big hurry that stop signs are a bother, but they are there for a reason.
Stop for a second. Make sure it's safe. Really, it's not that hard.
Believe me, it would be a lot harder to explain why you hit somebody.


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Rise and Shine ---- Counting peanuts

Good Morning and let's get over the hump!

By the way, remember last Saturday when we were wearing light jackets outside and saying, "Wow, can you believe it's November!" Now, as we pull out our gloves and hats, we are saying, "Wow, can you believe it's November!"
What's next, melting in the North Pole? Oh, never mind!

Speaking of changes, while making a couple of lunches last night, I was struck by the realization that there is no more perfect a food than peanut butter. Yeah, yeah, I know some people have this new thing called 'peanut allergy.' Whatever, that seems to me to be caused by our parents and their parents and their parents to put bad food into our systems.
After years of eating bad meat, processed vegetables and insecticide infused potatoes, something has to give. By the way, here's what medicinenet.com says about peanut allergy: "The prevalence of peanut allergy is increasing. This increase may be due to the exposure of infants with rashes to products such as skin preparations containing peanut oils, sensitizing the children to peanuts."
But, I digress. Peanut butter can be used to make sandwiches (of course and stop your mouth from watering now). It can also be used for cookies, pancakes, stir fries, drinks or, just about everything.
Now, while Skippy and those brands taste good, do yourself a favor and pick up a jar of fresh peanut butter. Take out the sugar and you can really get the best taste.
Sorry, now I need some.


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Rise and Shine --- Word of the day

Good Morning and welcome to all you Eagles fans looking for a change!

OK, maybe not so much of a change that your beloved team would become a 1-15 embarrassment, but a change nonetheless.
'Change,' after all, appears to be the catch-phrase of the year.
We had two presidential candidates touting the need for change. We have an economic system that begs for change. We have an auto industry that needs to change. We may have to change our televisions. We all want to change jobs. We change our clothes every day (well, those of us over 6-years old do anyway). We raid our change banks to get pizza. We put change in our pockets with a smile after a purchase. Then we spend that change at the next store. We are changing the way we get our news. We see a change in the weather. We change our habits with the times. We change the channel when another cop show or hospital show appears on the air (well, at least as long as the batteries in the remote work).
Change. Change. Change.
Well, it's pretty obvious we need a change now. Here's hoping it's more than just a phrase.
By the way, this is about a month old, but, somehow it was missed (at least by me):

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

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Rise and Shine --- Overload?

Good Morning and welcome winter!

Still not sure if there was too much coverage of the lead up to this year's presidential election?
Here's an actual conversation with a 3-year old girl while flipping through the channels Sunday night, momentarily stopping on 60 minutes where president-elect Barack Obama was being interviewed:
"Oh, I don't want to watch Obama!!!"
What?
"Turn off Obama! I want Sleeping Beauty."
Well, no Sleeping Beauty tonight, but how do you know Barack Obama.
"I don't want to watch Obama!!!"
Who is Obama?
"He's the president-eject!! Turn on Sleeping Beauty!"
How do you know Obama?
"Obama. Obama. Obama."
Wait, how to you know about the next president?
"Turn off Obama! He's on all the time!"
All right, let's see what else is on...
"OH. I don't want to watch football!!"
Wait a minute, no Obama, now what's wrong with football?
"I don't like football. It will hurt my head. Can we watch Cinderella?"
Time for bed.
Meanwhile..


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Rise and Shine --- Nintendo what?

Good Morning and welcome to the next big thing!

OK, I'll admit to be a little behind the times. Maybe it's because I never really grew up with the stuff or because I never really felt the need to spend hours pushing buttons, but I don't understand the video game revolution.
I don't know why you need to sit in front of the television and play virtual games instead of just playing the games. Much to the chagrin of a trio of children I know well, there are no Playstations or Xbox's connected to the television.
A few years ago I received something called 'Atari Flashback' which is exactly as it sounds. You can play some of the 'classic' Atari games like pong, 'Adventure' and 'Yars Revenge.' It lasted about two days plugged into the television before the being buried under other toys. I tried to sell it at a yard sale this fall for a buck and got no takers.
Now, I can almost see the reason to purchase a Wii. After all, you do have to move around a bit for most of the games. At least there's a little interaction besides just sitting and pushing buttons on a handheld thingamajig.
Actually, I don't think most games out on the market are for children anyway, so, if there's no temptation there's no 'Grand Theft Auto.'
I may plug the Atari back into the television on the next rainy day. I should hold them over for about 10 minutes.


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Rise and Shine --- What to watch?

Good Morning and welcome back!

Maybe it's just me or has network television finally fallen off the cliff.
Take a gander at the schedule and you have a lot of choices: unfunny comedies, cop shows, reality shows, more cop shows, a hospital drama thrown in surrounded by more cop shows.
I realize even networks are feeling the financial crunch, but, come on, there's got to be something better than cop show after cop show after reality show. Sure, there are some breaks from the norm (When does 'Lost' return?), but they are too far in between. Look, having worked nights most of my life and now on the early-morning shift, I rarely watch a lot of television. I get maybe an hour a night to decompress.
Let's stop watching this junk until it improves. After all, we might have to, gasp, switch to the Discovery Channel.
Well, maybe it could be worse...


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Rise and Shine --- Not the ball!!

Good Morning and bundle up out there today!

OK, now we've gone and done it. Much like Charlton Heston at the end of 'Planet of the Apes' we can all drop down on our knees and scream.
Somebody in their infinite wisdom has gone and destroyed another special thing.
According to this story on CNN.com the crystal ball that used to drop in Times Square only on New Years Eve will be used year round.
It's going to turn red for Valentines Day, green for St. Patrick's Day, some color for Arbor Day. Great. Good job. Let's dumb down everything.
Standing among the way too many people who jam Times Square on New Year's Eve is something that can't be replicated. It's annoying and exhilarating at the same time. It's overwhelming and personal at the same time. It's just something that should remain special for one day.
What's going to happen now? Are they going to send Dick Clark out there on Labor Day to count down the end of unions? Is Ryan Seacrest going to count the seconds away to the start of Columbus Day? Can we get a couple of Abe Lincoln and George Washington impersonators to sit on the ball for President's Day?
What's next? A world Series in November? A Super Bowl in February?
Uh, never mind.


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Rise and Shine --- Uncharted roads

Good Morning and welcome back to November!

So, we got through another weekend virtually unscathed, although that's probably not going to be the same for very long. It appears we are heading down roads not seen for 80 years.
Hopefully, everything can be pulled back to some sense of normalcy, but, we'll have to wait until February, at least, to see.
Back in 10th grade, I had a teacher who's idea was to install a new president the day after an election. His argument was a lame-duck President (and a lame-duck Congress) won't really help the country.
Was he ahead of his time. Well, it sure looks like it now. Not that a new administration would be able to create a miracle turnaround, but, really, can it get any worse. We are bombarded day after day, hour after hour, with bad news about the economy. There are layoffs, foreclosures, more layoffs, 401(k)s going down the toilet and we have an administration under no push to get things done.
No matter what people want to believe, there isn't a Messiah out there ready to step in. Still, we need to get new ideas out there to see if they work. If not, adjust, but something has to give.
Or does it?


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Rise and Shine --- Digging out

Good Morning and welcome to summer in November!

That's right, it's supposed to be 70 degrees out there today. Enjoy it now, because that Pennsylvania winter will no doubt hit us over the head soon.
Speaking of winter and knocking you over the head, the announcement by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter of major budget cuts seems a little odd. Sure, bit cities like Philadelphia are feeling the economic crunch. All those companies laying off all those workers means less tax money coming in to the cities. There's no doubt they have to control spending, but the plowing of roads after snowstorms is the wrong path.
Now, here in Pennsylvania, we have about the worst road clearing in the country. Just try, without a snowmobile of course, to drive down Baltimore Pike after a snowstorm. You'd be better off walking.
Not plowing the roads just brings everything to a stop. People can't get to work, school, the stores (for milk and bread of course) or anywhere. Of course, it's great for television and their over-obsession with weather, but the rest of us have to get around.
So, unless Nutter has a connection to Mother Nature and knows the Heat Miser will be controlling the winter in the Northeast this year (in a trade for just one snow day in the South), the Mayor is going to have bigger problems.
Then again, maybe it won't matter. We are in a world of perpetual sunshine now.


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Rise and Shine --- Get with the program

Good Morning and welcome to the rest of the year!

OK, now I get that schools have to play to many masters. I get that they need to stay somewhat away from politics. I get that some parents would become offended (offended?) if teachers talked about political candidates they didn't support. I get that 'No Child Left Behind' doesn't leave much time to actually teach students other than what may show up on a standardized test.
That's all fine and dandy. Yet, the day after we elected a new president, all that should be thrown out the window.
When a fourth-grader comes home and says the school 'is trying to avoid the election as best it can.' Well, that's just plain wrong.
The only way we can build on the unprecedented involvement of so many people this election season is to keep talking about it, especially to children.
Sure, they can't actually vote, but they can feel engaged. They can discuss things. They can do things other than the 'lesson plan.'
Those spelling words will still be studied. The math problems will get done. The testing pressures will still be there.
To ignore what's going on outside the doors is just plain wrong and every adult in the school should be held accountable.
Children want to learn. They do learn. They don't need to be ignored.


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Rise and Shine --- What's next?

Good Morning and welcome to the down time!

So, we've had a World Series championship, a monster parade, Halloween and the most historic election in our history all in one week. That's right, one week.
We have to take a break now. It's time to sit back for a couple of days, weeks, whatever and figure out how we made it through these seven days.
Really, there weren't many breaks. Let's break it down:
Last Monday: World Series Game 5 part 1. Rain and more rain.
Last Tuesday: Rain, snow, winter in October.
Last Wednesday: Cold and World Series Game 5 part 2. That lead to late nights standing in line and celebrating.
Last Thursday: World Series hangover.
Last Friday: World Series parade. Halloween.
Last Saturday: Parade and Halloween hangover.
Sunday: Eagles vs. Seahawks in the late afternoon.
Monday: Election Day-eve. Senses bombarded by ads, rhetoric and robocalls.
Tuesday: Election Day. Barack Obama becomes first African-American President. More celebrations in the street.
So, it's time for a break. I don't want to hear about the stock market, the election, the Phillies (OK, we can still talk Phillies). Time to veg out. Take it easy. Get all that sleep back.
We need some brain candy:

See more Will Ferrell videos at Funny or Die

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Rise and Shine --- No more robocalls!

Good Morning and welcome to what should be a pretty exciting election day!

Not as exciting as a World Series, but pretty close. Today, everybody who is able should get to their polling place and cast a vote. We need to jump start the government and the best way to do it is come out strong and vote. No matter which presidential candidate you prefer, some thing has to change after eight years of, um, George Bush.
So, like they say in South Philly, get out early and get out often.
Hum this while waiting in line:


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Rise and Shine --- Back to normal

Good Morning and that Championship hangover should have passed!

Now that we are into the next week, that means the next BIG THING. Which, of course, really is a big thing. We are going to pick the next President of the United States Tuesday.
The rhetoric will all be gone. The hate-filled television commercials will be off the air. The constant barrage of political comment will go off the air.
Will we miss it? How about we just hold a parade to mark the end of this political circle.
We have one side saying the other is bad, then then other saying, no, that side is bad and we're just talking about DeFrancisco/Miccarelli 162nd race.
Forget about that other big race. Even the local races are ugly. Do these candidates really think we want to hear how bad the opponent's ideas are? How about we talk about the issues?
Well, at least it will be over. Then all we'll have to listen to is the radio and TV pundits yell at each other. What fun?
When does spring training start?
By the way, can't leave this one go. It might be the funniest prank call in the last 20 years:


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