borgo's New Writeups

Operation Popeye (event)

2013-05-22T14:35:24Z

I was glancing through the news this morning and came across an article that caught my eye. It was in regards to the recent tornado that ripped through Oklahoma killing at least 24 people, 9 of them children. Besides the toll taken in human life, the area is devastated with homes, schools, hospitals and businesses virtually wiped off the map.

Leave it to nut job and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to speculate that the government might have used a âweather weaponâ to create the carnage that just occurred. He went on and stated that itâs pretty much a given the government âcan create and steer groups of tornadoesâ if it felt like it.

Oy Vey!

At least it got me to thinking and wondering if the United States has ever tried to manipulate the weather during war and lo and behold, it seems we have.

âMake mud, not war.â

The year is 1967 and the United States is mired in the Vietnam War. The North…

thoughts while cutting my daughter's hair (personal)

2013-05-21T12:54:10Z

Back when Anna was, oh I dunno, somewhere between the age of three and five and was staying with me over a typical weekend I had one duty and one duty only. She was getting ready to go to âsomethingâ (I forget if it was a party or a school event but it really doesnât matter) and I was supposed to get her a haircut. Nothing drastic mind you, just a trim of her bangs which were getting pretty long and hanging down over her eyes.

Me, being the dutiful and ever loving father decided against taking her to a professional and would handle the job myself. After all, how hard could it be to lope off a quarter or half an inch in a straight line? Besides my feeling of accomplishment and self satisfaction at a job well done, I figured Iâd also save a few bucks in the process.

So I hunted down a pair of scissors, sat her down in a chair and then a revelation came to me. It would be much easier to cut the bangs if they were wet. Thatâs how Iâd seen it done before. So, with the…

dog park (place)

2013-05-16T17:56:19Z

This is mainly written from the perspective of a city dweller who holds down a nine to five job and where open space is considered a premium.

Poor Fido, cooped up in the empty house for hours on end just waiting for you to come home after a hard day at work. Naturally, when you come strolling through the door heâs going to treat you like the return of a conquering hero and after greeting you is also going to want to go to the great outdoors and take care of some âpersonal businessâ. After that, the pooch is probably going to want to play a game or two of fetch before curling up at your feet and settling in for the evening.

And then the routine resumes again the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that and so on and so on.

Sounds pretty boring doesnât it?

Well, if you want to give Fido a break from the monotony and allow him some time with his fellow canines, you might want to consider a trip to your local…

taxi (thing)

2013-05-14T17:07:37Z

Sometimes, things just donât turn out the way you planned them. That seems to be the main premise behind the theme of the television show Taxi and its cast members. I mean, does anybody want to grow up to become a cab driver in New York City?

Taxi was easily one of the funniest shows I watched back in the late 70âs and early 80âs. During its short five year run it won a total of 18 Emmy Awards, three of which for âOutstanding Comedy Seriesâ. While thatâs all well and good, Taxi also covered some issues that given the times, might have been considered taboo. Hereâs a short listing of some of the more controversial ones.

Drug abuse

Animal abuse

Single parenting

The Cast

Alex Rieger as portraved by Judd Hirsch.

…

Dr. Joyce Brothers (person)

2013-05-14T13:38:15Z

I usually donât like it when the death of an individual provides me with a spark to write about them. It seems a bit ghoulish but in this case Iâll make an exception.

âI invented media psychology; I was the first, the founding mother.â

Long before there was a Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Dr. This or Dr. That dishing out advice on television for what ails you there was another doctor who, depending on your point of view, should be credited with establishing the format that is still in use today.

Her name was Dr. Joyce Brothers and hereâs her story.

Joyce Brothers (nee Bauer) was born in Brooklyn, New York to a pair of attorneys who shared a law practice together. She would later go on to attend Cornell University where she majored in home economics (you can major in that?) and psychology. She eventually earned a Ph.D from Columbia University.

She married an internist in 1949 but the couple struggled early on…

The Most Interesting Man in the World (person)

2013-05-03T13:12:05Z

âThe Most Interesting Man in the Worldâ is a wildly successful ad campaign launched by Dos Equis back in 2006. The role itself is played by one Jonathon Goldsmith as a well groomed sophisticated sort of man who seems to have a way with the ladies. Think Bill Brasky in a tux only more mild mannered and debonair. Since the campaign was launched, sales of Dos Equis have increased 22% while other brands have fallen at around 4%.

One might be tempted to ask just what makes The Most Interesting Man in the World so damn interesting?

Well, it seems that even though heâs there to push a product he doesnât oversell it. He also claims that while he doesnât always drink beer, when he does, he prefers Dos Equis. He also advises us at the end of each commercial to âStay thirsty, my friends.â Sound advice if you ask me.

But thereâs more to it than that. Even though he says very little thereâs also an air of mystique and danger that exudes from The Most…