WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT YOU AND ME Part 3a (Government)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chances are, your local or state police departments have photographs of your car in their files, noting where you were driving on a particular day, even if you never did anything wrong.

 

Using automated scanners, law enforcement agencies across the country have amassed millions of digital records on the location and movement of every vehicle with a license plate, according to a study published Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union. Affixed to police cars, bridges or buildings, the scanners capture images of passing or parked vehicles and note their location, uploading that information into police databases. Departments keep the records for weeks or years, sometimes indefinitely.

 

As the technology becomes cheaper and more ubiquitous, and federal grants focus on aiding local terrorist detection, even small police agencies are able to deploy more sophisticated surveillance systems. While the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that a judge's approval is needed to track a car with GPS, networks of plate scanners allow police effectively to track a driver's location, sometimes several times every day, with few legal restrictions. The ACLU says the scanners assemble what it calls a "single, high-resolution image of our lives."

 

"There's just a fundamental question of whether we're going to live in a society where these dragnet surveillance systems become routine," said Catherine Crump, a staff attorney with the ACLU. The civil rights group is proposing that police departments immediately delete any records of cars not linked to a crime.

 

Law enforcement officials said the scanners can be crucial to tracking suspicious cars, aiding drug busts and finding abducted children. License plate scanners also can be efficient. The state of Maryland told the ACLU that troopers could "maintain a normal patrol stance" while capturing up to 7,000 license plate images in a single eight hour shift.

"At a time of fiscal and budget constraints, we need better assistance for law enforcement," said Harvey Eisenberg, chief of the national security section and assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland.

 

Law enforcement officials also point out that the technology is legal in most cases, automating a practice that's been done for years. The ACLU found that only five states have laws governing license plate readers. New Hampshire, for example, bans the technology except in narrow circumstances, while Maine and Arkansas limit how long plate information can be stored.

 

"There's no expectation of privacy" for a vehicle driving on a public road or parked in a public place, said Lt. Bill Hedgpeth, a spokesman for the Mesquite Police Department in Texas, which has records stretching back to 2008, although the city plans next month to begin deleting files older than two years. "It's just a vehicle. It's just a license plate."

 

In Yonkers, N.Y., just north of the Bronx, police said retaining the information indefinitely helps detectives solve future crimes. In a statement, the department said it uses license plate readers as a "reactive investigative tool" that is only accessed if detectives are looking for a particular vehicle in connection to a crime.

 

"These plate readers are not intended nor used to follow the movements of members of the public," the department's statement said.

 

But even if law enforcement officials say they don't want a public location tracking system, the records add up quickly. In Jersey City, N.J., for example, the population is only 250,000 but the city collected more than 2 million plate images on file. Because the city keeps records for five years, the ACLU estimates that it has some 10 million on file, making it possible for police to plot the movements of most residents depending upon the number and location of the scanners, according to the ACLU.

 

The ACLU study, based on 26,000 pages of responses from 293 police departments and state agencies across the country, also found that license plate scanners produced a small fraction of "hits," or alerts to police that a suspicious vehicle has been found. In Maryland, for example, the state reported reading about 29 million plates between January and May of last year. Of that amount, about 60,000 — or roughly 1 in every 500 license plates — were suspicious. The No. 1 crime? A suspended or revoked registration, or a violation of the state's emissions inspection program accounted for 97 percent of all alerts.

 

Eisenberg, the assistant U.S. attorney, said the numbers "fail to show the real qualitative assistance to public safety and law enforcement." He points to the 132 wanted suspects the program helped track. They were a small fraction of the 29 million plates read, but he said tracking those suspects can be critical to keeping an area safe.

 

Also, he said, Maryland has rules in place restricting access for criminal investigations only. Most records are retained for one year in Maryland, and the state's privacy policies are reviewed by an independent board, Eisenberg noted.
 

At least in Maryland, "there are checks, and there are balances," he said.

___

Copied from FOX News

WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT YOU AND ME Part 2 (Wal-Mart)

THINGS WAL-MART KNOWS ABOUT YOU & ME *

This Post is limited to what Wal-Mart, and other Point of Sale companies, knows about you when you make a purchase. You might be surprised!

1.   WHAT YOU BOUGHT (BRAND, SIZE, COLOR, AND QUANITY)

2.   WHAT ELSE DID YOU PURCHASE DURING THIS VISIT

3.   COST AND METHOD OF PAYMENT (DL, address, phone number maybe involved)

4.   DATE, TIME, STORE LOCATION, & CHECK OUT AISLE

5.   CHECKER USED (SOME CHECKERS HAVE “FANS”)

6.   PRICE OF INDIVIDUAL ITEMS AND TOTAL PURCHASE

7.   IMPULSE ITEMS PURCHASED FROM CHECK-OUT AISLE

8.   WAS ITEM SEASONAL? END CAP PROMOTION?

9.   COUPONS ? FOOD STAMPS?

10.                     TAX EXEMPT?

 

This list is not encyclopedic. But it is enough to ask what does Wal-Mart do with all of this information? I am glad you asked.

a.   Inventory Control---Allegedly each USA Wal-Mart is located within 300 miles of a distribution center. What can be bad about that?  Please keep reading.

b.   Marketing and Advertising---What sells is what they stock. If an item is a hot moving item, Wal-Mart sells end caps to these companies.  Stay with me on this---If a large number of people are buying Pepsi and Ruffles at the same time, Wal-Mart says to both how about doing some joint -co-op advertising and joint placement. Wal-Mart will sell both Pepsi and Ruffles and the cash registers go Ka- Ching throughout the day and night.

c.    Expansion and Product placement sets are determined from your purchase.  

d.   Pay and Performance evaluation comes from your purchases. Training and even termination also.

e.   At Bentonville, the real center of the Universe, item managers are armed with cold hard data to force further price concessions and in many, many cases Wal-Mart will dictate a vendor’s manufacturing system and salary structure.

f.      Here’s the One That Bothers  me the most: WaL-Mart  is a major seller of firearms and ammo and if total gun control is ever mandated, Wal-Mart sales would be a great place to start looking for firearms owners.

I’ll have lots to say about Wal-Mart in a much later Post.

·       For the record: I shop at our local Wal-Mart twice a week---sometimes more.

WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT YOU AND ME---Part 1

THE GOVERNMENT'S INTRUSIONS INTO OUR PRIVATE LIVES HAS BEEN WIDELY PUBLICIZED. THE LAST PART OF THIS THREE PART BLOG WILL FOCUS ON THE GOVERNMENT'S MASSIVE CAPTURING AND ANALYSIS OF THIS PRIVATE INFORMATION.

This Post deals with something I learned from listening to the Kim Komando's ALL THINGS DIGITAL weekend radio broadcast.

If you are a frequent traveler or stay overnight in a high dollar motel/hotel chances are very good the management knows a lot about you before you check-in.

They Google your name, search you Facebook page, read any blogs that you maintain, search newspaper articles about you in an effort to make your stay a very personal affair.

For example, magazines that reflect your interests will be in your room when you arrive, cooks are told of your eating preferences and the NDA (Next Day Arrivals) will have a full description about you: Age, married/single, kids, job, where you vacation and much, much more.

I have resisted the social media craze for many reasons. This is yet another.

Next Post: How much does Wal-Mart know about you?????

WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT THIS COULD HAPPEN?

“It took life for us to get to this point – Everybody was so free.  
From the first notes, it sounded like an explosion of sound; 
We went where the songs took us with a singularity of purpose. 
We came in to make music as grown-ups, to make music as men.” 
- Raul Malo, lead singer of The Mavericks

 

 

         (All of the above from Mavericks Web site) 

Is the Mavericks Band a Country Band?  Rock Band?  Country-Rock Band? Rock-a-billy Band?  Latino-Country Band? I defer to the Wikipedia definition of this band: “Genre Defying”

How did this unrepentant, hardcore, Principal-In-Chief of the Old School guy discover this band? I am so glad you asked.

While channel surfing last weekend I hit upon the special rebroadcast of the 50th Anniversary of the late Country great George Jones on AXS TV. When the Jones special was over I kept the AXS channel on and the live performance of the Mavericks Band started.

The Band is a mix of Cuban or Mexican background beat provided by a brass section and an accordion. A lead guitar player that is world class, a dynamic drummer, an organ/piano keyboard player that is non-stop talent, a rhythm guitar player, a standup bass guitar player that is a throwback to yesterday’s music and the lead vocalist---unbelievable range and a commanding stage presence Raul Malo, also a super guitar player. 

Some of the songs were Country cover hits---others were songs I never heard before. The large crowd in the NJ auditorium was composed of young girls in their 20’s, couples in their 30’s, and are you ready for this? Several couples were in the 50-60 age group. I would have loved to have been at this event. (Yeah, I said that!) I was hooked early on and was amazed at the talent and intensity, drive and energy in the group. The vocals set the pace and everything fell into place. This is a first class entertainment group!

This older recording from England gives a good sample of the talent in this dynamic group: (“All you ever do is bring me down” is their signature piece)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ss7djOJmGY

You Tube has several selections from The Mavericks Band.  Hope you like them. 

Glenn <><

GOD BLESS AMERICA !

GOD BLESS AMERICA !

God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.

"It's Good To Know There's Still A Few Ole Country Boys Around"

I know of no other music genre that sings about the business side of their industry like Country music. Fans get to peek behind the curtain and see and hear what artists feel about the past stars and future headliners.

The late George Jones did this better than any other Country singer.

"Still a Few Ole Country Boys Around"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olhLbOgOYTs


Here's another the Possum made famous:

"Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi3GgoLtlWk



In my opinion, George Jones is the greatest Country star of all time!

"Paradox of Our Time" by George Carlin

ILL.- It’s written by George Carlin and entitled "Paradox of Our Time."

- The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. 

- We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less.

- We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. 

- We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

- We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

- We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
 
- We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. 

- We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years!

- We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. 

- We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

- We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. 

- We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. 

- We write more, but learn less.

- We plan more, but accomplish less. 

- We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.
- We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. 

(The above was quoted in a sermon by Steve Shepherd.)

 

ONLY IN AMERICA---Author Unknown

A preacher named Steve Shepherd used the following in a sermon (No attribution):

ILL.- Someone wrote these interesting words entitled, "Only in America."

1- Only in America can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

2- Only in America are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

3- Only in America do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions, while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

4- Only in America do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke.

5- Only in America do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our junk in the garage. Hello.

6- Only in America do we use answering machines to screen calls and have call waiting so we won’t miss a call from someone we didn’t want to talk to in the first place.

7- Only in America do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

ARE YOU READY TO MOVE ON UP TO THE EAST SIDE?

You scrimp, sacrifice, and save for years and now have enough money to look for that special five bedroom, three bath, multi-level dream house with a three car garage, large outdoor pool, enclosed Jacuzzi, on an acre lot located in an exclusive gated community. Before you call a realtor, better take this short quiz to see if you are ready for the big move to the east side:

1. T   F   A caring upscale homeowner should put pink flamingos on all sides of their home.

2.  T   F   To help beautify the neighborhood, a good neighbor will use his three old washing machines as an elephant ear planter.

3.   T   F   Blocks used to jack up your two old inoperative pickup trucks should be painted the same color as the house.

4.   T   F   For your housewarming dinner you should instruct the butcher to cut the baloney 4 slices/pound.

5.   T   F   Your cousin-in-law should never park his 1971 motor home more than five weeks in your driveway.


IF YOU MARKED 1 OR MORE TRUE---Stay in your doublewide

IF YOU MARKED 1 OR MORE FALSE--Stay in your doublewide

LIFE HAPPENS !!

                            LIFE HAPPENS !!

        (A Fictional Story That Proves Again That Life Can  Be Unfair)

In spite of all that had happened in the last six months, Wilbur (Wil) Madison had a spring in his step as he passed through the revolving front door of the County General Hospital.  On this day, Wil was filled with an abundance of pride and joy as he pushed the third floor button on the elevator.

When the elevator door opened he smiled as he walked past the OB/GYN nurses’ station and immediately went to Room 324. There his wife Sharon was nursing their two-day old daughter---Roslyn---Wil already called her Rosie. Sharon’s mother was taking care of their two boys---Michael and Steven. He kissed his wife and gently placed a fatherly butterfly kiss on the back of Rosie’s small head.

Sharon told Wil that she and Roslyn would be going home tomorrow and asked Wil a dozen questions about preparations to receive her and their new baby.  Wil assured her everything was ready. An hour and a half later Wil gave goodbye kisses and started for home.

On the drive home the events of the past half year automatically started playing in his head. Right after the first of the year the dog collar factory where Wil and 20 other employees worked ceased operations and all of the jobs went to Mexico. (The bosses said they wanted more buck for the bark!)

His unemployment check, combined with severe belt tightening, enabled the Madison family to survive for two months. After three months of no payments, the “Buy Here—Pay Here” car lot reposed Sharon’s mini-van.

That was just the beginning of sorrows: Sharon’s father died from a heart attack during a pickup Dodge Ball game at the YMCA. At the funeral the assistant second shift supervisor at the YMCA said that in her Dad’s last Dodge Ball game he was the last man standing;  Wil’s 20 year old brother---Larry--- ran off with a 47 year old waitress who worked at an all-night Denny’s; Steven’s cat was run over by a sugar crazed skateboarder; Michael was bitten at kindergarten by his pet ground squirrel (Bucky) during show and tell---the squirrel escaped from the school and the sheriff’s SWAT was called in to locate and put down the freedom-loving rodent. The squirrel was determined by a County Public Health janitor not to be rabid. Little Michael has watched so much TV he is considering filing a law suit against the sheriff’s department for excessive force against his ground squirrel.

Wil’s life was no picnic either: While collecting aluminum cans he was beaten up by two homeless guys who accused him of jumping their claim; The Salvation Army had a free Easter ham give away and while he was standing in line he had his cashless wallet lifted by a drifter from West Virginia---at least that’s what he told police when he was arrested. Wil contracted head lice at the ham give away; Wil took some of the aluminum can money and bought a snorkel and mask at Wal-Mart and searched for golf balls in a large and deep water hazard near the 3rd hole. One day he got a late start and was unaware the course had opened for play.  He surfaced without warning and was struck repeatedly by an elderly gentleman welding a nine iron. Fortunately, the snorkel and mask absorbed most of swings. The old golfer was assessed a quadruple bogey by the other three members of the foursome for all of his extra swings!

That night Wil took a call from a classmate who had just opened a small manufacturing plant and immediately accepted a job offer that paid almost as much as he was making at the dog collar factory. The benefits were much better.  Wil couldn’t wait to tell Sharon and he called her at once. She cried and said to Wil that Roslyn had already changed their luck. 

The next day the trip home with the new baby was very, very happy. When they arrived at home there was a note on the front door. It read, “Sorry we missed you. Enter again next year.” It was signed, “Publishers Clearing House 10 Million Dollar Prize Patrol.”

Glenn  <><   6-21-13

HALE-BOPP COMET

During my life I have seen several comets: Unaided and with Optical assistance. There is something about comets that is awe inspiring and so other worldly. By far the best one for me was Hale-Bopp. Photo below from the Internet:

1958 CHEVY --- OH WHAT MEMORIES!

UNUSUAL STORM CLOUDS

Just before the last two tornadoes came through our area, the following unusual cloud pattern appeared:



 For obvious reasons, these clouds are call Mammalus Clouds.
Weather experts say these clouds reflect low level wind being pulled into the tornado.

Oklahoma is the only place I have observed clouds such as these.
The TV radar can fine tune down to a specific street where the storm is headed. Exploding power transformers help storm chaser tell the speed and location of rain wrapped storms.

THE REPO MAN (A PUBLIC SERVICE POST)

IN OKLAHOMA THE REPO BUSINESS IS
REALLY "PICKING UP" (What a bad pun!)

 

THIS NEW REPO TRUCK GOES FOR 60K ON WEB

"When You Know the Repo Man Is Coming

We're not going to tell you how to hide your car or block it in using other vehicles, as that's just postponing the inevitable. As one repo man said, "We use every trick in the book to get your car. We watch the house and follow you if you take the car anywhere. We'll grab it when you park, even if it is for a few minutes. I took one from a gas station when the owner went to the window to get their change.

"The harder you make it for the repo man, the more he is going to charge the bank," our recovery agent added. "The bank will add this to the amount you owe, and you will eventually have to pay it."

So before your car disappears, take your personal items out of it. This includes removing aftermarket stereo equipment or other accessories. Put the original equipment back onto the vehicle or you will be billed for it. If your car is repossessed, you have the legal right to claim your personal possessions from inside the vehicle. In some cases, personal items can vanish. "The agent is supposed to store and log everything in the car," Huang said. "But that doesn't always happen."

Still other people avoid repossession by simply surrendering their vehicle. This summer, in foreclosure-ridden Riverside County, California, dealers would come to work in the morning to find SUVs parked outside with the keys in the ignition and a note on the windshield saying, "I surrender this car." This avoids the repossession fee but not the balance owed or the auction fees.

Sadly, some people facing repossession become bitter and vandalize the cars. "Some cars we got back looked like someone had tap-danced on the hood," Huang said. This would only lower the value of the car at auction, further increasing the balance owed on the car."  (FROM EDMUNDS.COM)

 

FEEL FREE TO FOWARD THIS POST TO ANY FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS WHO MAY NEED THIS INFORMATION. ---Glenn <><

 

 



 

 

 

 

SO YOU THINK YOU ARE GETTING OLD !

THE PHOTO BELOW WAS TAKEN IN 2012
AT A TV WESTERN FAN FEST.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
(Answer at bottom of page)

Two western icons—Hugh (“Wyatt Earp”) O‘Brian and Clint (“Cheyenne”) Walker.

 

 

Did you guess both? One? None?

 

 

In a way these current photos of TV/Movie stars is image shattering. Yet it reminds all of us we too are getting old!

BEAUTY AND TRUTH V 2.0

                
                      I DO NOT OWN THE COPYRIGHT TO THIS PHOTO

AS A TEENAGER IN INDIANA, I WAS GRIPPED AND AWED BY THE NIGHT SKY; AND I STILL AM.

THE BEAUTY AND TRUTH OF THE FOLLOWING EXTRACT HAS NOT BEEN DIMMED BY TIME OR CHANGES IN OUR LANGUAGE:


O Night, mysterious, sublime, and infinite! withdrawing from
our eyes the veil spread above us by the light of day, giving back transparency to the Heavens, showing us the prodigious reality, the shining casket of the celestial diamonds, the innumerable stars that succeed each other interminably in immeasurable space! Without Night we should know nothing. Without it our eyes would never have divined the sidereal population, our intellects would never have pierced the harmony of the Heavens, and we should have remained the blind, deaf parasites of a world isolated from the rest of the universe. O Sacred Night! If on the one hand it rests upon the heights of Truth beyond the day's illusions, on the other its invisible urns pour down a silent and tranquil peace, a penetrating calm, upon our souls that weary of Life's fever. It makes us forget the struggles, perfidies, intrigues, the miseries of the hours of toil and noisy activity, all the conventionalities of civilization. Its domain is that of rest and dreams. We love it for its peace and calm tranquillity. We love it because it is true.


INCLUDED LATER FROM SAME SOURCE

Diamonds, turquoises, rubies, emeralds, all the precious stones with which women love to deck themselves, are to be found in greater perfection, more beautiful, and more splendid, set in the immensity of Heaven! In the telescopic field, we may watch the progress of armies of majestic and powerful suns, from whose attacks there is naught to fear. And these vagabond comets and shooting stars and stellar nebulæ, do they not make up a prodigious panorama? What are our romances in comparison with the History of Nature? Soaring toward the Infinite, we purify our souls from all the baseness of this world, we strive to become better and more intelligent.

Flammarion, Camille (2011-03-24). Astronomy for Amateurs (pp. 16-17).  . Kindle Edition.


.

THIS IS A PUBLIC DOMAIN BOOK---PUBLISHED IN 1910

"THE BOYS"

As an old western movie fan I have noticed the bad guys usually have a gang that are simply referred to as "The Boys."

"The Boys" are often shown getting ready to hold up the stage, rustle some cattle, kidnap the good guy's girlfriend, blowup the mine of an unsuspecting owner, set fire to the homestead of a "nester", rob a bank, shot a lawman in the back, or dynamite the critical newspaper office, jail, or maybe a railroad bridge---just to name a few misdeeds.

In the unfurnished hideout cabin "The Boys" are usually pictured playing cards and drinking booze. Unrest and fights are common place while waiting for the next job to pull.

Here are a few suggestions to help fill up all of that spare time:

  a. Enroll all of "The Boys" in a   correspondence course: Such as---Repairing Wagon Wheels For Fun And Profit; Twelve Steps To A Happier You; or maybe Writing Western Songs In Your Spare Time.

  b. "The Boys" could be shooting merit badge counselors for a local Boy Scout Troop

  c.  Establish a summer outlaw exchange program with members of the Chicago Mob.

  d. Adopt a mile of the stage route to keep clean and put up "ROBBERS AHEAD SIGNS"

  e. Learn to play the harmonica for the next time in the Joint.

  f. Whittle wooden handcuffs for the Boss' kids.

  g. Take some cupcakes to the Old Outlaws Rest Home.

IDLE HANDS ARE THE DEVIL's WORKSHOP

SCROLL DOWN TO THE STORY ABOUT THE CLASS OF 1983 REUNION AT THE REEL 'EM INN MOTEL.

"Mister, can you spare a steak?"

Why has the price of beef gone through the roof?

Many of the cattle growing states have experienced severe drought for 3-4 years. As a result, about a year ago many ranchers were forced to sell all or most of their grass fed herd. The price of beef dropped slightly as the market was flooded with an over supply.

Now, there is a major shortage of beef as ranchers try to rebuild their herds. Consequently, the price has rocket straight up. I saw rib-eyes last week at $11.95 per pound.

Ranchers are caught in a world where cows with calves are at record prices. This drives the cost up for ranchers rebuilding their herds. As a result, beef production remains low and cost to the consumer remains high. 

There is a bright spot here in Oklahoma. Parts of our state are close to being out of the drought and grass and hay are again plentiful. This will keep production costs down and the consumer might see some relief in a year or two.

"Pass the A-1 so I can put it on my pork chop and pretend it is a T-bone!"

SCROLL DOWN TO THE STORY ABOUT THE CLASS OF 1983 REUNION AT THE REEL 'EM INN MOTEL.

HELLO MR. CHIPS ! V. 2

I accompanied my oldest grandson today as he registered at a large state university for the Fall term. My mind went back 64 years ago when I registered as a Freshmen at Purdue University. Here are some observations from today:

1. Entering freshmen today look like kindergartners, not college students. I am certain my classmates in 1959 looked much more mature! (Yeah, right.)

2. Some, key word some, of the girls were dressed more for the beach than college registration. In 1959 these same girls would probably be arrested.

3. Today's entering freshmen look like walking ads for cell phones and computers. In 1959 I used a telephone for the first time.

4. The parents today had the same look as my Dad had in 1959. Where did the time go?

5. Students today had the same sense of wonder and excitement as I experienced in 1959. Most of the good things that have happened to me in 64 plus years had their genesis from those wonderful years I spent at Purdue. I pray my grandson will have the same experience.

6. Many of the students came with Mom/Dad.  In some cases the parent , who looked young, could pass for a brother/sister of their entering student. This brought home again the fact-----I'm old!

I would be remiss if I did not mention my best friend at Purdue---Ray. Ray died about 12 years ago. I really miss him. We entered adulthood together. In many respects we were complete opposites: Ray was from the south side of Chicago, make mine country. He was short and I was much taller. He was a Catholic; I am a Baptist. Ray was in Pharmacy; I was in Industrial Technology. Ray was shy; well, you know I am not. He was a White Sox fan; I'm a die hard Reds fan.

Friendship is not built on differences, but shared common interests. We had a ton of those. Ray R.I.P.


SCROLL DOWN TO THE STORY ABOUT THE CLASS OF 1983 REUNION AT THE REEL 'EM INN MOTEL.
  

THAT OLD TREE

                         THAT OLD TREE

                 That old tree in our front yard
                 Was my castle and my best pard'

                 A place to hide and tell my sorrow
                 A place to dream and plan tomorrow

                Things were smaller from my perch
                Answers came easier in my search

                The house and old tree have all gone
                In my older heart the old tree lives on 

                        Glenn <><  6-12-13