High Approval Rating

GOOD NEWS !!!

September 25, 2025, at home

Hershey Wins !!!

GOOD NEWS !!! I truly was wondering whatever became of this lawsuit. (no joke) ... I found the case to be absurd and frivolous. I am happy with the verdict.

"Hershey beats lawsuit claiming Reese's Halloween candies aren't spooky"

"Hershey defeated a lawsuit claiming it misled consumers who were disappointed the Halloween-themed Reese's peanut butter candies they bought lacked the decorative details shown on the labels."

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/hershey-beats-lawsuit-claiming-reeses-halloween-candies-arent-spooky-2025-09-22/

September 25, 2025, at home

Today Is ...

Today (September 25, 2024, at home) is National Comic Book Day.

I became a big fan of Jughead comic books (digests) in the early 1990s, when I was in my early 30s. During that time (1992 to 1996), I was a reporter, writer, editor, and researcher for a weekly, international magazine on the financial and technical aspects of the chemical industry. I needed to read something simplistic for a change to offset the complexity of the chemical industry, so I chose Jughead.

Jughead Jones and I are very much alike. He's lazy, awkward, clumsy, and a free spirit, plus he likes to eat, especially hamburgers, and is not popular with the ladies. He is just kind of ... "there," being somewhat superfluous.

I have been a fan of Jughead since I was a kid in the 1960s. I enjoyed the comic strips, which I still do, and The Archies Show cartoon TV series that aired for one season in 1968, when I was seven years old.

Today (September 25, 2025, at home) is National One-Hit Wonder Day. What is your favorite one-hit wonder? Mine is "Ariel" by Dean Friedman from April 1977. I was 16 years old when it was released.

Although it's about northern New Jersey in the 1960s, I can absolutely relate to it because I grew up not far away on Long Island, New York. (Both areas are quite close to New York City, so the experiences were similar.) The images in the video are from the1960s and also seemingly from the 1950s.

I like this video and the lyrics of the song because both really capture the time period, and also both somewhat remind me of my childhood, although I'm not Jewish and was decidedly younger than the guy in the song at that time. Friedman had other minor hits, but "Ariel" is by far his most famous.

https://youtu.be/WSkX2o__7VU

I like lobster, but I haven't eaten it in many years.

September 25, 2025, at home

My wonderful wife makes delicious quesadillas.

September 25, 2025, at home

Journalistic Anniversary

I am "only" 64 years old, but this makes me feel old:

Today, I am celebrating the FORTY-THIRD (43rd) anniversary of my FIRST published article in a newspaper. This solidified myself as a journalist and became the launching pad for a fascinating journalistic journey over several decades.

Here is my review of The Who’s 1982 album “It’s Hard,” which appeared in the September 24, 1982, issue of The Villanovan, the weekly newspaper of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Click/Tap on it to enlarge it. I also wrote a review of The Who concert I attended a month or two later.

After two-and-a-half years in the pre-med program at Villanova, I changed my major to communications with a minor in the French language, graduating in December 1984. I then graduated with a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia in May 1988.

I have definitely had a fun, interesting, and challenging series of gigs over the years (September 1982 to April 2017).

My positions over the years include reporter, writer, rewriter, reviewer, proofreader, page designer, photographer, researcher, and many types of editors for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, statistical reports, white papers, news websites, and a wire service. I have also edited three books: a paperback on bankruptcy law; and two paperback biographies on Johnny Cash and on Whitney Houston.

Some of the other vastly varied topics with which I have been involved include (not in order): news; business; sports; real estate; income tax; automotive; religion; advice; immigration, restaurants; risk management (corporate insurance); the chemical industry, including heavy and agriculture chemicals, organic chemicals (aromatics and aliphatics), pharmaceuticals, paints, coatings, plastics, detergent chemicals, paper bleaching chemicals, oils, fats, waxes, biodiesel fuel, flavors and fragrances; commodities (futures and options) trading, specifically coffee, sugar, cocoa, cotton, orange juice, and whole milk, plus crude oil and natural gas; the Federal Reserve Bank of New York money supply; home improvement; home building; housewares; health and beauty care; components of retail store displays, specifically mannequins, lighting, showcases, shelving, framing, plastics, flooring, graphics, signage, architecture, and analytical research; a cruise ship; and rock 'n' roll, movies, gossip, crime, and entertainment, specifically as a copy editor and page designer from 2002 to 2011 for Star, Globe, National Examiner, and National Enquirer magazines.

Due to medical issues, I left the journalism profession on March 31, 2017, which was the final day of a three-week-long gig editing and rewriting the Intranet (internal) website of The World, the largest residential cruise ship in the world.

As for me now, I am (still) in the midst of writing an autobiographical novel loosely based on my four years as a reporter, writer, editor, and researcher, covering the technical and financial aspects of the chemical industry for an international weekly magazine based in New York City from 1992 to 1996, but also including events throughout my entire life. I worked at four gigs in The City from 1991 to 1998 before moving to Florida.

In addition, I am (still) in the preliminary stages of self-publishing a book of self-penned poetry. I have written more than 300 poems since 1986, so I need to choose 75 of my subjectively best poems for inclusion. I have had several of my poems published in national anthologies, mostly in the 1990s, and one in 2010 with Eber & Wein Publishing company. One of my poems was published in 2022 in Eber & Wein's "Best Poets of 2021" anthology. I also had a poem published in 2021 in this company's anthology titled "Best Poets of 2020." In the 1990s, I had poems published with the National Library of Poetry.

I also maintain a personal blog, which basically is most of my entries from Facebook; and a YouTube channel that mostly contains videos of myself playing the piano and/or singing, plus medical updates, politics, and other aspects of my life. Here is the link to my YouTube channel. Please subscribe. It's free.

https://youtube.com/@billsantospianomore678

September 24, 2025, at home

NASA Goofs

My prediction is absolutely CORRECT !!! I predicted that NASA's new 10-person team would have six women and four men. BINGO !!! However, I did predict that this group would be primarily non-white. Nope. So, DEI hiring is alive and well by gender, but not alive and well by race. Oh, well. Perhaps, when DEI finally goes away, as promised, we men can begin to succeed again. (sad for now) ... By the way, "DEI" means "Didn't Earn It." DEI hiring is hiring based on gender and race (quotas), not on abilities and qualifications. This example of DEI went way beyond what is injustice. NASA goofed.

September 24, 2025, at home

Go Back Home

GOOD NEWS !!!

"Trump admin reports 2 million illegal aliens 'removed or self-deported' from US in first 8 months"

http://www.foxnews.com/us/trump-admin-reports-2-million-illegal-aliens-removed-self-deported-from-us-first-8-months.amp

September 24, 2025, at home

Coinage

good news ... Watch liberal heads explode.

September 24, 2025, at home

Punctuation & Cherries

I would like to take this opportunity to address one of my punctuation pet peeves and also to tell you a somewhat obscure punctuation rule that many people do not know.

PET PEEVE: Please do NOT place a comma between the subject and the verb in a sentence, even if the subject is lengthy. For example, do NOT place a comma in the following sentence:

"The boy who lives down the street in the two-story house is coming to our apartment for dinner."

If you place a comma between the word "house" and the word "is," it is incorrect and is tantamount to writing this sentence: "I, am."

RULE: When making a word ending in "ss" possessive, the method is based on the first letter of the next word. For example:

the boss's chair
the boss' salary

the princess's castle
the princess' secret

Basically, you can have an "s" three times in a row, but not four times in a row. Did you know this rule?

September 24, 2025, at home

I have eaten Cherries Jubilee many decades ago. I would prefer it with chocolate ice cream.

September 24, 2025, at home

"Today Is ..." Video

I created and uploaded a very short video onto my YouTube channel to say hello and to tell you what day it is. (length: 1 minute)

Today Is ... (Sept. 23, 2025)

https://youtube.com/shorts/EOj8RSBOmZs?si=e4d6TkiaYpctCeUW

September 23, 2025, at home

Barrett On Roe

Roe v. Wade was overturned on June 24, 2022, after almost 50 years as federal law. That was quite a celebratory day for me. I have celebrated the anniversary of its overturning each year since then, and I will continue to do so.

"Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett tells Texas crowd why Roe v. Wade was wrong"

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/sep/22/amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court-justice-tells-texas-crowd-roe-v-wade/

September 23, 2025, at home

Today Is ...

When I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s, I enjoyed Swanson chicken pot pies. We didn't have them often. My wonderful wife makes them from scratch.

September 23, 2025, at home

I have RLS, but I sometimes experience it in my entire body. It makes me want to scream. I am sometimes awake all night long because of it. Actually, I think part of it is peripheral neuropathy in the form of numbness in both of my feet due to diabetes.

September 23, 2025, at home

I like these, but I have to be in the proper mood.

September 23, 2025, at home

Ocular Migraine

One of my ocular migraines hit me this evening (September 22, 2025) at home, starting around 7:40 p.m. and ending around 8:05 p.m. I don't get them often, but when I do, I can only wait for them to subside. Apparently, it's visually like an LSD trip. I never took LSD, so I do NOT have first-hand knowledge. Unfortunately, there's no high, but there also isn't any pain. This one was mild, with just me seeing blurred circles with tunnel vision. I have experienced many throughout the decades, sometimes with zigzagging lines and/or swirling colors. They typically only last for less than 30 minutes. One time long ago, I got one when I was driving. I had to park and wait 20 minutes for it to pass. An optometrist long ago adamantly told me that it is caused by stress only and not related to eye strain. I'm not stressed, so I don't know why it happened now. An online search stated that it is caused by reduced blood flow to the eyes' retinas and that it is a neurological ailment. The online photo below is sort of what I see when I have an occular migraine. Sometimes, there are vivid colors around the perimeter. I'm better now.

This Is The Truth

September 22, 2025, at home

Watch What You Eat

For what it's worth:

"9 Grocery Items To AVOID At All Costs (And 2 That Are ACTUALLY Safe)"

9 bad: bagged salad mixes; frozen berries; canned tuna; deli meats; plant-based meat alternatives; imported soft cheeses; apple cinnamon fruit pouches; sprouts; unpasteurized juices

2 good: canned beans; frozen vegetables

https://youtu.be/rismmLwAL50?si=9UENQwBHsHzxEL6H

September 22, 2025, at home

Today Is ...

Hello to my family members. I love you. (National Family Day is the fourth Monday in September.)

September 22, 2025, at home

I never liked a cone. I always choose a cup, since I was a kid in the 1960s.

September 22, 2025, at home

I prefer dark chocolate.

September 22, 2025, at home

I like brown butter, but I don't like when people say it has a nutty taste. For me, only nuts taste nutty.

September 22, 2025, at home

I used to write in a journal until one day in the mid-1980s I stopped and then started writing poetry. I thought that writing my heartfelt and spiritual thoughts as poems was better than writing about my mundane exploits in a journal.

September 22, 2025, at home

Vote Red.

September 22, 2025, at home

Continue To Do What's Right

September 21, 2025, at home

Beef Stew

Today (September 21, 2025, at home), my wonderful wife made this pot of beef stew (with beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, green peas, white corn, and parsnips). Previous to this photo, she removed a bowl for her lunch. I will enjoy some for dinner.

80/20

80 percent of women compete for the same 20 percent of men. It's called hypergamy. That means 80 percent of men are invisible to women. So, fellas, women aren't rejecting us. They just don't see us. We just blend into the background. They don't even know we exist.

(I fancy myself to be an amateur anthropologist.)

September 21, 2025, at home

Today Is ...

Many thanks go to my wonderful wife. I am definitely blessed and fortunate that she has been in my life for so many years. On November 10, 2025, we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of our first date. On February 4, 2026, we will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.

September 21, 2025, at home

I grew up on Long Island, New York, specifically Babylon and West Islip; I lived in upstate New York: Cornwall-on-Hudson, Newburgh, Wallkill, and Wellsville; and I worked in New York City for seven years (1991-1998). I have lived in six states: New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, New Jersey, and Florida.

September 21, 2025, at home

I do like pecan cookies, specifically Pecan Sandies.

September 21, 2025, at home

I like the occasional chai tea.

September 21, 2025, at home

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

I am watching live coverage of the seventeenth race of the 2025 Formula 1 racing season on September 21, 2025. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is being broadcast on ESPN from a feed from Sky Sports F1. The 51-lap race started at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States).

Below is a diagram of Baku City Circuit, a street circuit located in Baku, Azerbaijan, constructed near Baku Boulevard. Each circuit (track) around the world has a different configuration, therefore a different dynamic, regarding turns and elevation fluctuations. The Baku City Circuit is one of the more challenging circuits.

This season's 24-race schedule is as follows: Australia, China, Japan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Miami (U.S.), Italy, Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, Hungary, The Netherlands, Italy (different circuit), Azerbaijan, Singapore, Austin (U.S.), Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas (U.S.), Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

Before each race, there are two or three days of practice/qualifying. The races run every week or every other week from March into December, with a month-long summer break that starts after today's race.

In Formula 1 racing, there are 20 (male) drivers, with ZERO drivers from the United States.

There are 10 teams (with two drivers on each team), so not only do drivers compete against their rivals, but they also compete against their teammates. There are two championships: one for the drivers and one for the constructor teams.

The 10 constructors are Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Haas, Kick Sauber, McClaren, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Red Bull Racing, and Williams.

This season, as with last season, there are three races in the United States. In fairly recent years, there were no drivers from the United States and no races in the United States.

Formula 1 racing is the only sport that I actively follow. I have been a fan for decades. I watched my first F1 race decades ago on television at the home of one of my many Austrian cousins while on vacation in Austria.

My 4 Piano Inspirations

Being a pianist since the early 1960s, I have derived my inspiration from four pianists: Eddie Jobson, Glenn Gould, Victor Borge, and more recently, this guy. Fabrício André Bernard Di Paolo, known professionally as Lord Vinheteiro, is an amazing pianist. The Brazilian virtuoso mixes his virtuosity with humor in his YouTube videos. Anyway, his seriousness seems funny to me, as he stares at the camera and amazingly plays.

Jobson is a prog-rock keyboardist, pianist, and electric violinist, with amazing self-penned solo piano pieces. Gould is a rather eccentric classical pianist. Borge mixes excellent piano playing with clever humor. Vinheteiro is mostly a classical pianist, but he also plays popular songs, ethnic tunes, and songs from films.

As for me, I have attempted playing classical piano pieces through the years with limited success. I like to play older Broadway tunes and popular songs, but my favorite piano activity is improvisations. I just sit at the piano and start playing whatever is in my head at that time. I never know what will emerge.

Here is a Lord Vinheteiro video that is indicative of his talent and humor:

https://youtu.be/g178WWmw2xg?si=wBfsdUHAlEjuHcu3

September 20, 2025, at home

Today Is ...

If I am feeling mainstream, I'll go for a pepperoni pizza. If not, then I'll go for my favorite pizza topping: pickled capers. My other favorite toppings are fried egg and/or artichoke hearts and/or anchovies.

September 20, 2025, at home

At university/fraternity parties in the early 1980s, we drank fruit punch mixed with ginger ale or Sprite and with Everclear (95% grain alcohol) in huge punch bowls. (fun times)

September 20, 2025, at home

I like fried rice, especially teriyaki-style.

September 20, 2025, at home

I like string cheese. Of course, I peel it to make the stringy strands.

September 20, 2025, at home

"The Man Show"

I used to watch Jimmy Kimmel when he was on "The Man Show," a sketch comedy show with Adam Carolla (1999-2004). I loved that show.

Here is a classically funny clip of "The Man Show Boy" Aaron Hamill rating (ranking) women on the sidewalk. I love his snarky comments. LOL 😆😆😆 

https://youtu.be/dqAlKiJZ-E4?si=TW88WGZ-y-BD7cSu

Every episode would end with what they called "Girls on Trampolines." Here are some of them. LOL 😆😆😆 ... I show you this clip to give you more of an idea of what the show is about.

https://youtu.be/kgZpXOiDF-g?si=mQXjmWFli3tS4Mpf

I found full episodes on YouTube, so I will be engaging in a little reminiscing by watching them.

September 20, 2025, at home

This ...

September 19, 2025, at home

Today (September 19, 2025, at home), I learned the word that describes something that often happens to me (and to people, in general): pareidolia. It appeared in a YouTube video that I just watched.

I am a writer, a poet, and somewhat of a linguist, as well as a journalist from September 1982 to April 2017. I have a strong fondness for language, so this fascinates me.

Here is the Google explanation:

"Pareidolia is the psychological phenomenon of perceiving familiar patterns, such as faces or words, in random or ambiguous stimuli, like clouds or static. It is a normal human tendency, likely an evolutionary survival mechanism for quickly identifying threats or meaningful social cues. Examples include seeing a face in the clouds, the "man on [in?] the moon," or even hearing faint voices in white noise."

Here is an example. Do you see the face (two eyes and open mouth)? I do.