I could go on and on how wonderful this important and nail-biting book is, winner of a true crime award. I could tell you how important a historical work it is documenting Ms. Lazar's personal tragedy, and the tragedy of the impact of the crime on the surrounding business community where my Grandfather owned a Real Estate Office At the time of the murder.
I could tell you about what happened after I wrote the Original Post, meeting her with my father and brother, talking to her about shopping at their store and their customer Mandy Patinkin who I had always thought was familiar since being a fan of Sunday in The Park With George.
I could tell you about the book's incredible value as a primary source for those studying merchandising, the history of the City of Chicago,the history of Chicago's neighborhoods, or anything to do with the movement of people and race in the 1930's through the 1960's.
But instead I'll just be brief and tell young buy one of the most surprising true dramatic stories by an Author you never heard of you are likely to find. A tale told in a clear, taut well researched way without hyperbole or hysterics.
Amster manages to tell the story of this tragedy without making it into something it
was not, while seeing the damage caused by a cascading series of circumstances for what it was. A tragedy in an era of tragedies that helped shaped the hard times that followed.
I will also say that what I told her the day we met. We moved to a new neighborhood the previous August. Had we not, because of the proximity of the date of the murder with the birthday of one of the kids in my family, we all could have been in the store when that gunman walked in. I know what my brother 9 and I 10 would have done. We'd been playing Batman and Robin for years. We would have rushed him without thinking twice just like we rushed the bad guy cowboys every summer at the amusement park in Eagle River getting us and who knows who else killed in the process.
But we moved and so didn't get the birthday card for a free toy at Wee Toys for that birthday. So, I guess I do find this story pretty personally interesting. Nut you won't need
that to enjoy this book. Besides, I can't help thinking it's natural forth big screen.
Oh, Amazon.com carries it. You can click the link in the book title above or enter the title in the Amazon search box on your right.
Hard as it is to believe, the Peter Files Blog of Comedy has been, according to the video below, attacked and singled out on a variety of wild charges that we can't even believe he believes are true so are not going to dignify them with a response.
However, if Beck comes after someone as silly as us you might well ask, could you be next? Click on the link here to come back to the blog if this has been mailed to you, then click on the video link below.
What an outrageous video! You can see why we couldn't let it go by without comment.
Because of the Blagojevich stupidy-for-sale scandal, many in Illinois politics may be thinking about taking a quick trip out of the U.S., PERMANENTLY, so, I thought I might republish the link for you this easy wikiHow guide for How To Avoid Looking Like An American Tourist.
In these days when Americans are not always seen as popular overseas, though President-Elect Obama may be helping that image a bit now, fitting in is likely to be more important than before. So this could be timely whether you intend to escape to, er, visit, Argentina, Guatemala, Ireland, Blagoland, West-Ciceonia, or other places in the world you might like to visit. Notice I did not even hint at Sicily. Eh, Tony?
Here's one tip I didn't know. In other countries, ignore what Mom pounded into your head and use your left hand to use your fork. That's right, do what always felt natural all those years! Yes!
But, in general, to travel in other countries is going to mean more dressing up, giving up gym shoes and logos, wearing more black socks, and avoiding logos. Yup, looking like, THEM.
Well, that's the price of fitting in. But, as they say, when in Rome... That's the point isn't it? Learning about another culture by fitting in a bit. Learning a bit of the local patois, the lingo, and about the money, figuring out where you want to go first? That kind of stuff.
It's a pretty good article.
WikiHow's are Fun. Anyone can start one. I considered starting one called "HOW NOT TO APPOINT A REPLACEMENT UNITED STATES SENATOR" but I think between them Rob Blagojevech and Pat Fitzgerald have that material covered.
Wikiguides, are not always perfect, since anyone can start and edit them, but, they can be informative, with things you might not think of.
Ok, the Wiki-how link was supposed to transport the article to this blog in toto: here's what came:
Clearly something went wrong. Now it might be my fault. I have not updated to the new customized, easier to use "widget driven" version of blogger. I just have my own clunky code driven version that I have edited by hand over the years, so it's mine, but not perfect.
So, I've pasted the text in myself. Here goes. Since Wiki's are changed, you have to go to that site to get the updates. So do that. OK?
How to Avoid Looking Like an American Tourist
As an American traveling in a foreign country, the last thing you want to do is stand out like a sore thumb. Not only do you have a greater chance of getting sucked into tourist traps, but you're also a more obvious target for getting mugged or even kidnapped. So, are you aware of the things you do, say, and wear that make you look like the stereotypical tourist?
Steps Clothing Ditch the athletic shoes. White athletic shoes (otherwise referred to as tennis shoes, or sneakers) are stereotypically American. Any shoes that don't look like they were meant for exercise will suffice. If you do wear socks, make sure they're dark. Flip-flops are also very noticeable as American attire, unless you're in a country like Brazil where Havaianas reign, or Australia or New Zealand where the Brazilian flip-flops are also ubiquitous. Buy accessories at local stores, especially ones that you see the locals wearing, like scarves. Sometimes not wearing something could signal that you are a tourist. For example, in some countries, hats or scarves are worn by the majority, or, in winter, most people might wear neck scarves. Also, head scarves in some religious establishments. It would be wise to research this in advance and be prepared to take something with you if you plan to visit religious places. Avoid US brand name clothing with easily readable names (eg. Nike, Gap, Abercrombie, Patriotic, Texas A&M, etc.). In fact, don't wear any slogans (like "Virginia is for lovers") that will tie you to a specific place. Notoriously American brands are becoming more popular outside of the US due to globalisation, however, it's still a good idea to stick to non-slogan clothing.
Dress a little nicer than usual. Casual dress (wearing sneakers, sweatshirts, t-shirts, jeans, or shorts (especially athletic shorts) instead of slacks or skirts with shirts or blouses) is not as common outside the US. Jeans are not universally accepted as appropriate in all social situations. Take some pairs of trousers or slacks in lieu of jeans. And don't wear shorts, especially if you are a woman. Look around and see whether people tuck their shirts in, or leave them hanging out--sometimes this differs for men and women in the same country. Dress appropriately for the local weather. Shorts and a t-shirt in cool climates (or winter time) are a clear sign that you are not in touch with the local weather. Camouflage. What colors do the locals wear? Mostly black and other neutral shades, like in London, or bright, bold colors like in the Caribbean? Wear colors that you see the locals wearing. Your hot pink sweater vest or bright blue collared shirt might be fashionable in Minneapolis, but it won't fly in Budapest. Leave your baseball hats, backpack and water bottles at home
Food Take whatever condiments they give you. Requesting typical US condiments (ketchup, salt, pepper, etc.) is a sure giveaway that you are an American tourist. Use the typical condiments in your host country, and if you don't like them or can't bear to eat without your American condiments, bring your own. Take small packets with you to use rather than insisting that the restaurant supply you with it. Give up the ice. In many parts of the world, you will be served your drinks with little or no ice - much less than you're accustomed to in the US. Of course, if you want ice in your drink because that's how you prefer it and you're paying for it, you're perfectly entitled to ask for it...but the point of this article is to help you avoid being labeled as an American, and requesting ice is a definite giveaway, and be warned, the drinking water of some other countries aren't as safe as the water back at home... the water in the glass might be filtered, but the ice sometimes isn't, and with that you can get a bad case of food poisoning.
Eat local food. Many American tourists visit US chain restaurants for every meal, afraid to dabble in the local cuisine, but becoming a regular at the local McDonald's and Pizza Hut will tip everyone off that you're an American really quickly. Use local table manners. For example, in Europe, a fork and knife are used differently than in the US. In some Southeast Asian nations chopsticks might be more appropriate. Order like a local. In some countries, for instance, a salad is the last item served, not the first. In others, people don't eat what we in the US think of as a "salad". Don't request decaf unless you can see in the menu that it is offered. Don't ask for a seat in the "non-smoking" section, unless you already know there is one. Don't insist on drinking “Coke” with every meal.
Behavior Keep the map out of sight. Pulling out and looking at your map in a public space is a no-no. Study it before you leave your hotel, and if you do need to consult your map, step into a store or any other less public place. Have the maps pre-folded so they may be easily accessed and read. Same goes for other items:
If you must use a dictionary to translate a sign or menu, be discrete. For example, copy down the words of the sign and move aside to a less public place to work out the translation. Don't carry US newspapers, magazines or books in plain view.
Be quiet! Many Americans are recognized for being louder than is customary in other parts of the world. Large arm and hand movements and boisterous behavior should be avoided until you know how the locals act. Adults in many non-American cultures use lower voices in public places. Either way, you're always better off being a little more reserved and quiet, at least for starters, than blasting onto a foreign scene with your vitality and making the wrong impression.
Don't brag or be showy. When you pull things out of your bag in public to show your friends or family what you purchased, you might as well yell "I have money and I'm ready to spend it, unless you want to take it from me against my will!"
Avoid talking about the local people and culture. Something as seemingly harmless as "Oh, I just love the scarves here!" will mark you as a tourist. And don't assume people can't understand what you're saying, just because you said it in English. In many parts of the world, people are taught to speak English along with their native language.
Mind your personal space. Not every country is as "spacious" as the US (unless you're in New York City, where space is at a premium). When you're at a counter, for example, don't spread out your arms; when you're sitting down on the bus or train, don't stretch out your legs in a way that might get in someone's way.
(Don't put your) Hands in Pockets. If you are touring a religious place or a place of great national pride, it can be considered very disrespectful to have your hands in your pockets.
Don't chew a lot of gum. It's just not very common outside of the US, and even within the US, it's a breach of etiquette under some circumstances. Don't wear your camera around your neck. When traveling to a foreign country, you are bound to take pictures. However, having a camera strap and wearing it around your neck for easy access is a sure way to look like a tourist. If you can, keep it in a pocket or in a purse and pull it out when needed.
Try to speak the language. Why not try to make an effort to speak the local language? It's a sign of respect and appreciation of the local culture. Learn a few basic words like "Hello", "Please" and "Thank you". Nobody will mind if your accent is not perfect; the fact that you've been willing to speak their language, even when you could well have spoken yours, is a thing that many people appreciate in tourists.
Tips These are only guidelines. You can do whatever you want as a tourist, but this article outlines some things you might want to avoid doing if fitting in and avoiding unwarranted attention is a concern.
In the UK, most men wear closely-fitted, dark clothing. If you are visiting during winter months, a snugly-fitted jacket will help you blend in with the local crowd. Avoid baseball caps if possible.
If you are travelling alone, especially a woman, buy the local newspaper and keep it under your arm when walking, or open it if on a bus or train. Always buy a pair of local shoes - especially what people wear for comfort.
Warnings Don't wear a fanny pack. They make you a ridiculously easy target for pickpockets. A pickpocket could unzip the fanny pack and effortlessly take out the contents without you being aware.
If you look different (like if you have different color skin, or are more overweight or underweight than everyone else) people are going to think you're a tourist, or at least a foreigner, no matter what. But if you follow the steps above, hopefully they won't think you're a stereotypical American tourist, and they won't treat you as such.
It is best to wear your personal items such as money, ID, passport, credit card, etc. close to your body. You may not feel someone pulling objects out of your pocket. Inner pockets, or pockets on the front are easier to guard.
Don't hold your fork in your right hand. It makes Americans stand out from a distance no matter what they wear or which language they are speaking.
Related wikiHows How to Be Safe in a Foreign Country How to Travel Beyond the Tour Bus How to Travel With One Bag How to Get Cash when Traveling in Europe How to Travel to India—Native Style How to Travel Around the World
I hope you find this and other articles interesting. I know the last two months I have had less humor and more commentary and theater notices. There is a reason for that. My sense of humor is returning. Remember, with more than 650 posts, just hit the archives for lots of jokes on all kinds of topics, use the blue search box to find them.
Also, please support this blog by using the Amazon search box to do your Amazon holiday shopping!
8. Elvis! It's not safe to jump onto that trampoline from the balcony! I don't care if you want to make your jail-house rock!
7. Farm radio: There's a surprise pre-dawn 2-for-1 on overalls at Ethyl's Downstate Big & Tall where "We open, before your rooster crows."
6. Liz: Michael! I love your new hideaway farmland play land! Where does this little chute go? The playroom? Michael: No! Wait! It's the laundry!
5. (Downstate Radio: The rumors that Hillary Clinton will be driving through town on her way to her next campaign stop are untrue. It is safe to return to your homes.)
4. Biker bar near the end of an impromptu road stop on the way to Chicago: Whoa! Somebody stomp on that little pink iguana! It stole my stash!
3: (Whispered for a YouTube.com video camera: Going for a new world's record, now, 500 frat-boys, 500 cows. When the gun goes off, tip!
2. Alright, who had the garbanzo beans with dinner last night?
And the Number One Line heard during last night's earthquake:
1. Shhh! We're filming the surprise early morning wake-up call for the 2009 Season Premier of NBC's The Biggest Loser - Boot Camp. We're here in the secret men's barracks somewhere in downstate Illinois. Guest host Ty Pennington gets out his bull-horn....
I've been thinking, Obama has a lot going for him, but his campaign needs, something, a certain something. I know, it needs a campaign song. Something easily singable. Not a Fleetwood Mac song. Something suggesting basic values & the need for change.
So I came up with this. I'll bet half the nation is singing this within a week.
Well, maybe not. But I had fun doing it. Then I had to take out all the bashing. LOL.
Still, it was fun. What do you think? Please, use the comments section to tell me what you think!
I'm going to vote for Obama he's our next President I'm sick and tired of the same old rut they took our money and spent, spent, spent, spent, spent.
What we need is a leader who can steer us right back on course 'cause if we don't - make some kind of change - things in America could get still worse!
So first, he needs nomination then, he needs our support then, we get out voter registration So in the end we won't fall just sho-o-ort.
Obama can heal the nation join the Obama campaign, get - on - the Obama bandwagon - you'll be - glad - you came!
Important! This song has not been endorsed by Senator Obama.
Even so, you can easily forward this to friends and relatives using the envelope icon below. If I get a chance I will update this post with a sound clip. Oh joy, you are thinking if you have heard me sing on My Blog Theme Song on the sidebar (snicker).
So, how did you spend your leap day? That extra day we get every four years, give or take the ones added or subtracted for century or millennia occasions. Wiki it if you like to get the formula.
Was there anything special about the day for you? Did you take some time off? Spend a few extra minutes surfing on line? Call a friend? Order a pizza but then realize you couldn't put meat on it (if you were a practicing Catholic or Jewish or possibly Hindi (at least not sausage)).
If you were an accountant type did you realize that salaried folk got hit up for an extra day of work for no extra pay while union hourly types got an extra 8 hours pay but that everyone has an extra day of work because of leap year? It seems that we should have a day off on February 29th 2 days out of every 7 leap years. Better yet, why not make it a holiday - say - History of Time awareness day. Not a big enough holiday to celebrate every year, but big enough to take a day off once every 4 years.
Think about it. The commercial possibilities are endless.
Greeting Cards:
I'll still be leaping for you 4 years from now!
I forgot about my boyfriend and leapt for you last night, it was great, see you in 4 years!
Hey, diddle, diddle, was that you I saw leaping over the moon last night you #%*& cow!
T-Shirts:
I Shoulda Looked on Leap Years Now I'm Stuck With This Guy And His Kids! (Arrow)
Take a Leap for (insert disease here). The Quadrennial Long Jump Competition where every inch counts.
I only bring the whole Leap Year topic up because an awful lot of people seem to be looking for leap-year jokes and looking here for them. Unfortunately I hadn't put any up here - till now.
Q: What did the blonde name her leap-year's-baby?
A: Leap Ear
Q. What College did she send daughter Leap Ear to?
A. Look Before U.
Q. At college Leap Ear Met the Son of Environmentalists who named him to commemorate an environmental disaster while affirming the importance of passion in life. They decided to blend their names in marriage. What would their new names be?
A. He became Love-Leap Ear-Canal and she became Leap-Love Canal-Ear. They almost broke up over whether to have their honeymoon at Lover's Leap or Love Canal when Leap Ear's Mother gave them free tickets to Disneyworld. After all, if you love ears, you can't pass on a free trip to Disneyworld.
The blond guy got called into his boss' 20th floor office. He was about to be fired for missing a mandatory staff meeting.
"But Boss", he said, "our meeting software has bugs in it all the time, so when it showed a staff meeting on an alleged 'February 29th' instead of March 1st, I figured it went goofy again and used my standing first of the month time off request to visit my sick Mom at the rest home."
The boss said, haven't you ever heard of 'Leap Year'?
The blond guy said, "Hey, I'm a team player, you want me to leap, you just tell me how high!"
At that the boss just opened his window and said, "Try six feet...."
Baby New Year sang to Father Time: "Jeepers Creepers Where'd you get those Leap Years!"
I'll admit these are pretty lame, but they are original. Just be glad I didn't add 17 lines to the Baby New Year's Song!
Oh, my leap day was spent mostly in bed feeling fluish. I didn't even know I was fluish. I don't even own one of those round black hats. I respect the flues. I get a flue shot every year. In my right arm. Or my left arm. Sometimes the nurse shoots me somewhere else occidentally. I don't mean to seem to be needling fluishness but I've been reading Woolly Allen all day.
Apparently my bed is Without Feathers. But I learned how to Cheat Death, just play chess with him, or checkers, or backgammon, or use a striped deck. I don't know why stripes help, maybe they confuse death. After reading this whole book of his collected short stories I have learned a lot about being fluish, its just like being Iris, only you can eat more things together if you're Iris and you only get starved to death or blown up if you're Iris whereas if you're fluish they get you a whole lot of other ways.
I think the score is probably something like Iris 1.5 million killed, starved to death, blown up since about 1500 (facts need checking), flues 7 million going back to when G_D didn't want people to use the vowel in his name and had this great secretary named Moses who knew when to quit taking down commandments before they got silly. Though I sometimes wish "Though shalt not pester thy father or mother endlessly in the store for stuff" had gotten in there somewhere. Probably because HE knew it would do no good anyway. Why put in a commandment that would only undermine his authority?
This is where having had the flue for 5 days is bad. Not because I am open to charges of worshipping a porcelain idol, albeit an American Idol, from Wisconsin, in fact, but because I don't know when to quit.
So if I have insulted you I am sorry. If I have bored you. Now that makes me feel really yucky. My spell checker tells me that yuck is a work but that yucky is not.
I am certain that the phrase "rumpshy-gumpshy in the trash bank" does not qualify as a commonly used idiom for "about to toss my cookies" either, though I heard it from my father every time I wanted to throw up, in fact students of Pavlov might wonder whether after some years the relationship might have reversed itself.
Well, on that note, most of you can pretty well be assured that your leap year's day was better and more comfortably spent than mine. Especially after my son started jumping up and down on my bed yelling "Pillow Fight!"
After feedback from my most frequent readers (family members, bar patrons and hobos with T1 connections) I have made several changes to the way the automatic stream of YouTube.com videos stream to The Peter Files Blog of Comedy.
Before changing the content stream formula, I started by editing my blog template to move the video window to after title and the text in each post to make it easier for subscribers and regular readers to skip the videos and get right into the original content of the blog.
I then went to YouTube.com and changed the key words that triggered the videos streamed here from a list of random comedy key words to a list of comedy celebrities that I knew had content on YouTube.
Oddly this has resulted in an almost unanimous stream of Obama Girl - Amber Lee Ettinger videos, despite her presence near the end of the list. (see below) Perhaps it is the huge interest in the election, or her own huge popularity, but I find it odd that call for Obama girl videos is eclipsing the likes of Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and the others on the list. While I certainly don't mind all the cute videos, all the political videos was not what I had in mind for this spot, and I wanted to mention that and thought I would let you know that I am trying to fix this.
Why is it that The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Satire, Jokes, Commentary and Videos get so many hits about sharks?
I've mentioned all the big celebrities, but I've got more hits about sharks than any of them. Wait, Robin Williams and Abbot and Costello might be exceptions.
Thanks for all the visits lately. Vists are way up over last year, please keep subscribing and telling your friends about us.
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