A judge has decided not to grant a restraining order to stop the distribution of campaign handouts that the state's largest teachers' union says misrepresent their trademarked ballots shaped like apples.
The Maryland State Education Association sought the order Tuesday, when the union found campaign handouts that looked like their apple-shaped handouts that show what candidates the union is supporting.
The union is backing Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown in the Democratic primary race for governor. But Attorney General Doug Gansler's campaign released similar handouts that say Gansler has the support of teachers across Montgomery County.
More
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
The feud between the Obamas and ‘Hildebeest’
In his new book, “Blood Feud,” journalist Edward Klein gets inside the dysfunctional, jealous relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama — and how it could explode in 2016.
Outwardly, they put on a show of unity — but privately, the Obamas and Clintons, the two power couples of the Democratic Party, loathe each other.
“I hate that man Obama more than any man I’ve ever met, more than any man who ever lived,” Bill Clinton said to friends on one occasion, adding he would never forgive Obama for suggesting he was a racist during the 2008 campaign.
The feeling is mutual. Obama made excuses not to talk to Bill, while the first lady privately sniped about Hillary.
On most evenings, Michelle Obama and her trusted adviser, Valerie Jarrett, met in a quiet corner of the White House residence. They’d usually open a bottle of Chardonnay, catch up on news about Sasha and Malia, and gossip about people who gave them heartburn.
Their favorite bête noire was Hillary Clinton, whom they nicknamed “Hildebeest,” after the menacing and shaggy-maned gnu that roams the Serengeti.
‘Michelle could be president’
Obama seeks to expand flex-time for government workers
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday directed the federal government to give workers more leeway in determining their schedules, part of his goal to make U.S. workplaces more family-friendly - and a broad pitch to Democratic voters ahead of November elections.
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and other top administration officials took turns telling their personal stories about the struggle to balance work and family at a campaign-style "summit" stacked with cheering Democratic supporters at a posh Washington hotel.
"I remember taking the night shift when Malia was born and when Sasha was born and being up at two in the morning and changing diapers and burping them and singing to them," Obama said, talking about his daughters, who are now teenagers.
"The point is, I was lucky enough to be able to take some time off," he said. "I want every father and every child to have that opportunity."
More
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and other top administration officials took turns telling their personal stories about the struggle to balance work and family at a campaign-style "summit" stacked with cheering Democratic supporters at a posh Washington hotel.
"I remember taking the night shift when Malia was born and when Sasha was born and being up at two in the morning and changing diapers and burping them and singing to them," Obama said, talking about his daughters, who are now teenagers.
"The point is, I was lucky enough to be able to take some time off," he said. "I want every father and every child to have that opportunity."
More
California company reinvents the rotary engine
The rotary engine could be on the verge of a revolution.
California startup GoTek Energy has received a patent for a new type of motor – one that addresses some of the shortcomings of past rotaries, while promising better power and efficiency than traditional piston engines.
I say traditional, because this rotary uses something called pivot pistons.
Unlike the Wankel rotary engine made famous and famously killed by Mazda, with its pinched-oval housing and triangular rotor, GoTek’s DynaKinetic engine features a circular housing and a rotor that looks like a twisted ninja throwing star, creating four combustion chambers each fitted with a gear-driven piston resembling a flap that moves in and out to suck in and compress the fuel/air mixture as the rotor spins.
More
California startup GoTek Energy has received a patent for a new type of motor – one that addresses some of the shortcomings of past rotaries, while promising better power and efficiency than traditional piston engines.
I say traditional, because this rotary uses something called pivot pistons.
Unlike the Wankel rotary engine made famous and famously killed by Mazda, with its pinched-oval housing and triangular rotor, GoTek’s DynaKinetic engine features a circular housing and a rotor that looks like a twisted ninja throwing star, creating four combustion chambers each fitted with a gear-driven piston resembling a flap that moves in and out to suck in and compress the fuel/air mixture as the rotor spins.
More
MASSIVE GDP PLUNGE
Economists estimated U.S. GDP contracted in Q1, but not by this much.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP fell 2.9% at an annualized rate in Q1. This third estimate was down sharply from the BEA's previous estimate of -1.0%.
This was also much worse than the -1.8% forecasted by economists.
As expected healthcare spending was revised down sharply. It went from adding 1.01 percentage points to subtracting 0.16 from the headline GDP growth number.
"It marked the second biggest downward revision from the agency's second GDP estimate since records began in 1976," reported Bloomberg's Jeanna Smialek.
More
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP fell 2.9% at an annualized rate in Q1. This third estimate was down sharply from the BEA's previous estimate of -1.0%.
This was also much worse than the -1.8% forecasted by economists.
As expected healthcare spending was revised down sharply. It went from adding 1.01 percentage points to subtracting 0.16 from the headline GDP growth number.
"It marked the second biggest downward revision from the agency's second GDP estimate since records began in 1976," reported Bloomberg's Jeanna Smialek.
More
HILLARY CLINTON TELLS REPORTER SHE “DESERVES” TO BE PRESIDENT
The reporter, Samuel Rosales-Avila of La Habra California, was writing a feature on Clinton focused on how her presidency might influence Hispanic Americans. The interview went as follows:
I started asking Ms. Clinton questions. Mostly policy stuff, really focused on immigration. She was responding, but seemed a little off. I figured she was just distracted and didn’t feel like it was worth her time. I kept going, but was starting to get frustrated. I decided I would ask her something I hadn’t really planned on. I said, ‘Ms. Clinton, some have suggested that you aren’t healthy enough or are too old to pursue the presidency. Do you have a comment on that?’. I knew I had crossed a line for her right away. She snapped back, ‘It’s my turn. I’ve done my time, and I deserve it.’ Then she stormed off. After she left, one of her handlers came up to me and told me he would need the recording of our interview and that it was now ‘off the record’. I was shocked and disappointed, but it was clear that it wasn’t a negotiation.
More
BREAKING NEWS: Economy contracts at swiftest pace since 2009 in 1Q
The U.S. economy contracted at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the first quarter, the biggest drop since the first quarter of 2009, from a previous estimate of a contraction of 1 percent. Wall Street expected the world’s biggest economy to shrink by an annual rate of 1.7 percent.
More
More
Dew Tour Gets Underway Today In Ocean City
One of four stops on the 2014 Dew Tour schedule, the Dew Tour Beach Championship will feature the world’s best athletes in the sports of skateboard and BMX, amateur surf and skateboard competitions and live musical performances by Cage the Elephant, SKATERS, GRiZ and heRobust.
“Over the last decade, the Dew Tour has crowned 105 champions across 21 disciplines. We made history by creating the first-ever portable concrete bowl here in Ocean City and witnessed Jamie Bestwick’s nine-year winning streak in BMX Vert,” said Eric Grilly, President, Alli Sports. “After last year’s record-breaking crowd in Ocean City, we are excited to be back to host our inaugural 10th anniversary event.”
More
'I have no savings account': Joe Biden takes swipe at Hillary Clinton
Joe Biden sought to make political capital out of presidential rival Hillary Clinton’s recent gaffes about her wealth by claiming that he ‘has no savings account’.
However, financial records shows that he’s not quite the man of the people he claims to be, with a savings account worth between $1,001 and $15,000.
The 2013 financial disclosure he made in May also indicates that the Vice President and his wife, Dr Jill Biden, are worth between $1,323,970 and $162,996.
More
However, financial records shows that he’s not quite the man of the people he claims to be, with a savings account worth between $1,001 and $15,000.
The 2013 financial disclosure he made in May also indicates that the Vice President and his wife, Dr Jill Biden, are worth between $1,323,970 and $162,996.
More
Today's Survey Question 6-25-14
What did you think of our election coverage?
Yesterday was very exciting, especially for the Republican Party Candidates. While I personally wish we could have seen more people turn out to vote, it was a primary and throughout history there is a much lower turn out.
We watched some really great candidates fall but it did sift out those candidates Marylander's simply weren't interested in.
I was thinking, (seriously) if Muir Boda changed his name to John Smith, do you think he might have received more votes? After numerous elections, the guy is a great guy and his heart truly is in the right place when it comes to wanting to improve the Shore.
David Craig did incredible here on the Shore. He too is a great man. So is Hogan though. At least the Republicans will be well represented in the Governor's race.
Mind you, Brown turned numbers that were flat out UNBELIEVABLE! I personally feel the guy is almost brain dead and now I firmly believe most Marylander's are brain dead too, or gay.
OweMalley did it right. He's got that "Motor Voter" thing down to a tee.
Anyhow, I'd like to know what you thought about our coverage. Clearly our numbers yesterday and today, (already) prove that the majority of the Eastern Shore was following us very closely but like anything else, there's always room for improvement.
Looking For A Used Small Pickup Truck
If you have, (or know of someone) who is getting ready to sell one please give me a call at 410-430-5349.
Double Dipping Is Encouraged In Maryland
You can be an election judge......and if you already work for the state you can use administrative leave and get paid to be a judge too!
Attention: State of Maryland Employees
State of Maryland employees who are scheduled to work on election day can use administrative leave to serve as an election judge and keep the election judge pay. Note: Only State employees scheduled to work on election day can use administrative leave.
If you are a State employee and want to serve as an election judge, follow your normal procedures for requesting leave and contact your local board of elections to sign up as an election judge. The local boards of elections have the paperwork you may need to provide to your supervisor.
http://www.elections.maryland.gov/get_involved/election_judges.html
Attention: State of Maryland Employees
State of Maryland employees who are scheduled to work on election day can use administrative leave to serve as an election judge and keep the election judge pay. Note: Only State employees scheduled to work on election day can use administrative leave.
If you are a State employee and want to serve as an election judge, follow your normal procedures for requesting leave and contact your local board of elections to sign up as an election judge. The local boards of elections have the paperwork you may need to provide to your supervisor.
http://www.elections.maryland.gov/get_involved/election_judges.html
Hypocites at greenpeace
A Greenpeace senior executive commutes to work by plane despite the organisation’s anti-air travel campaign, it emerged yesterday.
Pascal Husting, Greenpeace International’s programme director, has been flying 250 miles between Luxembourg and Amsterdam at the charity’s expense since 2012.
Each trip costs Greenpeace £200 and would generate 142kg of carbon dioxide emissions, according to airline KLM.
More
Pascal Husting, Greenpeace International’s programme director, has been flying 250 miles between Luxembourg and Amsterdam at the charity’s expense since 2012.
Each trip costs Greenpeace £200 and would generate 142kg of carbon dioxide emissions, according to airline KLM.
More
This November
Friends,
This past year, I have had the privilege of crossing the state and meeting so many great Marylanders. While the results are not what we had hoped, Melinda and I are appreciative of the hard work, countless hours, and dedication of our staff, volunteers, and supporters like you.
It is without a doubt, that the past eight years have been difficult for families and businesses in Maryland. I started this campaign to give the forgotten Marylanders a voice. Our message resonated from Wicomico to Washington, from Somerset to St. Mary's, and from Caroline to Carroll. Marylanders are ready for change.
I congratulate Larry Hogan on his victory and commit myself to helping him win this November. I urge you, and all my supporters, to stand behind Larry, give the forgotten Marylanders a voice, and change Maryland by electing a Republican Governor in November.
Cordially,
David R. Craig
This past year, I have had the privilege of crossing the state and meeting so many great Marylanders. While the results are not what we had hoped, Melinda and I are appreciative of the hard work, countless hours, and dedication of our staff, volunteers, and supporters like you.
It is without a doubt, that the past eight years have been difficult for families and businesses in Maryland. I started this campaign to give the forgotten Marylanders a voice. Our message resonated from Wicomico to Washington, from Somerset to St. Mary's, and from Caroline to Carroll. Marylanders are ready for change.
I congratulate Larry Hogan on his victory and commit myself to helping him win this November. I urge you, and all my supporters, to stand behind Larry, give the forgotten Marylanders a voice, and change Maryland by electing a Republican Governor in November.
Cordially,
David R. Craig
The 20 Unhappiest Jobs In America
The unhappiest jobs in America aren't what you'd expect.
We worked with CareerBliss, an online jobs database, to pinpoint the jobs with the lowest happiness levels in the country. To come up with the ranking, CareerBliss examined 24,000 employee evaluations across more than 250 different job roles.
The final measure of job satisfaction, which CareerBliss calls a "bliss score," is on a scale of one to five (one being the least happy and five the most). The bliss scores are based on eight factors: work-life balance; relationship with coworkers; work environment; job resources; compensation; growth opportunities; company culture; and daily tasks.
Across the board, these workers give their lowest ratings to the growth opportunities category. That makes sense, as an easy way to make any job depressing is to give its employees no room to advance. We've broken down what other factors were big negatives for each job in the descriptions below.
If you're looking for a job that will make you and your coworkers happy, you might want to avoid pursuing these.
1. Analyst
Bliss score: 2.914
Average salary: $55,000
After growth opportunities, analysts are most dissatisfied with company culture and job resources.
More
We worked with CareerBliss, an online jobs database, to pinpoint the jobs with the lowest happiness levels in the country. To come up with the ranking, CareerBliss examined 24,000 employee evaluations across more than 250 different job roles.
The final measure of job satisfaction, which CareerBliss calls a "bliss score," is on a scale of one to five (one being the least happy and five the most). The bliss scores are based on eight factors: work-life balance; relationship with coworkers; work environment; job resources; compensation; growth opportunities; company culture; and daily tasks.
Across the board, these workers give their lowest ratings to the growth opportunities category. That makes sense, as an easy way to make any job depressing is to give its employees no room to advance. We've broken down what other factors were big negatives for each job in the descriptions below.
If you're looking for a job that will make you and your coworkers happy, you might want to avoid pursuing these.
1. Analyst
Bliss score: 2.914
Average salary: $55,000
After growth opportunities, analysts are most dissatisfied with company culture and job resources.
More
Massachusetts mayor: Stop sending my city refugees
A Massachusetts mayor is calling for an end to refugee resettlement in his city, saying Somali families are putting pressure on already strained services in Springfield, a onetime industrial center where nearly a third of the population lives below the poverty line.
Mayor Domenic Sarno is the latest mayor to decry refugee resettlement, joining counterparts in New Hampshire and Maine in largely rare tensions with the State Department, which helps resettle refugees in communities across America.
The mayor is drawing criticism from those who say this country has a moral obligation to help the outcast and refugees who say they're being scapegoated for problems the city faced long before their arrival.
More
Mayor Domenic Sarno is the latest mayor to decry refugee resettlement, joining counterparts in New Hampshire and Maine in largely rare tensions with the State Department, which helps resettle refugees in communities across America.
The mayor is drawing criticism from those who say this country has a moral obligation to help the outcast and refugees who say they're being scapegoated for problems the city faced long before their arrival.
More
Hillary's Book Sales Bomb. Amazon Readers Turn Thumbs Down
Simon & Schuster paid Hillary Clinton a staggering $14 million in advance royalties for her book, Hard Choices. That may turn out to be a money-losing hard choice for Simon & Schuster.
The book retails for $35. If she gets 20% of the retail sales price, the publisher must sell two million copies. But the book sold a paltry 60,000 hardback copies in the first week.
The publisher touted 100,000 sales, but this counted e-books. That’s a bad sign.
A worse sign is that it has fallen out of the top ten list on Amazon, where you can buy a copy for $21. If Simon & Schuster pays her 20% of retail, the royalty payment will take a big chunk out of the profits.
More
The book retails for $35. If she gets 20% of the retail sales price, the publisher must sell two million copies. But the book sold a paltry 60,000 hardback copies in the first week.
The publisher touted 100,000 sales, but this counted e-books. That’s a bad sign.
A worse sign is that it has fallen out of the top ten list on Amazon, where you can buy a copy for $21. If Simon & Schuster pays her 20% of retail, the royalty payment will take a big chunk out of the profits.
More
BOOK: HILLARY HAS BAD HEART
A new provocative work by bestselling author Ed Klein claims Hillary Clinton's health problems are much more severe than she has publicly revealed!
"She had managed to keep her medical history secret out of fear that, should it become public, it would disqualify her from becoming president," writes Klein in BLOOD FEUD.
BLOOD FEUD hits the street this week [it ranked #89 on AMAZON Sunday afternoon.]
Page 193
The true story of what happened to Hillary, which is being recounted in these pages for the first time, was radically different from Reines’s version.
To begin with, Hillary fainted while she was working in her seventh-floor office at the State Department, not at home, as Reines told the media. She was treated at the State Department’s infirmary and then, at her own insistence, taken to Whitehaven to recover. However, as soon as Bill appeared on the scene and was able to assess Hillary’s condition for himself, he ordered that she be immediately flown to New York–Presbyterian Hospital in the Fort Washington section of Manhattan. When Reines subsequently released a statement confirming that Hillary was being treated at the hospital over the New Year’s holiday, it naturally intensified speculation about the seriousness of her medical condition.
While she was at the hospital, doctors diagnosed Hillary with several problems.
More
"She had managed to keep her medical history secret out of fear that, should it become public, it would disqualify her from becoming president," writes Klein in BLOOD FEUD.
BLOOD FEUD hits the street this week [it ranked #89 on AMAZON Sunday afternoon.]
Page 193
The true story of what happened to Hillary, which is being recounted in these pages for the first time, was radically different from Reines’s version.
To begin with, Hillary fainted while she was working in her seventh-floor office at the State Department, not at home, as Reines told the media. She was treated at the State Department’s infirmary and then, at her own insistence, taken to Whitehaven to recover. However, as soon as Bill appeared on the scene and was able to assess Hillary’s condition for himself, he ordered that she be immediately flown to New York–Presbyterian Hospital in the Fort Washington section of Manhattan. When Reines subsequently released a statement confirming that Hillary was being treated at the hospital over the New Year’s holiday, it naturally intensified speculation about the seriousness of her medical condition.
While she was at the hospital, doctors diagnosed Hillary with several problems.
More
WHERE DID ALL THE SAILORS GO?!
SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER SOME OF THESE PLACES AND KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT......I got this from a good friend. They were famous throughout the Navy………
The Gut in Barcelona; East Main Street in Norfolk; Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn; The Combat Zone in Boston; The Pike in Long Beach; Market Street in San Francisco, Bank Street in New London; Broadway Street in San Diego; Hotel (s**t) Street in Honolulu; The Honcho in Yokosuka, China Town and Sakuragi-cho in Yokohama; Wanchai in Hong Kong; Buggis Street in Singapore; Magsaysay in Olongapo In The GUT!! Feed the alligators. Going over S**t River bridge. 7 Seas!! Top Of The Mark Chiefs Club.
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pe1UZYXQfY. It is located on the hill above Subic Bay. I see that RA5C and it brings tears to my eyes. They were and still are a beautiful airplane and way ahead of their time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyIOyQniNe0 for a better look!!
; and all the other places where fleet Sailors congregated.
People ask......."Where did all the Sailors go?"
Well shipmates......they didn't go anywhere.
You are asking the wrong question. You should ask, "Where did all the fleet Sailors go?"
Long ago........on payday night and in the nights following,.....these streets were a paradise to the American Sailors.
A person could look down the street and see neon signs advertising beer and bars and a sea of white hats bobbing up and down as Sailors made their way from bar to bar.
At liberty call these became a shopping center for intoxicating beverages and female companionship. .
And in some places a Second Class could get that new First Class crow sewn on or on some cases that old Third Class crow sewn back on.
No need for crows these days. It is all collar and hat devices. I don't see much need for dress uniforms these days. The only time you see it worn is when a ship is leaving or returning from a deployment or standing a Quarterdeck watch. Or some old guy at Memorial Day and Veterans Day Services.
The smoking lamp is cold and probably over the side or being saved for recycling or Mary Soo is Fraud, Waste, Abuse and misappropriation of government property.
Instead of trading useless gear to Mary Soo for painting the ship while in Hong Kong, the Navy now recycles and lets a multi-thousand dollar contract to get the job done.
Smoking is now frowned upon. Surface ships limit smoking to a tiny, uncomfortable topside space.
My shipmates in the Bubble Head world can no longer smoke anyplace aboard the boat. Municipalities and states have also jumped on the bandwagon and banned smoking in bars and restaurants.
Drive past any bar or lounge and you will see a group standing on the corner smoking and no, they cannot bring their drinks outside. It is against the law to drink in public.
The base clubs are closed. They no longer exist or have been converted to MWR game rooms where the strongest drink available is a lousy Red Bull.
Quarterdecks of ships, in addition to a podium, log books, long glass, and weapon are now equipped with a Breathalyzer and probably a watch stander to operate it.
Many commands are requiring that Sailors refrain from drinking the day prior to a duty day.
Back in the day, a Sailor ashore knew that his shipmates had his back. Whether in a confrontation with a Sailor from another ship, Marines, or Limeys, he knew his shipmates would stand with him.
Too much to drink? A shipmate would help you back aboard and even help you to your rack. You would do the same for him.
These days, you are assigned a "Liberty Buddy." You are to stay together.
Before you go ashore, you have to formulate a "Liberty Plan" and get it approved by your Department/Division Liberty Coordinator. If during your liberty, you or your Liberty Buddy change your plan, you must contact your Liberty Coordinator and get the change approved.
I surmise that, "I'll be in the Barrio some place getting drunk." would not be an acceptable liberty plan. Always worked for me!
They were more than streets and bars.
First and foremost, they were the repositories of small bits and pieces of the history of America's forces afloat.
They were the unofficial clubhouses of those of us who went to sea on old gray steel under the flag of the United States.
They were places where a thirsty Sailor could go and park his butt where Sailors of earlier fleets had parked theirs.
They were the poor man's Valhalla, where Sailors who plowed deep salt water could go and share fellowship and sea stories with fellow practitioners of the nautical arts.
A place where well-intention exaggeration and BS-gilded, flawed recollection were readily forgiven and accepted.
They were places where lonely strays could tie up alongside a warm feminine fanny on a cold night.
Where did the streets and the bars go you ask?
Where the hell? (Or better yet today, WTF?)
"Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, I SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY."
President John F. Kennedy.
1 August 1963
BTW!! The phrase “ drunk as a sailor” still rankles me!!
The Gut in Barcelona; East Main Street in Norfolk; Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn; The Combat Zone in Boston; The Pike in Long Beach; Market Street in San Francisco, Bank Street in New London; Broadway Street in San Diego; Hotel (s**t) Street in Honolulu; The Honcho in Yokosuka, China Town and Sakuragi-cho in Yokohama; Wanchai in Hong Kong; Buggis Street in Singapore; Magsaysay in Olongapo In The GUT!! Feed the alligators. Going over S**t River bridge. 7 Seas!! Top Of The Mark Chiefs Club.
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pe1UZYXQfY. It is located on the hill above Subic Bay. I see that RA5C and it brings tears to my eyes. They were and still are a beautiful airplane and way ahead of their time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyIOyQniNe0 for a better look!!
; and all the other places where fleet Sailors congregated.
People ask......."Where did all the Sailors go?"
Well shipmates......they didn't go anywhere.
You are asking the wrong question. You should ask, "Where did all the fleet Sailors go?"
Long ago........on payday night and in the nights following,.....these streets were a paradise to the American Sailors.
A person could look down the street and see neon signs advertising beer and bars and a sea of white hats bobbing up and down as Sailors made their way from bar to bar.
At liberty call these became a shopping center for intoxicating beverages and female companionship. .
And in some places a Second Class could get that new First Class crow sewn on or on some cases that old Third Class crow sewn back on.
No need for crows these days. It is all collar and hat devices. I don't see much need for dress uniforms these days. The only time you see it worn is when a ship is leaving or returning from a deployment or standing a Quarterdeck watch. Or some old guy at Memorial Day and Veterans Day Services.
The smoking lamp is cold and probably over the side or being saved for recycling or Mary Soo is Fraud, Waste, Abuse and misappropriation of government property.
Instead of trading useless gear to Mary Soo for painting the ship while in Hong Kong, the Navy now recycles and lets a multi-thousand dollar contract to get the job done.
Smoking is now frowned upon. Surface ships limit smoking to a tiny, uncomfortable topside space.
My shipmates in the Bubble Head world can no longer smoke anyplace aboard the boat. Municipalities and states have also jumped on the bandwagon and banned smoking in bars and restaurants.
Drive past any bar or lounge and you will see a group standing on the corner smoking and no, they cannot bring their drinks outside. It is against the law to drink in public.
The base clubs are closed. They no longer exist or have been converted to MWR game rooms where the strongest drink available is a lousy Red Bull.
Quarterdecks of ships, in addition to a podium, log books, long glass, and weapon are now equipped with a Breathalyzer and probably a watch stander to operate it.
Many commands are requiring that Sailors refrain from drinking the day prior to a duty day.
Back in the day, a Sailor ashore knew that his shipmates had his back. Whether in a confrontation with a Sailor from another ship, Marines, or Limeys, he knew his shipmates would stand with him.
Too much to drink? A shipmate would help you back aboard and even help you to your rack. You would do the same for him.
These days, you are assigned a "Liberty Buddy." You are to stay together.
Before you go ashore, you have to formulate a "Liberty Plan" and get it approved by your Department/Division Liberty Coordinator. If during your liberty, you or your Liberty Buddy change your plan, you must contact your Liberty Coordinator and get the change approved.
I surmise that, "I'll be in the Barrio some place getting drunk." would not be an acceptable liberty plan. Always worked for me!
They were more than streets and bars.
First and foremost, they were the repositories of small bits and pieces of the history of America's forces afloat.
They were the unofficial clubhouses of those of us who went to sea on old gray steel under the flag of the United States.
They were places where a thirsty Sailor could go and park his butt where Sailors of earlier fleets had parked theirs.
They were the poor man's Valhalla, where Sailors who plowed deep salt water could go and share fellowship and sea stories with fellow practitioners of the nautical arts.
A place where well-intention exaggeration and BS-gilded, flawed recollection were readily forgiven and accepted.
They were places where lonely strays could tie up alongside a warm feminine fanny on a cold night.
Where did the streets and the bars go you ask?
Where the hell? (Or better yet today, WTF?)
"Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, I SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY."
President John F. Kennedy.
1 August 1963
BTW!! The phrase “ drunk as a sailor” still rankles me!!
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