One of life's simple pleasures is acting goofy and we know how to do that well. Just look at our pictures! When I (Rob) visited Boston
for the Pet Expo in September, I got to stay with my younger brother
Doug, sister-in-law Sue, and nephews Brian (11) and Scotty (10). Even
though it was just a short weekend visit we always have fun. Here are
some pictures I took with Brian (and some with Doug) that speak for
themselves.
The bottom line: By goofy, enjoy your day. Life is short!
NOAA: Another warm winter likely for western U.S., South may see colder weather Repeat of last year’s extremely cold, snowy winter east of Rockies unlikely
Below
average temperatures are favored in parts of the south-central and
southeastern United States, while above-average temperatures are most
likely in the western U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and New England, according
to the U.S. Winter Outlook, issued today by NOAA’s
Climate Prediction Center
While drought may
improve in some portions of the U.S. this winter, California's
record-setting drought will likely persist or intensify in large parts
of the state. Nearly 60 percent of California is suffering
from exceptional drought – the worst category – with 2013 being the
driest year on record. Also, 2012 and 2013 rank in the top 10 of
California’s warmest years on record, and 2014 is shaping up to be
California’s warmest year on record. Winter is the wet season
in California, so mountainous snowfall will prove crucial for drought
recovery. Drought is expected to improve in California’s southern and
northwestern regions, but improvement is not expected until December or
January.
“Complete drought
recovery in California this winter is highly unlikely. While we’re
predicting at least a 2 in 3 chance that winter precipitation will be
near or above normal throughout the state, with such
widespread, extreme deficits, recovery will be slow,” said Mike Halpert,
acting director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “This outlook
gives the public valuable information, allowing them to make informed
decisions and plans for the season. It's an important
tool as we build a Weather-Ready Nation.”
It's the season when lots of political ads come out, and we've seen a couple
saying that "No jobs have been created in 6 years." - Which is actually
the BIGGEST untruth. Here are the cold, hard, non-partisan facts.
Here are a couple of sources: POLITICO just published this story: Unemployment hits 6-year low
By MJ LEE | 10/3/14 8:35 AM EDT
Updated: 10/5/14 5:17 PM EDT
Unemployment
fell below 6 percent for the first time in more than
six years, dipping to 5.9 percent in September with the economy adding
248,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported on Friday. The last time
unemployment was below 6 percent was in July 2008, when it was 5.8
percent.
The number of new jobs easily surpassed expectations —
analysts had predicted 215,000 jobs created last month, according to a
Bloomberg survey.
Friday’s robust jobs report comes at an opportune time for the White
House as it makes a final push ahead the midterm elections to highlight
the economic recovery during the Obama administration. This is the last
jobs report before voters go to the polls on Nov. 4.
Here's the report from the U.S. Govt Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 248,000 in September, and the
unemployment rate declined to 5.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. Employment increased in professional and business services,
retail trade, and health care. FULL REPORT:
We
LOVE the Amazing Race on CBS and never miss it. In fact, this year we
have several teams we're rooting for: the husband and wife surfers, the
mom/daughter team, the 2 scientists and the 2 gay boyfriends. - We were
SO glad when the blonde realtors lost on the first leg after stealing
the sign in pen from one of the firefighters. :) - Anyway, this is a
cool article from the Huffington Post about how the show is put
together.
Enjoy! Rob and Tom
Everything You Wanted To Know About How They Make 'The Amazing Race'
Cameraman Alan Weeks films two contestants at Eastnor Castle, England
In the often dodgy realm of reality television, "The Amazing Race"
is a shining beacon of quality. While other shows tend to turn tangled,
tacky or just downright scripted, "The Amazing Race" holds to a
standard that few have matched. The televised race around the world --
now in its twenty-fifth season! -- has won 15 Emmys, including 10 for "Outstanding Reality-Competition" -- a reality program's top honor.
Elise
Doganieri accidentally birthed the idea for the show while complaining
to her now-husband, producer Bertram van Munster, about how "there were
no good shows on TV." He challenged her to come up with something
better. She remembered the pains and joys of backpacking Europe after
college with a best friend. Why don't we do something like that?
A star was born -- one that would permanently change how we perceive travel.
Cowboys- another of our favs
"The Amazing Race" has visited an estimated 82 countries on six continents over the years. And with one host, 22 contestants per season and as many as 2,000 crew members around the world working on the show at any given time, there is a lot
to coordinate. HuffPost Travel talked with Elise Doganieri, now the
show's executive producer and a co-creator along with her husband, about
the logistics of weaving such an intricate, time-sensitive and
travel-heavy program.
Turns out the system is a lot more nonchalant -- but no less complex -- than you might think. Here's how they do it.
To plan the route, they literally just play with a massive map on the wall.
Doganieri
and van Munster start as any masterminds of a 30-day world tour would:
in a place they call The War Room, with a wall-size map of the planet.
And very little is off-limits. "We think, 'what's exciting?,'" Doganieri
says. "'Where haven't we been?'" To that end, the couple has
multiple shoeboxes of old passports -- Doganieri estimates her husband
has filled more than 25 of the extra-large kind. They visit EVERYWHERE first.
Joey and Meaghan - 1 of our favs
After
mapping out a basic route, van Munster scouts the actual locations
while Doganieri stays home to cast the teams. On his scouting tour, van
Munster might talk with hotels, meet with local producers or survey
spots for the show's famous Roadblock
challenges. When he comes back, Doganieri has a slate of contestants
ready to go. That's when the couple heads to The War Room, where every
episode of the season gets mapped out on a wall along with Roadblocks,
challenges and Pit Stops. It's a giant puzzle of the most exhilarating kind. Crews are staked out in every country ahead of time...
After
being in the media business for decades, van Munster has production
contacts all over the world. The show works with "local facilitators" in
each season's host countries to coordinate filming permits, hotel
rooms, translators and hire local cameramen, who take extra shots to
supplement the cameramen that travel with the teams. By this point,
"each country has all the details about what we have to do," Doganieri
says. "It's kind of like a military operation."
Luke and Margie- Another fav team
...but the cameramen must be within 20 feet of contestants, no exceptions.
Doganieri
is adamant that "The Amazing Race"'s traveling camera and sound crew is
the show's secret weapon. "They don't get enough credit," she says.
"They're running with a camera. They're the best at what they
do." This involves staying within 20 feet of the contestants at all
times -- every team of two contestants is assigned a cameraman and sound
technician, who must be present with them for all plane flights, cab
rides and mad roadside foot races. The show's story team follows too, to
keep track of emerging plot lines and start the editing process even as
the race continues to unfold. Sometimes, they have to pull last-minute location swaps in the middle of the desert.
Yup,
like when a sandstorm hit Tunisia during Season 1. "We had this
beautiful Pit Stop, and everyone was dancing around the campfire,"
Doganieri remembers. "Then we got an alert for a sandstorm, and tents
starting to wobble." The crew and contestants were forced to pack up in
the middle of the night, drive 50 miles to a tiny hotel, and double-bunk
until morning. THAT became the episode's new, impromptu Pit Stop.
Whatever pops up, there's no stopping in a race as meticulously planned
as this. "When nature happens, you just have to change plans," Doganieri
says. The crew has missed flights before, putting them behind the contestants.
The Beekman Boys- another of our fav teams
About
10 seasons ago, Doganieri recalls, the contestants were on their way to
Italy when the production crew's flight was cancelled. The crew had no
flight and only hours to traverse Europe before filming resumed. After
quick work with the show's travel coordinator, they hopped a bus, rode
for 11 hours and made it to the location just in time. "We've been very
lucky," Doganieri says. But contestants haven't always been so charmed.
"Once, a team missed a flight and got so far behind that the show had to
eliminate them in the airport," she says. Another took nine hours to
complete a challenge in Switzerland -- and the production schedule just
didn't allow enough time for them to keep trying. "We had to go out in
the field in the dark and say, 'You're done.' It was really sad." The crew gets to test every stunt. While
the camera and sound crew travels with the contestants, the production
team usually gets to each pit stop about two days before, Doganieri
says. They'll do run-throughs at each location and test Roadblock
challenges so they're ready to go -- this includes physically assembling desks in the world's largest IKEA, boating, biking and even bungee jumping in New Zealand. Contestants are truly booking their own flights, in real time.
Producers
will reserve tickets for the first episode, but after that contestants
are on their own. You'd think producers would give them a little help --
but Doganieri says all her team does is monitor flights to anticipate
which ones contestants are likely to take. After reading a clue,
contestants will search on computers or run straight to the airport
ticket counter, begging for the speediest route. "It's completely
organic," Doganieri says. "Sometimes they'll find deals that get them
there 20 minutes earlier by hopping from flight to flight. And we're
just like, 'Wow.'" Contestants are terrible at reading clues.
Doganieri
says she's routinely surprised at how contestants rush through clues --
even though producers might tweak them for clarity on location after
running through the challenges. "Contestants will read two lines and
just start running," Doganieri says. "We're always saying to each other,
'Read your clue!'" And the secret to winning? Be nice.
Doganieri
says her favorite contestants -- and those that tend to be most
successful -- take time to smile at locals, ask politely for help and
show respect for the culture of the country they're racing through. This
can result in game-changing advantages. "If you give just a little
respect," Doganieri says, "you will get it back tenfold." For more behind-the-scenes peeks, follow @EliseDoganieri on Twitter. "The Amazing Race 25" airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
Being a mystery lover, I (Rob) can honestly say that I have enjoyed every single book in the Murder She Wrote series of mysteries. That's 38 GREAT mysteries. "DOMESTIC MALICE" was yet another. I read some of the other reviews, and don't understand the people who didn't enjoy it. Of course it has a "dark theme" because it's about domestic violence... and it's a serious topic that was refreshing in a mystery because it's a serious problem that people constantly hide from. Although I've never experienced it, I know enough about it to understand the story perfectly. The characters were very clear as always. As I read it, I learned to despise the abused victim's mother. The family dynamics and characters made for an interesting story. This is anoth
I finished the book in 4 days, and given all the blogging, dogging, book promoting and everything else, that's amazing. It was THAT good. In fact, all of the books in the series are that good. Just get them, read them and re-read them. I've kept all the paperbacks in the series to re-read them. They're written by Donald Bain and Jessica Fletcher (the author goes under the two names so people will know the book's main character).
er great read.
Here's a book summary from Amazon.
Jessica is volunteering at the Cabot Cove women’s shelter when a woman
walks in bruised physically and mentally. Her husband is a
well-respected businessman in town. Could this paragon of virtue be
abusing his wife?
Despite Jessica’s support and advice, the
woman refuses to stay at the shelter, press charges, or even report the
abuse. But a few days later the entire town is shocked to hear that
domestic abuse has turned to murder.
Investigating the crime,
Jessica soon discovers that the woman’s family has secrets and lies that
go beyond domestic violence—and that the real killer may be hiding
behind a wall of silence that could send the wrong person to prison....
I (Rob) LOVE Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, and they released a new duet this year on Dolly's "Blue Smoke" CD. Here's the official video with a look at them now and back in time.
LINK: http://youtu.be/chBNBzE35EI
On Saturday, October 11 at 1 p.m. EDT I (Rob) gave a talk at the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library at 7584 Leesburg
Me and our three dogs: Dolly, Franklin and Tyler (L to R)
Pike, Falls Church, VA 22403.
Librarian Nora Wickert found me on Google, and emailed me with the
prospect of giving a talk about m "Pets and the afterlife." I jumped at
the chance to reach more people to give hope and comfort as they grieve
the loss of their pets and relatives and friends.
The room was crowded, and I really appreciated everyone coming out in
the rain (it was a cold, damp, rainy day in Northern Virginia). I
explained that pets communicate with us from the other side using a lot
of the same methods that people communicate.
There were a lot of great questions from the audience and people shared
their experience with human and pet spirits. Some of the energy in the
room choked me up during the talk- but that's what happens. The passing
of a person or pet is an emotional experience, and I FEEL their
emotions. So, I got choked up a couple of times. (So if you hear me
talk and I get choked up, it's because spirit is strong and sharing
emotions with me - I can't help it!! - just like I can't help sometimes
feeling the pain of their death, which they sometimes share).
Thank you to everyone who came out to the talk. I hope that you learned
how spirit communicates and that you find signs from your pets and
people who have passed!
ABOUT THE BOOK: PETS AND THE AFTERLIFE by Rob Gutro: The
loss of a pet is like the loss of a child to pet owners. The love we
share with our pets never dies, and in a new book called "Pets and the
Afterlife" by Rob Gutro, the author provides proof that our pets do
communicate with us from the other side. Available in paperback and E-book, on Amazon.com and other outlets at: To order paperback of Kindle- click here
Since we loved our vacations in England, and we really enjoyed staying in a castle one night, we found this particularly interesting! - Rob and Tom
A Nearly Ruined Landmark Is Transformed into a Modern House
You can even spend the night in the beautifully restored castle. By Lauren Piro, Good Housekeeping magazine
There's nothing that makes us swoon quite like a piece of history gaining a new, interesting life. The Astley Castle
in Warwickshire, England has been around for nearly a thousand years,
and served as the fortified manor for three generations of the royal
family. Through the centuries, it changed hands many times, and was last
used as a hotel during World War II before it was sadly abandoned and
vandalized.
In 2007, it was listed as one of the sixteen most endangered sites in Britain, and The Landmark Trust (a preservation charity) decided to search for an architect to restore and repurpose the structure. Witherford Watson Mann Architects won the competition, Designboom reports, and their vision and final result is simply a breathtaking display of the new marrying the old.
The new design honors the castle's history, relying on the
natural look of brick and wood blended with the structure's original
materials, and huge glass windows to showcase the estate's countryside
view. The rooms are now outfitted with modern appointments and
conveniences, but are meant to mirror how each space was originally
used.
Today, history buffs (or just lovers of beautiful homes, like us) can rent the house for vacation. The castle sleeps eight and rates start around $1400 for four nights — not too shabby for a manor that queens used to call their own.
Take a tour: TELL US: Would you spend the night here? NEXT: Disney's Granddaughter Buys the Ranch of Our Dreams » Photos: Courtesy of the Landmark Trust SOURCE: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/castle-house-restoration?src=nl&mag=ghk&list=nl_gga_news&date=100214
Today's
blog is about something very serious and potential harmful to everyone. In case
you haven't heard what's
happening behind the scenes here in the Washington,
D.C. area, it appears the ultra-conservative (Tea Party) elected officials are
already planning for another government shutdown by Dec. 11 (after the
elections of course). We know that some of the contractors who were jobless
last time for 4 weeks STILL haven't been paid.
THINK ABOUT THIS: How would you like to simply not get paid
for a month or two?
How would that affect your Bills? Savings?Do you even HAVE a month of savings to cover
expenses?
During the last gov't shutdown, some Tea Party
candidates insisted certain government agencies stay open because their closure
directly affected ONLY THEIR FAMILIES. I remember one whose daughter wanted a
Visa for travel, and the services were closed. He demanded they open for him,
not caring one iota about the American people.
- BTW- It also
affects borrowing and lending credibility of the U.S. Govt around the world, and
the stock market, prices, etc. There's a LOT to this.
So, on Nov. 4th- think about this, when you
consider an ultra-conservative candidate. Many contractors STILL haven't been
paid for missing a month of pay last year and now, they're threatening to do it
again, because for the 56th time (YES, 56 Attempts) they want to cancel the
Affordable Care Act. How childish. How arrogant. How destructive. How reckless.
The
last time the Tea Party in Washington shut down the federal
government ,they cost the American taxpayers tens of billions of
dollars. While initial reports of the costs of the 2013 government
shutdown showed the economy losing over $300 million dollars per day, later reports showed the real costs were at least five times higher, at $1.5 billion per day. According to Standard and Poor’s (S&;P), the overall cost to the American economy was over $24 billion dollars.
Here’s what the S&P said when downgrading projected economic growth in the fourth quarter of last year:
In
September, we expected 3% annualized growth in the fourth quarter
because we thought politicians would have learned from 2011 and taken
steps to avoid things like a government shutdown and the possibility of a
sovereign default. Since our forecast didn’t hold, we now have to lower
our fourth-quarter growth estimate to closer to 2%.
S&P referenced 2011 because that year marked the first time in US history that the country’s credit rating was downgraded
by key credit rating agencies worldwide. While GOP and Tea Party
leaders claim to stand against the debt, and to oppose “wasteful
government spending,” their constant game playing with the US economy
and the national debt has cost taxpayers as much as $100 billion dollars per year since the 2011 credit downgrade.
Having
a faction of shameless GOP and Tea Party politicians in government who
periodically refuse to pay the bills that we owe, is not good for the
country, the economy, or our standing as a global economic power. It’s
not just embarrassing on a worldwide scale; it’s costly to the American
public, who ultimately has to pay for the right wing’s disturbing antics
in Washington.
Now that the economic recovery is in full swing, investments are up, job growth is up and the media is touting President Obama as the best economic president in modern times, the GOP and teabaggers have to find a way to sabotage the economy once again.
What better way to do that, than to shut down the government again?
In
December of last year, the S&P slashed the projected economic
growth for the US from 3.1 percent to just 2.6 percent. This was a
direct result of the GOP government shutdown that took place shortly
before the announcement.
“We’ve lowered our forecast for U.S. GDP
growth in light of the additional sequester [automatic] spending cuts in
2014 as well as the potential for another political standoff in
Washington after the October government shutdown,” S&P spokesmen said in their report.
And now we have 14 republicans
in Congress who are yet again threatening to hold the country hostage,
unless a key part of the healthcare bill is defunded. Worse, the item
that these right wing nut jobs want to defund is one that was designed
to keep the entire United States healthcare system stable, during the
first three years of implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
In
other words we either defund the Affordable Care Act, and thereby
destabilize the country’s entire healthcare system, or else they’ll make
us pay for it, by shutting down the federal government again.
Not
at all surprisingly, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio are among the
right wing fanatics who are behind the new plan for a government shut
down, if Obamacare is not defunded.
The
government is currently funded until December 11, 2014. After that
time, it’s up to members of the US Congress to do their job, approve a
budget and put the good of the country ahead of their insane political
ideology. Since the rise of the tea party in 2010, too many members of
both the US Senate and Congress have done everything but the job the
Constitution requires them to do.
There is only one way to get
this country on track and keep it on track, and that is to vote out
every tea party extremist in government, before they can do any more
damage to the US economy. Unfortunately, Cruz, Paul and Rubio aren’t up for reelection until 2016, so voting them out isn’t possible yet.
We can, however, limit the amount of power and influence they
have in Washington, by not electing their like-minded allies this November 4.
Over the weekend of Oct. 5-6 I flew to Albany, New
York and did a talk about
Rob talked with a lot of people at the event!
"Pets and the Afterlife"during a benefit
dinner for Adirondack Save a Stray Rescue (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adirondack-Save-A-Stray)
Darlene and Meredith coordinated the event and it was elaborate, the
dinner was wonderful, the decorations beautiful, music was enjoyable,
and the people and spirits were amazing.
In fact, there were so many pets that came through to
me I can't remember who's who! The first spirit I ran into though was a
little dog. His mom came to me and simply said he died in an accident. I
got the message that it was a poisoning, and she confirmed it- totally
surprised. That's how spirit works. Her spirit dog's message was that
his mom needed not to feel guilty - and she was carrying guilt
(unnecessarily) . It was a very healing visit.
Meredith (Center) and rescuers
the buffet line
Beautiful foliage outside the window
An owl visitor at the event
I remember one other gentleman named Mike who brought a picture of his
beautiful white dog who passed in 1987 and wanted him to come through,
but instead Mike's mother came through -and was very stubborn and
strong, not letting Mike's dog have his "turn." Mike did understand the
messages from his mom, though. :) The Adirondack Save-a-Stray dinner’s second speaker, Ladybird
Light owner Lindsey Bodkin, is a Reiki teacher who specializes in animal
healing and communication. I had
never been to Glens Falls, NY or Saratoga Springs before- and this was a
treat (although I flew in in the afternoon and flew out Sunday by noon!
- What a beautiful area!
I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob
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