I’m taking a couple days off from the blog. Feel free to use this as an open thread, and have a great holiday weekend!

I have a nasty head cold and haven’t felt like blogging much — especially today. So, consider this an open thread.

Big family reunion this weekend, including my brother and nieces coming to stay at Peoria Chronicle Headquarters for a few days. So, I won’t have much time to blog. Hope you all have a great weekend! Feel free to use this post as (yet another) open thread to comment on whatever you’d like.

Here’s your soapbox. Feel free to take this opportunity to comment on any topic you’d like.

What’s on your mind? Leave a comment, start a discussion.

While the worry over nuclear war isn’t as great nowadays as it was in the ’50s, there are still real fears out there. Iran is testing medium- and long-range missiles. There’s always the threat of a terrorist getting his hands on a “dirty bomb.”

So, in order to help you prepare for such a disaster, I present to you, “The House in the Middle.” As this civil defense film from 1954 shows, keeping your house well-painted on the outside — and tidy and clutter-free on the inside — is the key to surviving a nuclear blast:

I’m not convinced, even if the house doesn’t burst into flames, that you would survive the nuclear blasts depicted. And paint protecting the house from a nuclear bomb makes about as much sense as ducking and putting a book over your head like they taught us to do in school.

And if there’s still anyone wondering why the next generation following the 50’s grew up cynical and jaded, consider the fact that the credits in this film say it was produced by “The National Clean Up – Paint Up – Fix Up Bureau,” but the film was actually produced by the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association. I bet business really picked up for paint manufacturers in 1954.

Too much to do and not enough time to do it. The floor is yours today while I get caught up on other things.

From Late Night with Conan O’Brien (this was my favorite joke from his monologue last night):

Today, Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez and his wife Cynthia filed for divorce. And because New York is a community property state, Cynthia could end up with 268 career home runs.

For additional information, check out https://tiffanyfinalaw.com/our-legal-services/.
 
In cases where both parties want the divorce and agree to the marriage coming to an end, the legal process is typically easier. In other cases, where one party is taken by surprise when served with divorce papers, the process can be more complicated. Often times, the blindsided party will do whatever he or she can to prolong the process and in turn, will often make the situation more painful for both sides.

I’m kind of burned out on the blog at the moment. So, while I recharge, please feel free to discuss whatever is on your mind.