November 14, 2006
The top-grossing movie for the past two weeks has been “Borat: Cultural Learnings of
America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". The actor who created Borat has
been on all the talk shows and his shtick is to make fun of unsuspecting dupes. Click for
interview video with Matt Lauer on the Today Show. He pulled his act on some guy in New
York City and made a sexual comment. The man responded by punching Borat repeatedly in
the face. Click for article. In another incident the character of Borat had arranged to sing the
national anthem at a rodeo in Salem, North Carolina. He made such a mockery of it that the
crowd began getting hostile and he had to be escorted by security out of the Salem Civic
Center. Click for article.
Kosse is probably one of the smaller towns in Texas to have its own newspaper. The Kosse
Echo was originally begun by Peggy Truett, Nell McKinney and (if memory serves me
correctly) Joyce Denke. It is now published by Nell and her daughter Kelley. I look forward
each month to its arrival in the mail. What I personally find most interesting are the articles
from its early days of publication. It brings back memories of those passed on and reminds
me of life in Limestone County during my 20's. Another nice thing about the Kosse Echo is
that it is well-written and edited. Grammatical errors and misspellings are almost non-existent
and the layout of the paper is quite professional. The Kosse Echo is just one more reason
our fair community is the Wonderland of Texas.
Song of the Day:
Conway Twitty/I See the Want To In Your Eyes
Mexican Delight Headline of the Day:
Wonder if That Chihuahua Ever Got Any
November 13, 2006
In my previous post I gave a link to the Limestone County casualties of World War II. There
are seventy-six names on the list. Click for list of Limestone County World War II casualties.
As mentioned before, Kosse holds the distinction of providing more per capita armed forces
members than any other town in the United States. This fact was listed in the official
Congressional Records and if you think of the number of towns in America this is quite an
honor. One Kosse resident was killed during the Korean War, as was one from Groesbeck.
Click for list of Korean War casualties. During the Vietnam War, Kosse was fortunate not to
have any casualties. Thornton had two, Mexia two, and Marlin six. Click for list of Vietnam
War casualties.
Falls County government is facing another controversy. The Precinct 2 Commissioner is
being accused of not living in the precinct. Click for article. This comes just a couple of weeks
after the Tax Assessor/Collector resigned after being indicted for malfeasance.
Song of the Day:
Oliver/Good Morning Starshine
Political Headline of the Day:
Forget About Higher Office
November 11, 2006
It's a chilly day in Kosse. The Goats won last night although it is my understanding they
missed out on the playoffs. The road construction crew put the temporary drive into the cafe
truck parking lot. Gasoline went up three cents this week, and Thanksgiving's a scant twelve
days away. Life goes on in the Wonderland of Texas.
I frequently watch the History Channel's shows on the World War II era. This period of
American history has always been of interest to me. I was born just twelve years after the war
ended so most of my teachers and adult contacts had lived through the experience. Like most
families of that time, the war had a direct impact on many of my relatives. My father quit his
job as principal of the Box Church school to enlist in the Navy. He eventually ended up in the
Philippines fighting the Japanese. I remember looking at photos he had taken of the night sky
being lit up by gunfire and artillery. As a kid I didn't think much about the fear and danger felt
by him and his shipmates. He never talked about it. Some of my family members did not
survive the conflict. My grandmother lost her only biological child, Ernest Sprowl, when a
Japanese kamikaze bomber attacked the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Franklin on March 19, 1945.
As a result I never knew this uncle. Click for list of U.S.S. Franklin casualties. He is #603. My
Uncle Elias Howell's only child, Herbert Howell, was killed when a Nazi soldier dropped a
German stick grenade down the hatch of the tank he was in. As a result I never knew this
cousin. Click for list of Limestone County World War II casualties. We honor them and many
others on this Veteran's Day of 2006.
Song of the Day:
Santana/Black Magic Woman
Smartest Man in the World Headline of the Day:
Testing the Big Bang Theory
November 10, 2006
I had a good experience with the Texas Department of Transportation over the past two days.
As all of us in Kosse know, the state is involved in a major reconstruction project on Highway 7
within our city limits. Barriers had been placed which completely blocked accessibility to the
Kosse Cafe truck parking lot. Truckers represent a significant and very appreciated portion of
our business, and to make a long story short it was killing the pocketbook. I wrote an e-mail to
the Austin TX DOT office and received an immediate reply. I was informed the e-mail had
been forwarded to the local district office. The next day I received an e-mail from Jeff
Kennedy of the Marlin TX DOT office. He asked me to call him to discuss the situation. He
could not have been nicer and more effective. He told me to give him a few minutes and he
would call me back. Ten minutes later he informed me a temporary entry will immediately be
made to allow for truck parking. It is most gratifying to have our government officials respond
in such a quick and helpful way to citizen (or in this case business) concerns.
There are eleven million bottles of acetaminophen (the generic version of Tylenol) being
recalled because of possible metal pieces within the pills. The metal pieces are up to 1/3 inch
in length. Among the ones being recalled are the 500 mg. caplets sold at Wal Mart under the
Equate brand. Click for article. I have a bottle in my medicine drawer and imagine many of us
around here do. I'll return it to Wal Mart next time I go there. I don't need my esophagus
sliced by a pain pill.
Song of the Day:
The Beatles/Something
Hair Stylist Headline of the Day:
Not Your Typical Whack Job
November 8, 2006
What an election day it was. On the local scene we now have a Republican County Judge.
Daniel Burkeen defeated Richard Duncan as successor to the retiring Elenor Holmes. On the
state level we have a Republican sweep in all the major offices. Governor Rick Perry was
easily re-elected as were the Republican candidates for Lieutenant Governor, State
Comptroller, Agriculture Commissioner, and Attorney General. Byron Cook was re-elected our
State Representative and Chet Edwards won a landslide victory to remain our U.S.
Congressman.
The Kosse street improvement referendum passed by a margin of 104-24. It now must be
presented to the state for approval.
Nationally it was a night of celebration for the Democrats. They are now firmly in control of the
House of Representatives and appear to now be the majority party of the U.S. Senate. Many
of us do not pay much attention to what happens in Washington, but there are going to be
some changes which will have a direct impact on Kosse. The minimum wage will quickly be
increased and despite what Dick Cheney said on Sunday, there will be a change of course in
Iraq. President Bush will become a weakened lame-duck and the political focus will shift to the
2008 presidential race. For political junkies it will be an interesting time.
Stacy took Halloween photos of some of the trick-or-treaters who came by the cafe. Click to
see photos.
Update: I am watching the news at noon and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield has just
resigned. It is a new day in Washington.
Song of the Day:
Dion/Abraham, Martin, and John
Most Predictable Headline of the Day:
And We Thought It Would Last Forever
November 7, 2006
Election day has arrived. I was happy to see a circular posted at the cafe in which the mayor
and city council endorsed passing the Kosse street improvement referendum.
It was very foggy last night. The electricity went off yesterday morning for a few hours causing
the cafe to close during the late breakfast and early lunch timeframe. It didn't help the
pocketbook.
I have not done a Kosse Blog giveaway in awhile so the first person to e-mail me and say they
read this will receive a $10.00 Kosse Cafe gift certificate in the mail. Include your name and
mailing address. My e-mail address is georgerasco@tol-tx.com.
Song of the Day:
George Jones and Tammy Wynette/Two Story House
Dick Cheney Horror of the Day:
I Doubt Harry Whittington Will Want to Tag Along
November 6, 2006
One of my favorite employees of all time was Jeff Threadgill. He began working at the grocery
store while still in high school and worked for about three years. He's now twenty-five or
twenty-six, married, and has a good job in Dallas working with computers. In other words he
grew up and has a good future. Getting back to earlier days; Jeffrey was always in some jam,
usually of his own making. He was a mischievous lad and his adventures were legion. One
day he showed up at the store with a completely shaved head. He looked like a walking cue
ball. He informed me someone had bet him $100 he would not shave his head, so he did.
Another time he came in telling me of an exciting event that had happened that day in one of
his classes at Bremond High School. It seems as if some unknown power had mysteriously
replaced the educational video in the VCR shortly before the film was shown to the students.
Instead of seeing the regularly scheduled video, the students were suddenly enjoying a XXX
movie. Needless to say, the teacher was aghast and quickly ran to turn it off. From what I
understand no students complained. The person who pulled the pornographic prank was
never identified, but as Jeff relayed the anecdote I had an inkling of a feeling he may have
had knowledge of the perpetrator's identity. Another time he told me he bought a lotto ticket
that had hit on five of the six winning numbers, and on the sixth number he was off by one
numeral. I found this hard to believe but he had the ticket to prove it. He won a few thousand
for hitting five out of six, but if his last number chosen had been one numeral higher he would
have won $2 million. Such was the life of little Jeffrey Threadgill at the turn of the twenty-first
century.
Song of the Day:
Neil Diamond/Solitary Man
Headline of the Day:
Pink Fairy Wings?
November 5, 2006
The Groesbeck Goats defeated Madisonville Friday night, 40-27. I was told if they win next
week against Palestine Westwood they will be in the playoffs. In regards to Groesbeck High
School, the person who made a recent bomb threat has been arrested. Click for article.
Elections will be held this Tuesday. I hope the Kosse street improvement referendum passes
as we really do need to improve our streets. I think Rick Perry will win the Texas Governor's
race, Chet Edwards the Congressional seat, Byron Cook the State Representative position,
Kay Bailey Hutchinson the U.S. Senate seat, and Richard Duncan will be elected Limestone
County Judge. We'll see how good a prognosticator I am.
I have added another section to the website. It is a page featuring videos from all kinds of
different site. The videos are updated daily by the company which is furnishing them. Click
for Videos section.
At this point I do not understand George W. Bush's refusal to get rid of Donald Rumsfield as
Secretary of Defense. Even the military newspapers are calling for his dismissal. Click for
article. To further complicate the situation, the verdict on Saddam Hussein will be announced
today and it is a foregone conclusion he will be found guilty and sentenced to death. Another
expectation is that his supporters (and there are many in Iraq) will then further increase the
violence of the civil war. Click for article. What a mess.
Update: Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging. Click for article.
Song of the Day:
Creedence Clearwater Revival/Down On the Corner
Headline of the Day:
Entertainment With Your Waffles for $2.99
The top-grossing movie for the past two weeks has been “Borat: Cultural Learnings of
America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". The actor who created Borat has
been on all the talk shows and his shtick is to make fun of unsuspecting dupes. Click for
interview video with Matt Lauer on the Today Show. He pulled his act on some guy in New
York City and made a sexual comment. The man responded by punching Borat repeatedly in
the face. Click for article. In another incident the character of Borat had arranged to sing the
national anthem at a rodeo in Salem, North Carolina. He made such a mockery of it that the
crowd began getting hostile and he had to be escorted by security out of the Salem Civic
Center. Click for article.
Kosse is probably one of the smaller towns in Texas to have its own newspaper. The Kosse
Echo was originally begun by Peggy Truett, Nell McKinney and (if memory serves me
correctly) Joyce Denke. It is now published by Nell and her daughter Kelley. I look forward
each month to its arrival in the mail. What I personally find most interesting are the articles
from its early days of publication. It brings back memories of those passed on and reminds
me of life in Limestone County during my 20's. Another nice thing about the Kosse Echo is
that it is well-written and edited. Grammatical errors and misspellings are almost non-existent
and the layout of the paper is quite professional. The Kosse Echo is just one more reason
our fair community is the Wonderland of Texas.
Song of the Day:
Conway Twitty/I See the Want To In Your Eyes
Mexican Delight Headline of the Day:
Wonder if That Chihuahua Ever Got Any
November 13, 2006
In my previous post I gave a link to the Limestone County casualties of World War II. There
are seventy-six names on the list. Click for list of Limestone County World War II casualties.
As mentioned before, Kosse holds the distinction of providing more per capita armed forces
members than any other town in the United States. This fact was listed in the official
Congressional Records and if you think of the number of towns in America this is quite an
honor. One Kosse resident was killed during the Korean War, as was one from Groesbeck.
Click for list of Korean War casualties. During the Vietnam War, Kosse was fortunate not to
have any casualties. Thornton had two, Mexia two, and Marlin six. Click for list of Vietnam
War casualties.
Falls County government is facing another controversy. The Precinct 2 Commissioner is
being accused of not living in the precinct. Click for article. This comes just a couple of weeks
after the Tax Assessor/Collector resigned after being indicted for malfeasance.
Song of the Day:
Oliver/Good Morning Starshine
Political Headline of the Day:
Forget About Higher Office
November 11, 2006
It's a chilly day in Kosse. The Goats won last night although it is my understanding they
missed out on the playoffs. The road construction crew put the temporary drive into the cafe
truck parking lot. Gasoline went up three cents this week, and Thanksgiving's a scant twelve
days away. Life goes on in the Wonderland of Texas.
I frequently watch the History Channel's shows on the World War II era. This period of
American history has always been of interest to me. I was born just twelve years after the war
ended so most of my teachers and adult contacts had lived through the experience. Like most
families of that time, the war had a direct impact on many of my relatives. My father quit his
job as principal of the Box Church school to enlist in the Navy. He eventually ended up in the
Philippines fighting the Japanese. I remember looking at photos he had taken of the night sky
being lit up by gunfire and artillery. As a kid I didn't think much about the fear and danger felt
by him and his shipmates. He never talked about it. Some of my family members did not
survive the conflict. My grandmother lost her only biological child, Ernest Sprowl, when a
Japanese kamikaze bomber attacked the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Franklin on March 19, 1945.
As a result I never knew this uncle. Click for list of U.S.S. Franklin casualties. He is #603. My
Uncle Elias Howell's only child, Herbert Howell, was killed when a Nazi soldier dropped a
German stick grenade down the hatch of the tank he was in. As a result I never knew this
cousin. Click for list of Limestone County World War II casualties. We honor them and many
others on this Veteran's Day of 2006.
Song of the Day:
Santana/Black Magic Woman
Smartest Man in the World Headline of the Day:
Testing the Big Bang Theory
November 10, 2006
I had a good experience with the Texas Department of Transportation over the past two days.
As all of us in Kosse know, the state is involved in a major reconstruction project on Highway 7
within our city limits. Barriers had been placed which completely blocked accessibility to the
Kosse Cafe truck parking lot. Truckers represent a significant and very appreciated portion of
our business, and to make a long story short it was killing the pocketbook. I wrote an e-mail to
the Austin TX DOT office and received an immediate reply. I was informed the e-mail had
been forwarded to the local district office. The next day I received an e-mail from Jeff
Kennedy of the Marlin TX DOT office. He asked me to call him to discuss the situation. He
could not have been nicer and more effective. He told me to give him a few minutes and he
would call me back. Ten minutes later he informed me a temporary entry will immediately be
made to allow for truck parking. It is most gratifying to have our government officials respond
in such a quick and helpful way to citizen (or in this case business) concerns.
There are eleven million bottles of acetaminophen (the generic version of Tylenol) being
recalled because of possible metal pieces within the pills. The metal pieces are up to 1/3 inch
in length. Among the ones being recalled are the 500 mg. caplets sold at Wal Mart under the
Equate brand. Click for article. I have a bottle in my medicine drawer and imagine many of us
around here do. I'll return it to Wal Mart next time I go there. I don't need my esophagus
sliced by a pain pill.
Song of the Day:
The Beatles/Something
Hair Stylist Headline of the Day:
Not Your Typical Whack Job
November 8, 2006
What an election day it was. On the local scene we now have a Republican County Judge.
Daniel Burkeen defeated Richard Duncan as successor to the retiring Elenor Holmes. On the
state level we have a Republican sweep in all the major offices. Governor Rick Perry was
easily re-elected as were the Republican candidates for Lieutenant Governor, State
Comptroller, Agriculture Commissioner, and Attorney General. Byron Cook was re-elected our
State Representative and Chet Edwards won a landslide victory to remain our U.S.
Congressman.
The Kosse street improvement referendum passed by a margin of 104-24. It now must be
presented to the state for approval.
Nationally it was a night of celebration for the Democrats. They are now firmly in control of the
House of Representatives and appear to now be the majority party of the U.S. Senate. Many
of us do not pay much attention to what happens in Washington, but there are going to be
some changes which will have a direct impact on Kosse. The minimum wage will quickly be
increased and despite what Dick Cheney said on Sunday, there will be a change of course in
Iraq. President Bush will become a weakened lame-duck and the political focus will shift to the
2008 presidential race. For political junkies it will be an interesting time.
Stacy took Halloween photos of some of the trick-or-treaters who came by the cafe. Click to
see photos.
Update: I am watching the news at noon and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield has just
resigned. It is a new day in Washington.
Song of the Day:
Dion/Abraham, Martin, and John
Most Predictable Headline of the Day:
And We Thought It Would Last Forever
November 7, 2006
Election day has arrived. I was happy to see a circular posted at the cafe in which the mayor
and city council endorsed passing the Kosse street improvement referendum.
It was very foggy last night. The electricity went off yesterday morning for a few hours causing
the cafe to close during the late breakfast and early lunch timeframe. It didn't help the
pocketbook.
I have not done a Kosse Blog giveaway in awhile so the first person to e-mail me and say they
read this will receive a $10.00 Kosse Cafe gift certificate in the mail. Include your name and
mailing address. My e-mail address is georgerasco@tol-tx.com.
Song of the Day:
George Jones and Tammy Wynette/Two Story House
Dick Cheney Horror of the Day:
I Doubt Harry Whittington Will Want to Tag Along
November 6, 2006
One of my favorite employees of all time was Jeff Threadgill. He began working at the grocery
store while still in high school and worked for about three years. He's now twenty-five or
twenty-six, married, and has a good job in Dallas working with computers. In other words he
grew up and has a good future. Getting back to earlier days; Jeffrey was always in some jam,
usually of his own making. He was a mischievous lad and his adventures were legion. One
day he showed up at the store with a completely shaved head. He looked like a walking cue
ball. He informed me someone had bet him $100 he would not shave his head, so he did.
Another time he came in telling me of an exciting event that had happened that day in one of
his classes at Bremond High School. It seems as if some unknown power had mysteriously
replaced the educational video in the VCR shortly before the film was shown to the students.
Instead of seeing the regularly scheduled video, the students were suddenly enjoying a XXX
movie. Needless to say, the teacher was aghast and quickly ran to turn it off. From what I
understand no students complained. The person who pulled the pornographic prank was
never identified, but as Jeff relayed the anecdote I had an inkling of a feeling he may have
had knowledge of the perpetrator's identity. Another time he told me he bought a lotto ticket
that had hit on five of the six winning numbers, and on the sixth number he was off by one
numeral. I found this hard to believe but he had the ticket to prove it. He won a few thousand
for hitting five out of six, but if his last number chosen had been one numeral higher he would
have won $2 million. Such was the life of little Jeffrey Threadgill at the turn of the twenty-first
century.
Song of the Day:
Neil Diamond/Solitary Man
Headline of the Day:
Pink Fairy Wings?
November 5, 2006
The Groesbeck Goats defeated Madisonville Friday night, 40-27. I was told if they win next
week against Palestine Westwood they will be in the playoffs. In regards to Groesbeck High
School, the person who made a recent bomb threat has been arrested. Click for article.
Elections will be held this Tuesday. I hope the Kosse street improvement referendum passes
as we really do need to improve our streets. I think Rick Perry will win the Texas Governor's
race, Chet Edwards the Congressional seat, Byron Cook the State Representative position,
Kay Bailey Hutchinson the U.S. Senate seat, and Richard Duncan will be elected Limestone
County Judge. We'll see how good a prognosticator I am.
I have added another section to the website. It is a page featuring videos from all kinds of
different site. The videos are updated daily by the company which is furnishing them. Click
for Videos section.
At this point I do not understand George W. Bush's refusal to get rid of Donald Rumsfield as
Secretary of Defense. Even the military newspapers are calling for his dismissal. Click for
article. To further complicate the situation, the verdict on Saddam Hussein will be announced
today and it is a foregone conclusion he will be found guilty and sentenced to death. Another
expectation is that his supporters (and there are many in Iraq) will then further increase the
violence of the civil war. Click for article. What a mess.
Update: Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging. Click for article.
Song of the Day:
Creedence Clearwater Revival/Down On the Corner
Headline of the Day:
Entertainment With Your Waffles for $2.99
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