BRITAIN DECLARES INDEPENDENCE FROM EUROPEAN UNION...

NOW THEY HAVE THEIR OWN 4TH OF JULY! 

Huge news... Pillsbury has released a new line of Girl Scout Cookie baking mixes. 

- So now you can enjoy the taste of Thin Mints without having to buy 15 boxes from your neighbor who's trying to help her kid win the "I Sold More Cookie's Than Anyone Else In My Troop" Badge. 

- The Girl Scouts admit they stole the "baking mix" idea from the Brownies. 

*****

Bank of America customers will no longer be using PIN codes for their banking transactions, but will use their fingerprint instead. 

- It's a good move because it's so much harder to forget your fingerprint when you're at the ATM. 

*****

Apple is opening its first retail store in India. 

- So if the customers need tech support they can just call themselves. 

*****

House Republicans unveiled their official plan to replace Obamacare. 

- They're calling it "ObamaDidn'tCare". 

*****

North Korea test fired two midrange ballistic missiles Wednesday that travelled far enough to put US bases in the Pacific in danger in the future. 

- Kim Jong Un is so much more likable when he's just whacking his relatives.

*****

Starbucks is being sued in a class action lawsuit that accuses them of under-filling lattes by 25% to save money on milk. 

- Luckily, they'll be able to pay any settlement with all the money they already make overcharging customers for regular black coffee. 

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A major new study found that women who snore a lot are 200% more likely to develop heart disease. 

- And they're 500% more likely to have their husbands make them sleep in the guest room. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Friday!

-Dick

The picture above is the latest "Optical Illusion" to go viral on the internet. Some people see a lake, others see a wall. 

- FYI... if you see a wall, you're probably a Trump supporter.

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Speaking of The Donald...political experts say he's going to promote his wife Melania as "a modern day Jackie O". 

- And with his history with women, Hillary will promote her husband Bill as "a modern day John Kennedy". 

*****

The facade of Little Caesars new headquarters in downtown Detroit will be made up of 14 foot tall pieces of glass shaped like pieces of pizza. 

- It will be the first "Building! Building!" of it's kind. 

*****

Police raided several of Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles restaurants, and an arrest warrant has been issued for her son who they believe stole $1 Million in profits. 

- Officials say he was last seen boarding a Midnight Train to Georgia. Woo Hoo! 

- Turns out Gladys' son is a real Pip.

- Gladys says that despite stealing the cash, her son is still "The best thing...that ever happened to me". 

*****

A survey found that over 5 million Selfies were posted on social media yesterday in honor of "National Selfie Day". 

- Or as Kim Kardashian calls it, "Tuesday". 

- I just can't picture myself doing something like that. 

*****

China kicked off it's annual and extremely controversial "Dog Eating Festival" yesterday. 

- Menu items include: "Sweet & Sour Schnauzer", "Moo Shu Bark" and "Almond Boneless Rover". 

- PETA has launched a petition to stop the festival...calling it their Pet Project. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Thursday!

-Dick

Hillary Clinton has expanded her apparel line to include the tank top above. 

- Meanwhile Bill is coming out with a t-shirt reading: "A Woman's Place Is In The Little Room Off The Oval Office". 

*****

A Belgian study found that the music you listen to while drinking beer affects how it tastes. 

- For instance if you're listening to "Margaritaville", the beer tastes like tequila. 

*****

A study by Columbia University found that 60% of Facebook users share news articles without actually reading them. 

- I think that's terrible. Personally, I never share my microwave recipes without trying them first. 

*****

The National Heart and Lung Institute in London has developed a blood test that can tell you if you have a chance of suffering a heart attack in the next 5 years. 

- This is known as a "Spoiler Alert"... guaranteed to screw up your life until 2021. 

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The makers of LG televisions has announced that it is coming out with a line of TVs with a special mosquito repellant built-in to help combat the Zika virus. 

- This is great news for people who've been wanting to hang their flat-screen TV on a tree out in a forrest. 

*****

In his new book, Bobby Brown reveals that when he was ten years old he made fried chicken with cocaine. 

- He said it was "Finger Snortin' Good!"

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Wednesday!

-Dick

2 Comments

Purtan Podcast #198: The Greatest Of Them All

Click  here to download Podcast

Welcome to a brand new week and our Tribute Podcast to Gordie Howe with our special guest Tom Delisle, longtime friend of Gordie & author of the authorized biography "And Howe!" Tom traveled far and wide with Gordie and has many stories about #9 (and Colleen) that have never been published and you'll hear here for the first time. These personal remembrances prove that Gordie Howe was not only the Greatest Hockey Player of All Time... but also one of the nicest human beings as well. 

Have a great day and I'll see you back here tomorrow with my regular blog.

-Dick

2 Comments

Customs Officials at the Mexican border seized 14 rolls of bologna that were hidden under a car seat. 

- This is a huge victory in the War Against Lunchmeat. At his arraignment, Mr. O. Mayer plead "My Bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R!  My Bologna has a second name it's M-A-Y-E-R! Oh, I love to eat it every day! And if you ask me why I'll say... 'Cuz Oscar Mayer has a way with  B-O-L-O-G-N-A!"

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Canada's House of Commons has voted to make the country's national anthem gender neutral by changing the second line of the anthem from "true patriot love, in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command."

- Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers are considering removing "Oh say can you see?" from the  Star Spangled Banner so as not to traumatize people who need cataract surgery. 

*****

Hackers have stolen the Democratic National Committee's opposition file on Donald Trump - which contains every negative story they have on The Donald. 

- It would have been a lot easier to just watch MSNBC for an hour. 

*****

A man in Connecticut became verbally abusive to a woman when he spotted her breast feeding in a Target store, telling her it was "#$%@*&^ disgusting". 

- He then left the store and headed over to do some shopping at Victoria's Secret.

*****

The newest NBC poll shows that 54% of voters believe that Hillary Clinton will win the Presidential election. 

- The other 46% think she's a shoe-in to win Homecoming Queen at next Fall's "Federal Prison Formal". 

*****

The New York Senate has passed a bill that would legalize online poker. 

- Now it just needs to pass the Full House. 

*****

Richard Simmons has broken his silence and says he's NOT transitioning into a woman. 

- He doesn't need to transition... I'm pretty sure he's been a woman since the 1970's. 

*****

A new study found that eating whole grains can help you live longer. 

- But if you get those grains from eating Fiber One, you'll spend those extra years in the bathroom. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Friday!

-Dick 

 

1 Comment

Another tragic event... Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and families devastated by the apparent “Lone Wolf Islamic Terrorist" attack at the Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning. 

Also, due to a bizarre series of events involving my old laptop which gave out Friday, and the new one I bought but had different configurations, we were unable to record our tribute Podcast to Gordie Howe with Tom Delisle.  So instead, I’ve posted the fascinating article Tom wrote about Gordie - the man he knew so well - that was featured in Sunday’s Free Press. Sorry about the confusion. Here's the article...

*****

He was a miracle.

He was the most graceful man who ever lived.

He was the most powerful man who ever lived.

Don’t believe me? Ask anyone who spent electric winter nights at Detroit’s holy cathedral of hockey, Olympia Stadium, in 1946-71 to see Gordie Howe, Number Nine, God’s gift to ice hockey, Canada’s gift to Detroit.

Just to see him jump over the boards and slowly take the ice at Olympia, his pained and graceful steps offering little evidence of the power that coiled inside him was a great and unique thrill.

Incredibly he won six Most Valuable Player trophies in his 26 seasons, he led the league in scoring six years — even landing in the top five in NHL scoring for an astonishing 20 consecutive seasons. And amid all that offensive flare, Howe was the toughest, meanest, most defensively adept and most powerful forward to play the game … to ever play the game.

There is a common saying currently popular among come-lately fans, ESPN types, who praise Number Nine by describing a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” as Gordie scoring a goal, an assist and piling on a fight in one game. Unfortunately for those converts, Howe almost never engaged in a fight in his contests … mostly because nobody would fight him. The last man who gave it a full effort was a New York Rangers madman named Leapin’ Lou Fontinato, who had his face rearranged so drastically by Howe in New York in 1959 that Louie ended up with his nose saying hello to his left ear.

Whack, whack, whack, whack. It was, said the referee, “like a man chopping wood.”

How respected was Howe by his opponents?

In the mid-1960s, the talented captain of the champion Toronto Maple Leafs, center Dave Keon, told a reporter: “There are six teams in the National Hockey League — Montreal, Toronto, New York, Chicago, Boston and Gordie Howe.”

As a Baby Boomer who was raised on family stories of Ty Cobb and Joe Louis and Bobby Layne, it was Gordie Howe who was portrayed as a Superman by my family in the ’50s. “His reflexes are unbelievable,” my father used to say. “God-given talent; no one like him.” “If he took it in his mind, he could be the heavyweight champion of the world,” my grandfather often claimed.

Although Howe was one of the toughest and most vicious players to ever play, he was also one of the most humble and kindest persons off the ice as hundreds of fans witnessed through the years.

Here’s my first encounter with my hero.

It was just one week after the 1955 Stanley Cup victory that Gordie and his mates came to our neighborhood church on Detroit’s east side to celebrate the wedding of defensive forward stalwart Marty Pavelich.

With my Topps Red Wings hockey cards jammed in my 8-year-old fist and an autograph booklet in the other, I led the local kids on mad charges from All-Stars Ted Lindsay to Red Kelly to Terry Sawchuk across the church grounds of Our Lady of Good Counsel parish. But it was Big Gordie that everyone sought, even the adults.

I was the first to waylay him and his then-pregnant wife Colleen in their 1955 Oldsmobile on the Friday night of the wedding rehearsal.

Back at my post early the next morning, with a cordial “Hey, Gordie, remember me?” to refresh our 12-hour friendship, I found myself being hoisted by his powerful hands up in the air … spun around so I was facing forward … and placed upon his shoulders high above the teeming crowd. From that fabulous vantage point, I was the envy of every kid in our neighborhood, being walked around the Red Wings church-front reception on the shoulders of the greatest hockey player in the world.

A shot of the “Purtan No Stars” team in 1972. Front Row: (Left) Rip Collins, Detroit Lions Equipment man; Tom DeLisle, Mayor Gribb’s Executive Assistant ( at that time); Dick Purtan, CKLW radio; Ted Pearse, TV sales; Sonny Grandelius, MSU All American and New York Giants; Gordie Howe.Second Row: Lou Schuck, Purtan's radio engineer; Bob Posch, area singer and entertainer; Tom Ryan, Purtan's producer; Kelly Burke, WXYZ News reporter,Earl Morrall, MSU All American and former Detroit Lion; Tom Kelly, Channel 2 sports anchor; Jim Davis, WXYZ radio afternoon host; Jim Price, former Detroit Tiger. (Photo: Courtesy of Tom DeLisle)


My personal history with Gordie Howe was filled with good fortune. Besides my fabulous wedding party ride, I encountered him again and again over the years.

While working with Detroit morning radio icon Dick Purtan in the 1960s and ’70s, we had great fun fielding a media hockey team called the Dick Purtan No-Stars raising money for charities.

Gordie was working in the Red Wings front office upon his retirement and we had the great fortune to have him play for the No-Stars, so naturally his involvement boosted attendance.

From a personal viewpoint, the idea of playing alongside Gordie Howe was a dream come true for myself and my teammates who consisted of local newspaper and radio-TV personalities, along with many former local athletes from the Red Wings, Tigers and Lions. We literally fielded teams with players as far-flung as Motown singer Marvin Gaye and 1940s Heisman football legend Doak Walker, along with Hall of Famers Ted Lindsay and Bill Gadsby.

I used to notice an odd noise in the air in our first weeks of pickup practices, something that I found distracting, out of place in hockey. Finally, I was able to discern that the strange sound was a giggle … a high-pitched titter that was coming from … well … the greatest hockey player in the world. As he was swishing by us on the ice or taking the puck from a group of players in a corner, Gordie was giggling like a schoolkid. “Hee-hee … hee, hee, hee.” He was having that much fun playing the game he had enjoyed, and mastered, all his life.

One time I snuck up behind him as he was casually turning with the puck, and I was able to sweep-check it off his stick. As I chased after the now-loose disc I was thinking “wow, I just poked the puck off Gordie Howe’s stick!”

Suddenly I experienced a machine gun-like rapping on the side and rear of my hockey pants as if I was being attacked by a flock of crazed woodpeckers. It was Gordie, whacking me wildly from behind … bang, bang, bang, bang! … with one hand on his sawed-off stick. Surprised and confused, I stopped in my tracks, turning to look back, only to have him sweep quickly by me, taking the puck back off my stick, and giggling wildly as he circled and headed back up ice. Yet it was a thrill to be upstaged by the great … and giggly … Gordon Howe.

In 1995, I was selected by Colleen and Gordie to write a book with them on the history of their family. The book was titled “And Howe!” and though Colleen and I didn’t see eye-to-eye about how it should be constructed, it gave me the opportunity to live and travel with Gordie for six months that year.

In airports we sometimes hung out at a VIP lounge where I often took advantage of an open bar, but Gordie would never have more than one beer. It was a rule he never abandoned.

“I’d like to join you,” he said one afternoon as I rose to get him a can. “But I don’t ever want a kid drinking alcohol because he once saw Gordie Howe having a beer in public.” That was Gord.

Gordie was a genius in many aspects of his life, personality, and work. While doing research on the book I was able to determine that he had suffered all his life from Dyslexia, a disease that rendered reading and writing near impossible for suffering young students.

It was virtually unknown out on the Canadian Prairie during his youth in the 1930s. Gordie, because of the disease, was mocked in his schoolwork and fell behind in his studies.

He told me once of a teacher sending him to the blackboard with the instructions to spell words she called to him from the class. He failed, awfully, in front of his fellow students. “The words were all backwards, like Chinese,” Gordie explained. “A lot of people called me ‘Dummy.’ ”

Friends of Gordie Howe knew that no one with the natural humor and incisive mind he exhibited could ever be regarded as being slow or dull-witted. And some observers have wondered if Gordie’s difficult childhood — being saddled with the undiagnosed curse of the Dyslexia that plagued him — may have sparked his fierce competitiveness and aggression on the ice that sparked his amazing talent.

Wayne Gretzky went way up in my estimation this last week when he was asked to comment on the passing of his childhood idol. He didn’t mince or waste words. The man nicknamed “The Great One” stated strongly that Howe was “the greatest hockey player in history … and the finest man I have ever known in my life.”

Gordie was our inspiration … Detroit’s village champion. A once-in-a-lifetime genius who brought light into all our lives across the many decades of his public stardom. Like Muhammad Ali, who was buried amid great public acclaim on the day Gordie passed, our Number Nine truly was the Greatest … of All Time.

And a man I admired and loved like no man I’ve encountered in this life.

Tom DeLisle is a native Detroiter who was a Free Press reporter from 1967 to 1971.

1 Comment

Gordie Howe has died. He passed away shortly before 8am Friday morning at his son's home in Ohio at the age of 88. He was The Greatest Of Them All.

We'll share stories about Gordie - both personal and professional - on our Podcast up later today. 

RIP... #9. 

-Dick

A new poll found that 60% of women say they wouldn't sleep with Donald Trump for a million dollars. 

- And 70% said they wouldn't sleep with Bernie Sanders for all the money in the world.

*****

Friday is National Iced Tea Day and Starbucks is celebrating with a sweet deal: Buy one Iced Tea and get a second one FREE!

- Which means you'll get TWO refreshing drinks for the price of FIVE! 

*****

Political insiders say Chris Christie is going to write a book about his relationship with Donald Trump. 

- It's called "The Art of the Meal". 

*****

A California judge who was censured for having sex with an intern and a lawyer in his chambers won re-election Tuesday over an opponent who promised to “restore integrity” to the bench. 

- So now the Judge can continue wielding his gavel. 

*****

President Obama and Joe Biden are scheduled to meet with Bernie Sanders in Washington today. 

- Meanwhile Hillary sent Bernie an invitation to a "Godfather Party", urging him to dress up as Fredo, and go for a ride in a rowboat. 

*****

Macho man Vladimir Putin didn't realize his microphone was on before an interview and told a fellow dictator that he's not getting enough sleep... "maybe four or five hours" a night. 

- Really Vlad? That's not enough? Try hosting a morning radio show for 45 years! 

- This explains a lot... Maybe he's just too tired in the morning to put on a shirt. 

*****

"Generation Snowflake" is the new term to describe young women who believe it's their right to be protected from anything that might upset them. One University in England even banned clapping because some co-eds said it "traumatized" them. 

- There's an even better term I recommend: "Generation Get-Over-It". 

- Wait 'til the People for the Ethical Treatment of Snowflakes find out part of their name is being used in such a derogatory fashion.

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Friday!

-Dick

RIP... Al Ackerman, longtime Detroit TV Sports Anchor who coined the Tiger rallying cry "Bless You Boys!", has died of natural causes in Florida at the age of 90. Who could forget "Bonds, Kelly, Ackerman, Turner"??

*****

Grab onto your gym shorts... According to the National Enquirer, Richard Simmons has had breast implants and hormone therapy and now lives as "a soft spoken woman named Fiona". 

- Look for his/her new workout video: "Sweatin' With The Falsies!"

- Why did he need breast implants? 

- Between Bruce/Caitlyn & Richard/Fiona...a certain lingerie shop is gonna  have to change their name to "Victor's Secret". 

*****

Despite losses in last night's primaries, and the fact that Hillary Clinton has already secured enough delegates to secure the Democrat nomination, Bernie Sanders is vowing to stay in the race. 

-  He's like a certain bunny that keeps going and going... Good old "Energizer Bernie". 

*****

Google has reportedly taught its self-driving vehicles how to honk. 

- So now drivers will have a second to realize the self-driving car is about to smash into them. 

*****

An unidentified man bought the Playboy Mansion for $100 Million, but under the terms of the deal, Hugh Hefner is allowed to live there until he dies. 

- It's kind of like having your creepy sex-crazed Uncle move in with you...but he's already there. 

- The mansion comes with 30+ bedrooms, 10 jacuzzis, and a lifetime supply of penicillin. 

*****

Kanye West had to cancel a surprise concert in New York after a mob of fans nearly rioted outside. 

- When is the last time Kanye West was involved in Anything when there wasn't a riot? 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Thursday!

-Dick

Bill Clinton will eulogize Muhammad Ali at a public funeral in Louisville this Friday. 

- They were hoping to get Hillary, but they couldn't afford her speaking fee. 

- Apparently Bill was a big fan of the Pugilist. For our Junior readers...no..."Pugilism" is not a form of government where you get even more free stuff than "Socialism". 

*****

Burger King is testing a Whopper burrito called the Whopperrito. 

- And for those of you watching your waistlines, there's the Whopperrito Jr. 

*****

Speaking of eating... According to a new study, people being served by a "plus-sized" waiter or waitress are four times more likely to order desert than those who have a more slender "server". 

- But overweight or thin, they all expect you to leave a hefty tip. 

- This is why I always go to the Drive-Thru... Since I don't have a waiter or waitress, I'm never tempted to get the microwaved apple pie. 

*****

Netflix is now streaming a Bob Ross "Learn How To Paint" series. 

- The best part is, you can pause it if you have to Van Gogh to the bathroom.

*****

Walmart announced that they will soon be using drones to keep track of their inventory. 

- That means the nice retiree in a vest won't just be a "Greeter"... he'll be an air-traffic controller. 

*****

On this date in 1983, Jerry Lee Lewis got married for the 5th time. 

- The people next to the Honeymoon Suite said there was "a whole lotta shakin' goin' on". 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Wednesday!

-Dick 

 

It’s D-Day.  On this day in 1944, tens of thousands of American, British and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France and began an eleventh month march to Berlin.  This seaborne invasion, one of the great battles in history, cost thousands of lives, but ultimately led to the end of World War II in Europe. We salute those who lost their lives that day... as well as those who lived to tell the stories.

*****

ISIS has executed dozens of it's own members over fears that they are Spies for the U.S.

- To make matter worse, before killing them, they also reduced the retirement package to 2 Virgins and a pack of smokes. 

*****

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos say he plans to lead the effort to settle Mars. BTW...it currently takes 150 days to get there. 

- But if you have Amazon Prime, you'll arrive in two days GUARANTEED.

- And if you don't like living on Mars, you can ship yourself back for free.

*****

Richard Simmons was hospitalized on Friday after exhibiting "bizarre behavior". 

- Turns out he had a fever and was just "Sweatin' To The Cold-Ease". 

- If every old guy in overly tight and short gym shorts was hospitalized for acting a bit off, the exercise room at every Senior Center in the country would be empty. 

*****

A former Secret Service Agent who guarded Bill & Hillary Clinton inside the White House is releasing a new book. 

- The book is tentatively called: "Say Yes To The Blue Dress!"

*****

Hostess is recalling 700,000 cases of donuts and snack cakes because of possible contact with peanuts - including thousands of Ding Dongs. 

- Unfortunately, not one of the Ding Dongs being recalled is running for President. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Tuesday!

-Dick 

 

1 Comment

Purtan Podcast #197

Click here to download Podcast 

Welcome to the weekend and Podcast #197. Today we narrow it down to three topics: The death of Muhammad Ali and my personal experience with him, as well as with his "verbal sparring partner", Howard Cosell... The alleged Radio "scam calls" that run on morning shows in Detroit and around the country that are, in truth, only scamming the audience because they use scripts and actors - not real people. (Mine were real - and I'll explain how!)... Plus "How To Succeed In Business" - using the Rolling Stones as a business model.

So join us for Podcast #197. It may not be the "Thrilla in Manilla"... but it may just punch up your day. 

Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here Monday with my regular blog! 

-Dick

1 Comment

A California woman who was training for a Triathlon was attacked by a Great White Shark. 

- Oops... That's not very Politically Correct of me... I meant, the woman was attacked by a Plus-Sized Caucasian Shark. 

*****

Billy Joel dedicated a rendition of "The Entertainer" to Donald Trump during his concert in New York.

- He also dedicated "Honesty" to Hillary Clinton. 

*****

Kim Jong Un says that he and Donald Trump see eye-to-eye. 

- That's as long as Kim's wearing his heels.

*****

The family of the boy who fell into the Gorilla pen at the Cincinnati Zoo is asking people to send donations to the Zoo rather than to them. 

- They don't need money...what they really need is a "child-leash".

*****

Donald Trump said Hillary Clinton not only "lies" but has "no natural talent" to be President of the United States. 

- It should be noted that neither one one of them has the "natural hair color" to be President. 

*****

American Airlines is being criticized for pulling several overweight passengers off a plane because the plane was too heavy to take off. 

- It's expensive, but this is why I always check my emotional baggage at the gate. 

*****

A JetBlue passenger in Seattle was asked to change after the crew decided that her shorts were too short. 

- This is the kind of story I'd expect to hear from Virgin Airlines. 

*****

The U.S. Border Patrol has formally endorsed Donald Trump for President. 

- Trump called it "A giant wall of support". 

*****

69 year old Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and his 38 year old wife, Sally, welcomed twin baby girls this week. 

- Sally said she's thrilled, but admits it's tough keeping three people in diapers. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Friday!

-Dick

The trailer for "Finding Dory" - the long awaited sequel to "Finding Nemo" - hints at Pixar's first animated lesbian couple. 

- You can explain it to your kid while sharing the theater restroom with a man who at that moment identifies as a woman. 

*****

The Libertarian Party has officially nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson for President. 

- Two other Johnson's have been in the White House - Andrew and Lyndon B. Actually there have been 3 Johnson's in the White House... if you count Bill Clinton. 

*****

Party goers in Berlin are using a new "drug"... Chocolate. Users say snorting a line of cocoa releases feel-good chemicals in the brain, giving you a natural high. 

- Experts are already warning that Chocolate could be a "Gateway Drug"... to Caramel. 

*****

A new poll shows that 71% of registered Democrats believe Hillary Clinton should continue running for President even if she's indicted over the email scandal. 

- Her slogan would be "Crimes You Can Believe In". 

*****

Animal rights activists are outraged at a Cincinnati Zoo for shooting and killing a Silverback Gorilla who dragged a young boy around after the child broke through barriers and fell into "Harambe's" enclosure. 

- There were so many protestors, it looked like a Donald Trump rally. 

*****

Kanye West's California recording studio was robbed over the weekend by someone who stole $20,000 worth of equipment. 

- We can only hope this will delay Kanye from recording another album. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Wednesday!

- Dick 

 

Memorial Day 2016

Over my last few years on the air, I recited the following poem every Memorial Day Weekend in honor and in memory of the brave men and women who made the Ultimate Sacrifice defending the freedom and liberty we are so lucky to enjoy in this country.

The poem, “The Inscription”, was sent to us by a listener, Paul Reside.  

Paul’s Grandmother, Annabelle Gunnett Jones wrote it around 1932.  The poem had been printed in the Perry County, Ohio newspaper for a number of years on “Decoration Day”, or as we know it today - “Memorial Day”. Annabelle was inspired to write the poem by her husband, a WWI Veteran, as a tribute to the Unknown Soldier.

As you enjoy your Memorial Day, I encourage you to take a moment to share “The Inscription” with your family and friends... especially your children. Let it serve as a reminder to us all of the gratitude owed the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who have laid down their lives so that we may live ours.  

Just click on the link below to hear me reading the words written nearly 80 years ago - that still resonate today.   

“The Inscription” by Annabelle Gunnett Jones

I hope you are enjoying a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend. God Bless America!

-Dick 

P.S. Below are some of my favorite Patriotic musical performances.

Purtan Podcast #196

Click here to download Podcast

Welcome to Memorial Day Weekend and Podcast #196...For this special long-weekend edition, former "Purtan's Person" Tom Delisle rejoins Jackie and me at the Purtan Dining room table. We offer up a full picnic table full of topics including: 

- Hitler's Mein Kampf - Tom actually read it, and why he decided Hitler wasn't just evil, he was an idiot.

- Sparky Anderson (neither evil nor an idiot!!!) 

- Planes, Trains & Automobiles. (You're probably spending time in at least one of them over the Holiday). 

- The one type of alleged "jokes" where I agree with the PC world. 

- Dating advice that two nurses gave to Jackie... (Think: more "The Bachelorette" and Less "Jeopardy!")  

- The new traffic lights built into the cement on sidewalks - - so people can keep looking down at their cell phones while waiting for the light to change. 

Plus...  

- Banter than goes from Bunkers to Big Butts to Bundt Cakes (as in My Big Fat Greek Wedding).

So let the burgers do their thing on the grill and take a few minutes to tune into Podcast #196. It may be "rare"... but this one's "well-done"! 

Have a great rest of the weekend and I'll see you back here Monday with a special Memorial Day Post. 

-Dick

This Just In from the Associated Press: "Trump Reaches Delegate Number To Clinch GOP Nomination".  Meanwhile, last night Trump made an offer to debate Bernie Sanders in California and Sanders tweeted "Game On".

- The big news here is that Bernie Sanders knows how to use Twitter! 

*****

The View's Joy Behar ripped Kelly Ripa's angry reaction to Michael Strahan's departure from "Live! With Kelly & Michael", saying "It's called Show Business, not Show Therapy". 

- Then she stormed off the set after someone said something "mean" about President Obama. 

*****

A North Carolina high school wants to ban skinny jeans and leggings. 

- But protestors say students should be able to wear whatever type of pants they identify themselves with on any given day. 

*****

The TSA has fired it's head of security over the massive lines that have been forming at airports. 

- He not only got a pink slip, they made him take his shoes off and gave him an invasive pat-down. 

*****

A Columbia University study found that a chemical in plastic water bottles has been linked to childhood obesity. 

- Luckily, most U.S. kids skip the bottled water and stick to full sugar pop out of a can. 

*****

A University of South Carolina study found that 1.4% of college students have either spiked another person's drink or know someone who has. 

- The drinks are known as "Bill Cosby Jell-O Pudding Shots". 

*****

Oregon has raked in $40 Million more than expected from the sale of marijuana. 

- Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

- The amount was supposed to be released in January, but the guy doing the counting kept getting distracted and had to start over. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Friday!

- Dick

A former McDonald's CEO says that minimum wage workers may soon be replaced by cheaper robot workers. 

- The robots are almost ready... they just have to reprogram them to get your drive-thru order wrong. 

*****

Temps will reach a near record high of 84 this afternoon, just 10 days after Metro-Deroit saw snow and sleet. 

- This is why I always sprinkle a little Rock Salt on top of my sun screen. 

*****

Governor Snyder has declared an Energy Emergency in Michigan claiming gas supplies are too low as we head into the long Memorial Day Weekend. 

- His administration suggested filling up your tank with water from Flint, but than realized most cars take unleaded. 

*****

Yesterday a judge ordered that Bill Cosby will stand trial for sexually assaulting a woman at his mansion back in 2004. 

- His alleged victim said, "I'll drink to that!" 

*****

A State Department Audit just released this morning says that Hillary Clinton violated Government Policy - and her own rules - when it came to using a private server when she was Secretary of State. 

- They sent her the news in an email...but she claims she can't find it. 

*****

A protest turned violent outside a Trump Rally in New Mexico last night. Meanwhile inside Trump shouted down protestors saying one kid "was still wearing diapers". 

- That's the same thing he said last week about Bernie Sanders. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Thursday!

-Dick

Facebook has apologized for refusing to run an ad featuring a plus sized model in a bikini which they said was "undesirable" and made FB users feel bad about themselves. 

- If it had been a plus-size cat in a bikini they would have put it at the top of everyone's Newsfeed. 

*****

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus has endorsed Donald Trump.

- And Tiger Woods has endorsed Clinton...Bill Clinton. 

*****

Tom Brady filed an appeal of his four-game suspension with the U.S. 2nd District Court of Appeals.

- There hasn't been this much focus on deflation since Viagra was going through FDA trials. 

*****

Bernie Sanders told CNN he's staying in the race because voters shouldn't have to choose between the lesser of two evils. 

- That's right! We should have the right to choose between the lesser of THREE evils. 

*****

In a deposition he gave more than 10 years ago, Bill Cosby admitted to having sex with many teenage girls...but added that he gave them a "very, very good meal". 

- He claims the wine was good too, but none of the girls remembered it being special. Actually they didn't remember it at all. 

*****

Prince William revealed that when he has a hard time getting two year old Prince George to go to sleep, he runs the faucet in the bathroom to calm him down. 

- That's the same technique Camilla uses to calm down Prince Charles when he cries because it looks like the Queen is gonna live forever. 

*****

Have a great day and I'll see you back here Wednesday!

-Dick