Extra Day

Today is an extra day!  Leap year gives a wonderful opportunity to do something extra this year. Basically we will use the day to go to our Swedish Singing group!

If you have trouble deciding if it is leap year the following (might) help you:


if year modulo 4 is 0
   then
       if year modulo 100 is 0
           then
               if year modulo 400 is 0
                   then
                       is_leap_year
               else
                   not_leap_year
       else is_leap_year
else not_leap_year

OR

is_leap_year = ( year modulo 4 is 0 ) and ( ( year modulo 100 is not 0 ) or ( year modulo 400 is 0 ) )

Basically if the year divides with no remainder by 4 but not 100 except if it divides by 400 then it is a leap year.  (2000 and 2400 leap years, not 2100 or 2200).

Days Off

When you are retired you don't get "days off." Federal holidays are just days that the mail is not delivered and certain offices are not open.

But today feels like a day off!  No more jury duty (at least for a while till my number comes up again).  Also Tuesdays and Saturdays are days when we don't have to go anywhere.  Mon,Wed, & Fridays we go to the Y, Wed & Thursdays we have singing practice, and Sunday we have Church, so only some Tuesdays and some Saturdays we get to stay home and do what we do at home (rather boring for active people).

I know there is not a lot of sympathy out there for us from the working public, but the life suits us!  Plus I have a wonderful wife to spend time with!

Jury Final

We completed the trial today.  We heard the closing arguments and the judge's instructions.

The case was a domestic abuse case involving a husband and wife.

When we were selected for the jury, the defense lawyer asked each of us 1) Did we know personally of any domestic abuse [which seemed reasonable to me], 2) What was our favorite TV show [I said CHUCK, seemed a little strange to me], and 3) How did we get our news [I told her from the internet and radio, 890 & 620AM].

They selected 14 jurors, 12 on the jury & 2 alternates.  The first witness was the wife and she was very upset and was crying the whole time.  Next came 2 police officers, then for the defense a friend of the defendant and the defendant.

When we went into the jury room to decide the case, the 2 alternates were excused.  They ordered out for a lunch for us (I had a beef & turkey sub, pretzels, and a Sprite).

I was elected the foreman and we had a very lively discussion; finally finding the defendant guilty on Domestic Abuse insulting or provoking and not guilty on the second count Domestic Abuse bodily harm.

It was an interesting time.  I recommend everyone go for jury duty when given the opportunity.  I have been called twice and been selected to be on juries twice.  And I thought I never win anything!

Guns

MADNESS AFTER GIRL, 4, DRAWS GUN PIC AT SCHOOL is a link showing the paranoid behavior that some people have over guns.

Another story was Student suspended for sketching gun. (here is a copy of the gun picture).

In March 2000, four kindergarten boys at an elementary school in northern New Jersey were suspended for three days after playing cops and robbers, using their fingers as guns, according to previous news reports.  (I would have been suspended, does cowboys & indians count.)


Of course, these incidents are in reaction to the Columbine shooting.  Great tragedy can bring about overreaction.  I was bought up in a different era when boys played with toy guns (including ones that shot little plastic "bullets").  Very few of us went on to shoot real people with real guns (except for those who were drafted into the Viet Nam war).

Tragedy can lead to fewer freedoms for the law abiding citizens.  Like no guns for law abiding citizens but you can't stop crooks from having them.

Jury Duty continued

As the judge told us that the trial would be over today and since we know judges never lie!

It is interesting that I have to go in on Monday for the trial that seems to never end!

Since I can't tell anything about the trial until the end, I have a few "interesting" things I can talk (blog) about.

The drinking fountain in the juror assembly area has some sort of sensor to make it go on, but there are no instructions on how to operate it.  If you put your hands in exactly the right prayerful manner it gives you some water, of course, this manner appears to change each time you use it  and when you are using it (must be artificial intelligence).

For some reason in the other posts I have used jurist  (n.  One who has thorough knowledge and experience of law, especially an eminent judge, lawyer, or legal scholar) instead of juror (n.  1. Law a. One who serves as a member of a jury. b. One who awaits or is called for service on a jury. 2. One who serves on a deliberative body analogous to a jury).  Sorry for that error.

Today we were suppose to be in at 1000 for the trial to start at 1000-1015, we were called at 1045 and taken to the juror deliberation room and got to wait for another 30 minutes until we entered the courtroom.  Then we took lunch from 1230-1345 and were called at 1400.  Plus another 5-10 minute break lasted 45 minutes.  The judge explained that the the reason for the delays was not our trial's fault, but other matters he had to take care of.

While we were waiting in the assembly room this morning someone turned on the TODAY show.  How can anyone listen to such drivel (at least the drivel that was there today)?

The first day of jury duty, I had a Calzone, the second a piece of pizza; today the person in front  of me stole (took, only from my point of view is it stealing) the last piece of pizza (and it was Hawaiian, Ham & Pineapple), so I was forced to get a Turkey sandwich on wheat bread (I asked if it was real whole wheat bread but the maker either didn't understand or refused to answer (I'm pretty sure it was not whole wheat but the commercial wheat bread)) with provolone cheese & 2 quarter dill pickles.  I was looking forward to the Calzone on Thursday & hoping for it today.

In the assembly room, there are computers for our use.  The password is written on the computer as JPXXX (not the actual letters) so I typed in JPXXX and it said a bad password.  It seems that JPXXX is really jpxxx since all caps does not work!  Why would someone type JPXXX for jpxxx?

Next blog entry on Jury Duty will be on Monday, if we actually end this 1 day trial!

Lucky Number 134

I called in on Tuesday night and I was not needed.   I was to call in again at 1115 for possible 1330 service, once again I was not selected.

I called in this morning and I WON! One of the 27 numbers was #134, of course, I started the call just after it said any other numbers should call later so I got to listen to extraneous junk until the numbers (including #134) were repeated.

So this morning after my morning workout at the Y, I went to the courthouse.  When I got there at 0854, there was a long line waiting to get into the courthouse (of course there are 2 lines 1 for attorneys, judges, and employees which went quickly and irritatingly the people in that line went around as hordes to quickly enter the CH and the other for Public, Jurists, & other Peasants ; Tuesday I went in before 0800 and just breezed in, but today was a 0930 start time).  Eventually, I got in and went to the Jury Assembly area, when I got there the lady said I bet you are #35 and I told close #134; I guess the 35 was a actual jurist for a case.

There were 27 of us call-ees, and around 1100 the announcement was made for all jury types to go to the front of the area (they did that every time they wanted to make an announcement to get us out of the restrooms or vending are or computer area) and they proceeded to call off individually the 27 numbers (vice saying everybody was called).

We were escorted to a trial room and then put in the 14 jury box seats and 6 seats in front of it (the others stayed in the spectator seats).  The judge asked some generic questions and the 2 (not 6 or 3) lawyers asked some questions.

So guess what, I was selected to be on the jury.  After the trial I will give more details, the judge said it should last only 1 day and let us go home for the day to come back tomorrow (I misspelled tomorrow and 2 of the choices from my brilliant spell checker were "tom morrow" and "tom-morrow") to start promptly at 1000 or 1015.

Jury Duty

This week I am on Jury Duty.  The first day (yesterday) I reported to the Jury Assembly room by 0800.

It is a large room with a lot of chairs and a number of tables against the walls with electrical outlets.  In addition there are rest rooms, computers (with internet access), and a lunch room with vending machines & games (like Scrabble,etc.) & a small number of books.  Plus there are various magazines around the room (things like Time, etc.).

Around 0800 (actually a while after) a nice lady got up and thanked us for our service/time.  She told us about the great pay ($5 pr day for the first 2 days and then a raise to $7.50 for next 3 days and then a hugh raise to $10 a day after 5 days plus free parking & $0.50 per mile from our post office), how we could not go outside the double doors unless it was lunch or to go to a courtroom or at the end of our service day.  The day was from (normally) 0900 to 1730 with an 1.5 hour lunch at noon.

She told us that our badges would allow a $5 lunch at the cafe in the courthouse (I got a sausage Calzone and a pop) and how we were not to talk to anyone about anything related to the court (trials, selection, etc.).  And how we were not to research anything about the trials that we were selected to.

Then a  judge came and explained the process in the courtroom selection process, told us that 200 level was felonies, 300 civil, and 400 traffic.  Then again about not talking and to not make any decisions until all the evidence was in.

Then we had a video that basically went over the same stuff.

To select a jury pool, a random number generator selected 24-36 numbers (we didn't have names only numbers I was 134), the numbers were read out & we had to say we were there, and those people lined up at the door and were taken to the courtroom by a deputy sheriff.

I was in the second group and we went up to a Civil Courtroom.  Where the judge swore that we would answer the questions put to us by the judge and the lawyers truthfully.  Then she repeated basically everything that we heard from the judge before, the video and the lady.  In our case they took the first 18 into the jury box (again a random selection of the 36), and the rest of us (including me) went back to the Assembly room to wait.

Late in the afternoon, the last 18 (including me) were called to the Courtroom and sat in the jury box.  One of our 18 was not there, don't know what happened to "him" but the judge left a empty chair for him.  The judge asked some generic questions of all of us and then the lawyers (there were 6 of them, 2 for the plaintiff, 2 each for the defendants only one of each group talked to us) asked us some generic questions and then specific questions of each of us based on the jury forms that we filled out prior to the process.

Eventually, out of my 18, 5 jurors and 1alternate were selected.  I was not one of them.

So I called when I got home (we are suppose to call at 1615 or later each day and at 1115 for if not needed in the first call) I called the number and don't have to come in before 1330 (I will call at 1115 to see if I am needed).

We were told that most trials start Mon-Wed (or this holiday shorten week Tue-Wed).  The most trials start on Monday,  so the most people are called in then.  So if we were not selected on either day we probably would not have to come in the last 2 days.

This is my second jury duty, I was selected for a short trial the last time.

Mamma Mia

Thank You for the Music.(ABBA)

We are singing with the women Thank You for the Music by ABBA.  The above link is on YouTube of ABBA singing it.  We found the link to help us in getting it right since there are some unusual rhythms.

This led us to other ABBA songs and the musical MAMMA MIA.  ABBA was popular in the late 70's & 80's but we missed it.

But looking at their work now, we really enjoy it.  MAMMA MIA is basically a vehicle for the singing of ABBA's songs.  The movie (and I assume the musical) does not have a great plot, but has wonderful music.

We bought the ABBA Gold CD album and the London Mamma Mia CD.  We use them in our new car (since it has a CD player unlike the old one which had a cassette tape player) when we are going for a longish journey, they really help the time to go with their upbeat songs.  we also bought a used copy of the movie Mamma Mia.  If you like upbeat songs that are sing a long songs, I recommend ABBA!

Here is a listing of the songs on the musical CD:

 1. Overture / Prologue
 2. Honey Honey
 3. Money, Money, Money
 4. Thank You For The Music
 5. Mamma Mia
 6. Chiquitita
 7. Dancing Queen
 8. Lay All Your Love On Me
 9. Super Trouper
10. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
11. The Name Of The Game
12. Voulez-Vous
13. Entr'act
14. Under Attack
15. One Of Us
16. S.O.S.
17. Does Your Mother Know
18. Knowing Me, Knowing You
19. Our Last Summer
20. Slipping Through My Fingers
21. Winner Takes It All
22. Take A Chance On Me
23. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
24. I Have A Dream

Mishmash

Some additions or other thoughts on recent blog entries:

Happy Valentine's Day:  I also made my wife a salad for dinner consisting of red peppers, green peppers, celery, spinach, brown rice, onion, dill pickle half, dried cranberries, and cheese (mild cheddar I think).

Glass Half Full: For the next 5 days we had frost on the windshield and I tweaked my back taking off the dog's collar.

National Debt: (CNSNews.com) - Under President Barack Obama, the federal debt has been increasing at a rate of $1,148 per month per American household.
Overall, according to the U.S. Treasury, the federal debt increased by $3,646,116,554,704.36 between Jan. 20, 2009, when Obama was inaugurated, and April 13, 2011, when he gave a major speech announcing a plan to deal with the debt.
Given that the Census Bureau estimated in March that there are 117,538,000 households in the United States, the $3.6461 trillion increase in the debt under Obama works out to $31,020 per household.


New Car II:  I smashed my head on the door top, I was either getting in or trying to lock the doors with the button inside the door.  Our old car was much higher!

1 reason I hate IL: University of Illinois’ political science professor Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman, says that his in-depth study has found Chicago to be the most corrupt city in the country. 
While many may say they knew this all along, there is now data to back up this statement.  Simpson has gathered data from the United States Department of Justice which not only proves that Chicago is the most corrupt city, but also gives facts to back up the contention that Illinois is the third most corrupt state in the nation.  With ex-Governor George Ryan still behind bars and ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich soon to begin his 14-year sentence in prison for corruption in office which includes the attempted sale or benefit of President Barack Obama's senate seat, this contention would not be easily contested. 
According to Simpson, who is also labeled a corruption-fighter in Chicago, says corruption is costing $500,000,000.  According to the analysis, the enormous amount of money is paid for or lost by the tax-payers of Chicago who end up losing the money when certain high-level crimes are committed.  The crimes include ghost payrolls, bogus contracts, city official thefts, bribes, and the likely most publicized of bad behaviors in recent times – police brutality.  The extreme costs, naturally, involve the high costs of prosecuting these cases committed by city personnel and city officials.

Conservatives

I found this video at Hot Air.

It has some of the points I have been trying to make recently.  I probably wouldn't have used the word "suck" so much.  Realistic is the new mean!