Sunfield Area SPY's Report---12/3/09

Eighth Annual Kid’s Gift Drive Underway

The 8th. Annual Local Kid’s Gift Drive is now underway! Please share the spirit of Christmas with those less fortunate living right here in the Sunfield area. Collection points for any NEW unwrapped toys or gifts for children from infants through 18 years of age have been set-up at the Sunfield IGA or Marko’s Marathon. Please drop your gifts off by Monday, December 22nd. For further information about the program, please call Geniese Davis at 566-8741. Remember, ALL DONATIONS stay right here in the Sunfield area!

News Briefs

+ The Sunfield Area Sponsors of Programs for Youth wish to acknowledge some recent contributions to the Scholarship Fund and to the Youth Activities Trust Fund that were made by the following fine folks:
* Patrons of “The Tanked Fish Lounge” in Lansing.
* Ilah M. Hough
* Joyce Martin gave in memory of Harold McNamara.
We thank you all for your thoughtfulness and caring. Your continued support is appreciated.

+ Thought #1: You shouldn't go through life with a catchers 
mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.

+ Trivia Question-Of-The-Week: Who was TIME magazine’s very first “Man of the Year”? (Answer later in this column).

+ Andy Woodman’s Sports Trivia Question-Of-The-Week: Who was Johnny Vander Meer and why is he famous? (Answer later in this column)

+ “Honest Roy’s” Quote-Of-The-Week: “Fight organized crime---Re-elect no one!”

+ Thought#2: Did you ever notice that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the 
greater his or her need to cast blame on others?

+ Special Announcement: Once again, the fantastic folks at the Sunfield branch of Firstbank are sponsoring their “Adopt-A-Family” Christmas Tree. This is a great program that helps make some local kids’ Christmas a whole lot brighter. There are tags on the branches of the “Adopt-A-Family Christmas Tree” located inside the bank. Each tag gives the age and gender of a child, with a hint for a gift on the back. All you have to do to spread some holiday cheer is stop by the bank---take a tag or two off the tree---go buy a gift---and return it to the bank either wrapped or unwrapped by December 15th. That’s all there is to it. Get in the spirit! Stop by the bank today!

+ The “Sports Trivia Just For Ward ‘Smarty-Pants’ Mac Cready Question-Of-The-Week: What was Miami Dolphin quarterback Bob Griese the first NFL football player to wear in a game, in 1977? (Answer later in this column).

+ Did You Know Department: Did you know that the elephant is the only mammal that can't jump?

+ I had this passed along to me by loyal “Dirt Sheet” contributor Bruce Deland. I think it’s a pretty neat idea. Check it out! Want to have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the American Civil Liberties Union a Christmas card. Since they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world. If you do decide to send them a card, make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.

Here's the address:

ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York , NY 10004

For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU is the one suing the U.S. Government to take God, Christmas or anything Christian away from us. They represent the atheists and others, and keep the politicians in a dither about “political correctness”.


Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they
wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend
44 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone.

+ When I passed the above message along on my email distribution, I received the following response from Dar Benjamin. It’s even a better idea!

“It would be better still to put a 2 cent stamp on it and send it with just your initial and last name. The post office would not just send it back to sender they would put a postage due and you would let the ACLU get your 2 cents worth and then pay almost 50 cents a head to hear from the silent majority.”

+ The further adventures of Ray “Captain Chainsaw” Kimball----Let’s see---I think this must be chapter seven. He was at it again. This time at his mother’s place. It’s a good thing that OSHA wasn’t anywhere to be found. He had two trees to trim / cut. He’s trying to stand on a slippery pole barn roof---not lose his balance---and operate a dangerous piece of equipment. But hey, I’ll give ole “C.C.” some credit. Due to his past mis-adventures, this time he has enlisted a highly-experienced out of town ground crew. They came all the way from Rhode Island. It seems that “C.C.” has had his fill with using local stumble-bums and unreliable relatives that had led to his demise in the past. He takes up his precarious position on the roof---the guide ropes are attached and manned by the Rhode Islander foresters---“C.C” gives the pull cord a tug and the chain saw roars to life---he gingerly “dances” his way over to the first limb to be cut. This is when the problem started. It seems that “C.C.” doesn’t speak a fluent New Englander dialect. It seems he was yelling for them to “pull” on the rope and the ground crew thought he said “Let go”. Amazed by-standers said he could be a finalist on the “So You Think You Can Dance” TV show with the moves he made after that branch smacked him and he was heading groundward. But, we’re happy to report that all worked out fine----eventually. Thanks for the report Agent #402.

+ Trivia Question-Of-The-Week Answer: Charles Lindbergh (1927) was the first, and the youngest, person to receive the distinction. He was 25 years old.

+ Andy Woodman’s Sports Trivia Question-Of-The-Week Answer: Johnny Vander Meer played for the Cincinnati Reds. He is the only pitcher in major league history to pitch no-hitters in two consecutive starts. On June 11, 1938, he no-hit the Boston Braves. Four nights later, in the first night game played at Ebbets Field, he no-hit the Brooklyn Dodgers. After his double no-hit achievement, Reds’ management wanted Vander Meer to change his uniform number to “00”. He politely declined.

+ The “Sports Trivia Question Just For ‘Smarty-Pants’ Mac Cready Question-Of-The-Week Answer: Glasses.

+ Final Thought: If you pursue happiness, it will elude you. 
But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your 
work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, 
happiness will find you.

+ MDLIX