‘NO,’ SAID A NEW YORK JUDGE. HE SAID THAT WEARING THE BAGGY DRAWERS IS NOT A CRIME, JUST “VERY FOOLISH.”

That how His Honor ruled in throwing out a summons issued to a man wearing the low, low-slung pants that exposed his skivvies.

JUDGE RUBEN FRANCO SAID THAT THE SUMMONS APPEARED TO BE AN ATTEMPT BY A POLICE OFFICER TO SHOW HIS DISPLEASURE WITH THE STYLE.

I think the baggy jeans have to be the worst fashion statement since…..well….panty hose.

I HAVE A TEEN AGED FRIEND-WHO WEARS JEANS WITH A REAR THAT ALMOST TOUCHES THE GROUND. I TOLD HIM THAT IN ALMOST ALL SURVEYS ASKING WOMEN WHAT THEY FIND ATTRACTIVE IN A MAN, A GUYS’ BUTT IS NEAR THE TOP. (He didn’t seem impressed). I SAID: “JON, YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE YOU EVEN HAVE A BEHIND. IT’S ALL SAGGY PANTS.”

I told him I would pay for a pair of “skinny jeans” if he gave up the baggies. Even that didn’t do it. And he’s 18. At what age do teenagers give up those things?

REMEMBER THE OLDER GUY THAT EVEN WROTE A PARODY ABOUT THEM: “YOUR PANTS ON THE GROUND?” He was on “American Idol.”

Well, as the judge said in his decision: “Many may find the low-slung trouser trend distasteful & foolish.” But he says people can dress how they want as long as they “do not offend public order & decency.” In other words, keep your undies undercover.

HEAVY DRINKING OF ALCOHOL HAS BEEN PROVEN TO DAMAGE YOUR BRAIN OVER TIME. HOWEVER, GERMAN SCIENTISTS FOUND THAT WHEN HEAVY DRINKERS QUIT DRINKING, THE BRAIN CAN ACTUALLY HEAL ITSELF FROM THE ALCOHOL DAMAGE.

They studied multiple brain scans on heavy drinkers immediately AFTER alcohol withdrawal as well as 7 weeks later. Scientists found that the subjects brains actually GREW in volume. And, they improved their performance on neurological tests.

Harvard’s Dr. Michael Charness said this German study was the first to show the brain can physically repair itself after drinking stops.

Source: University of Wuerzburg, Germany

HOW SHOULD YOU SIGN OFF THAT E-MAIL? IS IT FORMAL, OR IS IT CASUAL? HOW YOU SIGN-OFF YOUR E-MAIL SENDS A ‘MESSAGE.’

SOME COMMUNICATION EXPERTS GOT TOGETHER TO GIVE THEIR OPINION ON WHAT SOME POPULAR ‘SIGN-OFFS’ MEAN, & WHEN YOU SHOULD, & SHOULD NOT USE THEM:

*THANKS–It’s safe, courteous & professional-but you should use it only if you are really thanking someone for something.

*SINCERELY–A bit too formal for e-mail. Save it for a letter you write on paper.

*CIAO–Only should be used for people who are very close buddies-or really Italian. LOL

*TALK SOON–Use it only if you mean it.

*REGARDS–A bit too abrupt & distant. “KIND REGARDS” is friendlier & usually a better choice.

*LATER or ‘CATCH YA LATER’- Only works if you”re 14 years old or younger.

*CORDIALLY–A bit old-fashioned but nice.

*CHEERS– (MY FAVORITE) –Fine if you know the person well.

Source: Entrepreneur Magazine

IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT COUPLES WHO SAY “I LOVE YOU,” ON A REGULAR BASIS REPORT FEELING CLOSER THAN THOSE WHO DON’T. BUT FOR MAXIMUM LOVING IMPACT, SAY IT…………………………………..

THREE TIMES A DAY.

Marriage expert Alisa Bowman says a sincere verbal expression of love at key times of the day can really have a positive impact on your “love connection.”

THOSE “MAGIC MOMENTS”- ARE IN THE MORNING before you go your separate ways.
*IN THE EVENING- when you reunite.
* AT NIGHT….before you go to sleep.

Those moments set a tone of sincerity that will cover your time apart.:) Saying, “I love you,” too much can lessen the impact. Not enough can weaken your bond.
*

I WISH IT HAD BEEN FUN.

IT STARTED OUT AS A CASE OF THE FLU. I TOOK THE USUAL OVER THE COUNTER REMEDIES, & spent the first weekend in bed. On Monday, I felt a little better, & went to work. But something was wrong.

WHEN I SPOKE, I SOUNDED LIKE A PIECE OF SANDPAPER WAS RUBBING AGAINST THE VOCAL CORDS. MY Boss was sympathetic. He knew a case of laryngitis when he heard it.

‘TAKE A COUPLE DAYS OFF & GET BETTER,’ HE SAID.

I managed to get a late afternoon appointment with my Doc. He said I had an upper-respiratory infection & it was dripping all the junk onto my vocal cords. He scribbled a prescription. He said this should take care of the problem. ” If you’re not better by Friday, come back & see me.”

THURSDAY, THE VOICE WAS WORSE, & I WAS STARTING TO PANIC. I CALLED THE DOC. HE SAID COME IN THE NEXT MORNING.
He checked me out. His expression was serous.

HMMMMMM. HE SAID: “IT WAS TIME TO USE STEROIDS.” HE WROTE ME A PRESCRIPTION.
Only 6 pills?? “Yep,” bubbled the pharmacist. “That should be enough to get you your voice back.”

HE WAS RIGHT. By Monday, I was 90 percent better. Tuesday, I’m back at work.

Hmmmmmm. Maybe all those athletes knew what they were doing.

YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW IT, BUT WE DO A LOT OF STUFF EVERY DAY, THAT JUST SPEEDS UP THE ‘AGING PROCESS.’ DR. GARY SMALL, AUTHOR OF ‘THE LONGEVITY BIBLE,’ EXPLAINS WHAT TO AVOID:

* OVEREATING. In 1 study, monkeys who were allowed to eat as much as they wanted died at three times the rate of food-restricted monkeys.

* WATCHING TV. Sedentary activities really accelerates the aging process. and that also goes for extended time on the computer.

*CLUTTER: (GULP-1 OF MY BIGGEST FAULTS) Surrounding yourself in clutter at home or at work creates anxiety & stress. In chronic doses-those things have been proven to shorten your life.

*ANGER. Expressing too much, or repressing too much, can have a big effect on our longevity. It’s important to try to keep a healthy balance with emotions because how you handle them can have a direct effect on your risk of heart disease.

A lot of things that get you angry just aren’t worth it.

MOST PEOPLE FEEL EITHER IS BETTER THAN THAT DREADED MIDDLE SEAT. THE OTHER TWO BOTH HAVE THEIR PERKS.

THAT WINDOW SEAT……gives you a great view of the land, sea, or clouds below. You’ve got fewer people passing by, & you have the fuselage wall to lean your head against.

THE AISLE SEAT…….is a lot easier to get in & out of when it comes time to stretch your legs or use the bathroom. But you just have to hope that window seat passenger will stay put.
On my last trip, which was to the Philipines, I had the aisle seat, & the lady in the window seat had “to go” like, every 45 minutes. The middle seat lady & I nick-named her “tiny tanks.” We kiddingly told her no more water or coffee.

In a poll by INDEPENDENT TRAVELER, the winning seat is………………………………
THE AISLE SEAT. 62 percent preferred it over 41 percent for window seats. Hmmm..No one wanted that dreaded middle seat.

Most “frequest flyers” opt for the aisle, saying it’s easier to make your own leg room, get the flight attendants attention, & to deplane faster.

IT’S TRUE. SOME SHRINKS HAVE DETERMINED WE CAN BE TOO HAPPY.

BUT THEY DO ADMIT, THAT…being happy pays big dividends. Happy people make more money, live longer, & have better relationships. There are really a lot of reasons to be happy.

But not TOO happy.

In a study, people who rated themselves as a “10,” on a 1-10 scale-meaning they were as happy as they can be-actually made considerably LESS money & were not considered as successful as people who rated themselves 7 or 8 on that “happiness” scale.

WHY?

APPARENTLY WHEN YOU ARE AS HAPPY AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY BE, you lose motivation to improve in certain areas of life. If you are completely happy, why change.?

Where it can become a problem is that EXTREMELY happy people are sooooo optimistic that they are slow to react to trouble. For example, they don’t take illness symptoms seriously. They are slow to seek treatment & less likely to follow doctors orders. They believe everything will be just fine.

In short, the study found that being happy is a cool goal, but too much of it may be counter-productive. Looks like a little unhappiness keeps us motivated.

IT’S TRUE. CRIMINALS DON’T PICK VICTIMS AT RANDOM. THEY LOOK FOR EASY TARGETS.

If you want to know what crooks look for in a victim-ask a criminal So that’s what READER’S DIGEST did. And they have a list of human behaviors that thugs say they look for in their next “target.” ARE YOU ANY OF THESE?

*The woman we mentioned with the dangling purse. (an easy target-”snatch & run” )
*The jogger listening to an IPOD,
*The business person setting down their briefcase or bag in order to use both hands.
** (This happened to me. At the book store at the Ferry Terminal, I set my briefcase down while I looked through some books. A couple minutes later, I turned around, & it was gone. It contained dozens of photos from my earlier disc jockey days. It the thief is reading this, how much do your want for the pics?)

*The driver parking alongside a van.
*The guy checking his back pocket to make sure his wallet is there. (and letting the thief know where it is.)
*Chatting, unsuspecting mothers at the park
*The elderly person about to cash their check.
*The person leaving their car unlocked-”just for a minute.”
THE NEXT TIME YOU’RE IN A BUSY ENVIRONMENT-TAKE A LOOK FROM THE BAD GUY’S PERSPECTIVE.

STORES ARE VERY PREDICTABLE WHEN IT COMES TO PUTTING STUFF ON SALE. IT DEPENDS ON THE “STUFF.”

IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, LET’S CHECK ‘EM OUT:

*APPLIANCES-The sales hit over most holiday weekends.
*COMPUTERS-Best sales are in August & December.
*CAMERAS & CAMCORDERS-February & March.
*CARPET & FLOORING-go on sale in January.
*CHINA & FLATWARE: March & September
*COOKWARE: Look for buys in May, June, & December.
*ELECTRONICS: Look for good buys in Spring & early summer, then GREAT buys on “Black Friday” & “Cyber Monday.”

*FURNITURE: January, July, & holiday weekends.
*MATTRESSES: May through August.
*PATI0 FURNITURE: No surprise here. It’s great right after labor day.
PLANTS TREES & SHRUBS are in the fall.
*TV’S: Early spring, & 6-12 months after a new model is lauched, prices drop considerably.
*SMALL APPLIANCES: Great deals in December.
*VACUUM CLEANERS: April & May.

Sometimes we just gotta have patience to wait for the item we want to go on sale. I have a girl friend who won’t buy something unless it’s over 50% off. LOL
Source: Kathy Barnes of “Better Homes & Gardens”