Pheaturing Phile Alum Jeff Trelewicz

 

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. How are you doing? Talk about having a bad day. An Australian man definitely did not see this coming when he was caught with 600 pounds of methamphetamine after he literally ran his transport van into two cop cars. His little stunt has now earned him more than six years in prison. Simon Tu was driving a Toyota HiAce with drugs worth more than $145 million when he plowed into the two control cars that were parked outside the Eastwood Town Police Station after drifting to the wrong side of the road. Basically, this man made it easier for him to get arrested. Obviously afraid of the outcome, he decided to make a run for it in high gear, but police were able to catch him about an hour later. When they caught up to him officers noticed he was nervous and was visibly shaking and fidgeting as he told officers he had experienced a microsleep. Which let’s be real, this man was clearly probably high on meth and knew they would bust him because of the number of drugs in his back seat. Also, how do you not notice two cop cars? When cops searched Tu’s van, they found multiple cardboard boxes filled with crystal meth. He was transporting 260.47 kilograms of the substance with purity ranging from 71.5 to 80.5 per cent. According to Detective Glyn Baker of the Ryde Police, “This would be one of the easiest drugs busts that NSW Police has ever made... incredible, absolutely incredible.” Earlier this year the Australian man was guilty of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug. District Court Judge Penelope Hock in New South Wales decided to slam the dumb drug lord over here with a jail sentence this Friday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Tu will be eligible for parole in July 2023. Hock gave him 6 and a half years on a parole period of four. He was also convicted on two lesser charges of failing to give particulars to police and negligent driving. During a hearing this week, Tu’s lawyer, Phillip Boulten, described his client’s action as “negligent and shambolic.” She stated, “His driving is what gave it all away, and his role was to drive, so that in some sense it was a hopeless execution of the task he was asked to perform.” Despite him being arrested, Tu refused to confess to Australian police where the drugs came from or who told him to pick them up. The court also heard that he has a heavy history of gambling, uses cocaine, and owed money commercially and personally.  

Listen, bears crave chips too. Can you blame them? They are delicious, so there is no harm in eating one or two bags here or there. Which is why this hungry, hungry bear was on the hunt for some delicious tortilla chips. Yes, a black bear was seen craving junk food and wandering into a California grocery store, leaving with a bag of Tostitos chips in its mouth. Luckily for us, it was all caught on camera, and it is so cute but terrifying at the same time. Here's a screen shot...

The video was shot at a Safeway grocery store in Kings Beach on Lake Tahoe by a woman named Adina Baidoo. Baidoo was walking out of the grocery store around 9:30 p.m. when she witnessed the very odd encounter. Apparently a shopper had screeched when Baidoo unknowingly walked right into the bear outside by the trash can. She then took a video of him eating garbage at what appeared to be a safe distance. You can then hear her say, “This actual bear, right there, that I almost walking into has gone into Safeway and decided… that he is going to go shopping.” Honestly, this woman deserves all the awards because I would have yelled and sprinted back in my car. Not this woman though, she needed that viral cell phone video! She eventually decided to go back to her car but captured the bear making his way inside the grocery store. A few seconds later the bear is seen nonchalantly grabbing the bag of chips and crawling back out. Because bears need comfort food too, damn it! Let him eat his chips. Luckily, no one was hurt during the whole robbery, but by gosh. Can you just imagine minding your own business, on your way to get some lucky charms and on your way to the produce section for avocados, and then turning left and seeing a freaking wild BEAR right next to you? Eek. No, thank you.

A 13-year-old boy did what not many other kids his age would ever do. At the start of their teenage years, kids tend to become a little more selfish and spoiled. They think the world is against them and over-dramatically think their worlds are over when they don’t get want or things don’t go their way. But if we had more teenagers like William Rabillo, maybe things would start to change more efficiently. It had been a tough few weeks, hitting low points and rough patches for Krystal Preston, a single mom from Nevada. However, this single mother had raised such a good kid, better than she could’ve ever realized. As he watched his mom make ends meet, he decided to work just as hard to help her. Krystal’s son William became a money making machine doing yard work. As he was cleaning yards to make a little extra money, he took to social media, primarily on Facebook marketplace, to help his mom find a new car. He found a woman’s car that he saw he could afford, and messaged her. William had bargained with the woman for her 1999 white Chevrolet Metro, but that wasn’t all he was willing to give up. The 13-year-old kid offered up his own Xbox in a heartwarming exchange, showing his big heart in willing to give up trivial teenage boy things to help ease the issues that had troubled his mom over the last couple weeks. “It was really cheap, so I asked if I could trade the Xbox or earn it. At first she said no, and then, she thought about it, and then she said yes,” Preston’s 13-year-old son said to ABC News. And in a simple transaction, William had bought his mom a white Chevy Metro. “I lost it. I bawled so bad. There’s no way. What 13-year-old buys their mom a car. I don’t know any. I can’t express it. There’s no words that can express my gratitude and how proud I am,” Preston said in what she also stated was “the shock of my life.” The complete shock comes from how this teenager didn’t hesitate to help his mother out. Krystal, you raised one hell of a son, and I’m sure he’s going to turn out to be a wonderful man when he gets older. The family has a GoFundMe page set up that goes into detail about their struggles and how they have prevailed. It’s so beautiful to see such good rising up from seemingly troubling beginnings.

A New Jersey’s business is now on fire after a sign was posted on their front window reading "Speak English or pay $10 extra." Check it out...

The sign was posted by a business owner in Clifton and has now sparked outrage with some calling the message racist. Dave Feinberg has been sharpening knives at his business, Cutters Edge, in New Jersey since 1975 and remained as the city’s demographic shifted for 50 years. But for customers, the note posted on the window is deeper than his talented craft. For over two weeks now, the New Jersey business has been receiving numerous phone calls by angry customers demanding that local officials close down the store. Social media and Twitter users have also attacked the store, calling them racist, begging people to boycott it. The shop was even attacked on Yelp after customers ripped on the shop by giving them a negative one-star rating, asking people to “ignore the establishment.” Secenty-one-year-old Owner Dave Feinberg had reportedly put the sign up recently after a frustrating 10-minute encounter with a customer. He stated, “I couldn’t understand a word he was speaking in Spanish… He made absolutely no attempt, none whatsoever, to speak to me in English. I figured $10 at 10 minutes was a fair number.” The shop owner had initially thought it wasn’t a problem as people came in and started “laughing and giggling,” until the phone calls began blocking his phone line and they started getting angry voicemails. After several members began to criticize the knife shop and started speaking negatively about him, Feinberg put up a new sign that shows his apology. It read, “Sorry about the speak English sign. Please [accept] our [heart] felt sadness it may have caused.” The 71-year-old owner did want the public to know that he apologizes for any “misunderstanding” and wants them to know that he is not racist. He also noted that he gets along with his new Arabic and Latino neighbors. He spoke with the New York Daily News, saying he was surprised by the swift criticism after he wrote the sign, he stated, “I guess the frustration factor got to me, but it had nothing to do with speaking English or Spanish or any other language,’ he told the publication. It was about when we’re here, we are able to understand each other.’ According to Clifton Council Member Rosemary Pino, the sign was at odds with the town, since it prides itself on its diversity, saying people from the city speak different languages. She stated, “Messages like this put us back centuries.”

Last summer, Todd Fassler was bitten by a rattlesnake in San Diego, California. While the video of his rattlesnake injury went viral, his hospital bill for the rattlesnake bite care will put the fear of God in you. All $153,000 of it. While getting bit by a rattlesnake isn’t as uncommon as we’d all like to believe, rarely does the story end at a bite for the victim. While trying to take a selfie with some rattlers, Fassler got bit. He expected some pain and swelling. What he didn’t expect though, was this massive $153,161.25 bill. Mind you, the date of the statement is July 13th, 2015. The date payment is due? July 27th, 2015. That’s only two weeks to pay this massive bill or for insurance to step in. Why is the bill for a rattlesnake bite so high? It has to do with the necessary medical attention. In particular the antivenin, which is required to treat a venomous bite. It is included under the pharmacy cost portion of the bill, which was $83,341.25. There’s only one commercially available antivenin for “treating venomous snakebites in the United States... CroFeb, manufactured by U.K.-based BTG plc,” according to The Washington Post. There are no other competitors in the market, and because of that, in 2014, BTG closed out around $100 million. For one hospital vial, the price is around $2,300. A typical treatment dose? That requires four to six vials. So for a single, smaller rattlesnake bite that would need four vials of antivenin, the cost is $9,200. It’s estimated that 7,000 to 8,000 people in America become snakebite victims each year. Snake venom can cause nausea, vomiting and difficulty breathing, and the results are even worse if you have an allergic reaction. Even nonvenomous snakes leave puncture wounds and cause tissue damage. So hesitation in seeking medical attention caused by worrying about the cost when you need life-saving medical help could potentially have devastating results. In the photo of the bite above, it’s evident that this man required a helluva lot of antivenin for a rattlesnake bite that intense. So is this bill set in stone? Not quite. A hospital bill is more of a breakdown of all applicable charges and works as a way of communicating between the insurance company of the patient and the hospital. It’s one giant paper trail from which all deductions can begin. Regardless, try not to get bit by a rattler this year. Or any year. If you have $153,000 burning a hole in your pocket, go buy some delicious BBQ, a boat, and a 30-rack of beer instead. You’ll still have $140,000 after that.

Instead of doing this blog thing I should be listening to this record...

Nah. Never mind. Here's a pic of a guy hanging out at his friends gender reveal party...

Hahahaha. You know, if I had a TARDIS I would go to see a football game in London. I'd probably end up being part of a good tempered football crowd at West Ham, London passing a young boy over our heads to the front so that he can see the game better.

As I've been saying, in many places, masks are mandatory, so you as well make it your own. There's a mask for every fashion and fandom, and there can also be a mask for every face. People order custom-made masks with photos of their face on them to try and achieve a realistic look. Try being the most important word.

Here's another creative sign telling people to wear face masks...

Viva Las Vegas. Did you see the dress the Fist Lady wore at the RNC a few weeks ago? 

Hahaha. So, there's a new Barbie that just came out for your kids. I'll show you...

You know Prince was a great guitarist, but did you know he played a slug as well?

Hahahahahaha. That just made me laugh. So, I was thinking of getting a new tattoo but someone had the same idea I had...

Hahaha. So, sugar-free gummy bears might seem like a great idea in theory. But, like so many things being sold to us in a capitalist society, there is a catch. Anyone who's ever tried (or worse, binged) on sugar-free candy knows exactly what that catch is. If you're not sure, just check out this review on an Amazon listing for a one pound bag of Haribo SUGAR FREE Classic Gummi Bears...

Hahaha. So, doctors are protesting and no one knows why...

Hahahaha. That looks like "Weird" Al. It's pumpkin spice season and some companies are going a little bit too far with it this year...

The pandemic has brought financial strain to a lot of people, millions of people are unemployed in the U.S. alone, and many with jobs have reduced hours. While the pandemic has hit people hard in every industry, restaurant workers largely paid in tips have faced distinct obstacles as most indoor dining has been limited or shuttered. All this is to say, it's tough out there, and staff take home a fraction of their old pay as restaurants open up for outdoor dining, takeout, delivery, and limited capacity indoor dining. However, facing financial frustration still isn't an excuse to lash out at strangers and make assumptions about their lives. In a recent email to the Phile, a woman asked if she was wrong for snapping at a waitress after a tense encounter. 

"Am I wrong for snapping at the waitress that everyone is affected in this pandemic, not just her? This happened a few days ago. Restaurants can operate at 50%. From what I noticed, people are leaning towards delivery and aren't eating out much. I finished work and was about to go home. My roommate texted me that the stove wasn't working and there was nothing to eat. I was already tired and hungry and I have to cycle for another 30 minutes to reach home. There is a burger place near my apartment. Nothing too fancy but it isn't McD either. I called and placed an order (four burgers, two fries, two drinks). They asked me whether I wanted to pick it up or have or delivered. The restaurant is only a 15-minute detour from my usual path. So, I told them that I would pick it up. I tip delivery drivers, so I thought I would save the money. I am a college student working as a desk clerk in a hotel. I am not broke by any means but I do try not to waste money. By the time I reached the restaurant, my order was ready. I paid the money in the counter and they directed me somewhere else to collect. There was a waitress in the counter. She had the order in her hand, but didn't give it to me. She mentioned that since the pandemic started the restaurant has been encouraging tips for takeouts. I was surprised and I took out my wallet and asked her if 10 percent was okay. She told me that standard is 25%. I was shocked and she could also see it in my face. She started telling me that, 'It's a pandemic. Do you know how much servers are affected? You know that servers live on tips, don't you? You are young but that's no excuse to be so selfish.' At this point, I am feeling like she is being unnecessarily condescending towards me. So I told her a little curtly, 'The pandemic has affected everyone, not just you. The only difference between me and you is that I don't expect people to give me money when I haven't actually worked for it. Can you please hand me my order?' She scoffed, rolled her eyes and then handed me the order. I left without leaving a tip. Now, I genuinely don't know whether I was in the right or wrong. I mostly tip 20-25% when I eat out. I have tipped less than 10% very few times, but that was always only in case of extremely bad service. I tip 20% to delivery drivers, 25% if weather is bad. I generally don't tip on take-out orders or for counter services. I haven't actually gotten any take out since before the pandemic started (safety reasons and I was being frugal in case I got fired). So, I am not sure if the rules have changed since then and I am just unaware. Now, I am conflicted. Am I wrong for snapping at her?" I thinks you were acting completely within your own rights. She was basically holding your food hostage and trying to force you to give her money. Forced tipping through social shaming is such an odd thing. I'm happy to tip when the service has been good, but restaurants should not be paying starvation wages and offloading the financial responsibility on to customers. At the end of the day, this exchange just points out how badly American leadership is fumbling this pandemic by not extending more financial support to workers in all industries.   

  

Okay, you know I live in Florida, right? Here's another story from this crazy state...

Well, this is truly one crazy and gross way to get arrested. According to authorities, a Florida naked woman is accused of stealing a sex toy and began using it inside the store. Straight out of a TV Show. Fort Pierce police were called to an undisclosed address for a disturbance when they ran into the little problem. Emergency dispatchers reported that a woman was sporting a purple shirt and had no pants inside the store. Employees stated that the woman removed the sex toy from the packaging and was completely naked (and probably high on drugs.) According to an employee, the woman went into the store’s stockroom so nonchalantly, thinking it was her home. But nope, she indeed wasn’t. When police arrived they found the unnamed 36-year-old woman sitting in the office chair. According to the arrest affidavit, the woman had a pink-colored penis-shaped sex tody she was using in a “masturbatory manner.” After the police officer went inside the room where she was, she quickly dropped the “personal accessory,” because well, she was probably embarrassed. The woman also reportedly opened and tried on a piece of clothing, as far as what that item was, who knows. I bet it was some sort of lingerie. The total value of the two stolen items came out to $45.98. So, as expected, she was quickly arrested and given a misdemeanor charge of larceny and indecent exposure. Now, sharing my two cents here, I have to give it to this woman for really trying. But, why in the world would you decide to steal something and then stay in the store? The least you could have done is ran and then used it in the parking lot or something. Not in the store, rookie move lady, rookie move. This woman must have been so horny and so high to do this in public, she wants it NOW. Also, she went inside the store with no pants, who does that? You know she was ready to do what she had to do. I wonder what this woman is feeling now. Can you imagine having to tell your family and friends that you basically got arrested for masturbating in public AFTER stealing a freaking dildo? Yikes. The guts and bravery of this woman are beyond the roof. Also, of course this happened in Florida, keep staying classy people!

If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, call the National Drug Helpline at 1-844-289-0879. Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jefferson, shall we?

Not a whole lot going on there. 

Okay, let's laugh...

Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year, and every year Morris would say, "Esther, I'd like to ride in that  helicopter." Esther always replied, "I know Morris, but that helicopter ride is 50 dollars and 50 dollars is 50 dollars." One year Esther and Morris went to the fair, and Morris said, "Esther, I'm 85-years-old. If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance." Esther replied, "Morris that helicopter is 50 dollars and 50 dollars is 50 dollars." The pilot overheard the couple and said, "Folks, I'll make you a deal. I'll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say a word I won't charge you! But if you say one word, it's 50 dollars." Morris and Esther agreed and up they went. The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard. He did his daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word. When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said, "By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn't. I'm impressed!" Morris replied, "Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said something when Esther fell out, but you know... 50 dollars is 50 dollars." 

 

Okay, this is different. Today's guest is a good friend who has been on the Phile many of times to talk football, or to be interviewed about his novels such as The Paranormal Contact series, 

The Time Traveler's Journal, and The Object Of My Obsession. Now here's here to interview me about my first novel... Blaphaus Maximus and the New Galaxy Day, which is the 135th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club. Please welcome back to the Phile... Jeff Trelewicz.

Me: Hey, Jeff, welcome back to the Phile, my friend. So, let’s go over some football stuff real quick. First, do you think there’s gonna be a full football season? 

Jeff: I would honestly be surprised if we saw a full season at this point. I'm looking at the struggles of MLB to keep players healthy and it's not a full contact sport like football is, so I think we're going to see a spike in cases before we get even close to a full season.

Me: What do you think of this Redskins name thing? 

Jeff: Honestly? I can see both sides, but with everything going on in the world and in the U.S. right now is that really the thing we need to worry about? But it's easy for me to say that because I have 0 percent Native American blood in me. I have no horse in the race. 

Me: Can you believe Tom Brady is playing on the Bucs? What do you think of that? Is this his last year playing? 

Jeff: No. I can't. I figured if he was going to leave New England it would go to a team that was good recently, not the Bucs. He automatically makes them a contender though. It's hard to tell if it will be his last season. It depends on how good he is in Tampa and how far into the season we get. 

Me: Okay, as you know I published my first novel. You were a big help and I hope you’ll help me with the sequel. Let’s switch places and you can interview me about the 135th book to be phestured in the Phile’s Book Club... Blaphaus Maximus and The New Galaxy Day. 

Jeff: First of all, I gotta say it feels weird to be in this seat. I'm used to answering questions, not asking them. Does it feel weird to you too? Or is it just me? 

Me: No, it defintely feels weird. I did one short interview for someone else's blog and I have another one coming up soon... but nothing is as cool as you interviewing me, my friend, on this blog.

Jeff: Secondly, I just want to congratulate you on the success of your first book. How does it feel to say you're a published author? 

Me: It feels weird, I have written stuff over the years but nothing I had the balls to get published, or even knew how. I like having a book I wrote in my hands and I like signing books. Haha. 

Jeff: What inspired you to write? 

Me: Weeellll... with this book I wrote the first scene in my sleep on Notes on my phone, I woke up wondering what the hell it was. I do weird stuff in my sleep. I thought as it was quarantine/furlough time I might as well see what happens and came up with a whole book. 

Jeff: The name of your book is Blaphaus Maximus and the New Galaxy Day, it's definitely a unique title. Where did you come up with the name? 

Me: Blaphaus Maximus was the name I came up in my sleep... no idea where it came from. The rest of the title came later... I was gonna call it just Blap but decided a longer name would be cool. JK Rowling has long names for her books. 

Jeff: Tell us a little bit about the book. If you had to describe the book in two or three sentences, how would you do it? 

Me: That's the hardest thing... it took me a few tries to write what the book is about for the back of the book. In a nutshell it's about this Toonberosum species named Blaphaus who is a driver for a company called Ultra, kinda like Uber, and he picks up a Governor of the Cyrakuse species and the next thing Blap knows he's involved with the galaxy government, which he doesn't like. 

Jeff: Tell us who Blaphaus Maximus is. 

Me: He is a Tooberosum, which is a rare species that not many beings have seen in the past... which makes him get used as a political pawn to bring all the planets together in there galaxy to be part of the Cabinet, which is a group of Governors from each planet. 

Jeff: Do you have plans to release more books after this? 

Me: Yeah. I'm writing the second book now, then there's gonna be a third. It'll be a trilogy. 

Jeff: Take me into the process of writing. In talking to you, it all seemed to come very quickly. Were you surprised how quickly the story came to you? 

Me: Yeah, in fact all three books are planned out pretty much. I write the book on Notes, then emailed it to my email then transferred it to Pages on my computer then as you know transferring it to Word. You were a big help with this, Jeff, and I hope you'll help me with the other two. 

Jeff: Where does writing your own book measure up to some of your legendary interviews? Blaphaus or Paul McCartney rank higher to you? 

Me: Oh, man. Oranges and tangerines. There's no comparison. Interviewing different people is cool, some cooler than others, but having my own product out, be it CD or book is cooler. I want to be interviewed and center of attention. Haha. 

Jeff: Let's take a moment to look at some of your accomplishments in the past few years. You're a published author, you have a well known blog that you interview some amazing people, you released an album with a band. Is there anything else you really want to do? Perhaps appear on a friends' podcast? 

Me: I love to appear on a podcast... yours or anybody's. I have no idea how to do that. The two albums I had released... as Strawberry Blondes Forever and Null and Void are both cool... but the book I wrote is cooler just a smidge. I don't know what I want to do next. I think writing books for a few years will be cool. Maybe I'll strike gold and Blaphaus will be made into a movie or Netflix show. 

Jeff: You recently posted about your book being included on a list. What was the list for? 

Me: Ahhh... I have no idea how that happened. Twenty-eight best new galaxies eBooks to read in 2020 on Bookauthority.org. My book was Number 5... check it out...

Me: It's cool, but odd. 

Jeff: What was your reaction when you saw that you were included on a list like that? 

Me: How the fuck did that happen? 

Jeff: What was the easiest part of writing the book? What did you consider the hardest? 

Me: Easiest is coming up with a story line... hardest... the whole publishing part and coming up with character names. Some came naturally, others were changed many times. For example Romana was originally called "Alex." Oh, and remembering names and planet names... I took notes. 

Jeff: What words of encouragement (or discouragement) do you have for anyone else who is thinking about writing their first novel? 

Me: Be patient, write what you'd like to read and not what you think someone else would like to read and don't expect to hit gold. 

Jeff: Was it easy to create your own world like this? All my books take place on Earth. I'd think writing about new worlds would be quite the task, especially in the first book. 

Me: I think it's easier to write in a made up universe... you make up the own rules. Maybe I will write a book that takes place on Earth one day. But my whole thing is to expand this "world" I created, and write stories based in the same galaxy. 

Jeff: If you were approached about adapting this for television or for movies, would you agree? How would you like it done? As a cartoon or live action? 

Me: Live action... I would do it in a heart beat, but would want creative control. I also have a few different actors in mind for different characters. 

Jeff: I believe you might be the only person in the history of books to throw a shout out to Wawa in their "About the Author" page. Has that lead to any freebies yet? 

Me: Nope. And the Wawa thing was totally an inside joke. 

Jeff: Once again, congratulations on your successful first book! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to interview you for once! 

Me: Thanks, Jeff, for doing this and sorry that there's gonna be no Phootball Talk this year... the season sprung up on me. But I will have you back to talk football here and there. Take care and thanks so much for coming up with some great questions. You rock!

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Jeff for being on the Phile and interviewing me. The Phile will be back on Friday with Katy Perry. Spread the word, not the turd to virus. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Kiss your brain.

Pheaturing Lee Meriwether

 

Hey there, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Wednesday. How are you? I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: some people just don’t deserve to be parents. Like this Mulberry woman who was accused of murdering her 2-month-old boy. According to authorities, Nancy Williams was arrested after admitting to purposely jamming a wet wipe down her infant’s throat, which fatally cut off the infant’s airway. Crawford County Jail records state Williams is now facing a first-degree murder charge after first responders and police found the 2-month-old child unresponsive. First Responders and Mulberry Police had responded to a call about an unresponsive child. Medics quickly attempted CPR several times and “swept” his mouth but didn’t find any foreign objects inside. Upon further inspection, they realized there was something lodged in the infant’s throat. Emergency personnel had managed to remove the object, which was confirmed to be a baby wipe. They were unfortunately not able to save the child’s life. Court records state the Mulberry woman confessed, telling investigators that the baby was heavily screaming and wouldn’t stop crying. She allegedly didn’t want to wake her husband up, so she forced a bottle into the child’s mouth, cutting his gums. This caused the baby to scream more, and she “wanted him to stop.” Mulberry police noted Williams demonstrated how she cut the infant’s mouth before pushing the wipe hard with her fingers to make the crying and stop the child’s gums from bleeding. She stated that when she lost sight of the wipe inside the child’s throat, she attempted to get it out. That’s when she panicked and woke up her husband, saying the baby was not breathing. When asked why she did not tell anyone about the baby wipe, the insensitive mother replied, “she had other things on her mind.” Obviously the woman was arrested and is being held in the Crawford County Detention Center on a $1 million bond. 

COVID-19 has no doubt taken how life changes within a specific amount of time to the next level. I personally am in a more different point in my life than I was even a few months ago. And everyone has had to make adjustments more quickly than usual, seizing opportunities where they can to stay afloat. Well, for Chef Barney Corrigan, it was never about how he could benefit from his idea, but about how he could serve his community. And now, it could possibly turn into something beneficial for himself. Corrigan is a catering chef who lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully, his wife’s job was still secure, but he saw how his community in Westville, New Jersey, was severely impacted by the coronavirus spread. Some of the people around him who had lost their jobs didn’t know where their next meals were coming from, especially since they also had to worry about their own bills. So instead of moping about how he didn’t have a job, the caterer decided to create a small food pantry. And he had no idea how big the turnout would be. The New Jersey man started with a small wooden cabinet on his front lawn, filling it with dried goods giving people a chance to stop by and grab what they need without feeling embarrassed. Corrigan told CNN, “When I heard car doors outside my house at three in the morning, that made me smile.” But after asking a few close friends to donate, word got around on social media about Corrigan’s free food pantry, and soon, he had to transfer the operation to his garage. Every other Saturday since April 2020, Corrigan has opened up his garage, providing for at least eight families with weekly groceries and much more for new ones who come in. Calling it Barney’s Place Food Pantry, along with hundreds of donations later, both monetary donations and necessity donations, the work chef has been able to serve at least 60 people biweekly over the past five months. Corrigan’s food pantry is different from most food pantries as well. Since most food pantries give out pre-made boxes of groceries, Corrigan’s pantry is special because it’s “set up like a convenience store, so people can come and pick up whatever they need... and whatever they want. Thanks to the generosity of his community and strangers on the Internet, who donate nonperishable items or money, he stocks fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, butter, and eggs.” And Corrigan isn’t just helping efforts against the widespread food insecurity. He’s also helped the morale of the community, bonding with his regulars to encourage them that they’re not alone during these times. Even though new people are always coming through, many of the visitors not only grab what they need, but they stay to spend time together at the newly popular spot. Jim Gavi, a regular at Barney’s Place Food Pantry who has been struggling to find work, explained, “Just talking with him was sort of like therapy. When someone is more concerned about the well-being of others, it sheds that light needed on the darker days of those in need and gives them hope that everything will truly be all right, and we will all get through this difficult time.” And Corrigan stated, “The folks that are coming here have become like family now.” And now that Corrigan has been serving the community after the loss of his own job, this could potentially turn into something bigger than that. Starting a non-profit, he’s hoping to expand from his garage into a warehouse, saying, “I would love to make this a full-time thing. I love to cook so the goal is to eventually serve hot meals in addition to pantry items to anyone in need.” What a way to turn something good into an opportunity for everyone in involved. 

An anti-immigrant Norwegian lawmaker said Wednesday that he has nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian parliament for the populist Progress Party, said Trump should be considered because of his work “for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East.” Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed last month to a historic deal normalizing relations and are scheduled to sign it at the White House on September 15th. “No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize,” Tybring-Gjedde, told the Associated Press. He said he nominated Trump today for the 2021 prize, adding that “Donald Trump meets the criteria.” Nominations must be sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee by February 1st, meaning the deadline to nominate people for this year’s peace prize has passed. Tybring-Gjedde was one of two Norwegian lawmakers who nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Korea. Any lawmaker serving in a national legislature can nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize. Former U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the prize in 2009 only months into his first term, a move many felt was premature. The Norwegian committee said it honored Obama for his commitment to “seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” Last year, Trump predicted he would win the Nobel Prize “for a lot of things if they gave it out fairly, which they don’t.” The Norwegian Nobel Committee doesn’t publicly comment on nominees. Under its rules, the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years. Tybring-Gjedde has been a member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, since 2005. He is known for being pro-Israel and for opposing immigration policies that he thinks have been too welcoming. The lawmaker has often demanded that immigrants adjust to Norwegian society. He called Muslim headscarves an “Islamic uniform” and compared them to robes worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan. In 2006, he nominated Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Dutch-American activist, writer and politician critical of Islam, for the Nobel Peace Prize. The process of considering candidates and awarding the Nobel Peace Prize is done in Norway, in contrast to the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded in neighboring Sweden. 

A police officer from Lodi, California is being hailed as a hero after body-cam footage of her saving a man in a wheelchair from being killed by a speeding train at the last possible second was released. The northern California police officer, Erica Urrea, pulled up to train tracks on Lodi Avenue in her patrol car with quite literally not a second to spare. The body-cam footage shows her running up to the intersection where the tracks meet the road. Stuck right there in the middle of the tracks, as the train warning bells dinged and the train’s whistle bellowed a final warning to move, was a man in a wheelchair, unable to get his chair unstuck or to get out of it. Finally, Officer Urrea pulls the man out of the chair just... JUST... as the massive locomotive slams into it. The footage is legitimately insane. It gave me a jump scare. Nice work Officer Urrea. You’ve got some iron ovaries. 

California is burning and apparently one of its wildfires was caused by a family’s gender reveal involving a pyrotechnic smoke device held in the El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, California. According to the San Bernardino National Forest‘s Twitter account, the wildfire now raging even harder than the need for attention possessed by the couple who started it has grown to 10,574 acres as of Monday and is just 16% contained. The CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit took to Instagram to explain the situation and post a press release regarding the fire. CAL FIRE Law Enforcement has determined the El Dorado Fire, burning near Oak Glen in San Bernardino County, was caused by a smoke generating pyrotechnic device, used during a gender reveal party. The fire began at 10:23 a.m. on September 5th, 2020 in the El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa. The fire spread from the park to the north on to Yucaipa Ridge that separates Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls from the City of Yucaipa. CAL FIRE reminds the public that with the dry conditions and critical fire weather, it doesn’t take much to start a wildfire. Those responsible for starting fires due to negligence or illegal activity can be held financially responsible and criminally responsible. Because the weather in California right now is both extremely dry and brutally hot the wildfire has been difficult to combat. CAL FIRE has said that the parties involved may be held both criminally and financially responsible for the fire. Please, forever and ever, stop doing gender reveals. They’re lame. A Facebook post will suffice. And what a way to make an announcement about a human life... doing it by burning an untold amount of wildlife to death. The couple might as well have truly committed to the bit and slaughtered 10,000 goats in celebration of whatever gender they announced like some sort of Babylonian king. Then could’ve at least fed homeless people instead of potentially making other people homeless.  

No one: gender reveal parties.

Hahahahaha. I was gonna get a new tattoo but someone had the same idea I had...

Its that time of the year for that nasty pumpkin spice flavored stuff but this year they are going way too far with it...

That's a hard pass for me. Here's another creative signs telling people to wear face masks... 

In many places, masks are mandatory, so you as well make it your own. There's a mask for every fashion and fandom, and there can also be a mask for every face. People order custom-made masks with photos of their face on them to try and achieve a realistic look. Try being the most important word.

Hahahaha. So, remember Amy Winehouse? Did you know she was a time traveler? No? I'll prove it...

That's really her as a kid. Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic while also caring for your children is a serious challenge many families are facing right now. Between homeschooling, Zoom meetings, and dividing up household and childcare tasks between your partner and other members of the family... it can all be a lot to manage. Young children who are especially energetic and excited that their parents and siblings are home all the time are not exactly a fun surprise for everyone to have to deal with on an important work call, regardless of how cute they might be. Holding up a dog to the webcam is one thing, but a screaming infant that isn't muted isn't a particularly helpful co-worker. So, when a dad decided to consult the Phile about a conflict he ran into with his one-year-old son and a remote work meeting, my moral compass was ready to deem a proper verdict. 

"Am I wrong for bringing up the fact that my wife makes four times as much when explaining why I had to have my one year old son with me during a video meeting? I work for a local radio station. I’m still part time, despite basically working as many hours as the full time staff does, but I love the job and understand how competitive the entertainment field is, so I’ve never complained. Plus my wife makes good enough money where I don’t even have to work, but I still do. At my job, we have a lot of giveaways and contests coming up for the first time since the pandemic hit, so my boss wanted to have a video meeting via Zoom today at noon. Since my wife works all day, and I’m pretty much the primary caretaker of our son, I had to have him with me during the meeting. Noon is his most playful time of the day, so he’s usually very active during this time, so during my meeting he was making a lot of playful squeaks, banging toys and trying to play with my laptop when I would have him on my lap. At one point, one of my coworkers asked if it was possible to have my wife watch him during the meeting because he was distracting. I told them that she couldn’t because she was having a video meeting in the other room, and it was super important. Then a different coworker pointed out that we were in a meeting that’s super important and she should watch him for just a few minutes because it shouldn’t take too much longer. So then I said, 'sorry but my wife makes four times what I do in a year, so her job has a little bit more priority in this household.' No one said anything after that but there was an awkward energy and I knew I had crossed a line with that quip. I then offered to mute myself during the meeting so they didn’t hear him. Which was accepted in a seemingly begrudging way. Later I received an email from my boss, basically quizzing me on the meeting, and of course I aced it because I know how to multi task with a kid. Even though I proved that I knew everything, I was told that some of my co-workers don’t think I’m taking the job serious and need to do more to prove that. So am I wrong for saying what I said?" Interesting you were asked to fetch your wife to care for your son. Just because you have the ability to be flippant with your job... and you did indicate this flippancy 100% with your response... doesn't mean your co-workers have the same option. It seems like they made it politely very clear that they'd prefer to not be distracted at work a few times, and their requests were met, in the end, with you saying that the job isn't a priority enough in your world to remove this disturbance from your co-worker's days. There were several other options for you, most obviously saying, "Hey, sorry, my wife is in a very important meeting with some clients, but let me just put myself on mute," but, again, you decided to end this minor series of requests by throwing in an awkward one-two punch of "I don't get paid enough to do that" and "my personal situation doesn't allow me to remove this disturbance from your workday, deal with it." This isn't a question of flexibility with working parents. It sounds like you've been given some good leeway already, since you started the call with your kid in your arms but nobody said anything until he was repeatedly distracting. This is a question of respect for your job and your co-workers, which you did not demonstrate by what could have been a simple "sorry" and a mute. Passing the quiz is irrelevant... which, yeah, was a shitty thing of your manager to pull... the real issue here is what sort of environment you create when people are trying to work. Everyone sucks here. Them for assuming your wife should take the kid. You for thinking it's appropriate to use voice-activation rather than push-to-talk with a child beside you. Oh and then responding in a snarky manner belittling the job. So, there you have it! It was rude for his co-workers to assume his wife should take the child but it was also uncalled for to discuss her salary with his company. In general, his attitude did seem like he didn't need the job and choosing not to mute your very young child immediately during a work call is a very strange decision. Good luck, everyone! If you have a problem you want my advice on then email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com. 

Skunks

stunks

For most of human history, vehicles had automatic collision avoidance and could even take you home when you were sleeping or drunk. Then we got rid of the horse.

If you spot the Mindphuck let me know Okay, so, it's tiring of rain here in Orlando... let's see what the weather is like live in Port Jefferson, New York.

Nope. Not raining. Ugh. Here's another story from this crazy state I live in...

The father of the year award is definitely not going to John Bloodsworth. Turns out, the Florida man thought it would be hilarious to literally throw his son into the Atlantic ocean and yell at him to swim! All before deciding to leave the child there and walk away from him to mend for himself. According to authorities, witnesses told police that they saw Bloodsworth’s 5-year-old son struggling in the water off Daytona Beach. Bloodworth was rapidly jumping off the Main Street Pier, which is illegal. Mitch Brown, who witnessed the incident and is a former Georgia State Trooper, said he went down to the Daytona Beach pier and confronted the man since he saw how scared the boy was, especially since he was in a deep part of the ocean. Fed up, the former trooper then physically took the father to a nearby Daytona Beach Police officer, who immediately placed him under arrest. According to WESH, Bloodsworth told the officer that he was just trying to teach his son, a little kid, how to swim, adding that he was basically going to jail for “being awesome.” If being awesome means putting your child at risk of drowning and yelling at him to swim, then there seriously has to be something wrong with you. I’m gonna go ahead and guess that this man was mixing alcohol and drugs at the same time and had no role models growing up. Because this is just plain dumb. The last thing beachgoers want to see is a child drown. Authorities charged Bloodsworth with child abuse and disorderly intoxication in public and was bonded out of Volusia County jail after a few hours. Which is kind of disappointing. Keep the man in jail.

Lou Brock

June 18th, 1939 — September 6th, 2020 

Stole home.

The 135th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

Yes, that's my book I wrote. My good friend Jeff Trelewicz will be on the Phile on Monday to interview me. 

Phact 1. There is a donut shop in Michigan run entirely by cops. 

Phact 2. It is cheaper for U.S. companies to use high fructose corn syrup instead of cane sugar because corn is subsidized at $40 billion. 

Phact 3. When melting glass in space, zero gravity increases the viscosity and you can create glass with chemicals other than silica. 

Phact 4. The “Can-Can” song was originally composed for an opera as a soundtrack to a man descending into hell. 

Phact 5. There is a type of pasta, shaped like radiators, called radiatori.

This is so damned cool! Today's guest is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the Miss America 1955 pageant. She is also known for her portrayal of Catwoman, replacing Julie Newmar in the film version of Batman in 1966. Please welcome to the Phile... Lee Meriwether!

Me: Hello, Lee, I am so excited to have you here on the Phile. How are you? 

Lee: Hello, Jason, its great to be here. 

Me: So, I am a big "Batman" fan, or Batman '66 as we know it now. Growing up did you enjoy cartoons as a kid? 

Lee: Oh, yeah. 

Me: What kinda cartoons did you like as a kid? 

Lee: I loved Elmer Fudd way back when. Actually all of them at the time. We would go to the Strand Theater in Phoenix, Arizona. My mother would take us, my brother and myself. We'd get to start to see two serials probably and about five cartoons. It was a Saturday afternoon laughapalooza they'd say. There was serial western that we called them "The Three Mosquito's." I guess it was the Musketeers or something. It was a western bust somehow we thought they were mosquitos. 

Me: So, you started out as a model, right? 

Lee: No, I don't know where that came from but I wasn't a model. 

Me: Really? I swear I read in your bio that you were a model. 

Lee: It's in a bio somewhere. Everybody who talks about me says I was a former model. The only modeling I did was when I was on the high school board in San Fransciso. I was in the 8th grade and I was chosen because of the activities I did around the school. I was one of three in our school, there were others from other schools and they gave us the ability to learn the entire structure in the floor of the Emporium. I was transferred and one of the departments that I worked was the department that did fashion shows. So they out me in a fashion show, That was the only time I was a real model on a runway. 

Me: How old were you then? 

Lee: I was about 17 I guess. 

Me: But you did become Miss America, didn't you? 

Lee: Yes. But reluctantly. I was one of the reluctant Miss America's. 

Me: What do you mean? 

Lee: I was entered by a fraternity and no one told me. I would never have entered. Back then I always assumed it was just a bathing beauty pageant, I didn't know it has scholarships, it was not well advertised at the time I was young and I always bathing beauties were blah... When I grew up with a blogger who made fun of me when I wore a swim suit running around and I heard voices saying, "Who would want to go out with her?" So I would never have entered, and I was talking to a fellow in my radio class in college who saw me going into the radio room. I had an album, a whole bunch of albums, and he said, "You're not going to do a record pantomime, are you?" These were for the finals, we had to develop a whole hour program, write the script, cast it, direct it, and find the music to go with it and actually work the record player so it would come in on time so it was very intricate. I said, "What are you talking about a radio pantomime? This is for the show." And he said, "No, no, no, the Miss San Francisco thing." That's how I found out. "What Miss San Francisco? What are you talking about?" "I don't know, one of the fraternity's nominated you." "I haven't heard a thing." He said, "You haven't?" So we tracked it all down, didn't find out which fraternity it was but it was the last day of auditions. By the time I was told it was the last day of auditions downtown. I called my mother, my mother said call my father, my father called the Chamber of Commerce and found out it was the Junior Chamber who had taken it over from this entrepreneur who ran it for years I guess. They were seeking all area from colleges, universities and seniors and high school who would be of age. I said, "Do I have to?" My father talked me into it, he said, "Listen, you want to be an actress, this would be a good experience. If you have to have a talent you've been working on a Romeo and Juliet scene do that and go down there. Try it." 

Me: So, how did it go? 

Lee: I did as I was obligated and going down the street I was so nervous about it, I was running the speech in my head. Well, I didn't know it that well. I thought what am I going to do, then I thought of what I had done the weekend before. The Rainbow Girls would go out and entertain in hospitals. It went well, they loved it. It was a typical high school girl high school dance. She doesn't get to dance with a good looking guy, she ends up sitting on a piece of gum which she took out of her mouth. It goes on, she ends up sitting on the gum and tears her dress and that's the end of the comedy routine. So I'm sitting there at the Fremont Hotel waiting because I did have an appointment and I had to wait. I'm listening to this moonlight serenade that's being played beautifully, her voice was beautiful. I thought oh my gosh, they are going to laugh me out of here. I was going to do this silly pantomime and I had to something American. So I started working again on the singing and they called my name and I started praying. Literally I started praying, I was thinking help me, help me, help me. All of a sudden I thought what I had done in high school. A year and a half earlier I had done a one act play and I hadn't worked on it at all, I hadn't thought about it. I've done it once and it was over with. I thought well, I'll tell them the story and maybe some of it will come back to me. I started the story of the play, by the time I finished and put my shoes back on and went out and about two weeks later I found out I was number 16 of the finalists in the San Francisco pageant. That's how it all started. 

Me: And what did your parents think? 

Lee: My mother made my gown, she was sitting on the floor doing some hemming, looking up at me and said, "If you win this I'm going to kill you." I asked her later and she said, "I really didn't think you'd win. I didn't want to feel bad about it, I wasn't going to get excited for you." When I won I looked down at her at the table below the stage and I said, "Oh, my mother's going to kill me." 

Me: Okay, let's talk about Batman. How did you come to be part of that? 

Lee: I read for it. Julie Newmar had done the series but she couldn't do the movie because she was already signed to do another movie. I was about I would say easily about a hundred women who read for the part. I walked into the room and saw all this bevy of beautiful women and thought good lord, how am I going to do this? How am I going to make a dent? So I just went in and read and I sat down and licked my hand. I grew up with cats and I knew how to imitate cats, so I did all of that while I was reading the script. I had a relative good ear always with accents or fake accents anyway, not good but fake. So I did a pretty good Russian accent for the scene where she is a Russian correspondent and I got up and said thank you very much and left. The next day I got the phone call and the following day I was in costume. Then the next day we filmed.

Me: I have to show a pic of you as Catwoman. 

Me: They didn't start filming yet? 

Lee: They already started filming some of the stuff so they were up the creek. 

Me: Was the suit uncomfortable? 

Lee: LOL. I don't know if you ever have worn a girdle... no, of course you haven't. 

Me: I'm wearing one now. Hahaha.

Lee: LOL. It was like a really tight swim suit that really doesn't fit but I want to wear it, it's like that but all over. It was really tight. 

Me: How long were the shooting days? 

Lee: It lasted all day. Usually I got to the studio around 6:30 or 7 into make up then into hair and then wardrobe and then shooting all day. I didn't drink much water, that was my secret. I got dehydrated but at least I got to only do it at lunch time. 

Me: Did you know anything about Catwoman going into it? 

Lee: I've seen the show, I saw one of Julie's half episodes but that was it at that time because it was on the air. I had only seen her briefly. They asked me to look at a piece of film but with no sound before I went in to film. I just watched her movements and that was it, but I knew she was a dancer and I thought they got to take what I could do. She's much more agile than me but I have been taking a dance class and I was pretty good with the weight and everything so I did pretty well. 

Me: You came up with the meows and everything as well, right? 

Lee: Yeah, it wasn't in the script. I licked my hand, I did all the cat things that I can think of. 

Me: I saw an interview with you from a long time ago and you said you spent a whole day of just doing the meows. Is that true? 

Lee: Yes, that was hysterical. I thought what do I have to loop. It was because the wind machine was making such a noise. It was when we were flying with the Penguins flying umbrellas. Most of that is what I had to loop. 

Me: Why was it hysterical? 

Lee: Because they had growl, meow, and they had a list of things I had to do. I said can I see where it fits because I did different meows and growls and they said yes, of course. They rolled the film and I saw what it was and I said okay, it was pretty easy to do. I'm sure if anyone walked by they'd be what in the world. 

Me: I got to interview Burt Ward before and wish I I could interview the rest of the cast. What was it like to work with the other villains? 

Lee: I loved working with them. I was the luckiest I think of all the Catwomen because I had the good fortune to work with all of them. Plus Adam and Burt but of course mostly I worked with them. What a lesson in theater and technique and attitude on the set and attention to detail. They taught me so much, I just watched them. They didn't say I had to remember to do this, I just watched them. I watched how they composed themselves on the set, they were always on time, they were genuinely interested in other people and cared about them. It was just wonderful, it was a wonderful lesson for a beginning film student. 

Me: Dd you do any other films before Batman? 

Lee: I had done a few other films but I was young. It was very important to realize how lucky I was. 

Me: Did you ever work with any of those guys again? 

Lee: I got to work with Frank Gorshin afterwards, we did a play together, Play It Again, Sam where I played six women to his one person. 

Me: You played six women in the play? What? 

Lee: Yeah, originally the roles were played by other women, there was one lead role but I didn't play that role but I played all the other women that he became involved with. It was great fun but quite a challenge. 

Me: Ha. So, what was Adam West like? I got to meet him once which is cool. 

Lee: He was sweet, he was gentle, he was very witty. People didn't realize how funny he could be. He was very intelligent. We did a couple of charity events that we were asked to attend and he was absolutely amazing talking to the press, talking to friends, talking to the people there. All that was very genuine. Did Burt talk to you about his rescue for dogs when you interviewed him? 

Me: Yeah, he was all about it. I am a big Batman '66 fan, I have a book self dedicated to it. Are you surprised it's still popular to this day? 

Lee: It was magical. Then when someone grows up they can see all the nuances and catch the jokes that's what I love about it. They geared it for parents and for youngsters. 

Me: It was my parents' first date in London, seeing the movie. What was our favorite scene in the movie? 

Lee: When Batman hit the shark and it sounded like a rubber shark. That makes me laugh every time I see it. 

Me: That's funny. Thanks so much for being on the Phile. I hope you had a good time. Please come back again.

Lee: Thank you, Jason, stay well.

Well, that about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Lee Meriwether for a great interview. The Phile will be back on Monday with Phile Alum Jeff Trelewicz who will interview me. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Kiss your brain. 

I don't want you, cook my bread, I don't want you, make my bed, I don't want your money too, I just want to make love to you. - Willie Dixon