WHAT WAS ONCE THE MIGHTY BRITISH EMPIRE has devolved into childish nanny-state with simple bureaucrats seizing the moral authority to tell others how to live.

Here is just another example of how this once-great nation has lost its bearings.  Three firefighters in Manchester are being disciplined because they laid down on the floor to nap during the night instead of using the official reclining chairs.  It seems that the pencil-pushers who go home every night took the beds out of the fire stations and stocked them with $800 recliners.  But, now get this, they couldn’t use the recliners until they had been properly trained on how to sit in a chair.  These men who make snap decisions on how to save a life need to be taught how to sit in a chair.

 The disciplinary action arises because the FF’s found that laying on the floor was actually more comfortable than the overpriced chairs.  Can’t have that, now.  And these poor, simple firefighters got caught because some officer sneaked in early one morning and rummaged through their lockers.  Gawd, where has common sense gone?

THE PROBLEMS CREATED BY CELL PHONES FOR emergency calls are pretty well known.  The biggest drawback is that the routing of the call can put the caller in touch with a dispatch center that is nowhere near the locality he’s calling from.  This leads to delays in dispatch because the call-taker needs to ask more questions before the call can be re-routed to the correct area.

In an attempt to cut down on response times, the City of Ventura, California is proposing placing a “roving” fire engine on the streets that will cruise to peak areas during times of high activity.

IN THE PITTSBURGH SUBURB OF WILKINS TOWNSHIP, a local artist volunteered her talents to decorate the interior of the fire hall, including a mural that looks just like a ladder truck parked in a bay.  She enjoyed doing it so much that she just kept on going, even decorating the bathrooms.

FIRE & RESCUE DEPARTMENTS THAT DON’T HAVE formal labor contracts with their employees are in a quandry.  A new law passed by the state legislature concerning minimum wage requirements failed to include the exemptions that are usually provided for the unusual shift-work requirements of public safety workers.  There is currently a joint lawsuit filed on behalf of several smaller jurisdictions to stay the new law as it affects fire and police.  If the lawsuit fails, dozens of small towns will be in a financially untenable situation.

Firegeezer says:  Once again we have a situation where a bunch of grandstanding politicians went headline-hunting without first learning what the consequences of their action would be.

TONIGHT’S FULL MOON WILL BE THE 2nd full moon during this calendar month, the first was on May 2.  Whenever this happens, the second full moon is called the “blue moon.”

How did this name come about?  The phrase “blue moon” dates back to a 16th century proverb:

If they say the moon is blue,
We must believe that it is true.

In other words, it indicated an obvious absurdity.  For a long time the term “until a blue moon comes” meant “never.”  But in more modern times it evolved into “once in a blue moon” meaning “rarely.”

And rarely does the two-full-moon phenomena occur.  The last one occurred on July 31, 2004.  Even more rare, two blue moons occurring in the same year happens once every 19 years or so.  The last time that happened was 1999 in January and March.

Note that these dates are for the Western Hemishere.  In the Eastern Hemisphere (which includes most of Europe) the full moons are a day later…..this year occurring on June 1 and June 30.

IN SANDUSKY, AN APPARENTLY UNSTABLE MAN decided to set his hair on fire while he was riding his bike through town.  When one of the neighbors brought him some water to put it out, he drank the water instead and walked away.

HAVE YOU STARTED THINKING about what to get Dad for this Father’s Day?  If he likes things that are different, get him the Gear Clock.

IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK A CITY FIRE MARSHAL doing inspections found a man who lives in an underground bunker.  The place is clean, comfortable and tranquil.  Probably not much stress in his life, either.

update:  Channel 6 tracked him down and now has a video interview with the hermit here.

THE 80th ANNUAL NATIONAL SPELLING BEE begins today in Washington, D. C.  The 286 entrants go through the first round this morning, narrowing down to about 90 for this afternoon’s quarter-finals.  Semi’s and Finals tomorrow.
Full story here.
Official website here.

PENN BREWERY IN PITTSBURGH is hosting the 12th Annual Pennsylvania Microbrewers Fest this Saturday, June 2.  There will be at least 29 breweries represented at the tasting with plenty of beer, food and music.  Go here for the info.