A proper thank you note in the midst of difficulty

I'm going to post the whole thing, but don't be intimidated by it. It's a heartwarming, eyes welling up story I'm sure you will like.

"To the usher at the Cardinals game who spent two innings finding my son a bottle of milk: thank you"

When I asked you if you knew where I could find milk for my son, at Busch Stadium on a sweltering summer evening, I expected you to tell me I was out of luck, or at best offer a vague suggestion.

Instead, you took us several sections over into the Redbird Club even though our tickets didn’t grant us access, because you knew it housed a bakery – but they were out of milk. Instead of giving up, you took us three levels down to a store on the main concourse, where we once again struck out – which you know, because you stayed and helped us look. So you led us halfway around the stadium to a donut stand, where we at last found what we were looking for. While I paid for it you grabbed us the straw my son was asking for, along with some napkins for good measure. And then you went back with us, halfway around the stadium and up three levels and back through the Redbird Club and over several sections, to make sure we didn’t get lost on our way back, because we’d had to travel so very far to find that bottle of milk. It took two innings, but you made sure my son was happy.

You did all this not knowing why that milk was important to us. You may have thought my son was spoiled, or that I was a pushover unwilling to say no to her three year old. If you thought that, you didn’t show it. You were wonderful.

What you didn’t know is that beneath my son’s Yadi t-shirt there’s a central line and a feeding tube. You didn’t know that the unusual form and function of his little body mean that he dehydrates easily, but also that drinking too much water could ultimately land us in the hospital, and for whatever reason, against most logic, right now milk is the thing he tolerates best. 

You didn’t know that for the better part of the last three years it’s been incredibly hard for us to go places on a whim, or that in recent months we’ve vowed not to let his medical needs stop us from doing things, and so taking up our friends on these last-minute Cardinals tickets was a small triumph for us. You didn’t know that we might be facing another big surgery soon that could keep us mostly quarantined to our own house for weeks or months; or that I’d forgotten to grab his milk because I’d received an unexpected and lengthy phone call from his doctor as we were packing up our ballgame bag and had been distracted by talking through the laundry list of changes she wanted us to make in a last-ditch effort to avoid that surgery.

You didn’t know those things. You just saw a boy who wanted some milk, and you were kind to him. And I can’t thank you enough.

These people have all the reason in the world to be mad and upset, that this is happening to their little boy, and they are not. They took a little time to say thank you to somebody for going the extra mile, as he would for any other person probably.

"Mom shoots half court shot to win daughter half-priced tuition"

NBC News : A Minnesota mom who nailed a basketball shot at half-court has earned thousands of dollars in school tuition, social media fame, and — most importantly, she says — the chance to raise awareness about families in need of food assistance.

Angela Ramey, of Bloomington, threw the shot on Dec. 4 after a fundraiser at her 9-year-old daughter Grace's private school.

Earlier this month, Grace had won a competition at school by raising $1,200 for Kids Against Hunger, an organization that provides meals to local families. Using the money from the fundraiser, the entire school packed meals to dole out to Minnesota's neediest on Dec. 4.

Sixties Sitcom Subtext Theatre

When Tweety Bird first burst on the scene, she caused a sensation in Cartoon Town. The Avian community was enchanted by her sweet and wholesome sex appeal. Many of Cartoon towns Lothario’s rushed to hit on her. Senator Foghorn Leghorn offered her a job as intern with the Foreign Relations committee in the hope of some more personal relations. Tommy the Toucan kept sending her boxes of cereal and telling her he would eat pecans out of her shit, he loved her so much. Daffy Duck stuttered even more than usual when he tried to ask her out. But she spurned all of them as she wanted to stay chaste until she married. Her father Billy Ray had been a one hit wonder and was watching out for her and keeping these pigs at bay. But then one day, she met Top Cat. And all bets were off.
(Tweeting My Ass Through Tinseltown, The Tweety Bird Story, By Tweety Bird, Warner Brothers Pocket Books, 1989)

What is the story behind this tweet? theories?

I hate when the waitress comes by right as you start chewing and says “I’m pregnant.”
— Viktor Winetrout, Jr (@Cpin42) February 21, 2014

Comments?

"Spears is on the front lines of fighting piracy"

"That's right. According to U.K. Merchant Naval Officer Rachel Owens, British ships patrolling the coast of Africa have taken to blaring Spears's tunes to ward off pirates. "Her songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most," Metro (a free UK tabloid) reported on Sunday. "These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect," said Owens."

"Wondering if this story is true, or merely a publicity ploy for Spears' upcoming album release (the single, "Work Bitch" is already out there. You're welcome.) I called the London-based Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI). The Metro story quotes SAMI Maritime Director Steven Jones: "Pirates will go to any lengths to avoid or try to overcome the music." He adds, "I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention."

"SAMI is embracing this titillating story rather than wishing it would go away - if only for the chance to raise awareness about the problems of piracy."

In an email, Molica-Franco later followed up with some fascinating background on the use of music to deter pirates:

We were approached after it emerged that some private maritime security guards on merchant vessels were using music tracks to 'blast' at pirate skiffs which were approaching their ship. This was a trend, which began a few years ago, in which Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) were used to try and supposedly 'deafen' pirates. The equipment was first used by US police/military to quell rioters ashore, but it has been adapted for maritime use. However just as protesters ashore often use gas masks to counter tear gas, the wily pirates can also use ear defenders to counter noise.

The LRAD is not solely about causing discomfort or injury; it is an excellent device for hailing or communicating across a distance – so ideal for telling suspected pirates to "back off." There is a suggestion, therefore, that the LRAD sound does not actually overpower the pirates, as claimed in the rash of news stories over past days."

Instead, more likely the music shows the pirates that the vessel has security guards onboard. It then loudly demonstrates that the pirates have been spotted and the security team are ready to act against them if they proceed closer.

She added:

So rather than Britney actually making them break off their attack, it could be they are instead going to seek a softer unprotected target – one which may not be so vigilant or protected. While the artist choice does not appear to overly important, if the music is distasteful to the pirates, then it perhaps gets the message over a little quicker that their presence is not welcome – hence the Britney back-catalogue being a popular choice.

portions of an article by Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP as it appeared in The Star dot Com