Ethel The Frog

Ask Ethel: What Happened To Radio Flamingo?

Ethel — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:42:03 +0000

Dear Ethel,

I live in Brasilito and loved Radio Flamingo (96.9 FM) while it was on the air until sometime in mid-June of this year. Actually, it was the only radio station I could pull in on my crappy boom-box radio. (In my car, I can get Radio Dos; but, I much preferred the music on Radio Flamingo).

I miss Radio Flamingo! Can you tell me if and when it will be back on the air?

Answer:

Good question! I, too, miss the fun of Radio Flamingo. To get an answer to your question I wrote to “Anita”, who was my contact with the radio station while it was on the air. Here is the response that I received:

Ethel,

It is so nice to hear from you.

I apologize to all the fans of Radio Flamingo, but I assure you that I will be back in Costa Rica very soon and 96.9 FM will be back – bigger and better than ever.

I am presently in my homeland of Finland, where I got caught up in a very exciting (top secret) project with a writer friend of mine named Sam Lake and a video game company called Remedy Entertainment. (You may be familiar with Sam and with Remedy, as they are responsible for the games Max Payne and Alan Wake). My work here is just about wrapped up, and I should be able to get back to Costa Rica in the next few weeks.

By the way, as you might have guessed, my real name isn’t “Anita” . . . here in Finland, most of my family and friends (except Sam and the people at Remedy) call me by my nickname “Aamu” (which is not my actual name, either). I was going to use my name Aamu, when I first came to Costa Rica; however (although it is common in Finland), it is not a very common or easy to remember name in the Americas. Also, someone told me that it sounded like a killer whale at SeaWorld in San Diego (?) I don’t wan’t people to envision a killer whale when they hear my name.

Anyway, thanks for writing to me. The temperature here in Helsinki is hovering in the low 5o’s (°F) and dropping fast . . . so, I’m ready for the sunshine of Playa Flamingo.

Let the fans of Radio Flamingo know that I’ll be back soon and 96.9 will be pumping out the fun in a couple of weeks.

Your friend,

Aamu (“Anita”)

P.S. – I’ve attached a photo of my friend Sam. He is a genius! I want him to come visit Costa Rica and maybe write a twisted mystery novel or video game about it.

(For those of you familiar with Max Payne, Sam wrote this famous line: “He was trying to buy more sand for his hour glass. I wasn’t selling any.”)

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Ask Ethel: Why No Fitness Centers in the 1950′s?

Ethel — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:00:55 +0000

Dear Ethel,

I am 80-years-old . . . pardon me, 80-years-young!

Everywhere I go today I see these “fitness centers” and “Gold’s Gym” and so on and so forth, on what seems like every block of the city. I look through the window of these places and I see these miserable young people running on these treadmill things and using these elipsical machines or whatever the hell they are.

When I was a young man – back in the 1950′s – we didn’t have these “fitness centers”; however, we seemed to stay more fit and trim that the youth I see loitering around today.

Why do you think this is?

Answer:

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Ask Ethel: Today’s Question is About “ObamaCare”

Ethel — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:15:00 +0000

Dear Ethel,

I live in the United States. I am confused about all this new healthcare reform stuff. How can I tell if my employer has changed over to President Obama’s new healthcare program?

Answer:

These are the key indicators:

Your annual breast exam is done at Hooters.
Directions to your doctor’s office include “Take a left when you enter the trailer park.”
The tongue depressors taste faintly of Fudge or Orange popsicles
The only proctologist in the plan is “Gus” from Roto-Rooter.
The only item listed under Preventative Care Coverage is “an apple a day.”
Your primary care physician is wearing the pants you gave to Goodwill last month.
“The patient is responsible for 200% of out-of-network charges,” is not a typographical error.
The only expense covered 100% is “Embalming.”
Your Prozac comes in different colors with little M’s on them.
You ask for Viagra, and they give you a Popsicle stick and duct tape.

Please submit your questions to Ethel@EthelTheFrog.com.

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Ask Ethel: Today’s Question is About Raincoats

Ethel — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:57:15 +0000

Dear Ethel,

It has been raining quite a bit here in Costa Rica lately. Today, I saw several people wearing raincoats (or “slickers”, as I’ve heard them sometimes referred to). I’ve noticed that these raincoats are usually bright yellow in color. Why is that?

Ethel’s Answer:

Next question, please. (Submit your questions to Ethel@EthelTheFrog.com).

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An Apology From Dr. Fegg . . . And More!

Ethel — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:45:42 +0000

Greetings. I apologize for the lack of postings to this blog by Ethel the Frog. I made the mistake of giving her a vacation . . . I understand that that the old hag is laying on Orient Beach in St. Martin (naked, no doubt . . . oh, I just threw up in my mouth picturing that).

I haven’t heard from her, so I’m sure she’s getting pickled every day . . . and enjoying her vacation.

In her absence, I will post some things that have been on my mind of late.

Those of you who read this blog know that I have been a big Obama supporter (even though I am not a USA citizen or even a resident).

However, lately, I have started to question my faith in the man’s integrity. He seems to have no qualms about saying whatever suits him at the time, even if it’s an outright lie. That’ s not good.

For example, President Obama recently stated that his father served in World War II.

Take a look:

Now, I watched an episode of “Family Guy” wherein Stewie Griffin enrolled in the U.S.Army as an infant . . . but I’m pretty sure that didn’t really happen.

It was September 1st, 1939 when Nazi Germany first invaded Poland. Obama’s father would have been three-years-old at the time! When WWII ended, Obama’s old man would have been a geezer of about nine-years old.

Facts truly are stubborn things. Perhaps what’s most interesting about the verbal ‘misstep’ is the ease and sincerity at which Obama pulls it off. Kinda makes you wonder what else he might be lying about . . .

Let’s look at another video (believe me, there are lots of them . . . just do a search on YouTube using the terms “Obama lies”, “Obama deception”, etc.):

Okay, to lighten things up, I want to introduce you to a great comedian named Steve Bridges, who does an amazing Obama impersonation (as well as George Bush, Bill Clinton, etc.):

Part One:

Part Two:

Okay . . . now on a more somber, but not necessarily unrelated topic . . . the game developer Kaos Studios and publisher THQ is coming out with an new game for the Xbox 360, called “Homefront”.

Now, I’ve often said that Americans are naive when they think that the USA will forever be the Super Power of the world. That’s what the Ottoman Empire, the Roman Empire, the British Empire, etc. all thought, as well.

The premise of “Homefront” is that, 15 years from now, Korea will occupy the U.S.A.

Far-fetched?

The game developer hired Tae Kim, formerly with the CIA, to explain a timeline that might lead us to the premise of the game:

2012: Kim Jong II dies, and his son succeeds him as leader of North Korea.

2013: The new, charismatic young leader united North and South Korean, forming the Greater Korea Republic.

2015: The U.S. suffers another economic recession, giving rise to skyrocketing gasoline prices and civil unrest.

2017: Exploiting its newfound unity and growing military, the GKR threatens Japan with annihilation. Japan surrenders.

2018: The GKR begins bolstering their military presence with Japan’s technology and supply of nuke-making plutonium.

2021: A new strain of flu virus kills millions of Americans.

2022: Disguised as a gesture of peace, the GKR launches a satellite that cripples the United States’ electronic infrastructure with an EMP. A more direct cyber-attack on the military soon follows.

2025: Taking advantage of the U.S.’s weakened state, the GKR employs a Trojan Horse tactic – delivering thousands of troops disguised as US Nationals in shipping containers to the American shores – to overtake Hawaii. From there, they separate North America’s West and East by radiating the Mississippi River. and begin occupying San Francisco.

And so on . . .

Again, far-fetched? Hmmm.

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Iceland Football Celebration

Ethel — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:43:00 +0000

If you’re not one of the almost two million people who have viewed this on YouTube, here is the famous Iceland Football Celebration.

When Halldor Orri scored a great goal he decided to go fishing and catch his mate Johann Laxdal or “Johann the salmon”. The game was Stjarnan against Fylkir in the top league in Iceland and the goal was the winning goal in extra time.

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Gender Reassignment

Ethel — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:21:34 +0000

I’ve known a few men who became women . . . but it was usually a longer process than this:

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64 Years Later . . .

Ethel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:10:40 +0000

Interesting:

Hiroshima, August, 1945

Hiroshima, 64 Years Later

Detroit, Michigan, 64 Years After The Hiroshima Bombing

What is the explanation for this?

The person who sent these to me had this comment: “What has caused more long term destruction – the A-bomb, or U. S. Government welfare programs created to buy the votes of those who want someone to take care of them?”

I invite your comments.

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“Off Menu” Starbucks™ Items

Ethel — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:47:34 +0000

I’m not a big fan (or “addict”) of Starbucks, like some people I know . . . and I’ve felt a little intimidated the one or two times I’ve been in a Starbucks, when all I want is a simple cup of coffee, but the people in front of me are confidently ordering things like a “Venti Iced White Chocolate Crème Frappuccino with whole milk and whipped creme” (760 calories – 190 of them from fat- 21 grams of fat, 550 mgs. of sodium, and 65 mg. of cholesterol . . . but not a drop of coffee or caffeine, by the way).

One good thing about Starbucks is that the company buys lots of coffee beans from Costa Rica, which I assume is good for the Costa Rican economy. The home page of the Starbucks Web site contains a nice video with some shots from Costa Rica. (Look for the Imperial beer sign in the background near the end of the video).

Anyway, the point of this post is that, if you want to feel like you really know what you’re doing when you go into a Starbucks, you can impress everyone by ordering “off menu” – items that only “insiders” know about.

Here are some examples:

Short Drink: if you’re craving just a mini pick-me-up, order a “short” version of any drink on the menu; it comes in a kid-size cup and costs less.
Biscotti Frappuccino: buy an individual biscotto and ask your barista to blend it into any Frappuccino drink for a crunchy treat.
Red Eye: a shot of espresso in regular drip coffee.
Black Eye: two shots of espresso in regular drip coffee.
Green Eye: three shots of espresso in regular drip coffee (with a side of insomnia and serious heart palpitations).
Poor Man’s Latte: order an Iced Americano with no water and half ice, then pour in your own half-and-half at the condiments station; the result is a Breve Latte for a fraction of the cost.
Chocolate Cream Frappuccino: a Frappuccino made with chocolate syrup and chocolate Frappuccino base.
Cake Batter Frappuccino: a vanilla Frappuccino made with both vanilla bean and almond flavoring.
Crunch Berry Frappuccino: a strawberry-and-cream Frappuccino with hazelnut flavoring; it tastes just like Crunch Berries cereal.
London Fog: Earl Grey tea blended with vanilla flavoring.
Zebra Mocha (aka Penguin Mocha): a combination white-chocolate/chocolate mocha.
Red-Tux Mocha (aka Bleeding Penguin): a Zebra Mocha plus raspberry flavoring.

(I guess the point I want to leave you with is that I personally prefer Imperial beer over Starbucks coffee).

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!

_____________________________

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Listerine For Mosquitoes

Ethel — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:20:41 +0000

Mosquitoes can be a problem in many places around the world, including Costa Rica. Not only are mosquito bites irritating, but they can spread diseases such as dengue fever, West Nile virus, malaria, etc.

Mosquito repellents such as “Off” are quite expensive in Costa Rica . . . and the don’t seem to work all that well against Costa Rican mosquitoes . . . plus that “Off” smell can get a little sickening.

A couple of years ago, someone told me that Listerine was more effective at repelling mosquitoes than the actual repellents. I gave it a try . . . and, sure enough, it works.

I put Listerine in a spray bottle and spray it in the area around me (and sometimes right on my skin) and it really does keep the mosquitoes away. If we’re eating outside on our deck, I spray the perimeter of the deck with Listerine and we can enjoy our meal mosquito-free. (Listerine comes in different “flavors” now, so you’re not limited to the original Listerine scent).

Give it a try.

(Oh, and Bounce dryer sheets are good for keeping ants at bay . . . actually, I’ve found that the cheaper generic Costa Rican brand of dryer sheets seem to work even better than actual Bounce).

If you have any of “bug repellent secrets” of your own, please share them with us in a comment.

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