Silver Treasure riddle solved

A difficult riddle was solved in only a few weeks by a long time follower but first time player of the annual Silver Treasure Hunt game. Steve Lang of North Park absolutely nailed the solution and retrieved the medallion late Friday in what he referred to as a "magical moment." More information is forthcoming from Matt VandeBunte on www.mlive.com the Grand Rapids Press and also Greg will be reporting it on his site www.wyomingriddler.com sometime soon. Steve will exchange the medallion for his Very interesting, valuable and fun treasure early next week. Meanwhile he has the medallion to show off to friends and family. That's part of the fun. After all, he beat out thousands and thousands of other people looking for that pesky medallion didn't he? Did you know that Lincoln was sometimes referred to as having "feet of clay"?

Thank you to everyone who participated and reinforced the need to be aware of Carbon Monoxide and the danger it brings to all of us. More later.................Joe

Lance Armstrong

He didn't get all emotional, he didn't cringe, distort his face or cry. Lance Armstrong simply answered questions about his doping, hopefully truthful manner this time. A news reporter commented on how unemotional Lance Armstrong was while answering Oprah Winfrey's questions. We have watched Lance Armstrong speak about so many thing throughout the years while exhibiting absolutely no sign of emotion, even lying continuously about the doping. He is an incredibly disciplined person. In spite of the doping he was and still is an amazing athlete. He overcame testicular cancer and continued to ride and compete in an incredible way. Astounding everyone with his stamina. Now we find that he doped. He says it was to "level" the playing field because everyone was doing it. Whatever! Cheating is cheating. Whatever he did, he will pay for now that he has been exposed. I, for one do not expect him to show any sign of emotion, let alone remorse. He never did before. I do not feel sorry for him in any way. My faith has never rested on any man's shoulders.

Being an avid cyclist myself, I was enthralled with his riding and athleticism. I watched the TV with amazement and enjoyed every victory he brought to his team and himself. His riding inspired me and thousands of other cyclists to better ourselves. Of course, we knew we could never aspire to be what he apparently was but we did share being human beings didn't we? Therein lies the problem though. Being of the human condition, we are all subject to making mistakes. He made some monumental mistakes, and they are all becoming public now. I find his failure to follow the rules totally disgusting, I also know myriads of other people who have also cheated in disgusting ways but their mistakes aren't being dragged out on the Oprah show. We have to guard against being sanctimonious.

Lance Armstrong will pay the price, he will not escape the consequences. that's his problem. I don't take any pleasure in that. I don't need revenge. I am disappointed. I do maintain that this is yet another example of why we shouldn't make infallible God's out of other people. I probably learned that by experience. I sure enjoyed watching him ride though. I will miss that more than anything. I'll probably think about that as I continue my ride around Lake Michigan this coming Spring.

Pajamas, seriously?

With maturity is supposed to come a refinement in behavior, a refinement in taste, a refinement in the understanding that the younger generation is looking to you for examples of right and wrong. That's the way it's been since the beginning of time. One generation setting aside the wrongs of life as they learned it from the generation before them and refining their actions and opinions to help create a better world. Kind of like all the generations before us doing stupid stuff and learning from it so we wouldn't do the same stupid stuff. "Practice." Through it all we've learned that there are some things "mature" people should not do. Some things simply aren't, you know, right in any manner of thinking. I saw that yesterday. On a bread buying errand to the grocery store I came across a mature guy, by appearances at least a few years older than I, wearing pajamas walking through the store doing his shopping. In my lifetime I've witnessed enough disgusting behavior to be sort of immune to most odd ball stuff. At least you'd think that. "Come on Cramer, don't be old fashioned!" I can hear that. But seriously, pajamas? In the grocery store? For a mature adult? Really?

Kids seem to be acting more and more stupid with each generation even though they have the knowledge of the world at their fingertips. Stupid clothing, even more stupid texting, stupid obscene words that would melt a glacier, stupid music and in my opinion, stupid "body art" that lasts for life. It's long been a comfort knowing that mature people would act maturely and eventually educate the younger population and they would start acting un-stupid. Yesterday it was an old guy in pajamas, on several occasions it's been "gramma" with tattoos on the neck, shoulders and just above the butt. Then there is the exhibitionist old guy that wears lots of neck chains, facial tattoos, shirts with a plunging neck line down to his belly button and colorful snake skin boots. He says he dresses like that because he's an artist. I think he dresses like that because he's a dip! There are always those people who travel on the other side of the street all their lives. We know they do and we don't really pay any attention and pass it off as abnormal or accentric behavior. But yesterday this old codger appeared to be completely normal. Except for the pajamas. (and oddly enough he bought some Red Bull) He's the type of guy that Young people look up to and now whoever sees him shopping in pajamas will accept pajamas as normal public attire.

What I write here is simply my way of ranting about some stuff that is just not right, in my opinion. Some of my friends tell me my whitey, tighty undies are just a bit too tight on some days. I guess maybe they are right sometimes, in their opinion. It's just that since I can remember, my folks and many of my other mentors got the idea across to me that because we live in a society have a responsibility to those around us to do what is right. One particular phrase I remember clearly. "Anything you do, good or bad inspires the young." I don't think the pajamas fall into that good category.

Silver treasure hunt Clue #1

The first clue to help solve the 32nd Silver Treasure Hunt Riddle is posted on
www.wyomingriddler.com and also www.mlive.com

If you are searching don't forget to be thorough OK? Also, remember it is formulated to be used in unison with a map of the greater Grand Rapids Michigan area.

The prize is unique and valuable again this year. Of course, the coveted engraved winners mug is always at the ready to place in the winners hands in exchange for that pesky elusive medallion. Will it be your hands this year? Only time will tell. Good luck!....................Joe

Jimmy Hoffa? Really?

I think perhaps more than two thirds of the people alive today weren't even born when Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. I would also take a wild guess that, if asked over two thirds of adults wouldn't remember exactly who he was or how he died. And, most people probably couldn't care less about anything related to Jimmy Hoffa. In light of that, what is the big deal about just where his body was disposed of thirty five years ago? Being ignorant when it comes to the ways of forensics and cold cases and the value of finding a bunch of bones and hair buried in some unorthodox grave somewhere, I can readily say without reservations: "I don't care!"

Headlined tout the loss of funding for police protection for the general public. Hundreds of police are laid off due to innafordability of the manpower. Delay in response times, reduction of regular neighborhood patrols, general services regarding safety and law enforcement are unavailable unless there is some sort of emergency and even then problems with manpower occur. Then there is the never ending search for Jimmy Hoffa's decomposed, irrelevant pile of dust and bones. How much did it cost to dig up a backyard swimming pool? Same for a cement basement floor? How many expensive digs were performed that we don't even know about? My guess is that each time some new suspected grave sight is torn up there is enough money spent on equipment, resources and manpower to finance at least one police officer for a couple years. "I don't care about Jimmy Hoffa!" I do care about the overall safety of conducting our daily lives. Jimmy Hoffa? Really? Just how much was and is that guy worth? I wish someone would explain the justification of all the time, effort and expense. I'm just sayin', if indeed they do find the body are they going to prosecute that body and collect all the money it cost to find it? Almost, but not quite funny to think about.

I have a solution to all this mystery: Turn the whole thing over to the entertainment industry. Yup! Make a TV series of it. Selling the rights to look for Jimmy Hoffa's body would return millions to the public coffers right away and retaining some percentage of the profits would be sort of like the profits of lotteries, giving the state a weekly income to go toward hiring new police officers. Win, Win! "The search for Jimmy Hoffa" could run across the story line of already popular shows too. Connecting to NCIS, CSI, Monk, Sherlock Holmes, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, The Muppets and a myriad of others, bringing new revenue to the entire genre'. Whoa, it's making my head spin! Now we're getting into generating a boost to the national economy here. Now I'm starting to care.

So there we have it. A mystery that is costing far beyond any meaningful discovery and a way to satisfy those forensic science folks with the full backing of the entertainment industry taking a complete turn around and making it a profitable venture instead.

You are all welcome. I ask nothing for myself. I'm simply doing this as a public service......Joe