It’s time for my annual Public Service Announcement about checking your eligibility for the Kansas City, Missouri Earnings Tax refund. From the point of view of someone who doesn’t reside in the KCMO but is unfortunate to work there, the Earnings Tax is a way to confiscate 1% of a person’s gross income and hand it over to what what one blog refers to as a “privileged class”, so they can continue to enjoy a tax free lifestyle.
I think I am the only one who finds these things interesting, but since I wasted all the time extracting and uploading all the old caricatures, you get to look at more of them.
If for some reason you want to see more, please don’t hesitate to click on my previous posts.
The following set of caricatures from the Soviet satirical magazine Krokodil is indicative of the treatment of the Vietnam War in the Soviet press. While stepping up the propaganda war, the Soviet Union was quietly shipping ammunition and advisers to Vietnam. During my army years, I served with a guy who was one of the Soviet military advisers in Vietnam; according to him, they were forbidden from displaying any kind of Soviet insignia, didn’t wear the uniform and pretended to be either some kind of sports trainers or construction workers.
Few days ago I was getting a haircut and noticed that some culinary business next door had been replaced by a Mexican Bakery.
I asked the lady who was cutting my hair if she tried it yet, but she sounded hesitant to try something different. I, on the other hand, can’t pass a bakery of any kind without checking it out. I’ve been to a Mexican Bakery (Panaderia) before and our local grocery stores frequently sell Mexican traditional baked goods, reflecting Olathe’s rapidly growing Hispanic population. Panaderia San Luis opened at this location little over 3 months ago and seems to be staying busy. It offers a variety of pastries like familiar fruit-filled turnovers, as well as a huge selection of Mexican baked goods.
Most of the items are made in the store (I noticed a different address on the package of tortillas) and are priced 60 cents and up.
Pastries that are not so obvious or priced differently are marked in English and Spanish.
My usual pet peeve with ethnic businesses is their neglect of potential mainstream customers. Many times a curious shopper shows up but feels intimidated or overwhelmed by the amount of unknown items and no one around to explain what they are. Panaderia San Luis got this right – not only everything is clearly marked, the owner is there to explain and answer questions in English to your satisfaction. The experience is very different from my first visit to a Mexican Bakery in Kansas City, KS where no one seemed to speak English and I had to watch the other customers to figure out what to do. Instead of a basket you get a tray and a pair of kitchen tongs, then bring your loaded tray to the checkout.
Panaderia San Luis located at 2077 E.Santa Fe in Olathe is a nice addition to a growing list of authentic eateries in my neighborhood and a definite step up from your grocery bakery department both in quality and freshness.
I hope they stick around.
*this post is not sponsored or compensated in any way.
I don’t suppose many of you are browsing Russian blogs, so I thought I’d link some interesting pictures. The source is here and here is a Google translation. I also added some related links in case you are wasting time at work.
Swimming Pool “Moscow”. This pool was build instead of planned Palace of Soviets which was supposed to replace the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour,presently restored on the same spot.
House of Friendship with the Peoples of foreign countries
Manezhnaya Square. Hotel “Moscow”
Central Lenin Museum. State Historical Museum
The old building of Moscow State University
Mayakovsky Square and monument to VV Mayakovsky
Building Museum Battle of Borodino panorama
Swimming Pool “Moscow”. This pool was build instead of planned Palace of Soviets which was supposed to replace the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour,presently restored on the same spot.
House of Friendship with the Peoples of foreign countries
V.I.Lenin State Library of the USSR
Karl Marx Prospect with the monument to Karl Marx
Sverdlov Square. Bolshoi Theater.
Gorky Central Park of Culture and Recreation
Andrei Rublev Museum(formerly Andronikov Monastery)
Planetarium
Chkalov Street
Komsomolskaya Square
Monument to the worker and a farmer woman. She is holding a sickle and he has a hammer. Hammer and sickle-get it?
Monument in honor of the Space Development
Dzerzhinsky Square
Moscow City’s Palace of Pioneers and schoolchildren
Student dormitories Patrice Lumumba University.
South-West Suburbs
Lomonosov Prospect
Leninsky Prospect.Public is greeting Cosmonauts returning from space.
Leninsky Prospect. Department store “Moscow”
Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye (XVI century)
Highway Circling around the city.
