Note: I am not sure where the following originated from. If I did I would credit the author. I added some stuff and I thought you would like it so here it is.
A little boy goes to his father and asks “Daddy, how was I born?”
The father answers, “Well, son, I guess one day you will find out anyway. You are old enough to know now, so here is what happened.”
“Your Mom and I first met on Facebook. We tweeted back and forth for awhile and googled each other. Then we decided to get some Facetime, I with my iPhone and your Mom with her iPad. But her WiFi signal was lost and I forgot to pay my Verizon bill. So we used our laptops and got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room. There your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:
Okey Dokey call this shameless self-promotion, but I think it is pretty cool. One of my photos is the cover for a family cookbook. It was shot lost month in Maine. Somehow I got everyone into the picture including myself.
Today is the Fourth of July when We (some of we) Americans (some Americans) celebrate Our (some of our) independence. I thought this would be a good time to promote reading, getting and/or sharing a copy of The Declaration of Independence and to -
Buy American!
Buy American? Which one – North American (Canada or the United States), Central American or South American? Oh, come on, you know, American! Where? Did you buy something Made in America? Where did you get it? Where can I get it, because I want to…
help our economy
support people that need jobs here
promote our culture and way of life
support American business and innovation
help provide a future for our kids or posterity
so I can wear a cool pin that reads: “Buy American!”
just to name a few.
Years ago, I was in a movie theater after-hours and behind the concession stand. You know, where they pop all the corn and saturate it with all the butter like we all love. The popper was real, but they only used it to heat up the pre-popped corn. The fully popped popcorn was stored in clear plastic sealed tubes about four foot long and eight inches wide. The popcorn was popped in China from Chinese popcorn seeds, grown in China. I can’t recall the name of the company, but it sure sounded American.
I was in an American automotive dealership and they had all this signage, billboards, marketing and advertising stuff all about an “American Revolution.” Most of the parts and the assembly of their stuff was done in other countries. OK, the assembly was in America – Central America as in Mexico, but it was American Made right? No false advertising there, right?
I had questions, problems and concerns about my American Made stuff so I called customer service. After holding and being transferred for a long time, I was connected with live or real people. They usually spoke with a foreign accent, because they were talking to me from their country and not even from any of the Americas.
Frustrated, I decided to chill out with an American Made beer, only to discover that the company is owned by some country in Europe, also not a part of the Americas.
Finally I discovered the secret. If you or I really want to Buy American, we need to buy from companies with foreign sounding names. Why? Because more of their stuff is made here than the stuff from the familiar named companies from here are. Foreign Made apparently means, Made in America and American Made apparently means, Made Someplace Else.
But I was wondering about something and maybe you can help me out with the answer? Everyone was supposed to have gone global years ago. U.S. manufacturing, in order to compete with cheaper labor and stuff from other countries, moved or had much of their stuff outsourced to other countries. Why is it then that other companies from other countries moved here or produce most of their stuff (for this country) cheaper than the companies from here can?
Confusing isn’t it? I would suggest an English dictionary, but most of those are not made or printed here either and not even in a country that sounds like English (England). These dictionaries are made where? Right, you guessed it or are catching- on fast, they are, Made Someplace Else! Perhaps, like me, you are a visual learner? Here are some pit-chers’ that might help us to understand.
Made Someplace Else
Made in America
Oh, and by the way, I saw a copy of The Declaration of Independence and it was made and printed, Someplace Else.
What once united us now divides us over many issues as family, language, population, politics, religion and culture. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct! Just a day before we are to celebrate our Independence, this nation has fundamentally changed from what our fore-parents stood for. But what once united us has not changed and it still can. Otherwise, The American family is in danger of becoming extinct.
Before we get started, perhaps I should clarify my meaning of “America,” as the Americas covers a great amount of geography. North America does not even define the phrase, ‘The American Family.’ I am referring to families, most particularly those present now, within the United States of America. This includes Alaska, Hawaii and all territories of the United States. This is the American Family or families that are in danger of becoming extinct.
Do you remember the Latin words, E pluribus unum? These are words that appear on the seal of the United States of America and are translated into the English words, ‘Out of Many One.’ We the people of the United States have often been referred to as the lovable mutt and as you probably know, a mutt is a little of this and a little of that. The American Family is made of many people from many different places and many different cultures. But if we are made up of “many” and thus becoming “One,” it follows then that we are or should be a new nation, a new people, and a new family with a new culture.
Often instead of celebrating our similarities, we celebrate our individualism. That’s OK because, individuals make up every family. But a family is supposed to be a unit or have common bonds besides just DNA. The American Family is a culture within a culture or it is supposed to be. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct.
The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct for several reasons.
No clear cut definition of what constitutes a family.
No common language for safety, civility and common courtesy
No continuation of a common work force or economic culture
No common acceptance of personal responsibility
No unity of purpose politically
No standards for morality and civil issues
No continuation of a bare minimum population, necessary to sustain a culture
No common standard culture
1. A family by common sense and in times past, used to mean One Father, One Mother and at least One Child, all living under the same roof. But this has changed in practice. In spite of emergency situations or uncommon circumstances, many have accepted the idea that a family is whatever you want to define it and based solely upon the individual perspective. If it cannot be clearly defined by all, it cannot be practiced by all. But in the end, families are divided, move away from each other and the entire bedrock of society, the family, is in danger of becoming extinct.
2. Besides Canada that has two languages – English and French, name another country in the world that does not have a common language. Many of these countries speak more than one language, but they have one language in common. Not here, for we have to be politically correct and print or make available every conceivable language to accommodate all the people that come here.
It is also common now for families to be made up from parents from different cultures and different languages. Then children are born and they don’t yet have a language, but they learn. Sometimes there are different languages spoken by each of their parents or caretakers and maybe even other relatives. What if there were some emergency, when there is little time to get to safety? Can you imagine trying to make sure you speak the right language so the kids can understand and get to safety? For safety reasons alone, we should have a common language.
By its very nature, languages separate people if all do not understand. Speaking or writing a different language than what the reader or hearer can understand, is rude or a discourteous thing to do. A society that is supposedly built on civility which cannot or will not speak in the same language is uncivil, as plain common courtesy is absent. I can and I ‘m sure you can think of several reasons why a nation should have a common language. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct.
3. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct. Most of the stuff that is made for us is not made of us. It may be made here by us, but through companies from someplace else. Most of our stuff is cheap and made someplace else, but is still often more expensive than the stuff made here by companies and countries from someplace else. We have lost much of our manufacturing; the ability to sustain our culture in providing economic growth and growing silent is, the need or desire to innovate. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct.
4. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct. When a society no longer demands personal responsibility, but rather places blames on others or other things and expects success to be provided for them from the ‘womb to the tomb,’ it is doomed to abject failure. There is no incentive for individual excellence and limited resources will sooner or later, run out.
5. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct. Even what is perceived as choice divides us. We separate according to our political persuasions and instead of agreeing to disagree and moving forward with what we can agree on, we adamantly defend, separate and divide from one another.
6. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct. When there are no standards for morality and when freedom of speech is interpreted as also the freedom to act according to one’s own opinions, the society by nature is divided into what is right and wrong. When black and white becomes nothing more than grays, we have lost any sense of right and wrong.
7. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct. It is a known fact that a nation, if it does not produce a minimum of 2.3 children (don’t ask me about a .3 child as I don’t know) per couple, cannot continue as a culture much longer than around 25 years. Remember the baby-boomers? We are approaching retirement age, dying age or soon will be fading out age because; we did not have as many kids as our parents did, maybe 1.7 per couple or something. And don’t ask me about the .7 kids.
In the United States, the Latino population (legal or illegal) produce around 2.5 children per couple. And don’t ask me about a .5 child either. On average, Muslim couples bear around 8 children. With these current rates, in 25 years, the United States will either be mostly Latino and speak Spanish or Muslim and speak Arabic. Most Latinos are Roman Catholic and most Muslims are Islamic. Roman Catholicism, for many years, has been the largest religion in the world. Islam has or will shortly eclipse this religion and become the largest religion in not just the United States, but the entire world. Sorry about getting into religion here, especially for those whose principle religion is the Non- Religion, but these two world religions are religious and if allowed to dominate, The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct.
If things do not change, in twenty five years, what language will we havetospeak and what religion will we havetopractice? Why “have to…,” because there is no toleration in religion!!!! If we believe otherwise, we do not understand the history of Roman Catholicism or Islam, – past, present or their future intentions. And this does not let the Jews off the hook, nor other religions. Even those that do not believe in God or religion, by sheer logic, make a non-god their god and their non-religion their religion. Can’t we all just get along? Hell no! We can unite or remain divided. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct.
The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct. If you and I cannot or will not see this, we are part of the problem. If we are so politically correct, so open-minded, so tolerant and so liberal, we are ushering in the extinction of the American Family. Thinking that it cannot happen here is to be ignorant of the fact that it already has in the past. Thinking that we will be somehow spared is like handing a chicken to a fox, pointing out the location of the henhouse and believing the nature of the fox will change. Just remember that before the fox eats you, then the chicken and then raids the henhouse. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct.
8. The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct. Most of us don’t like phrases such as, ‘The Bush Compound,’ ‘The Kennedy Compound,’ and ‘Royal Privilege.’ Most of us despise words such as dynasty, favoritism and nepotism. Most of us don’t like these phrases and words as they imply dishonest super-wealth and are usually associated in our minds with bad behavior, to put it mildly. But we can learn a lot from a phrase that kind of sums it all up, ‘Generational Wealth.’ Generational wealth is more than money. It represents all the resources and influence of a family. It is the ‘culture’ of family that is passed down from generation to generation. Where is our culture of unity? The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct.
The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct, unless – WE the American Family remember the unalienable rights endowed (given) by our creator,
“that among these are Life,Libertyand the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Excerpt from the Declaration of IndependenceJuly 2-4th, 1776
But The American Family is in danger of becoming extinct, unless WE fight for these unalienable rights and protect them and preserve them, for ourselves, our children and all future generations. How can WE do this? What divides us by its very nature is unified against us. What divides us by its very nature will dominate, conquer and destroy our culture. How then should we respond?
From his presidential inaugural address January 20th, 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy said in part –
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
To forward or not to forward, is the most relevant question of today. Perspiring minds really want to know. I am here referring to email. Should you or I or anyone, ever forward an email that we received, on to others?
The following image was un-inspired from the attempt to be be funny by a paid cartoonist that has too much time on his hands. I just tried to simplify the whole question and I am unpaid and have too much time on my hands.
I spose’ if it was really useful, beneficial, funny or kool’ I could jus’ cut out all the email addresses, cut out the text and/or images and paste it to a new email, then personally address it to each person (one at a time) to whom I would like to send it with a greeting something like DEAR (your name), ???
But that would take too long, I’m too busy and that is too much like work and would require thought and that might hurt my brain. Besides, I love to send mail or cards (you know, the snail mail) with a note at the bottom that reads:
“Please buy enough stamps and mail this to the following people on the list below. Don’t forget to cross out your name!”
And I love to forward email by hitting ‘send to all my contacts’ and asking others to do the same.
Don’t throw away, shred or delete your cards and letters. Save the planet! Recycle! Buy white-out correction fluid, pens or tape and send your cards and letters on to others! Don’t delete your in mail email box, forward it all to all your contacts EVERY DAY! The most beloved gifts are always impersonal, second-hand, hand-me-downs, the uninvited, the un-asked for and that bug everyone you know with someone else’s stuff!
P.S. Please forwardthis link to everyone you want to bother.
This was a familiar cry long ago from almost every corner in this country. It was before television, before the Internet, before social networks and before blogs. It was the sound of the newspaper boy or girl, man or woman informing the public that new information was just released in the daily newspaper. This was a late edition or an extra edition often after the presses had already run. It was the sound of Journalistic Integrity.
But this was a time when we depended on the newspapers for a daily source of information locally, regionally, country-wide and internationally. It was our source for much of our entertainment (the funnies now called the comics), advice, coupons, employment, sports, weather, events and pretty much, everything involved in our daily lives.
It was once a prestigious and honorable thing to be accepted by and graduate from a college or university with a degree in journalism. Journalists provided a much needed service to the public they served. They lived by a code. They reported the facts and we were to decide what it meant to us or even if it mattered to us. Editorials were for editors, not reporters or journalists. Their first paragraph had to contain ‘Who, What, Where, When and Why,’ or it was rejected by their editor. They were scrutinized, they lived in a fishbowl and their information was checked for accuracy, over and over again, for as long as it took or it was rejected. They were to just report the facts, not make up stuff. Anonymous sources were not pirated, prefabricated, paraded, or prostituted, but protected. They protected Freedom of the Press like any soldier protects Liberty. They stood for Freedom of Speech, not the freedom to criticize, condemn or complain. The most honored and respected prize to receive or even to be nominated for was the Pulitzer. But the namesake of the prize, Joseph Pulitzer was not always interested in journalistic integrity.
But the service of a journalist was once so vital and so necessary to the public, there was a bond formed between them and the reader. There was journalistic integrity. It existed because their jobs depended upon their readership and their readers depended on them.
These basic principles continued when television became of age, at least for a while. Some newspapers were envious or suspicious over TV and TV over them. But they also learned things from one another, some good and some not. Television for example, had to rely on advertisements and sponsors mainly. Then came cable TV (subscriber TV) where you actually paid extra to not see advertisements or you just had to pay extra if there was no local stations available. For the rest of TV stations, how were they going to get potentially millions of people to pay for unknown and untried programming? How else were they to operate without sponsors footing the bill? Newspapers bumped up their advertisiments and sponsors too. Radio did the same.
Modern Day Rule of thumb #1. Those that pay all or most, get the most attention, the most coverage and the most favored or even biased treatment.
A lot has changed since newspapers were the number one source for information. To just cite one example, when Walt Disney took over A.B.C. television network, surely we must have suspected that entertainment was moving into journalism and journalism was moving into the field of entertainment.
Modern day media has been accused of being biased and even intentionally falsifying information. Why would they do that, perhaps to sell more of their stuff? Like movie makers, the media often argues that they are just delivering what the public wants. But only the United States Congress seems lower in polling than the media. According to the Gallup Poll information released June 23rd, 2011, confindence in these institutions were as follows:
Newspapers – 28% * Television – 27% * Congress – 12%
Apparently, it is a two way street. We don’t trust them much and they don’t seem to trust us either. We moved.
We moved to the Internet, to online social networks and to blogs. Many of the newspapers have failed or may soon fail. This even includes those like the New York Times, which has been around since 1851.
Once upon a time, The National Inquirer was considered by most to be nothing but a ‘rag,’ or “yellow news.” Newspapers used to age quickly or turn yellow when exposed to sunlight. But Yellow journalism or “yellow news” is defined in terms of five characteristics:
scare headlines in huge print, often of minor news
lavish use of pictures, or imaginary drawings
use of faked interviews, misleading headlines, pseudo-science, and a parade of false learning from so-called experts
emphasis on full-color Sunday supplements, usually with comic strips (which is now normal in theU.S.)
dramatic sympathy with the “underdog” against the system.
Frank Luther Mott, American Journalism (1941) p. 539
“The term (yellow journalism) originated during the AmericanGilded Ageof the late nineteenth century with the circulation battles betweenJoseph Pulitzer’sNew York Worldand William Randolph Hearst’sNew York Journal.”
Today, winning the Pulitzer Prize may not be such a big deal anymore and The National Inquirer may be more accurate than the main stream media. Yes, the times have changed. But just because something is true, does not necessarily mean it should be released to the public. For example, if I ever become a well known author and anger The National Inquirer, they may want to try and discredit me. They could say that I was once seen by a psychiatrist and spent time in a psychiatric hospital. But they will have to dig deeper into my past for dirt, because both of those are facts and I just told you. They don’t even have to use facts, they can just make up stuff. This is similar to a court of law.
Modern Day Rule of Thumb #2. Like in a court of law, it is not whether or not something is true, it is whether the jury in the court of opinions, believes it to be true.
So what do many of these media organizations do about this, rather than fix their own journalistic integrity? Several people have said that the Internet cannot be trusted or that it is something like a cesspool. And again, this is how many feel about the media. So then what did media do. Many tried or try to reach readers by offering online newspapers. Many have moved to include a Facebook and Twitter presence among other online social networks and aggregate readers like Digg, Stumble Upon, Reddit etc. to make their presence and influence known. Some have even tried to charge for their online papers and magazines, E-zines and E-papers or for their rich-media content. Many are now offering blogs. Sounds like if you can’t beat them, then join them. Then if you can’t take them over or buy them out, maybe you can just run them off.
Once, it was not about the money unless your were able to get a regular column or were syndicated, as most journalists barely made a living. It was not about exotic locations, but often assignments to the last places on earth that anyone would ever dare to go or want to go. It was once about respect and honor. It was about words and words that said what you meant and meant what you said. It was about being able to get to people, places and things for the rest of us, that most of us couldn’t get to.
Today, there is more than just the lack of journalist integrity that threatens the demise of the media as some of us once knew it. There is not enough of old school readers to support old school writing and their hard copy paper products. There is a seemingly ever increasing shorter and shorter attention span among readers. And to that, I’m still glad that I wrote this, for if I were an editor or a reader, I would have probably rejected it.
Digital journalism verses old school journalism might appear to be more cost effective especially when you compare the data that can be placed on a small 6″ X 4″ hard drive as opposed to what will print on a roll of newsprint that is about 3.3′ wide and weighs about 900 pounds. Still, with digital print, there are a lot of costs in computers, servers, website design and maintenance, internet security, search engine optimization (SEO), marketing and advertising, among other expenses.
But clearly modern day media must merge the old with the new. It must change or it will cease to exist. Despite technology, decreasing numbers of readers, diminished attention span and rising debt, journalism today can still be of vital importance to all!
The answer is quite simple, to fix all of these problems – RETURN TO JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY!
Well, that was then and this is now. Much has changed and we are in the age of technology and blinding speed information that reaches across the globe instantly and often before an old time newspaper can set the type for just it’s headline. The word “return” sounds like the past, but we live in the present and are moving quickly towards the future.
Often symbols can influence ideas in our minds to help keep us on track or to get us back on track. But what kind of symbol does the media need, in order to get back on track or to return to journalistic integrity? Long ago, reporters and journalists that lived by the code of journalistic integrity, had such a symbol of ”banging out the truth.” It can be modified today and still serve us all.
Wait for it…
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Change is both necessary and inevitable. But some things never change. No matter what device is used, “banging out the truth” is still all about -
Let’s face it, we all have asses. Some of us may be married to one or related to some. Some of us may work for one or work with asses. And you or I might be an ass. An entire state, my home state of Missouri is known for their asses. Their mascot is an ass. OK, technically it’s a mule which is a cross between a male donkey, known as a jack or a jackass and a female horse. The consequence is a big S.O.B. that won’t work, is stubborn, sterile and often dumber than a box of rocks. How smart was this beast of burden idea in the breeder lab? Thank you for making my point.
Yes, we all have asses in our lives. We all have asses too, just like we all have opinions. For your own well being and the betterment of human kind, we need a solution. So the cure to these problems is to-
wait for it…
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…stick your asses into a hole.
This action will allow all to see and clearly know that here is an ass. No signs are necessary. Just read aloud or silently, the visual two-word description. Here’s a clue, start from the center and work your way out.
Or if you prefer, you could just simply…
P.S. A friend, Gaylene, pointed out that the word masses as in the masses is M + ASSES. Hmmm
I think most people are aware of government waste. They seem to waste time, money and resources that don’t even belong to them; this stuff belongs to us, us as in those taxpayers that are actually paying for it all to be wasted. We are angry, upset and don’t quite have a clue as to what if anything we can do about it. There is this stimulus, that pork-u-lus, this program and that program.
Most of us have no problem in helping others in need, but have a real problem with our money going to those that are perfectly able to work, but do not. Don’t blame them entirely. Would you rather have what you can earn on your own or what the government offers which is actually more than you could earn on your own? Then of course you (the government) have to administer all the programs, the stimulus and all the FREEBIES given away at the taxpayer’s expense and that is wasted time, money and resources too.
Then there is all the money, time and resources given away at taxpayer’s expense to businesses and banks that fail, have no clue or if ever, will not for perhaps years hence turn some idea into something practical. Then there are all the ‘studies’ that waste time, money and resources for years then give us some conclusion. Yep this piece of material we have examined and put all of our resources (yours) on and our best people, after 750 years, we have reached a consensus among all our scientists. Yep, it’s wood from a tree!
Our most probable favorite waste program, in a long list of waste recipients, are all the countries that hate our guts, don’t respect us, want to harm us or want to tell us how much, how often and actually what and where we should give. Then there is the United Nations that take from us and want to try and tell us how we should live as a nation.
Government by its very nature produces nothing. It is not supposed to make a profit. It is supposed to be a servant of the people. When it’s not, the only alternative is that it wastes our time, money and precious resources. That’s like the picture above shows. It is like the government just prints the money and then throws it all into the trash can. Government’s nature is to waste our time, money and resources. So this being the case, I have another idea for what they (the government) can do with all the money they waste anyway. Wait for it…
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Just print the money and put it on rolls and send it all to us. We can either use it as the picture above shows (which is a far better use than what the government is doing with it) or…
…something else.
The point being, it started with us and might as well return to us to waste or to spend what is ours, as we deem appropriate.
Just I-imagine,
Dahni
P.S. Wash, sanitize steam or all these, this, your money before use. It is filthy, disease ridden and you just may never know where it has been or with whom.
This blog is in direct relation to the speech made by Governor Sarah Palin at the Republican National Convention. She was responding to criticism that she lacks any real experience. If you view the transcript and keep it in context, her comparison was not critical of one being a community organizer, but of real executive experience with real responsibilities as opposed to an unelected community organizer with no executive experience or direct government authorized responsibility. But on to SPIN.
Comparison by implication
Words are supposed to have meaning and words, delivered in any form should be delivered by those that in short, know what they are talking about. Consider the recent comments (within the last two days).
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WALL STREET JOURNAL September 10, 2008, 11:52 am
Dem to Palin: Jesus Was a Community Organizer
Amy Chozick reports from Lebanon, Va., on the presidential race.
The Alaska governor, a Christian, has come under fire for criticizing community organizers, but according to labor leader Cecil Roberts, Jesus was a community organizer.
“I used to be a community organizer and I’m in good company,” Roberts said as he introduced Barack Obama at a town hall event here Tuesday night. “Martin Luther King was a community organizer. Listen, Sarah, Moses was a community organizer and yes, Jesus was a community organizer.”
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And then this, Congressman Steve Cohen, filmed by C-Span, made the following remark - ”Jesus was a community organizer and Pontus Pilate was a governor.”
To respond to these two, I will just end this blog with a letter I tried to send to Congressman Cohen, but his website would not accept it since I do not live in his district. OK I’ll mail it then! You can send him one too, if you are so inclined. His DC address will be found below. One last thing before my letter. To Cecil Roberts, you may be a community organizer, but Martin Luther King was not, he was a minister that did a lot on a national scale for people. Moses was NOT a community organizer! All lived in communities and all were organized, but that does not mean they were community organizers any more than a community organizer is to be criticized or that being one is not necessarily a bad thing. It could be though, depending on what you are organizing the community to do. Comparison by implication in the case of Palin and Obama, is that by her title as governor, she has more executive experience and responsibility than did Obama or any other non-elected, non-executive community leader. Comparison by implication? If Jesus was a community organizer as was Obama, does this imply by comparison that these too are similar? Same thing for Palin and Pilate? End of story.
Congressman Steve Cohen 9th District Memphis/Shelby County, Tennessee
Dear Congressman Cohen,
Re: Your recent comment as aired on C-span
OK, I get you are a Democrat and you believe in Obama, cool. But you entered a field you are not qualified to make any authoritative comment or implication when you said, Jesus was a community organizer and Pilate was a governor.
By implication you compared Obama to Christ and Palin to Pilate. Jesus was a king, an apostle, a prophet, a pastor and a teacher, but there is no reference or implication of him being a community organizer, provided biblically. He also came to fulfill the law, not get elected or even get along with others.
Pilate was appointed by Rome, not elected by the people. He did not want to crucify Jesus, but gave in to the will of the crowd, even though he could have chosen not to. He commanded the military sufficient to back whatever decision he made. Palin, however, was elected by the people and enjoys about an 80% approval rating, something Pilate never had.
And is not Cohen a Jewish name? Are you not Jewish? If so, a true Jew does not believe that Jesus was the Messiah or that the Messiah has yet to come. Why would you use information to compare by implication, what you know nothing about or believe in? If Cohen is not a Jewish name; if you are a Christian or if you are Christian that has converted from Judaism, then I sincerely beg your pardon. Still, your statement of comparison by implication is wholly inaccurate. You would be better served by staying in your field and serving the people in your district.
Sincerely,
Dahni Hayden
Congressman Steve Cohen 9th District Memphis/Shelby County, Tennessee
1004 Longworth House
Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3265
Fax: (202) 225-5663
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Oh, by the way, on the anniversary of the attack on our country, it is interesting to note that biblically, historically and astronomically, September 11th, is the actual birthdate of Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth if you prefer). Sorry to mess up your December. :)
What if people used words accurately, instead of running off of the mouth?
OK, call me anal retentive because, I happen to believe that words have meaning. Go ahead and say that I’m out of sync because, I choose to use words according to their origin. Ridicule me because, I use an unabridged dictionary of the English language. Yes go ahead, I have already been laughed at and insulted personally, by the author of, ‘The Verbal Art of Self-Defense.’ What more could you do to hurt my ‘feelers’?
Well, politics like so many of our words, come down to us from the ancient Greek language. Politics for many people, is a sore subject, a necessary evil or often something many run from as if it were a plague. In Greek, the word polis, was a walled city. Walls were built not to keep the people (the polls), inside, but to keep enemies out. Yes that’s right, if we lived there and then we would be the polls of the polis. Even the words police, policeman, policewoman etc. come from this same word. Polling places would be where the polls (the people), would congregate. The most common place was the public marketplace.
The marketplace is where goods and services were bought, sold, bartered and exchanged. It was also, where news, beliefs, ideas, cultures and conversations were gathered and shared. It was a social event. It was a huge party. People spoke to and with each other. They conversed over conversation.
In the United States, we are often divided along party lines, chiefly two. We are divided by the blue states or the red states. Division in the United States? What ever happened to, “United we stand, divided we fall?”
Satellite images from space show, there are NO countries or boundary lines. Aerial photographs show, there are NO boundary lines separating each of our states either. This world is only separated by water or the inability or unwillingness to cross over. In our country, borders are all arbitrary or concocted by opinion. Opinion is not an evil thing, but the right of a civilized and free people to have and to hold. Conversation is lost when only opinions matter. Arguments erupt and the loudest voice seems to dominate. And thus, not only does the conversation abruptly end, but there just might not be another one. Who actually enjoys arguing, unless you are winning or are a lawyer? Conversation is for conversing, me to you; you to me, it’s the, ’We the People,’ thing.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Colonial Williamsburg in Virgina. Here is where our system of government grew its roots. Even then, there were disagreements, as the house-senate thing took shape. To get things accomplished, social events were often planned. Wives, girlfriends and others were invited. It was during these more civilized times that the verbal tones were of conversation and things got done. Yep, the political parties, actually had parties and they had them together, which is to say, with each other.
What about now? Relax, I have found two things for us polls of the polis, whereby we can go to polling places (places of gathering), and converse happily about politics (the affairs of us polls and police people of the polis).
One such place is the farmer’s market or some public marketplace, just like the polls and the police of the polis in ancient times.
Another such place is, what I now put in writing for perhaps the first time. I call this a ‘Cigarty.’ A Cigarty is a cigar party. Now I am not advocating smoking, but there is more to a Cigarty than mere cigars. Not that this is a reason to start or to keep smoking, but cigars do NOT contain all the harmful chemicals as do cigarettes and most that smoke cigars rarely, if ever, inhale the smoke. There is something ritual about the practice of smoking cigars and to those which indulge in them. To many, it could well be considered romantic, sensual and even described as an almost religious experience.
It is not just a male thing as there are many woman as well. The practice slices and dices through race, sex, creed, intellectual and economic lines of otherwise perceived separation. The bottom line is, at a Cigarty, there will be conversation! The art of conversation is seen and experienced almost immediately. Conversation ensues among those present that may not have otherwise happened. Fire Chiefs, Police Chiefs, business people, professional people, educators and even medical people gather, often in the same location with the average people on the street, celebrities, and spirtual people. Most such gatherings occur, in individual homes, outside or in certain business places. Inside, ventilation systems are sometimes so state-of-the-art, you may not even smell smoke. If not to smoke, these can be great places to meet people, but above all, to converse.
I will close with an analogy. An expected father was met by a nurse and given all the usual information about his new child. The nurse went on and on and finally the man turned to her and said, “Look, I appreciate you telling me this stuff, but I don’t care when my child was born, how much the baby weighs, how long the measurement or anything else, I just want to see the baby!!!
I don’t care how we do it, whether at a Cigarty, a party, some Farmer’s market, public market or wherever/whenever, I just want us polls, us police or polis people of the polis, to party around, the art of conversation!
He did not know me and I did not know him. I was reluctant at first, as he had just started to eat his meal and had the first bite of food in his mouth. I approached. I could barely form two words and did not wish to disturb him.
Behind those words were a plethora, of thoughts and emotions, respect and even unspoken prayers. He was a very young man, clean cut and seemed barely out of high school or perhaps in his early twenties. I have no idea his age, where he came from, if he had a family, a wife or children. I do not know what his future held. I did not truly know what kind of person he was, his background, his dreams, hopes and fears. I did not even know if he would even still be alive next year, next month, next week or even tomorrow. I had never met the man and I knew, I may never have another opportunity.
All I knew was that this man was a soldier in uniform. I knew that he had incredible discipline, training, courage, brains and compassion. I knew this man, like many like him, were all sworn to protect my sorry ass, my stupid opinions, my vanity, my selfishness, my laziness, my cowardice, my anger, frustration, meanness, inabilities, hypocrisy, prejudices, fears, hopes and dreams, as well as those of everyone else in this country. I knew this man was protecting my freedom and yours. This is some of what was behind two simple words.
I walked up to this man I did not know, whom I may never see again and reached out my hand. He quickly dropped his fork and reached for mine. All I said was, “THANK YOU!”
His eyes brightened and his face grinned, as if he just inherited the entire earth. He answered, “MYHONOR!”
I was speaking with a neighbor (with whom we have often conversation), whose opinion I greatly respect. Perhaps the word ‘opinion,’ is not the correct word nor conveys the proper mindset. I respect his experience and practical wisdom, wisdom being something, which is acquired over time, from doing several things correct or correctly.
Anyway, we were discussing a matter and at one point I said, “You know, that is not a rational decision.” To this, swiftly came the reply,
“I don’t make rational decisions, I do whatever I want.”
WOW, I was nearly knocked off my feet with that statement! Later, as I thought about this, it did not seem so uncommon. During this particular election year, I for one, set out to really get informed on the issues and about the candidates running for office. I read everything I could get my hands on or had time to read and it went all over the spectrum of parties, people, platforms and positions. I did the same thing with television, newspapers, magazines and information obtained over the Internet. With all this effort, towards the end, all that was left to me was opinion, an emotional response and a decision to cast my little vote, pretty much based on my ‘gut feeling.’ This is NOT rational!
I did not set out with a ‘gut feeling,’ to end up with a ‘gut feeling.’ Was not this my purpose, wasn’t I trying to get informed, so that I could make a rational decision? Yes, but what happened?
I know votes cast or not cast this year and on this DAY, have been or will be based on much of the following:
* He is black * He is not black * He is not black enough
* He is a liberal * He is not a liberal
* Her wardrobe costs too much * Her wardrobe will go to charity
* I don’t like their associations
* He is too old * He is too young
* He is a centrist * She is a woman * She is a conservative
* They are Pro-Life * They are Pro-Choice
* There are no women on the ticket * He is associated with Bush * I hate Bush
* He is a Republican * He is a Democrat
* I’m not voting, my candidate did not win in the primaries
* He has military experience * He has no military experience
* Polls show he is wining and I want to vote for a winner
* Polls show he is wining, so why should I bother to vote
* I’m for the underdog
* Most of the media and congress are for him, so they must be right
* I don’t trust the media and I certainly don’t trust congress
* I really could care less * I’m too busy * My vote does not count anyway
* The Electoral College will decide * The courts will decide
Feel free to add to the list, as I am sure there is a plethora of ‘why-s’ people, vote the way they vote. Oh sure, I am sure, there may be, a few that are really voting on issues, although they are probably in the minority. Sadly, I am not one of them. Even though I studied and researched, I ended up with, still more opinions, half-truths (which are still lies, by the way), and on and on, from all sides. Geez, is there any wonder WHY, We the People, are so divided?
Speaking of division, I heard on the news just this morning, a father and daughter that have had a long term and a great relationship, now don’t even speak to each other, because of their opposing choices for president. In another situation, parents were cutting off college funding, because of opposite choices for president. And finally, another student was changing their vote in fear of losing their parental funding.
I am also confident that even though people said to a pollster they would or did vote a certain way, didn’t, don’t or won’t and some will not vote at all that said they would.
Checking the fact checkers and the snopes and the truth or fiction, and the .orgs etc., who checks them? Wow, when I found out many of these purported unbiased organizations, supposedly ‘For the People,’ were all in the tank for one party or another, the bias was clearly seen. As a former investigative reporter in the field of journalism, I can almost say with certainty that journalism, has been replaced with entertainment or simply that which makes money! Journalism may remain only, as a word in a dictionary and something from the past, unrelated to our present and our future.
In the end, I had only one choice to make, as not to vote, was NOT an option. How was I to vote, with all this chaos and confusion in my searching for answers, mind? It has all come down to ‘belief,’ not do I believe in this person or that person, but whatdoIbelievein? It is not what one says or how well they may or may not say it that matters, but what they do. Now how am I supposed to know what they will or will not do, once elected?
I admit that the only borderline, rational thought process was for me, to look at the records and how long they have been doing, whatever they do. Which of these more clearly represents a track record of their promises and which one more resembles my beliefs?
There I was, around 6:00 AM, eastern standard time, this morning, November 4th, 2008, standing in the voting booth with curtain closed. I flicked the little levers and made my choices. I pulled on the crank, my votes were recorded and the curtain opened. It was done! I walked out and was given a little ‘I Voted Today,’ sticker, but I was neither proud nor happy. I voted, not because it was my right and privilege, but it was my duty. I was not happy to vote for someone. I was not happy that my vote would be for a winner, for a party, a person or a platform. I voted for me and for what I believe. No, I really did not write in my name for president, I voted for me in the sense of what I believe in.
Solemnly, I went back to my car to drive home, knowing full well, my vote most likely will not even matter to anyone or towards any outcome. I was sad in a sense that it has all come down to pretty much casting my vote, from my gut, and hoping that my decision was the right one. I guess my neighbor was right all along,
“I don’t make rational decisions, I do whatever I want.”
And this greatly saddens me that ‘We the People,’ have come to this, but what if we knew the truth? Feelings come and go, but if we knew the truth, wouldn’t we be happy to stand for it!
Oh, by the way, I mentioned this blog post to my same neighbor. He said I over-analyzed this whole thing. Was he right again? I guess I should have just flipped a coin?
At this very moment, many people are scared. They are frightened of loosing their home, maybe even their job. The media does not help because almost everywhere you turn, there is more bad news. People are angry and they either engage in the ‘Blame Game’ or turn to government for help. The same government I might add, which is responsible for this economic crisis in the first place. The same government which is going to fix it? Would you like to also, buy into to some fantastic property, really, really cheap in Antarctica?
No matter how you slice it, there are a certain number of people that all want a piece of pie, but the pie is only so big. We are told that everyone has to tighten their belt, but what about the ones that have or will be receiving our money to bail them out? Possible? Sure. Probable? Probably not. This is a symptom of greed and when you really boil it down, greed is fear too. Think about that, one is greedy because they are afraid they will not have enough. The ceiling of ‘enough’ continues to rise and there never, ever seems to be enough. It does NOT have to be this way! There are answers and I have one. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being financially FREE or even being rich. If this describes your present situation, is more than you need always kept for yourself or do you help others not to just get a fish and eat for the day, but to learn HOW to fish and never be hungry again? Think about that. If you know HOW to fish, catch a lot of fish and give it all away, would you starve? Not likely, you would just catch some more fish. Please do not misunderstand, “saving for a rainy day,” is a great idea, but if all of our needs are met, what is real abundance for if not to help others have the same opportunities as you! Maybe everything is Okey Dokey with you, but do you know others that need help? Maybe having more money is not important to you, but ‘Time Freedom,’ is. It does not matter if we are having inflation, recession or even a depression, people still need to live. They still need and want stuff, money, the freedom to enjoy their lives and the time to enjoy it. Would you help me, help YOU, to help others? I have an answer that no matter what you may need or want; no matter what others may need or want, this could be a WIN WIN for everyone. I does not matter if you are male or female, young or old, successful or not yet, what city or town in the United States you may live in.
Would you help me, help YOU, to help others?
If you are really looking for something which has the potential to change your life and that of others. Are e you willing to find out if this is for you; to see if you are right for this or ready for this? I am looking for four people well connected, with sharp business minds that would like to retire in about 5 years and help others succeed in the process. If you are the right person or if you know the right people we can work out something that is mutably profitable.
Would you help me, help YOU, to help others?
Is this another scam? Is it another pyramid or multi-level marketing ‘thing.’ I can promise you one thing. If you never contact me because of fear or you do not trust these words, you will still be where you are right now. I will still have an answer. I can not do this alone. Would you help me, help YOU, to help others?What if this is for real? What if I am not insane? What if I am really NOT trying to rip you off, or scam you? What if this really is a WIN WIN for everyone that takes advantage of the opportunity? utilizes this? Would you help me, help YOU, to help others?
Please contact me and tell me what you need or want from life if there were a way to make that happen. Is it a thing, saving money, making money, an opportunity, helping others or what do you really want? We can meet over the phone, over the Internet or if you live in Rochester, NY area, over coffee. Would you help me, help YOU, to help others?
Dear Family, Friends, and Folks I haven’t met yet,
It’s almost time for the Holidays and our on line Advent Calendar!
In 1994, I was thinking about some of my childhood holiday memories, enjoyed at Christmas time. Our mother used to purchase an ‘Advent Calendar’ and the three of us kids would take turns opening little windows each day in December.
The traditional calendar consists of two pieces of cardboard on top of each other. Twenty four doors are cut out into the top layer, with a number ranging from one to twenty four on each. Beginning on the first day of December, one door is opened each day, counting down the days remaining until Christmas Eve. Each compartment displays an image, which can be either a feature of the Nativity story and the birth of Jesus Christ or something do with Christmas as bells, holly and so on.
The origins of the Advent calendar come from German Lutherans as early as the beginning of the 19th century. The first known Advent calendar was handmade in 1851.
The first the first printed calendar came in 1908. The practice disappeared during World War II, apparently to save paper. After the war, Richard Sellmer of Stuttgart, Germany resurrected the commercial Advent calendar and is responsible for its widespread popularity. His company, Richard Sellmer Verlag, today maintains a stock of over 1,000,000 calendars worldwide, including re-prints of many of those I remember as a child.
Sometime after the 1950’s, western Advent Calendars added the 25th of December and became more of a commercial holiday item than the German calendars that traditionally have only 24 days and mark the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
In 1994, I thought it would be fun if there were an on line Advent Calendar, but there was not. So I started making my own. This year, marks our 15th consecutive year. Each year there is a theme and each day leading up to the 25th of December, there are pages of images, animation, other special effects and seasonal music. All of this is suitable for any age of ‘child’ from 1-199 and it is our gift to you, always shared freely, for FREE!
This letter is my personal invitation to you, to experience our online, Advent Calendar and suggestion that you share it with others. You can get some background information on our work from the following links:
For those of you that really want to ‘Go Green’ there is still time, but why not ‘Go Orange’ as well!
I am referring to a Christmas tree or if you prefer, holiday and seasonal greenery. Maybe this is an annual and traditional thing with you to go to a tree farm and cut down your own tree. Maybe you just pick up a cut tree from a local lot. OK, so perhaps, you want a live tree to be planted later. If you are artificially minded, it could still be green and orange too. Say what? Green and orange, that sounds strange, unless maybe, you are Irish and you wish to reflect these same colors in your decorating as are in your National flag. Nope, this is not the meaning.
Until this year, I come from a long line of Scotch pine, tree decorators for the season. Perhaps this was, a Midwest thing, where I was born and raised. I now live in New York, where this tree is not as popular. In fact, I cannot ever seem to find them here.
I am a ‘real tree’ person, but concede there are reasons, good reasons to ‘Go Artificial.’ Save a tree and all the Eco, really‘Go Green’stuff, no mess to clean up afterwards and others are, just a few of the reasons. Well hey, I’m into Eco friendly and ‘Go Green’ stuff too!
We buy the tree that pays the tree farmer so they ‘breathe better’ because, they can feed their families. We decorate the tree which makes my wife and me happy and making her happy, makes me breathe a little easier. A tree inside provides an interesting distraction to our two cats, which burn more energy which means, we buy more food that employs people that can then breathe better. We buy extra vacuum bags and sometimes tree bags to clean up the mess after the holidays and that employs people that ‘breath better,’ having a job. Sometimes, after the holidays, we just cut the tree into pieces and burn it in the fireplace, which produces heat and saves money on our heating bills. Burning our leftover tree also pollutes the environment which makes Al Gore and global warmers happy and employed and breathing easier. Oh, and if our tree goes to the landfill, it breaks down and serves as nutrients to new life that can breathe better by having more CO2, which they in turn give off more oxygen (O2).
Well, anyway, this year, my wife and I discovered a new way to ‘Go Green’ and ‘Go Orange’ for Christmas, the holidays or the season. We discovered a Concolor Fir or also known as, a White fir!
White fir: Pinaceae Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. ex Hildebr.
Symbol: ABCO
Leaf: Flattened needles, silvery blue-green both above and below, 2 to 3 inches long, blunt at the tip, extending at right angles from the twig, often curving upwards. White bloom may be distributed evenly or may occur in distinct bands on both surfaces. Flower: Monoecious; males yellow- to red-toned, catkin-like; females inconspicuous, yellow-brown. Fruit: Cones are upright, 3 to 5 1/2 inches long, oblong, yellow-green to purple, with erose shoulders; deciduous at maturity with seed dispersal in fall. Twig: Twigs are dark orange at first, becoming gray-green, then gray. Leaf scars are circular. Bark: Thin, smooth and gray on young trees, with resin pockets. On old trees, thick, ashy gray with deep, irregular furrows. Form: Young trees are conical. Older trees develop a dome-like crown.
These trees withstand heat and drought better than other Firs. Although they prefer a deep, rich moist, well-drained gravel or sandy loam, they will adapt to almost all soils except heavy wet clay. They are native to the Four Corners region of the Southwest and into California, so they are very adaptable to drought. Growers report that they have not had problems growing them in somewhat sandy fields. They need full sun to become bushy, shiny blue-gray giants. In the shade, they are sparse and pale and will not realize their potential to become full, beautiful trees. They grow 30-50 feet in height in that many years, but may grow bigger in very optimal conditions, over a long period of time.
The plant gets no serious diseases or insects and is really a great, but often underused plant in the landscape. However, White fir is severely damaged by mistletoe. Isn’t that interesting! So, even though the tree is cut, maybe you should consider NOT decorating your tree with mistletoe? You will just need to do your kissing under the mistletoe at some other location.
The Concolor has soft needles that look blue-gray and are so very striking when planted in a landscape. They are stately, pyramid shaped evergreens with distinct horizontal branches. Like most firs, they are fragrant, but unlike most firs they can grow well in our hot summer climate and are very drought tolerant.
They are really liked by many people and are used in arrangements. When dried, the needles make a nice potpourri addition for a seasonal appearance and aroma. Some people place small pieces in with artificial garlands on the mantle and hutch and wherever else they can tuck them.
Because the wood lacks a distinctive odor, it was used in earlier times for tubs in which to store butter. White fir is important to many species of wildlife. Blacktail and mule deer feed on the buds and leaves during the winter, porcupines eat the bark, and Douglas pine squirrels are fond of the seeds. Grouse may also eat seeds after they fall from the cones.
Blah, blah, blah, nice and informative, but what has this got to do with ‘GoingOrange’? Oh I’m sorry, they smell like Orange!
When the tree is standing in your room and especially when the needle is broken in your hand, held and lifted to your nose, a citrus, orange or tangerine like smell is present.
Besides this wonderful aroma, what other benefits are there to having a Concolor fir or White fir in your home, for Christmas, the holidays or the season? As a cut tree, it can last a long time. The sap and oils are much easier to remove from your hands than other evergreen trees. Some people are allergic to the smell of evergreen trees. Others have skin irritations to evergreen trees. Others have allergic reactions if they are pricked by the needles of evergreen trees. It is reported that this tree (the Concolor fir or White fir), cause fewerallergicreactions than other evergreen trees.
Even if you do ‘Go Artificial,’ you can still ‘Go Green’ and ‘Go Orange.’ Use a green artificial tree if you must and light a candle, use potpourri or some air-freshener that smells like orange.
To begin, I do not know if the following story is true, but its truths are true enough. It was sent to me in an email, it was edited a bit and it is here to share with you. This is a 2 Part Series. Today, 1 0f 2
The Pastor’s Ass
The pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in another race and it won again. The local paper read:
PASTOR’S ASS OUT FRONT
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another race. The next day, the local paper headline read:
BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR’S ASS
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent. The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day:
NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN
The bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10. The next day the paper read:
NUN SELL ASS FOR $10
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild. The next day the headlines read:
NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE
The bishop and the pastor have not been heard from since and the nun left her convent and went into exile.
The moral of the story is being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery and maybe even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life. Stop worrying about everyone Else’s ass and you’ll be a lot happier and live longer! I wish you a very healthy, happy and wonderful New Year. May your friends be true to you regardless of your sex, age, skin color, your size, shape, beauty; brains; brawn; bent in life; bravado or your bank book. May you; your family and friends be blessed and your laughter is often!
Note: Technically, a mule is a cross between a donkey and a horse and it is a mule that is most often referred to as an ass or a Jackass, and of course, some people we all know.
This is entirely original and ficticious. You really should read ‘The Pastor’s Ass’ from yesterday before you read this. This is a 2 Part Series. Today, 2 0f 2
Your Ass is Under Arrest
A dear sweet little elderly and former disgraced nun was walking along, on a midday stroll, in a park, near her home in the city. Suddenly, a mugger rushed towards her, knocked her down and stole her knapsack, running away into the nearby woods, but not before she had a full description of the attacker, fixed in her mind. The fall shook her up and her lip was bleeding slightly. A kind elderly man saw her laying on the sidewalk and her attacker running away, but he was of poor eyesight and could not be a witness of the event or the perpetrator’s identity. He could however, help the fallen woman.
After helping the woman to her feet he asked, “Are you alright, are you hurt, is there anything I can do for you?”
The lady said she would be alright, but asked if he would be kind enough to call the police. A young female jogger approached from behind and saw the woman’s bleeding lip and had heard her ask the man to call the police. She stopped running and said, “I have a cell phone and you can use it as I am a little too out of breath to talk on the phone. I will be glad to wait with you until the police arrive.
The elderly lady thanked both the gentleman and this young woman then pressed 911 on the cell phone, requesting the police. The 911 operator could tell by the sound of her voice that this was a woman caller, most likely elderly and that she was clearly shaken up. The operator asked her no questions and said the police would arrive shortly. They would find her by tracking the call with GPS.
Soon the police arrived and they began to assess the situation and in asking the lady questions.
Can you tell us what was stolen; the contents of your knapsack?
Well that is an invasion of privacy and a cloaked attempt to discover my financial worth she answered.
OK, did you get a good look at your attacker?
Yes I saw this person, but isn’t everyone innocent until proven guilty?
Yes sister…
Sister, sister, I am quite sure we are not related!
OK then, Mam..
Mam, Mam, you meant to say Ms correct officer?
OK Ms, can you describe the person in question, let’s start with was this person male or female?
That’s sexual discrimination!
Race?
That would be racial discrimination!
Age?
Age discrimination!
What was this person wearing?
That would be economic discrimination!
Did this person speak to you?
Now officer, if I answer you, this would be an exposure of whether this person is physically, mentally or emotionally challenged and I’m not about to do that!
Look Ms, we are just trying to help you.
What? Do you think I am incapable of helping myself?
No, Ms we are trying to catch this person and arrest them for what they did to you.
Arrest them? Maybe they are just misunderstood, or they were mistreated or abused, did you ever consider that officer?
Look Ms, if you are unwilling to cooperate with us, why did you call the police?
Officer, I don’t like your tone! It is implies that you think I am old, senile, crazy, making this up, I’m on drugs, I am a liar or that maybe you think I just have the ‘hots’ for men in blue uniforms. That’s discrimination! All this harassment is all about my ass isn’t it?
The next sounds the lady heard was, “Put your hands behind your back,” the sound of handcuffs locking around her wrists and, “Your ass is under arrest!”
“Arrest, you are arresting me, for what, what are you charging me with?”
Asinine Political Correctness!
The moral of the story is being concerned about political correctness can bring you much grief and misery and maybe even shorten your life. We are all entitled to our opinions. Step up and speak out. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Stop worrying about the rights of every criminal or hurting someone’s feelings that mean to do you wrong. You’ll be a lot happier and live longer! I wish you a very healthy, happy and wonderful New Year. May your friends be true to you regardless of your sex, age, skin color, your size, shape, beauty; brains; brawn; bent in life; bravado or your bank book. May you; your family and friends be blessed and your laughter is often!
There lies within us each, something unique of which it is ours alone to share with the world. Perhaps the world will never know unless we, forsaking our fears and lack of confidence, step up the stairs of taking a chance and step out onto the stage of possibility.
Such was the life of Paul Potts around 36 years of age. He was a cell phone salesman. He lacked confidence in himself. He saw himself as being ‘different’ and was bullied in school as a child. But there was one quiet place, his place, a place he could call his own and this place was singing. But the world would never know, unless unknown Paul Potts was to ‘Step Up & Step Out.’ He decided to take a chance on possibility.
The Simon Cowell you know from American Idol, also judges a TV show called Britain’s Got Talent. During the audition, Paul Potts appeared in a frumpy suit and timidly announced he would be singing opera. You could see the other judges and Simon almost rolling their eyes at Potts as if to say, Oh no, here we go again.
Then Paul Potts began to sing- and his clear, strong tenor voice electrified the audience who rose from their seats in excitement, cheering wildly. One of the judges cried. Simon and the other judge were simply ‘blown away.
After Paul Potts went on to the semi-finals and winning the entire contest, he also launched an international singing career. All because he stepped up and stepped out.
What about you and I? Talent alone is never enough. We must step up and step out!
Did you know that most voting that occurs in congress is done electronically? Well it is true. It is accomplished by a computer system. Anyone that uses a computer is familiar with seeing error messages pop up on the screen from time to time. For the most part these prompts occur primarily due to user error. Some illegal operation has been attempted by the user and the system, in order to protect itself from total failure, will not allow the user to continue to do something stupid.
The following error message should appear to every senator and representative, every time they attempt to do something stupid.
In our day and time we have information explosion, implosion and quite possibly OVERLOAD. It is so often difficult to synthesise what is true and even what is important to you. But for a certain matter of potentialinterest and importance to you, I will provide the appropriate synthesis.
Your TV may be about ready to explode (just kidding), or become useless. Slated to go into effect in February 2009, all television broadcasts will be in digital format and your TV will have to be able to receive these signals in order for you to view anything on the screen.
A recent radio talk show host was highly critical of stupid people not getting prepared for this event since it has been highly advertised, discussed, and delivered to the public by the media for nearly 2 years. This includes the recent broadcast by the radio talk show host.
Apparently, this mass blasting of information has been insufficient and inefficient. The president elect suggested that 1.3 million people are still not prepared and that perhaps the date of implementation should be delayed. To this suggestion, the same radio talk show host went on to ridicule and criticise the stupidity of 1.3 million people and that they were just waiting on another hand-out or for a breast from Mommy Government.
Always follow the money! When you look closer, you will see that the government has not been able to fulfil their promise of a $40 coupon/credit to upgrade the TV of 1.3 million people still requesting it. Hmmm, 1.3 million X $40 is how much? Are 1.3 million people really not prepared or is it the government?
OK, suppose it is really 1.3 million people that are not prepared for digital TV. Why not? Is it because they are stupid as suggested by the talk show host; lazy and worthless welfare recipients?
If it has taken nearly 2 years to get out the information and 1.3 million people ‘still don’t get it,’ who is really stupid here? Why it’s the media which includes the radio talk show host, that’s who! Why is the media the ones that are stupid? Because, they have confused perhaps way over 1.3 million people with TMI – too much information! What exactly does one need to understand? What follows is the SYNTHESIS.
Note: If you do not have a TV; if you do not plan on having a TV, and if you could care less about TV – NONE OF THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO YOU!
Your TV May Not Work After February 2009
(Here is what you need to know and do)
1. Apply for a $40 coupon/credit to purchase a converter box (for how to apply, see #5 below)
2. Purchase a converter box
3. Buy a new TV
4. Become a subscriber (purchaser), of Cable TV or Satelite TV
5. For additional information, ask someone that has digital TV or sells TV’s
5. Share this information with everyone you know
This information will not be repeated. Please avoid any information from anyone or anything that takes nearly 2 years to explain it!!!!!
This blog post started as a reply to a friend’s post on Facebook. He said he wanted “to grow younger..” To which I replied that I cannot help you grow younger, but I can help you slow down the aging process – REALLY! He really wanted to know, so here is my answer to him that I am also, sharing with you who read this.
From the moment we are born, HUGE amounts of antioxidants begin to diminish as they are attacked by free radicals. Free radicals occur in the environment and are naturally occurring. Some people exercise to stay healthy, but exercise produces free radicals. Unless they are counter-balanced with sufficient antioxidants, it leads to many problems including premature aging. Want an example? Cut a slice of an apple and watch it turn brown before your eyes. This is oxidation. Most of the antioxidant protection is in the skin of the apple. Want an example of antioxidant protection? Squeeze some lemon juice on the cut piece of apple and it will slow down the browning or aging of the apple.
Have you ever wondered why the giant redwood trees, cacti in the desert and even grapevines (among others); live so long, some 100′s and 1,000′s of years? The answer is antioxidants and individual DNA of course. So by researching plants like these, science has actually isolated the specific gene which turns on and can turn off the aging process, just like a switch.
So what have they found that can turn off this ‘aging’ switch? The answer is, RESVERATROL! Harvard medical school calls it the “Holy Grail of Anti-Aging Research!”Where do you get it? You can research it for yourself (you should anyway). You could just drink 1,000 bottles of wine every day as it is from grapes and other plants. Please note massive quantities are not necessary! Smaller amounts in combination with other like natural supplements have been proven to be far superior! Then again, you could just wait until it gets synthesized and patented and available as a prescription from your doctor (in process as I write this). Pharmacology institutes and companies are not primarily interested in the benefits of nature, but profit. You cannot make an obscene amount of money on nature and you cannot patent ‘mother nature.’ You could however, work with the FDA to regulate everybody else and you could synthesize nature so you can get a patent and charge whatever you want. Or you could get it NOW from me, as an isotonic capable supplement.
From the time we reach about the age of 18, our bodies start to slow the production of HGH (human growth hormone). Estimates report that by the time we reach age 60, as much as 80% of HGH has declined!
Many people such as professional athletes, Olympians and others have turned to or some try still, steroids, PED’s (performance enhancement drugs), and HGH. Sports teams and the Olympics have for some time now, banned their use. Sometimes steroids are used for pain management like professional wrestlers as Hulk Hogan. One thing a steroid does is to help reduce inflammation. So do naturally occurring anti-oxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. Roger Clemens has been under suspicion of using PED’s for some time.
Most of these drugs are not always illegal, just banned, unregulated, or available only by prescription, but their long-term effects are still not fully known. People see others get some results so they are influenced to try them, despite the potential risks to their careers and their health.
The ‘Baby Boomers,’ nearing retirement age, were the origin of the present Health and Wellness generation. They were and still are, looking for almost anything which would allow them to be healthier and live longer. Their demands on the upside have led to phenomenal research and products. On the downside, unscrupulous or incompetent businesses and business practices have opened up something like ‘Pandora’s Box.’ There is a plethora of harmful products, false claims and things that just DON’T WORK, flooding the market place. Such is the case with HGH.
Sylvester Stallone has admitted to using HGH and testosterone to prepare for the physically demanding roles of Rocky and Rambo. Paul Byrd, the veteran pitcher who has helped the Cleveland Indians reach the brink of the World Series, bought nearly $25,000 worth of human growth hormone and syringes from a Florida anti-aging clinic that was targeted by law enforcement, for illegally distributing performance-enhancing drugs.
Please be advised that unless you are paying around $1,000 for injectable HGH, you are probably NOT getting the ‘real deal’ or in sufficient quantities to make a difference, despite who makes it, what they claim, their guarantees, what’s on the label and even if they use the term HGF or the phrase “contains HGH,” on the label or their logo. I started this blog originally as a reply to a friend’s question on Facebook. As I was typing this out, almost instantly, an advertisement for Sytropin HGH appeared. I followed the link:
Next, I searched for ‘HGH’ on Google and the above company and their product was #1 on the list as of 1/19/08. Looking at their list of ingredients, there is no mention of HGH! Again, please be advised that unless you are paying around $1,000 for injectable HGH, you are probably NOT getting the ‘real deal’ or in sufficient quantities to make a difference, despite who makes it, what they claim, their guarantees, what’s on the label and even if they use the term HGF or the phrase “contains HGH,” on the label or their logo. The most reliable source for true HGH is from a licensed Physician and by prescription, but if your doctor believes you need it, it just might not be for the reasons you want it!!!!
Still, what does one do about the naturally declining levels of HGH, at or around the age of eighteen? The answer is Secretagogue! A secretagogue is a substance which causes another substance to be secreted. HGH is produced in the pituitary gland. Therefore, a Secretagogue would cause the pituitary gland to produce and secret HGH. Sytropin HGH is listed as #2 under ‘Secretagogue’ using Google, as of 1/19/08 because, THAT IS WHAT IT REALLY IS! They get away with using HGH in their name and just fall short of false advertising because, according to them, their product, as suggested by the name alone, implies that it contains HGH. One last time, please be advised that unless you are paying around $1,000 for injectable HGH, you are probably NOT getting the ‘real deal’ or in sufficient quantities to make a difference, despite who makes it, what they claim, their guarantees, what’s on the label and even if they use the term HGF or the phrase “contains HGH,” on the label or their logo.
HGH is clinically used to treat children’s growth disorders and adult growth hormone deficiency. In recent years, replacement therapies with human growth hormones (HGH), have become popular in the battle against aging. Reported effects include decreased body fat, increased muscle mass, increased bone density, increased energy levels, improved skin tone and texture, and improved immune system function. The latter is why it is sometimes prescribed for Aids patients, to boost their immune system.
So you cannot get your doctor to prescribe it, what do you do? Short of getting it illegally, you could try and get it from some other country and bring it into the US. All those that sell it want to tout something like the following:
“If it isn’t injectable growth hormone, it isn’t growth hormone, period! Growth hormone cannot be taken effectively by spray, it cannot be swallowed, and it cannot be absorbed through the skin.”
Typical HGH promotion verbiage
HGH cannot be taken effectively by spray, tablets, or by swallowing. Injectable HGH – Human Growth Hormone Injection however is most effective when applied by sub-cutaneous or intramuscular injection. Human Growth Hormone (Hgh) are secretagogues, mostly amino acids, which cause the pituitary to liberate a small amount of human growth hormone, but these are much less effective than real recombinant human growth hormone (rHGH). True (rHGH) injectable hgh- human growth hormone injection is dispensed only with a prescription and can only be taken by sub-cutaneous or intramuscular injection. There are other alternative Injectable HGH products. There is the sub-lingual spray version which is taken under the tongue. The other alternative comes in tablet form. These methods however are certainly not as effective as the injectable HGH – human growth hormone form,
Typical Injectable HGH promotion verbiage
Technically, the verbiage above is accurate, but what does it mean to you? Since the potential adverse side-effects of injectable HGH are just recently coming into the light and the long term effects are not fully known, should you take it; do you need it, despite the risks? Comparing all forms of HGH therapy with injectable HGH is like using a match to start a fire or would you prefer to use a stick of dynamite?
A true Secretagogue does NOT CONTAIN HGH, it gets your own body to produce it and secrete it naturally. More specifically, Secretagogues are: Amino Acids that stimulate the endocrine system to increase hormonal secretions.
Specific glands use specific combinations of amino acids to trigger hormonal secretions.The process of “nutrient stacking” involves providing the right nutrients .. in the proper combination .. at the right time to achieve optimum desired results, without prescriptions or injections. L-arginine, Glycine, L-Ornithine, L-glutamine, and L-lysineare the amino acids to stack.
Exercise helps to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce HGH. Exercise also produces free radicals. Use of a Secretagogue should include exercise, a healthy diet, vitamin and mineral supplementation and antioxidant protection, ideally from isotonic capable solutions. The word “supplement” means to supply that which is lacking. Whether you are a Christian or not, science recognizes that we are made from the basic structures found in soil. We are made of dirt. Our life comes from the soil and should be replenished by the soil by way of the food we consume. Make no mistake, the soil from which we grow our food in 1935 was shown to be 50% deficient in vital vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The lack of these can lead to premature aging, sickness, disease and even premature death. This is what supplements should mean to you.
So if you want to slow the process of aging you could drink 1,000 bottles of wine per day or get isotonic capable Resveratrol from me. You could light a match and start a fire with other forms of HGH, spend $1,000 + on injectable HGH and light a stick of dynamite or you can get Ultra Prime Secretagogue from me, and help your body to do what it is designed to do naturally.
If you are serious about anti-aging; if you would like specific information on RESVERATROL and SECRETOGOGUE, leave a message and I’ll get the information to you.
If you cannot turn back the clock, what if you could slow it down…
Received this in an Email – Source unknown (amended & editied)
TAX EM’
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he’s fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Til’ he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers,
Then tax him more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid.
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
‘Taxes drove me to my doom…’
And When I’m gone,
Do not relax,
It’s time to apply
The inheritance tax.
So taxes cover, hover and loom,
Taxes from the womb to tomb.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog LicenseTax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Privilege Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
So cial Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Use Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids .
Previously on this blog, there was a series running called, ‘Dirty Little Secrets.’
It began to to take on a life all its own and was constantly being expanded. So I moved it to its new recently. I hope you will take a look. It is in chapter format for who knows, maybe a book?
I have loved miniatures of all kinds since I was a child. A friend sent this video link recently to me in an email. This is a real miniature train and is in Germany. It will take about five minutes to play, but it is COOLNESS! Enjoy.
Every word in the sentence above is pretty clear or so I thought. Let us examine the word “American.” This is important, especially in light of another ‘American’ ‘car’ company expected to file for bankruptcy on Monday 6/1/09. By the way, why are they referred to as American Car Companies, since they make more than just cars?
But, I drive an American car. Well, actually it’s called an SUV (sport utility vehicle). But, it’s an ‘American Car’ and I drive it.
Other related words and phrases to this post are: America, an American, and Made in America. In this country we have laws involving ‘truth in advertising,’ so let’s just investigate what the word America means and where the car I drive in America is made.
To begin, where does the word America come from? What’s it origin and meaning?
In 1507, German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere ”America” after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci. The former British colonies first used the country’s modern name in the Declaration of Independence, which was the “unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America” adopted by the “Representatives of the united States of America” on July 4, 1776. The current name was finalized on November 15, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first of which states, “The Stile of this Confederacy shall be ‘The United States of America.” In the last line of our U.S. Constitution we read:
“…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States ofAmerica.”
Last line of the Preamble to The United States Constitution
Clearly, America can include South America and areas above Antarctica; Central America and North America which also includes, Canada and other areas below the Arctic Circle. This is a pretty good size land mass to say that I am an American, to market “an American Revolution,” to claim ‘Made in America’ or that I drive an American car.
Now to be accurate, the American car I drive never stated that it was ‘Made in America,’ but somewhere along the lines of truth in advertising stuff, for something to have actually been ‘made’ in a specific country or place, it became a matter of percentages. I would venture a guess that it must be around 50% based on the information to follow. So where is the car (SUV), which is part of ‘An American Revolution’ that I drive, actually made?
When you go to a car dealer (those that sell cars, trucks, SUV’s etc), and you look at new vehicles, stuck to one of the side rear windows is found what is called a ‘sticker’ which provides information and pricing about the vehicle. Here’s what it looks like –
In the image above, the Company and the model have been marked out in redand the ‘Parts Content Information’ has been circled in red.
In the ‘Parts Content Information’ section we find information about where the vehicle was made. The next image sums up this information.
If you noticed above, 50 + 39 = 89 so, 11% of the parts and where they are made are not accounted for, given, added in or part of the total. As a matter of fact, the sticker didn’t even display a total. I suppose, the vehicle company can technically claim, it is ‘Made in America’ (though they never actually use the words), and that it is part of ‘An American Revolution,’ since 50% of the parts were made in the United States which is part of America. And the assembly of this vehicle in Mexico is part of Central America which is part of America, so by golly, I do drive a car (SUV), made or mostly made in America. I’m still not sure where the missing 11% or the 39% of ‘unknown origin’ comes from or was made. But what’s a ‘made’ anyway? If I make a widget in Detroit, MI U.S.A I am making something right? If you live in Canada and put several widgets together, aren’t you making something too? If someone else takes all these combined and made widgets and assembles them somewhere in America (Mexico), aren’t they making something as well? And wouldn’t it then be made or mostly made, in America?
Please find the common denominators in the following:
Lie Little White Lie
Truth in Advertising At least 50% Truth
Made Mostly or Nearly Made
America The United States of America
Car Companies Vehicle Companies
True Mostly True
What if words had meaning? What if words spoken or written meant what they said and said what they meant?
Today’s the day that GM is supposed to file for bankruptcy? This post was written on 5/30/09 so I have not heard the latest, but from yesterday’s post, NOW you know what I drive. HHR stands for ‘Heritage High Top.’ In days gone by, the times of prohibition, FED agents would stand on the runners and hold one arm around their weapons and the other around the rack to just hold on while the vehicle was in motion. Now I don’t do that and I don’t have gunners. Now in case you are thinking that I’m giving someone an idea, forget it. #1 that would be illegal and with my HHR, it would be impractical for many reason. But this has nothing to do with my ‘ride’ or this post.
Now some may want to refer to my HHR to mean H.is R.oyal H.igness, but I’m not royalty and you can just think of it as H.is H.andsome R.ide. Are there better rides out there? I’m sure, but she works for me and my needs. “She,” well of course, many men think of their cars and vehicles as a ‘her’ or a ‘she.’ I call mine Martha, so named after the wife of the Father of our country (which would make her the Mother of our country), Martha Washington.
Anyway, Martha is a very special vehicle. She is a time traveler of sorts. Back to the Future folk had theirs; Dr. Who has his telephone booth and I have Martha. She can travel back in time and then come back to the present, but she can’t travel to the future, so don’t ask. She does not know what the future has in store, nor do I. We can guess, but that’s all. So if you want to go for a ride, strap in and let’s go! And we’re off!
Martha, please take us back to the times of Henry Ford.
WOW, no cars; no roads to drive on if there were and no place to get gas or to repair stuff. Most people lived close to where they worked and why would they want a car anyway? Henry must have been thought of as nuts, but now we know he had a vision.
Moving forward some years we find these car things really started to take off. Pretty much the auto-makers in the entire world were all located someplace in Michigan. People had pretty good jobs too. They took pride in their work; they worked hard and their companies awarded them for new ideas and for helping to save money. The companies took care of their people too. They bought all kinds of stuff in bulk like food and even houses and passed the savings on to their partners, the automobile workers.
After WWII, I like Ike Eisenhower started an Interstate highway system, primarily for the military in times of crisis. Planes could be landed and troop convoys could be deployed. It wouldn’t be long until many civilians would head out on the highway and all kinds of adventures. New industries exploded. Cars in the fifties were still quality-driven and quality made, but soon the prices would be affordable by many.
Take us to the the 60’s Martha, please.
Gas was abundant and cheap. I remember gas wars in the 60’s for around 23 cents a gallon. People got excited about speed and races and racing. Some states did not even have speed limits and most were 70 miles per hour. Gas mileage was not a big deal as gas was cheap. We started to import cars from Europe and specifically, sports cars. Then, Chevrolet came out with the Corvette; Ford the Mustang and well, you know the rest. The ‘Big Three’ auto-makers (Chrysler-Dodge, GM & Ford), in the U.S.A., delivered to WE the people, our own country made, quality driven and quality manufactured sports cars. We exported. It wasn’t long before most of the vehicles (quality vehicles), found anywhere in the world were made in the U.S.A.
Since I brought up Chevrolet, my background being born and raised in Missouri was familiar with this brand. We had a cousin that had a Chevy dealership. My grandparents owned Chevy cars and trucks as did my family. Chevy’s and Ford’s were considered the common vehicles for commoners and middle class U.S.A. When I met and married my wife Susan, she was born and raised in Rochester, NY where we live now. Her car background and that of her family is, similar to mine. She and her family were Chevy people. So this is the other reason for my HHR. Another BIG reason, the driver’s seat is comfortable to my back when driving, similar and cheaper than having a Volvo.
With the car and oil industries exploding, there were new associative businesses on the rise as well. Service stations, fast food restaurants and franchising, music, motels and almost an endless list of companies and stuff grew out of the car industry and the fast; mobile, United States of America. Profits were incredible for the companies and stock in them, were valuable, stable and reliable. Then it happened! Someone came up with the idea of ‘built in obsolescence,’ ‘new and improved’ and the selling of the ‘feel’ and the ‘smell’ of a new car. Some even tried to imitate the smell of a new car and giving her (or him if you prefer) -
“some putty and paint, to make her (he), what she (he),aint.”
It took us WE the people a long time to accept plastic, especially in our cars and part of this could have been due to Japan. Few wanted to buy much from Japan after the war and in the 60’s because even though their stuff was cheap, it was cheap too. Soon, things changed over here. Oh, after we bombed Japan and wrecked their country and defeated them, the United States rebuilt them as well. Change is one thing, but drastic change is another and it was coming and coming fast.
Japan could not make steel like we did here, for cars. No problem, when the steel industry started to diminish cuz’ lots more plastic was being used, one of our chief exports for many years was scrap metal. Where did it come from? It came from junkyards full of cars WE got rid of for the new one in our fast becoming, throw-away society.
Martha, please now take us to the Japanese expansion in this country.
I twice owned Mazda pickups and not because I did not first want to buy something from our country. Everything on the Mazda I needed and wanted was standard and was either an option or not even available on our country made stuff. Shoot, by this time, even the engines for both the small Ford trucks and the ‘Chevy Luv’ were being built by some other country. By the way, my first Mazda ‘cab plus’ was purchased in Maryland and in that state, at the time, even a rear bumper was optional. I had never heard of such a scary thing. It was standard on the Mazda. Toyota was for years here, the maker of the most maintenance free vehicles driven on the road in this country. Japan was kicking our ass and the media was touting how great they were and so good to their people. They learned it from the Big Three. And they were providing what people wanted, cheap but good. Unheard of and the Big Three could have done the same thing, but there were other issues too.
Martha, let’s cruise through the 80′s & 90′s.
In this country, for perhaps the first time two giants were emerging and neither made anything. Wal-Mart and Microsoft were kicking every body’s asses. One charged a lot for a piece of plastic worth maybe 20 cents and the other was getting what we wanted cheaper than anyone else and they were getting it made in other countries. By the time the Big Three figured all this out, the other countries were here making their stuff for WE the people.
OK Martha, lets go back to the present.
Man what a trip!
Driving around in the present and thinking about all we saw in the past, we tried a little experiment. We counted vehicles on the road and found about half were so-called ‘foreign made’ and the others were names synonymous with the U.S.A.
In the past we saw the rise and fall of the unions. We saw let’s do global and it’s a global economy. While the Big Three were trying to compete and have their stuff made cheaper someplace else, other ‘foreign made’ companies were building their products right here in the U.S.A. , paying a good wage and taking care of their employees without the added costs of unions. On top of that, these so-called ‘foreign made’ companies do not have the extra burden of huge pension funds like the Big Three. So there is not much of a way the Big Three could compete.
We were told that the Big Three were too big to fail. Now supposedly, Chrysler-Dodge had 6% of all new sales and GM around 8%. I guess Ford is holding their own, but there is a huge percentage of new sales not accounted for. GM was sort of doing OK as they had/have lots of used vehicles which people do want. We saw in the past and see now, greed, corruption and government interference. With Chrysler filing for bankruptcy and cleared, in the end we will have Fiat (Italy), the UAW, Canada and the United States owning, running and controlling what will emerge. I suppose GM will do something similar.
So many problems and so many varaibles, but here is one cause, no one is talking about. WE the people carry some of the responsibility for all of this. We wanted cheap, good and cheap, we couldn’t wait, we wanted new and improved, we wanted change, we elected and keep electing the same type of people that keep doing this and keep it going. If we sat down and calmly talk or briefly scared wolves, pigs, foxes, and snakes, just as soon as possible, the wolves will still attack the sheep, pigs will still wallow in the mire, the foxes will still raid the hen house and the snakes will still bite the hands that feed them. To some degree, this is all of WE, but we can change, IF we want to.
Until if and when that ever happens, the view from my American car is still the view from a car, where ever it is made. If we don’t like the road we’re traveling, we need to drive somewhere else. If we don’t like the car were driving, then WE should get something else. If WE don’t like what we’re getting, perhaps WE should look to what we’ve been giving.
Henry, I apologise. You had a vision and many thought you were nuts. Today many are cloudy and what would that make us?
“Where there is no vision, the people wander aimlessly…”
Proverbs 29:18 a
If WE have no vision, perhaps WE can return to what works and that would be an environment that influences vision!
Johnny Carson American television host and comedian, known as the host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years (1962-92), died At 6:50 AM PST on January 23, 2005, Carson died at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
“People will pay more to be entertained than educated.”
Johnny Carson
Ed McMahon is best remembered as the spoke person’s voice in selling everything from soup to nuts and as the sidekick for Johnny Carson on NBC Television’s Tonight Show. Ed McMahon died at the age of 86 in Los Angeles, California, Tuesday June 23, 2009.
Prophetic words in light of the most recent events –
“It’s going to be a traumatic time for everyone, there’s no doubt about that.”
Ed McMahon
Farrah Fawcett the 1970s “It Girl” who was known for her cascading golden hair and bombshell body. A winsome smile, tousled hair and unfettered sensuality were Farrah Fawcett’s trademarks as a sex symbol and 1970s TV star in ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ Fawcett, 62, died Thursday morning at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA
Her own Epitaph –
“I’ve loved and I’ve been loved. I’m happy. I’m ready.”
Farrah Fawcett
Michael Jackson, artist, singer, entertainer, and the King of Pop, was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Facility in Los Angeles, CA, June 25th, 2009. He was 50.
“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.”
Michael Jackson
Doc Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Doc. is still tooting his horn!
“Everyone was close friends,”
Doc Severinsen
Heavenly Tonight Show –
“On tonight’s program, Farrah Fawcett and musical guest, Michael Jackson.
Live video feed from earth with Doc. Severinsen’s Orchestra.
This is Part (1) in a three part series: Today: ‘The Bridge to the Mansion on the Hill‘
Sometimes bridges can take you home and sometimes they can take you back.
There was once a father, grandfather and friend to many of what his wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many all called her ‘kidlits’ (little kids). He often had something to say about passing over the bridge that spanned a little creek, which usually had just a little water running through it. The driver would call out to the passengers and say, “there’s a lilwawa’ (little water), down there.” Then the truck or car, sped up the gravel road to the mansion on the hill.
By every standard, the mansion was just an old four room drafty little house. For a long time it sat near the office of a noisy and dusty brickyard. It was built for the night watchman, but later, two new occupants lived there for many years, before there was running water and the outhouse outback, would come inside.
Through much feminine protest, the house was moved farther away from the clay silt and clatter of kilns, machines and men. Requirements were an indoor bathroom with a tub, inside plumbing, a garage and a place to do laundry with a wringer washer and clothesline for drying, whenever the outside weather was undesirable. It was still years later before an electric heater was installed in the bathroom, with just enough warmth to take the chill off.
There was a front door and especially the back door where many people and often strangers came for help, for money, for food and to be fed. Old wooden floors with rugs spread about, made it cheery, but it was still drafty. A cracked gray linoleum floor lay in the kitchen.
The kitchen was the focal point, central and warmest room in the house in many, many ways. It was in the kitchen where there was always the smell of fresh coffee perking on the stove or many and ample scents of food went wafting through the air. Children played with pots and pans or colored at the table. During a time when discrimination still persisted, coloreds or blacks sat at this same table and ate and partook of sweet fellowship.
The house sat out in the middle of nowhere, out of town, out of city limits, out of mind, unseen and unknown, but still, so many found their way here.
The occupants were sixty-five years of age before they moved from here. When first married in their youth, they lived with relatives for one month then in this house until, the day their first and only house was built. The new house was a grand house and built exactly as they desired, but nothing could compare to the old brickyard mansion on the hill.
The occupants are long gone. The house long ago has been torn down. The old rickety, clinking, clanking; one lane wooden bridge that led one here, remains only in memory.
This memory bridge led many to a lot of love and goodness and strength and honor, and caring, and compassion, and sharing. It was a mansion of heart that sat upon the hill and can never be torn down. Bridges so built ever remain. Sometimes bridges can take you home and sometimes they can take you back. The good things; the really important things, and all the truly great things of life are always, just over the bridge.
P.S. The story is true. The occupants of the old brickyard house on the hill, were our grandparents.
Note: Have you ever lost something and it was found by someone else? Such is the case of the story you just read. It was recently sent to me in an email from my brother Richard who also photographed the images of the bridge seen in the story. When I read the story, I remembered writing the words, but not when, the context they were written in or where I filed the story. It may have been sent out as a group email a couple of years ago? I searched my files and records to no avail. I am grateful to my brother for sending this along with the pictures. I reworked the story, edited his comments and added in his picture which has been resized.
D
“Dahni,
This was a meaningful connection and awakened my past memories, ones we both share. When I get time I will pass along to Carol Lee (our younger sister), as well. I took the photos in March of this year (2009,) and as you can see, there was more than a lilwawa’ running under it.”
This is part (2) in a three part series. Today; ‘My Hero.’
Everyone needs a hero.
Have you ever had a hero or if you’re not so politically correct and your hero is a she, have you ever had a heroine?
One definition of a hero (as an all inclusive noun), would be a [person] “of distinguished courage or ability, admired for [their] brave deeds and noble qualities.”
We frequently think of heroes as those individuals which often in time of crisis, respond to the need of others with incredible courage. Many times this response is against incredible odds and often with great risks to their own lives. We personally know or have heard of fire fighters rescuing a child, some adult or even a beloved pet from the very open jaws of a burning death. We have heard of many a drowning averted. We have heard of soldiers, police officers and others standing in front of others as a shield against speeding bullets or other projectiles. The lists, the stories and the names could fill many books.
We know or we know of many people like this, but heroes can also be those that have encouraged or inspired others. Perhaps a hero has completely changed your life by something as simple as, something they said to you, something you heard or something you heard about? Maybe your hero is the pattern for your life? Maybe because of your hero, you have become or are striving to become, your absolute best?
Heroes come in many shapes and sizes, colors, races, ages, male and female. They come from every place on the face of the earth; every corner, up the street and down the street; right next door and sometimes, even someone in your own family.
Most heroes never set out to become anyone’s hero. They just step up and do what is the most natural thing in their minds to do, at the precise, exact and right moment. Most heroes don’t even believe they are a hero. Instead, they just believe they did what was needed and they do whatever is needed at the moment. Most do not believe they have done nor do anything more or anything less than that. Most certainly do not think their actions are to be considered extraordinary. Most heroes don’t even know they are a hero.
If you have a hero, is your hero someone you personally know? Maybe you have never even told them what they have done for you or what they mean to your life?
Each of us is, or we are becoming, whatever we are. For me, I write a lot. As a writer, one would think I am sensitive to things around me and to others. I have always tried to remember the smallest things ever given to me or done for me by others, and to tell them so. I think I write better than I am able to speak the words in person. All our grandparents in our family have left the world. Our mother and our father are no longer with us. I have written something in their memory for each of them. I would like to think those words were true and had meaning, but more importantly that they were NOT words never spoken or written to them, while they were still alive. But there are two others which yet live, that may not know how much they mean to me. One is my hero and the other you will read about tomorrow, is my first best friend. But today, my Hero.
My hero is my brother.
My brother was always older than I in many ways, in years and in growing up; maturity. When I was young, I always admired my ‘older’ brother. He was very athletic and an early on, extremely hard worker. He worked and bought a lot of the things he wanted and needed. He had great taste in clothes and I wanted to be like him. It was easy for me to inappropriately borrow his ‘stuff,’ but I never could fill out his clothes like he did, I never looked as good in his clothes as he did and I always got in trouble for taking his stuff.
My brother was popular with both men and the ladies. I wanted to be like him. I even started to watch him sneak out of the house late at night and followed him. Our mom often caught him coming back through the basement window, but for some reason, I don’t think she ever caught him, if I was with him. It was weird too because, he was always so quiet and I was clumsy and noisy. I think he tolerated me coming along, because he knew he wouldn’t get caught if I was with him. These are just some early seeds sown into my life through my brother, but they are not the fruits which have grown from the tree called, my brother is my hero.
My brother went to college and did not complete his education. He went to work and often it was hard work, thankless work and work so far below his potential. He married and was betrayed and it nearly broke his heart, but he kept going. He married again and raised two daughters. It took him a long time in caring for a family and working full time, driving maybe 3o minutes one way and back, but he went back to school and got his degree, graduating magna cum laude (Latin – “with the highest honors”).
My brother; my hero is retired now from a job he never loved; from work where he was never appreciated nor respected, and passed over, for an incompetent fool that became his boss and the same man my brother trained with the bonds of friendship.
My brother; my hero worked hard and provided for his family. He saved his money and bought a house and made it a home. His family grew. He saved his money, bought a bigger house and made it a better home. My brother; my hero stayed in our hometown for most of his life. It was only in the last couple of years that he and his wife moved to another state, but it was only after both his daughters were grown and able to stand on their own.
While I was off and out in the world and looking for me (some think I still am), my brother; my hero was there when our grandparents died; our mother and our father. My brother; my hero never reached some great pinnacle of fame, glory, riches and honor, but he is the essence of what makes all those things possible for others.
The past is a memory. Tomorrow we may not have. Today, right now and this very moment, is all the time that anyone of us possesses.
This is Part (3) in a three part series. Today: My First Best Friend
Everyone needs a friend.
The stores and stories may be endless in the selling and the telling of friendship. The songs and poetry of friendship may be measureless in quantity. The books and bookshelves of all the past, the present and the future combined, may not contain the whole works of friendship and of friends. The definitions of what friendship is and what a friend is may be without number.
It has been said that if you or I live our entire lives with only just one true friend, even for just a little while, our lives have been truly blessed!
Have you ever had a friend? Do you have a friend?
Some friends come and go for whatever reason; for whatever reasons. Some friends stay for the whole of our lives. Some have 100’s and thousands of friends listed on Facebook or some other on line; Internet, social network. Some have 100’s of thousands and millions of followers on Twitter.com. I have not faired as well. But I have had more than one friend; I have more than one friend and perhaps even just one friend, is more than I should have ever had?
It is easy to make friends when one has something that others want or need. Sometimes when we are empty and spent, we sometimes lose those friends. When the weather is fair, they may be there, but when the storms rage within us and around us, our fair-weather friends may not be found.
Some friends are formed and friendships are bound by common goals and common interests. Sometimes there is no logical explanation for a friendship to anyone. It just is!
Sometimes friendships are broken over time and distance. Sometimes they are severed by an unkind word or deed. Sometimes the friendship is lost over opinion, disagreement or irreconcilable differences, perceived or rightly believed. Some view and hold to friends that do not see or hold them as their friends.
It could be said that there is little in life to compare to the heart healing of a friend made, than the heart hurting over a friend lost. I have found friends, been found by friends and I have lost friends over something I have said and that I have done, intentional or not.
Friends come in many shapes and sizes, colors, races, ages, male and female. They come from every place on the face of the earth; every corner, up the street and down the street; right next door and sometimes, even someone in your own family.
We frequently think of friends as those individuals which often in time of crisis, respond to our need, deserved or not. Many times this response is against incredible odds and often with great risks to their own lives. Often they take the heat in defending us and draw the contempt of us by others, to themselves. Some friends rarely say a word, but are just there, to be with us. Some friends cry when we cry, laugh when we laugh, even over stupid things and are there to hear us; to hold us and to dry our tears. Some friends are our greatest fans and rejoice with us over the smallest of matters. The lists, the stories and the names of friends could fill books, perhaps without number.
We know or we know of many people like this, but friends can also be those that have encouraged or inspired us. Perhaps a friend has completely changed your life by something as simple as, something they said to you, something you heard or something you heard about? Maybe your friend is the pattern for your life? Maybe because of your friend, you have become or are striving to become, your absolute best?
Most friends never set out to become anyone’s friend. They often just suddenly appear in our lives, at the precise moment when they are needed the most. Most friends may not even know they are our friends, only that we are their friends.
In the least common denominator, there must be at least two for there to be a friendship and some type of exchange between them, for them to be friends.
I have been truly more than blessed to have had friends and to have friends.
I had two best friends in the first grade, but we were separated, probably, by our school, to avert potential trouble that we three may have caused. We were separated from the 2nd grade on.
I had a best friend in high school, but we have long been parted over beliefs. To me a friend is like a family member. You may not have chosen them, but once family or a friend, it is for always.
I had a friendship briefly in 1975-76 that to me was, like that of David and Jonathan in the Bible. We have long been estranged by most likely, my own lack of judgment and inability to live up to my potential. I had to go away and we simple lost touch.
My mother and I were best friends for many years, before her passing, now some twenty years ago.
I have friends I rarely see, but we communicate somehow; someway and as often as possible.
I have friends I love dearly, but they may rarely if ever, even think of me.
I have friends I communicate with as often as I can, but the seldom ever contact me.
I am married to my best friend.
As strange as this might sound to many, I even had a cat that was my friend. We started off barely tolerant of one another. Then we became nearly inseparable. She passed away almost two years ago.
All of these things written thus far I have been touched with and perhaps they reach you too, into your experience; into the depths of your being? Many of these elements describe the nature of friendship and define the quality of a friend. I am confident that there is much more than I have experienced, could even imagine or perhaps will never comprehend. But to me, a friend and a friendship may not even be possible to fully understand. To me, it may not even be what they have done or what they do. A friend is just a friend. A friendship is just a friendship. It just exists often because of and more often, in spite of anything we may have done or that we may ever do. Once a friend to me, you are always my friend.
I am a visual learner. Perhaps part of this may be due to the fact that I was born and raised in Missouri, the ‘Show Me State.’ Perhaps I am like a Missouri mule, slow to ‘get it,’ but I’d like to think that eventually, I get it.
Am I some expert on friendship? All that I know of friendship and of friends, I have learned by the examples of others.
I would never have been able to conceive of a friendship with God, had it not been for the relationship I once shared, with my first, best friend. This friendship set the example, for all I have come to know and experience of friendship. Yes, this was set in motion, by what I saw, heard, felt and came to experience through the relationship shared, with my very first, best friend.
Like one’s first love, or a mother with her child, it seems impossible to me to ever forget, one’s first, best friend!
My sister is my First,BestFriend!
The past is a memory. Tomorrow we may not have. Today, right now and this very moment, is all the time that anyone of us possesses.
“The more I think about Michael, and talk about Michael, the more I think that ‘King of Pop’ is not good enough. I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”
Berry Gordy, Motown Records founder, who signed The Jackson 5 in 1968.
From his Eulogy at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service Jul 7, 2009
Without belittling Mr. Gordy with the right to his opinion (“I think”) and with due respect to Michael Jackson, the phrase “greatest entertainer to have ever lived,” have no quantitative meaning. There is however, an entertainer which can be measured and is truly, the “greatest entertainer to have ever lived.”
But how does one go about in determining such recognition? Is it by sheer numbers of people entertained? Would it be by the talents and the abilities of the entertainer? Or would this be established by the popularity of the entertainer calculated by their financial success to the world? These answers are found and understood by first defining the terms. By not excluding any specific type of entertainment or entertainer, the use of the word “entertainer” logically includes them all. But how do you measure this unspecified “greatest” with all entertainers “to have ever lived?”
Three words apply here, entertainment, entertain and entertainer, what do these words mean?
Entertainment – (noun)
1. the act of entertaining; agreeable occupation for the mind; diversion; amusement:
2. something affording pleasure, diversion, or amusement, esp. a performance of some kind.
3. hospitable provision for the needs and wants of guests.
4. a divertingly adventurous, comic, or picaresque novel.
Obsolete. maintenance in service.
Entertain – (verb used with object)
1. to hold the attention of pleasantly or agreeably; divert; amuse
2. to have as a guest; provide food, lodging, etc., for; show hospitality to
3. to admit into the mind; consider: He never entertained such ideas.
4. to hold in the mind; harbor; cherish: They secretly entertained thoughts of a secret birthday party.
Archaic. to maintain or keep up.
Obsolete. to give admittance or reception to; receive
–verb (used without object)
7. to exercise hospitality; entertain company; provide entertainment for guests: They loved to talk, dance, and entertain.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME entertenen to hold mutually < MF entretenir ≪ VL *intertenēre, equiv. to L inter- inter- + tenēre to hold
Entertainer – (noun)
1. a singer, comedian, dancer, reciter, or the like, esp. a professional one.
2. a person who entertains; host: She was one of the capital’s great entertainers.
Entertainment is an activity designed to give people a diversion from the normal activities of life or as aide to alleviate stress. It is usually an activity enjoyed in one’s free time. An audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching some performance, a play or movie etc., or actively as in games. An Entertainer would then be a person that entertains. All entertainers would be similarly defined. But what is the measurement to determine, “the greatest entertainer that ever lived?”
It cannot be quantified solely on financial success, for what if audiences were entertained without cost? The benchmark cannot rest upon the quantity of numbers of people entertained, for what if numbers were intentionally not reported for security reasons alone? What if it were impossible to measure either the effects or the beneficiaries of those effects from such entertainment?
The final outcome must be a balance of years and verifiable acclamation. There is such an entertainer that can be accurately claimed to be, “the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”
Born in England, at the age of 3, he moved with his family to the US.
‘‘[He] It (his works), represents what a lot of us love about this country, this country of immigrants. This man came from England and came to represent the quintessential American.”
Samuel Brylawski curator of
‘The ??? ???? Gallery of American Entertainment’
at the Library of Congress
For nearly six decades, along with his troupe affectionately referred to as his, “band of Hollywood gypsies,” he traveled the globe to entertain. It began in May, 1941 at March Field, California, as a radio show for airmen stationed there.
During the remainder of WWII, with only two exceptions, all of his shows were performed from military bases and installations throughout the United States, in Europe and the South Pacific. His first trip into the combat area was in 1943 when he and his troupe entertained troops in Africa, England, Ireland and Sicily and years later, the South Pacific. In 1948 at the request of the Secretary of the Air Force, he began in Germany what would become a Christmas tradition, entertaining the troops, somewhere in the world. In 1990 military personnel benefited from his goodwill tour in England, Russia, and Germany and in the theater of “Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia. 1994-95 marked the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII, a return to his native country of England and personal appearances.
In May of 1997 a new class of Navy ships had one bearing his name was christened, and in June of the same year and new US Air Force plane was named in his honor. This plane transported the U.S. pilots a downed plane in China, and returned them safely to Hawaii. In 2000, he officially opened the ??? ???? Gallery of American Entertainment, named in his honor. In 2001, he received the ‘Order of Horatio Gates Gold Medal,’ “for life-long contributions toward maintaining the high morale of soldiers around the world.” In 2002, The Los Angles National Cemetery was renamed in his honor.
This entertainer received over 50 degrees from many of the most prestigious schools, colleges and universities in the United States of America and one from the University of South Vietnam. These include multiple degrees as:
Doctor of Human Letters, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Law, Doctor of Fine Arts, Doctor of Humanities, Legum Doctoris Degree, Doctor of Humane Service, Doctor of Internal Relations Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, Doctor of Public Service Degree, Doctor of Performing Arts Degree, Doctor of Oratorical Science Degree, Master of Survival Degree, Doctor of Philanthropy, Doctor of Aviation Management, Doctor of Public Service among many other honorary degrees.
Just to perform for others, he sometimes risked his own safety. Once he arrived in hostile territory, two days before the U.S. Marines liberated the area. Once, his hotel was blown up ten minutes before his arrival, apparently, just for his work in, “keeping up morale.” As recently as 1990, he was still performing on makeshift sand-box stages, a very common set for most of his performances.
He has received many awards and accolades.
One such award was The ‘Sylvanus Thayer Award.’ “The Thayer Award, established in honor of Col. Sylvanus Thayer, ‘Father of the Military Academy,’ is presented to an outstanding citizen whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify the Military Academy motto, “Duty, Honor, Country.”
“When the time for recognition of service to the nation in wartime comes to be considered (this man), should be high on the list. This man drives himself and is driven. It is impossible to see how he can do so much, can cover so much ground, can work so hard, and can be so effective. He works month after month at a pace that would kill most people”
John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath,’
while serving as a war correspondent in 1943
He was called by the media as, “America’s No. 1 Soldier in Greasepaint.” To the GIs, he was “G.I. Bob” and their clown hero.
He was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
As he entered his ninth decade he was given an 80th birthday party in 1983 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., attended by President Ronald Reagan. In 1985, he was presented with the Life Achievement Award at the Kennedy Center Honors. He was presented with the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award in 1997 by Nancy Reagan.
This is not a measurement of the quality of performance, voice, dance or any such attribute of entertainment. This is not a measurement of his personal life, family life or his relationships with others. This is not a measurement of album, CD sales, movie sales, rentals or viewings or any such commercial success. This is not a measurement of the numbers of those entertained over the course of his life. Greatness here is not bestowed by mere opinion, but by simple criteria that is verifiable and undisputed. The facts are that there is no other entertainer in recorded history or the present that have entertained others for as many years or who has been so often honored.
Bob Hope, is the greatest entertainer to have ever lived.
“When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things – not the great occasions – that in retrospect give off the greatest glow of happiness.”
Bob Hope
Critics have attacked or questioned or questioned his personal life, his dealings with others. His brand of humor was usually not at the expense of others, but was self-deprecating. He was often accused of being “hawkish” on war. But if he were “hawkish” on anything, it was for those which serve this country, in military uniforms and with their lives. His unwavering commitment to the morale of America’s servicemen and women is entertainment history, world history and many say “legendary.”
There is no way to accurately count the numbers of people he has entertained for free or the effects of his aide in raising, sustaining and maintaining the morale of soldiers during every war since WWII and throughout his life of 100 years. To those he entertained, sometimes fearful, sometimes hopeless and often ‘homesick,’ he gave a reason to hope, to smile and to continue. To those brave men and women who offered and gave their lives for liberty and freedom, Bob Hope gave his all for them. And for so doing, He was honored by the United States Congress five times.
In 1997, his greatest tribute came in October of that year when by unanimous passage by both houses of Congress, ‘Resolution 75.’ made him the first individual so honored in the history of the United States, as an Honorary Veteran.
He was feted in the US Capitol Rotunda by members of congress, military personnel and veterans. The following day, he, his family and friends were guests in the oval office for the signing of the resolution by President William Jefferson Clinton. Upon receipt of this award he said:
“I’ve been given many awards in my lifetime — but to be numbered among the men and women I admire most — is the greatest honor I have ever received.”
The numbers of those he entertained cannot be counted. The effects of raising; sustaining and maintaining morale cannot be numbered. The beneficiaries of those effects through the preservation of liberty and freedom, throughout the world, are impossible to measure.
Bob Hope holds two records in the Guinness book of World Records. One such record is for, the “Most honored entertainer,” (over 2,000 awards and honors). It is not opinion or that which I or anyone thinks, but as to years of entertaining and most honored entertainer –
Bob Hope was the greatest entertainer to have ever lived!
Do you Love Candy, but are concerned about your health? Do you need to watch your sugar intake – Need to loose weight?
Perhaps healthy teeth and gums is your thing or you are worried about cholesterol levels? Maybe you just like magic or miracles? What if there was a brand new candy which could do all of this? There is good news – No, There is GREAT NEWS!!!!
Does this look familiar to you…
Well, what if there was a secret to having all the candy you want and what if you never needed to be concerned about your health? This secret I am about to reveal to you is so simple you will think it is magic or a miracle. Here’s all you need to do – just simply flip the package over…
…and Presto-Change-O, you have some brand new candy! Enjoy!
Now many people may not like or appreciate the sport of football, but in the United States, we are well into the ‘season.’ And so I thought some parallels of ‘Life as Football’ would be apropos.
We each have a finite number of ‘seasons’ – spring, summer, fall and winter to play our best in this life, just as there are four quarters to play in the game of football. When the game is over and our lives are complete, it’s over! There may be ‘instant replays’ recorded, but there are no repeats or do-overs.
Each of us have the potential for greatness; to be become ‘stars,’ and to shine as the best of the best through our individual and unique talents. But often the measure of this potential and greatness comes to light and is demonstrated in the concerted and collective efforts of many, as in the concept of a team in football.
Individuals in life, just as in football may become MVP’s (most valuable players), as a running back which scores the most touchdowns or the quarterback which throws them. These may receive the most glory; the greatest accolades; fame and fortune, but what are they; what are we, without the help of others? How does that running back score without the carefully executed pass from the quarterback? How does the quarterback deliver these expert passes without the blocking and protection of others and others to catch those passes?
Often in life as in football, there are injuries, hurts, pains and other circumstances which take players and persons out of the game; out of the pursuit for excellence. The game or the challenge does not end there. Though no unique person can ever be replaced, they must be replaced for the end – the goal is greater than the individual. The whole is the sum of its individual parts, but the whole must endure and must fulfill its chosen destination, with or without its individual parts.
Life, just as in football is made up of many obstacles and challenges. Sometimes these are in nature and sometimes they are other people who block our way and would tackle us and prevent us, from reaching our destination. It is at this point where the help of others which share the same goals as us, become absolutely necessary for these goals to be realized!
Just as in football, there are rules in life to follow and there are penalties and consequences when we do not.
There are four downs or limited chances to move closer to the goal. The only way to move closer towards the goal is, to move towards the goal. If you cannot run through, over, around or under the challenge in the allotted time, sometimes you throw the opportunity away, with the hope that the opportunity will be pulled again, ‘out of the air.’ If nothing seems to work, you kick the opportunity away so as to not just make it more difficult for others to seize the opportunity, but with hope again, that you will recover the opportunity.
Each person and each player must have discipline, belief in themselves; their abilities, their coaches and leaders and others on the team or those working to the same ends, along side of them. Each player and each person must have the commitment to endure the many obstacles and challenges and their own physical and mental limitations. This push beyond what is believed to be possible is not possible without hope – hope to see the end before the end is realized and without love – love for self; for others, love of the game or the pursuit of excellence and love from others.
This love from others is seen on the sidelines, in the box seats and the ‘nosebleed’ cheap seats of fans, friends and family in the stadiums of our lives. The collective roar of the enthusiastic crowd draws the individual best from within each person or player. It draws it up. And it draws it out!
There is an unbreakable bond between those that love and those that are loved. There is energy; incredible energy in the stadiums and the stadiums of our lives. This energy is transferred from those that love to those that are loved and it continues to circle in this way, for the duration of the game or until the end – that ‘goal post’ at the finish of every life.
Players and persons come with high expectations to excel – to give their individual and collective best. Fans, friends and family come expecting to receive excellence. There is no one in the game of life – player, coach, leader, staff, family, friend or fan which is not transformed by the pursuit of excellence or the game of football.
There is transference as when one or others together accomplish something great or a team wins, all win in one way or another. A team may not win; a goal may not be realized, but all will be transformed, even if it is just for a time. The memories may fade and the players and persons all pass away, but the essence endures and will be picked up as football, to run with, kick or pass to others tomorrow.
In a sketch by comedian and actor Andy Griffin entitled ‘What It Is, Is Football,’ he humorously summed up the sport as follows:
“The goal of football seems to be, to run from one end of this cow pasture to the other, without either getting knocked down or stepping in something.”
To those that believe or think that football is just a game and not life, this is only true according to how it is played. We could for the entirety of our lives, just play with life and never live. Or, for four quarters or the finite seasons of our lives, we could individually and together give our all. For that single moment or for those times, we truly ‘LIVE!’
Just as no individual or player is most important, neither is the coach or the leader in the game of football or life. Each of the individual parts makes up the whole. Each part has his or her job, position or purpose to fulfill. But how important is the leader or the coach; what is their job?
Vince Lombardi was named “Coach of the Century” by ESPN. He is remembered for his dedication and infectious enthusiasm. He took a losing team and molded them to think and act as one champion. When there were no other challenges to meet and overcome, the Super Bowl unofficially became the next mark of Vince Lombardi on football and on life.
“The history of the Super Bowl starts with two things: the merging of the American Football League with National Football League, and a bouncy rubber ball.
The NFL - AFL World Championship Game was created as a piece of the merger agreement between the NFL and the AFL in 1966. During the negotiations between the NFL and the AFL, Kansas City Chief owner, Lamar Hunt, thought of the name “Super Bowl” for the Championship game, after observing his daughter playing with her toy Super Ball.
The first Championship took place in 1967. With the official title being quite a mouth full, the fans as well as the media took to the short, unofficial name, Super Bowl. In 1969, the name, “Super Bowl” became official.”
With Vince Lombardi as their coach, The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls convincingly!
“Winning is not everything, but the effort to win is!”
“Excellence must be pursued – it must be wooed with all of one’s might and every effort that we have. Each day there is a new encounter. Each week there is a new challenge. In all of the display and in all of the noise and all of the glamour and all of the color and all of the excitement and all of the rings and all of the money, these are the things that only linger in the memory. But the spirit – the will to excel; the will to win, these are the things that endure.”
“There comes a point in your life when you realize:
Who matters, Who never did, Who won’t anymore…
And who always will. So, don’t worry about people from your past,
there’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future.”
-unknown-
“In the end what matters most is…
how well did you live
how well did you love
how well did you learn to let go.”
I am a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, grandparent, great grandparent, godfather, godmother, uncle, aunt, cousin, lover, friend.
I am someone’s child.
I am a poet, writer, artist, musician, songwriter, composer, singer.
I am a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, a minister, a business person, a student, a learner, a dreamer, a visionary, an inventor, a leader, a worker, a planner, a thinker a do-er.
I am one of WE the people.
I am a human being.
I am breathing, therefore I am.
What we are or to that for which we aspire is what we do. How often do we breathe?
Once upon a time, not so long ago in a land not so far away, a founder of a country and a president understood and said…
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time
with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
Thomas Jefferson
Today, this same tree – still rooted, trunk-ed, limbed, branched, and twigged grows, for it is alive. But parasites also, live off its life.
Its leaves once green and teeming with life are now green with envy, selfishness and greed.
It’s fruit once abundant, flourishing and more than enough to provide for its future, are now the fruits of lust for power and for control.
Ignorant and blind, WE once the People rise no more to challenge or to care. OUR throats are throttled by – ‘me, myself and I.’ And WE are led by the nose as some beast or pushed along by cattle prod.
When WEno more serve one another, the little wee of us remaining, are shackled slaves to self and to each other. And at our backs…
…the whips of masters.
Once the tree was founded upon the rights to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Now it is as if, the tree had fallen by feller’s ax, cut and pulped to paper, and are now shelved books – forgotten, unread, unsung and unknown.
And if this tree becomes no more even a whisper in the night of obscurity or a dead ember in the memory, it will still grow albeit changed, until there is no more life in it, for…
The word freedom in this country or anyplace in the world means nothing, unless one is at liberty to enjoy that freedom. Without liberty, any freedoms are merely matters of privilege or some form of payment. If freedoms are by privilege or payment, they can also be denied or refused by the powers that be which granted them. These are not freedoms as there is no liberty to enjoy them.
I have a friend, a Chinese friend that has been a citizen of the United States for many years. He came to this country for opportunities and he is quite successful here. What really shocked me was that some day, his goal is to return to China to live. Now why would he want to do that? He was born in a communist country that does not afford the liberty, enjoyed in our country. If he or anyone coming to this country had it so great, why did he or does anyone come here in the first place? The only answers are privilege and payments of some kind made to afford them. If my friend returns to China, either his former status or his new success would afford him the privilege or by payments he would be able to enjoy some measure of freedom in China. What is given may be taken.
What makes the United States of America unique in all of the world? There are only three things:
1. As a people with one voice, it was unanimously declared that all people have god-given; inalienable rights to independence, not just from England in 1776, but independence from all powers foreign and domestic and for all time. This declaration was in written form in 1776.
2. By June 21st, 1788 nine of the first original 13 states ratified our written constitution. By December 15th, 1791 the first 10 amendments, the ‘Bill of Rights,’ became the law of “WE the People.” Our willingness to declare independence and put it into writing and our constitution also, put into written form, are two of three things that make us stand out among all the nations of the world.
Every man woman and child desires liberty. All people think about it, dream about it; many pray for it and most talk about it, but we had it written into the law of the land!
But what about the third reason which makes us shine out as a beacon to all other nations? How is this liberty to continue and how are these rights and freedoms protected?
3. The answer was written over 200 years ago. It is seen in the first three words of our constitution, “WE the People.” Not only is this the last ingredient to this cake of liberty so to speak, it is also what makes it work or bakes it into a cake, for all to enjoy.
Today, as it was when this part of the world was first colonized, it was then and it is now, made up of people who have come here from different countries, cultures, backgrounds, beliefs and even different races. WE are fifty United States, not fifty separate states with each one for a separate race, color or belief and so forth. What makes this country truly great is nothing short of our willingness to make of one nation out of many and that all work together for the same end and that is for LIBERTY! If we are not at liberty, then our freedoms mean nothing to most of us, only to the privileged or those able to pay for them.
So if this country and this liberty are dependent upon “WE the People,” being united, what can divide us?
While the very words of the Declaration of Independence were being penned and even before the ink dried on our original constitution, forces were at work to divide and conquer. Segregate and separate the ‘haves from the have-nots,’ into the ‘me’s, myself’s, and I’s; you, they and them and there is no more a WE, but separated peoples of singular interests, divided. But still, no matter what, this liberty was penned over 200 years ago – end of story.
Civil rights were not settled in this country by Dr. Martin Luther King and yes, even President Lyndon Baines Johnson. They were not settled when President Abraham Lincoln signed the ‘Emancipation Proclamation.’ Regardless of whether this person or that person considered this person or that person a person or property, at any time in world history, does not negate the truth. The race issue was settled and put into writing in, the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Constitution of the United States of America in 1788 and the ‘Bill of Rights’ in 1791. The race is over and WE won!
Today we have iPods and iPhones and all kinds of things marketed to the individual - me, myself and I. We have multiple languages, multiple faiths or non-faiths, celebrations of world holidays, black history month, this and that and all of this, under the divisive disguise of not wanting to offend anyone or leave anyone out. This is political correctness and it is promoted by politics. Politics by the very nature of a two-party system, purported to give us a choice, only divides us. This is all unnecessary, as liberty and justice for all, was already decided and penned over 200 years ago.
“WE the People,” are on a slippery slope and have been since 1861 and specifically since 1873, when the United States of America became, The United States, Inc. Yes, a legal corporation, set up in the District of Columbia. This is unconstitutional law, passed by an illegitimate congress. It’s like living inside the movie called the ‘Matrix’. It just looks like WE live in the United States of America and all the state names remain (basically) unchanged. But WEare not living in the country written of in our founding documents. Physically we are, but not politically. What does the geography matter if there is not liberty?
Look to the one place in the entire world where people seek to come to more than any other place. Despite the opportunity to prosper here or to destroy, why people come here? What was so often the very first thing many of our forefathers first saw when they got of the boat in New York harbor? Did they see the statue of freedom? No, it was and remains the desire of all for LIBERTY! Freedom means nothing without liberty.
If what I have written here is true, then my challenge to everyone is to find out. Prove it to yourself or refute this. I would love to stand corrected if I am wrong. But if I am right, it is not a matter of getting a new party into the government or electing all new people. It’s not about starting a new party. It’s not about court challenges or a military takeover. And it is certainly not about you or me. It’s all about “WE the People,” -legally throwing out this corrupt corporation and demanding that Our money and Our power to be returned to us, and Our rights and Our liberty upheld by our founding documents, WHICH WERE WRITTEN for that purpose!
This restoration could be accomplished in 1 to 2 years on a state level. It must be done by property owners by affidavit, demanding that their new governor be legally ‘seated’ as, the governor (regardless of political party) of -
‘The CommonWealthState of…
(name of your state)
Those exact words are important and must be used!
The legally seated governors, can each legally seat their two U.S. Senators (regardless of political party). A majority of the U.S. Senators can legally seat the president of the United States (regardless of political party). At that exact moment, the U.S., Inc. becomes null and void and must vacate the government, pay us back all the money due us (plus interest) and our system of government returns to pre 1861. I’ll not get into all the ramifications of this at this time, but think about what we had and did not have before 1861, good and bad.
I urge you to read and write and speak about ‘The Liberty Pen in 2010.’ Visit the other blogs (i.e. The American Eagle Service) listed here for more information. Visit our annual New Year Pages at:
Get involved. Send me an email. Post a comment. Subscribe to my blogs. Tweet me on Twitter. Get in my Face on Facebook. Tell a friend or anyone that loves liberty. There is nothing we cando as long as, we are divided. There is nothing WE cannotdo together, if “WE the People,” are united!
WE could order whatever WE want. If they don’t deliver it or if the service is lousy, WE don’t have to pay for it. If they’re late, WE don’t have to pay for it. If it’s crap, not only do WEnot have to pay for it, they’ve lost the chance to serve US. And I’m not sure about you, but I usually try another service and it doesn’t take 4 years.
With the recent earthquake of 8.8 in Chile, the country has been declared a disaster. Many People would like to help. I designed the following image which could appear on many different products from hats, T- shirts, hoodies, mugs, postcards, posters, children and toddler apparel and even shirts for the pets. Buy something cool for you or others and help the people of Chile. For every purchase made, donations will be made to the American Red Cross for the people of Chile. Be a Chile Pepper Upper!
Let me know if you are interested in any product using this design
Most of us love others. Many of us love to love others, give to others and help others. The United States in particular, we are among the most charitable (in dollars, resources and time) people on planet earth.
Many Christians, many non-Christians and many non-religious people are familiar with and have used the following concept in writing and speaking:
“Love your neighbor”
Sometime this is followed by the rest of the verse from which it comes.
“…Love your neighbor as yourself.”
From the Bible: Book of Matthew 19:19b
Those quoting part of this verse, seldom see the words “as yourself,” or understand the logic. The love extended to our neighbors hinges upon the love we have for ourselves.
There are other ways, to communicate this truth.
We cannot teach more than we know.
We cannot lead others any further than we have been led.
We cannot communicate or articulate in words (written or spoken), what is we do not understand.
We can not give away something we do not have (unless it is borrowed and we pay interest on what we give away.) Can you imagine applying for a Love Loan at your local bank :)
This is the reason why this stuff has to be FREE – freely given and freely received. No one can afford it otherwise and especially not the compounded interest.
If we want to communicate the measles, we must first have some good cases of the measles ourselves.
And as far as helping others…
If you are interested in a full size print of this image let me know
You are alone and walking along some darkened alley. Perhaps you are a little nervous, but it is after all, in the daytime. All of a sudden; out of the shadows a stranger approaches. The phantom-like figure is wearing a black hat, a black trench coat and dark sunglasses.
He speaks.
“Wanna buy a watch?”
You do not want to be rude and hurt his feelings, but you just cannot keep from laughing.
“Well of course not,” you answer, “It’s 2010; I have a cell phone.”
You move on, but you cannot help but feel sorry for the guy. He did have a lot of watches. The black market must not be too profitable.
Later in the day, you find yourself again, walking down a dark alley. You’re still not afraid as it is a beautiful and nicely warm day. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice some shadowy movement, coming towards you. You’re a little startled, but continue walking forward. Suddenly, a phantom-like figure wearing a black hat, a black trench coat and dark sunglasses, steps in front of you.
He speaks.
“Wanna buy some pot?”
You do not want to be rude and hurt his feelings, but you just cannot keep from laughing.
“Well of course not,” you answer, “its 2010; I’m from New York; Marijuana is legal and I have a license to grow it.”
Note: Believe it or not, my state governor is considering legalizing medical marijuana to raise revenue for our huge state deficit crisis.
You move on, but you cannot help, but feel sorry for the guy. He did have a lot of pot. The black market must not be too profitable.
A few minutes later, you come upon a large public park. It is crowded with people. Everyone seems to be standing around and in line for something.
In the center of the park stands a phantom-like figure wearing a black hat, a black trench coat and dark sunglasses. You work you way through the crowd and occasionally have to assure some that you are merely taking a walk and not trying to cut-in-line.
After several minutes, you draw close to the dark stranger and within earshot.
He speaks.
“Wanna buy some health insurance? I can get you insured cheaper than the government. If you don’t want or need insurance, I can get you a certificate that proves you have some.”
“Well of course I do,” you answer, “its 2010; I have to have it!”
You do not want to be rude and hurt anyone’s feelings, so you go to the end of the line and wait your turn. You cannot help, but feel sorry for yourself. He did have a lot of insurance to sell and it seemed like no end of customers . The black market must be really profitable. You’re not laughing anymore.
Shortly after the United States House of Representatives passed the Senate Health Care bill on Sunday March 21st, 2010 and after the president signed it into law and the vice president said it was a “Big f—ing deal,” I received an email.
The email was an invitation of sorts, to join a new political party. It was called the ‘Pissed off Party,’ the P.O.P or POP for short.
This party seemed to have only one objective or a single agenda. Regardless of party affiliation, members of the P.O.P. are encouraged to vote out all incumbents in the next election.
Now this idea might appear to have some merit. I thought about this for a bit and initially focused on the words, “pissed off.” These words are indicative of the emotional state of being very, very much angry. Unchecked anger could lead to violence, as recent reports of threats upon certain members of Congress and a particular member whose office had a brick thrown through the window, implies. Perhaps a better name for the P.O.P. would be the Punch out Party?
But the stated purpose of the P.O.P. is to vote out all incumbents. Would not a better name be instead, the Push out Party?
I am not an advocate of violence. There must be a better way to respond to situations and even people that influence frustration and discontent among others. So after much thought on these matters, it was decided to call the P.O.P., the People only Party.
The P.O.P’s only agenda is to affect positive political change. Merely voting out one person of one party for another person of another party is not good enough.
So, the candidate for any office – local, state or national must be qualified. The qualification process must be simplified and verified.
First, all candidates must successfully answer (1) true or false question and choose the correct response from (1) multiple choice question.
True or False Question
The government of, for and by the People is not WE the People, but Me the People? T or F
(please circle either T or F above)
Please Note: A monkey has a 50-50 chance of getting the right answer. But monkeys are not eligible to apply.
Multiple Choice Question
You have 3 apples, owe 10 apples to pay for those 3 apples and 20 other people want apples. What do you do?
Borrow more apples?
Fix the books to show that you have paid off all debt, given away 20 apples and have a surplus of apples?
Print more pictures of Apples?
Cut costs, pay off debts and only give apples if you have them?
Replace apples with oranges and call them apples?
Keep three apples for yourself?
Produce an apple budget based on apples that don’t exist or don’t exist yet?
Sell the 3 apples you have?
Loan the 3 apples?
Trade the 3 apples for oranges?
(please circle the number from 1-10 of your answer above)
Please Note: A monkey has a 10% chance of selecting the correct answer. But monkeys are not eligible to apply.
All candidates regardless of any party affiliation, education, socio-economic status, race, color, creed or sex must clearly demonstrate:
Prior to consideration, all candidates must have a complete ‘physical,’ psychological profile and psychiatric evaluation. It must be paid in advance by the candidate and the candidate must submit their paid receipts. Their attending physician must in writing state,“that thinking is good and healthy for this candidate.”
They can speak, read, write and understand English.
They cannot physically or otherwise, be able to speak out of both sides of their mouth.
They understand what is, is.
Must understand when the cameras are rolling and the microphone is on, while in public.
Must understand that public life is like living in a fishbowl, especially in this age of technology and nearly instantaneous information. If candidate does not want the public to know what they do in private, then it is highly recommended that they do not engage in private, with what they do not want God or their Mom to know about.
From the smallest child to the smartest mind, everyone can understand what you say and that, what you say, is what you mean.
All candidates must understand and demonstrate that an alien or an immigrant that is not a citizen in this country is an illegal alien, an illegal immigrant or someone approved to be here for only a specific period of time. Identification and verification is a perfectly legitimate request of such an individual to prove and have verified.
Regardless of educational background, all candidates must be able to prove that they are common people with common sense.
Any legislation proposed must be read, must be able to be read and must be able to be understood by anyone of, for and by whom it is proposed.
All candidates graduating from any institute of higher (lesser) learning with a major in political science are not eligible.
All candidates must know, understand and have verified that they understand the difference between: agreements and deals; compromises and bribes; truth and spin (that spin is a lie); service and being served; rights and privileges; responsibilities and welfare and that there aint’ nothing in life for FREE!
All candidates must enter into service (if chosen) and exit their limited term of service, richer for the experience in having served apples and not richer from being served apples.
All candidates must have proven and verified experience in working with apples.
No candidate that has ever served in politics in any capacity on the local, state or national level is eligible.
Note: The success of this pilot program with common sense; common people, has an equal if not a greater chance of succeeding, than using the current system of candidates that are highly educated ignoramuses or useful idiots.
P.O.P.
The People only Party
And now a word from our Sponsor – Murphy’s Mortuary, makers of ‘Fab Slabs’
‘Monuments and Markers for the Moment You Meet Your Maker!’
“In the monument and marker business,” said Bill Murphy, C.E.O of Murphy’ Mortuary, “there’s a bit of folklore people need to understand.”
“In cemeteries and parks, statues of soldiers on horses are often found. Some believe there is some type of secret code which tells of how the rider met their demise. For lack of a better description, call this, the ‘Hoof Code.’ The ‘Hoof Code’ may be mostly true in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and perhaps other areas depicting the Civil War period. But except for a few exceptions, the ‘Hoof Code’ is mostly not true or merely a folktale. Here is how the story unfolds.”
If the rider is on a horse with both front feet raised in the air, the rider died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg hoof raised, the rider has died from wounds sustained in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the rider died of natural causes.
If all four legs of the horse are suspended in air, you need glasses, new glasses, to stop drinking or to stop taking drugs (perhaps all of those).
If there is no horse and only a statue of a person, it is most likely a politician with both hands in your pocket and both feet (hooves) in their mouth. They have died from unnatural causes.
When the moment matters most, meet yor’ maker with a ‘Fab Slab,’ rather than merely saying, “I was here.” Yall’ come see us, just not too soon!
You may not know this and my wife Susan may never say a word, but I thought everyone should know about this. Susan is retiring this year as a music teacher, after 30 years.
Since the early 80′s, Rochester, NY has held an annual All-City Concert to showcase the talents of instrumental and vocal musicians.
On Saturday March 27, this event was held at East High School. Over 300 musicians participated in a packed audience; standing room only and people were in the outside hall, waiting to get in or to hear.
Over 1,000 people attended (maybe 1,000′s) and they gave the entire event, a standing ovation.
The City School Director of the Arts, called out Susan, mentioned her retirement, presented her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers (French – bouquet de fleurs) and thanked her for thirty years of faithful and exceptional service to the education of our youth, to which the audience whole-heartedly applauded.
If you think the numbers recognizing her contributions was large or small, it cannot compare to the impact she has made on the lives of so many. In 30 years, Susan has easily taught over 10,000 students of many ages and probably much more. Susan took her love for music and placed a little bit of herself and her love into the lives of so many.
Susan truly did “like” and has tried in 30+ years, like a line from a song,
“…to teach the world to sing.”
I am; WE the People that love you, are so proud of you Susan!
And WE thank you for enriching and touching and loving our lives! WE are the music and the flowers in the bouquet of your life!
Susan taught for 30+ years for -
“She loved the teacher’s task, in eyes that opened and minds that asked!”
WE need not be so divided. WE are not a nation of black, white, red, brown, olive and all the colors of the rainbow. WE are not a nation of him or her, us and them. WE are not the red states and blue states. WE are not the two-party system of the elephant or the donkey, the dumb ass or the jackass.
No, WE are mutts.
WE may not be too smart, but neither are WE just plain dumb. OUR nose might be too big for OUR face and it might even be crooked. OUR ears might be two different colors, just like OUR eyes. Nothing may match. WE are a little bit of this and a little bit of that. WE may not be too pretty, but WE aint’ ugly either. WE are not perfect and it may sometimes seem like WE are more trouble than WE are worth. WE may not be any big deal, but WE are a faithful friend.
If you don’t want to talk to someone, call them a racist. If you don’t want to answer an honest question, call the other person a racist. If you cannot or will not honestly debate something, call the other person or party a racist. But if anyone does not or will not agree with you, then by all means and especially under those circumstances, call them a racist! Then you can become a part of the promoting of racism.
The government is the promoter of racism.
A few among the many are truly brazen examples of racism.
The media are the reporters and carriers of racism.
Are you a racist? Am I? Are WE the People? How about the government that is supposedly of, for and byUS, WE the People? Well then explain to me WHY the hell the 2010 census wanted to know what my race is or yours?
Congress, Media and all others - shut up with all this racist crap and spend your time to eliminate race from OUR government. All are “created equal” remember?
WE the People have the government not that WE deserve, but the one WE allow!
WE the People are just a few days away from celebrating OUR Independence. I want to send out these greetings that everyone has a great fourth of July!
I am actually writing this and sending it to my blog by way of email, which is either a brand neither feature at Word Press or it’s new to me. So this is my test-run.
If you did not already know, I have written a book. Actually it is one of three in progress. But one is finished. I am just waiting on the editors (I have 5) and some formatting issues soon to be resolved. Yes, you read it correctly, I have five editors. One is the mayor of my city in Rochester, NY, one is a senator from my state of New York, and another is a county Supreme Court judge for the county of Monroe where I live. I guess you could say I have the branches of government spectrum covered. Their contributions from an executive, a legislator and from a judicial point of view are important as the book spans government, politics, history and fiction, ‘legal fiction’ to be precise.
My other final 2 editors are a dear friend and my wife. Janet, actually has the only original draft copy in print. Bless her heart it was sized for easier editing and is double-spaced, large type and even though printed on both sides of the paper, it is still way over a ream of paper. (250 sheets = a ream). My wife Susan is the final editor. Believe it or not she emails me revisions chapter by chapter. Sometimes I watch her send them to me. Yes, we are OK. Yes we are still speaking to each other and yes, we are in the same home and often, even the same room.
Between Janet and Susan, they are the spelling, grammar and does that make sense, does it read well editors.
Originally, I wanted to release this book appropriately, on the fourth of July. But this is not going to happen. Right now it looks like August or early September. It definitely needs to be released and read by everyone in OUR country before the November elections. No I’m not bragging, it’s just that important!
The name of the book is PURPLE HAZE“An UN-alien’s guide to finding OUR Republic” Book 1: Concealed & Revealed.
Book 1? Yes there will be a second book and in fact a third book is in progress concurrently, but it is a book of fiction based on:
PURPLE HAZE“An UN-alien’s guide to finding OUR Republic”
Book 1: Concealed & Revealed. COMING SOON
PURPLE HAZE“An UN-alien’s guide to finding OUR Republic”
Book 2: Detect & Correct. FUTURE
The book of fiction is called” An American Eagle “When Imagination becomes real”
Please check it out. I just today, recently updated this. Yes, I did all the work and in fact, I am doing most of the work in publishing and bringing this to print. Now I’m not blowing my horn about this, these are just the facts. The facts are, this is my first non-fiction book and I’m sure you realize how difficult it is for new authors and unknown authors to initially get published. Since I am not Bill Clinton that recently received the highest advance ever in the publishing industry, for 12 million dollars, I have to use other methods besides my name, credentials or financial resources. I could use your help and there will be more about this in a later post and/or web updates.
But let me say that just because my resources are limited and my name is virtually unknown, if you knew me, you know I will not release anything to the public that is less than the best and that includes quality of materials, professionalism, but most importantly – the CONTENT!
If you have ever wondered or thought something is not quite right in OUR country, The United States of America, PURPLE HAZEis a must read for several reasons:
1. It answers these questions and much more
2. You will see some amazing stuff WE were never taught in school about this country
3. It reads like fiction so you just might enjoy reading it
4. It has the solution to restoring OUR Republic and do you know what that means? It means:
…But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. —
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. — I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. — Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.
If you are have ever thought that there is something seriously wrong in this country, but could not quite put your finger on what ‘it’ is, you are in for at least (4) surprises!
For one thing, many people have felt or feel this way. You are not alone. For another surprise, there is an answer as to exactly what ‘it’ is and when ‘it’ started. Third on the list is that there is actually something that WE the People can do about ‘it.’ And finally, it is really simple (not easy) but simple and it will not take a lot of OUR time.
What is an UN-alien? Well if you are are a citizen of the United States of America, you are an UN-alien.
According to the Declaration of Independence in 1776, WE the People are endowed with -
“…certain unalienable rights that among these are
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
excerpt from the Declaration of Independence 1776
I had previously written a book called PURPLE HAZE “An UN-alien’s guide to finding OUR Republic” Book 1: Concealed & Revealed. I have been published many times before, but this is my first book. As a new or first-time author, I NEED your help in publishing this work. EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTRY should read this book!
This is not just me saying this. Once you read it, you will agree with that statement.
Well, it was unpublished. It has been, re-edited, re-titled, has new cover art and is almost ready. Plans are for digital or eBook available by December of 2011. Print, hard copy with full cover dust cover maybe by January 2012. Audio in the works. The new name is RESET ”An UN-alien’s Guide to Reset Our Republic” - Concealed & Revealed.Here is a sample of the cover:
You are personally invited to find out more information. Please check out:
Since AOL (America Online) first introduced it and the 1998 movie with the same name popularized it, “You’ve Got Mail,” became the motto, for how we communicate today.
While technology has evolved, apparently, common courtesy has not.
Most e-mail servers now offer SPAM filtering. This can be automatic or often manual choices we can make as to what we do not want in our primary IN box. But just like junk mail deposited into the regular mail boxes of our homes and businesses, we still have to delete it. Spam like junk mail usually outnumbers the regular mail we receive. The difference between the two is primarily that we receive more spam than junk mail, it comes everyday instead of 5 or six days a week, it can come 24 hours a day and even though there is no paper to throw out, spam still takes up a lot of our time to sort through, before it is deleted.
Then of course, spam is not subject to the same rules as regular mail. A lot of spam, if sent through the regular mail would either be subject to the commission of some felon or it would at least have to be sent in a plain brown wrapper, to protect children and to let you know it is some form of adult content.
Even though we have e-mail notifiers on our computers, cell phones and other communication devices and even though we have spam filters, technology has not been able to completely meet our needs. If we are not going to take care of our own, then technology must take care of us.
Even though spam does not distinguish much of anything or anyone, it is all pretty much just unsolicited, un-asked for or unappreciated junk we do not want, need or think we deserve. But I will say this, spam senders are able to find us, whom they may have never met and may never know, when those we do know or send mail to, apparently cannot locate us or have not heard from us.
Spam needs to be filtered either automatically or manually by us and we preferably would rather it be done automatically. How should our mail be filtered?
Well, first of all, there is the MAILBox. This is the stuff we receive from those we know, would like to get to know or it was sent to us by the recommendations of those we know or want to know.
Next is the SPAM Box. This is all the unsolicited, un-asked for and unappreciated stuff that shows up daily and often much, much more than our regular mailbox receives. This we either wait for about 30 days until it is automatically deleted by our mail servers or we must delete it manually. After all, the email server is not human and does not know us personally. It does not know what spam we might want or not want. It might have even accidentally marked the mail as spam that really isn’t.
Being curios, we have a tendency to open the spam, just to see what it is. But spam needs to be separated into other categories to help us sort through it all.
We need a CRAP Box. Crap contains all the stuff no one wants. If you are a male and not interested in females, you probably are not interested in female sexual enhancement products and services. If you are female and are not interested in males, you are probably not interested in male enhancement products and services. So, the crap filter must contain ‘crap’ that is not oriented towards our sex, personality, race, color, religious beliefs or lack thereof and etc. For example, crap in an atheist’s mail box would be anything about God. The crap box would also contain crap that has nothing to do with our particular culture, lifestyle, economic status and all the other stuff in our personal biographical information settings. The crap box also contains all the get-rich-quick schemes, messages from some person pretending to be a someone in need of help or a representative of some deceased person that left a boat-load of cash and our help is needed in getting the money, promising us a hefty fee in return.
We also need an IGNORE Box. This would be a handy little feature that can both ‘receive’ and ‘send.’ On the ‘receive’ side, this allows us to know that the mail we sent to someone was or is being ignored. If the mail we sent is or is not opened after a certain amount of time, we receive this automatic message which basically means that we are being ignored. These automatic messages could be carefully constructed so as to offer some logical reason (excuses) as to why we were ignored. These could read like the following:
The recipient’s mailbox is full
(only used if re-send is requested/suggested)
The recipient cannot respond to every message
(The recipient is too cool, too important and too busy to respond to you personally and who are you anyway?? Generally, this automatic message is the only one you will receive from the recipient, so you know you have been ignored, only in an automatic, impersonal, and fictional-courteous way.)
The recipient’s server crashed
(only used if re-send is requested/suggested)
The recipient’s computer is malfunctioning
(only used if re-send is requested/suggested)
The recipient’s is away from e-mail access, out of town, out of country, on some deserted island, in a cave, on another planet, is dead and/or could not be reached.Even though their mail was forwarded, they do not want you to know that. Please note: There is no possibility of knowing if or when these circumstances might change. This is very useful since it does not inspire confidence that you should try and re-send your mail at a later date, because you will probably be ignored then as well. This feature also protects the sender in not directly telling us that we are being ignored, as if they were actually concerned with not wanting to hurt your feelings.
Of course, the ‘send’ function of the IGNORE Box has the same type of built-in automatic messages as the ‘receive’ side. This protects us in not having to reply to e-mail and without actually notifying the recipient that we are ignoring them.
Next, we need a FLAME BOX. This mail should be separated into two sections. One is personal flame and the other is impersonal flame. The first would be from those you know and the 2nd is from those you do not. The Flame Box or “flaming” as it is called, are messages coherent or usually incoherent which contain insulting and derogatory words. They are often full of expletives or just foul-language. These messages are demeaning and full of vitriol (poison, porn, hatred, pis and vinegar). They are designed to reduce you to tears or to something far less than vermin and lower than dirt. These could come from someone you know or from those you do not. The ‘Impersonal Flame Box’ would really be a useful feature for blogs and on-line social media sites where comments are allowed. The ‘Impersonal Flame Box’ usually contains messages from someone you do not know, but are somehow able to disguise their true identity and give fake e-mail addresses. For example, I received the following (edited) comment recently, on one of my blogs. It was purported to be from Henry Winkler, the same actor that made ‘Fonzie,’ or ‘The Fonz,’ a character from the television sitcom ‘Happy Days,’ a household word.
Even the mail server was legitimate – @happydays.com. But there is no such account as hwink or hwinks @happydays.com. But anyway, this is the sum and substance of the flaming comment I received.
“Holy F–k! You’re out of your f—ing mind. You must be living in the Matrix to actually believe this bullsh-t. Put down the moonshine and wait for your vision to straighten back out, then try typing.
Henry Winkler
hwinks@happydays.com
Question: Is ‘hwinks’ code for “hoodwinks,” i.e. deceive, mess with etc?
Now if this was really from Henry Winkler (the Fonz’) which it was NOT, or if made by an anonymous person that it was, what is the point to this flaming comment? There is none! If you lack the courage to give your real name or if you vehemently disagree with something I have written, why even bother leaving such a comment in the first place? Why not communicate an alternative? If I am insane, why would it matter to me that this message was sent? Why, because this is typical of a lot of communication among people today. Instead of agreeing to disagree, instead of actually having a ‘conversation,’ instead of actually caring or trying to help, the low road is to tear down anyone and fight anything that dares to disagree with you or your beliefs.
By the way, I have never had “moonshine” and I do not know how to “type.” I hunt and peck. I hunt for the letters and peck them out maybe 35 words a minute. So this person is not only NOT who they pretend to be, they do NOT know me and they certainly do NOT care about offering me anything helpful.
Finally, the last box we need is the RUDE Box.
Depending on the amount of mail you send, this could be the largest box of all the mail you receive. It works just like sending regular mail with a return receipt. After a certain period of time, you are notified that mail was delivered.
It did not come back as undeliverable or that the address was incorrect.
It is not returned as spam unless it was spam sent in the first place by you.
And it is not returned as crap that no one wants unless it was sent as crap by you.
It is not mail that was ignored, because you were not notified by some automatic responder that the recipient was away from their desk, out of the office, out of town, on vacation, out of the country, on some remote island, in a cave, on another planet, they are just too cool, too important, and too busy to respond to you and who are you anyway?
It is not mail suggesting that their email server crashed, their mail box was full, they have computer problems or that they are dead.
It does not contain information like Thanks, but no thanks, please do not write again, you are insane, go away or just die.
It does not contain flame like, I hate your guts, stop sucking air, go die etc.
No, the RUDE Box just informs us that the recipient lacks common courtesy.
If the ‘rude’ is from celebrities, famous, professional or very important people, then they lack professional courtesy.
The RUDE Box does not distinguish people. The RUDE Box could be from anyone – family, friends, associates, or really, anyone.
But the RUDE BOX has two very important functions: It lets you know that the albeit honest and courteous mail you sent, is being rejected, because the recipient desires to personally be rude to you, because you are unimportant to them.
The RUDE Box especially informs you that the recipient is just rude, lacking common courtesy.
We read about people everyday that ‘go-off-the deep-end,’ bonkers or just plain nuts. Although each of us are responsible for our own actions, often some people just ‘lose it’ over something so simple as the lack of common courtesy.
The other function of the RUDE Box can help build one’s self-esteem. Well, kind-of help in a twisted sort of way. If you do get invited to say, some party and you cannot drop names of important people you know, perhaps you can just drop names of important people that are rude to you. Personally, I have a nice little growing list . My rude list (incomplete) contains such notables as:
Oprah Winfrey – Rush Limbaugh – Bill O’Reiley – Sean Hannity
Gene Simmons (of KISS) – Jewel – David Letterman – Jay Leno
Karl Rove – Glen Beck – Elizabeth Taylor
Many other famous and important people (local, state, national and International)
Many other professional businesses and organizations (local, state, national and International)
My own mayor of Rochester, NY (but he is, after all, too busy running for Lt. Governor of New York) - Bob Lonsberry of WHAM1180 – Beth and Rick of WHAM 1180 – WHAM 1180 - My own state senator, Joe Robach – A neighbor that happens to be a judge - Family – Friends and Associates
Why would I want to mention these names? Do I drop these names to make me feel better? Is it because they hurt my feelings and I am a revengeful sob, looking for some pay-back? Maybe I mention these names so you don’t write to them and if you do and don’t get a response, you won’t have to feel like -
“You’ve Got Rude?”
Now I know these people have my e-mail address, home phone number and mailing address, as I receive something from many of them a lot. I have tried to respond to them, but usually the e-mail is returned as “Do Not Reply.” It really wasn’t from the person it was sent from or to whom I tried to reply. When I call the number left on my caller ID, the person that called me cannot be contacted. It is only a taped broadcast message after all. The phone is just a bank of phones where basically they are telling us, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” IF I reply by regular or snail-mail, there is seldom ever a response.
For crying out loud, these people have staff and resources the ordinary person does not. There are such things as automatic responders, rubber stamps with signatures, digital signatures and form letters which can all be edited to fit the person and the situation. Do I and should I or you expect a response – absolutely. I don’t care how many millions of people write to them everyday. There is a way to answer everyone. If you or they are not going to respond, then do not make it available to contact you in the first place.
But I can usually make contact with someone representing someone or something, if I buy something or contribute to something they are interested in. But reply to my communications? Not too often. I just get a lot of RUDE.
Does this all seem way too complicated? Apparently, so is common courtesy.
There are no excuses anywhere, anyplace, anytime or from anyone, that excuses one from common courtesy!
If you don’t hear from people in a short time, perhaps you are being ignored or they are just being rude. Here is a concept, try sending them this -
“Hi, I haven’t heard from you in awhile. How are you?”
But, if you are not known for the value and the contributions you make to society, perhaps you can measure the effectiveness of your life, by the volume of numbers of people that are rude to you.
Then again, these several special mailboxes and this blog post would not be necessary, if there were such a thing as common courtesy.
What if there was only one box – a mailbox?
What if we received new messages or replies from those we send messages to like–
“You’ve Got Mail!”
What if because of common courtesy, these messages do not contain spam, crap, ignore, flame or rude? What if we responded in a timely and courteous manner?
Here we have a calendar with a unique day, a unique month and a unique year. First of course is today – 10-10-10. Next and only occurring every 823 years we have a month with:
October 16th, 2010 WEST NEWTON, Mass. – President Barack Obama said Americans’ “fear and frustration” is to blame for an intense midterm election cycle that threatens to derail the Democratic agenda. “Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time is because we’re hardwired not to always think clearly when we’re scared,” Obama said Saturday evening in remarks at a small Democratic fundraiser Saturday evening. “And the country’s scared.”
Sometimes one can measure their importance by the measure of an insult and from whom the insult has come. Since I am part of the country that is supposedly ”scared” and unable to “think clearly,” I have just been insulted by a lawyer, a professor of Constitutional Law and the President of the United States.
Perhaps you did not know that the President said these things recently? If that is the case, we have the media to thank for that.
The President has been known to frequently blame the previous administration for our present problems and his inability to fix them. He has used such words as “inherited,” “mop up,” and “plug the hole,” to the problems he has acquired since entering office. And now he apparently has blamed us all.
Perhaps you agree with his assessment of our country? Perhaps you agree that we are not thinking clearly, are afraid and refuse to accept “facts and science and argument?”
Perhaps we are just mad as hell and we aren’t going to take it anymore?
Whatever you and I believe, we are all included in his explanation of our nation’s problems with the words – “And the country’s scared.”
Perhaps like you, I have always been intrigued by the Ruby Red Slippers made famous by Dorothy Gayle of Kansas in the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. And no, I don’t and never have worn women’s shoes!
I just think these are cool!
The movie, by the way, came out in 1939 when my mother was just sixteen years old. Just imagine seeing this for the very first time in warm sepia tones. Then all of sudden, it changes to full color when Dorothy walked out of her Kansas farmhouse into the Land of Oz!
I still think some of the costumes, special effects and the many elaborate and hand-painted backgrounds rival techniques used today, over 70 years later.
But what about, the Ruby Red Slippers?
As was customary for important props, a number of pairs were made for the film, though no one knows exactly how many. Five pairs are known to have survived. An original pair is on display at the Smithsonian Institution. Another was stolen, sometime on the morning/night of August 27 – 28, 2005. Michael Shaw’s original pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz was stolen from the Judy Garland Musuem in Grand Rapids, Minnesota [Judy Garland's hometown]. The shoes were insured by the museum for $1,000,000.00 Whew, and no actual rubies were used in their construction!
Specs of the original Ruby Slippers
To me, the symbolism of the Ruby Red Slippers, beyond their fashion statement, is whatever is ‘comfortable.’ What could be more comfortable than the words Dorothy Gayle uttered when trying to get back to Kansas, “There’s no place like home!”
Now I’m no girl, but the Ruby Red Slippers might be OK to walk around in, in the Land of Oz, but I don’t think they were too ‘comfortable’ to run in. If Dorothy was heading out to Oz today, surely her slippers would be upgrades to reflect our modern times.
I had an occasion recently, to see such a pair of Ruby Red Slipper upgrades. They were beautiful red patent leather with synthetic flexible soles. They were worn by our niece Laurie. Laurie could easily be a modern-day Dorothy, complete with Ruby Red Slipper upgrades and her band of 3 characters in tow. No, not the Scarecrow, The Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, but her three munchkin-like boys, Ian, Chase and Gavin.
Ruby Red Slipper upgrades (blue socks and gingham dress optional)
As for running in these Ruby Red Slipper upgrades, I’ll let Laurie tell you like it is.
“Remember these shoes? I still like them a lot. But they are not good for running full speed across an airport while pushing a stroller, pulling a suitcase, carrying a diaper bag, and stopping 2 or 3 times to pick up that &%^*# monkey that Guy [son Gavin] kept slinging overboard in order to make your flight because you forgot your wallet in your Grandma’s car in Walworth, NY and it is impossible to get it in time and therefore had to go through Special Security Clearance because your ID is in said wallet and you have exactly 1 minute to get on the plane because it is the last one leaving for JFK that will make it to your connecting flight [to Charlotte, NC] that evening.”
From a blog post by our niece, Laurie (Meech) Maddex
Did you make any New Year’s dissolutions this year? Excuse me, I meant resolutions not dissolutions or did I?
Did you, like many others, have just a wee bit too much of the midnight, the following midday or even an alcohol moment and have already forgotten them? You are not alone. Most of us at some time or another have participated in this phenomenal event. Why so phenomenal? This is partly due to the fact that so many regularly engage in this practice or ritual, at least once a year. There is nothing wrong with wanting more, to do more or to become more. There is nothing wrong with desiring to excel. It is in our nature to want to succeed. But combining the numbers of people so engaged, along with the few that ever realize these resolutions, that’s a phenomenon.
First off, if something is resolved or resolute or it’s a resolution, how could these ever become dissolved, dissolute or dissolutions?
I believe deep down, most of us know the answer, but leave it to psychology and psychologists to come to our rescue. And they study this, often with federal, state, and local grants (our money) to basically explain what we already know. If something is not working, it’s just not working right? Do we really need to know why it not working or should we just stop doing it?
Well psychology, has decided to call this a syndrome and stamp it with its own special name. Please do not misunderstand, psychologists at least have the legal right to counsel you while trying to figure out their own phobias and their own psyches. But when something gets a label from professionals, it kind of takes the responsibility off of us and places it upon the syndrome. Like a disease, it’s not our fault. But anyway, psychology calls our New Year’s dissolutions: ‘The False Hope Syndrome.’ *
According to psychological years of study and research, many people repeat this practice every year with often the exact same resolutions (dissolutions). Now why would anyone need to do that year after year if last year, they received what they were resolved to accomplish the previous New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day?
Some may think of this merely as a definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result. I’m sure I’m not insane and quite confident that most of us are not.
We want we want and we need what we need. There is nothing wrong with that. Hope is for something that we want or need, but is not presently available. There is nothing ‘false’ about that.
We are not sick or insane. We do not have false hopes. We are not foolish, stupid or weak! What then is the problem?
* As many as 90 percent of attempts at change fail, yet New Year’s resolvers are undeterred. In a 2002 report in the journal American Psychologist, University of Toronto researcher Janet Polivy and a colleague came up with a name for this “cycle of failure and renewed effort”: the False Hope syndrome.”
Others have suggested that before the end of the first quarter of a new year, most of our New Year’s resolutions have dissolved. Then our same lists become next year’s lists.
The answer is quite obvious. All we need is a way to get what we want and need. We need a map. Like gears, we need something that just works. We need a PLAN!
After all, a PLAN is how our homes and places where we live were built. So if you need a plan, I just might have what you are looking for. If not, isn’t it worth resolving to just find out what it is? Ask me.
Perhaps you have heard or read something familiar like –
“Winners never quit and quitters never win”
That is simply NOT an accurate statement. Do you think winners were born to win and quitters were born to lose? Nothing could be more further from the truth! So what is the truth? Both winners and quitters share one thing in common – habits. It is our habits that will determine whether we win or lose. There is no such thing as perfection among us fragile and less than perfect human beings, but perfection is something we should all strive for anyway.
If we are fragile and less than perfect, then by sheer logic we must get stronger and overall better. To simply do this, we must first become quitters in order to become winners. What?
Look, if there is something that we want or need, we don’t have it. Otherwise we wouldn’t want or need it right? Think of making a cake. You go into your pantry or check your stores or your inventory to see if you have all the necessary ingredients to make the cake. If we do not have what is wanted or needed, we have to quit thinking about making a cake and go get what we want or need to make one.
So something and quite possibly someone(s), stands in our way of getting what we want or need.
We may have to quit in order that we can win.
If you are a baker and you go into your stores or pantry to check your inventory and the shelves are all lined with pasta, what do you do? Quit stocking pasta!
We cannot just break a bad habit. We must replace each one with a good habit that will get us what we want or need.
The earth and the heavens are pretty amazing, full of wonder, hope and possibility. But we live in a negative world. It is filled with can’t-s or cannot-s instead of can-s, more often shouldn’t-s and don’t-s, more so than should-s and do-s. These are all habits. In order to change for something we want or need, we have to guit the stuff that keeps from the stuff we want and need.
Let’s go back to the bakery again to continue the analogy. Our inventory, stores, pantries and shelves can only hold so much. If we want to bake cake, we have to quit the pasta, get rid of it to make room for the cake stuff.
So make a list of your inventory. What do you or I have that –
Is not what we want or need
Keeps us from getting what we want or need
In order to win, we must quit. Make your own quit list. Here to follow is my partial list:
I Quit
I quit being negative
I quit hanging around negative people and that means friends, family or anyone that brings me down
I quit accepting friends on my Facebook account that don’t or won’t respond
Doing favors for anyone that won’t return a favor – why should I help anyone that won’t help themselves or me if I need help?
I quit returning calls if they don’t or won’t return mine
I quit sending e-mails to anyone that don’t or won’t respond
I quit writing letters to anyone that don’t or won’t respond.
I quit worrying about tomorrow
I quit worrying about what anyone thinks of me. If I think good about myself, perhaps others will and if not – I quit them too
I quit draining my brain on anything useless that does not get me what I want or need
I quit giving my money to companies of products and services that have no integrity, honesty, care about me or will not help me if I need it
I quit complaining about things I really cannot do anything about or change
I quit wasting my time and the time of others
I quit arguing
I quit being sedimentary, inactive and out of shape and out of breath
I quit smoking
I quit sugar or at least all but about 15 grams per day
I quit gaining weight or maintaining the one I don’t want (see #17)
I quit getting stressed out
I quit being unkind to anyone or anything
I quit saying an unkind word to anyone or anything
I quit thinking can’t, cannot, shouldn’t and wouldn’t
I quit talking and writing so much
I quit wondering why and even why not
I quit feeling sorry for myself and for anyone else
Now this is just my partial list and it is all in process. Sure, it may seem like a lot of work and appear impossible. It may cause me some pain and anguish, some blood, sweat and tears. It may seem overwhelming sometimes, but I quit looking at the list and quit one thing at a time. In the final outcome with all this quitting, I will have a whole lot more room for all the stuff I do want and need. Trust me what I want and need is more important than what I am quitting, for what I am getting.
You too can build a winner!
For those that enjoy football, the 45th annual Super Bowl is just days away. It is interesting and appropriate here that the Green Bay Packers will be in this game. Two teams, but just one winner will take home the Vince Lombardi Cup. Vince Lombardi was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers which won the very first and 2nd Super Bowl games ever played.
When I was child, I was taught that it is not “whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” Now that may sound nice and speak of good sportsmanship, but other than that it’s just like a football without air – lifeless and listless. What did Vince Lombardi have to say about winning?
“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing.”
Vince Lombardi
But winners and losers are not born, they are made – one habit at a time.
One must break bad habits one by one and replace them with good habits one by one.
Returning to my list, when I have quit all these things there is much more room for all the things I want and need. If you replace those habits with new ones, they will become the exact opposite of all those I quit. And it all comes down to just one thing. It all can be understood by a single word. It’s no longer why or even why not. It’s not can’t, won’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, no, not, not now, not ever, but –
No one wants to be thought of as having a closed mind. If anyone were to ask most of us if we have an open mind, we most assuredly and whole heartedly would answer, YES. But what exactly is an open mind? Is an open mind the sole realm of higher education or a highly evolved intelligence? Is an open mind the product of stature, wealth, years of study, privilege, and genetics or any such variable or quantifier? The answer is either not necessarily or absolutely NOT. It’s your choice and that is the point. We each choose to open our minds to new and different ideas and possibilities or keep them closed.
Our minds are full of information and memories. Being less than perfect, not all of this information or the memories are accurate. We each have beliefs and systems of beliefs. Many of these are formed when we are just babies. We learn love and compassion, mercy and freedom, liberty and how to win. We also learn hatred and greed, cruelty and slavery, tyranny and how to lose. We are creatures with the twin natures of reason and emotion. Though the heart, a physical organ, which represents our souls or the seat of our emotions, may just be approximately six inches away from our brain, indicative of our mind’s reasoning, in practice it often seems like there are thousands of miles in distance between them.
We often speak or act before thinking. Then unkind words or deeds leave our lips or our hands and great damage can be the consequences to us and to others. Our minds, filled with such voluminous and often contradictory information, responds like a hair-trigger. Instead of acting we often react. In many respects, each of us must face the possibility that at times we are closed-minded. We hold to beliefs we may have long held, without questioning them and especially when other information or persons seem to contradict them. But what is then, an open mind? A simple and familiar tin can offers an appropriate analogy.
By appearance, this can seems empty or at least we can see that it is not full. This could represent you and I as babies or young children, just starting out in life. Our cans or minds can become filled. This tin-can could also represent any adult that still has plenty of space or room to learn. This is an example of an open mind. But there are two others.
What if our tin-can or our minds are open, but they are full. Look at this like having a brain cramp or studying or cramming for some test or examination during the course of our education. We grow mentally, emotionally and even physically tired from the exhaustion of over-exercising or overuse of our mental faculties. Some call this, information over-load.
Simply stated, we just can’t think anymore. We need rest. We need to sort. We need to decide what is truly important to us and what is not. Usually, most of us cannot recall most of the information we crammed into our heads, as soon as the test is over. But this too, is an example, of an open mind.
Usually, this example of an open mind or a full mind dissipates after some time. Get a little rest, relax, have some fun, empty out the stuff from our can not needed and we find that our minds have been stretched or our tin-cans have become enlarged to receive even more stuff. But there is one final example of an open mind that becomes a problem for all of us and should be avoided at all costs.
Our physical brains and our mental minds have enormous capacity. But if we do not filter the information that comes to us or research the why-s and wherefore-s of what we believe, if anyone or anything challenges those beliefs or seems to contradict them, we usually will negatively react. Have you ever held a can labeled one thing and opened it only to find something else jump out, fly out or burst from the can?
Those of us that have experienced this novelty gag item, usually first react by shock or fear or are just startled and then this is followed by at least a little anger that we were deceived. No one wants to appear foolish anymore than anyone wants to admit that they have a closed mind. By the way, if you were to admit to having a closed mind that would be impossible. Why, because your mind would be open to the possibility that it might be closed.
Most of us have at times heard, thought and said to others something like the following -
“It sounds too good to be true.”
This is usually followed by -
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Both of those statement are really false. If something is good and true, it cannot be “too good!” But the habit of thinking this way builds mistrust, unbelief and leads to false judgments. For example, since A. was a scam and B was a scam, surely C must be a scam as well? Maybe this would be true for C. and maybe not.
Some of us cut out coupons to save money on either something we want and need or just because we can save money on the item(s). But usually while at the store, we may purchase other non-sale items as well. These are called ‘loss-leaders.’ The store discounts the items and may raise the price of other items to offset their loss or bank on the idea that you will probably buy more stuff while you are there. To this many seem to think that the word ‘save’ really means spend more. So if someone or something comes along that will really save money or help people, we often assume that it really going to cost us. Maybe this would be true for and maybe not.
An open mind is a mind that is open to the possibility that new information, even if it seems to contradict what you may believe, could in truth be accurate. An open mind is a mind that is open to the possibility that some or many things that it holds to being true, may contradict what is really true or accurate. Ask – think – question – research everyone, everything and even the contents of your own open, tin can, your own mind.
Oh, and by the way, just because all the cans labeled ‘peas’ that you have opened in the past turned out to be something else, does NOT mean that the next can you are offered that is labeled ‘peas’ won’t be ‘peas.’ And just because your tin can (your belief or beliefs) that’s labeled ‘carrots,’ does not necessarily mean that’s what inside. Keep your can open to possibility and be ready to empty it’s contents if it’s not what you need. But sort, filter and research, before your tin-can explodes.
Oh whatever happened to Victor, Victoria, Nicky, Nick, Phylis, and Billy? How are they? What’s happening? Will Jack beat Victor? Will Victor beat Jack? And what about Adam (Victor Jr.)? To quote Scarlett, the character from ‘Gone With The Wind’ -
“Oh (name), How will I live?”
I could wait until after a special message, messages, messages and more messages from the sponsors or tune in tomorrow and the next day, the day after that to infinity and beyond (same time and same station), unless interrupted (they call it preempted) by special programming (code for it’s a fricking holiday or something like that). Or, I could offer my suggestion here and now.
To quote another character also, from ‘Gone With The Wind,’ Rhett Butler -
“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Thank you for years of nothing, a head full of nothing, a pocketful of nothing and just plain a lot of nothing, but wasting my time. I’m squeaky clean now! And I did not buy the soap as a direct consequence from a sponsor’s advertisement.
By the way, all our nighttime favorite programs like NCIS, CSI or whatever, including reality TV are in essence, nighttime soap operas. But they probably advertise deodorant so no one can see us “sweat.” If you want to clean up TV, maybe you could consider turning it off? :)
There is pretty much something, for nearly everything and almost everyone that begins with the lowercase letter ‘i.’
Some, not all, of the most popular and current iStuff are: iPods, iPhones, iPads, iGo, iTouch, evn iMints and iGum and on and on.
Almost daily, a whole lot of iStuff gets added. So much of it comes so fast and furious that iLose track or iCan’t put a number to all of it. It is as if, iBlink and iMissed it! But this is iGold. Whose gold?
Inventors, designers, manufacturers and advertisers market products and services iGuess, to make them all appeal to the iNdividual.
From a business point of view, all the massive profits from all this iStuff could be considered iGold. But the letter ‘i’ reminds iMe of the childish arguement.
Question: “Who’s gonna’ make me?”
Answer: “Me, myself and i!”
Besides the question and answer above not using proper spelling or English grammar, the lowercase use of the letter ‘i’ is incorrect as well. Now it might be OK for branding a product or service, for trademarks and a company logo, but it is really a degradation of the rules of language.
‘i,’ ’i, ‘i, ’i, ’i, ‘i, ‘i, ‘i, ‘i, ‘i, ‘i, ‘i,’ & ‘i’ and so forth and so on, sure appears if not egotistical, at least egocentric. From iDea to each iPerson, the iMakers are banking on our iBuying this iStuff, because -
iWant!
There is nothing wrong with wanting something in and of itself, but when what we want is not parallel to what we need, there is a problem. I may want something, but have no need. I may need something, but have no desire or want of it. How often is it that you and I have not known what we want and need until someone or something informs us that we want it, need it and have to have it?
The other problem with so much iWant is the danger of you and I being defined by the iQuantity and the iQuality of our iStuff. But this is NOT who we are.
The whole of us is the sum total of our individual parts. True iGold is in recognizing and utilizing these separate parts for the benefit of our whole selves – for what we want and need.
In mining gold, the gold is located, mined, sorted, separated, melted down and purified to the desired result – gold. We have separate parts in our bodies and even our brains. These also must be located, mined, sorted, separated, melted down (so to speak) and purified to the desired result – iGold (to acquire what we want and need).
This process most often begins with what iWant. But if I do not want something or if I do not need it, it is most likely that I will not have the will to get it.
Thus far we have looked at iWant and iNeed, but there must also enter in iWill to get what iWant and iNeed.
iWill can also be understood as iPersist and iCommit or iAm committed to acquiring what iWant and iNeed.
iWill is extremely important, for despite the obstacles which stand in our way to receiving what iWant and iNeed, iContinue, iPersist, iCommit myself to acquiring what iWant and iNeed, no matter what it takes or how long it takes. This is why what iWant and iNeed must be parallel to each other, otherwise the obstacles in my path may be more burdesome, problematic and even more painful than not receiving what iWant and iNeed.
Even before iWill gets set in motion, there is something else needed -
iPlan!
We must have an iPlan to map out our destination. Because the iGold (iWant & iNeed) that we are seeking is so important to us that when my iWill is weak or falters, it need be only temporary. Once we recover from the spills and falls, we can get back up, look at the iMap (iPlan) and keep going (iEndure, iPersist, iContinue – iWill) in the direction of our iWant and iNeed.
As we continue on this journey, we become stronger. We get better. This is the first part of iAm.
iAm is – iThink, iAsk, iLearn.
iAm becoming the person iChoose to be in route to, iWant and iNeed – my iGold. And yes, if necessary, iFake it until iMake it. This brings us full circle to the start of our journey towards iWant and iNeed. In order for me to become the second part of iAm – (iHave arrived), iMust be able to FIRST iMagine myself becoming the person that arrives at my chosen destination in acquiring what iWant and iNeed.
All of this iStuff cannot be found or purchased on the Internet or at some bricks and mortar store. We cannot get it it by snail mail, E-mail, a text message, newspapers, magazines, books, E-papers, E-zines or E-books. We cannot download or upload, send it and share it through our social media networks. We cannot get this by way of a cell phone. It will not come or it cannot be sent by a Hallmark card or E-card. No camera can capture it. No manner of technology can store, retrieve or send it. We cannot hand it over to others or grasp them ourselves. It can only be achieved by whatever can be first conceived and believed by iMe.
iMagine – iPlan – iWill – iAm becoming – iAm arrvived – iWant – iNeed -
Thank God? Yes, that is correct. That is what I wrote and that is what I meant. I do not care if you are Jewish (Judaism) a Christian, a Muslim, of some other religious belief, an Agnostic or an Atheist. The word belief was purposefully and intentionally emphasized, because these are all beliefs! Everyone on planet earth and especially in the United States, should thank God! OH really? How can I write this? More importantly, why should you or anyone thank God?
First of all, Judaism, Christianity and Islam represent by numbers of adherents to these beliefs, the three major beliefs in the world today. There are many others and there is no intention on my part to exclude or offend anyone, as everyone is included in that everyone should Thank God.
Many Muslims believe that they share a common ancestor with those adherents of Judaism. I do not know if that is true and that is not the point. The point is that many believe that both the Jews (Judaean) and the Muslims have Abraham as a common ancestor. Abraham of the Bible had two sons. One was Issac and the other was Ishmael. This is a true account according to the Bible. Through Issac, Judaism was founded and that is a true statement, also according to the Bible. And many believe that through Ishmael, Islam (the Muslim belief) began and was completed by Muhammad and the Qur’an (Koran). Many of the writings of the Qur’an (Koran) and of Muhammad, mention Abraham.
In Jerusalem, both the Jews (Judaeans) and the Muslims share areas important to both beliefs.
The ‘Dome of the Rock’ (foundation stone) is important to Muslims and is supposed to be built upon the Old Temple Mount of Jerusalem whose architect was David and whose builder was Solomon (one of David’s sons), both Judaean. The City of Jerusalem historically has been conquered and occupied several times over the many past centuries since it’s origin. Wars and battles have been fought in and around its borders for 100′s of years. Conflicts among the Jews, (Judaeans) Christians and Muslims have continued since its beginning and exist in our present day.
The significance and importance of The Dome of the Rock to Muslims, according to Sunni Islamic tradition is, it is, the spot from which Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the archangel Gabriel. It is believed that from this location, Muhammad was taken here by Gabriel to pray with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
Just as Muslims pray towards the Kaaba at Mecca, the holiest site in Islam, Jews pray towards the raised platform on which the Dome of the Rock stands. Jews have traditionally regarded the location of the stone as the holiest spot on Earth, the site of the Holy of Holies during the Temple Period. The Jewish tradition does not have information regarding the exact location of the Holy of Holies, but the majority of scholars and rabbis believe it is somewhere in the area of the raised platform.
“Every where about the Mosque of Omar are portions of pillars, curiously wrought altars, and fragments of elegantly carved marble – precious remains of Solomon’s Temple. These have been dug from all depths in the soil and rubbish of Mount Moriah, and the Moslems have always shown a disposition to preserve them with the utmost care.”
Mark Twain
After the Siege of Jerusalem by the Rashidun army under the command of Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Patriarch Sophronius refused to surrender except to the Caliph Omar himself. Omar traveled to Jerusalem and accepted the surrender. He then visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Sophronius invited him to pray inside the Church, but Omar declined so as not to set a precedent and thereby endanger the Church’s status as a Christian site. Instead he prayed outside in the courtyard, in a place where David had prayed. Here ,in this vicinity, a mosque was constructed.
According to the Bible and of Abraham, it is said that he is -
the father of all that believe.
So if the common ancestor of both the Jews (Judaeans) and Muslims is Abraham, they should Thank God and be thankful for each other!
Well what about the Christians, Non-Christians, Agnostics and Atheists? Why should they thank God?
Christianity came out of Judaism. According to the Bible again and historical evidence, the person of Jesus did live and die. Jesus Christ according to scripture, fulfilled the law (over 900 of them including the 10 commandments). This allowed mankind that was cursed by its inability to fulfill the law due to corruption and imperfection of body and mind (soul), to be redeemed from that curse. The only payment to be made to get out of this curse was to die. WOW, great, we are no longer cursed, but still dead. Not too impressive is it? Well, if someone took your place, you would be free and still alive. This is what the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was to accomplish and not just for the Jew, Judaean or Israel, but once and for all people. This “all people,” thing technically occurred on the Day of Pentecost (around 1 AD) or 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and 10 days after his ascension. 40 + 10 = 50 days which is what Pentecost means in ancient Greek. This event occurred in the open; in the Temple and during a Holy Day in which at least all the heads of the families were required to be in Jerusalem. According to the book of Acts in the Bible, the people who attended this festival, this high or Holy Day, this feast of or this Day of Pentecost, were mentioned and represented all parts of the then world. News of this event would be spread to the whole earth as those attending in Jerusalem returned home.
But in practice, this “all people,” did not come until many years later, first with the Apostle Peter and then finally with the Apostle Paul. Peter at first, along with the Apostle John, were pretty much running everything and its main base of operation was Jerusalem. All of the Apostles were Galileans (except Judas Iscariot). Galileans were not regarded as being very high on the Judaean or Jewish stature list. They were considered unlearned (uneducated) and to put it lightly, not well liked or respected. Peter was pretty much anal-retentive when it came to the beliefs of Judaism. Peter was very emotionally high-strung. Peter was big on making promises and quick to quit. His name basically means a tiny stone that could easily blow around with the will of the wind or opinion (Greek = petros). It took God a long time to get Peter into accepting the fact that this new belief would now include non-Jews or non-Judaeans. And when he was finally convinced that this was the will of God, he still had to ‘cover-his-ass’ and brought many witnesses to convince others that God was reaching out to “all people.”
It was the Apostle Paul that was by birth a Judean and born a free Roman (gentile) that would carry this “all people” idea to the world. This new doctrine of basically one out of many (e pluribus unum) or that out of the Jews and Gentiles (all other people), would become the Church of God. This concept which had been written in the stars (astronomy) before people populated the earth and myths, mythology and astrology corrupted it, was given to the Apostle Paul to write. Others had seen the vision of this in part or in full, but the Apostle Paul wrote it in the Epistle to the Colossians while he was under house arrest in Rome. But in the book of Colossians it is written, that this secret, this mystery of “all people” fulfills “the Word of God!” How was it to be known to the world, if the Apostle Paul was prohibited to travel outside of his own home in Rome, while under arrest?
The Apostle Paul, long before his arrest, basically decided that people in the Temple were not going to believe this new set of beliefs about “all people.” So he moved out of the Temple and beginning with just 12 households, moved this from house to house in all of the known world (Asia Minor) in the space of two years and three months. This marketing blitz if you will, has never been duplicated ever since, despite our technology and mass media.
This marketing strategy is interesting to note because, history notes that the Roman Empire persecuted the First Century Church. It would have been quite easy to find them all and wipe them all out if they were all found and hanging out at the Temple in Jerusalem, but they were spread out all over the then known world. Sometimes they could be found in caves or other secret places and from “house to house” that looked like any other’s house.
The early Christians rejected the idea and cruelty of the Roman Games and gladiators which had been corrupted and taken from the Greek Olympic Games. The original Greek games were designed to keep their military in top physical, mental, emotional and perhaps spiritual health during peace time in preparation of any conflict that might ensue. The Romans had pretty much conquered the world. Games became macabre acts of death, destruction, depravity, debauchery and appealed to these basest of human nature. Christianity rejected slavery, classification of people by race, color, creed and even sex. Christianity rejected violence, tyranny, an unbridled lust. Christianity threatened Rome. To make examples of them and to threaten others that might be inclined to look into this belief, Christians were brought as sport to the games, ridiculed, tortured and killed.
But every person on the face of the earth should thank God for those Christians whose ideas and ideals eventually did away with the brutality of those games, and gave rise of freedom and liberty – to think, to imagine, to dream, to invent to evolve.
Years later, even within the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches, religion and religious beliefs which had become corruptions and degradations of the original scriptures were challenged. Martin Luther challenged, John Wesley challenged and there are many others that challenged the ‘status quo.’ This kind of thinking led to challenging that the earth was not flat, that the earth is spherical and many other ideas of science.
Society does not advance or progress without freedom. People such as John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and many others of the 18th century began to examine the blessings of Liberty against the ability to secure those blessings for not just themselves, but for “all people,” and for all time. The Revolutionary War was fought to secure the blessings of Liberty. The United States of America, with a written Constitution, was its legacy.
What perishes or does not survive we may not know, remember, recall or desire to. Wars come and go. Our twin natures of good and evil remain. What we do not know, remember, recall or desire to know, we each still benefit from, by what survives or has replaced what perished.
Today, “all people” of each and every nation upon the planet and wherever there are people, are blessed beyond measure, because of these Islamic and Judeo-Christian beliefs which begin with freedom and liberty and culminate with freedom and liberty.
This is why every person, every man, woman and child upon the face of the earth should thank God. Without Him or the ideas and concepts of this God, there would be no civilization, advancement, progress and no freedom to think, choose and believe, because there would be no liberty to do so. But there is -
THANK GOD!
Yes, that’s right. Thank God that Jews (Judaeans), Muslims, Christians, “all people” of all beliefs, the Agnostics and the Atheists all have the Liberty to believe whatever one desires to believe and the liberty to pursue those beliefs. Or from Abraham the father of all that believe through to the United States and all people of the world, Thank God for Life, Liberty and the right to pursue Happiness!
Dirt – It’s not just for breakfast anymore. Well sure, the smart people call this earth, but the kids and common folk call it dirt. Why just celebrate once a year? We are made out of dirt. Make pie. Have fun. Get into it!
Perhaps this will resonate with you more – What’s your truth or “What is truth?” To many, this is a familiar question. Perhaps you have read this or heard it before? Maybe you have asked yourself this question or thought about it before?
Yesterday (however long ago that might have been), it all seemed so simple. Just one word adjectives and single actions were all that were necessary to define such things. The words and actions fit perfectly and images came to mind as examples. There once were heroes and heroines or just ordinary people doing a little extra that made them extra-ordinary. But were these only just for the times left in the past, lifted from some old dusty history book, pulled from the shelves of obscurity, just because you had some assignment to write while in school? Are these too simplistic, too child-like to make much of a difference today?
Besides, who thinks, acts, believes or can find examples like these today? Just like Bob Dylan wrote in the 60′s, “The times they are a-changin.” Was Dylan right? Did the times change or did we? Do we change and if so, into what?
Did we leave the concepts of black and white, right and wrong, plain and simple and the like, to evolve to the higher consciousness of grays and shadows, political correctness, and what is hidden and complicated?
What is your sign today? What is your present truth? Do the ends justify the means, whatever and whenever this might apply? Is it might that makes right now? Do we simply crank up the volume to assert self and seek only to satisfy our individual selves? Is that which is important, only important as it relates to us as individuals? Do we advance ourselves by name-calling and just putting-down others?
Are we all either presently or becoming, a band of Robin Hoods that steal from those that earn and give to all those that do not? Must the state of our present enslavement to the state, continue to rise from less than half of the population working that must support themselves and all the rest? What will happen to us if there are no more Sheriffs of Nottingham left to steal or take from? Must it always be ‘their’ fault for all that ails us and never the individual choices and the responsibility for those choices?
Has the dark become the light? What once were considered lies, are they now become truths? What once were truths, have they become or are they now just lies? Is apathy just one of those choices?
Is this now our present and future truth —-
However you and I answer these questions and what we choose to do and if we do anything about them, I would just like to know two things. I would just like to know how one spins, “WE THE PEOPLE, ” unless it is into bankruptcy, destruction and so far gone that there is no memory that WE ever stood together as one people, shoulder, shoulder, and face to face, for the continued liberty of our republic and…
Apalachicola is the heart of what many refer to as part of the ‘Forgotten Coast’ of the Florida panhandle. The Apalachicola River is the center of Tupelo Honey. Both ‘heart’ and ‘center’ are apropos for the town of Apalachicola, Florida.
“Apalachicola” pronounced (ap-ah-lotch-ah-cola) comes from the Apalachicola tribe and is a combination of Hitchiti Indian words “apalahchi,” meaning “on the other side,” and “okli,” meaning “people.” In original reference to the settlement, it probably meant “people on the other side of the river.” Many inhabitants of Apalachicola, however, choose to translate the name of their town as “land of the friendly people.” My recent experience made me believe the latter definition is an accurate depiction, of the people of Apalachicola.
Many people travel and end up somewhere. I had reason to visit Apalachicola and that was to find a grocery store, traveling from St. George Island to Eastpoint then across the John Gorrie Memorial Bridge at night. I was staying on St. George Island for a reason too and it was for a wedding. But I have since learned that I only thought these were my reasons when in truth, I was drawn to Apalachicola.
In the dark across the bridge (better than a mile I think), connecting Eastpoint, FL to Apalachicola, the road took a sudden rise for the larger boats underneath to traverse the gulf. Coming down and on my right, the shore line was lit with lights and ship shops and trades, boats and a tower, more like a beacon, or a light house, or a message in a bottle to someone lost and like a steady calm voice as if saying, “Turn in here.” I had been drawn.
I could not find what was needed at the store, but Apalachicola at night found me and I knew I must return the following day. I did. I needed to find a certain bakery for the wedding cake, but I needed more to explore Apalachicola. And after crossing the same bridge as the night before, I marveled at the pelicans just above the rail, perfectly still on the air, as if suspended animation was taking place right before my eyes. I was suspended. I forgot myself.
Apalachicola as I was told has not changed much in about 100 years in as much that the population then and today, is still around 2,000 people. I suspect that its people really have not changed that much either – still a fine and friendly folk. Little quaint shops dot the landscape, manicured lawns, trees, flowers, shrubs and houses beautifully maintained though long ago since first brand new. The familiar and expected palms are there, the Spanish moss and the celebrated and practically perfect honey that comes from the gorgeous Tupelo trees were everywhere.
Apalachicola is not a rich town or a poor town either. Not a technological marvel, but certainly no slacker. They still shrimp here, fish here and gather their famed Apalachicola oysters here, probably just like they always have, for many years. I was drawn to try the oysters at a lovely little place called, ‘The Hole in the Wall.’ And for my very first baked oyster, I chose ‘Apalachi Style.’ They have nearly ruined me as I want more. I forgot myself.
After lunch and after more exploring, I found that it would only take about 5 minutes to get whatever you needed, but the stories you can hear, could take you hours. I might as well have died and gone to hog heaven or have been at the Piggly Wiggly supermarket, because I’m always open to a good story. And I met not a few master story tellers.
Now I had an intended destination which was St. George Island. I had an intended purpose which was a wedding and I took a certain route to get there. The road went through some slash pine forest for miles. I did see a couple of my very first bear crossing warning signs. Then finally, I arrived at St. George Island and then just happened to get to Apalachicola? No, like I have been saying, I was drawn there.
I have since Apalachicola, been studying and pondering why this area is called part of the ‘Forgotten Coast.’ According to some history, Apalachicola once stood toe-to-toe with New Orleans “when cotton was king.” But for me, I can’t forget something I never knew. I never knew. But why is this area forgotten?
I have traveled a bit in the past and most recently, even ‘got found’ at Apalachicola. And recently or currently, much of our country is a little stressed or a lot concerned about many things and the economy is one of the big things. I did not sense this in Apalachicola. My feeling is that most people here by critter crook or fish hook, just pretty much get whatever they need from land and sea, just as they have for well over these past, however many years. Many people are alive, but few seem to ever really live. I felt like people just live here and will no doubt just keep on living, no matter what the rest of the country does. I felt like I was living while in Apalachicola. I forgot myself.
But what kinds of people live in Apalachicola? Well the first answer is obvious, people that were born here, sometimes generation after generation. The other groups of people that live here are drawn here and one of them explained it to me.
I was again drawn in, and this time by a store of proprietor, Mr. John Lee, originally from Idaho I believed he said. He had traveled extensively and was involved in advertising then moved here, now retired. I did not quite get the word retired as his store was filled with fascinating stuff of the past for sale, antiques, a little repair area, the biggest jar of Tupelo honey I have ever seen, smaller ones for sale, some of this and some of that and T-shirts displayed in the most unique packaging design I have ever known. I told him the packaging was brilliant and I am putting this in writing for all to see.
When the rest of us find designer packaging that inflates the cost of the thing we really want, John uses the flat familiar Styrofoam container, just like you find beneath the meat at the grocery store and he seals his T-shirts with clear, shrink-wrap plastic, just like meat or produce at the grocer. Nice and easy, easy to carry in a bag or slap it under your arm. Brilliant! I should have-could have bought two – one to wear later and one to display, but I forgot myself listening to John.
As for being retired, he seemed pretty busy with his store and I suspect he is involved in other enterprises as well. Perhaps after a long day, he just goes to bed tired and repeats this daily or is simply re-tired again and again.
John ‘Tupelo Honey’ Lee – Styrofoam packaged T-shirt May 5th, 2011 – 82 Market St. – Apalachicola, FL
I happened to mention that I was in the area for a wedding. John verbatim quoted from his memory, something that he had written and shared with his own daughter on her wedding day. I asked him for the words and insisted he sign, date and provide contact information as I am want to give credit, where credit is due. I promised not to make T-shirts.
John obliged my request and I am grateful and here to share his words with you. I changed just one single word “marriage” and made it “love,” as I felt it was more fitting. And I suppose I gave it a title.
Love Like Tupelo
By John Lee
Love should be like Tupelo Honey
Tupelo honey never crystallizes or turns hard
Tupelo honey is malleable, flexible and flowing
Tupelo honey fills in the valleys making the depths less deep
Looking at and sounding out his name just rolls on your tongue like his Tupelo honey. The man is a story-teller, articulate, smooth like his Tupelo honey, easy on the ears and he displays a twinkle in his eyes. And I think he is a poet too. He is like that big huge un-readied jar of Tupelo honey on his shelf with a stopper. If opened, you just might have bought it for the $6,000.00 price tag on it, but unique and precious. Van Morrison wrote a song called ‘Tupelo Honey.’ I think John Lee could write a song or two as well.
But John Lee was drawn here some long ago and for his first two years he told me, “The heat melted my ears.” Perhaps this is similar to the French Mistral (master) wind and searing heat the artist Vincent van Gogh endured, for his passions were far greater. Of this wind it is sometimes called the ‘devil wind.’ It has been said that it, “Would blow the ears off of a donkey.” And so I surmise that one endures the unimportant and forgets when they truly live.
John Lee bought a hundred year old house and lives now quite content with neither air-conditioning nor furnace. One endures the unimportant and forgets when they truly live.
And artists and writers of note get drawn here. John Lee told me that once even Ernest Hemmingway came to Apalachicola and had lunch and wrote a note, “Great place for a story.” Perhaps he had lunch like I in the same café, sat in the same chair and dined on Apalachi style oysters just like me. But he did not return.
I have since getting back home painted a picture called, ‘Love like Tupelo,’ inspired by John Lee’s poem. I posted it and his words, the lyrics and a little video of Van Morrison singing ‘Tupelo Honey’ on one of my blogs (web logs) on the Internet. It is to share with any and all and dedicated to my nephew and his new wife.
I have written this that is now in your hands. And you are the judge if it has anything of value. But my points are two-fold. I was truly drawn to Apalachicola. And I forgot. I forgot myself. And I will return if, as my grandfather used to say, “If’n the good Lord’s willin’ and the crick’ don’t rise.”
For Apalachicola, your affects and your effects have made me forget myself. If perchance there lays some dormant great American novel in me, I am surely confident that you Dear Apalachicola, will as you have drawn me in, will draw it out.
Dear Apalachicola, your gulf waves washing over me, washed me. Your sands polished smooth the roughness of my soul. Your gulf breezes and salt air purified my lungs of life’s many irritants. Your heat cooked the juices of my imagination. Your Tupelo honey lingers sweet on my tongue’s memory that here I was not just alive, but I lived at least one day, in my some odd fifty years.
Apalachicola is the heart of the Forgotten Coast. The Apalachicola River is the center of Tupelo honey. And there I forgot my many woes, troubles, pains, strains, stresses and irritants. There I forgot myself.
So my dear, dear Apalachicola, as you have drawn me, I hold you and I keep you –
Unforgettable!
Just I-Magine,
Dahni
Reprints of this post are available upon request and/or just compensation
Contact me: dahni1@gmail.com
All rights reserved
Well, Me and Mrs. Prednisone is incorrect grammar, but it reminded me of a song. If you were alive in the 70’s, perhaps you remember the song ‘Me & Mrs. Jones’? If not, you can listen to it below while you read this. But ‘Me & Mrs. Jones’ was first recorded in 1972 and performed by Billy Paul. Michael Bublé has also recently recorded this and his rendition is what you hear below. But anyway, the song is about an extra martial affair between a man and his lover, Mrs. Jones. One of the lines from the song is, “…we got a thing going on.” So the title is apropos here as Me and Mrs. Prednisone had a “thing going on.”
I am married and not having an affair and Mrs. Prednisone is the synthetic steroid I had prescribed by my doctor and took a high dosage for around 30 days. And Mrs. Prednisone, you are wicked and wonderful!
Mrs. Prednisone – How she appears
Or as my grandfather referred to you, you’re a, “Little damn bastard.” But of course, for this post, favoring women over men, I make you feminine. And the gender opposite of “bastard,” is what?
But my Dear Prednisone, there were times I might have thought you were trying to either make a woman out of me or were bringing out my feminine side. For all that read this, allow me to invoke the wisdom of my grandfather again. He just had a way of explaining things so people could understand. In order for you understand what I’m talking about, “Let me splain’ (explain) it to you.”
Now before you read about the relationship between Me and Mrs. Prednisone, you need to know something about her.
Prednisone is a prescription medication used to treat a wide variety of conditions. It is part of a group of medications known as glucocorticoids, corticosteroids, or simply “steroids” for short. Prednisone is similar to glucocorticoids that occur naturally in the body. It may have other uses, but primarily, she is used because of her anti-inflammatory properties and also to suppress the immune system.
Prednisone works to mimic natural anti-inflammatory substances. It acts much like cortisol, which is a natural protective hormone already found in the body. The adrenal gland, located at the top of the kidneys, makes cortisol as a natural response to stress physical and/or mental stress. Even if mental stress, the body not knowing which, will respond in kind. Yep, mental stress can cause physical stress. You can trust me on that as we continue here.
When prednisone is taken for more than a few weeks, the body becomes accustomed to it and begins to make less of its natural steroids. If it is stopped too quickly, the body does not have time to adjust, and dangerous side effects can occur. Yep, I had to be “weaned,” from Prednisone just like a pup or a baby. A consensus among doctors and professionals is a ‘30-day’ rule.’ Thirty days? Well, Me & Mrs. Prednisone have been together for better than that at some dosage and well, that’s’ long enough to develop a long term relationship. She does seem addictive though does she not?
Understand that Prednisone works like a steroid. There are risks associated with steroid use, as well. Like what? Oh, like having to stay on it indefinitely perhaps because if taken off improperly, your body may no longer be able to function without it. Well if that is not bad enough, how about the risks of becoming diabetic? But most believe, however, the benefits far out weigh the risks, provided patients are very careful and forthcoming with their doctors about any preexisting condition they may have. If you have a medical illness, like diabetes for example, be sure to tell your health care provider before using Prednisone.
So now you know something about Prednisone usage, how she works, and the need to get away from her slowly if you have been hanging’ with her for more than 30 days. Now you need to know how Me & Mrs. Prednisone met and what she did to me.
I had been sick for well over 2 months with some nasty strain of bronchitis. All I pretty much did was eat, sleep and was for the most part, a vegetable. All the weight I had lost previously to this, came back and then some. I was weak from lack of activity. And I am an active person normally and one that does not require much sleep. I couldn’t even watch TV for long, check email or work on the computer for much longer than maybe five minutes. How can one sleep so much and still be so tired? I don’t know, but I was.
And then there was the almost incessant coughing. Eventually it was so often and so hard, stomach muscles I didn’t even know I had became sore.
I went through two regimens of antibiotics and both times, Mrs. Prednisone was prescribed to reduce the inflammation of my bronchial passages so that I could breathe. Mrs. Prednisone was just teasing at this point as the dosage was low. Finally I was off my meds for maybe a day or so. Then a tingling on the left side of my neck below my ear went all the way down my arm and to the index finger of my left hand. I went to my chiropractor and he did help, but he knew that if I was not going to respond quickly to his treatment that I needed to see my doctor. Then the headaches started, also on the left side and just at the point where my head meets my neck.
I went to my doctor and he ordered a chest X-ray just in case there was some mass in my lungs as the congestion was still bothering me. He also ordered an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), to see what might be going on with my nerves which may have been causing the headaches. His feeling and mine was that the coughing might have pinched a nerve or nerves. Well the insurance company initially denied the MRI. They wanted my symptoms to persist for 30 days until they might then authorize this expensive diagnostic tool. But I was leaving town in two days for almost a month and would have to take the X-ray and see about the MRI when I got back.
My wife and I were leaving for Florida with many stops along the way with friends. Our destination was St.George Island off of Eastpoint, FL on the gulf side, near the ‘Panhandle,’ in the heart of the so-called ‘Forgotten Coast.’ I was also, the official wedding photographer, paid to photograph a wedding for family where we were also, invited guests? Did I have just a little stress? Yup! What stress? Oh, like how am I to function with frequent headaches, move around to capture those candid shots when I had been moving like a slug for the past several months. Well, I got the OK from my doctor to go and well, we were going.
The night before we were to leave, we were packing. I drove just a few minutes from our home to the local Dunkin Donuts to pick up a couple of lattes for my wife and I. Before I got back home, my left eye was numb and could not blink. The left side of my upper and lower lips was numb. No pain in my face, just numbness. Now what? Since it was on the left side, I just assumed it was new symptoms for the nerve issues I had been experiencing from the bronchial coughing that may have pinched a nerve or some nerves. But these new symptoms turned out to be something entirely different.
I came home, talked to my wife about this and decided to sleep. Maybe by morning I would somehow be better. Nope! I called my friend who was on the first leg of our journey where we would be staying a few days. I wanted to inform her that we might not make it there as planned, due to my new symptoms. Then she said, “I think you have Bell’s palsy.” She had this herself in the past. When I mentioned this to my wife, she had thought the same thing the night before as did my mother-in-law, a registered nurse. Neither of them said a word to me, to not jinx us in not being able leave on our trip. I did a quick search online about Bell’s palsy and put a call into my doctor.
So what the heck is Bell’s palsy? It is believed to be a virus that affects (partial paralysis) normally, either the left or right side of the face. There are no known reports of it ever affecting both sides. It is not known where it comes from, but is not communicable (you can’t get it from someone else). I have read such possibilities of it coming from molds or neural toxins, (among other possibilities), but no one is sure. But I already had a weakened immune system so I was certainly susceptible. Even though I had barely left our home the past few months, somehow I developed these new symptoms.
Bell’s palsy is not painful. For 95% of those that get this, symptoms usually pass from 2 days or two months to three months generally. What about the other 5%? Some never totally recover from this entirely. Their face might appear to droop on one side. What about me? I didn’t know, as at this point, I was into my day 2. Now this added to the stress of uncertainty over my bronchitis, pinched nerves, frequent headaches, tiredness and now this, while in route to not just attend a wedding, but to photograph it!
We decided to travel in the direction of our journey. I had already placed a call into my doctor and left detailed information with his office about my headaches and these new symptoms. We had to stop by my mother-in-law’s and if the doctor called, we would have been closer at that point, if he wanted to see me. No call came so I figured it was not a big deal, just something I had to deal with and time would eventually take care of it. So we continued to drive.
After about two hours on the road, my doctor called on my cell phone. I was driving so my wife answered. The two of them talked for some time, over the details of my symptoms. Apparently they wanted to make sure I was not having or did not have a stroke or something. So my doctor prescribed guess what – yep, Me & Mrs. Prednisone. We had already been together for around 20 days, but real soon we would really have, “a thing going on.” This time I was to have a high dosage of her for about 30 days. Well we were in route to Manassas, VA then, about 5 hours away. We called our friend and the closest pharmacy was a Wal*Mart just down the street from her. She gave us the phone number which we gave to my doctor and he would call this prescription in to be picked up the following day.
So there I was driving with ibuprofen an NSAID (non steroid anti-inflammatory drug) for my headaches, Zyrtec, an over-the-counter anti-allergy drug to try and clear up my remaining bronchitis, sunglasses on and a hat on my head. My left eye would not blink, I could not whistle and I started to use a straw for beverages, so I would not drool. It also affected my speech.
I drove most of the way with little problems. I had to consciously make my left eye blink with my finger moving my eyelid. The nerves involved with Bell’s palsy move down just under the ear, to the face, eye, eyeball and lower side of the lips. I was sensitive to sound in my left ear and to light in my left eye. I had come prepared with several hats. A baseball cap seemed to work best. My wife thinks that unless you are a catcher on a baseball team, anyone else that puts such a cap on backwards (bill side to the back of your head), it reduces your IQ by about 15 points.
Do you gain or lose more IQ points if you wear the cap with the bill facing to the side of your head and against the driver’s side window? I don’t know, but this is how I wore my cap for awhile, to keep out as much sunlight as possible.
I drove for around five hours and I had no pain, but my left eye seemed very tired. We pulled over and I asked my wife to put some drops in my eye and maybe drive for a while. Now to some that read this, this is important. Those drops my doctor wanted me to use to keep the eye moist from lack of tears and lack of blinking. These drops had already been suggested by my optometrist recently. I could not drive at night and my eyes were dry. Just two simple things took care of the night blindness and dry eyes. I now use and highly recommend non-glare glasses for anyone that wear glasses and eye drops when you need them. I now can drive at night and my eyes are back to producing their own natural tears. So back to the story.
When my wife placed drops into my left eye, it was nearly blood-red. It was overworked from too much light and not enough blinking. I kept my eyes closed and tried to sleep for about an hour then finished driving until we arrived in Manassas, about 9:30 that evening.
As a side trip, we had a little bite of food and had been there after this for maybe 10 minutes when our friend’s phone rang. It was her boyfriend and he told us all to get into the bathroom as this was the night that some 140 tornados ripped through the south and east coast. We weren’t in there long when we got the ‘all-clear’ call. But my friend that had Bell’s palsy in the past taped my eye closed so I could sleep better.
The following morning, I picked up my prescription and had a long talk with the pharmacist. I was bummed out and had heard that I would probably have to wear a hat (which I did anyway), sunglasses (which I did anyway), long sleeve shirts, long pants, and not be able to have the celebratory champagne toast while at the wedding AT THE BEACH! Whew, talk about more stress! The pharmacist assured me that with just some moderate precautions I could have a few drinks, just wear my hat and sunglasses and have some good SPF skin protection against ultraviolet light. Oh yay, I could wear short-sleeve shirts and shorts and have a drink or a few. But have you ever tried to take pictures with your dominant eye while wearing sunglasses and with some blurry eye due to Bell’s palsy? This was an interesting new set of stressors for me to consider getting stressed over.
We stayed in Manassas for about three days. But by evening of the second day, Me and Mrs. Prednisone “had a thing going on!” We were intensely together, three times a day (with meals) and at 60 mg per day for nearly 5 weeks. Within a short period of time, following the evening meal on this second day, I became aware of an intense pressure in my abdomen as if something were about to explode, but there was no pain. This was followed by a sudden rush, flush, and heavy perspiring. I even considered the remote possibility that aliens had come in the night while I was asleep and performed some kind of sex experiments on me. OK maybe not, but was Mrs. Prednisone trying to turn me into a woman? Or perhaps I have always been a woman and Mrs. Prednisone just brought it out of me? Why am I writing this?
Well, for women that know and understand and as my wife still experiences, I was having what she calls it, “My own personal summer.” Yes that’s right; I was having ‘hot flashes.’ Call it menopause or woman-o-pause if you want, but my internal heater, my metabolism went into hyper drive! This became my nightly experience for the next almost 5 weeks. It was not just once a night, but several times. It would wake me up from the little sleep I had or seemed to need. I could not get cool fast enough – air-conditioning on Frozen Tundra setting, fans, ice and even driving in the car at 50 mph+, at 50 degrees temperature outside, the windows open and my head stuck out of the driver’s side window were all tried, to almost no avail. But it passed when it passed.
By the third day I was experiencing some new stuff, cool stuff! I had little sleep and did not seem to need much. Sometimes I felt a little nervous and had some mood swings, but most of the time I felt like a teenager. My energy levels went through the roof. I seemed to become acutely aware of everything and everyone. I even became aware that I talk a lot or that I was talking even more. I became apologetic and tried to assure others that Mrs. Prednisone “made me do it.”
I already have an acute sense of smell and taste, but then and for the next five weeks or so, both went into overdrive. At one point I wondered if even a box of rocks or a pile of dirt might taste good. Eat? Oh I ate and it seemed like all the time and like a pig. Everything tasted great and I was open to trying just about anything including many things of which I wonder would I have tried them if not for Mrs. Prednisone. Yep, my metabolic rate, adrenal glands and all kinds of bodily functions were accelerated it seemed, like some high performance race car, going from 0 – 500 mph in three seconds. I even lost weight.
Oh, did I mention I had no pain? Well for the next five weeks I had no headaches and in fact, I had no pain whatsoever at anytime, any place or anywhere. No back pain from driving and I drove almost all the time and a lot. There was no discomfort from sleeping in unfamiliar beds at various locations. My mental energy and physical energy all seemed to be increasing exponentially. My mental faculties all seemed to be enhanced (all delusional pretty much). But when we finally arrived at our destination in Florida, I thought I was ‘performance enhanced’. This continued all the way home and after we got home. But by the time we got to Florida, most of the symptoms of my Bell’s palsy had greatly dissipated. I was and am thankful for that.
I went from a 50 something year old slug with no energy to a freaking teenager or something. Looking back over the quantity of pictures I shot, the angles and locations, it was as if there were two others or at least one other photographer besides me taking them. But it was just me, someway and somehow doing all the shooting. And if you have ever walked in sand, you know how difficult it is to move in sand. But I captured everything you could imagine being important at a wedding, for the memories and then some. Sadly though, most of these pictures sucked! Mrs. Pednisone magnifies what is there and what is not. I actually thought I was doing a great job and the quantity and quality of the pictures was awesome. Only the quantity was true, NOT the quality.
But finally at the insistence of the groom, I put my camera in the car and just became one of the guests at the reception. I was too busy taking pictures of the champagne toast to even raise a glass myself. I decided to do that. Did I tell you that I can’t stand champagne? I don’t! I can barely tolerate a glass of mimosa which is champagne with orange juice, but I can not stand just champagne. Asti Spumante or sparkling wine I like, but not champagne. OK I think you get my point, but it is the customary and the respectful thing to do at a wedding if champagne is offered, unless one has issues with alcohol.
By Florida, I was able to slowly drink beverages without the use of a straw. I was glad of this as I’m sure I was the topic of discussion around the several homes we stayed at, motels where we stayed and restaurants where we dined. OK, I got over drinking coffee with a straw. And even though I got looks from those I asked for a straw to drink an occasional glass of wine from, I accepted that too. But drinking a beer with a straw was much more than I could endure. I was very glad indeed that my face returned to being able to drink without having to use a straw, by the time we reached Florida. I would be able to toast the newlyweds and without a straw.
So I went and picked up a glass of champagne, drank it and guess what? It tasted pretty good to me, so I had another and another and yet another. We ran out of this so I switched to another beverage within the grape family (I don’t generally do well with mixing up alcoholic beverages) and started drinking Pinot Grigio. Had several of those and finished up the night with Manhattans. Now I was neither falling down drunk nor do I ever drink like this or this much. But I was fine, feeling good, but fine.
As I have gotten older, I do not tolerate alcohol as I once did. First of all I have to be in the right frame of mind to drink or I won’t drink. I know from experience that if I drink without being in the right mood I will mentally, emotionally and physically suffer from it and may be grumpy to others. Next, I prefer red wine, but it no longer prefers me. The only exception is if I have a single glass of red wine with a meal. Otherwise, I stick to white wine. Even at that, it is usually 1 or two glasses and it makes me tired, I’ll soon fall asleep and generally wake up with a headache. I’ve heard that if you take some headache reliever after you are finished drinking it may help alleviate or eliminate any headaches, but I’m not too keen on the idea. I drink a beer or two on occasion and some other mixed drinks or what you may call hard drinks, but the same holds true for me with all of these as it does with wine. The only exception is scotch. I can drink several scotches and have never had a hangover in the past, pass out, fall asleep or a get a headache. One has to like the taste of scotch and I do. My only after-effect is that the pores of my skin seem to reek of an old oak barrel for a day or so after.
But anyway, at the wedding reception I drank quite a bit.
The next morning was our last day at the motel and check out time was the standard 11 am. As my manner was while there, I began each day and ended each day at the beach. I did not care if it was cold or dark or if I could see the ocean or not. If I could hear it and smell the salt spray, I was there in short sleeve shirts, sandals and shorts. Mrs. Prednisone had me up early anyway so I started my day, still dark out, but at the beach. I came back later to our room to lie down on the bed. I felt odd. Nothing hurt, but I just felt strange. My wife woke up and looked at me and asked if I was OK. I repeated to her what I just wrote, “I don’t feel bad, nothing hurts, but I just feel weird.” She noticed I was perspiring and placed a cool wet washcloth on my forehead. I laid there for a few minutes thinking and pondering. Finally I reached the conclusion that what I was experiencing is called a hangover. But apparently Me and Mrs. Prednisone with our thing going on, and so much anti-inflammatory stuff coursing through me, I had no pain, no discomfort and not even an upset stomach.
WOW – Mrs. Prednisone has anti-hangover or alcohol suppression properties?
Now besides the intense and frequent night sweats, the after dinner abdominal pressure and the occasional nervousness, heck keep Me and Mrs. Prednisone and our thing going on, indefinitely!
I recounted all of this to my doctor when I got back home for a follow up visit after being weaned from Mrs. Prednisone and he laughed so hard I thought he was going to fall off his seat. Maybe it is just me with my personality, my metabolism and body chemistry and all of this made me more susceptible to each and every side-effect or benefit if you will, much more intensely than many or most people. According to my doctor, not everyone experiences each effect of Mrs. Prednisone like I did. I had them all and they were all intense.
So forget the idea of using her to ward off hangovers and drink all you want. Forget about using her to sleep less and get more done. Forget about using her to enhance your mental capacities or imaginative processes. Forget about using her to increase your appetite and eat all you want and still lose weight. Why forget her, because if she is allowed to linger, you could become as if addicted to her and your body may no longer be able to do naturally, what it does without her. And you could become a diabetic. How about blind? The list could go on.
Oh crap, I don’t want any of those things! Now I wonder what the after-effects of getting off of, away from and being weaned from Mrs. Prednisone would be. Oh boy, the not fun was about to begin.
My follow up visit with my doctor was right after I was off Mrs. Prednisone. For three days I took 2 pills less. For the next three days it was four less. On the 7th day I was not able to rest like God after creation, as for me, all hell broke loose.
Since I was usually up early anyway, I would eat something from anywhere from between 6 and 8 o’clock in the morning, followed by my pills – Mrs. Prednisone and Zyrtec. By10 am of my first day without Mrs. Prednisone, she was still enough in me to remind me that she needed a fix. I experienced what was like her slapping me in the face, as I had for the first time, the morning sweats. This particular day was Monday, this past Memorial Day. We were having people over for a barbeque and while I was grilling, my left hand starting cramping. It was not painful just uncomfortable. As we were all sitting down to eat, my left hand starting cramping up again only this time it was so painful, I thought I was going to hit the sky, jumping out of my seat. Everyone was engaged in conversation and no one seem to notice my facial contortions, my grimacing from excruciating pain or me holding my left hand with my right hand, trying desperately to massage away the pain.
It seemed every day for quite some time, I was experiencing some new after-effect from Mrs. Prednisone withdrawal. The next day after Memorial Day, my left hand seemed to involuntarily cramp up. Fingers drew up uncontrollably as if they had lost their nerves. Then the right hand did this and then my wife actually saw them both draw up at the same time. This was disconcerting in the least and somewhat scary. I did not know how long this would last or if it would end. My wife suggested I take some mineral supplements as it seemed to work for her almost instantly, when she had leg cramps. I tried this and it did seem to work or it was just another after-effect of Mrs. Prednisone, finally losing her grip on me. Either way, the cramping never came back.
Next, I could feel my left eyeball was under pressure. It too had been affected by the Bell’s palsy, but I never felt this while under the massive dosages of Mrs. Prednisone. Headaches returned that some describe as cluster headaches or migraines. And remember the nightly pressure in my abdomen, when I felt like something was going to explode? Well after Mrs. Prednisone, I could feel the pain. My stomach was upset, I had severe indigestion. So then I was taking ibuprofen for the headaches, Tums or Rolaids and Zantac as acid reducers.
Then came my follow-up visit with my doctor, when he laughed about my adventures with Mrs. Prednisone, her side-effects or benefits. He smiled knowingly and with compassion about my after-effects with her. Just like the intensity of the side-effects, I was experiencing all the generally known after-effects and just as intensely. Remember the intense abdominal pressure I was feeling after my nightly dose of Mrs. Prednisone? Remember I wrote it was as if something inside was going to explode? Well, during my follow up visit with my doctor, I found out this condition has a name. It is called gastritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach lining. It can become severe enough to develop a peptic ulcer. The high dosage of prednisone prevented me from feeling any pain, just the pressure. So my doctor suggested I stop taking the Zyrtec (for allergies and any remaining bronchial problems I had) and ibuprofen. Both of these drugs worsened my upper digestive condition. He recommended Tylenol (Acetaminophen) for my headaches. The pressure in my left eyeball is added fluid. I may need to see my ophthalmologist if this does not go away, as high dosages and prolonged use of Mrs. Prednisone can cause cataracts and glaucoma. The symptoms left from the Bell’s palsy would continue to get better or perhaps I was just about as good as I was going to get. Not a very encouraging prognosis I know and even though I continue to get better, it is what it is or it will be what it will be. One just must prepare for the worst, but expect the best.
I left the doctor’s office and went home. It seems that the older one gets, the more full medicine cabinets get and the locations for overflow in your home. I went through our stores looking for Tylenol (Acetaminophen), but found none. I was having a bad headache so I went to our local grocery store to find some. I looked at every shelf and finally sat down on the floor to read every label of every product on the lower shelves. I’m sure I was a sight to behold to others passing by. There was this guy with white hair (that makes me look older than I am), sitting on the floor. Perhaps I appeared too weird for anyone to say a word or to check if I had fallen and couldn’t get back up. But I could only find children’s Tylenol and I did not want to take a massive adult size dose of that and I was not particularly fond of their flavor choice. Just before I left the store, I went over and picked up a box of Excedrin. Guess what the key ingredient is – Acetaminophen, the same in Tylenol. We had Excedrin at home, but by this point, I needed relief IMMEDIATELY! Before I got to the checkout counter, I had already opened the box, unscrewed the cap, broken the seal and had two tabs (the recommended dosage) in my hand. I paid for this and ran to the first drinking fountain I could find.
This particular type of Excedrin, just like at home was advertised as “extra strength,” and the extra strength contained caffeine. Well, this irritated my gastritis and I called the doctor that told me to find regular Tylenol or Acetaminophen. I did.
In the end and at the end of this story, Me and Mrs. Prednisone “had a thing going on.” In the beginning she seemed alluring, sensual and an enticing seductress with her many promises and side benefits. For weeks I was like a kid on some paradise island. Coming down from and getting Mrs. Prednisone out of my system was like coming in for a landing at another island, Old Geezer Island. Instead of meeting the friendly Mr. Roark of Fantasy Island, I saw the evil and glaring eyes of Mrs. Prednisone, like a lover scorned. And instead of Tattoo saying to his boss, “the plane, the plane…,” it was more like, the pain, the pain.
We just recently returned from Maine for a family reunion. The day before we left, my Chiropractor was able to see me at the last minute. I was still having severe headaches, despite my daily Tylenol use. Initially, he suggested acupuncture and at that point, I was open to try almost anything to get relief. On examination, he found me to be severely out of alignment and harmony, apparently the affects of being a 50+ man that had been living like a teenager for weeks. I must have ‘thrown out’ everything, but Mrs. Prednisone prevented me from feeling any pain in my spinal areas, just headaches. Pain is the body’s way of telling you that something is wrong! But my chiropractor ‘worked on me’ for some time and his efforts did temporarily alleviate the pain for a day or two. But I had to again, resort to taking Tylenol. The duration of the after-effects of getting away from Mrs. Prednisone I am sure, are different for each individual. Now after almost 20 days since withdrawing from Mrs. Prednisone, I am happy to report that I have had four days in a row without headaches. The pressure in my left eye is lessening.
The bronchitis and pinched nerves are all but gone. My condition from the Bell’s palsy, continues to improve. I presently neither need to take nor do I take any drugs or medications at all.
Mrs. Prednisone can and may save lives, but I personally believe when it’s your time, it’s your time and nothing can stop that. She can and may have wonderful and beneficial side-effects. But she also has a deceptive, nasty and evil side too, she can be wicked!
Mrs. Prednisone – How she really looks
So seek alternatives and professional help for what ails you. Seek across many disciplines and those that are willing to work together for your health and wellness. Prepare for the worst, but expect the best. Get healed, as just as sickness is death in part or full, healing is life in part or in full. Believe God, Live, laugh – Love!
Mother’s Day is the second Sunday in the month of May and celebrates and honors all the wonderful mothers, Past – Present and Future.
Father’s Day which just happens to be today in 2011, is always the third Sunday in the month of June and celebrates and honors all the great dads, Past – Present and Future.
The first Monday in June following Father’s Day should be, Breeder’s Day, for all those that did not/do not/will not raise their children including those that: Cannot/Couldn’t, Will not/Wouldn’t and Shouldn’t have been or allowed to.
And then the first Tuesday in June after Father’s Day should be, Kid’s Day, for all the children that in spite of not having had a choice in getting here and what you were and even if because of being glad you got here and happy about what you were, you still chose and choose, what you have become, are becoming or will become.
I used to really like Windows® XP. Then Microsoft® came out with Vista and now Windows® 7 or is 8 or 9? I think only Apple® comes out with something new faster or as soon as you buy the old new one. Most of my favorite programs would not work with Windows® 7 without either updating them at a needless cost or replacing them at a needless cost.
Apparently, enough people complained and Microsoft® came out with their professional version which allows you to either open up the Windows® 7 operating system at the boot up or a virtual Windows® XP. You can’t run both at the same time and must choose one or the other at start up. Did I mention the upgrade to Windows® 7 Professional is around $200?
I love their proprietary stuff (stuff that may work or may not work with your stuff that is not their stuff). I love their frequent updates that don’t remove their old stuff, just add to your computer’s hard drive or actually, reduces the size of the usable space on your hard drive. I love their crashes. I love their .DAT files (files that duplicate even when you delete temporary Internet files and clean out your recycle bin etc. I love how easy it seems to hack into, make viruses for and implant them into their systems. I love their pricing!
But I really do love Microsoft®. Their windows operating system comes pre-loaded with their internet browser, Internet Explorer®.
I love Internet Internet Explorer®! For this my reasons are twofold:
Internet Explorer® allows me to download FREE open-source software and even FREE virus free, mostly bug and crash free, open-source linux based stuff that just works without the ‘extra’ clutter I don’t need or even a FREE operating system like Unbuntu -http://www.ubuntu.com/
Internet Explorer® allows me to download other internet browsers -
I.E. with Voodoo pins shown. It seems like everything effects their stuff and messes with our stuff
I love Microsoft® because they make Internet Explorer®!
When I was a child, my grandmother that we her ‘kidlits’ (as she called us), called her Nanny. This name was probably due to the trouble my brother had with the ‘g’ and ‘r’ sounds as in grandmother, grandma and granny. So Nanny just stuck.
Well Nanny used to sing this little song called ‘Jacky Frost.’ I loved it and still sing it, especially when the weather gets colder and/or as the holidays approach.
I married a music teacher with a master’s in music. She taught K-6 for over 25 years. But she had never heard of this song before I sang it. So I taught a teacher at least this one thing.
To my wife Susan’s credit, she was recently able to find the words and the music for this little known, perhaps forgotten, but enjoyable little tune for children of all ages. I will share it here for all, just in time for the holidays.
The lyrics to this song were adapted from the poem, “Jacky Frost”, by Laura E. Richards. You can find this poem in the collection “Tirra Lirra Rhymes Old and New” by Laura E. Richards.
The music was composed by Eleanor Smith, who included the song in her music textbooks designed for children. These textbooks are over 100 years old. You can find the song in “The Common School Book of Vocal Music” by Eleanor Smith. She adapted the poem just slightly to fit her melody.
Jacky Frost
Jacky Frost, Jacky Frost,
Came in the night;
Left the meadows that he crossed,
All gleaming white.
Painted with his silver brush
Every window-pane.
Kissed the leaves and made them blush,
Blush and blush again.
Jacky Frost, Jacky Frost,
Crept around the house,
Sly as a silver fox,
Still as a mouse.
Out our little Jenny came,
Blushing like a rose;
Up jumped Jacky Frost,
And pinched her little nose.
Johnny Carson American television host and comedian, known as the host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years (1962-92), died At 6:50 AM PST on January 23, 2005, Carson died at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Ed McMahon is best remembered as the spoke person’s voice in selling everything from soup to nuts and as the sidekick for Johnny Carson on NBC Television’s Tonight Show. Ed McMahon died at the age of 86 in Los Angeles, California, Tuesday June 23, 2009.
Farrah Fawcett the 1970s “It Girl” who was known for her cascading golden hair and bombshell body. A winsome smile, tousled hair and unfettered sensuality were Farrah Fawcett’s trademarks as a sex symbol and 1970s TV star in ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ Fawcett, 62, died Thursday morning at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA
Michael Jackson, artist, singer, entertainer, and the King of Pop, was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Facility in Los Angeles, CA, June 25th, 2009. He was 50.
Doc Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Doc. is still tooting his horn!
“I’ve been given many awards in my lifetime — but to be numbered among the men and women I admire most — is the greatest honor I have ever received.” 
Do you Love Candy, but are concerned about your health? Do you need to watch your sugar intake – Need to loose weight?
