Good Dog, Bad Man.

Good Evening Folks:

I hope each and every one of you had a Happy Christmas, and got everything you asked Santa Claus for . And I hope equally that all of you will have a safe and sane New Year. Please, Please, if you celebrate and perhaps have a bit too much eggnog or other stunning beverage, LET SOMEONE ELSE DRIVE!!!!. That way you can start out the New Year happy and fresh and with no regrets.

Speaking of regrets, I regret to say that Our Beloved President showed just what kind of racist fabric colors his judgement. I think that most of you will remember the case Michael Vick, the famous (?) football player who was sent to Prison for running a Dog Fighting enterprise from his Mansion in a Georgia Suburb.

Not only did he have a stable of somewhere around 60 Pit Bulls that he forced to fight one another, wagering large sums on the outcomes, he disposed of dogs who could no longer fight and amuse animals who were less intelligent than the Dogs, by drowning, electrocuting, gunshot or by dropping from a height onto a concrete floor, laughing, it is reported, at the animals suffering.

Now, the Dog Lover in me would have rather tailored his punishment to the exact same methods he used to dispose of his "surplus" animals, But I was at least partly mollified by his being sent to prison, and assumed, Naively, that his Professional Football career, by which he earned Millions of Dollars, was presumably at an end.

But No, almost as soon as he completed his Prison Sentence, He was courted by a number of professional football teams, and ultimately signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. This was bad enough, but then I learned that the Honorable Barack Hussein Obama called the owner and coach of the above team and congratulated them on signing Vick, and thus, giving him a "second chance".Of course, the fact that both Vick and Obama are Black had nothing at all to do with the call. Sure!

Now I am normally all for most people being given a second chance, and to be honest, would have to include myself in that number in some ways, but in the case of Michael Vick aka "The Dog Killer" as far as I am concerned he absolutely does not, did not, will not deserve a second chance, PERIOD.

I am sure that there are those who will say I am way off base on this one, but frankly My Dear, I don't give a royal red rat's ass. Anyone who kills a Dog for any reason other than to spare a beloved pet unnecessary pain, is an Animal themselves, and one of a lower order than the Dog.

So, Mr. President, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. I imagine, however, that neither you or Michael Vick, is the least bit ashamed.

Bad Man, Bad Man;

Good Dog.



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Deep Space or Deep Oceans?

Good Evening Friends:

This evening is one of those times when about all I'm "up for" is thinking. When I look back over my life, I have to admit that the act of thinking has rarely if ever resulted in a "Eureka!" moment. Rather I think that my personal brain machine is hard wired to glean a small nugget of thought-leading-to-knowledge type of datum. What I am admitting is of course self evident to those few people who follow my blog, and that is.....I am not brilliant (for want of a better word), perhaps not even very smart. I know for a fact that there have been too many occasions to inventory when I have slapped myself in the head and basically said "Wake up Stupid"
because an elusive answer was right in front of my eyes all along.

But.....The particular subject that has my tattered old brain tied in knots this evening is thinking about Outer space, and in particular, Our (man's) exploration of the same.

I am speaking of course, of NASA, that agency chock a block full of brilliant people who have accomplished so much, within the constraints of the contents of our Scientific Tool Box. There is, I think, a way, or perhaps many ways, of expressing what we, as a species, have accomplished including all our forays into space, our various orbits and travel. Say, just for arguments sake that the sum total of all possible knowledge that is known, or ever will be known of "Outer space" could be represented by a pile of buttons one million miles high, one million miles wide, and one million miles long. And perhaps we will argue further that our knowledge and efforts of outer space and other galaxies, stars, planets, quarks, black holes, quantum whachamacallits and all other space do-ies equal ONE of those buttons in that Million Mile Pile.This is what we have learned. One Buttons Worth!

What then have we really accomplished with the expenditure of Billions of Dollars on the various space programs we, as a Nation, began and ended, plus the tragedy of the loss of life of the Astronauts who died trying?

I guess I just don't quite get it. All one has to do to realize, even to an infinitesimal point, the immensity of space is to find a spot, far from any city lights, just the darkest spot you can imagine, and, given that it is a cloudless night, just look up.. go ahead look....now try to count the stars or planets or whatever is the source of those tiny spot of lights in the sky. Now think; How long will it be before a mortal man sets foot on any of those pinpricks of light.
Think, if you will, that in order to reach the nearest galaxy to ours, That of Andromeda, a space vehicle would have to travel at the speed of light for TWO BILLION YEARS!.....any volunteers? The answer, best beloved, is that with the exception of Mars (and that is improbable) the best we can do with our space endeavors is to go back to the Moon, and I for one, think we have a sufficient quantity of Moon rocks to populate all our Museums.

I'm afraid that I think that what we have accomplished in the 50 years that the space program has been in existence is: We have shown we can put a man in orbit.We have shown that we can successfully land a spacecraft on the moon and return. We have shown that we can place the Hubble Telescope in high earth orbit, and through more or less constant maintenance, employ it to take some awesome pictures of celestial bodies. We have invented velcro. We have invented Teflon.

These things we have done, at a cost of Billions of Dollars, but to what end?

I suppose Astronomers really appreciate the pictures of far distant heavenly bodies that we now possess, courtesy of the Hubble, but other than that, just what exactly is the benefit to the ordinary citizen? I like a pretty picture as well as the next man, but I think there is a point that we as a Nation should perhaps scale our space program way back.

If we want, or just have to have a program to keep the Scientific Fraternity happy, I suggest we begin an accelerated exploration of the worlds Oceans. I am, of course, aware that we already have an agency charged with certain explorations of the Oceans, that being NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, but said agency has been sort of a poor step-sister to NASA, where the bulk of our Scientific Dollars have been spent. Now I realize that it is imperative that we maintain the capability to launch Satellites of various types, but beyond that, I fail to see a really good reason to continue to spent huge amounts on basically what amounts to expensive guessing about what is out there in space.

If I understand the theory of the Universe(s) correctly, there is no end to space. Beyond our Universe are other Universes and on and on, without end. We can send an endless amount of spacecrafts to various Heavenly bodies, and discover an endless variety of rocks and Minerals, but why should we?

It is a fact that the Oceans can yield more essential minerals and other things that would benefit mankind than the space program ever could, so my suggestion, if anybody wants it, is to spend our Scientific Dollars on Exploring the Oceans, and put space exploration on the back burner. Seems to me to just be Common Sense, which has never been a big seller in Congress.

Folks, let me know what you think. a one-sided argument is no fun at all, as as far as I can tell I have about one or two faithful readers, if the number of comments I have received is any indication.

But, what the hey, I'm mainly maintaining this Blog for the fun of it.

Stay Well

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This, that and the other in the news.

Good Afternoon Everyone: It is a stunningly beautiful fall afternoon and I hope all of you are enjoying it.

I have noticed several things in the news lately, which have either piqued my interest or made me angry. It seems to me that perhaps the reason for the mess the country is in is our own fault, in that many people are just like me, we read the news and get either angry, puzzled or frustrated, but that's an end to it, we don't do anything to try to rectify the things that mess up this once-great country. Now to clarify, Let me assure the reader that I still think this is the greatest Country in the world, but I greatly fear that it will not remain so if we, the people, don't take some sort of action.

As an example,you will have no doubt read and seen on television all about the "Wiki leaks" scandal, where hundreds of thousands of sensitive Government documents have been published on the Internet, revealing more things about our Military than the average citizen needs to know about the Military and the actions of it in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

Now, to make it abundantly clear about how I feel regarding these"leaks". I'll say this: THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING THIS MATERIAL AND "LEAKING" IT, VIA THE INTERNET AND OTHER AVENUES ARE GUILTY OF SEDITION AND TREASON...PERIOD!!!!

Now Normally I would argue that a well informed public is one of the cornerstones of a stable and prosperous democracy, and I still believe that in most instances, however, in no way does this devious poor citizenship qualify as information that the average citizen requires or needs, and has devolved to satisfy the schoolboy's prurient interest that the perpetrators of this mess have generated .

There are some things that the average Joe or Jane have no need of knowing, and this is just one of them. Imagine if you will, if, during World War Two, someone had released sensitive documents, classified or not, about our Military Operations in either theatre of war, I think the "Correspondent" responsible for the leaks would have immediately been arrested, and held to answer for his or her sins, and I for one think that this same action should apply to the little germs who fathered these "Leaks". I never fail to be amazed, at what garbage some people will read, it is perhaps titillating, but nonetheless, tripe

The next thing that I have recently read in the media, is the Department of the Navy's planning to put a number of Women on Submarines. To say that I think that this is a poorly thought-out plan is putting it mildly. We are told that the Navy plans to post only female Officers (vs enlisted personnel) in this trial run. However, given the space restrictions, there is only one, repeat ONE, Latrine, head or toilet for officers on even the biggest submarines, necessitating the placement of a magnetic sign, with "Men" and "Women" on opposite sides, to be flipped over depending on the sex of the person using it. Mr. Chief of Naval Operations, have you lost your cotton picking mind? Without even half trying I can think of a dozen or so excuses that will be used when a Male Officer "accidentally" intrudes on a female Officer while she is in the facility. This is just plain stupid, repeat stupid. The Navy has more than sufficient ships to staff with Female Sailors, without placing women on submarines. It seems to this writer that we , as a nation have carried this diversity nonsense much, much too far.

The next small item in the News is Israel's plan on building more settlements. In case anyone has forgotten, Israel is the smallest Country in the Middle East, and is surrounded by enemy Arab Countries, not one of which has proffered one hectare of land to the Palestinians for a "Country of their own, instead continually clamoring for Israel to give up some of its precious few square miles of land, so that the Palestinians will find it easier to kill Israelis when they are neighbors.
And if the simple facts of this announcement are not enough to make one swear off Decaffeinated Coffee, there is the fact that the Great fool and former First Accidental President, James Earl Carter is also so indignant over Israels plans, that he is about to wet his Knickers. Quoting Carter "The suffering here (Israel) and the deprivations of the People in Gaza are evidence of the improper policies of the Government of Israel" He then, Fatuously continued, saying"
WE (the imperial we)will continue to work on a peaceful solution where the Israelis will withdraw from East Jerusalem and let that be the Capital of a Palestinian state"
SHUT UP JIMMY YOU DUMB ASS, YOU WERE A PITIFUL PRESIDENT FOR ONE TERM, WHICH WAS ONE TERM TOO MANY. You have shown the American People that your expertise lay in growing peanuts, period.And you have shown the depth and breadth of not only your ignorance but your CONCEIT by saying in a recent interview that you think that you are superior to any former President.
And last but not least, there is the case of Clarence Thomas' wife calling Anita Hill and demanding an apology from her for telling the truth about Justice Buckwheat, during the fiasco of his nomination to the Supreme Court. It is my understanding that Mme Thomas has a drinking problem, and if there were any doubt in the matter, this Phone Call cements the perception of her lack of sobriety, for if sober, why on earth would she have married "it". Perhaps she and Carter should get together and live in the Delusion District.

It's enough to make a person leery of reading the Newspaper, but then what would I write about?

Sheesh

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Dumb and Dumber.

Good Afternoon Folks:

As I read the newspaper this morning, I came across an article that illustrates the old saying "There's always something dumber around the corner".I found the article both puzzling and funny, as I believe you will.

A Federal court in Utah convicted Thomas Zajac, 57, of Downers Grove , Illinois of six Felonies connected with his bombing a Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2006.

It seems that Mr Zajac was angry because his son, his dumb son, had been arrested in 2004 by Salt Lake city Police for drunken-driving.

So--with his keen intelligence, Kojac the elder decides to blow up the Salt Lake City Library, that Bastion of Police Brutality.......one can almost hear Mr. K's rusty Cranial Cogs grinding away with the thought....."by golly that'll teach em ".

One cannot help but wonder why Mr. Kojac thought the Library would be a fitting Target for Retaliation for his son's arrest. Perhaps he was angry because the Library didn't have a copy of "Drunken Driving for Dummies", or perhaps Mr. K, the elder, was angry because his son was forced to down a quantity of Intoxicating Beverages by a Rapacious, sex-crazed Librarian, intent in getting Mr K. Jr in such a state of inebriation that she could drag him behind the Non-Fiction stacks and have her way with him. One has to be on one's guard when in a Public Library so as not to stumble into a Bacchanalian orgy while innocently looking for a book on Beekeeping, or some such.

I know as soon as I close this post, I'll think of a lot more humorous reasons for the hatred Mr. K , the elder, felt for the Salt Lake City Public Library, but that would take the fun out of this for you. I am absolutely positive that you, the reader, can come up with endless funny tag lines. If so, let me know.

Keep Smiling

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Religion and the abuse thereof.

Good Evening:

I read an article in the newspaper today that has made me madder than is good for me.

The article concerns the death of a Patriot, A citizen soldier, a U.S. Marine, and an only son. The only son of Mr. Al Snyder. Matthew Snyder was the beloved, only son of Al Snyder.

In 2006 two United States Marines knocked on Mr. Snyder's door to bring the news that every Military Parent or relative dreads. After only five weeks in Iraq, Al's son Matthew had given his life for his Country. As if Mr. Snyder's grief was not difficult enough, on its own, for him to bear, at his Son's Funeral, a gang of "Protesters" picketed the route of Matthew's Cortege, bearing the most vile and filthy worded signs expressing their hatred, thinly veiled as religion.

It is really difficult for me to even write of this filthy outrage and I cannot even imagine the crushing burden that had to be borne by Mr. Snyder, in a time for grief and respect only.

This band of misguided fools were at least part of the congregation of the Westboro Baptist Church whose fuhrer, certainly not a real pastor, the "Rev" Fred Phelps has successfully harangued his flock (If a collection of brain dead garden slugs can be called a flock) and caused them to attend selected Military funerals with their signs of hatred and vituperation, that are as far from the Gospel as Satan is from Jesus.

This so called "Church" is in Topeka, Kansas, and why a all-knowing supreme being has chosen not to send down an all consuming Bolt of Righteous lightning to wipe out these inmates of a fools academy is beyond me.

I believe, absolutely, if I were at a funeral where such an outrage occurred, there would be a necessity for a few more Funerals in the immediate aftermath.

I think, without proof, but with a certainty of my own, that this unholy congregation of protesters are probably of the sort that like to French Kiss Rattlesnakes as part of their weekly crawl-in.

Now, I am as sure as I can be that my Anger is just exactly what this bunch hopes to engender, but my God my God why are people like this allowed to inhabit this Planet.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing the a case filed by Mr. Snyder, against this "Church", and I think anyone who reads this will join me in hoping and praying that the Court will uphold a Multi-Million Dollar judgement in the favor of Mr. Snyder.

But if any of you are curious about this "Church" and its insane congregation, I'm sure it would be easy to find,............Just follow the Slime Tracks.

If this is a First Amendment Case then I'm the Pope.

Stay well, and Pray for our Men and Women who protect us .



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9-11-01

Fellow Survivors:

Once again let us renew our pledge. NEVER FORGET, NEVER, NEVER, EVER FORGET.

With Respect:

The Old Professor

To Book or not To Book.

`Morning Folks.

A short time back one of my very few followers complimented this blog and asked me if I had ever thought about writing a book. At the time we were handling one crisis or another and I failed to answer this nice man, so I'll dedicate this blog to him, by way of a tardy answer.

The answer is yes, I have, on several occasions thought about writing a book. However, thinking about writing a book is a far distance from the actual act of writing and publishing a book. I have probably written the equivalent of several dozen books in my mind, but been too busy or too lazy to put pen to paper.

In my previous incarnation as a Chemist in a large Uranium Conversion facility, quite a number of people I worked with encouraged me to jot down some of the stories I told over the years, as those persons were entertained by these stories, but with one thing and another, I just never did get around to writing a book.

Those kind people's urgings, and that of a local Newspaper Editor, became the genesis of this blog. And since most of you who read this and other blogs, you already know that a blog is a good available forum for the untalented or untested (or both) writer to practice his or her craft,and in my case, it is simply for the purpose of trying to learn HOW to write, or discover my "Voice" or preferred Genre, if you will.

Its funny, but I can lie in bed, late at night, and write a hell of a good story, one that I am positive would be instantly recognized by an Editor as a Pulitzer Effort, and certain to make me wealthy beyond my wildest dreams, but when I get up the next morning, the story has fled, and if I do remember some snippets of the nocturnal dialogue, they are bland and uninteresting when applied to paper.

Perhaps I should insist on my Wife learning shorthand, so that I could elbow her awake when one of these late night creative bulbs suddenly lit up, and say "take this down, Dear, and we shall become wealthy".

If, when I emerged from the resultant coma and was released from the Hospital, and my broken fingers had healed and the Concussions I suffered had possibly still left me able to conjur up a story, I could perhaps write it down myself, thus dodging the fury of a woman awakened, albeit at the loss of the creation of a literary gem.

Better functional than famous, I guess. But as usual, I have wandered all over the literary landscape in answering the question put to me by a kind internet acquaintance, and I earnestly hope that somewhere in this mess of dreck, he will find the answer, if there is one, to the question asked. I did once upon a time write a short story, a Western of all things, since I have never favored the Western Genre as reading material it seemed improbable that I could write a good story about some cowboys. Oddly enough, I think it turned out pretty good, and one of these days, if I get up the nerve, I may publish it on this blog and those of you who read it can disabuse me of the notion that I can write a readable story.. Who knows? Anyway, thanks for the impetus necessary for this posting, John.

Stay Well

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My Dog

Good Morning:

It has been some time since my last post, so I'll try to make up for lost time.

It's funny ,but I feel guilty when I don't post anything for awhile. I guess that means I don't have enough to do, but the reality is I've had too much on my mind to even contemplate a good rant.

Our beloved canine companion has been sick for some time and our household has been generally depressed. She is 13 years and a bit , of age, and has been a constant joy to us for all the time she has lived with us. A few years back I was afflicted with a rare and usually fatal brain disease which occasioned my taking a large dose of Steroids each day, with the affect of reducing my ability to sleep to about four or five hours of sleep A WEEK. I would sit here at my computer , at all hours, and try to do something to occupy myself and keep from feeling sorry for myself, and at all times as I sat here , my sweet dog lay on the floor, not three feet away. She would sleep for awhile and then open one eye and look at me, questioningly, and then sleep a little longer . I spent thousands of dollars on medications and Doctor visits during this several years long period, but none were as valuable to me as was my "Miss Scarlett".

We hope she will be with us for a while yet, but common sense tells us that this probably isn't in the cards.

I guess God gives us the companionship of Dogs for a relatively short time to make us see, or try to, that Precious moments are made to be cherished and never, never taken for granted.

I took Scarlett to the Veterinarian today, and just wanted to take a few minutes to praise good Vets everywhere.

We are blessed with the services of a world class Veterinarian. One who doesn't think anything of getting down on the floor with her patient and leaning her head against the Dog's while she listens to the Doggies Respiration and Heart sounds.
I noticed particularly today that Miss Scarlett stayed exceptionally quiet while being examined, despite her dogged (no pun intended) reluctance to go to the Examination room when our sweet Vet called her name.

Today we added a number of medications to Miss Scarlett's medical protocol, and I am cheered with the optimism our vet displayed.

I think it takes a special person to be a Veterinarian (a GOOD one, versus the other kind). A Vet ( you will please excuse my abbreviating Veterinatian and do not make the mistake of thinking I am diminishing their calling or their importance, this is simply an old man trying to save a few finger strokes, in order to perhaps write a little more. A good Vet has to almost be able to read the mind of her patient, be it Canine, feline, Equine ,bovine or avian, in order to come up with a correct diagnosis. This reminds me of years ago when I was in College, being told by a Professor that there are two kinds of Analysis`-- Accurate and Careless, and I think that is absolutely true and reaches across the spectrum of many more than one profession or calling.

At any rate, after all of my hopefully forgiven rambling, I just wanted to say that my Wife and I are so very lucky to have the services of a World Class Veterinarian, and feel that if Miss Scarlett is with us for a little longer now it will be due to the wonderful ministrations of this good Person, and the home cooking and loving care of my Wife, who Scarlett Calls "Grammy".

God Bless all good Dogs and Good Dog lovers everywhere.

Stay Well and do good.

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P.s. The date on this post is incorrect, as I have been writing on it for several days now.The correct date is 3 September 2010 .

Bayou Music.

Good Afternoon Folks:

I recently completed reading James Lee Burke's Latest Book "The Glass Harmonica", and as usual the book got me started thinking about Louisiana in general, and the natives of Louisiana in particular.

I guess many of us think that all Louisianians are what we call "cajuns".
Nothing could be further from the truth. I found New Orleans to be a giant melting pot, where one could hear accents and patois' basically from all over the world.

For instance, there is, or used to be, a section of the City of New Orleans that was known as the "Irish Channel". I was remiss in not inquiring as to why this area was so labeled, but presumed (I was young) that it was because a lot of the inhabitants of that particular area were of Irish Descent.

I later found out this this was the case, but the area was no longer an Irish enclave, but, in keeping with the rest of the city, had a broad racial mishmash.

One could go to certain areas of the city and hear people speaking whom you would swear had just gotten off the Plane from Brooklyn. You could also go to other areas of the city and surrounding areas and swear you were in Paris.
I guess this is just one of the things that makes New Orleans so interesting, and was one thing that made my wife and I to love it so.

But, on a personal note, the people of New Orleans and the area in general that I found most fascinating were the Cajun People. I have never in my life met a more self-deprecating people, who always ready to laugh, not only at other people and things, but themselves as well. I also found that when one was fortunate to count a Cajun as a friend, you were a lucky person indeed, for a cajun put no limits on his or her friendship, and would do absolutely anything for a friend, a trait I have found in very few people since. Anyway, before I started this diatribe, and the reason for it, is the horror of the Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the wreckage it is making of the Gulf and the lives of the people who depend on the Gulf for their livelihood.

I know British Petroleum says that they will clean up the area and reimburse every person affected, but just exactly how in the world can that possibly be accomplished?

Hundreds of miles of coastline and tens of thousands of people have been irreparably damaged, their livelihoods ruined and the wetlands impacted to such a degree that there is NO way to repair the damage.

I guess it would be fair to say that all the Gulf States will be "closed for Repair", for a length of time greater than my life expectancy, and I sorrow greatly when reflecting on this fact. I have heard it said that this accident was an act of God. I vehemently object to that statement, for why would a loving God inflict such damage on a people? The answer , of course, is that he wouldn't and didn't. This was purely and simply, an act of Man and his insatiable Greed for his Petrochemical "Fix", around which too many of us have staked out our lives!!

I find it restful and pleasant to daydream about fishing trips I have taken in the past on the Bayous and Lakes of Louisiana and Mississippi and find it sad that I will probably never again find the soul-restoring peace one can find on a lazy float down a Louisiana bayou, spending more time listening to the voice of the Bayou and the Swamps surrounding it. From the Sigh of the breeze through the Spanish Moss and across the water, to the calling of various birds in the surrounding trees, to the occasional Pig-like grunt of an Alligator, seldom seen, but always present, all combined to form a quiet music, which left a lot of time for introspection.

I found I did some of my deepest and best thinking about life in general, and my part in it in particular on these fishing trips;

Of Course one must not assign a minor role in this "nature Play" to fishing, itself the reason for the trip in the first place. for anyone who loved to fish, and in a somewhat spookily darkling atmosphere to boot, I can recommend nothing better than a Louisiana bayou, especially in the early spring.


On one particular trip my Brother and I took with our neighbor, we literally caught fish (largely Speckled Trout) until we were just plain tired of catching fish. My brother has a picture taken of us, with our catch taken just after that trip and it is amazing. This is one of those "Life's Memories" that I will never forget, and is just one of those things that makes my memories of New Orleans and the area around so very pleasant and precious.

I guess what I've been trying to say, in all this uncharted rambling, is that the next time you doubt the existance of God, and perhaps are disgusted with the intrinsic faults of the species homo sapiens sapiens, perhaps its time to go on a fishing trip. I recommend it unreservedly. And while you are about it, offer up a prayer to whichever God you worship, for the Health and Welfare of the people of the Gulf States and the Gulf itself. And God Bless Admiral Thad Allen (U.S.C.G. Ret) for the thankless job he has undertaken to trying to solve this horrible problem, and start to bring the Gulf, and all its inhabitants back to health.

Stay Well


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Correction.

Its a Dark and Stormy Evening here, but we needed the rain so that the farmers crops would progress satisfactorily, so come on rain!

I think I may have reported an untruth in my just previous post, re: the "New" Black Panther Party, and if so I want to correct my unintentional error.

I wrote that the New Black Panther Party was interfering with white voters at various polling places. I based this article on an interview I saw on Television with an old-time member of the Civil Rights movement, who was excusing the actions of the supposed "New Black Panther Party" and their actions at certain polling places.

My mistake stemmed from believing what I saw on Television. You'd think that after spending three-quarters of a Century on this Planet, I would have learned better, but, apparently not.

So.......If I erred in this post, I most humbly apologize, However I am not yet positive of my mistake yet......so..stay tuned, and don't hesitate to correct me at any time.

I Remain,

Your Obedient Servant,

The Old Professor

What's fair for the Goose...........

Good Afternoon Folks:

Well there have been a number of things in the news lately which have caught my eye, and I'm sure the eyes of many of you as well.

First... Several hundred tons of newsprint and several hundred hours of broadcast "Journalism" have been devoted to the subject of "King" LaBron James, and what team he is signing a new contract with. It turns out that he is signing with Miami. Okay, everybody feel either better or worse now??????? This has been one of the silliest bits of reporting I have ever had the extreme displeasure of witnessing, as I could honestly care less where a Multi-multi Millionaire has played, or where he will play in the future. I have said before, and it bears repeating, that out Society is going to Hell in a Hoop, in paying these largely uneducated freaks millions upon millions of Dollars to play a game.. A GAME!!!!!!!!

These jokers make more in one game than a lot of HONEST people earn in a year, and earn more in one year than poor old Joe Lunchbox (without whom society could not function) will earn in his lifetime, and this is just a damnable disgrace.

We pay our Policemen, Firemen, and members of our Armed Services less per year to risk their lives than we pay these tall Idiots to play a game for an Hour or so, and if that doesn't fit the description of inequity, I don't know what does.

The second item in the news that has caught my eye and ear in the past few days is the re-emergence of the Black Panther Party, and their actions in harassing white voters when they tried to vote in a Precinct that had a goodly number of black voters.
They(the Black Panthers) also threw the American Flag to the ground, spat on it and set it afire, BUT,our National News media made no mention of this apparently well known fact, either in print or electronic Journalism, until some "Quisling" of a Journalist let the facts be known, and then the new media reluctantly mentioned the fact, as an aside to their more important subjects, as the above on "King James" and etc.

If white people Had been harassing would-be black voters in the Elections just past, we would not only read about it in the Newspapers, News magazines, hear about it on radio and television, but also probably see Tanks and Troops moving into the affected areas, to quell these savage Caucasians.

But, the worst thing of this particular issue is the fact that the Justice Department, on orders from the White House, is taking NO action on these occurrences.

Can you spell R A C I S M ??? Are you still proud of being a Democrat?

Have a good day


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One of "Those" days.

Good Day All.

I probably shouldn't post anything today, as it's been one of those days. I'm sure most of you have had the kind of day that I'm currently having . To say its a bad day is an understatement, call it what you want, depression, attitude sickness, a day when you feel like throwing something at something because you don't know for sure why you feel so lousy, you don't know what you would do about it even if you did know, and on and on with the silent whining or cerebral carping or whatever the hell it is. But the point is , so far it's just "one of those days".

Its a day when I feel like walking into an Italian Mens Social Club, in NYC and kicking the head goombah in the testes just to get the crap beaten out of myself, or maybe, if I got lucky , shot or whatever, doesn't matter.

It's a day when I am just plain disgusted. I've tried to live my life as I thought it should be lived, and have to say that I see now that my being on this planet has made no difference at all. The things I've done that I thought I should do, haven't , in the final analysis, made a damn bit of difference.

I cannot point to one single thing that I am proud of doing, not one single thing that I've done that has made any difference to anyone that I can think of, save the people who are worse off for things I have done. I owe so many debts, both financial and otherwise, to so many people, that I cannot possibly live long enough to satisfy.

If I have been an example to anyone, it can have been only a bad one. I cannot say that I have been an inspiration, to anyone, at anytime, for anything, save for those who have been smart enough to avoid doing the things that I have done, and profited therefrom.

Sorry for the whining

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The Emperor has no clothes.

I will ask in advance for your forbearance on this post.

I have watched with interest the actions and inaction of the "Accidental President"
Barack Hussein Obama , and the longer I watch, and the more I listen, the more discouraged I get.

First Little O was elected a United States Senator from Illinois, through a freak happenstance. He, in effect, had no opponent. His opponent, on Paper was widely thought of as an idiot, so people voted for O as the lesser of two evils. No one knew much about him, as all he had done prior to running for the U.S. Senate, was to be a State Senator, which in Illinois consists mainly of looking the other way while nefarious deeds are consummated and certain Bribe Price Lists are circulated. Other than this his efforts had consisted mainly of Registering Minority Voters and lecturing in law school.BUT, he got the blessings and financial support from Big Mamma Oprah, and that's all he needed. God bless and save us all.

He never served one single day in any of the United States armed Forces, doesn't know a PFC from a pork chop, yet finds himself with the luxury of Lecturing a full General in the U.S. Army, on how to fight a war.

I don't think anyone could fault the General if he, in turn, were to lecture Little O on how hard it is to fight a war when White House Permission has to be sought before launching a Drone Strike against the enemy.

Lets face it folks, anyone who has ever served in the Military will hasten to tell you that a Politician is inhibited by his training and instincts from having even the foggiest idea of how to conduct a Military Operation.

The wars we have not conclusively won have served as an example of what happens when Politicians try to fight a war their way, in order to bolster their standing in the Polls.

We have never won a war from the White House, or from a Congressional Committee room, nor will we.

Verily, I am sick of this squandering of the lives of American Servicemen and Women in a Politically Governed War. I have heard it said that, in order to win the War in Afghanistan, we must win it politically, by winning the hearts and minds of the population in general. This ain't gonna happen folks. As long as you have, as the larger component of the populace, fruitcakes who think it is noble to kill unarmed civilians and blow themselves up in order to gain admission to Paradise we will have a population that will not cooperate with those who would try to liberate them from 12Th Century Anarchy, in the simple hope of staying alive.

I am not much of a Military prognosticator, but I fear that General Stanley McChrystal will not be the last Commander that will be displaced for voicing an opinion unpopular with the newt in the White House.

I am going to think about this a little more before I post it, to try and sort irrationality from ignorance, but I fear that I will be unsuccessful, as the two appear to be conjoined when talking about the national political scene.

And I did so.....................................................................

If I recall the lessons I learned in the Army, and I'm pretty sure I do, the primary lesson was this. " do not fight to keep from losing, fight to win and gain territory and once gained, DO NOT give it back". A saying that I heard more than once from senior combat veterans was "Politicians think that because they can start wars it follows that they also know how to fight them". This is as fallacious as saying "My rifle is clean enough"

I am fully aware that in the UCMJ it is expressly forbidden to criticise one's commander in Chief , but to give a temporary President the power to terminate the career of a man who has spent his whole adult life serving his Nation, is just wrong.
Sure give the CIC the authority to transfer the Officer elsewhere, but fire him? No, Never. That's as silly as throwing away a good pocketknife because you cut yourself on it.

Oh Well, it'll all come out in the wash (Election).

Keep the Faith (thats all we have)

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Lost Generations.

Good Evening Gentle Folk.

I was awaiting my appointment time, in the VA clinic this morning, and was pursuing my usual habit of people watching and listening,when it dawned on me that I was seeing an Illustration of Generations in the Tableau that was playing out in front of me.

There were Veterans waiting to have their blood drawn, or for other tests, and it seemed to me obvious which of these men, (they just happened to be all men today), were in my guesstimation probably of what Tom Brokaw called the Greatest Generation.

I am sure that most of us agreed with Brokaw on this designation, in that never before in recorded American History have so many taken on such an incredible task, with the certain knowledge that fully a third of them would either not return home to their loved ones,or possibly in a metal box. And of the "lucky" ones,those who made it home alive, many of them would be maimed in body or mind to such an extent that they could never again be so free and easy with thoughts of Liberty and taking their lives for granted , but instead, as evidenced by these few Old Men I observed this morning, keep their own council, and reserve their memories for those which, unbidden , come of their own volition, and with the contagion of long habit, in their dreams and in their waking Nightmares.

The few Old Men, and they were, in truth, only in some cases Ten or so years older than I, were distinguishable to me, by their silent observation of the younger Veterans of who served long after their(The World War II) Generation. The younger veterans, one in particular, almost never stopped talking, to all and sundry, and the older guys never stopped listening, in a bemused manner, as if to say "If you had only seen".

I do not in the slightest mean to demean those of succeeding Generations and of succeeding Wars, whatever their size, but I'd venture to say that none of them had ever seen one or two Thousand or more Dead Soldiers, laid out in neat rows, most with only a Poncho over their faces, and a Dogtag wedged between their front Teeth, waiting with the Stiffness of the Dead, for shipment or Burial, for later recovery by Graves Registration troops.

We have lost far-far too many troops in succeeding wars, and often it is difficult to find any sort of a justification for their sacrifice, but rather leave it to their grieving survivors to justify this, as they must, to retain their sanity during their loss. I suspect it is always easy for those lucky ones of us to say that these Heroes died for their Country, but that, like all labels, cannot hold `til self applied. We lack the experience to know fully of their sacrifice.And those of us who had a peaceful and uneventful service in the Military, cannot even begin to even try to understand what ALL combat veterans know.

So, perhaps, Brokaw was right in calling this the Greatest Generation, and not just the Brave men and women who served in the Military, but those left at home, who also served in ways they had never imagined having to do, in order to help in the War Effort.

So, in the just aftermath of Memorial Day, let us all at least stop for a moment to say Thank You to that Noble Generation.

And to Pledge that we will never forget.

Not just the" Greatest Generation" but those Generations of Americans before that, and those that have followed,in the sometimes necessary folly that is War.Let us pray, too, that no other Generation will ever have to sacrifice in such numbers that their Generation will, forever after, be identified mostly with the conflict in which they served.

Be Well


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More Notes on the Oil Spill

Good Morning:

Well folks, I guess we can relax now. The President has assured us that he and the Government are on top of this "Thing" (oil spill).

The Prez flew in yesterday, arriving in Grand Isle, La about thirty minutes after about 400 workers showed up, via special buses, in spanking clean Haz-Mat suits, complete with color co-ordinated shirts and hats, and were busily raking, shoveling, squeegeeing (?) the sand, walking around peering at the sand, picking up balls of oil with their gloved fingers, and in general giving the appearance that by-golly the Government was right on top of this disaster.

Local people called these workers and the President's visit a "Dog and Pony Show", intimating that it was a staged photo op to try and fool the public into thinking that, indeed, everything was being done that could be. There was also a yellow Hazard tape that was pristine in it's newness strung along the beach just in case someone, anyone, didn't know that there had ben an oil spill.

The whole affair, I think, lasted a couple of hours, and then the President had to leave, to fly to Chicago, where, today, he is engaged in the serious business of playing Basketball in a School Gym. In a Televised interview with a Restaurant owner, the camera showed where the "workers" had dumped their haz-mat suits, still clean and white, in this restaurant owner's Dumpster(Without Permission) before departing from the area.

If we were not already sick enough of the mis-handling of this tragedy, and of the purient politics involved, the scenes yesterday and the President's urgency in not missing a Basketball Game in Chicago today, should make us all upchuck.

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p.s. The "Topkill" didn't work . Perhaps it is time for the Government to hire a firm such as Red Adair's, who specialize in oil well disasters to come in and take charge, and then send the bill to B.P. I realize that Adair's firm specialized in Oil Well fires, but there are other firms who specialize in other aspects of Oil Well Disasters. For one thing, strictly as a non-professional, I nonetheless know that the Government could station a fleet of super tankers around the well site and vacuum up the oil as it spills out and pump it into the tankers. This method has worked before in other offshore locations.

It's worth a try, or perhaps we could just send all the Bureaucrats from Washington, D.C. to the area, line them up along the shoreline, and if they can suck as well as they can blow, they should be able to corral this spill in short order.

Anyway, we should never forget all those people whose livlihood's, and indeed their lives, are being inundated in this obscene mess. Pray for them.

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THE GULF OIL SPILL

Good Morning Folks:

I am sure that many, if not most, of you have been following the events following the Horrendous Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and no doubt, nearly in tears in worry about the People of the affected areas, and sorrow for the families of the Eleven Men who died in the initial explosion, which started this whole mess.

This morning I turned on the Television, hoping to hear that the "Mud Pumping and Cementing' operation was successfully under way.

BUT, first I had to listen to various "Anchors" telling me all about (more than I wanted to know) the latest from Facebook. Now on the nearly nonexistent chance that one of these same "Anchors' is reading this, let me just say I DON'T CARE ABOUT FACEBOOK, OK? Neither do I care to listen to the Outlaw Cycle Builder Jesse James whining about his terrible-terrible childhood. To the very best of my knowledge not one person has ever had a perfect childhood, with the possible exception of Hugh Hefner, whose childhood has never ended, plus he's probably too weak to complain anyway, so get over it Jesse, you screwed up, and since you are always acting like a tough guy, suck it up. You lost one of the Sweetest and Cutest Actresses in the country when you decided to hop on the tattooed lady.

Next, before I could hear any real news, I had to endure about 77,000 hours of commercials. For the record, I don't care what my credit score is, I do not need the services of Tax Masters.com (or, as I call it, Fat Bastards.com) and, although I probably need it, I am not interested in re-growing my thinning pate-patch, and my taking Viagra would be akin to putting a V-8 engine on a child's tricycle.

Plus, I am in favor of the proposed Arizona Immigration law, even though it seems redundant to me, as I was under the impresssion that sneaking across out borders was already illegal, so I don't really need to hear this issue addressed 80 or 90 times per day.

By the time they (the Newt-works) finally got around to addressing the Oil Spill, it was basically by telling us to wait just a moment and President Obama would give us the absolute low down ( an excellent choice of words when speaking of a Politician or Politics) on the Oil Spill, which chiefly consisted of his same old worn out litany, of the problems don't lay with his administration, but were inherited from ole George W., who we all know already know was pretty much of a Dud, and DO NOT need to be reminded of every blessed time President Roundball speaks, which it seems is several times a day, if Air Force One is spending a few minutes on the ground, which is seldom.

Finally, I am absolutely sure that O's speech was useless, as I watched a "screen-within-a-screen" view of the Oil gushing out of the ruptured pipe, and it did not stop or even slow down during the wind gust from D.C.

As best as I can tell, the (B.P.) effort to stem the leak with drilling mud and cement is progressing slowly, but, so far so good.

TEMPIS FUGGIT

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Anniversary

Hideho Good Folks:

Well today is the Anniversary of this mess that I call a Blog.

One year ago today I wrote a piece about that Lovable Jockey,Calvin Borel, winning the Kentucky Derby, and darned if he didn't just turn around and do the same thing today. He won again on Super Saver, making him the winner of three of the past four Derbys.

I don't know what it is about the Kentucky Derby that makes it so special, not just to myself and my wife, but to a tremendous amount of other folks.

Maybe its the competition, maybe its the Beauty of the Setting, or the majesty of the Horses, I just don't know.

Or perhaps its the idea of watching these splendid animals give their all, for very little in the way of an equine award. Same old stall, same old hay and oats, with perhaps an occasional treat in the way of a reward. Its a puzzle.

Or maybe its the idea that here is a sentient being giving its all just for the joy and challenge of outrunning the other competitors.

Quite a contrast to we humans, huh? Kind of makes you wonder which is the superior species doesn't it? I think horses have in common with Mans True Best Friend, the Dog, in doing what it does for very little reward.

Perhaps we can all learn a lesson from Animals.

Worth thinking about.

Stay Well

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Three Faces of Evil.

Hi Folks:

I'm relatively sure that all of you have heard of the disgraceful behavior of Ben Roethlisberger, and his subsequent 'punishment" of having to sit out six games.

Wow!..heres a guy that makes Millions of Dollars a year for playing a kid's game and he can't even behave himself. And you know what? I'll bet you Nineteen dollars against an apple core that he has learned absolutely no lesson from this "Non-Crime".

And then of course we have the Case of Kobe Bryant, Star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, who raped a Hotel employee, Paid off his wife with a multi-Million Dollar ring and the victim with an unknown amount. He is still playing Basketball,making Millions, and for all I know he still can't keep his pony in the barn.

Then we have Michael Vick, who committed such savage acts against fighting Pit Bulls in his stable that it makes me sick to think about it. Granted he served a relatively short time in Prison, where, I'm sure he enjoyed an elite status, but he's back in Professional Football and again making Millions.

Who said crime doesn't pay?

And now we come to the category of Big Business, which I'm sure, over the past couple of years we have all come to know and love.

We all recall when the Government "Bailed out" Chrysler and General Motors to the tune of Billions of Dollars.

We are being told now, in a Commercial featuring the New CEO of GM that they, General Motors have paid back their loan , in full, and Five Years early. This is a Bald Faced Lie. What happened was that G.M.'s debt was transferred from the Bail Out Money to the so called TARP program, which supposedly was a temporary fund to help out certain Big Businesses. What ever happened to truth in Government (okay-okay, I get it , you can stop rolling around the floor laughing your butt off)

My point (which I'll bet you never thought I'd get to, is that Honesty, Ethics, and Morals seem to be cascading down and down to the point where anything goes. Now I'll admit, that there have been episodes in my life which I deeply regret,and I'm pretty sure that the same goes for most of the rest of the Population, But I "learned my lessons" and tried earnestly not to make those mistakes again, as I suspect most everyone else has done, but apparently Big Business and Big Sports never seen to learn their lessons..............and in case you are wondering, I was prompted to write this post by going Car Shopping today. ...........I trust you can all fill in the rest of the blanks.

Have a Great Night.

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Blogger's Block.

Ever have one of those days when you just couldn't decide what you wanted to do?

Well, I'm currently experiencing such a moment in time similiar to the above.

I feel the urge to write, but there is such a melting-pot of ideas churning in my old head, I'm having trouble trying to decide what category I want to write about, whether to comment on the compost heap of Politics, or to focus on just one ember of this bloated campfire of craziness we now call D.C.

I can't decide whether the current era should be called "Obama Nation " or "Abomination". Either way it seems that the only thing being done is the two "Parties" constantly jousting with one another, trying to get the upper hand in the voters mind, and neither, as far as I can see, are being particularly successful in their efforts . Meanwhile the President can be counted on to do one of several set things, which seem to be his fixed itinerary. First, it seems, the Prez favors hopping on Air Force One and flying off somewhere to continue ,for all practical intents and purposes , his Presidential campaign, or he gives yet another in his seemingly daily series of "Lectures".

I for one am getting a little more than sick of his lecturing the American People.
It seems to rile Mr. Obama that he has to continually glare from beneath beetling brows and tell the American People what they should think and do. It seems he's losing patience with us, the lowly electorate, for not bowing down before now and declaring him to be the Maximum Leader for Life in the U.S. A., and thus being able to issue orders to Congress, do away with the inconvenience of Elections , and just whip us, The People, into a malleable lump of obedient clay that he can form into the shape he wishes it to be.

I know, for one certain thing, I am sick and tired of Partisan Journalism. It is just as abhorrent for Time and Newsweek, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and etc, to fall all over themselves in their lavish praise of Obama, as it is for Fox News to be one sided in their support of the Republicans.
Hell, Time Magazine might just as well re-lable itself "The Obama weekly" and get it over with. And Campbell brown could Tattoo "Obama is Right" on her forehead without significantly changing her cant.

Maybe none of this makes sense, I confess I don't know, but like I said in the beginning I didn't know what I wanted to write about, but as least I'm writing................or trying to, and as best as I can tell thats more than Congress can say about their efforts in running this Country. Maybe what this Country, the same Country that my Ancestors have fought for, beginning with the Revolutionary War, and all wars since, needs now, instead of new blood,which is just another word for relative kids really who have never been in the pits or Foxholes, whose greatest deprivations have been the lack of a Cell Phone or Blackberry, and who have absolutely no idea what it's like to work, Hard, for little Money,perhaps we, then, as a people, need a few more Grizzled old Vets of Wars Foreign and Domestic, Sanctioned and Unsanctioned, to set a few stakes delineating what part of this supposedly free country we claim as ours. And No, Emphatically No, I am not talking about people starting to start one of these half-assed Militias, running around a private patch of woods in Camo going bang at Oak Trees, and then retiring to their $40,000.00 trucks to drink beer and tell each other how mean they could be if one of those sinister "Black Helicopters" ever set down on their little part of Tobacco Road.

Those morons have about as much in common with a real soldier as a roadrunner has to a Bald Eagle.

Well , as I said when I started this rant, I didn't and don't know for sure what I wanted to write about, but at least I gave it a shot.

Temper Fi

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Appreciate your indulgence



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Basketball vs Brains.

Good Morning Folks:

Well its that time again. March Madness, a title applied to the NCAA Basketball Tournament .This Tournament always starts me to wondering what will happen to these players when they leave College.

Some of them, a very few, will go on to the "Professional" ranks, a term which is misleading because it only means that these players are getting paid to play. In that sense, every working man and woman in the United States is a "Professional".

So...in that sense, I prefer to not refer to these players as "Professionals", but rather as paid players.

I read an article in this Morning's Newspaper, written by a Man whose opinion I have respected in the past, for his thoughtful insights, and frequently amusing columns, and today's column is what made me start mulling over the subject for this post.

But today's column, I respectively submit, is Hogwash. I submit this criticism with the full knowledge that this Newspaper is published in Kentucky, and to say anything even remotely critical about Basketball, or its players or Coaches, is tatamount to, at the least heresy, and usually sedition, in the State of Kentucky, so I guess one cannot blame this Editor for not wanting to put his head on the chopping block.

Today's column as mentioned above, is about the U.S. Secretary of Education's Proposal that any College not graduating at least Forty Percent of its athletes should not be allowed to participate in the NCAA tournament to which I say, " RIGHT ON MR. SECRETARY.!!!!!!!!!!!!."

However, in the above-mentioned column, the writer (The Executive Editor of the Paper, or the Archbishop of Articles) takes issue with the Secretary of Education, saying that he (the Editor) thinks that time in College is beneficial for these "Athletes". Perhaps it is beneficial to the College, in that the College makes money off its sports programs (supposedly), but I fail to see how it has been shown to be beneficial to the so called Student Athletes, other than to enable a very few of them to become Millionaires via the Professional Circuit.The Editor goes on to state that the graduation rate at the University of Kentucky is Thirty-One percent. In my amateurish research I seem to have found a figure of Twenty-One point Three percent as an accurate figure for these student athletes at U.K. (pronounced 'Ewe Kayee")

I believe the overwhelming majority of College Athletes DO NOT go on to become Professional Athletes, or as I call them, felons. In the main, and this is based on personal experience and observation, what these players all too frequently contribute to the College is disruption in the Classrooms and often a lowering of Academic Standards, so that Joe Seven Foot can remain eligible, and by this making the average students (Those who PAY for their education) have to work even harder to glean an Education from a reluctant and dysfunctional college, which are, it seems, more and more tailoring their standards to the least common denominator,thus making "scraping by" an accepted norm and discouraging REAL Students from trying to excel, and gain a REAL education. Also, the Majority of these players either flunk out, drop out or get kicked out of College, thus making all the Instructor's time and efforts wasted on them, when it could be better spent on those Students who are really striving for an Education.

So, as a suggestion, let us also increase that percentage, suggested by the Secretary of Education. by one percent every year. It's only fair, and could serve as a precursor for these young people in their daily lives, and in making a living. After all don't most Businesses, large and small, tend to hire only the brightest of applicants, and retain only those who do the best work ? Seventy Four years of life have qualified me to answer that question with a resounding YES! Hell, even Bill Gates, the founder and Chief Muckety Muck of Microsoft, himself a drop out from Harvard, has instituted a policy for his Company of not even ACCEPTING a job application from a person unless the applicant has a College Degree. so, I think, that even Mr. Gates probably thinks that he could have done a little better (and yes, it's hard to see how) If he had graduated from college. However, as best as I recall Mr. Gates didn't attend Harvard on a Basketball Scholarship, so perhaps he learned enough in the time he WAS in school to help him become the wealthiest nerd in the World.

Folks, we can either face hard facts now or later, but sooner rather than later we will, as individuals and as a Nation, HAVE to face the facts.

If our High School and College graduates are becoming a smaller and smaller percentile of our population, and our graduates are slowly becoming less and less intelligent, doesn't it follow that our Nation will also slowly fall behind other Countries, where Education is given the highest Priority ?

And if our country falls behind, doesn't it follow that the quality of life for each and everyone of us will degrade? Of Course it does.

In checking Statistics, I see that Kentucky, the State wherein the Newspaper containing the article which prompted this post, ranks Forty-Fifth in the Nation in College Athletes who Graduate with at least a Bachelors Degree.

This may or not be because the University of Kentucky has long been known as a "basketball school", and perhaps then not chosen by parents deciding on the best University for their children to get the best Education, and thus, presumably, have a better and more successful life.

It doesn't have to be this way folks. The University of North Carolina, which usually has a pretty fair basketball team,has as their Graduation Rate Sixty-Four percent. Likewise Duke University with a Sixty percent graduation rate , illustrates the fact that a College or University can have both an abundance of first rate Scholars AND a highly proficient Sports Team, which is after all (or should be) only a addendum to SCHOLARSHIP programs, and not a raison d`etre for the Schools existence.

This, of course, doesn't hold true in all cases. There are thousands of people who have graduated from a "Sports College" who have gone on to accomplish much. But I think it is a fair argument that the more emphasis Schools place on Education, at the cost of sports, the better chance a kid has of getting good Education. The shame of all the above is that this Nation has gradually over the past four decades or so, slowly lowered out standards of excellence, and our status in the World.

But as the old query goes "What do you call the lowest ranking graduate from Medical School? A. Doctor"., so maybe now Businesses don't really care if you know anything or not, just as long as you have a college Degree, any Degree, Any College.

So, With deep respect Mr. Editor, You're Wrong.

Says Me

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College "Sports".

Good Afternoon Folks:

Well brace yourself folks, once again I am in a mood to "Harp" on the subject of College Sports.

I take it as a sign of the denigration of our society , when so called "Sports" take the upper hand in our Educational Institutions.

Time was, a College or University was a place where young people went to gain an Education in order to make themselves more employable, a place of respect, where Scholars were esteemed, and when one graduated from their chosen Educational venue, one could take pride in their education, and society as a whole generally benefited from their efforts.

Now it seems that Colleges are simply a place for far to many people to go for no other reason than to play "Sports", and hopefully get a free ride to a lucrative Professional career.

I would find not as much fault in this loophole in our Educational System, if the players in these sports also studied for and received a measurable education, obeyed not just Criminal laws, but generally accepted moral guidelines, which decent people are expected to follow to become good citizens, and contributors to an improving society.

But today, thanks to those people who don't care what a young person does, or what variety of laws they break, just as long as they show up for practice, hungover or not, and be ready for game day.

I guess the fault lies with all of us, in not absolutely insisting that our children be able to attend such an institution with a realistic probability that they would get a good education, in a safe environment for learning, and learn valuable lessons, to be of value to not just themselves and their families, but to society as a whole and succeed in being a good and contributing part of our society.

What started me on this current "Rant", was an Associated Press article in our local paper about an incident in a Texas College.

It concerned an event at Division II Texas A&M-Commerce, when several members of the University's Football Team were arrested on drug charges.
The Schools Student Newspaper ran a front page article about the players arrest, and distributed some Two Thousand copies around the campus, presumably in free vending machines.

The article went on to say that football team players went around the Campus, removing every one of the copies of this edition, and, though the article doesn't say, presumably destroying the papers.

But to throw salt on an already grievous wound, the Football Coach was quoted as saying "I'm proud of my players for doing that". The article says that the Coach, one Guy Morriss, was disciplined for his words, but, typical for what passes for Associated Press Journalistic excellence, doesn't spell out what said discipline amounted to, saying only that someone or something called "Jolly" declined to discuss details. We are left to wonder whether "jolly" if a living person, is the President of the College, The Athletic Director or maybe the towel boy for the team.

We are also left to not only shake our heads at the apparent unbelief in Normal Ethical behavior in our Colleges and Universities, but at the sloppiness of the Associated Press.

Perhaps the A.P. writer graduated from A&M-Commerce?

This is a sad state of affairs in itself, but even sadder when we stop to think that this kind of behavior goes on all the time, and all we can do is shake our heads in disbelief , and wonder why so many decent honorable young people are no longer able to afford to attend one of these Institutions of Higher Learning.

Until and if, we as a society stand up on our hind legs and say "NO MORE" willl this sorry state of affairs end, and our Politicians and Academic Officials get their heads out of their asses, will the collective intelligence of this great Nation once again to embark on the path to our former place of pride in our Institutions and their Faculties.

What Say You?


Jeers

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A Life Examined...Part II

Good Afternoon Folks.

In part one of this self-examination of my character, I mentioned people who I have met, worked with or paid attention to over the course of my rather tattered excuse for a life, and my failure to keep in touch with many of these folks.

So I took my own advice, and called an old Colleague of mine from years past, and was thoroughly glad that I did so.

Hearing voices "from the past", I found, was an enriching experience. The fellow I called, I remembered, was a very nice person, and we had a lot of fun times while we worked together, as we both agreed, and this conversation just made my day.

But the point I am making is that if you know someone who somehow, by word or deed, has enriched your life's experiences, by all means take the trouble to stay in touch with them. You won't be sorry you did.

But I guess, all in all, that self examination can serve little purpose, than to try and admit the mistakes one has made, and try, earnestly, not to make them again.

I've met a few people who have staunchly maintained that if they had their life to live over, they wouldn't change a thing. This tells me a couple of things about this particular sort of person. Either they have led a perfect life, never made a mistake, and have been a roaring success, for which I truly envy them....or they are just lying to themselves and others, and determined, come Hell or High Water, not to admit their mistakes.

At any rate, we'll all be judged, sooner or later, and then will be forced to realize whether or not we've been honest with ourselves.

Just another point to ponder.

Stay Well

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A Life Examined

Good Evening folks.

As with many people in my age group, I seem to spend a lot of time in retrospective thought about my life, such as it has been , and I seem of late to be spending a lot of time in finding fault in the manner in which I have lived my life.

From Mark Twains Notebook: " It is not in the least likely that any life has ever been lived which was not a failure in the secret judgement of the person who lived it".

So....I guess I'm not alone in finding fault with many parts of my life, that, if given the possibility of living my life over, I would vow to do differently.

But, would I? Since there is no recorded instance of any man having the opportunity to live his life over (this probably applies to you, as well, girls!) There is no way to say whether or not I would make the same mistakes in life Redux, as I did in Opus one.

But, it pleases me to think that I would seize the opportunity to correct all those things I did wrong,and would try to eliminate the things in my 'First Life' that were detrimental to other people. I like to think I would somehow, in this "Second Chance" seize the too-late recognized opportunities that I failed to grasp in part one, and eliminate the errors which most of us commit in the exercise of growing up. I think I would somehow recognize the good people I have met over my lifetime more quickly, and not only learn from observing them, but to stay in touch with them, but I should quickly add that I honestly believe that I have learned everything that I know from either watching other people and noting their mistakes and successes, and listening more to what they said instead of trying to think about they really meant, their hidden meaning behind their words, as it were . I have said, pretty much all through my life, that one can learn something from almost anyone one meets in life, even if it is only to forswear something that this other person has done or is doing. And I know that I have said that I have learned something from virtually every book that I have read, either for Education, edification or enjoyment and escape, but, that said, I hastily admit that there is a whole lot more that I don't know than there is that I know for sure.

For instance, in this blog, I frequently criticise politicians, as they are such an easy target. I happen to live in Illinois, a State that is rich with Politicians who are so crooked that they have to screw their socks on, and in fact, are so crooked that it is becoming less and less fun to pick on them. I guess its not the old "familiarity breeds contempt" syndrome, and becomes more what I would call the "Familiarity breeds Assumption" syndrome. This would automatically lead one to assume that if a person is an Illinois Politician, they are simply a criminal not yet indicted.

Maybe we could save time, if, instead of swearing in a new Politician, we just forward their file to a Grand Jury and skip the preliminaries .

But, I digress, and in digression I exemplify what I have already admitted to myself and to the world,that there is just a whole lot that I don't know.

But maybe, by admitting this, I will sort of begin to recognize the person I see in the mirror, instead of mentally asking "who the heck IS this person?

If anyone has any answers I would welcome the opportunity to hear them.

Enough of the Introspective Thought, already, that way leads to madness.

Recently, I have been randomly checking other Blogs. There are quite a number that I like to keep up with, for I have learned from them, and enjoy them.

But, instead of just going to my favorites list, one day I just started checking "next blog" on the toolbar and running through quite a number of Blogs.

I have found through this exercise that it seems that a whole lot of Blogs are written by young people, and this is good, in that these folks are developing their talent for writing BY writing, which I guess is as good a way as any, and I applaud them for it. But, I worry, in a way, that more older people are not writing a blog, so that the young people out there, if they are smart enough, can read these amateur writings and perhaps learn a thing or two from them.

I have discovered also that more than a few Poets use their Blog as a way of "Publishing" their works. Personally I have, through my life, found very few poems that have lodged themselves in my memory, and have also noticed that too many poets are apparently sad creatures, as reflected in their poems, and are thus, at least to me, pretty depressing to read, and are best avoided.

There are, of course, poets whose works will live on, due to the quality of their works. Carl Sandburg comes to mind as A good example.

My wife and I visited Carl Sandburg's home a few years ago, and I was struck by the number of books in Mr. Sandburg's Library and how few of them were books of Poetry.

So I guess in the main, I notice poetic works more when their Author has written in other genres, such as Sandburg's excellent Biography of Abraham Lincoln.

But, back to blogs, and their Authors (if that is the correct term ) and my wondering why so few older people seem to maintain a blog. Perhaps it is because they have too many other things to occupy their time, and are thus to be envied.

I guess if there is one thing I have discovered in this Life of mine, that generally, people who stay busy just don't have time to be depressed, let alone write Poetry or fool around with a Blog, and if they aren't depressed maybe they won't be driven to express their depression in "Poetry" (if you can call it that), and thus depress anyone else who reads it.

As for me, my favorite poems are of the nonsensical sort, and generally amuse the folks who read them.

So, enough for now, and I pray the Good Lord will forgive my failures.

Best

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New NASCAR® Race

Good Afternoon race Fans.

In writing this post I am presupposing that there are some Nascar fans who happen across my efforts. If so, I think you might enjoy my idea for a new Nascar race, and one I'm sure would be a sellout for a race track somewhere.

What I propose is having a new race, restricted to only Blonde Girls. They must be "real" blondes (Certification to be made by the Grand Marshall of the Race, who must be a reputable person, such as Former President Bill Clinton.

All drivers must have at least one cell phone in the car with her during the entire race.

All cars entered in the race must be Convertibles,so that fingernail polish will dry more quickly, all must NOT have a rear view mirror (after all if one of the ladies were to look in the mirror, she might accidently see a car behind her)also the cars shall have no brakes, for as any blonde will tell you you can stop easily by running into the car ahead of you, or running out of gas. The Cars must have automatic transmissions, so the ladies won't have to bother with "Icky" shifting, as it requires that one put down one's cell phone in order to shift.

All drivers will be required to surrender their cell phones for one week prior to the race, to allow messages to accumulate.

All ladies will be given cell phones (hand held) with unlimited minutes and texting features, and phones must be turned on five minutes before the green flag drops. Drivers will be penalized if they fail to use their cell phone for one or more laps (Note: In a trial race of this kind, this penalty was never levied).

Cars must also be equipped with a kick-ass stereo, along with 100 C.D.'s of the drivers choosing and the C.D.s will be kept on the floor of the pasengers side.

A make up caddy will be in each car, with a selection of makeup currently on sale at the Dollar Store. Drivers will be required to start the race without makeup, and must successfully apply make up during the race. Drivers will have to go to the rear of the longest line if they drop their lipstick, cell phone or if their glasses (if worn) slip from the top of their head where they usually park them.

No car will be equipped with a speedometer, as they're never used anyway. Any driver who successfully finishes the race without looking at either side for traffic will be eligible to win if she remembers to always turn left, and not make more than two "ueys" (U Turn for the non-blonde readers).

The race will be 100 laps in duration, and must include at least two stops for gas, which the drivers will have to pump themselves. A broken nail suffered during refueling will result in a loss of two positions, or only one if she doesn't burst into tears.

All drivers will be required to wear "Stilleto Heels".

The winner will be awarded a Thousand Dollar Shopping Spree at the Nearest Mall.

Cars will not be equipped with seat belts, as they mess up one's tube top.

All cars will be equipped with a Video Camera, Mounted in the passengers seat and focused on the right side of the drivers head, in the odd moment when she might actually look out the windshield.

The end of the race will be indicated by the waving of the checkered Thong.

The winner will be the first car to cross the finish line, going in the correct direction whether driven by the original blonde or by being pushed by some gomer from the bleachers, overcome by racing fervor(lust), or if no cars can cross the finish line at the end of the race, the Driver with the best hairdo wins.

Lets go Racin Girls!

Best

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Boredom

A Happy day to thee:

I'm bored. I suspect it is a function of retirement, and the very best cure for boredom is writing. Writing about nothing in particular, just slapping the keys and see what comes out.
Be forewarned I may use some intemperate language in this post, so I've asked my alter-ego to take over my wizened brain and write for me once again.

I find that the older I get the more impatient I get with Political Correctness.
I think its high time we called things what they are. For a time during the late feminist period (just after the jurassic) I was reluctant to write a business letter to a female who I did not know, as I didn't want to make the mistake of referring to some bulky babe as Mrs. or Miss, for fear that she wanted to be addressed as Ms.
and having the PC police kick down my door.

I am similarly tired of hearing the terms, Mexican-American, German-American, African-American and so on to the puking point. One is either an American (if born or Naturalized as such) or they're not, Period.

I'm heartily sick of the current Political climate control the News, especially on Television. I get nauseous when I see a Broadcast or sitcom where they are extremely careful to have one each of white, black, chicano, asian etc, on the show in order to conform to what has now become the norm.
I'm sick of "Reality" shows. For instance, I notice that there will now be a show, called Trash Men, about garbage collectors. I know for sure that these people play a necessary part in our society, if we don't want to be buried in our own refuse , but who finds such dreck entertaining?
I also think the show "Dirty Jobs" serves little purpose, as I really don't think the role of television is to make us sick. It was bad enough when shows such as "Lost" had a bunch of half naked people running around on some island somewhere, and do everything except kill one another to win a cash prize. Whatever happened to shows that entertained. It seems the networks no longer have the talent available to make shows such as "The Andy Griffin Show, "The Honeymooners", "Barney Miller," "cheers" ," Sanford and son', etc. The only explanation that I can come up with is that a whole lot of People call themselves Writers for T.V. when they are nothing but drecksters, who write for the entertainment of Teenagers ONLY. The same is true of Movies. It seems that the only movies being made are adaptations of earlier movies with a different (and sometimes the same) name, or else something so extremely Science-fiction as to be of no interest other than to that Fat Guy who collects comic Books. And Yep, I know that one shouldn't use the term "Fat", in order to be P.C., but as usual I don't care. I know that Obese or "Weight-Challenged" is the proper term . I think the best quote I've ever heard, regarding a 400 pound individual, was " A person who didn't grow to the proper height for his or her weight"............"Doctor.... Mr (or Mrs) Jones, you need to grow to a height of 9 feet and then you'll be fine.' ' I suggest the Rack ". I think Arty Novels are a sublime waste of time. Unless one is a dedicated student or some variety thereof, I absolutely feel that a good book is Fiction, meant for nothing more than Escapism and entertainment. And in that same vein when a Writer writes some deep psychosis-inducing book with a meaning so elusive that the "Art" crowd falls all over themselves droning on about the hidden meaning is nothing more than a scammer who has no real literary talent, and for the most part I think the people who read these "Deep" books (or claim they have)do so to impress other people in Starbucks,(ala "Frazier") I've got news for those "Arty-Farty" people. The hidden meaning of such books is that the writer can't write a lick, but knows there is a steady market for such "Deep" books, when in reality they are about as deep as a wading pool for parakeets . Hell the old "Penny Dreadful' of the victorian Age were Masterpieces compared to many books nowadays (and I use the term "Book" loosely) . I think old Kramer of the Seinfeld show had the right idea about Coffee Table books, in that some books would be better used with legs affixed, to set your coffee cup on. I suspect some people buy Certain books using the criteria of how they'll look on their table or in their bookcase (if they have one). I think all Politicians ought to be shaved bald and have a number painted on their pate, and thenceforth referred to only by number. I also think that these same politicians should have to wear a jail jumpsuit, yellow in color, with a design of Hundred dollar Bills emblazoned on them, as a Political Camouflage.And, finally, I think that most people who write "Letters to the Editor shouldn't".

That's enough for now, I've successfully obviated my boredom.BUT, more to come,later, when my spleen becomes overful and needs Venting.

Stay Well and don't forget to Laugh a Little.

Cheers

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Super Bowl Sunday

Good Morning Folks:

Today, as anyone in the civilized world knows, is Super Bowl Sunday. The one time of the year when a man can be a man and abuse fully the term "Couch Potato".
We men can, and are expected to, by our long suffering Spouses, do absolutely nothing but set our enormous butts on the sofa, watch T.V. and consume huge quantities of Junk Food and our beverages of choice. More than a few of this vast , overfed herd will undoubtedly partake too freely of an alcoholic beverage and then proceed to sleep during all or most of the Super Bowl. This will allow our long-suffering spouses the opportunity to vacuum the mounds of debris created by our snacking and apply windex to the T.V. and our eyeglasses to erase greasy fingerprints. Now we men are simply being considerate in dozing off to allow our spouses this luxury, which also includes giving her time to drag out a half dozen or so trash bags full of cast off food wrappers and bags, beverage cans or bottles, discarded paper towels and such and try the patience of landfill operators everywhere.

On the part of we noble men, we can only hope that we are not among the detritus thus discarded , and most of us are safe, as our spouses are smart enough to recognize that if a pile of trash emits a snore, its probably hubby or one of his cronies, and thus should not be discarded by a cheerful Christian Lady (or a few second-generation Muslim-American ladies).

So, bring on the provender, pigskin, pork rinds and Pepto-Bismol. We are ready.

I guess most guys will have a favorite in the game, but as for me, it's a difficult choice. As I've said more than a few times in the past, I have a warm spot in my Heart for New Orleans, having once, for about a Ten Year period, being a resident of the "Big Easy"...BUT, I must also confess to being a fan of the Indianapolis Colts, and more especially, of Peyton Manning, and indeed, of the whole Manning Clan.

I also imagine that Accomplished Quarterback Manning also has mixed feelings about the game, as he was raised in New Orleans, rooting for his Father Archie Manning, who was Quarterback of the Saints during their time of dubious distinction, being known as the "Aints", and having fans show up for the game with paper bags over their heads. I can well imagine that Manning Senior has a heart swelling with pride, in that two of his sons have followed in his footsteps, and even outreached them as both Peyton and his Brother Eli have won a Superbowl, and both have been chosen as the M.V.P. of their respective games. I imagine that Archie Manning feels just as I do, in that I feel the best a Man can hope for is that his offspring will exceed anything we may have accomplished in our lives.

So, it will, to me, be a very interesting game, whoever wins, and I would not dare to make any predictions other than more than a few men (and a few women) will wake up tomorrow with a hangover and a too-full stomach.

So, kick the ball and let us begin to enjoy our delicious misery already!

Burp!!!

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Wally World.

Good Morning Folks:

I recently had occasion to visit Wal Mart, and it started me thinking more about this Corporation.

Now, I have known for a long time that when Wal Mart comes into a community, smaller stores soon begin to fail, and in short order small towns such as the one in which My Family and I reside, are soon filled with empty stores, where there once were thriving small businesses.

I suspect this happens to a greater degree in small towns vs. large cities, but have no doubt that a considerable number of smaller businesses in large cities also close their door when "Wally World" enters.

I don't think, and I have nothing to base this on except my judgement, that Sam Walton meant for this diaspora of small businesses to occur, but as we all know, it has happened, just the same.

Whether this is now the Business Plan for Wal-Mart or not, this is exactly what happens:

Wal-Mart opens. New patrons will at first be thrilled with the wide selection offered, and in a lot of cases, much lower prices will be found. But over a long or smaller length of time has elapsed, small towns around the new Giant store have lost many, if not all, of their small businesses and a patron of Wal-Mart who pays attention will, I think, begin to notice the following:

1. Prices at WM will start to creep up, to the point where the patron is soon paying more to shop at Wal Mart than they ever did shopping in the small businesses in their Town, Village or Hamlet . But.....what is one to do? All the small concerns have shuttered their stores and....Voila! Wal-Mart is left as the only option.

2. Wal-Mart will gradually omit more and more American Made items, as they can buy Foreign made good much cheaper, and thus make a greater profit. I have noticed, as a rule, when W-M first started stocking Foreign made goods, they were a LOT cheaper than domestic items on the next rack, but over time, the foreign made goods will slowly increase in price, coincident with fewer and fewer American Made products being displayed or available.

This folks, is called "Conditioning", sort of a sort of adaptation of Pavlov's "Response Theory", wherein dog's are slowly trained to start salivating when a bell is rung.

Whether you want to call it Conditioning or a Criminal Enterprise, this is exactly what is happening in Cities across the United States, and has been for a long time.

There was a time when such devious conduct was known as an illegal monopoly , and was against the law, but no longer.

This is perhaps because the U.S. is selling U.S. Securities at a greater and greater pace to China (the largest case) and other countries. In fact, it seems to me that what we, the Citizens of the U.S. have allowed to occur, is a Government falling over on its back, and saying to China among others, "sock it to me Baby".

Unpleasant, but true, in my humble opinion.

Remember when Wal Mart first opened in your town? Everywhere you looked their were "associates", employees of WM who were helpful and courteous....no more.
Wal Mart is slowly, but surely "paring down" its payroll and you now have to look long and hard to find someone to help you. You will also note, as I have, in the Wal Mart "Super Stores" the replacement of check out isles with 'Self Check" aisles, ostensibly for your (the customer's) convenience. this is not for our convenience folks, this is for one purpose only and that is......you guessed it,to allow Wal Mart to eliminate yet another employee. You will also, I think, notice, as I have, that fewer and fewer check out aisles will be open, forcing us, the customers, to wait for a longer and longer period of time. WM is counting on us saying to ourselves," well, I've already got a cart full of stuff that I need, so I'll just have to wait my turn", and Wal Mart will have once more succeeded in reducing their costs, to the detriment of us, the buying public.

If you want a suggestion, which might or might now make the Mighty Corporation sit up and take notice, when you get to one of the few check outs open, only find a long line, just wheel your cart to one side, abandon it, and leave the store. If enough people do this, maybe, just maybe, Wally will get the message, or maybe not, but at least we will have registered our displeasure, and perhaps one employee of Wal Mart will keep his or her job, in order to re shelve such abandoned items.

Also, if, say, a certain shirt, or other item, catches your eye, look to see where its made, and if it's not American Made, don't buy it, unless you just HAVE to have it. Perhaps, and it's an "iffy" perhaps, if enough people start doing this, the American Garment Industry will start to make a come back. Its worth a try!

So, I'm very much afraid what we will see, will be come to be known as the "Wal Mart Effect", whereas we will see increasingly, fewer and fewer small businesses and their attendant jobs, More and more giant Businesses, higher and higher prices, a continual growth of unemployment, higher taxes, until, like the Kilkenny Cats, all that is left of the United States of America will be our nails and the tip of our tails.

Another example of this syndrome are Lowes and Home Depot. The rise and success of these giant"Home Improvement Warehouse" concerns have closed down the small town Lumber Yard, for the most part. I sometimes wonder if these mega-corporations employ a person to go around to towns with and/or near such a Mega-Corp., and more or less conduct a census to determine how many small businesses are left? Don't laugh, it is entirely within the realm of possibility. What better incentive for, say, Lowes, as an example, to raise their prices, than the determination that there is, in fact, no competition for them except for Home-Depot. I confess I am as guilty as the next person of patronizing Home Depot, as an example. A few days ago, our Home water heater went toes up, and I purchased a replacement at Home-Depot. I tried to make amends by hiring a local Man and a small Businessman to install the water heater, and paid him almost the exact same price for the installation as the Water Heater cost at Home-Depot, so maybe, in a small way, I tried to balance out the necessary with the desired. In other words, it was necessary to purchase the Appliance at Home Depot, but I was desirous of keeping as much of my money in my own Community instead of the pockets of a Giant Concern, and thus be a good citizen.

But, perhaps, I have it all wrong?. However, since Wal-Mart has already captured Boardwalk and Park Place, they are in the final stages of winning this International Monopoly game.But...........it's not a game, now is it?

When it affects our collective pocketbook's it's no longer a game is it?.

Cheers

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Lost Writers

Good Afternoon Gentle Folk:

I have just finished reading the Blog of a man I admire, An Editor at a local Newspaper, a man who carefully assembles the parts of the English Language so well that he makes his living from so doing. He is also a man I consider to be a friend, although we have never met. This Gentleman, and I use the word advisedly, who encouraged me start writing (again). I say again, as I had more or less taken a sabbatical from writing, save for many dry, uninteresting technical reports, etc, that were part of my job as a Chemist , plus the fact that I felt I didn't have anything to say, and had absolutely no talent as a writer.

It is true that I tried to write when I was younger, but in common with many people, I found that I had a paucity of life experiences to write about, so I gave up on writing, and buckled down to the tedious task of making a living for my young, but growing, family.

But, although I didn't write, except in the course of my job, but I did read, voraciously. (and still do)

But enough about me, I was commenting about a post on the Blog written by my friend, and I realize that I am taking a point of privilege, to refer to him as such, but I have already explained that statement.

The excellent Blog I am referring to is: http://Exactly Write.blogspot.com. The author of this Blog uses it almost exclusively to instruct others the noble art of writing and the importance of correct usage of the English Language, and I am grateful for his efforts, as they have helped me a lot.

Today's Post on the above mentioned blog refers to the Death of J. D. Salinger, and the better known of his two books, "The Catcher in the Rye" This blogger states an opinion that I wholeheartedly echo i.e. that this is one of the most deadly boring books I have ever had the displeasure of reading.

I was, at the time of said reading, taking a College English Course, and was assigned this book to write an Essay on.(In High School they are called "Book Reports", but in College said reports are called "Essays", Analysis', thought on the Writer's theme or Motive, and so on, ad nauseum.

I read Catcher in the Rye, and hated it, so I read it again, trying desperately to find something in the book to build an Essay around,and about the only Statement I could come up with was, "I am saddened to report that I can find nothing to say complimentary about this Book, I wish I hadn't read it, and will try, earnestly to now forget that I have done so"

My instructor was more than a little displeased on my Essay, but was too cowardly to give me a bad grade on my effort , and in so doing followed her apparent method of doing her job, that of teaching, albiet poorly, what thousands of others before her,had done. Had I been grading the instructor on her assignments and ability to teach, in the main, I would have given her a F-, both on her choice of books to assign students to read, and her reasons for doing so, again, everone else does it!.

But I speak ill of the Dead, in that Mr. Salinger died last week, and his one Claim to Fame (the afore-mentioned book) is freshly being hailed in newspapers and magazines as one of the signal pieces of literature in American History, but I fall back on the words of one my Uncle's, who, after making an uncomplimentary remark on a Person freshly deceased, and being told that he shouldn't speak bad of the recently deceased chap, Said " Why?, I didn't like the Son-of-a-Bitch when he was alive, so why should I like him any better because he's dead?"

It has been only a few short months since the passing of one of the Finest Writers of Fiction I've ever read,and I speak of Mr. Tony Hillerman, who was given scant notice in the Media. Mr. Hillermans books not only entertained me, since I read both for escape and for education, and I shall miss having any more of his books to enrichen my life. Mr. Hillerman's books about the Native American people, I feel shall long endure, even not to the notice of the "Critics" of the media.I feel it is a travesty to give so much journalistic mention of J. D. Salinger, when writers such as Mr. Hillerman have contributed so much to modern american Literature.


Also, another writer of Notable Fiction passed away last week. Robert B. Parker, whose "Spenser" Novels more or less raised the bar on Crime Fiction, even though his last few books, I thought, were apparently written on a "Cookie-Cutter' basis, and suffered therefrom.

So, if my recommendation means anything, Be sure and read Tony Hillerman and Parker, especially his earlier Spenser Novels and his two or three Westerns, and skip Salinger, You will find it no unendurable loss.

Let us mourn those who deserve recognition, and forget about Mr. Salinger. The sooner the better.(note:-added later) As I frequently do, I posted this article without thinking it through, and as a result, it may sound a bit mean........so, just let me add one thing. When I say forget about Mr. Salinger, I could and should have said, perhaps remember Mr. Salinger for his ecctricity, and for the fact that he was an Author, but you will miss nothing if you fail to read his books.

Also I was (am) remiss, in not mentioning a couple of other writers who I think you will enjoy.

The first of these is an excellent writer, and to my knowledge, a good person, is James Lee Burke, whose books are always pleasing to this reader. And the same goes for Dean Koontz, who, while I have never met the man, I feel a certain kinship with, for he is a Dog Lover, as am I.

So, I have corrected my errors of omission (which I suspect happens frequently with we apprentice writers). Sorry, Please and Thank You

Cheers

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