~Bluudy's Blog~

New Year Anew

2010-01-03T10:59:00.001-07:00

Full of so many new wondrous endeavors complete with many new and exciting people!

How awesome is it that technology can help people re-connect, as I have with several people from my past, or connect with brand new ones? That’s why I’m in the technology field!

Hear hear to the Johnny Snows! What an awesomely good group of people!

My two best friends are still in my life, for which I am eternally grateful...

So many life altering events have taken place this past year! But one I feel compelled to write about more than most…

When I was 10 or so, I had a vision of the number 32. The next couple of years I had a couple more visions relating to this number, with scenes I would equate to having to do with my age. Some were very dark, and for a long time those dark scenes were all I could remember. These visions translated that something life-altering would come about during this age in my life. I now know that it was for the positive, as I have met the woman of my dreams-that I in fact had a vision of at a very young age. If not for technology and Facebook, I would never have found her. The fates, once again, steered me onto this path with her almost a year and a half ago, and I’m so glad that we started dating over the summer!

Moving in with her, thusly sharing my life with her, is the biggest life-altering experience I could have hoped for…moral of this story is to never give up, even when life seems darkest. Thinking positively only brings you the very brightest of stars and dreams come true…

Here’s to a great 2010, with many more brilliant endeavors and fantastic people with awesomely great times ahead!

Respect is taken, when respect is given...

Namaste and Slainte!

True Christmas

2009-12-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

“Let us pray that strength and courage abundant be given to all who work for a world of reason and understanding, that the good that lies in every man’s heart may day by day be magnified, that men will come to see more clearly not that which divides them, but that which unites them, that each hour may bring us closer to a final victory, not of nation over nation, but of man over his own evils and weaknesses, that the true spirit of this Christmas season — it’s joy, its beauty, its hope, and above all its abiding faith — may live among us, that the blessings of peace be ours — the peace to build and grow, to live in harmony and sympathy with others, and to plan for the future with confidence.”

Something my grandma had hand transcribed 60 years ago - she had kept this as a prayer ever since...

Respect is taken, when respect is given...

Namaste and Slainte

Emotion Motion

2009-07-21T21:24:00.000-06:00

The past few days have been a whirlwind of emotional highs and lows. I don't think I've ever had quite this many all at one time! Strangely honorific, in the sense that I had the pleasure to experience them all at once!

My best friend Ben I have known since I was six, and since first grade. We've been running around together ever since! I call him my best friend, because we're so oddly different in almost every ideology. That doesn't seem to matter since we always seem to have a good time in each other's company. We know what not to talk about, it seems, out of respect for what the other might believe - but that leaves so much more to just babble and reminisce - it's a great emotion of compassion and sentimentality knowing I have a friend as great as he...

The end of one of the best summers yet, and the beginning of the work week. This summer break has been awesome, in that I got to see so many Kansas family members, and met a few new ones that are a wonderful edition to have been able to get to know! New places with a new great group of people (Stop it now I mean it! Anybody have a peanut? lol), have been exciting! Roswell and Estes Park were supremely grand getaways! And the beginning of another awesome year at a job I love, brings emotions of anticipation and optimism to fruition...

A small furry friend passed away, and it was disheartening to say the least. He meant so much to so many, that he was not just a pet, but a member of a clan - an extensive clan comprised and compiled of many well-to-do good people, that I shared in their loss with sadness, grief, and sorrow ...

I talked at length with a friend about emotion Monday night, and how it might play tricks at times, or maybe it is the real thing each time an occurance that resembles that emotion presents itself. I'd like to think that emotions never change, they are always true, but the people and places within them are the only things that change. This is a friend that we share oddly similar views on almost everything. Emotions of zest, contentment, cheerfulness, pride, passion, exhilleration, enthrallment and the list can go on and on, is what this friend has given to me all at once- but most of all, I give this friend my utmost respect...

So my several part question is can emotion be controlled, should it be controlled, or it should be left alone to soak in all that humanity has to offer? (Even if it does come all at once ;-)

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

2009-06-29T00:18:00.001-06:00

"This truth fand honest Tam O"Shanter, As he frae Ayr ae night did canter..."R.B.

Memory From A Movie

2009-06-25T22:01:00.000-06:00

I’ve always stated that I love watching films and movies, because it gives us a glimpse into what another might be thinking; and as it turns out, they sometimes are thinking of the same things we are. Imagine that!

Watching a movie today brought back a memory of my grandparents, my grandma in particular. The basic phrase was, “Passing things on to our grandchildren, assures us that we’ll live on after we’re gone.”

And that’s how you know you love someone – watching a film, made through someone else’s eyes, that brings a tear to the eye, because of a shared memory.

Yes, I did happen to think of my own grandma, whom passed 2 years ago. But, then I got to thinking, in movies it’s usually based on something material, a possession that’s passed through a multi-generational facet of something tangible. For me, it was ideals and notions, of ethics and morality, instilled in me that will stay a lifetime that I, too, hope to one day pass on …

It’s the little things in life that seem to mean so much … slow things down, or you might just miss out on something grand …

Respect is taken, when respect is given …

Namaste and Slainte

The Blind Men and the Elephant

2009-06-14T14:47:00.001-06:00

The Blind Men and the Elephant – John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)

“”It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind)
That each by observation
Might satisfy the mind.

The first approached the Elephant
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side
At once began to bawl:
"Bless me, it seems the Elephant
Is very like a wall".

The second, feeling of his tusk,
Cried, "Ho! What have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear".

The third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Then boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake."

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right
And all were in the wrong.

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!””

Think about this the next time you meet someone, or someone meets you – interests differ depending on the perspective, yet none are wrong – just different. We are drawn to people for different reasons, and those reasons should be respected as such; yet when someone new comes along, it will be respect for yet another reason.

I think it’s more of an understanding that you will see this person in a different light and must be adjusted as such, rather than “training” someone. Adhere to the reasons that make this person respect you for a reason other than what was given by someone else.

Don’t be blind to the fact that everyone has something to offer …

Respect is taken, when Respect is given …

Namaste and Slainte

Starbucks and the Bucks

2009-03-13T08:32:00.001-06:00

Starbucks a few times a year makes a percentage donation from sales of certain types of drinks, benefiting some charitable organization – most recently it happened to be Project Red, which helps fight AIDS in Africa. Many people who are against corporations came out to say that if one were to donate directly to the cause itself, that organization would see more of the money.

You know, I'm agreeing with many of the nay-sayers that the donations I make directly to these foundations and charities is more significant than what Starbucks offers - But damn few of us give direct donations. Even a small portion of all the coffee drinks they produce daily is helluva lot more than I'd likely be able to donate myself. This won't stop personal donations, and is just an additional supplemental source of funding. In the current economic recession here in the US, this is a way to provide a great deal of money, even if it is only $.05 at a time, when many larger and smaller donors are cutting back on charitable donations. Not to mention, now we're putting power of even $.05 from perhaps tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of individuals who are unlikely to be donating a nickel or anything else. (And since I belong to a non-profit, I can attest to the underfunding aspect of economic recession.)

This is a BUSINESS though, and they have no requirements on charitable obligations. I say thank you and kudos! Get me a triple tall latte, please!!

A very loose real number would be Starbucks gross profit margin. It’s currently about 19.2%. Taken loosely that means off of your $4 latte, Starbucks makes 77 cents. So even after they give to Project (Red) they still make 72 cents. That’s a cost to them of 6.5% of their gross profit from the sale.

Lets do a little math:

For every 100 latte's they normally sell:
Donation to Project (Red): $5
Starbuck's gross profit (after the donation): $72
Starbuck's lost gross Profit: $5.

Number of additional Latte's they need to sell to make up for the lost $5: 7
So for each 100 latte's they normally sell, they need to sell an additional 7 latte's to have their profit unaffected by the donation.

This also doesn't take into account that Starbucks will get a tax break on their donation.
And they're still a business, so I ask again what local non-corporate entity has the power and resources to DONATE millions every year to various non-profits associated with rejuvenating the lands, people, and culture that grow their precious beans, or house a precious commodity?

You should probably take a look and read over their annual CSR to find out what they actually GIVE away each year to global non-profits (without a mass marketing campaign, I might add), before making lofty folderol. The prices quoted are fair. According to their Fiscal 2008 Q4 report, they were down almost a dollar in stock - a 7 year low - with 2008 seeing a ~$200M loss. Q1 2009 already saw a .50c drop, due to pressure from the housing market.

Not to mention that a few of the Starbucks in my area donate all of the overstocked food products and GIVE it to homeless shelters. And all of the grinds go into my garden every year. And all of the donation boxes that a couple of my stores have MATCH donations.

It would seem then, in the end, the idea of a corporation is much more detrimental to the psyche, than the actual good they can accomplish. True, not all major corporations donate and make good by helping where and how they can, but it’s not fair to those that do (with little understanding) to lump them all together.

Respect is given, when respect is taken ...

Namaste and Slainte

Respectful Rewards

2009-03-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

"As long as you're trying to be somebody else, the best you can ever hope for is second best. If you're genuine and consistent even those that disagree with you will be respectful of you." ~ Paul Harvey

And that's why Paul Harvey will be missed. His story telling ability was spot on each and every time, able to spin a yarn into something believable and unbiased. But, unfortunately, this isn't about Paul Harvey. This is almost in continuation of the Assistive Rewards post.

The world is full of questions, and the answers are rarely sought out. Politicians are exceptional at spinning a question into another question, as if that is itself the answer. So we are left questioning, and second-guessing our choices all the time. We ask "what if" too much, and not accept things as they are, in my opinion.

Can you really argue that trying to be like someone else, or what someone else wants you to be is beneficial to anyone? Sounds more like superficial.

Isn’t being genuine a sure fire way of grabbing someone’s attention? Everyone has what others will perceive as faults, that’s a given, and usually only on the outside and upfront. But isn’t that what can grow a healthy discussion, is taking those faults, accepting them, and maybe realizing that there is always more than one way to look at something?

There should always be some modicum of leaving some subjects alone, because you know that you will agree to disagree to which you leave it be, and that’s where civility comes into play. In the end, I’ve garnered respect for folk that have been able to logically convey their thoughts and feelings toward a particular subject, than haphazardly throwing something out there just because the feeling that that is the end all of everything.

The back-story leads into the whole story – if only what’s on top is taken, and nothing underneath is perused through, then you’ll never know … the rest of the story.

I always end my blogs and posts in one simple line:

Respect is taken, when respect is given …

Namaste and Slainte

Assistive Rewards

2009-03-05T14:00:00.001-07:00

Assistive Rewards

Is there a reward for doing something that comes second nature? If a person does something that is a reward in someone’s eyes, does the one helping actually see it that way, or is it without thought?

What is it when someone helps on a grand scale, but seeks a reward – how is it different than helping one person, but seek nothing in return? How is reward defined? Is a reward a given in any situation no matter what happens?

Have you ever been the one that helps someone, only to feel a sense of let-down when nothing happened after the fact? Have you ever worked in a group of people, no matter the size, where you felt good about the deed that was done, but there was no reward, so to speak? Isn’t completion of the deed in itself the reward?

What if by proxy of a mandate of effort you are given an award that you didn’t necessarily do anything to deserve? How does doing nothing constitute being rewarded?

In our blue ribbon society, everybody is supposed to win – but what about the people actually putting forth effort to achieve something greater than being rewarded …

Respect is given, when respect is taken …

Namaste and Slainte

Internet Stimulus

2009-02-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

What people want to hear …

What people want to believe …

Somewhere in between …

And then there’s the truth.

Be aware of the machine; fight against the machine; realize that surveillance can be avoided by how much personal information is available to the machine.

Live off-grid as much as possible.

Net Neutrality was a huge issue in the recent stimulus package. Net Neutrality makes it impossible for the big phone and cable companies to tax us for faster speed and broader access to the Internet – which is supposed to be free, in a long list of failing freedoms of choice. It is a choice for us to use, not a choice for them to control. Ever wonder how the sites of the big phone and Internet providers have faster load times; or even the sites associated with these companies?

Since their primary objective is money, they self-proclaim as the “Internet Gatekeepers”.

February 7th, 2009, marked a start time where Limbaugh, Dobbs and other Republican cronies, lobbied for McCain to strip the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act 2008 (HR5353)” (co-written in bi-partisan form) from the recent stimulus package, thereby stripping thousands of jobs from middle class workers, spoiling technology in the classroom; crawling education, banking, health and human services to a standstill; and every single company that uses the internet for their business would have to comply with the wishes of one controlling entity. I shudder to think of what will happen to all the small business owners that rely on the internet for that one small piece of free competitive market; what will happen when they can’t afford the entry cost?

Their goal would have seen that all the major players in the mobile and on-line arena station a tax for each level of speed per node of access. This would have seen uncontrolled measures of price gouging, with absolutely no means to go by.

Even the Christian Coalition is FOR the (HR5353) bill, because they understand all too well the power of Freedom of Speech.

We are not animals in a zoo to be controlled by power and money hungry trolls.

Save the Internet; save a freedom …

Respect is taken, when respect is given …

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

http://epic.org/

http://www.democraticmedia.org/

The dr.'s Last Stand

2009-01-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while a group of people come along that leave an impression. These impressions have a lasting effect usually from people that are not high profile, or constantly in the lime-light, but ordinary people just living their lives the best they know how. Never allowing the chance of growing stale or becoming has-beens from a vaunted high-profile endeavor, they are a consistent reminder that there are genuine down-to-earth people making a difference in some people’s lives in the smallest of ways.

Wishdoctor is such a group. Since their inception in the early nineties, this band has given the Colorado community a means to bang their heads and live a little on the wild side of good, hard, and loud rock & roll. They consistently give their all every weekend to a packed house, or on a slow night with a handful of people – they maintain their rock & roll dignity by always performing to one hundred percent of their eclectic abilities. Friendships have been forged, and families have been made.

Through their many line-up changes, Wishdoctor has retained a sound all too familiar to the fans in the know. If you are a fan of Wishdoctor, then you know their signature sound! If you’re looking for pop rock dance songs that make you roll your eyes instead of rock your brain, look elsewhere. Wishdoctor has stayed true to the core belief that if arranged properly, hard rock can be melodic and soothing to those wanting to vent out frustration on a week’s end.

As they play their final show on New Year’s Eve, the fans of Wishdoctor, (and this one in particular), will end up knowing that ‘something’ good was accomplished in the Colorado community. And that ‘something’ leaves a lasting, lifelong impression.

Greg Wohler
(originally submitted to The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News Dec. 27th, 2008)

Respect is taken, when respect is given …

Namaste and Slainte

Wintry Overlook

2008-12-21T15:15:00.001-07:00

The winter months oddly seem the time to reflect on the past, and usually an atonement is gathered in the thoughts of those that memory loss tried to claim. But there is always one little spark of something left undone or unspoken that requires a New Years resolution. Sometimes it's an inane thought of improving the physical self. Sometimes it's a thought of a past thread that should try to be mended and woven into the fabric of the present state of affairs.

For me, it's been eight years of something of the latter - a mental spark of trying to find someone and piece together those frayed threads of misunderstanding and ignorance.

Every year a thought - like a dream on a teetering edge of a rocky cliff, that a whisper on the breeze might send over the side - goes through my mind to follow up, and to a certain extent I have; just not far enough. For whatever reason, it remained out of my grasp.

That reason, however, was made clear recently. I hadn't the strength to do something when I should have, and now that atonement will remain unfulfilled in my mind forever.

I'm afraid of it, and brave it at the same time; afraid that it will claim someone that I care about deeply, but embrace it knowing that I've done the best I can with what I've been given.

PFS - I was jealous that it seemed your life was finally coming together, at a time where mine was uncertain. Death is a fickle bitch. It doesn't care the means of how, who, when, where, or why, but it cares in the end. You were teased by it, tormented by it; you made it a part of you.

In death, I hope you have found the peace that eluded you in life...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

~gpw~

Virtue of Politics

2008-09-17T22:13:00.000-06:00

Politics are constantly changing, but the themes are universal. It frequently borrows from what came before. Continuity and change become partners in a living tradition. Don’t we then change along with the times? Or is that the times change with the want of something new?

Didn’t the needs of the people stand to different principles in say third millennia Egypt, as opposed to 20th century United States? The obvious answer would be yes. The real answer is no. Why?

Principles don’t change – the manner in which they are conducted, does.

When Confucius set about the ethical groundwork for modern politics, he had one view in mind – lead by virtue of being human. What does that mean?

When politics come down to one-upping with what one perceives is the hole in the opposing campaign, virtue is lost. The number of votes at the behest of perceived weakness is weakness of human virtue. We cease being human, and start controlling instead of helping. We help no one with attacks on character and intelligence.

Is it socialist, moderate, centrist views that want betterment as a whole so that there is no more violence, or less of; equality in being able to afford to take care of health, living, and energy matters? It seems it would be easier to weed out the weeds, and grow into better people. Why is that so wrong? Because there’s no controlling share of money involved?

I find it humorous that the big political platform now is doing away with earmark spending, when the simple fact is that earmarks make up one percent of the national debt – a debt that has doubled under the Bush administration (conservative platforms) since Clinton left office. The Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, and the war budgets make up twenty percent of the national debt (Concord Coalition). Which means the remaining budget has fallen into disarray on the part of those that concentrated their money into one project, neglecting the true needs of the people – and I DON’T have the need to kill, thank you very much. And let’s not forget that the Republicans now are plastering the public about how liberal the Democrats are with spending – spending, that is, on everything except war tirades.

Spending $40billion dollars a week on sustaining a killing venture isn’t liberal spending? That price tag is neglecting, I might add, national infrastructure, effectively brokering our economy overseas while the middle and lower classes (the working classes) suffer for it. Yet, the Republicans cry fowl in my home state (CO) that $1billion dollars of our state surplus was spent on education – the highest amount EVER ALOTTED in state history. Let’s not forget that Republicans now want less government control, even though the Constitution and Bill of Rights are government documents on regulating a free-state of people – regulated BY THE PEOPLE that vote in politicians that amend those documents to fit the bill of whomever is in office.

Had the Democrats been more conservative, the staving off of the pine beetle infestation could have been stopped years ago by casting a fire in certain areas of the Canadian Rocky Mountain range. This would have created a buffer between how the beetles would have progressed. The tree-huggers cried fowl that the trees and wildlife should not have been destroyed, but now have destroyed the mountains where my family is buried – subsequently mountain floura and fauna will cease in 50 years. Allan Carroll of the Canadian Forest Service has stated that less than one percent of the fires needed to have burned a beetle blockade, burns today, right now, in fires that the forest industry has (spent enormous amounts of money on) tried to prevent. The Clean Air Act, co-written by (D-Virginia) Nick Rahall stalled in the senate – by four opposed Democrats – Rahall one of them.

These are just a couple of examples, but politics in government should not be filled with such inconsistencies. We place our human livelihood in people that have been sworn to protect it. When it fails, it is our job as citizens within the government to uphold our tacit-consent on political birthright, (given again by the Constitution), to voice concern and do something about it. Voting is not it. According to Thomas Paine, revolution is.

I spoke earlier of moral indignation against one another. This is resulting in disharmony in social well-being. When that happens, change in something other than government needs to take place. We need to look at everything that has a controlling effect on how we go about our daily lives with what makes the majority of the people unhappy, instead of how a small percentage wants to control everything, with everyone in it.

Taking matters out of context also fits with wanting more and helping less. So, let’s all wipe the lipstick off the pigs and get back to respecting morals, ethics, and civility. You can’t sugar coat a turd and call it donut, any more than you can piss down my back and tell me that it’s raining. It’s a metaphor, people – wake up! Let's start acting human again!

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Letter to my Government

2008-09-01T11:59:00.000-06:00

To those it may concern,

I thought long and hard if I should say something or not, because, really, who would listen and who would care in the long scheme of things? But, after some consideration, and time to cool off, I decided that something must be said and sent to people that should be made aware. I may very well be the only one upset and disappointed enough to. But, it’s only because of my life experience in the Arapahoe Democratic Party, (Aurora, CO), that I feel I have to.

I started my political jaunt, if one can call it that, when I was about six or seven pulling my little red wagon filled with brochures for a man I still consider a friend, Steve Ruddick. I’ve volunteered for Gary Hart’s campaign, Michael Dukakis’ campaign, Bill Clinton’s campaigns, Ben Nighthorse Campbell’s campaigns, and intermittent Ruddick and Weddig campaigns. Twenty-some years later, I have never seen a political gathering run so poorly, ever, as in HD39.

House District 39 was the very last district to make up its mind on delegates for Clinton to the state convention, the day of the County Assembly, March 8th, 2008. It was one thing after another, and given the circumstances of there being so many people abound at something that is usually more controllable, I give a tad leeway.

It wasn’t bad enough I was bottle-necked at the bottom of the stage in the Hinkley High School auditorium, (amidst the swarm of Obama supporters), that I couldn’t get to the top of the auditorium in time to sign my name on an apparent list for furthering my Clinton delegate status. It wasn’t bad enough that someone, a woman whose name I never did catch, was elected interim chair. Is that even possible? I thought the actual HD chair was supposed to be present? And if this woman was she, then it was one of the worst jobs of control from a “group leader” I have quite possibly ever seen.

Not only did we move into the hall from the auditorium, where upon hearing the delegate list had been closed for further signing, it took almost two hours to decide that the people that had put in the most time campaigning for Clinton would be the ones to go to the state and congressional conventions. The alternates’ cards were then pulled from a box. I’ve never heard of such a thing! Campaign time is completely subjective, and who is to say that calling from home is less important and holds less clout than someone who had volunteered at the main Clinton headquarters!

For a few minutes I was ashamed to call myself a Democrat. It was deplorable, at best. The old were turned away, and the supposed non-volunteer need not to have applied.

I was excited, when I arrived – perma-grin on my face – thrilled that I was at something that my grandparents had done before me. I wanted to continue my family tradition of being elected to a state convention, but was thrashed away by the inept ability of a “group leader” to control a situation.

I give testament to why I voted for Clinton in the first place, which may sound contradictory in comments below. I voted for Clinton because my Nana was proud to know that there was finally the possibility of a woman candidate. Women have been slighted since the beginning of human existence, if you follow what it says in the bible; Adam tried to control Lilith, but she would have nothing to do with him. She left Eden and in her anger mated with the Devil; she then proceeded to kill off Eve to get back at Adam, hence the saying ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’. Ever since then, women have been second. For the first time ever, there was a chance to see a woman in charge of this biased country, putting to rest some of what our moms, and especially Nana, had to go through in their life time of bigotry – and continue to do so presently. Having a female Republican VP that was mayor of an Alaskan town of 700, is a lot different than being the wife of a president and two-term U.S. Senator from NY.

I guess it’s time for me to jump on the bandwagon and root for change. It is my firm belief that two things need to change: Rules reform and/or proper guidance on handling delegate selection with CLEAR rules and regulations, and, the removal of the HD39 chair, Mary Ellen Wolf – whom I am still uncertain was present or not, at any point in time. She may very well have been with the Obama supporters, while leaving the Clinton supporters to fend for themselves.

If something like this scenario has happened in at least one place, it’s almost a sure bet that it happened in other places across the country as well. Citizens, no matter the political affiliation, should not be treated in such a manner. This is a breach in trust within a government sworn to uphold civility.

Was this all because we got swept away in the grand scheme of having something new grace our lives, such as great historical political fervor? Possibly. Or, was this all because proper guidance was not given to parties involved? Possible, still.

Just as Wallstreet has effectively been able to broker away the commercial aspect of the USA, I am ashamed to note that in the course of making history, both the Republic and Democratic parties have effectively been able to broker away the American psyche, by polarizing the American public into a frenzy of religion, race, gender, and creed. The delegates and superdelegates of the DNC are just as much to blame as the whole of the RNC; power away from the people.

It’s myopic absolutism that the Democrats would elect a black man, and not a woman, juxtaposed with the Republicans offering McCain with a woman VP. Is this what our government has come down to? One-upping each other in terms of votes, rather than what we’re voting for?

I’m tired of the lofty political folderol of who has the more tainted past, as opposed to what the person can bring to the core of the table. We’ve all done a thing that seemed right at the time, but maybe looking back on, wasn’t. We try to redeem ourselves by doing what we feel is right, but get slapped around as being wishy-washy and a turn-coat.

This is not what the founding father’s had in mind when they set up this country, and this is not what I had in mind when I, by defacto of American birthright, gave tacit consent to those elected to run it. You should all be ashamed of how things are run, as I am ashamed of being a part of it.

As of completion of this letter, my vote still hangs in the balance on wanting to vote, or not - ever. After repeated slaps in the face to me and my family, based on a governments’ moral ineptitude, why should I?

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Regards,

Greg Wohler

Mentor

2008-08-04T20:17:00.000-06:00

The Word "mentor" comes from the Greek "Mentor" whom was the son of Alcumus in Homer's Odyssey. When Odysseus left to fight in the Trojan War, he left Mentor in charge to watch over his son, Telemachus. Mentor acted as a guide and confidant to Telemachus, in absence of his father. Upon the return of Odysseus from his ten year journey, (most recently Calypso), Athena took the form of Mentor in protection of Odysseus and Telemachus, because the level of trust and loyalty that both had put into Mentor would aid them in exacting revenge against the tyranny that had overgrown in Ithaca.

As we've recently crossed another "first" threshold since my grandmother's passing, (her July 28th birthday, she would have been 99 this year), memories swelled looking back at those in my life who have acted as a mentor; a teacher; a guide; a liaison, if you will, between known and unknown - such are the trades of a mentor.

Mentors bridge the gap between freely giving their life experience and giving insight to present goings-on, even if perhaps they know nothing of the subject. They know when not to get involved, yet know, also, when to give comforting thought without pressing an issue.

A mentor is not a passerby, although it can be argued that someone that is met only once can give valuable information. Rather, a mentor is someone that has been by your side for an extended period of time. I can think of several people, by reason of polarity, that have acted as such throughout my life. I say polarity, because I am a staunch believer in that one needs balance in life, and polar opposites sharing their experiences and opinions can only form a true basis of the persona that shapes our life.

This mentor is not just someone that we can rely upon. Knowledge lies within acceptance; acceptance of what they have to offer, yes, but accepting that we don't necessarily have to be near this person to feel their presence; we don't need to call this person on the phone all the time; nor Email, text, smoke signal, Morse code, or any other form of communication. This person is there when we need them; for the small pebbles, or the big rocks life throws at us, we needn't be in constant contact to know this to be true.

As you read this passage, I hope you ponder who your mentor is – is this person a friend? A school teacher? A co-worker? Someone that I talk to on-line, but have never met?

Tell that person thanks – before it's too late … mentors make us who we are – a thank-you is the least we can give them in return …

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

English Language - sorta

2008-07-25T01:11:00.000-06:00

The following is a response to an on-going debate I have with a friend who seems to think that certain government mandates are contributing to the downfall of every culturally native language except English. He also states that English should not be the main language in America, as other countries make up America, i.e. Canada, Mexico, Brazil, etc. He proceeds to quote PhD holders from UCLA to back-up that English is not the only "living language", and should not be the only one used. So, I quoted the books I had from people that were NOT PhD holders. My argument is the following response:

"I don't know if you're agreeing or disagreeing, so I'll put it another way ... languages have survived without governments, and if someone wants to use "government" as a crutch that "all" languages survive or die, that's poppycock. I'm not going to learn 15 different languages so that I can speak with my neighbors, but if you move here from another country then you better damn well learn English. (Just as I would have to learn a native language if I moved to another country). Or, as an aside, I would learn their language as secondary to my English.

Lingua Franca – Norman French hybrid language (Italian, Spanish, German, Latin, etc.) English is considered to be the first global lingua franca. I have no use for PhD pedantry that can otherwise be proved by the history of formulated usage. "Living language" is used as a metaphor for something still in use and continually changing. Something evolves from nothing but a quick fix for words stemming from a group of certain cultures in order to communicate. English has metamorphed its phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and intonation theories into one that is a rapidly rising global standard. David Crystal (Patron of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) and David Graddol are (knighted British) pioneers in sociolinguistics regarding this global change. (In case the folks over at UCLA forgot where modern English came from - it's from the Brits and Old English). 83% of English vocabulary is Germanic in origin. (Brought by the Romans who swept through NW Germany, which also encompassed Norman French and Spain and also encompassing their native Latin) – (A Grammar of Proto-Germanic - Jonathan Slocum and Winfred P. Lehmann.) That being said, the rest of the percentages are made up of French, Latin, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Greek, and a small percentage that is of unknown origin (Origins of English Language - Joseph Williams). (Police is a French origin word, yacht is a Danish word, computer (der Komputor) is a German word).

(Native languages of Britain before the Romans arrived, I'll save for another story.)

Pidgin Language – language created under stressful times that evolve over time (Creole, for instance, or your Mussolini anecdote). The unknown percentage of the evolution of modern English can be explained as words created from a pidgin language. Slaves often developed their own language. (Monolingualism of the Other - Jacques Derrida).

Latin, (from Latium along the Tiber River), is considered by many a dead language. However, it is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but nowhere else. Either way, it hasn't evolved – (wordsmithing here) – not a living language. Sanskrit is a precursor of Greek and Latin and Avestan (Zoroastrian) is an early relative of Persian (Sir William Jones). Both of these languages gave Greek and Latin words, but not structure, according to modern philology. Neither are used in their original forms, (although studied purely for their linguistic historical importance), and are considered dead languages. (By your PhD arguments, studying a language is keeping it alive, as the people who study it also speak it.) When English evolved from the above statements, the English language gave structure to these words – and the structure has changed since it's humble beginnings. (The Indo-European Dialects - Antoine Meillet). (The Discovery of Language - Holgar Pederson).

So, with all that said, it looks like to me that borrowings are the ONLY way a language changes, and thus, survives. It's BECAUSE the English langauge has borrowed that it survives by changing and adapting unlike any other language.

My great-grandparents, whom came here legally, did not speak a lick of English when they arrived here. But, they did instill in their children that German was not to be spoken at home, only English, in order to communicate and live in this New Country. I'm sick and tired of not being able to communicate with the amalgam of Spanish speakers at my school because they REFUSE to speak English.

No one is stating that native languages be lost, rather, English should be the one everyone speaks IN ADDITION TO their native language, whatever that may be.

Also, last time I checked, our Constitution was written in English, not a little bit of this and a little bit of that from the rest of "America"".

Original Posting

Namaste and Slainte

Xeno Paradox of Life

2008-07-03T23:59:00.000-06:00

""The Tortoise challenged Achilles to a race, claiming that he would win as long as Achilles gave him a small head start. Achilles laughed at this, for of course he was a mighty warrior and swift of foot, whereas the Tortoise was heavy and slow.
"How big a head start do you need?" he asked the Tortoise with a smile.
"Ten meters," the latter replied.
Achilles laughed louder than ever. "You will surely lose, my friend, in that case," he told the Tortoise, "but let us race, if you wish it."
"On the contrary," said the Tortoise, "I will win, and I can prove it to you by a simple argument."
"Go on then," Achilles replied, with less confidence than he felt before. He knew he was the superior athlete, but he also knew the Tortoise had the sharper wits, and he had lost many a bewildering argument with him before this.
"Suppose," began the Tortoise, "that you give me a 10-meter head start. Would you say that you could cover that 10 meters between us very quickly?"
"Very quickly," Achilles affirmed.
"And in that time, how far should I have gone, do you think?"
"Perhaps a meter – no more," said Achilles after a moment's thought.
"Very well," replied the Tortoise, "so now there is a meter between us. And you would catch up that distance very quickly?"
"Very quickly indeed!"
"And yet, in that time I shall have gone a little way farther, so that now you must catch that distance up, yes?"
"Ye-es," said Achilles slowly.
"And while you are doing so, I shall have gone a little way farther, so that you must then catch up the new distance," the Tortoise continued smoothly.
Achilles said nothing.
"And so you see, in each moment you must be catching up the distance between us, and yet I – at the same time – will be adding a new distance, however small, for you to catch up again."
"Indeed, it must be so," said Achilles wearily.
"And so you can never catch up," the Tortoise concluded sympathetically.
"You are right, as always," said Achilles sadly – and conceded the race.""

One could say that life is just like this race. Everytime we feel like we get caught up on something, something else comes along and puts us back a little bit farther. There is no way to catch up to where we need or want to be, thus stays the paradox.

While the calculus method of handling infinite sequences may solve the distance problem, and quantum physics solves the mark between two points, there is the philosophical answer to the paradox: keep going, try something new, and never give up.

I've tried to fill my life with as many eclectic paths as possible. I travel down each one for a short bit of time, until I catch up as much as I can, and turn toward a different direction. This helps keep the mind free and open. My gambit is the possibility of sacrificing certain aspects that some people may find offensive, in that not enough time is spent in one area, and too much in another.

My life "To-Do List: is as follows:

*To write a Letter of Intent to a high-powered political official
*To finish and publish the 9 books I've started
*To continue to write: poetry, blogs, stories, notes, scribbles, ideas
*To re-build a compressed air engine, and build and adapt a Tesla turbine using recycled compressed air, with gyroscopic encasements/compartments
*To re-build an electric engine using Xenon and a friction based power source
*To continue to sit on the board of The Thomas Foundation
*To finish work on my un-named community non-profit endowment
*To continue to be culturally open-minded, and non-biased
*To travel to other countries
*To immerse myself in my educational career
*To make people happy with my small business of jewlery making
*To learn as much as possible about psychology and philosophy
*To continue to enjoy my outdoor activities; hiking and camping
*To reduce my meat intake to 15%, and increase vegetarianism to 85%
*To continue to learn and play percussion, tin whistles, and guitar
*To play the song I wrote for my grandma in public
*To continue to meet and greet new people
*To love my two best friends as the real and genuine people that they are
*To continue to protest things that I feel are wrong, and promote things I feel are right
*To continue to love my family, and all the eccentricities we entail
*To be a life partner with the right woman, and have children together
*To continue to learn things I do not know, but want to
*To never lose sight of who I truly am

All of the above I have started, and will continue to work on until the end - but one never truly stops being ones' self, if one passes on knowledge to another ...

I'm a strong believer that all lists should be long, so that everything can be garnered an achievement if tried. I heard it said once "Do or Do Not, There is No Try" - but, if we don't try, nothing can be done ... to try, is to do - to do nothing, is to not try ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

The John and Margaret Thomas Community Endowment Fund

2008-05-28T18:43:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, I began a stint on the board of a community project, that I believe, has potential for many great things.

The John and Margaret Thomas Community Endowment Fund is a foundation that brings community awareness through the differing aspects of worldly cultures.

So far, the Foundation has given grants to several Colorado cultural groups, and has itself, been a part of several gatherings in the Colorado area.

And each year, in addition to grant giving, we have helped to host the Aurora Arts Festival bringing in the likes of world renowned Nigerian drummer and dancer Baba Joda; a poets and writers gathering; a mime troupe; a Samoan musical group, and much more!

We look forward to the international festivals this year, along with bridging the cultural gap by bringing events into public awareness.

However, like most endowments and foundations, we rely on donations, so that we may in turn give back to the community. If you feel like you can donate, or know someone that would, please visit the web site and click on the 'Donations' tab.

The John and Margaret Thomas Community Endowment Fund can be found by clicking the link under the "links" portion of this site.

Celebrate diversity, as much as possible ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given

Namaste and Slainte

2nd Amendment

2008-05-28T17:50:00.000-06:00

The 2nd Amendment.

If you believe in the 2nd Amendment as a right for the commonwealth, rather than the sole of the military, you've never been on the receiving end of a gun - if you had, your views would change from the wanton need to kill if a gun was handy via means of "protection", to savoring life when it is about to be shot out from underneath. The Constitution was written under the pretense of war, at a time where wartime measures required guns to fight a gun-toting invading force. In my faith and beliefs, killing is not necessary EVER.

What benefit is there to give everyone a gun? If no one had a gun, what reason would there be for protection? It is ONLY though escalation that guns are needed. If weaponry didn't exist, what would fuel the fervent warrior? The fact that there is EASY access to harmful machines, only fuels those bent on harm. Take away the access, and there will be a decrease in harmful situations penned on an outside source, being guns. There will always be something else to take its place, but shouldn’t there also be a choice of whether or not to take up such a violent act?

If one is given a gun, there is no choice - only one action. If one were to say "I have a gun, but choose not to use it - except only in defence..."; defence of what? Shooting or be shot? The choice becomes kill or be killed? There is death on someone's hands no matter how you view it. Why would anyone choose death, over life? There is always another underlying factor involved, for the use of a weapon. Root out the evil beneath the folds of weaponry, and one will find solace in knowing that there even lies a choice without guns and subsequent killing.

I’ve been mugged because someone wanted my coat. And because I chose to use my mind as a means to fend off the attacker, I was shot because of it. I regret nothing - I have no blood on my hands.

I’ve seen someone shoot themselves, with alcohol and other drugs involved. Had there not been a gun around, he’d still be with us today. Maybe he would have died from a drug overdose, but at least his brains wouldn’t be on the wall of his basement. His nickname was “Brooklyn”.

Thomas Jefferson, one of the greatest minds ever to grace American soil, was pro-gun. He is quoted in his Commonplace Book as saying the following:

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes ... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."

Except Jefferson only copied it from an Italian man named Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria-Bonesana, who is considered one of the founding pioneers in the field of criminology, and a philosphical/politician contempory of Jefferson, and author of a treatise of one of the basis of our Constitution, “On Crimes and Punishments”. There is one great difference between the two men: Jefferson used the quote as an end to the means, meaning he was for everyone having a gun so that everyone would be equal in the face of danger. Bonesana actually meant it as a means to and end, as he was fervently opposed to torture and an advocate of criminal reform.

I, much like Bonesana, tend to side with humanism on this subject in that there is now more than ever a sense of urgency at unjust suffering. Utilitarianism works to a point, then the argument begins on which state of moral happiness is best for the greater good – I tend to side with the happiness that is not blowing someone’s brains out, simply because one has access to a gun and is happy about using it at any given point, for any given reason.

I can only say that you will value life to the fullest, knowing that it can be taken in an instant. Diseases can leave a person withering years after diagnosed. Even though I've had my share of medical unfortunates, I cannot speak of that. However, I can speak of being on the receiving end of cowardice ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Yin and Yang

2008-05-23T15:54:00.001-06:00

(Originally written: September 28, 2006)

So, just when I thought there were no more sane people left in the world, (except of course for the people reading this blog ;-), four things happened today that put thing into perspective.

Being a practictioner of eastern philosphy and faith, there is a belief that everything that happens is counter-balanced by something good/evil, or right/wrong, or bad/good, or dark/light.

Today, I took my grandmother out for some errands. We first went to get our hair cuts. On the way, we were rudely ousted of a handi-cap parking space by some high school punk getting his lunch - which then turned into having a few choice words with me about the way I drive like a handicap. I wanted to slap that kid ... but, I digress ... Circling around to the other side, we find a space that in essence would be just as close as the other one would have been.

As I was struggling to get my grandma out of the car, (she was having sort of a tough day), a couple were returning from Subway with their meals. I told them that I would be a while and that they should go ahead. I was taken aback when the heavily tattooed scary looking man told me, "No, man. You have the right of way. Take all the time you need ... do you need some help ..." I finally got my grandma out of the car, and as we were walking by the man, I said, "Sorry for the delay," to which he replied. "You didn't delay us at all. You two have a great day." That made my day right there.

We made our way to Wal-Mart next. It's difficult pushing a wheelchair, and pulling a big cart at the same time, so what we usually do is go around the store and she tells me what to get. I leave her in the wheel chair parked by the front registers while I go and get the stuff. It sounds mean, but she likes watching all the people come and go and has a good time, so she says. So, I come back with a cart full of stuff, go and wheel her back to the register. The gal checking us out says, "You know, me and the other clerks have been keeping an eye on your grandma. We've gone over to chat with her, just to keep her company, until you came back." I almost cried right there (coupled with the incident earlier with the burly tattooed man). Anyone who knows me, knows that loyalty is my number one - especially to my family.

Done with Wal-Mart we decide to go to Quizno's for lunch. We used to go to Quizno's once a week, when she was able. We hadn't been there for a while, so it sounded like a good plan. We order our sandwiches, and my grandma wanted to use her card, so I hand the card to the manager and proceed to sign for it. She stops me of course, stating the card doesn't belong to me and that I can't sign. I tell her that it's my grandma's card and that she can't sign for it. The clerk gets mad and says "I don't care, you can't sign it ... blah, blah, blah. ..." I finally get a tad ticked and tell her that I have power of attourney and that I'd be glad to call my lawyer so that I can pay for my $14 meal. I told her that there was no way in hell that she was going to get my blind and deaf grandma with palsey to sign for the meal! The clerk finally let it go ...

Moral of the story: Two good acts, Two bad acts. They cancel each other out to bring balance. For every good act, there is a bad one to counter it - and vice versa. Pay attention next time something good or bad happens, because there will always be the opposite to cancel it out and bring a balance.

I love my grandma. And I love this world with all the yin and yang ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Illegal Immigration - Problem Solved?

2008-05-23T15:48:00.000-06:00

You know I was thinking - with Colorado able to close all four borders in a single day due to massive snow, why can't we do the same for the Mexico border?

I mean, granted it took a blizzard and several feet of snow, but hell we have snow machines at all of the major ski resorts!

I figure it like this - take a steel pipe with several holes, jam one into the ground every 20ft, and pour water into the pipes. Every 50ft or so you plug up a snow machine and freeze the water that's in the pipes. Now we have frozen ground, and they can't dig underground.

So now that we have all the snow machines hooked up, we start making blizzard type conditions. Turn all the machines onto high. Hook all the machines up to windmills, use the air from the machines to turn the windmills - and bingo, a recurrent air stream.

So, where do we get the water - well, we get the water by aquaducting it from the surrounding rivers. With the snow being able to melt, it'll gently repurify the land, creating a more moist environment, and causing the wind pattens to shift to a more humid and moist enviromoment, causing more rainfall in the weather. (Based only on minor and ammatuer calculations ...)

Also, by aquaducting the water, we'd be able to use the small electrical currents found in water to keep power in the windmills, thus keeping the snow machines active.

Also, also, we shouldn't forget solar panels during the day, so everything can keep working during the nights.

So, we have pipes to keep the ground solid and frozen, snow machines to detur visibility, and power generated by nature.

What do you all think? Maybe won't be able to take care of the problems totally, but at least it's a good start ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Musical Turning Points

2008-05-23T15:43:00.000-06:00

Where to begin. I thought maybe I should write a little something about a couple of significant life events – events that people ask me about every once in a while.

Music. Wow, where to start. It's a huge portion of my life – this will be a rather large blog, unfortunately. Hopefully it'll be worth it.

The first musical turning point in my life was when I was 13 (thirteen). I was walking home from a friend's house. It was about 8PM and I was only about 2 blocks from home, when this guy comes out of the shadows. At this time, I was listening to a walkman full blast, "Megadeth Peace Sells…But, Who's Buying". In my coat pocket I had another walkman packed, and a few other 'metal' tapes. Anyway, I couldn't hear the guy at first – my walkman was blaring – so I just kept walking. I finally heard something behind me, turned around and came face to face with a black man. (Later learned he was 14, so not really a man.)

He kept asking me for my coat, and I kept asking him if he was cold – probably shouldn't have said that. But anyway, we started fighting, I got him down then he got up really fast. He had knocked my glasses off, and of course I was bleeding from my mouth due to those damn crappy braces. I couldn't see what he was doing at first, but when I turned to face him again he had pulled out a gun. I still couldn't see much without my glasses, but I did hear a van pull up and someone yell "Just giv'em yer coat!!" I thought this was the end for sure – how many more guns did they have inside the van, was my only thought.

I told him once more that I wasn't giving him my coat, or the music cassettes that were inside it. I also told him one more time that he should get his own coat if it were that important for him and his "friends" to have. Had I not been in Tae Kwon Do at the time, I never would have been able to get my knee up in time. He was aiming at my mid-section, I saw his finger twitch, and I happened to block the shot with my knee instead. So, I staggered back, and he ran off to the van because a car was coming down the street. I tried to run after the van to get a plate number, but found that I couldn't walk and stumbled forward onto the snowy pavement. Later learned, it was all for a gang initiation. (Only reason I remember the name of the album was because the tape was ruined, and I remember asking the ambulance driver if he could save my cassette.)

The second turning point in my life was when I was 20. I had lived several years since getting shot as being fairly racist, and delving into the "black arts" and listening to as much death and skinhead metal I could get my hands on. (I had hair down to my ass, during that time ;-) I had such hatred toward everyone, really, not just blacks, any non-white person at that time.

One evening, a show came on PBS and my dad ushered me in. He told me to sit and watch these guys. He said that it was music from Ireland, and that these guys had been around forever. I listened for about 5 minutes, stormed out the room, and mumbled something about hating my dad for making me sit there. As I was leaving the room, he said that he had bought tickets for their upcoming show. Now, I was even more upset.

We get downtown to the Paramount the night of the show, and we sat only a few rows back from the stage. (Great seats, by the way.) The show starts, and I am trying to keep my mind as closed as possible. But, something happens when listening to these old, Irish guys playing their music – it was lively, and I remember thinking that some of the stuff was just as fast as some of the death metal music – most importantly, it was fun. The Irish step-dancers were dizzyingly fast. There was one instrument that caught my eye however – an Irish drum called the bodhran – pronounced 'bow-rawn'. I ended up having a great time.

The very next day, I went to the barber and cut all my hair off; threw away most of my death and goth clothes; bought a whole new wardrobe to look as much like an Irish country gent that I could; had my dad take me to the Swallow Hill folk shop and bought my first bodhran.

The name of the band was The Chieftains. In fact, the highlight of my musical career thus far has been the one time that I got the chance to play my bodhran on stage with them at one of their shows.

There are a few points I wish to make:

I forgave the guy who shot me a long time ago. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today to enjoy everyone I've met along the way. One of my best friends now, is black. My good friend that passed away a few years ago, was black. More importantly, I would never have had the chance to listen to the Chieftains.

The Chieftains opened the part of my mind that was closed. Over the last 10 years, I've bought music from all over the world: Asia, India, Morocco, the Middle East, the whole of the African country, Scandinavia, Iceland, Russia, France, Mexico, South America – I have a rather large world music collection. And not just from the rest of the world, America has its share of music genres that I never would have otherwise listened to, if not for The Chieftains concert. (Subsequently, I have tasted cuisine from all over the world, as well.)

I do not now, nor have I ever, believed in a god, Christian or otherwise. It wasn't "god" that saved me – it was the music. Music literally saved my life twice. God didn't speak through the music. If you believe in god, that's fine, but save the god complex for yourself, if it makes you feel better. I guess one could say that music is my god, since that's what I choose to believe.

I will never EVER again have a myopic view, nor a dogmatic approach to music, or the world around me. My advice is to TRY EVERYTHING. You may or may not find yourself liking something that you wouldn't have, otherwise.

I tend to choke up a little, because I'm fairly sensitive when these subjects come up - but I will never stop answering people's questions about them. They are turning points in my life that, literally, saved my life. It's also why I want to slap people sometimes to get it through their head that there is more to life, via the world, than just one genre of music. Incorporate as much as you can, and you'll find so many new musical endeavors behind the closed doors.

Trust me – who would have ever thought when I was into death metal that I would be playing in an Irish folk / pipes and drums band, playing a couple rock cover songs?? Exactly.

I am writing this because it has been 10 years to the date that I saw my first Chieftains concert. I will never ever forget what they did for me and my life.

It is also 16 years since being shot. I will never ever forget that night, either.

Both events have been for the better.

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Perfection vs. Imperfection

2008-05-23T15:41:00.000-06:00

It's been my lot in life to analyze everything, no matter the situation; no matter the person, place, or thing. In that regard, I recently started taking a class involving cognitive therapy in comparison with Buddhism - it's interesting to me how modern science and common sense can meld into basically the same thought process. At the very bottom are a few remarks regarding this process.

On with the blog! I have recently come to a conclusion that true perfection, lies in being imperfect.

What do I mean. "Things are the way they are, because that's the way things are." Wrap your mind around that one, if you can - (I'm still trying to figure it out... ) - moreover, things sometimes work, or things work only half-way, or things partially work out to the way we planned.

But, here's the thing - the part that worked out for the better is the part that counters the part that didn't work out at all. The good is really great, the bad is indifferent, (not worse), only because it's the balancing point of taking things as they come, because that's the way things are.

Being imperfect is the only consistant notion there is, therefore, in my opinion, being imperfect is the most perfect thing we have in the world.

It's also my opinion then, that taking the good in things is the only way to go.

"All good fate, to those who wait - that which comes will be great, and that which does not, will not matter." (Can't remember where I heard that quote, but it's stuck with me for many, many years...)

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Parable of People

2008-05-23T15:37:00.000-06:00

I've spent 15 years of study in philosophy, sociology and psychology. Truth be told, many of our problems that we have with people, in general, could be solved if we were to just take a step back. (As always, these are just my opinions expressed through my own experiences.)

Here, within this blog, lies the parable of people.

It's Ok to take a step back and say, "So what".

Continuing to interact with someone that brings you pain, displeasure, misery, and every other synonym will only bring you the same in return. Misery begets misery, and that's as blunt as I can tell it.

Ignorance is bliss to most people who intentionally bring pain to someone. However, ignoring the 'painbringer' all together is the greatest weapon we wield. Out of sight, out of mind. Even when children are involved. As gruff as the subject of children is to most people, we all hope that we could instill in them some kind of moral grounding that they in turn won't turn out to be a 'painbringer'. If for whatever reason the child goes to live with the 'painbringer', don't fret, because there is still the notion of talking to them in the future, and discussing life.

Sometimes, the hardest thing for a person to do is walk away from the ones they love, or think they love, the most. Love can sometimes be the greatest inhibitor of letting things go.

Ignoring the 'painbringer', and concentrating on a specific issue will bring about fair trade, if one so wishes. The training of the mind is a long and difficult process, but once achieved it is the greatest accomplishment one could ever hope to have – who wouldn't want a mind of clear thought and free thinking?

"Most of our cognitive thoughts are random and are thus subjected to the Chaos Theory. Even the smallest variations or deviations from our initial line of thought will inevitably produce an altered conclusion than our initial thought. This variance is called the Butterfly Effect." – Edward Lorenz-

A metaphor I've used before goes something like this: If someone has been burned in the fires of life, they have a chance to heal. We can't heal them directly; they have to want to themselves. We can only offer salves, (opinions), and ointments (viewpoints), but ultimately if the person who was burned doesn't want to be helped, then it is no longer in our hands.

A cognitive way of thinking can alleviate whatever ill-mannered thoughts are racing through one's mind in the present state, not because of something that happened in the past - you can't change the past, but you can shape the future. You either do something or you don't, and by doing or not doing, so one freely accepts any and all consequences, without thinking beforehand what those consequences are. Every action has its own reaction, and in turn, we react to reactions. We take those consequences as they come, not before they get here – otherwise nothing is accomplished.

For example:

1) A helping hand gets bitten; it in turn, begets pain, begets misery, begets depression, begets ill health, and begets a life long in discomfort. In this instance, it isn't healthy to keep going in a cyclical state of misery – this is the time to let everything pertaining to this particular subject lay to rest.

2) A helping hand is received through a need to want to change; it in turn, begets happiness, and begets a more meaningful life. In this instance, it is ok to want to continue to help.

And we always have a choice of stepping back and saying "Forget it, and forget you." Just walk away, because inevitably nothing is going to be accomplished by flogging an already dead horse.

The biggest rut we can leave ourselves in, is not knowing when to let an issue go.

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Trials of Fate

2008-05-23T15:36:00.000-06:00

I am not a believer of religion. I don't practice idolatry. I am a believer of ideology. Fate is the idea that the future is predetermined through a set course of events - beginning with our past.

One must never lose focus on the present. The past is what determines our present, and the present is what determines our future. Fate is the course of events leading up to the future. I believe in fate so much, that it actually blinded me in the present.

It is also said, through The Fates of Greek mythology, that the negativity of life stems from not living. We pretend to want something, when in all actuality we need something else. When we go for the want instead of the need, the shortcomings of life rear their ugly head. This aspect is still a part of fate, but it shows the paradox between living life for you and living life for the want - happiness VS. misery - both following the path of the same fate.

"Human beings have an almost unlimited capacity for self-delusion. We can justify any amount of sadness if it fits our own particular standard of reality ... we are passive victims, consuming our own fears."
- Martin Greenwald-

I wrote in an earlier blog that we sometimes don't know when to give up the things we love the most, because we are temporarily blinded from events in the present. I was hypocritical of my own statement, stemming from the above quote, about myself and those around me. I allowed myself to be consumed into the blackness of smarm and self-delusion.

I had forgot about the impermanence of everything in the world. Self-imposed limitations are deafening to the core of true happiness - true happiness can only be attained from within. From within, to without - not the other way around.

It's fate that things begin, and it's fate that things end. Fate begins and ends exactly the way it is supposed to, and we gain knowledge from everything and everyone along the way.

Pain sometimes gets the better of our emotions, for it is the easiest to feel, acknowledge, and express. We sometimes say things that we do not mean in the true sense of its context - I'm guilty of it, as we all have been at some point. But, pain is a shroud that can easily be lifted by thinking inward every now and again to collect and organize thoughts.

Lifes learning experiences are, in point of fact, experienced in many different ways and in many forms of light. And through which, we measure fate from knowledge and how we ultimately live life. And life itself continues on through it's many trials.

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Moral Provocation

2008-05-23T15:34:00.000-06:00

""PROVOCATION - The act of inciting another to do something.""

Recently, it's been brought to my attention that I may have contradicted some of my beliefs, and I feel some sort of explanation might be in order. Someone I met over the weekend prompted me to write this blog ...

It's easy for me to say that it goes against my beliefs or my convictions to say that something is "none of my business" or that "I don't care" - it's not that I don't care about a person or what they are having to go through, but I don't care enough to have issues taken upon whatever problem it may be. The issue then becomes something else entirely at that point - that point being, if something is continuously brought up then I take it upon myself to oblige a stand on moral grounding.

Keeping in mind, of course, that the other individual is telling something that doesn't need to be said - oft times repeatedly. Things that should be kept private should never be told to anyone.

The only example of this I can give is that when someone is publicly defaming another individual, I feel it my moral obligation to say something. It oft times does nothing to sway the other persons self-delusional mindset, however, another voice combating ill spoken words is morally justified, in that it shows that more than one person thinks what they are saying is wrong.

Still, oft times more than the before mentioned, it is no one in the direct parties that are making voices heard - rather, the voices of those around the parties involved that continue to lash out upon old wounds.

So, to reiterate to the beginning of this blog:

I don't care, until it becomes apparent that myself or one my friends is in direct need of logical reasoning rhetoric, that would otherwise inhibit said friend or self from moving past whatever the circumstance.

It's none of my business, until it is apparent that sides have to be chosen, and boundry lines drawn.

Morality, Civility, and Ethics are not taught in school anymore - they should be. One has to live moral convictions, not just read a book about them ...

There is a fine line between right and wrong, however, the line is thick between intelligence and wisdom ...

That being said, in all my years of learning and living a thought process based on convictions I hold as true moral, civil, and ethical grounding, I have contradicted nothing ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Hoping vs. Doing

2008-05-23T15:33:00.001-06:00

Too often authors write simple-minded solutions to complex questions; sometimes material comes along that acts more along the lines of a crutch, rather than learning to deal with everyday life head-on. True, there is bad stuff in the world, but there is lots of good as well.

But, there are authors that use lofty folderol creating disingenuous hype to catch the unsuspecting minds of people searching for an immediate answer. Scientific data has the power to befuddle the mind. More often than not it empowers cant beliefs against hard data. The hard data I refer to at this particular time is the power of words – not the ideals behind them so much, but how words are actually used - more about that toward the end.

Hoping that someone will do something you want done for the sake of being less disenchanted with everyone is an unenforceable rule. In other words, it would be no different than me hoping they outlaw guns forever, so that I wouldn't have to keep looking over my shoulder every time I'm out for a walk and hope I don't get shot again. I have no convoluted definition of blind forgiveness in the face of hard realties – only this: Forgiving is not the same as forgetting and being shot and flat lining is something I won't soon forget. In this instance, forgiving someone who doesn't want to be forgived is pointless.

Thoughts are oft times vocally redundant – it is a natural coping mechanism that humans utilize. This is not to be confused with a smugly complacent thought process, over indulged with self-delusion.

What I respect about myself is this: free inquiry, instead of judgment; pragmatic, instead of dogmatic convictions. Usually, more often than not, people are surrounded by people that freely offer help of some kind; usually appreciated, but not needed. Moreover, respect is taken when respect is given.

These are all topics that Robert J Gula (RIP) covers in his many books. One must be able to discern between certain words and their usage, in order to make thoughts and free thinking plausible. His books contain no serpentine political or religious doctrines mixed with education, as most Ivy League scholars tend to mix in. Rather, to-the-point and matter-of-fact ways to reorganize words into phrasing of ideals end every day communication, for better understanding of the world and the people that live in it.

I own four of his books that I read at least once a year.

You may be surprised how the reorganization of words can benefit almost anything and everything in daily life.

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Back to Spirituality

2008-05-23T15:32:00.001-06:00

William James is a philosopher and early pioneer of defining pragmatism. One of his favorite sayings was the word "attending". The word is actually used as a saying in that we as individuals do not tend the needs of others, but attend through hearing, or listening in a certain way that we would be willing to sacrifice our own views to attend the views of others - so that we can know a person just a little better.

"Moving toward the place where we fit does not exclude efforts to shape the place toward which we are heading so that it will fit us. Spirituality is neither "conservative" nor "liberal", active nor passive, whatever those labels may connote.

Knowing how another human being lives and functions on the inside - how he or she handles the vicissitudes of life, copes with it's joys and frustrations, faces critical choices, meets failure and defeat as well as challenge and success - is what enables us to feel prepared for life.

It is the availability of appropriate individuals with whom we can identify, indviduals who also permit us to do so, which quiets the inner yearning of the need for preparedness, for external model that may serve as an internal guide for the self.

William James's "strenuous mood" is the opposite of the "easygoing mood" and the attitude of "I don't care." It is a positive attitude of care - care for oneself, one's family, the wider community, and possible future communities which may extend beyond the limits of one's individual life. The strenuous mood entails a personal identification of one's self with a wider range of people and communities, both present and future. It involves heightening one's sympathies and overcoming what James called that "certain blindness" in human beings which makes it difficult for us to appreciate and respect the inner meaning of another's experience.

But if we would listen, we must also tell; and if we would tell our stories, we need places where we can tell and listen. In this mutuality between telling and listening, between speaking and hearing, lies the deepest spiritual significance of mutual-aid and self-help groups. Those wrestling with spiritual dilemmas do not need answers but presence - permission to confront the delemma and struggle with it aloud.

Thus, if an essential component of spirituality is attending - listening - it is also a human truth that we are able to listen only when we know that in time, we will be able to tell our own story. And when we are able to tell our stories ... we learn respect for other peoples stories and for their need to tell them. The practice of telling stories gives birth to good listeners.

The world has always needed good listeners, for only good listeners are truthful tellers. Good listening involves the surrender of a self-centered view of the world ..."

~Don S. Browning - Pluralism and Personality~
~James Hillman - Selected Writings~

It's a lot to digest, however ...

Hopefully the above will shed a little light of where I've been coming from, in terms of thought process and how I view people and the world. An inquiry is not the same as judgment - one asks something about a person, while the other pushes them away. The two should never be confused with each other. In order to get to know a person, one must first inquire - but only through humility, the rejection of all attempts to control, can we truly be good listeners ...

"We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, open-mindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake. We do not hold our convictions dogmatically."
~Christopher Hitchens~

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Social Justice

2008-05-23T15:30:00.001-06:00

"All virtue is summed up in dealing justly. It is in justice that the ordering of society is centered. He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god."
~Aristotle~

"One of the gods came down to ask the Buddha: "There's an inner tangle and an outer tangle. This generation is entangled in a tangle. Who will untangle this tangle of tangles?" "Those established in morality and meditation," replied the Master, "untangle the tangle."
~Jata Sutta~

A Sutta is an entry, or an exchange of thought between the one who asked a question and the Buddha. - So Jata asked a question of Buddha, and the Sutta was the outcome. Buddha preaches social compassion, not individualism - from within, goes out.

I thought it prevalent to write a little something about morality only because I think people today have forgotten the true meaning. One must first recognize the difference between secular and social morality. I will write about only social morality, as it has been defined through the century's collectively through basic principle. I am not religious, therefore cannot write about what I think is an acceptable form of secular morality – especially considering the fact that there are too many religions and belief systems to go into at this time.

First we must look to the systematic study of morality, which is ethics. To an extent, everything we do is subject to interpretation - including morality. Taking things out of context, acting in a way juxtaposed to either acting or not acting in another way is a form of moral particularism (Jonathan Dancy) – picking morals where people see fit - but not necessarily morality for the betterment, or the holism of any given circumstance which are two things that society thrives upon to live. (Aristotle)

Given that statement of how morality functions in social holism, we can conclude to the following ethical and moral social stance; the betterment of a group of people, instead of an individual; large scale social events and conditions; the individual finds identity within a whole society; finding individual identity within a group means that the individual is ready to give up, or sacrifice, individualism for the betterment of a symbiotic social relationship. (Emile Durkheim)

Also given these statements, (not taken out of original context), social morality based upon actions affecting a group of people are defined as more than an individual view of how things are, and how a group of people define what is right and just by how we respect our peers through what is behaviorally acceptable as a whole. (Alfred Adler)

Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes. Actions can only be considered morally right or wrong by virtue of the morality of the outcome. (Plato) The subsequent virtue is then based upon consequentialism, or the value of an action derived solely from the value of its consequences. (Niccolo Machiavelli)

Violations of social moral etiquette include public disgrace; public defamation; mindful unrest; and slanderous canards. Snobbism, lacking in virtue, is the adoption of superficial mannerisms of an in-group, in the interests of social advancement rather than a concern for others, or conspicuous consumption. (Thorsten Veblen)

So, the conclusion I can gather is this: if something stemming from a canard has affected an entire group, rather than an individual, is it then not morally just to stand up for the virtue of society as a whole, rather than taking the subservient role of a self-centered belief that the only thing that matters is the individual?

Unfortunately, we live in a society – not individual seclusion.

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Fall Backs

2008-05-23T15:24:00.002-06:00

As we amble through life, why not thrive to live as many aspects it has to offer?

Why shorten our capacity for life, by not incorporating as many virtues this world has to offer?

To taste as many worldly cuisines as possible ...

To hear as much diverse music as possible ...

To meet and great the myriad of souls the world has living in it ...

Can anyone tell me why one would limit themselves to one microscopic drop in a worldy bucket? What possible joy is there in the myopicy of self-dissolutionment? Why would anyone separate the self from the world and think inward, instead of reach outward?

If my favorite rock band is not playing on a weekend, I have an Irish band to fall back on ... If my favorite Irish band is not playing, I have a jazz club to fall back on ... If the jazz club is too crowded, I have a blues club downtown to fall back on ... I've never complained on not having anywhere to go.

If my favorite pizza joint is too crowded, I have my middle-eastern restaurant to fall back on ... If the "gyros king" feels too heavy, I have my favorite sushi restaurant to fall back on ... If I'm not in the mood for sushi, I have a local Irish pub for great pub style food to fall back on ... I've never complained on not having anything to eat and drink.

Within each club, bar, and restaurant there is as diverse a clientele as the various forms of music and styles of cuisine ... the ambiance of such is lost, while the mind is closed ...

I am never bored. I never rely so heavily upon one thing that all else fades away into non-existence ... possibly because I shed my armor of prejudice long ago, and opened my eyes to what is actually there ...

There are some things that I've read, that I have yet to experience ... but, there are many more things that I have experienced because of what I have learned through world cultural rhetoric ... words justify a means to meaning ... density are in those few, who have not relished in the givings of the vastness of cultural identity ...

At some point, it is inevitable the safety net will be cut, and what then will you have to fall back on? ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Grammer 101

2008-05-23T15:24:00.001-06:00

Computer Tools - Spell Checker

I have a spelling checker
I disk covered four my PC
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea
My checker tolled me sew
Eye ran this poem threw it.
Your sure real glad two no.
Its very polished in its weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a blessing.
It freese yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.

Each frays comes posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore wee rote with checkers
Hour spelling was inn deck line,
Butt now when wee dew have a laps,
Wee are not maid too wine.
And now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
There are know faults in awl this peace,
Of nun eye am a wear.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should bee proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaws are knot aloud.

That's why eye brake in two averse
Cuz Eye dew want too please.
Sow glad eye yam that aye did bye
This soft wear four pea seas.
~Author Unknown~

Computers are only as smart as their makers and users ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Grammer 202

2008-05-23T15:23:00.000-06:00

21 Reasons Why The English Language Is Hard To Learn:

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.

2. The farm was used to produce produce.

3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4. We must polish the Polish furniture.

5. He could lead if he could get the lead out.

6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8. A bass was painted on the bass drum.

9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10. I did not object to the object.

11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13. They were too close to the door to close it.

14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16. To help with planting, a farmer taught his sow to sow.

17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18. After a number of injections by the dentist, my jaw got number.

19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.

20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests, based on a certain subject.

21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

These words are not to be confused with "homonym", which are two words that sound the same, but spelled different; i.e. 'sail' and 'sale' ... (Partially with the exception of 6 ...)

The words listed above actually have no word to describe them, oddly enough, but the term "homograph" has been loosely defined as "the" word to describe words spelled the same, but with different meanings and different pronunciations and/or syllable emphasis ...

The majority of the English vernacular comes from other worldly languages ... the "homograph" is also used to describe certain English words that mean something totally different in the other languages; i.e. 'pet' in French means 'to fart', or 'trance' in Spanish means 'critical moment' ...

Although not a "homograph", my personal favorite is "Your door is ajar." ...

No wonder President Bush has such a hard time with the language ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Unattainable Wish

2008-05-23T15:21:00.000-06:00

I don't think I'm alone in saying that everyone has wished that they could have a thing, or a person, or an idea. Some would call that envy, or vain and useless wishes. Freud has stated such; Buddha as well ...

On some points I agree, some I do not ...

What I would agree with is the envious nature we most of the time wish toward someone with a material possession that we also crave ... material possessions can be replaced at any time, at any place ... and material possessions are always being upgraded, so it then becomes a voracious one-upmanship - or gluttonous envy ...

Wishing for an idea is a lame excuse, in my opinion, for the laziness of one's own thinking ... with all the resources we have at our fingertips, there is no excuse for coming up with original ideas ... progression has always been based on something that was always there, but molded and re-cast, and essentially upgraded ...

Wishing for people, in my opinion, again, is the lack of trying, or thrusting one's self into a position that that one wished for person is in ... most commonly would be people in the entertainment industry ... I give this example, because the most wished for thing is money ... do, or do not - don't wish ...

What I would disagree with is the fate tied to that one unattainable ... when fate, enters the picture it supercedes all things that can be upgraded, or something that we must have, and gives into something that we can't have ... and by 'can't', I mean something that we must allow ourselves to give into by letting the unknown take its course ...

Recently, an unattainble has shed new light... the dark of doing the right thing or doing what feels right, based on my belief and faith in the fates, has cast a shadow of doubt over this new light ...

My feelings for this unattainable have never wavered, since its introduction a few years ago ... I have since become mired by the choice of furthering something that has grown into something that very few people have, or exploring a new avenue and potentially destroying that good thing ... that good thing being an uncanny and a marvelously truthful and sturdy friendship ... almost soul-mate qualities in a friendship, rather than a relationship of love ...

What I wish for is not a person, thing, or an idea ... all of those could be by-products, in due time ...

My wish is for that unattainable choice to become more clear ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Real Eyes

2008-05-23T15:17:00.000-06:00

I was an only child.

While I was growing up, I was constantly surrounded by adults and consistantly bombarded with adult vernacular that would later be ingrained 'till this very day. I was always surrounded by politicians, (because my mom volunteered with a lot of good ones), family members were always much older, (with the exception of the KC cousins ) ...

When I was in 1st grade, I was reading at 7th grade level. In elementary school, I used to read the dictionary for fun. In 6th grade I had the option of taking AP English, but turned it down because I didn't want to be peer ridiculed - thus beginning the 10 year span of hiding my true self. 80% of our learning comes from outside of school surroundings.

I think the lexicon I was subconsciously being taught is why I failed so terribly at math, while I excelled in English and the arts.

It has also been of the subconsious mind to build a barrier of ego, as a defense mechanism for being attacked, or the perception of being wrong in any way, shape, or form.

I defended myself not with physical prowess, but of verbal dexterity. I had the mind to do it. There were always times where I had to fight with my fists, living in a not so great area of town, but it was much more engaging, to me, to do it with my mind.

I had a rather lengthy discussion with a friend of mine the other night night. Just like the military teaches a person to kill, but not to shut it off - I've learned to learn, but haven't been able to shut it off - ruining friendships along the way ...

If being me, the way I was raised and the way that I've learned, has a detrimental affect on the people around me, so be it - that's not for me to decide. People are free to make up their own minds about what their perception consists of. To me, if everything I've learned is not to be expressed, it has all been for naught ...

"Curb yourself, because now isn't the time."

In my cognitive philsophical thought process, there is no right, nor wrong time to express knowledge - it is the present time ...

I've never claimed that I was smarter than anyone else - there is always someone that knows something that another person does not - being smart bears no semblance on the true self, therefore nulling anyone that says they are smarter than anyone else ...

It is a pre-conceived notion, however, because I like to talk, (sometimes too much), that I am automatically smarter than anyone that I come across because I happen to know things that others sometimes do not - and to that notion, I take great offence ...

There will always be something that someone else knows that you do not ... therefore, being "smarter" than someone is a fallacy ...

Just as a person doesn't wish to be corrected on something, it is just as injurious to tell someone that their knowledge is not needed ...

The search has commensed to find a new plug for a knowledge outlet ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Roads to Knowledge - Books Part 1

2008-05-23T15:13:00.000-06:00

I have in my possession a couple books that I would bet my life on.

The first one, "Roads to Knowledge, Edited by William Allan Neilson."

I have a first and a second edition of this second book. The first edition in 1932 sported 12 sections of knowledge, the second in 1937 expounded on that with 15:

*The Fine Arts
*Biological Science
*The Classics
*Economics
*Geography
*History
*Modern Languages
*The Study of Literature
*Mathematics
*Music
*Philosophy
*Physics
*Politics
*Psychology
*Sociology and the Study of the Modern World

Written by fifteen of the USA's best in their respective field, these fifteen were, at the time, areas of study thought to be the ones worth learning as a whole. Each chapter has an ending of a listing of books pertaining to each field. I remember fondly of how my late grandfather had knowledge in each of these fields of study.

Not like today where the USA has slipped in basically every modicum of study, these areas were taught even in the primary levels, within a certain degree - I work at an elementary school, and I can tell you that one would be hard pressed to find the same kind of learning going on nowadays, as eighty years ago.

One might say that times were different back then, so these areas were needed, or, that these areas were more prevelant with the times in which the book was written. Perhaps.

Or, perhaps by looking at the modern world's interpretation of which country's are at the top of which list, the US isn't presently near the top on any of them. Check the statistics from eighty years ago, and you'll find the US heading almost every list.

Granted this book was written in the midst of 'The Great Depression', I think that the USA's turn toward capitalism came from the very heart of the Depression, so that the US economy would never again falter. Capitalism made us power hungry for the jobs with the most revenue - not attributed to the way a person thinks, but how a single person with power could rule over a broken mind - broken from a depression, and broken from a world war.

All a ruling entity has to do is supplant that all is good, while sub-consciously directing us with fear for control, exacting us in the direction that they want us to go, instead of thinking for our selves.

Makes me think what would have happened to capitalism had the depression not happened ... and it must not happen again, but we are heading into a recession now as I type this ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Static Grey

2008-05-23T15:08:00.000-06:00

Our world is crumbling at a faster rate than ever before. Our over population of the world has forced great catastrophes in order to ensure human survival. With over 6 billion people on the planet, the Earth's symbient resources are fading away.

We are killing animals at an alarming rate, severing their rate of reproduction. We then make farms to compensate, and others claim that that is too detrimental to the animals well being.

We sell our own domestic products to the rest of the world at the highest price possible. The rest of the world does too, to us, thus causing world poverty. The capital gain goes in the pockets of the wealthy that are in charge of the country.

We are deforesting millions of acres every year, for housing that we can't build fast enough. Thousands of species of plant and animal become extinct every year - some even with the benefits needed to produce quality medicines.

We are purging the earth for fuel needed to run material possessions, emitting greenhouse gases. The temperature of the planet is rising about a degree a year, with the help of the gases and the population.

Walstreet has effectively brokered and sold the US to the rest of the world, causing out-sourcing, fall of domestic economy. We've raised taxes to compensate for the national debt toll, thus furthering people into debt, stirring the pot of our own domestic housing problem. There's no shortage of housing, but there's now a shortage of monetary gain for the people to actually maintain a household.

Multi-billions of dollars have been spent on a war to kill people who don't stand for the same beliefs as us - Rome and Germany have done the same thing. I support the troops, I don't support the purpose. All those billions of dollars have been taken away from the funding of education, healthcare, alternative fuels, USAF, INS, FDA, CDC, the list goes on and on and on.

The morale of the world is dwindling, causing hatred to breed over the most trivial of circumstances. We hurt and maim for no other reason than the want of it - there doesn't have to be an excuse anymore.

Politicians have re-shaped the true meaning of the founding of this country, and deformed it into something horrifically absurd. But, just remember: politicians are elected by the people, to do the work of the strongest voice of the people.

For most of us, there has been too much static in the world. We turn a blind eye to the comfort of our notion of 'out of sight, out of mind'. I am divided between Democrat and Republican - both share notions of what need to be done to turn things around.

The upcoming presidential election will be extremely crucial to our state of being, not just as a country, but to the whole of the world - and I can't endorse any of them because of their seemingly one-sided views ...

The champions of the earth are few and far between, are over-worked, and under compensated ... if we all chose something to stand up and believe in, we would make a world of difference ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Dear Dr. Laura

2008-05-23T15:06:00.000-06:00

""Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev.20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.""

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/drlaura.asp

Long have I studied and read the bible. I grew up in a church. But, I grew out of it as soon as I found and learned that the world has much more to offer than pedantic details about how a faith of religion should be defended. It is my belief that if something that is deemed "good for all" should have to be defended by a continuous moral contradiction of people to which the book is a symbol of protection, then it is best to move on and find something else to have faith in.

Not to mention that more people have died in the name of religion, ever, than for any other purpose ... simply because a "book" told them to ...

More people have been rendered inadequate to inhabit the earth simply because a "book" said they were ...

A "book" that has more refutable details to proof that anything ever actually happened, NOT by word of mouth of a God through the hand of a human ... not to mention that it was a group of HUMANS that decided which books were actually "supposed" to belong in the Bible, while others were deemed inadequate (one purportedly written by a woman, and one by a black man ...)

Innocuous vs. unacceptable? That is a vacuous statement made by the Vatican, in answer to Biblical contradictions ... Unacceptable indeed ...

I am neither Athiest nor Agnostic, but I do not believe in idol worship for faith based religion for exactly this reason (this letter and hundreds of contradictions in print and via Vatican word of mouth) ...

It is not just limited to the Christian bible, but all idolized religions ... it is not religion I dislike, rather how it is used and to what ends ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte

Mother's Day Meal

2008-05-23T15:03:00.000-06:00

Nothing was too good on Mother's Day this year...

I decided to pull out some stops on an old classic and give it a little extra kick.

Egg's Benedict. But, seriously, it was a little more than that!

Fresh Crab, Egg's Benedict in a Black Truffle Sauce

1/2 cup Rosemary Cabra Romero
1/2 cup Caciotta Al Tarfino w/ Black Truffles
3 slices of a small round artisan bread
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tblsp butter
2 tblsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup claw crab meat
2 medium potatoes
1 orange bell pepper
1/4 cup onion1 clove garlic
3 eggs
fresh: chives, dill, lemongrass
paprika, salt

Sauté potatoes (however you want them cut, bite size pieces work best for plating) with 1/8 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, pinch of salt, dill and lemongrass for about 10 minutes. Cube the bell pepper and add along with the onion and garlic. Continue sauté until onion becomes slightly translucent. Let simmer on low until ready to plate. Add salt to taste. (Could also replace potato with sweet potato.)

Bechamel Sauce: Heat 2 tblsp butter until a little bubbly. Add flour in increments until blended. (Note: Beginning stage will look clumpy, but whisk vigourously until rue sauce is completed - you DO NOT want pockets of flour in a sauce.) Slowly add milk, and whisk until creamy. (Requires a lot of whisking power.) Add all cheese and leave on low heat to melt. Add more milk for thinner sauce, or less milk for thicker sauce. (Can also add some heavy cream to make a more rich sauce, but not recommended replacing milk with cream.)

Prepare 3 sunny side up eggs in a pan with remaining butter. No need to salt or spice eggs.
Toast the bread in the oven until toasted to desired texture. (Note: The more toasted the bread, the harder it is to cut.) Place the bread in the center of the plate. Take some of the crab and place it on top of the slice of bread. (The more crab, the more better.) Next, place the egg on top of the crab meat. Take your potato mixture and place around bread and egg (outside of plate).

Now it's time to add the sauce - start from the center and work your way out and around the plate. Finish with a light dusting of paprika and garnish with the chives.

Serves 3, with a cook and prepare time of about 45 minutes.

All ingredients found at Whole Foods. Upgraded take on a classic protein and starch dish. And the best thing about it is that all ingredients can be replaced with something else of desired taste and texture. (With the exception of the flour. I don't know another way to make rue without flour...) Bread can be replaced with freshly made rice cakes, or potato pancakes. Happy Eating and Yummy Yummy!

Respect is taken, when respect is given...

Namaste and Slainte

Best Friends

2008-05-23T10:39:00.000-06:00

I have two "best friends". They are the best, and are so labeled, because they are completely opposite of each other and oft times to me and my way of thinking.

They are both unique and eclectic in their cogniscant way, that every nuance of a thought process can be defined as bringing balance and giving an even keel to me and how I live and think.

Ben is the one I've known since 1st grade. As we've aged, we've come to differ on almost every subject. This is not in spite of each other as people, but how we were raised and how we have studied and opened our minds to what else is out there and grasped our attentiveness. The longevity of our friendship has been based on something more than political or religious differences. I like to think that our fervor for still calling each other a friend is that we've also shared many experiences that are of a human nature, transcending anything construed by a controlling body. I've stood by his bedside when it looked grim for him needing a liver transplant. He stood by my bedside after I was mugged and shot. He shared personal experiences with my grandparents, and likewise I with his grandmother. We've each attended parties thrown for jobs well done in our professions, or when something big happened in our lives that was cause for celebration. Though we may not converse as much as either one of us might like, life has taken up time in our lives to get the things done that need be, however, life cannot separate something that will be a good and true thing for ages to come ...

Dawn is the opposite of me, but exactly the same. She is a black female, whereas I am a white male. The yin and yang should be apparent immediately! We think the same on almost every subject. To scrutinize what we don't have in common would be too miniscule to actually be counted. We can finish each others' sentances and know exactly what the other is thinking when conversation proves that we disagree with something being said. We are both highly opiniated, but we keep our opines in check by giving each other 'the look'. But, again, we share things of a human nature that only the feelings from within can explain ...

The point is quite simple for my writing about two people that I care deeply for: they are two of the best people anyone could ask for - so different, yet the same in that we come full circle in our lives. Some things are best left to mystery, for to second guess any of them would condemn the living friendship.

I would give them the shirt off my back, and, I would gladly give my life for either of them.

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte