"Speak Out. Make a difference!"

2012 and beyond. Your choice or His? ............... Vote!

2012-01-17T21:52:00.004-05:00

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,

the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy,

its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.."

-- Winston Churchill

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read: Unfortunately, most voters don't know this.

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them; and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

Can you think of any reason for not sharing this?

Neither could I.

9-11

2012-01-12T08:46:00.003-05:00

Wise Young Woman

2012-01-04T20:33:00.001-05:00

Wow, this girl has a great plan! Love the last thing she would do (no VOTE) the

best.

This was written by a 21 yr old female who gets it. It's her future

she's worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare big

government state that she's being forced to live in! These solutions are

just common sense in her opinion.

This was in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco, TX, Nov 18, 2011

PUT ME IN CHARGE . . .

Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash

for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans,

blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want

steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.

Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women

Norplant birth control implants or tubal legations. Then, we'll test

recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. If you want to reproduce or

use

drugs, alcohol, or smoke, then get a job.

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?

You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair.

Your home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be

inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your

own place.

In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week

or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways

of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you.

will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo

and speakers and put that money toward the "common good.."

Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of

the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before

you

say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem," consider

that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing

absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.

If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at

least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current

system

rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND While you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes,

that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You

will

voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov't

welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.

Penny McClurg

twobits@trcable.tv

China Hackers Hit US Chamber

2011-12-21T08:57:00.000-05:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204058404577110541568535300.html

China has been on a roll, using hacking to test our systems and rip off our data. This is just one more piece of evidence.

Helping Hands

2011-09-12T22:54:00.003-05:00

(Originally written Sept. 7, 2007)

We are now back in Florida from Guatemala, helping my Dad. Had to do a detour... but that's life.

However; along the way recently, I have been more and more awakened by 'needs' of those we encounter. In the US, I gave the "needs of homeless, or a generic organization--- a check here and there." Now, I am seeing and realizing more, the needs of humanity more personally. Maybe it's the frequency of mixing with varying cultures as we get to travel internationally, but the needs of others, are hitting me.

A couple of coins here and there don't do much in the 3rd world, nor does a $5. bill if you fly into Ft. Lauderdale.

We had just flown into Ft. Lauderdale and I only had $20's in my wallet from the ATM in the airport. We were stopping for lunch before a 4 hr. drive across the state to our home. In the parking lot was a VERY homeless young man. Sitting with a look of hopelessness, in tattered clothes and holding a broken umbrella to shelter him from sunlight, he watched us go into the fast food restaurant. Then, upon returning to our car, still sitting as we passed by, he asked quietly and respectfully for a dollar. Since we were 'upset' with the long line, we had left without ordering, so still had only $20's. I told him I didn't have one, which was the truth, but with a vision of him burning my mind, I returned 20 minutes later after getting change and handed him a 5 requesting he get some food.
I now, often and with serious regret, chastise myself for not just handing him a $20. He was so lost. I could have done much more.

Today, I took my dad to church and later asked the priest "where and how can homeless get direct and instant help thru the church." Father Vladimir responded without missing a heartbeat, "St. Vincent De Paul Society", was the link needed. That comment has led me to them and other sites, but:

I will find out HOW to make this work, or start working on thoughts of my own. Any ideas or helpful comments will be appreciated.

Note: their is 1 COMMENT below this post.(see the fine print "1 COMMENT'), is actually from a long lost friend with whom I had a serious disagreement with once and we never spoke again. Her comment tho is worth the read. She is a gifted writer as well as musician/singer. "KW" for short, is a musician that has graced stages large and small; ie: my own old favorite hangout Harry's Beach Bar, in St. Pete Beach, Florida as well as the stage at Carnegie Hall, NYC, as back up and soloist for and with Arlo Guthrie.

Her life will be a movie some day. I disagree with some of her thoughts still, but understand and respect her rights to them.

Please, if you are interested in this, continue also, to the next entry in this blog, called "211".

Thank you. Ron Sheridan, this blog's author.

211 America's Help Line

2011-06-29T11:45:00.002-05:00

Find a phone and dial 211

It has bothered me that at times, I don't know how to help someone in need. Sometimes, this was someone homeless but there different scenarios. I wrote a post on this blog looking for answers a few years ago and later on, I stumbled on this..............

My need was for information I could put on a business card to hand to anyone in need. If they needed a quarter too for the call, then that would be easy enough, wouldn't it. The information would have to be the general enough, yet specific enough, to help anyone, anywhere in the U.S..

There is "printable information" in business card form and this can be found in other graphical formats too, but there is a downloadable Business Card ready for printing....that any of us can utilize. Having cards in your car or wallet, makes them instantly accessible at any street corner or anywhere for the truly needy.
...... go to the www.211info.org site for materials.

click on....... http://211us.org/

Find a phone and dial 211

When 'Others' have a problem, we might be lost for an appropriate answer, but today I was led to this link that is a great start.

http://www.211us.org ...... a national hot line for almost any need. For local numbers etc. try: http://www.211.org (leaving out the 'us' in the address)

TELL ANYONE NEEDING HELP, to: FIND A PHONE AND "PLEASE" DIAL.....211 YOU WILL GET THE ANSWERS YOU NEED............211

DIAL 211 !

A link to my first request for help on this subject: How do I find help?

Lybia No Fly Zone Enforcers.

2011-06-04T18:17:00.000-05:00

OK, most of you remember the jokes of Abbot and Costello about baseball and the famous joke, "Who's on FIRST? .....etc. etc.................."

Well, the discussions and arguments going on now, of whether it's the UN or NATO or U.S., or just What mix of enforcers and leaders make it happen, echo the comedic banter of yesteryear.

(this is a quote from -----the Guardian 23 March 2011)

One observer of Anglo-American military adventures over the last 20 years tried to make light of the impasse. "It's a bit like a barn dance," the source said of the efforts to decide whether and how NATO would run the operation. "Half of the people can't dance, a couple are drunk and then there's always the characters at the back with their hands up various skirts."

and the music plays on. IF "WE- folks of the USof A step in.............we will be pummeled by the world.............and if we do not, we will be pummeled by the world.
If we wait, HOW MANY MORE INNOCENTS WILL DIE VS. THOSE INNOCENTS WHO WOULD DIE, IF WE JUST STEPPED IN?
i HOPE THE WORLD IS COUNTING AND STOPS THE CRITICISM OF OUR COUNTRY IN MY LIFETIME.

Words of Wisdom; John D. Rockefeller Jr,. 1941

2011-03-05T11:14:00.001-05:00

Manhattan has always been an inspirational retreat for me. Rockefeller Center is a 'must' for any tour I give friends. Inside the main lobby of the old RCA building is a wonderful mural (a scene of which I use to head this blog). Also, this plaque. (material below, copied from a Google search)

In 1962, a plaque was placed at the plaza with a list of principles in which John D. Rockefeller Jr. believed, first expressed by him in 1941. This is the full text:

'"I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.
I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.
I believe in the Dignity of labour, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.
I believe that thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.
I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.
I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character not wealth or power or position - is of supreme worth.
I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.
I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individuals highest fulfilment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His Will.
I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might."
'

China's military build up.

2011-03-05T09:05:00.003-05:00

For almost a decade, I have found articles relating to China's military build-up. U.S. admirals tried to inform congress, by nothing was done.......except lowering the level of spending for R&D and military infrastructure for 20+ years. The admirals retire, but the problem continues.

2 interesting articles here are related, one from US the other from India.

Wall Street Journal: Shrinking U.S. Navy

Indian News: China's Military Build Up

U.S. Power Requirements vs. Needs

2011-03-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

(A friend of mine sent this to me as an email attachment.)

If You Want Electric Cars, You Need Electricity

by Bill Walker

As of March 2011, China is building 27 new nuclear power plants (and plans 50). Russia is building 10, India and South Korea five each, Japan and Canada two. In the US, there is exactly one new reactor complex being built.
France gets 80% of its power from fission. Most major nations have used nuclear power to make their environment cleaner and their economies less vulnerable to $100/barrel oil. Yet the US remains in superstitious dread of fission… even while dependent on the 20% of our electricity that comes from our 40-year-old Homer Simpson specials.
US Nuclear Industry: From Pollyanna to Panic
The US built the first nuclear reactors. We even built the first nuclear rocket engines, way back in the misty pre-Internet days of the 1960s. (It was misty from all the coal and high-sulfur diesel smoke). Why did we turn into a nuclear backwater? Because the US government in all its genius "helped" nuclear power with subsidies.
The US government shoved nuclear power into use in the 1960s, before it was ready for prime time. Early reactors and their fuel were subsidized, and the Price-Anderson act dumped the liability for accidents onto the taxpayers. (Taxpayers do seem to attract liability for everything from subprime mortgages to shaky foreign dictators, don’t we? It’s a wonder we can get insurance at all…)
Then, once nuclear technology actually became reliable, US policy turned against it. Our new electricity needs are now met almost entirely by frantic construction of fossil-fuel plants, while we publicly bemoan the potential problem of Global Warming from those very fossil-fuel plants.
US nuclear power was killed by media-generated fears. Most of those fears were imaginary, and all were exaggerated. But fear still trumps the actual numbers. It’s time for a look at the current realities of nuclear power.
Not Your Grandfather’s Reactor
The first hard fact about switching to nuclear power: it reduces your radiation exposure. Nuclear power plants, even old ones, release very little radiation. In fact, they release from 100 to 400 times less than coal plants, per kilowatt-hour. (There is a significant amount of radium and polonium in coal). You get more radiation by escaping to NH from Vermont than you would by living next to a reactor for your whole life (manly NH granite is full of uranium and thorium, unlike the soft, limp sediments of Vermont).
So the net environmental effect of US anti-nuclear policy has been… to raise our radiation dose for the last 30 years. But don’t worry; compared to the tons of mercury and vast quantities of organic chemical carcinogens released by the coal smokestacks, the trivial extra radiation from coal doesn’t matter. Of course, in addition to cancer there is the little matter of Global Warming CO2 from fossil fuels. Nuclear plants are entirely carbon-free (which will be a good thing in a few centuries, once we get enough CO2 into the atmosphere to stave off the Final Ice Age).
New nuclear plants are also meltdown free. There are several ways to make nuclear fuel rods or pellets that stop fissioning when they reach a certain temperature. The US built the first intrinsically safe reactor in 1986, the Argonne EBR-II. The Argonne system used fuel rods made of an alloy that expanded with heat to beyond critical density. Newer designs have used pebble beds and Doppler scattering, but the result is the same: fuel elements that shut off over a certain temperature, even if Homer Simpson turns off every cooling system.
Yet another breed of new nuclear plants uses cooling systems which use convection instead of pumps; again, even if everything is switched off, they can’t overheat. The Westinghouse AP1000 uses this principle. (The Westinghouse nuclear division is now owned by Toshiba, a company that thinks more than one fiscal quarter ahead.)
Other concepts include small mass-produced reactors like the Hyperion. These town-sized (only 25 megawatt) units would be more decentralized than most current fossil or nuclear generators. They would also have passive safety features… in fact the reactor itself is a sealed unit, with no way for Homer to get inside.
The US has none of the newer, safer plants yet (the one reactor under construction in Georgia is an AP1000). Yet just like the ex-Soviet satellite nations, we remain economically dependent on our 1970s reactors. Again, our anti-nuclear policy has put us at more risk than other nations.
No Recycling Allowed
Then there’s nuclear "waste". Nuclear fuel rods are about 3% uranium-235 when they go into a light-water reactor. They quit producing energy when they are roughly 1% uranium, 1% plutonium, and 1% radioactive elements like strontium-90 and cobalt-60.
In other countries the rods are removed from the reactor, the uranium and plutonium are recycled into new fuel rods, and the other radioactive elements are used by industry for various purposes. Excess non-fissionable isotopes can be mixed with Pyrex glass and made back into radioactive "rocks"… which, after all, is what uranium ore is in the first place.
But in the US, no nuclear recycling is allowed because of Carter-era regulations. Used but radioactive nuclear fuel rods must stay in open ponds outside the reactors just in case terrorists might need some. Thus the US has a "nuclear waste problem", while other nations do not.
Speaking of recycling, it’s hard to do much recycling of any kind without electric power. Conversely, cheaper and more plentiful electricity will make recycling profitable…. and thus universal.
"Peak Uranium" A Long Way Off
Currently known reserves of uranium are enough for a couple hundred years or so… enough that no one puts much effort into finding more. Breeder reactors can make more uranium out of thorium; estimates of thorium reserves get us up to 20,000 years. By the year 22,211, fission reactors will be in museums next to the flint-knapping tools. The lights will stay on from fusion… or more likely, something we haven’t even imagined.
Even on a shorter time scale, nuclear fuel cycles are very stable. Once fueled, a reactor will run for years, independent of possible wars, blockades or interruptions of trade.
Obama: Nuclear OK As Long As It’s Taxpayer-funded
On February 16, 2010, President Obama announced $8.33 billion dollars in federal loan guarantees to construct the two AP1000 units at the Vogtle plant in Georgia. This continues a long tradition of meddling and favoritism (in other countries, we call giving tax money to private companies "corruption"). Corruption of course knows no technological boundaries; all forms of power production have been distorted by subsidy.
Time For A Level Playing Field
Nuclear power is the cleanest rapidly expandable source of electricity. It produces no greenhouse gases, no acid rain, no chemical pollutants. It doesn’t need ecologically disruptive dams. It doesn’t cover up thousands of square miles of forest with solar panels, it doesn’t kill migrating birds with eyesore windmill blades.
But is new nuclear technology better than other alternatives? That is the question that matters, and it can only be answered by the market. Let all power technologies compete against the same safety and emission standards, and all be liable for any damage they cause. Let coal plants have to meet the same radiation emission standards, and let non-subsidized solar plants pay for the forest land they cover up (and for their own capital costs).
Since the Congress and Administration can’t seem to find anything to cut from the budget, here’s a suggestion that would save a few billion: cut all corporate welfare to all forms of energy companies. Government bureaucracy is no more likely to pick the right technology this time than in the 1970s, when they decided to leave the US forever dependent on burning coal.
The "right technology" depends on time and place. Solar cells are fine, if they’re covering buildings in Albuquerque instead of snowy forest in Vermont. Windmills, wood-burning plants, methane from cow pies, whatever can pull its weight on the market is great.
But neither windmills nor wood chips will take us to the stars.
March 5, 2011

Kadafi's Libya

2011-02-19T20:18:00.001-05:00

Kadafi fucks up again, Big Time!
click to read.

How nice the asshole Kadafi is back in the news. Reagan made him bite his tongue, now maybe his own people will make him bite it off and shove it!

This uprising if continued, should mean he will soon be sleeping the eternal sleep.

Water Shortage.............everywhere

2011-02-19T20:12:00.001-05:00

It will probably start here FIRST. Then what area is next?

water-running-out

VERIZON DATA STICK BILLING fiasco

2010-11-20T11:24:00.000-05:00

Philly man gets 17G bill from Verizon Oct.29, 2010 by Stephanie Farr, you will read an almost identical story to mine.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20101029_A_BILL_GONE_HAYWIRELESS__Philadelphia_man_gets_a_17G_bill_from_Verizon_Wireless.html

Well, I need help. I have been writing emailing and and calling newspapers and have filed a complaint with Florida's Division of Consumer Complaints. I would like to know how to get the FCC to respond to this too, if anyone has an idea on that or any other outlets for some justice please COMMENT.

It's a bit long, but heres a breakdown of the facts as I see it:

May 7th- Bought USB760 Verizon stick ($125)and $50 of time, at Walmart.
May 10th- Went to Verizon store to sign up for their $59./mo 5 Gig data Plan. (Salesman said, Pay by the month no annual contract/ suspend whenever you need to!!) [This was important to me as I only need this device 5 or 6 months a year as the rest of the time, we are out of the country.]

Then I went on Vacation with my wife towards North West, US.
While traveling in Montana's Glacier National Park, we decided to see the other half of it which is shared with Canada. (we are in an RV, camping in remote areas usually)
NOTE too: Our US AT&T cell phone quit working as soon as we crossed the border. Our TracPhone did not work............... However, the Verizon USB 760 stick kept allowing me to access my email and news. No Problem!
We stayed camping in Canada longer but the Verizon stick stopped working around about 12 days later. Service disconnected! message to contact a phone Verizon phone #.

With no cell phone or computer contact capability, we drove to nearest town and used a payphone to call Verizon. They claimed we now owed them $879. for 12 days of email while in Canada. Was transferred numerous times to Billing, Fraud and other sections and treated well except for Billing dept. where the female was rude. I hope it was recorded. I do have her name written down.
--I was told that they left messages on my phone. now, THEY KNEW BY THEIR DATA, THAT WE WERE IN CANADA AND
OUR U.S. PHONE WOULD NOT WORK!! (it's a pay as you go AT&T plan.)
--I was told that they sent me TEXT messages to my Verizon log in site.... NOTE** they knew I never used text.. It was not in their plan and if I did,
there was supposed to be an extra charge so THEY KNEW I DID NOT USE IT.

--I'm a senior and have NEVER texted in my life.

--I then asked, "If there was a problem, and you KNEW I was only using the device for email(they should have had ability to see what was being downloaded) that they Did NOT contact me via email.
I had:
--NO phone ability
--Never texted,
--Bought device for email and reading news.

She had no answer ----but got louder and more rude, demanding payment of $879.00! (I apparently used less than a 1/2 gig and I was on a 5 gig/mo. plan.

I told each person in Verizon that I talked to, that "They had the ability to contact me through Email.. That they had the Obligation, as I saw it, as They had the tools, to contact me immediately if there was a problem but not after they allowed the bill to escalate to near $75 per DAY for 5% or less data than I
had in my $59./mo.plan." AT&T did not give service, Tracphone did not, so why did THEY?

--Since they had noted I was in Canada, they could have emailed me(and if they wanted to also call and text)with an ALERT that IN CANADA this amount of data transfer will cost you $75. per day, I would have stopped instantly!

Instead, the only thing I noted was that when i turned the device on to access the Internet, the Usage #'s changed from
Gigabites to Kilobites. I went to the sites online that they suggested I go to and I could NOT find a resolution to figuring
out what to do. I did this several times.
We were camping and traveling in remote areas of Western Canada at the time, and off on Islands. If they felt I was outside the usage I had signed up for, they should have stopped the service immediately and not waited until the bill got ridiculously high.

I have been receiving computer driven calls from Verizon threatening collections. Now from a legal service collection agency. Contacting their prescribed phone #'s connects to a billing message for over $1100.00 now and I guess are going up monthly. The device does not work. I suspended it in August (they charged $15 for that too) but without service, they keep adding monthly to the bill! yes, they also want a $350. cancellation fee if I opt for that!

"Gotcha" you dumb customer.....

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services online questionnaire asked:

What would satisfy your complaint?

I agreed to a $59./mo. plan and will pay for such.
I will agree to pay an extra month's ($59.) to satisfy them
I do not feel they have been fair since 'they' had the tools to rectify this before it got out of hand!
I would still like to continue service @ $59. mo. as soon as this can be conclude. I have always been a good customer/a hammer over an individuals reasonable use of service.
Thank you, ---------------

Suggestions or Comments can be sent below. Thanks

Miami Herald get's it Right!

2010-06-04T16:47:00.000-05:00

BACK IN TOWN!

2010-05-05T17:28:00.002-05:00

BACK IN TOWN!

Hello All, We got back in town (US) on Friday and regrouping. Should have text and photos uploaded in a week or so................ As you probably understand, this stuff takes time and thought. Right now.. I'm dealing with 'life'. In a week, I'll be dealing with 'MY' life! so much better....and along with that, more uploads of all kinds.

thanks for staying 'Tuned-In"!

ron

Moon Mission no longer valuable...HUH?

2010-02-01T22:44:00.005-05:00

5o years of progress down the tube. Obama's choice................

As was said to Danny boy, "Sir, You are NO Kennedy!"

Obama, you're...

damn it's hard to find one word---even 5 that would suffice!

Directions Required

2010-01-08T17:37:00.003-05:00

Source unknown.

Abandoning the Constitution! by John Silveira Issue #121

2010-01-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

Abandoning the Constitution! by John Silveira Issue #121

Speak Out, make a difference

2009-10-28T06:01:00.000-05:00

It has been said that all that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. Ultimately we will be judged not by our titles or bank accounts but by something far more sacred. Future generations hang in the balance. Whether we speak out or remain silent, act or step back will create the inheritance we bequeath.

Rev. Bill Shuler is pastor at Capitol Life Church in Arlington, Virginia.

Oct. 2009

CITGO is controlled by Hugo Chavez.

2009-05-08T20:50:00.007-05:00

Google the subject if need be but realize General Hugo Chavez and his gang are doing little good for his own country Venezuela, South America, or the region. He is decidedly anti- U.S. so consider what you are doing before you think of saving a few cents to fill up your gas tank at a CITGO gas station.

Thanks!

When done right, it will last forever.........

2008-10-19T12:54:00.006-05:00

Some things are never forgotten.

I remember times I had to travel in military uniform; then being "frighteningly" mobbed by young Japanese protesters while boarding a train. This occurred during a war protest I happened to walk into, in a Tokyo rail station. Again, coming home from Vietnam months later and being spit at by a group of young Americans within minutes of clearing through the airport, was also not forgotten. Also never forgotten was just minutes later, being harassed/followed/mocked, by an Army military policeman(probably never had served under anything more serious than his brow beating parent). HE, was pissed, cause my hair and mustache was too long. Gosh, it was just so lovely to be back in my country! Yikes!!

No sweat, I got to a cab and flipped him, ( that FLAMING ASS HOLE), the bird, as we drove off quickly.
".
Later that day, I hitch hiked from Dallas airport to Ardmore, Oklahoma to visit an uncle before returning to my family in NY. Along the way, I was graciously offered rides everywhere. Conditions were nasty, cold and rainy and I was soaked. As I remember, this was a day or 2 before Thanksgiving, 1968; and I carried a big stuffed duffle bag as well as another 2 heavy bags with me; my life, travels and gifts. This part, was not a fun trip but neither was 'Nam", but nobody seemed to mind me sitting, soaking wet, in their car and most of you cannot imagine how happy I was to be out of the crap going on in Asia. You could have run over my foot and I'd smile. Unlike some friends, I was alive and back home.

In a couple of restaurants along the highway's exits, there were lines for a seat. Tables were full. Consistantly, someone came over to me and offered a seat at their table "if I didn't mind their company!" thats a quote! The good of the American public, was showing here, showing it's way to the surface. 1968 was one of the toughest years in Vietnam and also us Americans were suffering the effects of the Pueblo incident; crew taken from the USS Pueblo and still being held captive in North Korea. Although a tough time for Americans, many showed the best of themselves, and having been in their path, I will always be grateful,reflective and reciprical.

Today, I received something from a friend in NY that I'm happy to say seems to show we Americans can still get it right! Enjoy the read....

The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. "I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap," I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. "Where are you headed?" I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

"Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq ."

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. "No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago ."

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. "Take a lunch to all those soldiers." She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. "My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him."

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, "Which do you like best - beef or chicken?"

"Chicken," I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. "This is your thanks."

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. "I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this." He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, "I want to shake your hand."

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, "I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot." I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. "It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You."

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little...

Thanks goes to Tom Denton, a high school friend, for passing this on to me.]

"Idiots" made him millions!

2008-10-18T13:44:00.003-05:00

Fed up with the way things were going, this guy opts out of the mess! Good for him!! However there is a long line of folks that understand the greed, corruption and self indulgence of the many spoiled in our country and speak of it. There are too many out there that would skin their neighbor for a buck. Maybe this latest crisis will cure a few, or let the rest of the public skin the low lifes. That would seem to be justice! :)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FundMyMutualFund/~3/424663454/bloomberg-lahde-quits-hedge-funds.html

Grandpa

2007-11-07T23:01:00.000-05:00

The World owes you NOTHING!

Grandma

2007-11-07T22:59:00.001-05:00

A man's word is his bond.

The truth of a man, is; 'in his handshake'.

also of course:

Eat!

&

Love you.........

Wake-em UP

2007-09-10T20:39:00.000-05:00

This is true according to Snopes.com.A true story - must readFirst day at school Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, MarthaCothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in LittleRock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, withthe permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the buildingsupervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When thefirst period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks. Looking around, confused, they asked, "Ms. Cothren, where're ourdesks?" She replied, "You can't have a desk until you tell me whatyou havedone to earn the right to sit at a desk." They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades." "No," she said. "Maybe it's our behavior." She told them, "No, it's not even your behavior." And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, thirdperiod. Still no desks in the classroom. By early afternoon television newscrews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about thiscrazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students foundseats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said,"Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she hasdone to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in thisclassroom. Now I am going to tell you." At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroomand opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked intothat classroom, each one carrying a school desk.The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walkover and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place thosekids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, justhow the right to sit at those desks had been earned. Martha said, "You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks.These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it'sup to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be goodstudents, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could havethe freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it." this is a true story.... If you can read this, Thank a teacher If you read it in English Thank a soldier This link takes you to the story.http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp

Status Quo?

2006-12-11T09:13:00.001-05:00

Recently, I wrote to a group of folks on the Internet that I had been in touch with for years, presenting the idea that when we knew of serious defects in a certain product-in this case a model of sailboat- that we should have a way of alerting others that might be reading our mail and relying on our open forum for honesty. The responses were basically, "it might bother some who are selling", "a track record of minor problems, might be detrimental to a future sale" and "Caveat Emptor"...let the buyer beware.

I have problems with all 3 responses.

It is clear to me that many things in our day to day life are less than what we would wish for. Drivers passing on the right to cut ahead, tail gator's, sales solicitation over phone lines, junk mail, false adds, fine print that disallows everything, used car lots, etc, etc, and not counting illegal aliens, low life politicians, IED's, suicide bombers and on and on. All are in some way stealing from those around them. There ARE things that we can change though and what does it take? Well a bit of ethics works well. Speak the truth and stand up for what you know is right.

When in a position to enlighten a purchaser, especially of a purchase of great expense, or be silent when important information about an item for sale is purposely withheld, I will side with the person who needs help....the buyer. To me this is a No Brainer. I will not support someone who will knowingly be dishonest to make a buck.

In the field of auto resales, because innocent folks need protection, vehicles that are "Totalled" and written off/paid off by insurance companies, are only able to get a "Salvaged" title in most states. This, allows the buyer "to be aware". However, the maritime industry has not caught up. It is possible to sell Totalled boats, before or after a repair of some degree, and to sell these boats without alerting future buyers as to the prior damage or extent of it. Laws have not caught up with the need.

"Caveat emptor", buyer beware does apply, as the buyer should actively attempt to gain all knowledge about the product, but there is nothing wrong with "letting the buyer be aware".
When we have knowledge and are looked up to by some as having it, we can be silent or speak up. Ethics.............? well, "Sine qua non". ("without which, all else has no meaning.")

Angels among us...........

2006-11-03T17:50:00.000-05:00

Our neighbor Beth Cole, is making a left, when most of us go straight while hoping to go right. She's going to DO, what some of us used to think of doing, but just never got around to. You know, something good, meaningful; a once in a life Positive statement.
We support her vision and hope you can join in to help the journey. Thanks. Ron and Dorothy

I, Beth Cole, an Acupuncture Physician practicing in St. Pete Beach, FL have been accepted to participate in the Pan African Acupuncture Project, (PAAP) a non-profit humanitarian relief organization. Beginning in December 2006 I will travel to Africa several times to train African healthcare workers in acupuncture protocols to help relieve pain and suffering for those afflicted with HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis(TB), the three biggest killers in the underdeveloped world. Common symptoms treated include body pain, headaches, herpes-like symptoms, night sweats, fever, menstrual irregularities, weight loss, fatigue, insomnia, depression, skin problems and neuropathy.

Many of you reading this know my husband, Rick Cole. Half way through my studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine Rick returned home from Papua New Guinea with malaria which brought this strong, young 6’6’’ man within inches of death. Without the synergy of both western allopathic medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine I would be a widow today. Having witnessed the horrific effects of this disease I am determined to help others avoid this tragic experience.

The number one killer of children in the world is malaria. Children are dying of malaria at the rate of 4 per minute, 5000 per day. One third of the world’s population is infected with TB; the leading killer of HIV infected people. More than 38 million people around the world are infected by HIV/AIDS, 25 million in Africa alone. Everyday 10,000 people in Africa die of HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB.

To date the Pan African Acupuncture Project has trained more than 75 healthcare providers in Uganda who have gone on to provide acupuncture treatments to more than one thousand patients. The response to treatment is often immediate and dramatic. Trainees are sent home each day with needles to practice on friends and family. In one case a midwife treated a 12 year old girl with diarrhea that had not responded to any conventional treatments. Using just one acupuncture point she resolved the problem with one treatment. In another case a 35 year old man with a compression fracture of the lumbar vertebrae, verified by x-rays, came to treatment with a lumbar corset and crutches. He was treated three times and improved dramatically. By the second treatment he had thrown away the crutches and had no pain.

All PAAP trainings are run solely by volunteer contributions, and therefore each Acupuncture Physician volunteer must fundraise for the cost of the program. I have the technical skills, dedication, heart and compassion to alleviate pain and suffering in Africa, but I don’t have the pocketbook to fund this project alone. Financial assistance is needed from my family, friends and community. Please join me in providing relief to those in desperate need. Together we can make a difference in many lives. Your contribution will provide immediate relief as well as continue to give year after year because I will be providing training to healthcare workers as well as treating patients. The fee for each session of this program, including airfare, meals, lodging, and in-country transportation totals $4000. A complete training program is composed of approximately four sessions. I am committing to the complete training course therefore it is necessary for me to raise $16,000. All donations are 100% U.S. tax-deductible.

Contributions should be made out to The Pan African Acupuncture Project, and mailed to Beth Cole 104 32nd Ave. St. Pete Beach, FL 33706. You can also go online to www.panafricanacupuncture.org and make a secure payment online. Please write Beth Cole in the memo section of the check or type Beth Cole into the message section if contributing online. Should you have any questions about the volunteer program, please call or email me at (727) 367-6554, bethcole1@verizon.net or call The Pan African Acupuncture Project at (617) 277-7444. Please share this information with others who may be interested in humanitarian relief. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Priorities

2006-10-31T11:45:00.000-05:00

Life is full of uncertainties. Eat desert first.

author unknown.

TEAM ELLIS

2006-10-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

A friend of our family made a video of a very special Aunt/Niece (Triathalon team's) personal statement. The short video contains a minor accident, but overall, their experience and this video extends to all of us, a tremendous success. Hope you enjoy it. It says volumes. (and has sound, so use your Volume Control to ...hear)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5MXQ4hoItI

BEST BOAT NAME ON THE WATERWAY

2006-09-22T15:59:00.000-05:00

"GOODY TWO SHOES"

AND THE FILTHY BEAST

On a lighter note: it appears that someone on this boat has no problems speaking up! Great name, but I just wonder who is who? :)

RED TIDE

2006-09-16T09:49:00.000-05:00

The air stinks around here now for over a month. Last year it lasted for many months with dead fish, birds and sea grasses floating in our 'advertised' beautiful Florida waters.

The sherrif's department drug this dead sea turtle from Passagrille channel, here on the west coast of Florida, to our nearby boat ramp. I suppose tests will be performed by one of our state facilities, but what is it that they don't already understand.

Every hundred yards or so along the waterfront, a storm drain empties run off from the roadway. Almost everyday, we get showers washing down societies structures and fertilized lawns to excess and that extra water eithe drains into our water table, or our salt water. Not too uncommon is a municipality dumping untreated or partially untreated sewage into the local waters, especially when it rains, compounding the problem emmensely.

Not to be too repetitive, but I would like to find a way to make a difference and I think it can be done by using this internet more efficiently. We are above and way beyond action via snail mail!

Serenity Prayer

2006-09-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

It goes without saying, that feeling a bit depressed can be considered a normal human condition. The Serenity Prayer although attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr seems to have been around for centuries so I'll include it here, as well as a link to an extended version. Why? Well, no matter how frustrated I get at time; I've got to recognize that some things are bigger than I.

BUT, maybe, JUST maybe..... they are not bigger than, "All of Us!"

Serenity Prayer
God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
and the Wisdom to know the difference.

http://www.zarcrom.com/users/yeartorem/serenityprayer.html

Springs

2006-09-12T21:08:00.000-05:00

Recently, I took my gal and my aging father on a short vacation. We loaded the car for an old fashioned trip, with clothes enough for a week and a cooler packed with liquids and goodies. My idea was to just follow our headlights and stop wherever and whenever we saw something interesting, but to stay on back roads. My wife had other ideas after scanning through 5 books on Florida's sites of interest and having the road map in 'her' hand. It was a great trip and we all had fun.
One of the best stop overs was in Wakulla Springs, Florida. It was an old lodge built by Edward Ball, in the 30's to showcase the purity of the natural spring and wildlife. The springs are on a large tract of land south of Tallahassee that he had purchased to save from further development even during those early years. Besides the swimming area next to the opening of the spring, a water tour was available and put on by park rangers. We were surprised to learn the springs were being contaminated by something, but the details were not in as yet. Shortly after arriving home we noted in the St. Petersburg Times Opinion section, letters addressing an article written on August 24th, 2006, "Springs bring mystery illness; subhead "The State is investigating ailments that are afflicting swimmers. Pollution is expected." As is happening throughout our state and elsewhere, pollution is getting the upper hand. Again though, the problem has been caused by humans and ignored by humans to the point that it is now possibly irreversible. Wakulla Springs water has toxic algae gaining in numbers and caused by fertilizers and nitrates. Reported is proof of 20 million gallons of Tallahassee sewage being sprayed on a 4,000 acre field every day draining into the aquifer. Forty days and ten miles later, it shows up in Wakulla Springs.
A few days ago awaiting a conversation with an official, I was reading some a brochure made available for bored citizenry to read while waiting. Anyway, this 'Citizens Guide to Stormwater Ponds' gets right to it in it's first FACT.
Untreated stormwater runoff is now considered the state's leading source of water pollution. Surprise, Surprise.

OK, if you've read this far, you get my drift. I'm ticked off that: In our system, the government should be doing for the people, what the people cannot do for themselves....and it's not working.
Now what? Some things can't fix themselves and they also can't survive our indifference either.

Believe me, I don't expect to make even a ripple in this pond, but I had always thought when I read something that I agreed with that "if" I could respond immediately; you know, like on a game show, just hit the buzzer button and the whole audience immediately sees your choice. So, do any of you know how to help start doing that? What I mean is, starting simple right here and now, does anyone know of a way to include a post like this in an email or form letter and by a simple click, add a name, off of a list of politicians, etc. and send them from individuals that have just read this? Any ideas? I'm not a computer wiz so even if I don't get it, someone else will and something gets done. I'm not talking about spam. I mean a way to personalize a response and get it sent without a 39 cent stamp and be effective and legal. No muss no fuss, just quick and easy. Maybe then the masses can be effective.

Speak out and Make a Difference.

Vent

2006-09-04T23:57:00.000-05:00

"I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

I jokingly say this in certain conversations, when it seems important to me to express some frustration; usually much less than that felt by Howard Beale, in the movie "Network", when he shouted out his window. Hopefully, the statement will get us to consider that often in life, things really are, up to 'us'.

Of course, not everything is, nor should it be. Life would be all work and no play. However, many more things really are up to us than we choose to deal with, but over time, we often give up the fight for things big and small. I am no exception. It's easier to duck. However, I feel a little less each time I do. Standing up to challenge a few windmills now and then, brings some peace to my soul and a smile to my face. Although I often recognise that something might seem wrong to me, I commonly do not have a solution. Hopefully you will have an idea and so will some others. Only by identifying a problem, can it be solved. Things will get done because ideas have been communicated.

Blogging seems a great way to say and do a few things that might somehow initiate change. "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"