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This is Topic: United States
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Many of us have expenienced the dire straights of unemployment. Whether it was due to staff cut-backs, corporate down-sizing, termination for cause or any other reason, the loss of a job can be a devestating experience.
But we can move forward. After all, it's not the end of the world. Now, these are not just empty words as I have personally felt the scimitar of down-sizing sevaral times in my work career. Each one was a very sobering event, as our home, way of life and children all depended on my ability to "bring home the bacon" to support us. If a got "a bite" (that is, if a potential employer expressed an interest in my skills), I would promptly call and arrange for the interview as soon as possible.
I was somehow very successful when it came to answer classified ads in newspapers. I believe this was because I had an ability to read and understand what a potential employer was looking for when they posted their ad. For instance, if a company indicated in its ad that it needed a professional that could manage the installation of a new HRS that would track payroll, employee benefits, attendance, etc., my response would clearly state that I had accomplished each of those specific concerns quite recently. As you can probably see, a potential employer would read my response to their ad and say to themselves, "Hmm. This guy just indicated tht he solved the very same problems we are trying to solve right here at our company. Let's invite him in and see if he really can help us."And, perhaps even more importantly, I realized that it was up to me to prove to said employer that I could solve a problem or problems for them. You see, it's what we can do for an employer rather than what they can do for us that's so very important when looking for a job. Keep this thought as you proceed with your job search.
I personaly found the best way to battle unemployment was to get right back into the game. That is, to begin a full-time effort to find a new job. I would scour newspapers, spend hours on the internet, make phone calls and send out resume after resume, all in the hope of uncovering that elusive commodity called employment.
If I received "a bite" (that is, if an employer expressed an interest in my skills), I would immediately contact that entity and set up a job interview. My best foot, so to speak, would naturally be extended during the interview: I'd arrive on time, be dressed impeccably, have materials with me showing that I was able to do the job (copy of resume, charts, graphs, etc.) and well versed in the company I was interviewing with.
But the couple of paragraphs you just read are merely a segue, a lead-in to what I really wanted to share with you today in this blog. As you may be able to relate, if you are/were unemplyed to probably are worried. Bills, financial difficulties and what tomorrow may bring are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what may worry us in this trying period of our life. But, there is hope. Once again, I speak from experience. In my times of trouble, when unemployed as well as other times in my life when the weight of the world seemed to be too much for me, I turned to a source that has been inspirational to countless folks over many centuries...the bible.
Thousands of pages long, this book was written by numerous authors over a period of many, many years. It has one common theme: God's love for us. I have personally read "The Book" as it's sometimes known from cover-to-cover several times. Each time, I'm comforted by the fact that there are passages that seem to have been written just for me. Strange that Go would have had the foresight to do that for me, isn't it? All joking aside, He's done that for you, too.
I'd like to share some of my favorite bible passages with you. Along with them I'll also provide a commentary as to what they mean specifically to me, how they helped me through the crisis in life I was facing. Each of my favorite bible passage will be highlighted in bol-faced type so if you're busy you can scan through 'em and see if there's one that's particularly pertinent to your situation. I'd like to start my quotes with a passage that was given to me about eleven years ago when I had just been terminated from a job I'd held for a couple of years.
Sitting at the desk that was about to be vacated by my person in about an hour, I remember placing a call to a business associate named Winston. I knew Winston was a deeply religious individual as our conversations had, at times, reached on topics other than those that were, well, business-oriented (at least in the Wall Street sense of the term). Winston answered his phone and we exchanged pleasantries. Within a minute or two, I mentioned that I was leaving the position I had formerly held and would most probably no longer be conversing with him, at least on the professional level we had previously engaged in.
Winston expressed his heart-felt sympathy for me. I recall he mentioned he had gone through a similar experience only a couple of years ago himself. It was then that he said to me, "You know, this is not the end of the world. As a matter of fact, there's a passage in the bible I'd like to share with you that addresses what has just happened to you." And here is what Winston shared with me:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1996, c1982, S. Jeremiah 29:11-12
Read that again.
Now, think about what the Lord had the author, Jeremiah, record for all eternity-that He, the Lord has plans for you. His thoughts and plans are of peace. So, although we may be facing trails ahead, the road we are traveling on is not an evil one. He has plans for us. Can we know the thoughts of God? Do we dare to think that what we know might in any way be more insightful than what He does? And that part about having a future for us...I guess He does know what's that's going to happen to us; the fact that He mentioned a hope alao means there'ssomething to look firward to. Think this through just a little bit more, since it's coming from Him, it's simply got to be something that's good.
I should 'fess up here. I constantly feel that what I want, when I want it as well as why I need something surpasses anything that God knows about. How could He possibly understand that at the time I was unemployed, that this in turn could have led to financial ruin for me and my family, that bills were piling up and creditors were about to take drastic actions against me. Didn't He listen; Didn't he hear me? What did or does He know about unemployment? Why, did He even have a job at all?
This is where the concept of faith comes into play, folks. It's a real tough one for me, I gotta admit. Trust in Someone when it seems lime the roof is caving in, that the world as we know it is about to change? Come on! How could He let this catastrophe happen to me and my family?
Trust-a word that appears about 125 times in the bible. What a word. Why I bet it's closely related to that other word that's mentioned so many times in the bible. By now you might know the word I'm alluding to is faith. I just did a quick search for the word faith in a bible search tool I have and it turned up 244 times. And that doesn't include faithful that appears another 85 times or faithfulness that ticks in with an additional 27 times.
So, trust and faith...what are these all about? We're asked to trust in God, to have faith in Him during our times of crisis. In fact, one of my favorite Psalms has a verse that says:
"I want to you to trust in me in your times of trouble so I can recue you and you can give me glory." Interestingly enough, I found practically these same words in yet another Psalm, reiterating that the Lord wants us to "trust in him when times are tough so He can rescue us."
Continuation...
When I started writing this article last weekend, I indicated that I would continue with other bible verses that have been inspirational to me. I have to admit, when I shared with you the one from Jeremiah up above, I immediately had to my commentary about what it meant to me. This, in turn, effectively prevented me from sharing with you the other verses I love so much.
So, with that said, I've decided to list all the verese I love and then write about them at a later time. Without further ado, let's see the verses:
"God has given each of you some sp,/i>ecial abilities; be sure you use them to help each other." 1 Peter 4:10
"So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you." 1 Peter 4:19
"If you want to know what God wants you to do, as Him, and He will gladly tell you, forHe is alwaus willing to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask Him." James 1:5
"I will never, never fail you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead." Hebrews 11:1
"May God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you rich blessings and peace-filled hearts and minds." 2 Thessalonians 2
"Don't be weary in arayer; keep at it, watch for God's answers and remember to be thankful when they come." Collosians 4:2
"Tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you will experience GGod's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace willkeep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Jesus Christ." Philippians 4:6-7
I am with you; that is all you need. My power shoes up best in weak people." 2 Corinthians:9
"God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, then prophecy whenever you can-as often as your faith is strng enough to receive a message from God. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If you are a preacher, see to it that you sermins are strong and helpful. If God has given you money, be generous in helping others with it. If God has given you administrative ability and put you in charge of the work of others, take the responsibility seriously." Romans 12:6-8
"You can ask for anything, using My name, and I will do it, for this will bring praise to the Father because of what I, the Son, will do for you. Yes, ask anything, using My name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14
I will be quoting more inspirational verses on how God is looking out for our interests as well as providing my personal, emotional commentaries on His word at a later date. At this time I wanted you to have them now to read, to study, think about. These are the words of God, my friends. He guided the hands of the writers who put these words on papyrus thousands of years ago; none are false, all are true. Read them and believe.
Feel free to link to this web site, tell your friends, acquaintances and family about Netscrapes.com. Although I'll be diligently working on this particular article over the next few days/weeks, I'm also planning on writing about marriage later. This will be an interesting exercize because my readings in the bible really haven't centered around this topic. But, there's sure to be many passages that address the institution that so many of us experience.
Please come back for more.
This work in progress will be continued...I promise once again.
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Folks, don't EVER get an author (or person who can attract an audience) mad at you! Here are some taunts wrttens by some famous individuals...
“I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here.”
— Stephen Bishop
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”
—Oscar Wilde
“I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.”
— Irvin S. Cobb
“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”
— Clarence Darrow
“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”
— William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.”
— Samuel Johnson
“He had delusions of adequacy.”
— Walter Kerr
“I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.”
— Groucho Marx
“They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.”
— Thomas Brackett Reed
“He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.”
— Forrest Tucker
“I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”
— Mark Twain
“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.”
— Mae West
“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.”
— Oscar Wilde
“He has Van Gogh's ear for music.”
— Billy Wilder
“A modest little person, with much to be modest about.”
— Winston Churchill (about Clement Atlee)
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Errata
Posted by: Jack on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 04:59 PM |
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It's been a while, in fact, quite a while since I took a little time to create a post here on Netscrapes.com. So, I thought I'd give it a go...by letting my thoughts travel from my cranium to my fingers, onto my keyboard and to your eyes as you read these binary ramblings.
One thing that comes immediately to mind, that I'm sure I've blogged about before, is the efforts I make toward supporting my lifestyle, family , dogs and by way of taxes aoid on my earnings, they government of the good ol' US of A. I'm referring of course to my job.
But I'm taking a very different tack this time as I present my thoughts to you. Think back a few years ago when America first started "second guessing" whether fighting for freedom in Iraq was really worth the price we were paying in blood. The general populace became more & more disgruntled with the way the war was being handled. As things developed, one of the major criticisms made against the government's handling of the war was the fact that there was no exit strategy to get out of the country we believed we were liberating. In other words, troops were sent to the foreign land, resources had been allocated for their support, everything was firmly in place but no one had thought of what event, what criteria, what results would need to be realized that would clearly indicate we had succeeded in liberating the Iraqi people. And if that event occurred, it would allow the troops to go home..ergo, the exit strategy previously alluded to.
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I read with some interest today that four or five people were stuck in an elevator in the Empre State building in NYC due to a power outage . Let me relay to you a similar experience I had when traveling in an express elevator up to the 78th floor in WTC tower #2. That was the one without the TV antenna on the top.
As best as I can recollect, it was around September or October, 1992. I was returning from lunch at a great hot dog store that was situated on the corner of Broadway & John Streets. I could probably write about those delicious tube steaks for a few more parargraphs, but will stick to the topic at hand instead.
At the time I'm writing about, I was employed at an engineering consulting firm that had leased office from floor 78 through 91 in the WTC tower #2. When the buildings were being constructed, I understand that since my company agreed to long-term leases for the floors noted, express elevators were installed that could whoosh people to the sky tower that would be created for them on the 78th floor. From there, "local" elevators could take people from floors 79 through 120, where the Windows of the World restaurant, viewing windows and other attractions could be found.
So, returning from lunch on the day in question, me & about 10-12 fellow travelers boarded the express elevator, fully expecting to arrive up at the 78th floor after a typical 30-40 second trip. But, after about 15 seconds, we felt the elevator slow, and then stop, well shy of the 78th floor. Breaking the unwritten manners of not looking at another rider, we glanced at each other, realizing that we had not arrived at our destination. Thank goodness, someone remembered there was a telephone that could be used for such an emergency, and thank goodness both it and the overhead lights just happened to be in working condition!
Some guy in a gray business suit picked up the phone & in a couple of seconds someone at the other end of the line said "Port Authority Elevator" or something like that. The gray-suited man explained our predicament. After a moment or two of silence, in a manner unusual for a New Yorker the guy announced that all the maintenance workers who could possibly assist us were at lunch & not expected back for at least another hour.
We were stunned and a chorus of "What?", "what did he just say?" and some other epithets that expressed physical actions that were probably impossible for the guy on the other end of the phone to perform were expressed. Then, we heard the guy laughing and his voice announced, "just kidding." He explained workers were looking into the problem at that very moment. And, in just about another four or five minutes the guy called us back & said we'd be on our way in a few seconds. Sure enough, the elevator started and in 30 seconds or so completed its journey tot he 78th floor and disgourged us at our destination.
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Have you noticed that as soon as the price of a barrel of crude oil goes up in price, there's a comensurate increase in the cost of gasoline at your local station, too? Even though the gas is already in the ground, even though it was already paid for by the station owner at a prior price, even though the gas station attendant had to dutifully change the prices on their signage to reflect the latest gouging they're gonna extract from your wallet or pocketbook, the price goes up immediately.
Now, I understand that the price of crude's dropped about $10 per barrel over the past few days. Funny, I haven't seen a commensurate drop in the price of a gallon of gas at the pumps.
What's going on? If the economy is in such a down-spiral, why the heck isn't the intelligencia of the country pouncing all over the oil companies to "pass the savings" on to the folks who are digging ever deeper into their pockets to afford gas for transporation?
This could be a golden opportunity for some elected official to go to the head of the class and hold the feet of those damn oil company executives to the fire until they cry uncle?
Are they all blind?
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Well, I'm finally getting around to memorializing my own thoughts about the price of gasoline, crude ol, arab gold or whatever the f*** you want to call that stuff that's so necessary to our American way of life.
I don't know too much about the "futures" maket, but I believe it's where one can purchase a commodity such as barrels & barrels oil at a certain price today hold it, and sell the black gold at a later date for perhaps a higher price...hopefully. Now, there's no certainty that you'll make a return on your investment. Otherwise, everybody'd be doing this! However, with even a slight increase in the price of crude oil, if one buys futures today s/he's bound to make a bunch of fungolas (respect to Gary Halbert, mail-order guru extraordinaire).
And, if everyone's bidding against one another for the oil, the commensurate rise in the price, cent by cent, dollar by dollar, will eventually filter it's way to
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Well, I saw the headline of this post on Yahoo! this evening & couldn't wait to express my two cents worth on the topic.
What makes a marriage work? I'll divulge right into this tender topic & can think of a couple of ideas right off the top of my head. How about communication? Believe me, talking things out, putting it all out on the table is one great way to make a marriage work. Two people can have different opinions, different feelings about a plethora of
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As you probanly know, I have this propensity for starting a blog that piques the interest of readers, and put at the end of it (To Be Continued). Then you come back to this web site to read how the piece ends and there it sits, as incomplete as Hillary Clinton's effort at solving the US health care problems back in the '90s. (Surely you remember that debacle, don't you?) This seems to have created a meaningful point at which I can segue into the topic I wanted to touch upon today...
Lately I've been hearing that the former First Lady has a plan to solve the medical crisis here in the USA. I haven't wasted my time yet to se exactly how she's going to fix a problem that's grown in intensity and complexity since she first tried her hand at it nearly 20 years ago, but I'm sure her rhetoric is repleat with promise, commitment and a visible tenacity to get the job done.
Right.
And why, pray tell, is Ms. Clinton now able to solve the ills of the country when she couldn't accomplish this when her spouse was in the White House? Could it be that she's merely espousing some diatribe her campaign managers and speech writers feel will fan the hopes and desires of folks who need said medical coverage? I wonder...
And how about another candidate, the one who says that he, too, can provide health care for the nation, keep jobs in this country and bring the troops home from Iraq? How is it that this person who has never been privy to the inner secrets and workings of our nation's government able to place solutions to its most pressing problems? What does he know that folks who've been in Congress for term after term have failed to bring forward? Are these career politicians so inept or callous that neither they or their staff would put forth some
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In the post immediately below this one, I briefly mention coincidence and the part it recently played in my life. Occurring at a time when I was under tremendous pressure, I could have quite easily mistaken how these seemingly random events blended together in a tapestry of comfort, guiding me gently through a period of anxiety that almost seemed unbearable. Only, I thankfully recognized that these "coincidences" introduced peace, tranquility and calmness because I stopped to listen, think about what they meant, how they influenced my life. I'll relay a few of these "random events" and let you deide what you think of them.
It was, if I recall correctly, a Wednesday in February. You know, one of those days that makes one put a certain quickness in their step, trying to stay ahead of a bitter winter wind. I had left my office where in addition to a myriad of other duties pressed down upon me, a very specific time-sensitive project I needed to accomplish loomed ever larger over me, the consumate straw that was going to break the camel's back if you will. And, the camel was me.
I rarely left my office because I preferred to eat lunch at my desk. I usually had the common sense to use my lunch hour to surf the 'Net, read some light news stories or otherwise divorce myself from the requirements of my job. But for some reason, I had recently started to work through my lunch period, vainly hoping that this additional effort at getting more work done would somehow ease the pressure in my life.
On the Wednesday in question, I left the safety of my office with trepidatio that I was "wasting time." But, since I desperately needed a haircut, I had to take the time to tidy up a bit. Driving to a small unisex place I'd discovered near my job, I went in, gave my name to the receptionist and waited to be called for my turn in one of the chairs. I happened to notice that a couple of other folks came in after me, but really didn't pay too much attention to their presence.
After about five minutes or so, I remember leaning forward in my chair and resting my elbows on my knees, head in my hands. Thinking about the work that was piling up on my desk as I sat here wasting my time, I slowly shook my head from side to side in the unmistakable universal sign of an individual who was in deep, deep trouble.
Softly, ever so softly, I felt a tapping on my shoulder. Taking my head out of my hands, I saw that a woman who had come into the shop after me and was also waiting for a haircut was smiling at me. When my eyes met hers, she said to me, "Here, take this. You might want to read it." Looking at her hand, I saw she was offering me a track, one of those small handouts that you
(To be continued...)
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If you collect a paycheck, your job may put demands on you that are, at times, quite unreasonable. For instance, you may be responsible for several task that are due at the same time. Or, a project might need to be done and you simply don't have the resources to finish same. Perhaps you're asked to conduct an ad hoc meeting for which you have no idea how to lead? What's one to do? I'll spend a few moments roughly detailing the monster project that I was in charge of, how it nearly consumed me and the method I discovered on how to solve the stress, anxiety and sleepless nights that were commensurate with this assigned responsibility.
I was required to obtain raw numeric data from vendors that deal with my employer. The numbers had to be "massaged" into a very specific format for the recipient. The eventual reward for our endeavors was a certain dollar amount, which of course was very enticing to our organization. I noted that the reward was eventual very deliberately, folks. That's because the scope, cryptic instructions from the sponsoring entity and (granted) self-imposed pressure I put upon myself to complete this project practically brought me, both physically and mentally, to a virtual standstill.
Now, that's a fancy way to state that I was just about paralyzed with mental and physical fatigue. My situation became so pronounced that I was forced to seek the services of a physician. Why? My ability to concentrate seemed to be non-existent. I was forgetting things, missing deadlines, not speaking to family members once I got home from work. What the f___!
So, I needed to take a day off from work and take a little sojourn to the family physician. He spent a significant amount of time with me. In fact, my bride who had accompanied me said that the waiting room was filled solid with bodies, all waiting to see the white-coated, Porsche driving professional whose time I so selfishly garnered for myself. By the way, I easily spent over an hour with this guy in his office. Granted, this was my first visit to the guy. No more than about ten months ago we had moved to this new area and I had recently selected him as my PCP (primary care physician); I needed to relay to him family history, allergies and specific problems I was now experiencing. And so I splayed my saga out to him, specifically detailing the stress and anxiety I was under on my job.
Guess what he attributed my problem to? Right...the aforementioned monster project I was in charge of! He predicted that as soon as the project was over, the stress and anxiety I was experiencing would dissipate, also.
And now, flash forward to about a week or so ago. I finished the project, the job seems to be going better, and my thought process somehow is so much the clearer, But, how did I get through this trying time? Well, it wassimple meditation...in Church.
You see, I go to work early in the moring, mostly so I can beat the rush hour traffic that builds and builds until it looks like a giant swarm of honey bees, buzzing and diligently performing their respective chores around their perfectly constructed row after row of hexagonal hive. I would make a very slight detour and stop at the Church, making my way to one of the last rows. It really made no difference where I sat, as there was only one or two other people in the place at that time of day.
I'd settle down, zip up my coat 'cause I don't think the heat had been on too long by the time I arrived and closed my eyes. I'd then make peace with my Maker, acknowledging my place in his world, all the time letting myself relax into a very peaceful, very quiet state of mind. I wouldn't let anything disturb me, nor let my mind wander into such inane topics like follow up at work that was due or a certain monster project that was drowning me, slowly but surely.
It was at that point I would simply remain in a "blank" state of mind, no letting extraneous thoughts filter in & destroy my peace. Somehow, my daily trips to the Church made my mind clearr, my thought process more precise, my ability to do my job a little easier.
And, there were several "coincidences" that I believe were directly attributable to my visits to Church in the morning. But that's a topic for another day, folks.
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Dr. Wayne Dyer is the author of "Your Erroneous Self," "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life," Wisdom of the Ages" and numerour other self-help books and tapes. I've read several his works, listened to his tapes, and recognize him as a person who has a lot to offer to individuals who want to understand (and, perchance to improve) their lives. In one of his works I perused, I honestly can't recall which one, Dr. Dyer mentions his relationship with Harvard-educated Dr. Deepak Chopra, a speaker, author and self-helf guru much like himself. Interstingly enough, in one particular instance Dyer called Ch0pra on the phone and apparently asked him for some advice. Chopra's answer to Dyer's request? Dyer, slightly exasperated, states that Chopra gives him the same suggestion he always gives when querried on some important manner..."meditate." And this segues me toward the topic I want to focus on, that will undoubtedly lead me to ruminating on various other areas...meditation.
A few years ago, I happened to notice that many of the newer methods and procedures leading to wellness after an illness or injury advocated some form of meditation. It seems quieting the mind, making oneself calm and entering the meditative state is fast becoming mainstream. But, note I used the term becoming mainstream. This carful choice of words means that it's been around for a while. In fact, if I recall correctly, Dr. Chopra in his books mentions that the concept of meditation finds its roots in the country of India, home of his ancestors. However, as I'm about to relate, one doesn't necessarily need deep metaphysical research, a personal guide wearing a tie-dyed shirt sitting cross-legged on a hand-woven mat and honey suckle scented candle to stare into to clear the mind. You see, meditation only requires one to clear the mind of extraneous thoughts, thereby creating a clear path on which to concentrateon a single, solitary thought, idea or concept. How does one do that? Let me share with you my method of meditation.
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Yesterday, 2/3/08, I had an interesting experience I can share with you. As some readers may know, my other web site, Prestodog.com, is for and about our best friend, the dog. In that perspective, we entered our newest Shetland Sheepdog, Maggie, in a dog show in Wildwood, NJ hosted by the Boardwalk Kennel Club. Now, if you're a frequent visitor here at Netscrapes.com and are also familiar with geography, you'll quickly realize that I currently reside in a rural area in PA and that Wildwood is "down the shore" in NJ. As a matter of fact, it's south of Atlantic City and just a wee bit north of Cape May, the southern-most point in the Garden State.
To get from the mountains in PA to the Jersey Shore in NJ, we had to drive 150 miles...each way. And, since Shetland Sheepdogs were scheduled to make their entry into the show ring at 11:00 a.m., since they had to be groomed and prettied up before they entered the ring, and since we had to cart all the "stuff" (grooming table, powders, implements, etc.) from our van into the show area to prepare for the previous two eventualities, we had to leave our home, or what we call the Presto Dog Phunny Pharm, at 6:00 a.m.
Arriving at the Wildwood Convention Center where the dog show was held after traveling a mere 2 hours and 45 minutes, we immediately set up all our equipment and began preparing the dog for her entry at 11:00 a.m. Well, I lied a bit. My bride is the one who actually prepares the dog for her show appearances...to date, I've been the transporter, driver and first string moral supporter of her endeavors. So, after hauling all the necessary equipment up a long ramp & into the building, I was able to go for a walk outside. Here's where my observation relative to the title of this post shall commence.
First, I went onto the boarwalk. In the event you're not familiar with the area, Wildwood is right on the Atlantic Ocean. And, a boardwalk is a walkway usually made of wood that traverses the ocean front. So, I was walking along the waterfront enjoying the ocean air, sand and sea. The boarwalk took me past the parking lot where many of the out of town dog show participants had parked their vehicles. The were the usual Chevys, Fords, Toyotas, etc. Vans, sub-compacts & luxury vehicles also were present. But the eye-cathers were the huge, monsterous motor homes that spread their huge bulks over two-to three parking spaces and across multiple rows as well. These behemoths, when parked, also expand out from the sides, thereby giving their owners even more room inside. We've walked through a few of these mansions-on-wheels and to say they're "finely appointed" is a gross understatement.
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A freind sent me this story about an incident in Montana...
Two illegal aliens, Ralphel Resindez, 23 and Enrico Garza, 26, probably believed they would easily overpower home-alone 11 year old Patricia Harrington after her father had left their two-story home.
It seems the two crooks never learned two things: they were in Montana and Patricia had been a clay shooting champion since she was nine. Patricia was in her upstairs room when the two men broke through the front door of the house. She quickly ran to her father's room and grabbed his 12 gauge Mossberg 500 shotgun.
Resindez was the first to get up to the second floor only to be the first to catch a near point blank blast of buckshot from the 11- year-old's knee crouch aim. He suffered fatal wounds to his abdomen and genitals. When Garza ran to the foot of the stairs, he took a blast to the left shoulder and staggered out into the street where he bled to death before medical help could arrive.
It was found out later that Resindez was armed with a stolen 45 caliber handgun he took from another home invasion robbery. That victim, 50-year-old David Burien, was not so lucky. He died from stab wounds to the chest. Ever wonder why good stuff never makes NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, CNN, or ABC news.
(Slightly embarrasing) UPDATE:
Snopes, verifier of urban legend, has a slightly different take on the above account. Click anywhere in this sentence to shoot over to snopes to get the low down.
Just be sure to come back...O.K.?
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Like most families, we do our shopping for groceries on the weekend in a large supermarket. Convenience and competitive pricing acted as incentives for these huge, one-stop food shopping canters. We as consumers demanded, and we got 'em.
So, we dutifully made our weekly trek to the store a week or so ago, intent on stocking up for the week. At the same time, local weather authorities predicted snow...about 5-8 inches. With the typical knee-jerk reaction accompanying the onslaught of weather, many, many people vacated their residences and joined us at the supermarket, gathering necessities before the cataclysmic weather event that would soon visit upon us.
And that's when we heard, with our own ears, what proved to be a statement that we have decided to adopt for ourselves whenever a weather event will decend on us.
My bride & I wereeach sauntering down separate aisles, she with the actual shopping cart, me with one of those two-handled plastic baskets that'll hold 10-12 items. Traveling through the store & selecting those "special" delicacies I enjoy, I occasionaly have to track the bride and empty the contents of my plactic basket into her much larger, four-wheeled metal push cart. While I was separated from her, she was at the meat counter when she overheard some guy, apparently trying to alert the shoppers, make his now famous statement:
"GET YOUR BREAD, MILK AND TOILET PAPER; DOPPLER'S COMING!"
Now, his words probably won't wind up in any dictionary of quotations, or be memorialized on Jay Leno's show or any other media. But it surely will live on in our family as a favorite, treasured saying for years to come.
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Link
Posted by: Jack on Friday, January 04, 2008 - 03:47 PM |
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Want to see a site set up by my son? Then click HERE. Here's a picture: <img src="http://www.prestodog.com/images/stories/backyard_8_6_07.jpg" align="left" hspace="6">
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My family & I are heading out the Christmas Eve Mass in just a few minutes. It's certainly a time of joyous praise, but I'll undoubtedly spend a moment or two reflecting on other famly members who are no longer with us...at least on this side of eternity.
For, when it's my turn to leave this life, I will see my Mom, my older brother, my younger sister, beloved aunts and uncles, other relatives, friends and acquaintances when I'm no longer on this dear planet Earth. Where, you may ask, will I be?
Well, friend, if you don't know where I'm gonna be after I die, you've certainly got some serious leg worth & learning ahead of you. What the heck think happens when you're no longer alive? What have you been doing all your life? Why have you been granted the gift of life, anyway?
But, it's Christmas. For anyone who doesn't know what this holy day is all about, I revert to that saying that Mt. T (a.k.a. B.A. Barakas) on "The A Team" used to espouse years ago: Pity the Fool!
Have a Merry, no, make that a Holy Christmas. Be safe, and bless you and your on this special day.
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Chicken Soup
Posted by: Jack on Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 01:50 PM |
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Looking out the double rear doors in our living room, I'm presented with a scene that Ol' Man Winter spent hours creating. Trees are sheathed in a coating of crystal clear ice, the ground has been covered with glistenng snow and the sun, for a few minutes at least, broke through the clouds and spread its late afternoon radiance as a finishing touch. Spectacular? Yes, I admit it was something to see.
Taking our dogs out, I found that underneath my feet crunched as I waited for them to do their business. See, for a while it was raining, and then it froze, so a thin layer of ice had formed over everything. The dogs were light enough to walk over the ice without a problem, but my bulk just couldn't be supported by the thin veneer. I needed to excert a very deliberate gait to simply walk around with my pack.
BTW, we do have a large expanse of land. I usually let the dogs, all five of 'em, simply run around in the backyard that's all fenced in. But earlier in the day our big Collie named Dougie somehow received a small laceration on his right-rear paw. I noticed it as I was playing in the snow with the other four dogs we own; all Shetland Sheepdogs.
Anyway, as I was kicking around a ball for my crew, I happened to notice red stains on the ground. Looking more closely, I saw it was blood! Inspecting the feet of the pack, I saw it was coming from the aforementioned Dougie on the foot noted. So we had to trudge back into the house to affect some repairs. It was no big deal, but I didn't want him running around, opening up the cut any more so our trips out for the rest of the day were at the end of a leash.
It's getting dark out now and I've turned on our Christmas decorations. A large, smiling snowman can be seen waving to passers-by; traditional multi-colored lights are attached to our rain gutters; Santa's sled with two reindeer are off to one side and a Manger is near where we enter/exit our home. I just returned from putting a spotlight to illuminate this hand-made cut-out; it's the one we consider our nicest decoration.
After all, His birth is what this season is all about...remember?
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As some of you may know, one of the passions that I engae in with my bride is to attend dog shows. And, we recently upped the ante by acquiring a real, honest-to-goodness show dog.
She's a Shetland Sheepdog, is nine months old and has already entered three dog shows. More importantly, at least for those who keep score of these kind of things, is that she's taken a first and second place in two of those shows. Granted, the one she didn't take any "honors" in was sobering, 'cause the judge walked right past the little dog, not even glancing in her direction or acknowledging her very existence. Such are the visisitudes of the dog world.
The event we entered today (12/15/07) was held at Lehigh University in PA. It was crowded as all heck, with dog crates, grooming equipment, owners and handlers all over the indoor field house where the event was held.
My bride has the responsibility of brushing, trimming, combing and actually showing the dog in the ring. This latter responsibility consists of walking the dog in a pattern that'll entice the judge to see her best qualities. This might be the dog's left side, its right side, straight on, etc. Accentuate the positive, if you will.
Our dog, Maggie, apparently did something right as she now owns a Second Place ribbon for her most recent efforts in the ring today. Someday, we hope to garner enough first-place winnings that will, in turn, bestow upon her the coveted title of CHAMPION.
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Well, we got up this morning and when we looked out our back door, saw that Mother Nature had provided a spectacular wintry scene for us to behold.
Instead of the drab browns and denuded trees one would expect to see one a late Fall Sunday morning, we beheld snow-encrusted tree branches, a white wintry carpet of snow on the ground and big, fat snowflakes slowly floating down out of the sky. Small animals had already scurried over our pasture land, evidenced by the little tracks they left behind in their haste to avoid any human contact.
As you can guess, avoiding human contact is NOT a trait our five (yup, I said five) dogs are known to express. They're firmly attched to our homo sapien ways, especially since we feed 'em , take care of 'em and love 'em as much as any other bi-ped loves his/her animals on the face of this ever-loving, God-created planet Earth.
After they had their breakfast, the entire pack of five dogs joined me out in our fenced in pasture land for a brief and intense period of activity. This generally consists of me rounding up one or both of the big, huge play balls (each around 48" or so in diameter) and repeatedly kicking 'em around the yard so the pack can chase after them. The stars of the show, Lyric, Lily, Declan, Maggie and Dougie simply love the game! This went on for 10-15 minutes and then we called it quits for a while...at least.
Three-four hours later, we were at it once again...me kicking the balls and the pack chasing after them. Those darn canines are gonna wear me out, but what great fun we have running around!
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I guess the easiest definition of procrastination is the tendency to not do things when they're supposed to be done. Seminars, books, audio tapes/CDs and other paraphenalia abound for individuals that discuss, claim to cure or otherwise get one to recognize that you just shouldn't keep putting things off until another day.
I don't buy it. I revel in the fact that I just can't seem to get anything done in my life. Whether it's taking out the garbage, cleaning my house, paying bills or even shopping for food, I always seem to wait until it's too late.
As you can imagine, I'm also late for every single event, meeting, church service or social gathering I'm supposed to attend. I can't remember the last time I saw the beginning of a movie; dinners at friends' homes are always well in progress by the time I manage to saunter in.
So why, you say, do people put up with me? The answer is my ability to predict the future. No matter what time I show up late, friends and collegues alike welcome me with open arms. After all, when one can forecast weather reports, stock market clsong figures, which horse will finish in what place in a race or my favorite, lottery number, how could one not like me?
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Funny Quips
Posted by: Jack on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 05:38 PM |
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Here are some funny things folks have said over the years:
Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself ~~"Lillian, you should have remained a virgin." -- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: "No good in a bed, but fine against a wall." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement. -- Mark Twain
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible. -- George Burns
Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
-- Victor Borge
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
-- Mark Twain
By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. -- Socrates
I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
-- Groucho Marx
My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe. -- Jimmy Durante
I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
-- Zsa Zsa Gabor
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. -- Alex Levine
My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying. --
Rodney Dangerfield
Money can't buy you happiness... But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery. -- Spike Milligan
I am opposed to millionaires... But it would be dangerous to offer me the position. -- Mark Twain
I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap. -- Bob Hope
I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it. -- W.C. Fields
We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. -- Will Rogers
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. . As you grow older, it will avoid you. -- Winston Churchill
Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty ... But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out. -- Phyllis Diller
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go
anywhere. -- Billy Crystal
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A few years ago, I wrote several (numerous?) posts here at Netscrapes.com concerning my brief working stint at the World Trade Center in NYC. It was for all of about two years but I can recall my work experience as if it was yesterday.
My employment was at a certain engineering consulting company that had leased floors 78 through 92 from the Port Authority of NYwhen the building first opened for occupancy. I understand that the express elevators that whisked one from the ground to floor 78 were made available to my company just because they negotiated the lease in question. On just about a daily basis I would make my way from the PATH train in the bottom of Tower #2 (I think that was its terminus, anyway), up an escalotor that must have been about 100 yards long, past numerous stores & shops that catered to the commuting crowd to the banks of the high-speed elevators.
Although it might have been the rush hour, after waiting no more than about a minute or two the doors to one of the numerous silver-enclosed transport vehicles would open its doors and about 40 people would rush in. The doors would close silently and with almost no perceptible sound we'd all be swooshed up to floor 78. Doors would open and the masses would egress to their destinations...mine would be the floor we landed on; other would make their way to other elevators that would take 'em from the upper eighteen floors.
My office overlooked the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan. The view? Simply spectacular. I can recall one day I had taken ground transportation to work for a change of pace. The day in question was cloudy & overcast but when I got to my office in WTC Tower 2 I looked out the window & saw the sun was shining. I was actually over the cloud cover! It was if I was sitting on a giant tuft of white cotton.
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TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As infants & children , we would...
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You do a job and remuneration is bestowed upon you for your efforts. This is not too far fetched a concept. Yet, there's a segment of our society for whom work is anathema. It's sort of like exposing a vampire to sunlight: the two just don't mix. And, I have the pleasure of "working" with some of these pseudo employees who somehow manage to collect paychecks for not performing a single compensable function in a pay period.
It's amazing. I see these people contrive detailed, elaborate schemes, conjure up non-existent illnesses and feign debilitating injuries in the hopes that they can be excused from their jobs but still obtain a paycheck for their endeavors. Their campaigns to not work are quite serious; the last thing they want to do is expend any energy to perform any worth while task for which they can earn an honest dollar.
The good news, if it can be construed as such, is that this work ethic is non-discriminatory. It affects both men & women alike; there's no differentiation made according to sex. Subterfuge is the order of the day: if you can fool The Man, more power to you or so the saying goes.
There's a deeper, more insidious off-shoot of this behavior. Since these folks are remaining at home and not going to work, how are they explaining their actions to their children? Are they lying to them, also, insisting that they're sick/injured when they're not? Or are they ignoring the questions posed to them by their kids, not realizing that the kids are wondering why they're not at work like other parents. While responsible people are getting to work, performing useful functions this brand of dead wood flaunts their slovenly habits and enjoy the fruits of their labors (pun intended), pursuing their God-given leisure time activities.
Flash forward to twenty- or thirty years from now. Mom and/or Pop, who had taken their respective employers for a ride by taking umpteen days off from work for no good reason are now ready to retire. But, there's liitle to no pension available to them because they didn't make enough salary to contribute to their 401-K programs. So, they reach out unashamedly to their kids. Lo and behold, their precious off-spring have developed the same work habits, or rather, lack of same, and don't have any money to give to their parents. They can, however, give comfort in the fact that they can all spend much free time together as they're all un-employable. After all, the Good Book says: as ye so, so shall ye reap. Little Mary & John sure learned well from their parents, didn't they?
So it's on to public assistance for this poor, destitute group of folks who've weasled their way through society. Churches plead with congregations, civic organizations request donations to provide money and/or food stuffs and clothing for these people. I, for one, am unmoved by such pleas for mercy. But indifference such as mine must be tempered by the fact that innocent children of these folks still need to eat and be clothed. So it's not a clear cut 'n dry answer we can enforce upon this segment of society.
Damn.
More ruminations on this topic to follow...
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Are you selling your home? Do you want to know the best way to present your house so that you'll get the best price? Wondering what buyers are really looking for when a realtor takes them on that all-important tour of your home?
The short story is we know all about these and other topics related to selling a home because we recently did just that. As soon as we made the decision to put our home on the market, we walked through our home with paper & pen, carefully taking note of any painting, items that needed to be moved off-site so there'd be less clutter or repairs that needed to be made. We took the time to address the items on the list we made and many other little things that needed to be done to get our home in tip-top shape. We also washed, cleaned and/or polished every floor, wall and/or knick-knack; the place was absolutely spotless when we finally put away or cleaning supplies! We then contacted a certain high-profiled realtor, signed a contract for them to sell our home and waited expectantly. And waited. And waited.
Our house sat in the high-profiled realtor's listings for three months and we had only one showing from them (and to this day we think that one showing was merely done to keep us quiet). But by taking a single, well thought out action, we completely reversed our bad experience and had an acceptable offer on our home in a mere two weeks!
How did we do it? What single action did we take to get on the exciting road that eventually led to the successful sale of our home to happy buyers? Read our saga by clicking on the Read more... link below...
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Funny Stuff
Posted by: Jack on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 - 09:25 AM |
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I'm pretty sure I've posted this previously, but after I read it a few minutes ago & found myself laughing at some of the sayings, I wanted to pass it along (perhaps a second time) for your enjoyment:
Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:
1. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at
Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
2. Announcement in a church bulletin for a national PRAYER & FASTING
Conference: "The cost for attending the Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals."
3. The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
4. Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
5. "Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.
6. The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to
a conflict.
7. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at
someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
8. Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
9. Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
10. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
11. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
12. Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
13. The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth Into Joy."
14. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24th in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
15. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
16. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
17. Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
18. Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
19. Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
20. Attend and you will hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.
21. The church will host an evening of fine dining, superb entertainment and gracious hostility.
22. Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 p.m. - prayer and medication to follow.
23. The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
24. This evening at 7 p.m. there will be a hymn sing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
25. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 a.m. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
26. The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
27. Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 p.m.. Please use the back door.
28. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
29. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
30. The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."
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Ponderables
Posted by: Jack on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 04:07 PM |
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Here are some ponderables to think about...
1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.
2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.
3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.
4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?
7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.
8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
9. Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.
10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a car.
11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.
12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 AM. It could be a right number.
13. Think about this ... No one ever says "It's only a game" when his team is winning.
14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.
15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it.
16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.
17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of OLD LADIES running around with tattoos? (And RAP music will be the Golden Oldies!)
18. Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than in a Yugo.
19. After a certain age, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead.
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Happy 4th of July! Many thanks to The Patriotic Promotions web site:
"They that are on their guard and appear ready to receive their adversaries, are in much less danger of being attacked than the supine, secure and negligent."
Benjamin Franklin
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"Honor to the soldier, and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor also to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as he best can, the same cause."
President Abraham Lincoln
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"No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause."
President Theodore Roosevelt
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"That is not to say that we can relax our readiness to defend ourselves. Our armament must be adequate to the needs, but our faith is not primarily in these machines of defense but in ourselves."
Admiral Chester Nimitz
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"Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons."
Bertrand Russell
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"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety."
Benjamin Franklin
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"A politician will do anything to keep his job even become a patriot."
William Randolph Hearst
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"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government."
Edward Abbey US author
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"There is something magnificent in having a country to love."
James Russell Lowell
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"Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter we are known at home, by the former to the world. Our great title is AMERICANS…"
Thomas Paine
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"Throughout its history, America has given hope, comfort and inspiration to freedom’s cause in all lands. The reservoir of good will and respect for America was not built up by American arms or intrigue; it was built upon our deep dedication to the cause of human liberty and welfare."
Adlai Stevenson
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"I shall know but one country. The ends I aim at shall be my country’s, my God’s and Truth’s. I was born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American."
Daniel Webster
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"The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits and political principles. You have in common cause fought and triumphed together. The independence and liberty you possess are the work of joint councils and joint efforts, of common dangers, sufferings, and successes."
George Washington
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"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty."
John F. Kennedy
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"One country, one constitution, one destiny."
Daniel Webster
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"The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or woman."
Willa Cather
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"America was established not to create wealth but to realize a vision, to realize an ideal – to discover and maintain liberty among men."
Woodrow Wilson
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"O! Ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the Old World is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia and Africa have long expelled her. Europe regards her like a stranger and England hath given her warning to depart. O! receive the fugitive and prepare in time an asylum for mankind.
The cause of America is, in a great measure, the cause of all mankind.
He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression."
Thomas Paine
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"Driven from every other corner of the earth, freedom of thought and the right of private judgment in matters of conscience direct their course to this happy country as their last asylum."
Samuel Adams
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"Great has been the Greek, the Latin, the Slav, the Celts, the Teuton, and the Anglo-Saxon, but greater than any of these is the American, in which are blended the virtues of them all."
William Jennings Bryan
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"God had a divine purpose in placing this land between two great oceans to be found by those who had a special love of freedom and courage."
Ronald Reagan
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"France was a land, England was a people, but America, having about it still that quality of the idea, was harder to utter - it was the graves at Shiloh, and the tired, drawn, nervous faces of its great men, and the country boys dying in the Argonne for a phrase that was empty before their bodies withered. It was a willingness of the heart."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
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To Americans America is something more than a promise and an expectation. It has a past and tradition of its own. A descent from men who sacrificed everything and came hither, not to better their fortunes, but to plant their idea in virgin soil, should be a good pedigree. There was never a colony save this that went forth, not to seek gold, but God.
James Russell Lowell
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"The happy ending is our national belief."
Mary McCarthy
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"The American journey has not ended. America is always still to build ... West is a country in the mind, and so eternal."
Archibald MacLeish
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"Our flag is our national ensign, pure and simple, behold it! Listen to it! Every star has a tongue, every stripe is articulate."
Robert Winthrop
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"You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.
I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot not heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell."
General William Tecumseh Sherman
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"There is no “Republican,” no “Democrat,” on the Fourth of July, - all are Americans. All feel that their country is greater than party."
James Gillespie Blaine
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"The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself."
Benjamin Franklin
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"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
Abraham Lincoln The Gettysburg Address, 1863
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"With all its faults, the American political system is the freest and most democratic in the world."
Eldridge Cleaver
"Man's capacity for evil makes democracy necessary and man's capacity for good makes democracy possible."
Reinhold Niebuhr
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."
Mark Twain
"Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave?
Sure I love my country with all her faults.
I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be."
John Wayne
"The real and lasting victories are those of peace, and not of war."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Eleanor Roosevelt
" In this unconquerably and justifiably optimistic nation nothing undertaken by free men and free women in impossible."
Robert E. Sherwood
" It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past -- a world founded upon faith and understanding -- a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish -- for freedom, tolerance and justice… Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always. These proceedings are closed."
General Douglas Mac Arthur, accepting the Japanese surrender Sept. 2, 1945
"The Declaration of Independence! The interest which in that paper has survived the occasion upon which it was issued; the interest which is of every age and every clime; the interest which quickens with the lapse of years, spreads as it grows old, and brightens as it recedes, is in the principles which it proclaims."
"It was the first solemn declaration, by a nation, of the only legitimate foundation of civil government. It was the corner stone of a new fabric, destined to cover the surface of the globe. It demolished at a stroke the lawfulness of all governments founded up on conquest. It swept away all the rubbish of accumulated centuries of servitude. It announced in practical form to the world the transcendent truth of the inalienable sovereignty of the people."
John Quincy Adams
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Update:
Well, here it is a couple of weeks after Father's Day and our microwave still hasn't been installed in our new home yet.
Now, don't get the wrong idea. Since I wrote about the fact I was at least thinking about putting in the aforementioned appliance in our new home, I've been busy:
* installed blinds/drapes
* had rugs/linoleum installed
* installed new security lighting outside in three areas
* painted master bedroom
* installed new drawer pulls/hinges throughout kitchen
* cleared large outside areas of brush/thorns
...and a plethora of updates, projects, jobs and sundry other household chores that needed to be attended to.
And so exatly when will the microwave be installed?
Don't know, but that time is definately getting closer...
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From my pal Rich comes the following observations:
HOW BIG IS WAL-MART?
I was blown away by these mind-boggling statistics on Wal-Mart!
1. At Wal-Mart, Americans spend $36,000,000 every hour of every day.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private employer.
6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only 15 years.
8. During this same period, 31 Supermarket chains sought bankruptcy (including Winn-Dixie).
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.
10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are SuperCenters; this is 1,000 more than it had 5 years ago.
11. This year, 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at a Wal-Mart store. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 billion).
12. 90% of Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart
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