Ronald D. Giles

Everything is a Rhythm -–Timepieces

2011-10-17T09:04:00.001-04:00

In a scene from my third book, “Great Heats,” the ancient Mound Builders of Ohio erect a tall pole, simulating a large sundial, to give them a more accurate idea of the schedule seasons keep and to help the villagers better manage the planting and harvesting of crops while preparing for the harshness of the inevitable winter.

In researching ancient timekeeping – meaning shorter than a day – I found that the ancients of every civilization had attempted to get greater and greater accuracy, including when the sun wasn’t shining, by using clocks that burned incense, or water clocks, or hour glass designs using sand.

Improving on the search for accuracy, led to gearing and when tied to metals, in the 13th century allowed the idea of oscillation or the repetitive beat, like that of a pendulum in this astronomical clock from the Exeter Cathedral in England.

Wound metal, or springs, could also produce oscillation so by the 17th century, with many choices for automation, clocks were getting fairly common and more accurate, even on carriages.

And, with more and better techniques for manipulating metal, the size of clocks became smaller (made by watchmakers, derived from clocks in “watch towers”), so that one could carry a clock in one’s pocket or wear it on your lapel or on your wrist -- a wrist watch.

Today, with the ever-increasing use of phones and tablet-sized computers as a timepiece, watches may disappear from usage, much as the pocket watch has today, but the need to know, with accuracy, what the time is at the moment, will assure the existence of clocks.

I once asked a psychic with whom I was working on a television production, what his thinking was about the universe. “Everything is a rhythm,” he said. “From the beating of your heart to the movement of stars and the passage of time. It is all a rhythm, which is why we respond to music or can become mesmerized by a ticking clock.”

___________________

The tick of the clock reminds me that today is fading away, while tomorrow is inexorably on its way.
~~ Ronald D. Giles

Hymns and Their Stories: Trinity Presbyterian Church, Berwyn, PA

2011-10-08T15:40:00.001-04:00

This Sunday evening, Joan and I have the privilege of presenting a Hymns program at a church celebrating their 150th Anniversary.

Trinity Presbyterian was organized in October 1861, during the dark, uncertain times of a War between the states. Not a verbal war, like today, but a real one where citizens were dying.

Five states seceded from the Union in January of that year and by February, seven states had formed another country and had elected their own President.

Lincoln did not take office until April and five weeks afterwards the shooting and killing began as war broke out at Ft. Sumter.

About that time, my Great Grandfather, James Wheatley Giles, enlisted in the Union Army at a small church near Stockdale, Ohio; he was 14. When he returned home in 1865, he was still a teenager, but had experienced four years of carnage as member of an artillery unit.

At the end of that year, 1861, Trinity Church received a gift from the minister’s former congregation in Montreal Canada – a church bell, which still hangs in the belfry, having witnessed 150 years of history from its lofty position.

Here is the format we will use for our 125th Hymns presentation, a journey Joan and I began together in 1997.

Come if you can; otherwise, hum along.

Hymns and Their Stories

Trinity Presbyterian Church, Berwyn, PA 150^th Anniversary Celebration – October 9, 2011 – 7:00pm Ronald D. Giles, Baritone; Joan E. Giles, Piano

1. “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” – Text: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, ca 390 Music: 12th Century Plainsong Hymn #309

Verses 1 & 3 -- Ron

2. “Be Thou My Vision" – 8^th Century Irish Text; Irish Folk Melody; Translated by Mary Byrne, 1905; Versified by Eleanor Hull Music arranged by Craig Courtney

Verse 1 -- Ron; Verse 2 -- All in Unison; Verse 3 -- Ron

3. “Comfort, Comfort You My People” – Text: Johannes Olearius, 1671; Music: Attributed to Louis Bourgeois, Geneva 1551; Music arranged by John Ferguson Hymn # 3

Verse 1 – Ron; Verses 2 & 3 – All in Unison

4. “It is Well With My Soul” – Text: Horatio Spafford, 1874; Music: Phillip Bliss, 1874, arranged by John Ness Beck

Ron and Joan

5. “How Great Thou Art” – Text: C. G. Boberg, 1885; English Version, S. K Hine, 1953; Music: Swedish Folk Tune. Arranged by Craig Courtney Hymn #467

Verses 1 & 3 -- Ron; Verse 4 – All in Unison

6. “I Danced in the Morning” - Text: Sydney Carter, 1963; Music – American Shaker Tune Hymn #302

Verses 1-3 – All in Unison; Verse 4 – Ron; Refrain – All in Unison. Verse 5 – All in Unison

7. “Here I Am, Lord” – Text and Music: Dan Schutte, 1981 -- Hymn# 525

Verses – Ron; Refrain, All in Unison

8. “This Little Light/ This Joy” – Spirituals, arranged by Jeffrey Radford, 1993

Verse 1—This Little Light of Mine -- All in Unison . Verse 2 – Ron – This Joy of Mine Verse 3 – This Hope of Mine – All in Unison Verse 4 – This Faith I Have – Parts – S.A.T.B. Verse 5 – This Peace I Have – All in Unison

President Ford’s Daily Dairy May 13, 1976

2011-10-04T15:08:00.001-04:00

From 1974 - 1977, I was Executive Producer of the Scripps-Howard station in Cincinnati, Ohio, WCPO-TV. Our anchorman, Al Schottlekotte was also Vice President of TV News for Scripps-Howard and UPI. When Ron Nessen, the then White House Press Secretary, called to grant Al a 30 minute interview with President Ford in the Oval Office, Al divided the time equally between himself and two other Scripps anchors – one from Cleveland and the other from Tennessee. Schottlekotte asked me to produce and direct the three anchor interview, to be taped in the Oval Office using our equipment.

In writing about this interview with President Ford in 1976 for my new book, “TV Stories,” I went to the Ford Presidential Library Website to see if I could view the presidential schedule for that day, May 13, 1976. Sure enough, it was there. See page two below, 11:00am – 11:35.

Digitization of archival material has made it possible to look at Presidential Schedules and many other things and has revolutionized all kinds of research. I thought you might be interested in the President’s exhausting schedule for that day. It begins at 1:08 am and ends when the President retires after a 10:00pm swim.

“The Prey” included in Chester County Fiction

2011-09-15T17:39:00.001-04:00

On October 2, a new book will be launched – an anthology of short stories by Chester County Authors, setting their stories in Chester County.

Sixteen stories ranging from historic fiction to drama to terror will be included in this book by thirteen writers living in the same county; I am pleased to say my short story, titled “The Prey” is among the sixteen.
Here is an excerpt from my hunter’s tale:

Four dogs—three bluetick-hound hunting dogs and one larger black dog—stood on the road in front of me. Their master was not in sight. The hounds were big dogs—knee high at their shoulders, crotch-high heads, long tails held upright. Two started to bark at me; the third joined in, while the fourth, the black dog, smelled the ground. Without an owner, they were a pack, relying on ancient, wolf-like instincts; these dogs were a serious danger to me.

I slid the gun off my back and broke the double barrels open. My hand was trembling as I took two red shotshells from my pocket and dropped them into the chambers, closing the gun with a thump.

~~~~
The Book Launch will take place at Baldwin’s Book Barn in West Chester, PA Sunday October 2 at 2:00pm. If you are in the area, please stop in (a free beer to attendees who desire, I’m told). And, Kudos to Jim Breslin for bringing the project together.

Otherwise visit Amazon.com.
Cheers !!!

Vengeance Is Not Mine

2011-09-05T07:20:00.001-04:00

Listening to the minister Sunday morning, she read a passage from Romans:

^“9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal,be fervent in spirit,^[a] serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^[b] Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[c] to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."²⁰To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Over my career, I have had people who have done me harm – corporately, financially – in ways that I could not imagine doing myself, or could not bring myself to do. I have always kept the list of three to myself, trying not to dwell on them, but sometimes in the dark of a sleepless night, I do utter their names, never with flattering words; it is my revenge.

Yesterday, I was reminded, once again, that vengeance is not mine, but is reserved for a higher power. Instead of retribution, I should be kind and forgiving of them.

The passage of time and distance has separated me from my three adversaries; we all live in far-away places, hundreds of miles from each other and have not seen one another for years. On the surface, it makes little sense to care any longer about the issues that divided us, yet…I still feel the tip of their daggers in my back.

Another memory came to me while sitting in the pew: my list had included four names, but the fourth one drowned 12 years ago in the Pacific off the California Coast.

TV Stories –The Ghost who lived in the house on Shady Creek

2011-09-02T15:35:00.001-04:00

The following is an excerpt from a new book I am starting to write, titled “TV Stories.” This production story is from WCPO-TV in Cincinnati where I was Executive Producer from 1974-1977. In this scene, we were attempting to film a ghost being cast out of a house. Sorry, I won’t tell you how this one ends, although I am alive to tell about it.

~~~~~~~

The owner—a woman in her 60’s—and Bill’s real estate friend welcomed us. While the film crew unloaded, Bill and I went into the supposedly haunted house. There were three rooms on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor with a bathroom on each floor. We also met “Pete,” her bachelor son’s favorite hound, the only dog allowed in the house.

It was hot and stuffy in the house on this July day. Bill and I took off our suit jackets. I was wearing a short sleeve dress shirt and tie while Bill continued to wear his vest, tie, and kept his long sleeve shirt buttoned; he didn’t sweat, but I was beginning to go for my handkerchief already.

We listened as the owner began describing some of the frightening incidents that she had experienced while she and her son had lived in the house they were now trying to sell.

“I was afraid for several years to tell my son, John, about what was happening to me, afraid he would think I was getting’ senile, but then one day last year I couldn’t take it anymore and I asked him if he had had any strange experiences in the house. Well, it turns out he had plenty of stories, but he was afraid to tell me cause he had a head injury from Viet Nam and thought I might consider committing him to a hospital! Isn’t that something?”

Bill and I agreed, and were now even more anxious to hear the stories.

“I never knew when this ‘thing’…ghost…was going to show up, but it seems to have something to do with the moon, like now when the moon is full. Every night, I go to bed worried ‘cause I know that about three times a month he shows up. I’ll be layin’ there in the dark tryin’ to go to sleep and the bed starts shakin’. There is nobody else in the room, not the dog, not my son—nobody. The mattress is quaking for like a minute. I’ve turned the light on, I’ve jumped out of bed and watched. The whole bed moves and there’s nobody I can see doin’ it. You want something to send chills all over your body, that’ll do it.”

She was right; I was starting to get chills just thinking about it.

The owner went on. “When this first started about ten years ago shortly after I moved in, I’d sit straight up in bed with the mattress movin’. Now, I’m kinda used to it and just lay there hoping for it to pass.”

Bill is nodding his head in agreement with her.

“Does this spirit ever say anything to you or write little messages in the dust or on the windows? Bill asked.

“Oh, Lord,” she said as she dropped her chin to her chest, and was quiet for what seemed like a long time while she gathered herself.

Finally, she looked at Bill and quaveringly answered, “With my head layin’ on the pillow, I’ll hear his gravelly voice whisper in my ear ‘Maaah-muhhh, Maaah-muhhh.’ ”

Why didn’t I have the camera in here before we started talking with her so that this was on film? The drama was thick.

TV Stories – Captain Kangaroo -- WBNS-TV, Columbus, Ohio

2011-08-29T09:28:00.003-04:00

The following is an excerpt from a new book I am writing tentatively titled "TV Stories," recalling many amusing, heartwarming and confounding anecdotes collected from my 35 year career in commercial television.

~~~~

Among the celebrities that I worked with at WBNS-TV was Captain Kangaroo—Bob Keeshan. He was the host of the CBS morning children’s show, “Captain Kangaroo” that ran on CBS from 1955 till 1984.

For the TV History buffs among the Dear Readers of this, Bob Keeshan also played Clarabell the Clown on the “Howdy Doody” shows of black and white TV in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.

Captain Kangaroo aired from 8:00 to 9:00 in the morning and was followed on our station by “Luci’s Toyshop,” from 9-10:00, forming a two hour block of live television for pre-school children.

In 1971, the Easter Seal Society of Ohio hosted a Fashion Show as a fund raiser at the Ohio Theatre in downtown Columbus. Captain Kangaroo was to be the host of the stage show, featuring children with disabilities.

Because he was coming to Columbus for the Sunday afternoon event, I called CBS, as Producer-Director of “Luci’s Toyshop,” and asked if the Captain would come over after his appearance for Easter Seals, and tape a couple of promos for our children’s show. “Yes,” was his publicist’s reply; he had an hour that he could devote to promotion by coming to our station before catching his plane back to New York; however, I would have to supply transportation to the station and then to the airport. My 1970 Toyota Station Wagon would serve as the taxi, with me as the driver for the Captain.

I showed up at the Ohio Theatre while the two hour Fashion Show was winding down. Waiting off stage in the wings as the Captain’s theme song played, I watched the conclusion as he waved goodbye to the audience and exited while the big, burgundy stage curtains closed.

Introducing myself to him, he was gracious and then said, “Ron, I know that you have a crew waiting for me at your station, but I need to take an extra twenty minutes here to do something.”

People were filing out the center aisles, slowly as children using wheelchairs and those walking with aids worked their way out the back doors of the large theatre. The Captain motioned for me to follow him as we crossed the stage to the wings on the other side.

In that area were about twenty children lying in beds, unable to sit or stand, waiting to use the big double doors to exit to the alley for transportation. Because of their conditions, these children had not been able to participate in the stage show, so to make their time special, Captain Kangaroo spent the next twenty minutes touching them, speaking with them and their parents, signing autographs for them, getting pictures taken with each of them.

Bob Keeshan understood the power of his character, Captain Kangaroo—and also understood the responsibility of it. The scene was joyous, moving and unforgettable.

Bob Keeshan, 1927-2004.

Link to: Captain Kangaroo Theme -- "Puffin' Billy"

"Hymns and Their Stories" -- Sunday, July 17, 2011

2011-07-13T19:06:00.010-04:00

Some of you may know that Joan and I are involved in promoting the understanding of Hymns, the stories behind their writing, and encouraging congregational singing. We have been presenting musical programs of hymns at churches since 1997 and have appeared over 120 time at venues in Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

I am fortunate to be married to a fine pianist and accompanist who can cover and swing with my spur-of-the-moment inspirations. Below is the format that Joan and I will present this Sunday on Long Beach Island in New Jersey at the historic Spray Beach Chapel, built in 1893 and open during the tourist season there, May through September.

Drop by, if you can. Otherwise, hum along:

Worship Service

Spray Beach Chapel – Long Beach Island, NJ

Sunday July 17, 2011 – 9:30am – Hymnal for Worship & Celebration

Ronald D. Giles, Baritone -- Joan E. Giles, Accompanist

Welcome – Hymn 588 -- The Prayer of Convocation -- The Prayer of Confession --

1. “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” – Text: Henry Van Dyke, 1907;

Hymn #1 Music: Ludwig van Beethoven “Ninth Symphony,” 1824

Verses 1 & 2 – All in Unison

2. “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” – Text: Robert Robinson, 1757;

Hymn #2 Music: Folk tune published by J. Wyeth, 1813; arr. by Mark Hayes

Ron and Joan

3. “Praise My Soul The King of Heaven” – Text: Henry Lyte, 1834;

Hymn #3 Music: Mark Andrews, 1934

Verse 1 – Ron; Verse 2 – All in Unison

4. “How Great Thou Art” – Text: Carl Boberg, 1885; English text, Stuart Hine;

Swedish Folk Tune, arranged by John Ness Beck

Hymn #4 Verse 1 -- Ron;

Verse 3 -- Ron;

Verse 4 -- All in Unison

~~ Morning Offering ~~

~ Prayer—Offertory—Doxology ~

5. " On Eagle’s Wings” Words and Music by Father Michael Joncas, 1988;

Arranged by Mark Hayes

Ron

6. “O God, Beyond All Praising” – Text: Michael Perry, 1982;

Music: Gustav Holst, 1918, arranged by Jane Holstein

Separate Sheet Verse 1 – Ron;

Verse 2 – All in Unison

7. “This Little Light/ This Joy” – Spirituals, arranged by Jeffrey Radford, 1993

Verse 1—This Little Light of Mine -- All in Unison

Separate Sheet Verse 2 – Ron – This Joy of Mine

Verse 3 – This Hope of Mine – All in Unison

Verse 4 – This Faith I Have – Parts – S.A.T.B.

Verse 5 – This Peace I Have – All in Unison

Musical Closing – “Benediction” (“May the Lord Bless You”) – Music: Joan Giles, 1999

"You know when you're young you think you will always be. As you become more fragile, you reflect, and you realize how much comfort can come from the past. Hymns can carry you into the future." ~~ Andy Griffith

Editors

2011-07-11T16:36:00.003-04:00

I have enjoyed working with editors because in their picky, prickly way they make me a better writer. For example, I have almost stopped Emphasizing some words in the middle of a sentence by capitalizing them.

I now know the difference and the proper use of "stairs" vs "steps" and "until" vs. "til." I still have problems with consistency -- "Dad" in some paragraphs, but my "Father" in other places in the same chapter (or page).

Then there is the dash or more specifically, the em dash and the en dash, not to be confused with the hyphen. I'm playing it safe in my writing these days by always using the em dash after getting many laughs and smiley faces from an editor who took particular delight in pointing out the mistake I kept making over and over.

The hyphen -- or more correctly, the compound adjective hyphen linking two words -- recently reared its head in a short story I wrote where the main character was carrying a 10-gauge shotgun. In other paragraphs, the character was simply carrying the 10 gauge. The editor didn't like the inconsistency of hyphen or no hyphen and suggested that I pick one and stick with it.

Finally, there is the exclamation point! Personally, I think it looks better with a space between it and the word, otherwise, it looks like another letter in the word and loses some of its Emphasis.

(Don't get me started on... ellipses.)

"I try to limit my use of an exclamation point to one every 10,000 words!"

~~ William Faulkner

A New Way of Working

2011-07-05T08:59:00.002-04:00

With the Industrial Revolution in progress, in order to find work, people moved from rural settings to close-by the factories in order to walk to work daily. As trollies and commuter rails began slicing through ever growing communities, workers could move away from the noisy factories to quiet tree-lined, sub-urban settings.

Then with the advent of the motor car, employees moved even further away from their work, out "the Main Line," to find bigger houses and bigger lawns and better schools. Roads and super roads were built to convey tens of thousands of cars daily into work. High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (defined curiously as two or more occupants in the car) were created for those who "car-pooled." Some would drive an hour or more, like I did in Boston on the Mass Pike, to get to WBZ-TV, and my job; other friends in the television business who used mass transit would take the train from Connecticut to New York City, traveling two hours each way to get to their offices in Manhattan.

Now we find ourselves arguing over the solution to the cost of commuting to work and ending our dependence on foreign oil while traveling daily in single cars to "work."

Here's an idea:

Have your employees work from home, rather than driving or taking mass transit to work. Many could -- customer service reps, CAD designers, graphics artists, Internet services -- create your own list. Fewer parking places to maintain, fewer cubicles to buy, less personnel issues, less office supplies, less coffee etc. And, less oil. Use the technology of today rather than a 20th century model.

Yes, there would be worker productivity issues, monitoring progress, employees who would work from 11:00pm to 6:00am, rather than 9-5pm -- simply issues to be solved in my mind, given the benefits.

What do you think?

(Funny what runs through your mind while driving on Interstate 70.)

Rekindling

2011-06-29T20:38:00.001-04:00

Soon, I will be traveling back to Scioto County, Ohio, where I was born. I will visit my Uncle as well as sing at my cousin’s Ball Park – The National Anthem, and “My Old Kentucky Home,” using politically correct words.

I will stand at my parents grave and thank them for the love and understanding they gave to me, a fun but precocious child – their only child.

We will visit my daughter and her three girls – each of them full of life and possibilities, yet tender and cautious.

Finally, we are planning to take the three girls to Niagara Falls, the place Joan and I spent our Honeymoon and where we took our children in the early 1980’s. Now, it is their turn to feel and hear and see the power of that place.

I hope that when we return to Glenmoore, exhausted, that I will be re-invigorated and rekindled from touching base with my past, and through looking at the future in the bright eyes of my granddaughters.

RDG

In Honor of Father’s Day

2011-06-19T15:07:00.001-04:00

In honor of Father's Day, some quotations on the matter:
Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father! ~Lydia M. Child, Philothea: A Romance, 1836

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons. ~Johann Schiller

A father carries pictures where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Mark Twain

Dad, you're someone to look up to no matter how tall I've grown. ~Author Unknown

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes. ~Gloria Naylor

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't. ~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

It would seem that something which means poverty, disorder and violence every single day should be avoided entirely, but the desire to beget children is a natural urge. ~Phyllis Diller

Are we not like two volumes of one book? ~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

The greatest gift I ever had
Came from God; I call him Dad!
~Author Unknown

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected. ~Red Buttons

I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever. ~Author Unknown

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~Dinah Craik

Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later... that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life. ~Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

Finally, for those of us who used cloth diapers and know that Jimmy Piersall was a baseball player from 1950-1967:
Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then fold second base down to home and set the baby on the pitcher's mound. Put first base and third together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again. ~Jimmy Piersall, on how to diaper a baby, 1968

Plato's Five Regimes

2011-06-16T06:43:00.003-04:00

In my novel, "Cottonwood Pass," a rogue billionaire attempts to establish a new form of government in the United States by hastening its decline into disorder, social warfare, and financial chaos. The character, H. Greeley Essington III, uses Plato's Five Regimes, as one of his three operational blueprints to achieve his goal.

Plato's Five Regimes are as follows:

Aristocracy -- a Republic that is governed by a wise Philosopher-King
Timocracy -- The Republic devolves downward into a state where the military is in charge and power is the key to success.
Oligarchy -- Timocracy descends to a lower form of government where wealth replaces power as the necessary element for success and in the two class system, the rich govern the poor.
Democracy -- As the the poorer class grows and grows and the rich become smaller in numbers, the Oligarchy degenerates into a democracy where the freedom to do anything and everything is valued. Leaders are chosen by the everyday people to produce rules of behavior and to decide when someone is harmed.
Tyranny -- Finally, Democracy disintegrates into chaos, as each person pursues their own freedom in conflict with others and social values and societal discipline is replaced by personal desire. In this atmosphere, a strong ruler emerges who, through force, imposes an order against the will of the people. The Tyrant governs on whim and favors and produces a lawless state where there is order, but no one is safe from the Tyrant's henchmen.

Frighteningly familiar?

Sarah Palin's Letter to her family about the upcoming birth of her son, Trig

2011-06-14T06:08:00.003-04:00

While Sarah Palin was Governor of Alaska, she gave birth to a son, her fifth child. It was known ahead of time that he would be a Downs Syndrome child. Below is the email that Governor Palin sent to her family two weeks before Trig's birth. This is one of the 24,000 messages that the Legacy Media hoped would be a death knell to her political career. Instead, this and the other emails are having quite the opposite effect. The British paper, "The Daily Mail," published it yesterday. It was also published in the Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/06/sarah-palin-god-letter-trig-down-syndrome.html

PALIN'S COMPLETE LETTER TO HER FAMILY ABOUT TRIG -- written as if from God

To the Sisters, Brother, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends of Trig Paxson Van Palin (or whatever you end up naming him!):

I am blessing you with this surprise baby because I only want the best for you. I've heard your prayers that this baby will be happy and healthy, and I've answered them because Ionly want the best for you!

I heard your heart when you hinted that another boy would fit best in the Palin family, to round it out and complete that starting five line-up. Though another girl would be so nice, you didn't think you could ask for what you REALLY wanted, but I knew, so I gave you a boy because I only want the best for you!

Then, I put the idea in your hearts that his name should be "Trig", because it's so fitting, with two Norse meanings: "True" and "Brave Victory". You also have a Bristol Bay relative with that name, so I knew it would be best for you!

Then, I let Trig's mom have an exceptionally comfortable pregnancy so she could enjoy every minute of it, and I even seemed to rush it along so she could wait until near the end to surprise you with the news - that way Piper wouldn't have so long to wait and count down so many days - just like Christmastime when you have to wait, impatiently, for that special day to finally open your gift? (Or the way the Palins look forward to birthday celebrations that go on for three, four days... you all really like cake .) I know you, I knew you'd be better off with just a short time to wait!

Then, finally, I let Trig's mom and dad find out before he was born that this little boy will truly be a GIFT. They were told in early tests that Trig may provide more challenges, and more joy, than what they ever may have imagined or ever asked for. At first the news seemed unreal and sad and confusing . But I gave Trig' s mom and dad lots of time to think about it because they needed lots of time to understand that everything will be OK, in fact, everything will be great, because I only want the best for you!

I've given Trig's mom and dad peace and joy as they wait to meet their new son. I gave them a happy anticipation because they asked me for that. I'll give all of you the same happy anticipation and strength to deal with Trig's challenges, but I won't impose on you...
I just need to know you want to receive my offer to be with all of you and help you everyday to make Trig's life a great one.

This new person in your life can help everyone put things in perspective and bind us together and get everyone focused on what really matters . The baby will expand your world and let you see and feel things you haven't experienced yet. He'll show you what "true, brave victory" really means as those who love him will think less about self and focus less on what the world tells you is "normal" or "perfect". You will grow and be blessed with greater understanding that will be born along with Trig.

Trig will be his dad's little buddy and he'll wear Carhartts while he learns to tinker in the garage. He'll love to be read to, he'll want to play goalie, and he'll steal his mom's heart just like Track, Bristol, Willow and Piper did. And Trig will be the cuddly, innocent, mischievous, dependent little brother that his siblings have been waiting for in fact Trig will - in some diagnostic ways - always be a mischievous, dependent little brother, because I created him a bit different than a lot of babies born into this world today.

Every child is created special, with awesome purpose and amazing potential. Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed up world you live in down there on earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome. Doctors call it "Down's Syndrome", and Downs kids have challenges, but can bring you much delight and more love than you can ever imagine! Just wait and see, let me prove this, because I only want the best for you!

Some of the rest of the world may not want him, but take comfort in that because the world will not compete for him. Take care of him and he will always be yours!

Trig's mom and dad don't want people to focus on the baby's extra chromosome. They're human, so they haven't known how to explain this to people who are so caring and are interested in this new little Alaskan. Sarah and Todd want people to share in the joy of this gift I'm giving to the Palin family, and the greater Alaska family. Many people won't understand... and I understand that.

Some will think Trig should not be allowed to be born because they fear a Downs child won't be considered "perfect" in your world. (But tell me, what do you earthlings consider "perfect" or even "normal" anyway? Have you peeked down any grocery store isle, or school hallway, or into your office lunchroom lately? Or considered the odd celebrities you celebrate as "perfect" on t.v.? Have you noticed I make `em all shapes and sizes? Believe me ,, there is no "perfect"!)

Many people will express sympathy, but you don't want or need that, because Trig will be a joy. You will have to trust me on this.

I know it will take time to grasp this and come to accept that I only want the best for you, and I only give my best. Remember though: "My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts... for as the heavens are higher than the earth, my ways are higher than yours!"

I wrote that all down for you in the Good Book ! Look it up! You claim that you believe me - now it's time to live out that belief!

Please look to me as this new challenge and chapter of life unfolds in front of you. I promise to equip you. I won't give you anything you can't handle. I am answering your prayers. Trig can't wait to meet you. I'm giving you ONLY THE BEST!

Love,

Trig's Creator , Your Heavenly Father

Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2002688/Sarah-Palin-plays-God-touching-email-unborn-son-Trigs-Downs-Syndrome.html#ixzz1PD1R7vaa

Allen Ginsberg

2011-06-03T07:19:00.003-04:00

Today is American Poet, Allen Ginsberg's birthday. He was born in New Jersey in 1926 and lived mostly in San Francisco until 1997. He and several other poets of that age were referred to as "the Beat Generation."

Homework
by Allen Ginsberg

Homage to Kenneth Koch

If I were doing my Laundry I'd wash my dirty Iran
I'd throw in my United States, and pour on the Ivory Soap,
scrub up Africa, put all the birds and elephants

back in the jungle,
I'd wash the Amazon river and clean the oily Carib & Gulf of

Mexico,
Rub that smog off the North Pole, wipe up all the pipelines in
Alaska,
Rub a dub dub for Rocky Flats and Los Alamos, Flush that sparkly
Cesium out of Love Canal
Rinse down the Acid Rain over the Parthenon & Sphinx, Drain the Sludge
out of the Mediterranean basin & make it azure again,
Put some blueing back into the sky over the Rhine, bleach the little
Clouds so snow return white as snow,
Cleanse the Hudson Thames & Neckar, Drain the Suds out of Lake Erie
Then I'd throw big Asia in one giant Load & wash out the blood &
Agent Orange,
Dump the whole mess of Russia and China in the wringer, squeeze out
the tattletail Gray of U.S. Central American police state,
& put the planet in the drier & let it sit 20 minutes or an
Aeon till it came out clean

"Homework" by Allen Ginsberg, from Collected Poems: 1947-1997. © Harper and Row

You Can Plant More in a Crooked Row Than a Straight one

2011-05-26T18:55:00.006-04:00

How many ways can you interpret this?
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At this time of the year when we are planting our gardens, planting them in straight lines seems the time-tested way to go. It is certainly visually appealing to people like me. Straight lines help you fertilize and weed in an efficient manner. But, if you bend the straight line, it is longer allowing more plants to be planted.
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My personal desires may have caused a more circuitous route to achieve the goal, since a straight-line, direct approach to my first love, Diane, and all thereafter, including Mrs. Giles, would have resulted in not just a rebuke, but a right hook as well.
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Is truth more curvy than it is straight? Perhaps, I could lead a reckless life, a life of "riotous living" and then at life's end bend it back to the straight line I started, finding redemption and acceptance in doing so.
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My father-in-law sold insurance, mostly life and auto, and often would get the put-off line from a prospective customer, "let me think about your proposal, Al, and I'll get back to you." With understated sincerity, Al would reply, "Yes, please do that, but... give me a day -- no, better make that two -- before you have that accident, so I can write the policy up for you."
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Would that we all knew about that "accident" about to happen. Or, when the customer sales rep asks, "on the credit card, Mr. Giles, when is your expiration date?" Hmmm. Let me check under my left arm pit for life's calendar. My expiration date, huh.
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I always sincerely wish people luck with their five year plans -- their straight line to something. Even when the die is cast and the future looks predictable, stuff happens. After all, Joan -- my wife of 45 years -- married a school teacher with the summers off who had curly hair!
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Sometimes, curves are more interesting than straight lines.

To the Editor of The Portsmouth Daily Times

2011-05-24T12:01:00.007-04:00

Portsmouth – an overnight tourist destination?

Yes, I believe it can be! Experience tells me that to become an overnight destination, a location must have five attractions to keep a visitor engaged for a day and then spend the evening. At the moment, I would estimate there to be three attractions in Portsmouth – more than 50 percent of the goal. Pretty good, wouldn’t you say!

The Floodwall Murals are a major attraction and can easily be promoted because they are visual and have a variety of stories for print media – the idea, the artist, the process. The panels themselves can be used to appeal to various interests – motorcyclists, sports fans, history buffs.The Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, likewise is a valuable community attraction with the Wertz Collection of ancient objects, the Carter Collection and a variety of revolving art exhibits.Although the scheduled events at The Riffe Center for the Performing Arts run outside the tourist season, the venue is a major asset to the area and needs to be included in the list of attractions for visitors.

As to the other “possible” attractions, I offer the following. In completing my book, “Great Heats,” set in Portsmouth 1000 years ago, I was reminded again of the ancient nature of the area. Historically, the Mound Builders created a major ceremonial site around what is now Mound Park, a center that was used for at least 800 years.

A museum to the Mound Builders in Portsmouth/Scioto County would make a great deal of sense. Stored and undisplayed artifacts collected by the Ohio Historical Society in 1915-16, from the Tremper Mound and the Feurt Farm Mounds could become the heart of the new museum’s exhibits, along with the 1847 drawings of Portsmouth by Squier and Davis.

A temporary housing of these pipes, amulets and tools could be in any number of existing, attractive, but under-utilized buildings in Portsmouth. Voila – a fourth reason to visit Portsmouth and Scioto County.

Lastly, I would propose turning the vacant lots along Second Street or other places in the city into attractive, year-round gardens – one lot could be a Butterfly Garden, organized with plants to attract Butterflies. Another abandoned lot could be set with native Ohio plants, such as the Buckeye tree, the Black Locust, Huckleberry bush and native roses. A third vacant lot could be planted to attract Hummingbirds. In winter, the trees and plants could be decorated with lights, becoming an attraction for local residents as well as visitors during the colder months.

These attractions, along with the 1810 House, could make Portsmouth a smart destination for families looking for weekend getaways, and it seems to me that all of this is feasible; the Governor’s new incentive fund may provide valuable ongoing support. What is required is the will and time.

Ronald D. Giles, Author
“Great Heats”
Glenmoore, Pa.

Great Heats -- The Story Behind Its Writing

2011-03-03T07:02:00.025-05:00

After a journey that began in 2009, my third book, "Great Heats" is now available on Amazon.com. In a couple of weeks, it will hit Kindle e-readers followed by Baker and Taylor Library lists and Ingraham Distributors for bookstores.

The story is set in prehistoric Portsmouth, Ohio (a Native American word), around the year 1000, centered on what is now Mound Park. At that time, the area was an important ceremonial center for the peoples who lived there, including two smaller centers across the river. The Portsmouth ceremonial center is depicted in Robert Dafford's Floodwall Mural, "The Mound Builders," a detail of which is used on my cover.

Mound Park today has only one of the horseshoe earthworks remaining, and we are fortunate to have this 2000-year-old artifact with us, a reminder to each person of those who lived lives here and cared for the land.

In 2009, when I visited Mound Park and the Floodwall Murals, I began wondering about the lives people would have led then -- imagining the beautiful river valley, the lack of conveniences, yet the triumph of persevering. I began researching, visiting the Hopewell Cultural Park in Chillicothe on the way back to Philadelphia. I used to visit this park with my Mother and Dad in the 1950's when it was called "Mound City," and I started to reminisce:

My Dad would often take Mother and me for a Sunday Drive. Twice a year, we would take the “Trail,” Rt. 23, from New Boston to Chillicothe. Dad’s stated objective for the drive was to visit Mound City, although I suspected that it was really all about his affection for Dairy Queen, a new ice cream only available in Chillicothe.

On the Trail, we would pass the Stone Pipe Inn at Lowry Hollow, and further up the road, the sign for the Wakefield Mound, and then finally, we would arrive at Mound City State Park in Chillicothe; little did I know then that they were all historically connected, even the route that we drove, back and forth.

My youthful imagination ran wild as we gazed at the mounds of earth and the low walls that had been built by ancient peoples many years before Columbus encountered this hemisphere. What did the mounds mean? How were they used? No one knew for certain...no written record had ever been found.

Later, we would visit the Sulfur Springs in Chillicothe and Dad would have a drink, as would I; Mother refused, always. Then to get the taste of sulfur out of our mouths, we enjoyed a cone of twisted Dairy Queen Ice Cream, for the long ride home.

The memory of Mound City never left my mind, nor the questions those mounds raised. Then, 2009, I realized that Portsmouth was also an important region for these people; I began to write.

For those who have read it, "Great Heats" is an enjoyable and easy adventure, which leaves the reader wanting more. In each chapter, the main character, an artist, is ten years older and has meaningful, even fateful, encounters. A contemporary "Epilogue" answers many of the questions left by the surprise ending.

Although Portsmouth--called "Ohi'yo" in my book--is the main setting, Chillicothe--another Native American word, called "Chi'cotha," in this story--also plays a prominent role as an important village and ceremonial center. Other centers were "N'urk" (Newark), "Cawnis" (Marietta), and "Pee'qwa" (Piqua). There is more information in the Preface.

I hope that this drama, played out among the Mounds and Earthworks that dot the landscape today from Ohio south to Florida and Mississippi and North to Wisconsin, is not only entertaining and enjoyable, but also that it connects us in a new way to our common history.

"Aiyee, my friends. Aiyee."

"Horseshoe Mound" Photo by JQ Jacobs

http://www.jqjacobs.net/photos/

Happy 45th Anniversary!

2011-02-19T11:26:00.009-05:00

Forty-five years. February 19, 1966 -- Millvale Pa. Christ Lutheran Church. Joan and I exchanged wedding vows.

We had met four years earlier at Ohio University where I was a Junior and Joan was an incoming Freshman. Actually, the meeting was more of an observation on my part.

It was the first day of class, and I was in my seat on the aisle in the bass section of the large auditorium. Coming in a little late and having to walk all the way down to the remaining seat in the alto section was was a thin young woman with green hair. Green. No one had green hair in 1962! I had to meet her.

I happened to know the alto she was sitting next to and asked her to let the green-haired beauty know I was interested in meeting her. The next rehearsal, I introduced myself; it did not go well.

Little did I know that the green hair freaked Joan. She had not wanted it and was mortified to have it, but had been nice and friendly with her new roommate, another freshman, who really had not wanted to come to college but rather wanted to be a beautician, caring for and coloring other people's hair. Joan had humored her and allowed her to put just a little black rinse on Joan's lightish brown hair. Voila -- Green hair.

Also playing into our first meeting was a habit I had picked up at the Little Theatre of Portsmouth, Ohio -- touching people (I have since modified this behaviour.) "Hey, David (elbow in the arm), nice prat-fall." Or ... "Betty, I loved the way you 'glided' across the stage to Chuck" (pat on Betty's shoulder).

So, when I walked up to Joan in her green hair, who was leaning on a table after rehearsal, and said "Hi, Joan, I'm Ron Giles," as my hand covered her hand that was on the table. She pulled it away. Who knew that Lutherans don't touch each other. It didn't go well.

One of the 5 fellows that lived in our house on E. State Street in Athens, worked in the Cafeteria of the dorm where Joan lived. Dewey kept me informed of Joan's comings and goings. It turned out that she was very popular, particularly with the fraternities, going out practically every weekend; I was not a fraternity kind of guy.

Weeks passed, till finally, I screwed up my courage and called her at her dorm, inviting her to go with me to a movie on Wednesday night; she was busy.

I called her the next week and asked her to go to the Lantern for dinner and some 3.2 beer; she was busy.

I called her the next week and asked her out for Saturday night, and ... she was busy.

Little did I know that she started turning down dates to keep one open for me. You can imagine my excitement when she finally said "yes." It was the beginning of many dates.

I tried to marry Joan after I graduated in 1964, and she still had another two years left. In those days, propriety called on the man to ask the Father for permission, which I did. Her Father, a salesman, talked me out of it, preferring that we wait until she had graduated. We honored that, but Joan hastened the date of her graduation by attending summer school, which is how we ended up getting married in the month of February and scheduling our Honeymoon in the traditional place of the day -- the frozen Niagara Falls.

Our wedding day produced a lot of nervous energy for everyone; Joan made a lovely bride, no one fainted, a few tears were shed; it was a joyous affair. After the reception, and after a private party at my now in-law's house, Joan and I left in my new blue Volkswagen Beetle, driving to the Mercer Pennsylvania Holiday Inn, halfway to Niagara Falls. We arrived at 9:30pm.

For the occasion, I had with me in the trunk of the VW (which as many of our Dear Readers know, was under the hood since the motor was in the rear), a bottle of Great Western Champagne from upstate New York, center of America's wine industry at the time. In our room, Joan and I shared a glass, wishing for a long and loving life together.

I managed to jam the cork back into the bottle to save some for the next evening, and without thinking about it, I put the bottle on top of the in-room heater. I know that's where I put it because at 3:22 in the morning, we both were awakened by an explosion as the overheated champagne popped the cork, frightening us both.

Tonight, we have another date, this time at Allegrios BYOB Italian Restaurant to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. We'll reminisce and talk about our children and grand children. We will drive there in another blue car and sip some Great Western Champagne from upstate New York, and remember how blessed our loving life together has been.

Joe's American Restaurant -- New Boston, Ohio

2011-02-15T12:12:00.008-05:00

Last Sunday, Joes American Restaurant in New Boston, Ohio, closed. It was a landmark in this proud little village -- romances flourished and were dissolved there, dance steps were tried and mashed potatoes with gravy, available 24 hours a day.

My 2008 memoir, "On Harrisonville Avenue" contained a short tribute to the American Restaurant. Here is the excerpt on the occasion of this icon's closing; the year is 1955.

************

In the mail was my class schedule for the 8th Grade. It showed the classes I would be taking and the teacher for each class. A printed note showed Holidays, Christmas and Easter breaks and non-school days. There were no School Buses because we all walked to school. High School kids with Driver’s Licenses could drive to school or you could bring your bike. There was one bike rack and there was no school parking lot, so you had to park your overflow bike or your car on the street. This produced a battle between the residents of Glenwood Avenue and Glenwood High School for parking.

Nearby, Joe’s American Restaurant had a small parking lot, but everyone knew not to park there because you would get towed.

I don’t remember ever meeting "Joe" or hearing anything about him, but his establishment was “the” place for Glenwood Jr. Sr. High students. Since the School had no cafeteria, Joe’s benefited from all those hungry mouths – donuts or toast at breakfast or a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup for lunch or French fires with cheese or gravy and a soda fountain coke after school – all waiting for the energetic, always hungry teenage crowd.

And, there was the Juke Box which could be played from each of the booths or from the main box. It was a Rock-Ola Comet Juke Box with rounded glass columns that you stood between to make your selection. The columns had illuminated glass of various colors and caught your attention with their flashiness. Although there were three record formats – the older 78 rpm, the 45 rpm and the long playing (LP) 33-1/3 which contained multiple cuts and was called an “Album”, like a photo album -- the Rock-Ola only played 45’s; it held 80 of them. You could watch the mechanics of the machine through the large clear cover.

Each week, the Juke Box Company would come by and refresh the machine, taking out older records getting less play and adding new “Hits” by new stars – Pat Boone, The Coasters, Fats Domino, and Perez Prado. Sometimes, new dances would sweep through like the Cha-Cha Cha to “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.” Most kids, though, danced what was called the “Bop,” which had replaced the Jitter-bug of the 1940’s.

One girl, Tina, always attracted a lot of attention. She was a 7th Grader, a year behind me. Only a few boys would ever dance with her – she was too good. Maybe Dick or Gary, but everyone else shied away from Tina. She didn’t need a partner. She “interpreted” the music with her nimble and elastic body.

Small and slim, Tina often waved her body, like a snake, or would swirl like a skater. Sometimes her hips moved in ways that caused gasping from some and whistles from others. Tina was a free spirit in her dancing and dress and attitude.

But when somebody punched B-6 – “When You Dance” by the Turbans -- and Tina took the floor, the crowd at Joe’s circled around to see what she would do.

It was always a show at Joe’s American Restaurant, across the street from the high school.

Cheers !!!

Ron Giles

rdgiles@chesco.com

Remembering "Blue Laws"

2011-01-24T07:40:00.006-05:00

Blue Laws have been on the books since Puritan Days in New England, probably starting out as a way of enforcing the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. In the late 19th Century, as the Temperance Movement (headquartered in Westerville, Ohio) took hold, it became illegal to sell booze on Sunday. This lead to a whole list of things one could not do on Sunday:
... Shop
... Trade Horses
... Buy Tobacco
... Buy Cars (still on the books in several states including mine, Pennsylvania, where the Liquor stores are still mostly closed on Sundays)
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An interesting exception to these Blue Laws was the Drug Stores who remained open on Sunday to satisfy emergency needs for medication. This is also how Drugstores began to be book stores, grocery stores and stock sundry other items, since they could be open on the Sabbath.
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I grew up with Blue Laws. Nothing but gas stations and the Rexall Pharmacy were open on Sundays; it was truly a day of rest, except in our family, because we went to visit each other. Lunch after church with Mom and Pop Borders (fried chicken). Then off to visit my Dad's parents, Mom and Pop Giles who lived in Portsmouth in an apartment that was up against the floodwall (boiled chicken and dumplings).
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Sometimes, we went places on Sundays, driving to Chillicothe for a new treat, Dairy Queen. Of course, anytime we were in Chillicothe, Dad had to have a drink of sulfur water from the sulfur springs there. The water tasted exactly like it smelled. Uggghhhhh.
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There were no organized soccer games, no Little League, no school activities to attend on Sundays. It was a day to relax, to attend church and be with family, and it was all thanks to Blue Laws. I miss Blue Laws.

Great Heats -- the final review?

2011-01-17T09:04:00.003-05:00

In the agony of re-reading my words for the umpteenth time, I kept questioning this word or that punctuation or that phrase. But finally after two weeks of inspection and introspection, I sent my comments and requests for changes back to the publisher. And, now, I await the proof copy. Hmmmm.

While writing and re-writing, I would go to one of five restaurants for breakfasts and then to the local Library in the afternoon. Trying to write at home was too distracting -- too many things to take my mind away from trying to cast myself as a Sentinel on lookout from a hilltop, imagining how he would feel in his isolation.

"Your toast, sir. More coffee?" Even the pleasant, young waitresses in this distant setting were not a distraction, a fact that perhaps would disappoint them.

Now, I am home... waiting for the proof copy to arrive... waiting. I want to start the next book. Actually, I have started it; am almost 30 pages in, but the need to move ahead with more words advancing the story has left me. Waiting...

Although I have used the word "ennui," I think now, I am stuck in it, like being inside the Bermuda Triangle. Hmmmmmmmm. Hmmmm. ZZZZZ.

2011-01-08T09:17:00.003-05:00

From "The Writer's Almanac"

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind
by William Shakespeare

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude, as man's ingratitude.
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy teeth are not so sharp,
Although thy breath be rude, although thy breath be rude.

My faithful friends draw nigh
And look us in the eye
It is a wealthy man who has good friends like you.
Through darkness, cold, and snow,
Wherever you may go,
You bear my friendship true, you bear my friendship true.

Now warm these gentle folk
With maple, birch, and oak
And turn you front and back to feel the cheerful blaze
And be of cheerful mind
And bless the wintertime
Its calm and starry nights and bright and silent days

There are angels hovering round
To carry the tidings home
To the new Jerusalem
The shepherds came with joy
The sheep and cows stood near
The child lay asleep

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind"
~~ William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616.

Smoke

2011-01-02T16:38:00.004-05:00

Anticipating the mundane, Monday task of taking out the garbage, I went outside the garage on a lazy-late Sunday afternoon. The moisture-heavy air was clean, allowing the pungently sweet smell of wood smoke to penetrate deeply.

I have always responded to the smell of burning wood -- whether in my home environment or in locations around the world. Smoke stirs something in my DNA -- genetic memories of an icy night on the Kentucky frontier, or the warmth produced in the stone fireplace of a medieval cathedral residence, or the comfort of roasting a rabbit in Gaul, or the smoke made while drying fish caught in the Black Sea. The response to smelling smoke from a wood fire is immediate and friendly.

Watching the smoke curl out the top of my neighbor's chimney, seconds turned into minutes, as the sky darkens and then turns pink-orange in the west as the sun rests for the day. The pleasant odor continues to permeate, as the sky fades to black.

Tomorrow. I can do things tomorrow.

At the Stroke of Midnight

2010-12-31T16:10:00.003-05:00

I will stay awake tonight. I Will stay awake tonight. I'm going to do my best to be awake one more time to hear ...

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
in days of old lang syne ?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, penned these lines in 1788, although the sentiment was borrowed from other earlier writers. It was paired with a Scots folk tune and was sung off and on at New Years thereafter, due to the sentiment and the rhetorical question -- should we forget old friends, or should we remember them?

In 1929, the era of mass communication and radio, cemented "Auld Lang Syne" as the song for the stroke of midnight when the Canadian band leader Guy Lombardo played it at the nationally carried live broadcast from the Roosevelt Room in New York City. Thereafter, from 1930-1976, it was nationally broadcast from the Waldorf Astoria.

Old acquaintances. Those of us in our "maturity" have many acquaintances which we have acquired over the years and, even though we may have not seen them for decades, we carry them in our minds; some, we carry in our hearts.

This week, Joan and I visited a cinematographer that I worked with in the 1960's. We had not seen one another in 30 years, and yet it was as if that were yesterday as we recalled fun times together and consoled each other over tragedies in passage.

How precious and delicious that process is -- revisiting, recalling, remembering, laughing, crying -- together.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

May you and yours, Dear Reader, have a joyous and prosperous new year, for auld lang syne!

Cheers!!!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

2010-12-24T11:08:00.010-05:00

"Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

This poem (full verses below) was written in 1823 and published in a New York City newspaper, becoming an immediate hit. Its author, Clement Clarke Moore, did not confess ownership until 21 years later in 1844. Mr. Moore was a professor at Columbia College (now Columbia University) and he preferred anonymity, but finally relented due to family pressure.

Mr. Moore's family was a prominent one at the time. His father had been the Bishop of New York City and officiated at the inauguration of George Washington as the first president; his mother was famous for her rabid anti-monarchy views in pre-revolutionary times. Clement himself, married Catharine Elizabeth Taylor, a direct descendant of the powerful Dutch family, the Van Cortlandt's. Together, he and his wife owned 160 acres on the western side of Manhattan which they called Chelsea; the area they owned is still called Chelsea today.

"A Visit from St. Nicholas," as his poem was called, established Santa Claus and his image, as well as the reindeer, their number and names, the way the "jolly old elf" gets around, and the idea that Santa brings gifts to children. Prior to 1823. there were many ideas about St. Nicholas, but none like this.

While many of us have read this to our children, we also recognize the great gift that was given to all -- the gift from God of a baby in a manger who would grow to become the fulfillment of the prophesies of the Old Testament. From the latest Gallup Poll ...

95% of Americans celebrate Christmas;
51% say the day is "strongly religious" for them;
93% of Americans exchange gifts on Christmas;
88% put up a Christmas tree;
62% attend religious services on Christmas Eve or Christmas.

Following a tradition established when I was born, 68 years ago, I will be in church tonight. Yet the duality of the celebration is brought home simply by hearing sleigh bells.

A joyous holiday season to all. Merry Christmas to you and yours, "and to all, a good night!"

"A Visit From St. Nicholas"
by Clement Clarke Moore, 1823

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Hymns of the Season and Their Stories

2010-12-04T16:16:00.010-05:00

Ever wonder what a Carol is? Or what "Nowell" ("Noel") means? Or what many people think is the most often piece of music sung in churches? If you are in the West Chester, PA area, plan on attending this event to find out..

Hymns of the Season and Their Stories
Ronald D. Giles, Baritone -- Joan E. Giles, Accompanist
First Presbyterian Church, West Chester, PA
Wednesday December 15, 2010, 6:30pm
The Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990

1. “People Look East” – Text: Eleanor Farjeon; Music: French Carol
Verse 1 – Ron; Verses 2 & 5 – All in Unison

2. “Comfort, Comfort You My People” – Text: Johannes Olearius, 1671
Music: attributed to Louis Bourgeois, 1551, arranged by John Ferguson
Verse 1 -- Ron; Verses 2 & 3 – All in Unison

3. “The First Nowell” – 17th Century English Carol
Verses 1 & 2 in parts

4. "Away In A Manger” -- Text: Verses 1&2 – unknown;
Verse 3 – McFarland, 1887 ; Music: Wm. Kirkpatrick and J. Murray --
Tunes: Mueller, Normandy, Cradle Song; arranged by Mark Hayes
Hymns 24 & 25 Verse 1 – All in Unison; Verses 2 & 3 -- Ron

5. “Silent Night” – Text: Father Joseph Mohr, 1818; Music: Franz Gruber, 1818
Arranged by Mark Hayes and Joan Giles
Verse 1 - Ron in German; Verse 1 -- All in English; Verse 3 -- Ron

6. “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” – Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863;
Music: John Babtiste Calkin, 1872
Verse 1, Ron; Verse 2 All in Unison;
Verse 3 – Women; Verse 4 – Men;
Verse 5 – All in Unison

7. “Joy To The World” – Text: Isaac Watts, 1719; Music – L. Mason/G.F. Handel
Verse 1 -- Women; Verse 2 -- Men; Verse 4 -- All in Parts

Hush, Hush, Somebody's Callin' My Name

2010-12-02T09:37:00.005-05:00

By the time Christmas rolls around, will it be anti-climactic? Will it be just another day of "Ho,Ho,Ho" and Burl Ives singing "Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas?" Will I be so numbed by the rush of gift buying or parties or rehearsal/concerts that when December 25 comes, I will be empty?

It seems like I ask myself these questions each year. Part of it must be that our children are not here on Christmas morning, wide-eyed and excited, checking whether the carrots were nibbled by Santa's reindeer or the cookies half-eaten by the jolly old elf himself.

Joan and I used to put the tree up after church on Christmas Eve, after the children went to bed. Seeing the words "some assembly required" at 1:00am after the tree was decorated was not a welcome sight on a Big Wheel, or a bicycle. But what's another three hours without sleep when the effect on our two children was so amazing? (Alright, the slide whistles in the stockings that were opened at 6:00am were not a good idea and I got a little testy in my bleary-eyed state. Everything can't be Currier and Ives all the time.)

So, now the tree goes up early with Sounds of the Season from cable channel 436 in the background. The house and the lamp posts get decorated and our neighbors nicely bring over a cheesecake, and we talk. Joanie bakes her cranberry bread and I get out my "Noel" tie. Its all special but somehow, not heartfelt.

Maybe, I should build in some quiet time -- no computer, no radio, no books, no TV -- just quiet. The kind of quiet that comes during and after a deep snow. A quiet that allows one to listen -- to your own heartbeat, to the melting snow, to the cry of a baby in the distance... the cry of a baby, in the distance.

Touch Now!

2010-12-01T11:46:00.008-05:00

December 1, 1977 -- the launch of QUBE, the first interactive TV experiment in Columbus, Ohio, by Warner Cable. -- and I was there, 33 years ago.

Five months earlier, I had been in Cincinnati at WCPO-TV as the Executive Producer of Programming, a position I had held for three years. In my office at Channel 9, I was reading the July edition of Broadcasting Magazine, when I noted under equipment purchases, that Warner Cable of Columbus had purchased nine studio/portable RCA cameras.

The article piqued my curiosity so I made a few calls and became aware that an old acquaintance -- Ron Castell -- was involved. Through him, I met with Mike Dann, a CBS legend of programming, who was involved in QUBE, as was Dr. Vivian Horner of Children's Television Workshop, and Steve Carlin, the creator and Producer of the 50's game show "The 64,000 Question." Someone had assembled a stellar cast of Television luminaries for this project, and I wanted to be involved as well.

Cable Television, at that time, 1977, was confined to rural areas and the suburbs, but the real money for cable companies was to be made in the cities when the number of family units per mile was a 20-100 times what it was in the tree-lined single family dwellings on the outskirts. QUBE was Warner's way of demonstrating to city governments that Warner had the star power, the technology, and the stamina to be the choice for the long run.

Over some mild objections from my wife, we moved to Westerville to become a part of QUBE. (Her objections to my relocation would get stronger and stronger after this, our third house.)

As a Producer-Host for "Columbus Alive," a live two hour talk show, December 1, 1977 was the start of a series that I would be a part of for the next two years. QUBE lived up to its hype by developing interactive programming -- game shows, talk shows, "You-Call Football," kid's shows -- pay-per-view programming, a remote control, 15 or so specialized channels, including one called Nickelodeon and another that would grow to become MTV. And -- get this -- a weather channel.

Another by-product of QUBE, was that it produced a deep and intense level of friendship among the 300 or so who were there -- unlike any staff relationship at any TV facility of which I have been a part. Reunions, phone calls, lunches, Facebook, emails, all serve to keep the contact and camaraderie going.

WOULD YOU BE A PART OF QUBE TODAY?

1. Yes

2. No

TOUCH NOW!

(Touching 1)

Wine and Juice Tasting

2010-11-30T08:36:00.007-05:00

On the Friday after Thanksgiving each year, we have a Wine tasting. We also invite to the table the Grand Children and non-wine drinking adults for a Juice tasting as well. This year 15 people came to the event -- 7 wine tasters and 8 juice tasters, including two adults; one who abstains and a second who is in her 7th month of pregnancy.

Five red Zinfandels were tasted. Surprisingly, most tasters preferred the least expensive Peachy Canyon Zin ($8.00, rated 88) over the other more expensive ones, including one rated 94 and costing $34.00.

But the real surprise was the voting in the juice tasting, now in its eighth year. We taste five juices as we taste five wines, with each juicer having spoken comments as well as a pencil; the one exception was the 15 month old who smiled and bounced up and down on her mother's knee when she liked what she was tasting. Her voted counted just as much as those with a pencil.

It seems predictable that the juice with the most sugar content will win each year. This year that juice was Welch's Concord Grape Juice with a whopping 38 grams of sugar. The other juices were Dole's Pineapple (22 grams), Kern's Apricot (22 grams) Albertson's Cherry (27 grams) Bionaturae' Organic Plum (28 grams).

Surprise, Surprise -- the Apricot and Cherry were preferred, although the 15 month old had an extra glass of the Plum but then had to walk it off. Oh, and don't read anything into her unsteadiness; she still needs a finger to hold when cruising.

So much to be thankful for!

"Great Heats" Back Cover Copy Quandry Resolved

2010-11-17T10:41:00.005-05:00

Dear Readers:

Thank you for your many and varied responses. Yesterday my mailbox was replete with emails, Facebook notes and comments ranging from "what the *&#% does 'pithy' mean?" to "the word 'replete' is stuffy" to "a love story, worthy of the ages," to "a tender and beckoning tale." Tender~ ooooooohhhhh, I like that word.

Wow! What a range.

Some suggested that the preceding paragraphs of the back cover made it clear that this was a story of human emotions and behavior, so no need to reference our common humanity with the ancients (a reader-suggested word).

One comment about "mysterious" almost inspired me to go back and write another chapter, centering on the village reaction to... let's see... the simultaneous events of an eclipse of the sun, fertility rites, and the discovery of a jawbone from a moose. The coincidental collision of forces, or was it intentional? -- but I stopped myself from writing... mysteriously.

Others of you suggested eliminating the phrase "human nature" and substituting things like "human experience," "humanity," "full of ...". Most were in agreement to drop the word "replete" which was the thing probably stymieing me, although "fraught" was a tempting substitution from a Dear Reader.

A few urged simpler language and more sparse wording, adhering to Mark Twain's grammatical advice when writing to shoot most adjectives and adverbs on sight, reserving them for an impactful moment. Although, the "complexity" suggestion made me want to use that word some place in the final line.

So, putting all of your wonderful advice together, I chose straightforward, unmodified brevity:

"Great Heats" – a novel of historic fiction, rich in detail and human experience.

THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!

Back Cover Copy for "Great Heats"

2010-11-16T07:07:00.009-05:00

Despite my best efforts to avoid doing so, I have decided to write my own back cover copy. I know what you must be thinking -- Ron, you are the last person who should do that because you are too close to the story.

Yet, I couldn't help myself. After revising, and after comments from my chief editor -- Joan, my wife -- I now have come up with a problem -- the last line of the copy.

So, Dear Reader, would you care to offer your opinion? I am happy with the way the paragraphs below are written, but the last phrase of the last line is giving me pause. What do you think?

GREAT HEATS BACK COVER COPY – 11.11.10

Living among the beauty of ancient mounds and earthworks a thousand years ago, the people of the Village of Ohi’yo enjoyed an idyllic life. Village women cared for their families, shared farming duties, and were responsible for choosing the chief, while men protected the village and hunted for game. Yet, with each new sunrise, change was in the air, threatening the village in ways that they could not understand.

Young Heron, tall and artistic, has met his love, Lone Bird, a young woman from another clan living in his village. The two unite in the moving Ceremony of One, but secrets from his past create tragic circumstances, keeping them apart, except for occasional covert and passionate meetings.

As time passes, rain and snowfall decrease in the region, while the summer’s heat increases and lengthens. The fertile and replenishing floods of the two rivers gradually halt their annual immersions. Insects emerge from the drying ground to attack the village crops; deer begin moving away, as coyotes move in; people start to leave, following the deer. The village way of life is in jeopardy.

Against this backdrop, Young Heron finally sees hope for a normal life, as he reunites with his family. In a shocking moment, the secrets, kept hidden for decades, confront Young Heron, and the conclusion seems predestined to be tragic. Years later, the results of this man’s life are revealed in a surprising way.
Great Heats – a novel of historic fiction, rich in detail, and replete with human nature.

"replete with human nature" -- is that too pithy? I am torn because I want a line to dispel any thought that something written about a people who lived 1000 years ago will be difficult to read because their unfamiliar culture will get in the way of understanding the story. Yet it seems
in reading it that I am inviting the reaction -- "well, of course, archaeology breath -- they are people like you and me -- riiiight?"

What do you think? rdgiles@chesco.com or Facebook or here, although the comments function here is spotty.

Thanks, and I hope that your day is replete with happiness.

Great Heats -- Behind the scenes

2010-10-26T09:06:00.000-04:00

I began writing this novel of historic fiction in September of 2009. Writing mostly every day, the writing was finished in April. Then I began the painful (for me) act of revision. Going back over the words, choosing better words, eliminating unnecessary passages, saying what I really meant to say, using consistent character names rather than changing the name from chapter to chapter.

I gave it to Joan to read. She is a rock when it comes to the rules of grammar, so my pages were well-marked when she had finished. simultaneously, I gave portions of it to people specifically chosen for their reaction -- to grand daughters who are readers, to an academic for his expertise and sensitivities in burials.

I sent it to an editor to conform it to the Chicago Manual of Style who took all of my double space bar hits down to one -- who knew that one space was the new standard? I also got very confused about "Chief of Chiefs Village" not being possessive, deserving an apostrophe.

Then I shopped it around to several publishers and a couple of agents. I knew that the first paragraph of Chapter One was not "snappy" and full of questions, but I wanted to start the book and end it in the same vein; the final line of the Epilogue was written first but echoes the first line of Chapter One and that is what I wanted, which was perhaps too subtle for publications managers who see hundreds of first paragraphs a day -- only. They don't read the last one as well. I still like the structure, despite what it may have cost me.

Now, October, finally that process is underway. I had hoped for it to be published this year, but now I am not sure.

I think it is very good. Although some of the words are unfamiliar renderings of contemporary words (due to the setting 1000 years ago), it is still an easy reading experience. And, even though it has moments of tragedy, it is balanced by emotion and sensuality in between. Such as:

"She looked deeply into my eyes and whispered, 'I want to join with you.' "

Hmmm. Maybe I should have opened the book with that line! RATS!!

"Hello, Publisher. Is it too late to make a teeny-weenie change?"

Soccer

2010-10-23T10:55:00.003-04:00

I took my four year old grand daughter to her soccer game this weekend. She lives in an affluent area where the parking lot was crammed full of Lexus, Land Rovers, and expensive pick up trucks. I am happy that my daughter and her husband can afford this area and the costly outfits, shoes, equipment, and bags that children here have to wear to play. Hundreds of children in team colors, numbers, and braces -- the 9-13 year old boy's football teams have their own cheerleaders, including my 12 year old grand daughter.

It is good that the sports are organized so that all can play in organized leagues on organized teams, good for... for the children.

Yet, I found myself wondering if children, when left to their own devices, wouldn't do all that themselves -- minus the team colors. Bill and Bob and Harold and Dick and Jerry and John and Ron did years ago on Harrisonville Avenue in New Boston. We played football and baseball in a vacant lot between two houses, next to Mr. Travis' house. I painfully remember knocking on his door and confessing that I was the one who hit the baseball that broke his window. So, yes things went wrong, but even that had a benefit, to me, and perhaps Mr. Travis who got a new window out of it.

There were no trophies to be handed out (don't get me started on every kid gets a trophy), no patches, no parties, no pictures because it was play, for the sake of play. Boys, working things out when things were questioned -- no rule books, no referees. Seeking fair solutions among themselves.

Yes, it is true, I now sound like the old farts that I knew at the time, men who wanted a return to the ways of yester-year, older men that I tolerated then, but privately thought their arteries were getting harder every week as they sat on the church pew outside Shorty's Barbershop.

Ahheeeem. I do not have a church pew!

Dads and Moms are with their children today as the game wraps up. They are more involved in their children's activities than my generation or my parents were. The fields are not vacant for long as a new batch of older children with different colors replace the younger ones, and it will go this way every hour until 3:00pm.

Back to their house, it is time for me to take the 10 year old to her soccer game. Its exhausting, executing this schedule. I needed a nap in the afternoon.

A Birthday

2010-10-22T08:12:00.003-04:00

Yes, birthdays -- mine. My father-in-law used to say that if he knew he would live this long, he would have taken better care of himself. Joan asserts that mothers should be feted on a child's birthday since they were the ones who did all the work.

Birthdays -- a day to enjoy the well wishes of friends near and far through cards and Facebook and phone calls and smiles and hugs and gifts. My grandson gave me a Bat House which he and his other grandfather made for me. It will get hung on a tree in the woods next week so that we can see it and the frolicking, happy bats from our back windows.

Birthdays -- days of quick reflections, snippets of past events. Some of them happy, moments filled with pride of achievement, smiling faces of children, joy of this or that, naughty moments. Some are sad moments, mistakes, loss, pain. More happy reflections than sad. A smile, just now.

Birthdays -- just another day? Not really. Perhaps, a day for another... memory.

Why Women Still Won't Vote for Women

2010-10-17T21:04:00.003-04:00

I leave this to the Dear Reader to decide for themseves if they agree or not. From
www.phyliss-chesler.com. The writer is a retired professor of Women's Studies at City University of New York.

Why Women Still Won't Vote for Women
By Phyllis Chesler

Published October 15, 2010

Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D. is professor emerita of psychology and the author of thirteen books including "Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman" and "The New Anti-Semitism." She has written extensively about Islamic gender apartheid and about honor killings. She once lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. She may be reached through her website: www.phyllis-chesler.com.

It is 2010, ninety years after American women first won the right to vote, and nearly fifty years after Betty Friedan’s influential work "The Feminine Mystique" was published, and women still do not want to vote for women.

And women definitely do not want to vote for Republican women.For example, in Connecticut, Republican Linda McMahon has only 34 percent of the female vote as compared to Democrat Richard Blumenthal who has 61 percent of the female vote. In Delaware, Republican Christine O'Donnell has only 25 percent of the female vote as compared to her Democratic opponent Chris Coons, who leads with 58 percent of the female vote; in Nevada, Democrat Harry Reid is beating Republican Sharron Angle by a 51-33 margin. According to pollsters, Sharron Angle is a “staunch conservative, something that tends to turn off female voters.”

Possibly, women as a group may view the Democratic Party as better on certain issues such as women’s reproductive rights and equal rights in the workplace. On the other hand, like men, many women have also lost their jobs, pensions, and homes, and will equally bear the consequences of a foreign policy gone wrong.

Whatever the reason, female candidates just can’t seem to please the female electorate. Women criticized Hillary Clinton for craving power in a non-feminine and “emotionless” way—and liked her when she showed emotion, not when she discussed policy. Women judged her harshly for sticking by her man—and then just as harshly for doing so in order to further her own political ambitions. Women, including progressive women, wanted perfection in their first female Presidential candidate. No political or character “hair” out of place. Thus, Professor Susan J. Douglas had this to say about Hillary:

“Hillary, by contrast, seems to want to be more like a man in her demeanor and politics, makes few concessions to the social demands of femininity, and yet seems to be only a partial feminist. She seems above us, exempting herself from compromises women have to make every day, while, at the same time, leaving some of the basic tenets of feminism in the dust. We are sold out on both counts. In other words, she seems like patriarchy in sheep’s clothing. If she’s a feminist, how could she continue to support this war for so long? If she’s such a passionate advocate for children, women and families, how could she countenance the ongoing killing of innocent Iraqi families, and of American soldiers who are also someone’s children? If it would be so revolutionary to have a female as president, why does she feel like the same old poll-driven opportunistic politician who seems to craft her positions accordingly?”

Today, women describe Linda McMahon as too “relentless” for a woman-- but certainly not for a politician. Women say they don’t like McMahon because she is “buying her seat” with money (as if this is not exactly what men do), and because she is attacking her opponent in “needlessly personal and caustic ways” (ditto).

Until pollsters start asking Republican women if they, also, dislike and will not vote for a female Republican candidate, let me suggest that what may also be going on is some vast unfinished psychological business between women.

As the author of "Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman," allow me to spell it out for you. Like men, women are also sexists. They still expect women to behave in “feminine” or maternal ways; this includes choosing a man as a protector, not as an opponent to publicly defeat in a very aggressive, “male” way.

Women and girls are more comfortable with expressing their aggression indirectly in less visible ways, through gossip, slander, and ostracism.

In addition, despite exceptions, women do not necessarily like, respect, or trust other women. Even more important, woman do not like another woman getting more attention than they themselves get; cheerleaders, beauty queens, gorgeous actresses are envied and ostracized more often than befriended by other girls and women. Female politicians are in the limelight; their female voters are not.

Psychologically, women do not like “difference.” Women feel safe when their female intimates dress, think, and behave as they do. If a female candidate looks, acts, or thinks “differently” from the female majority, women feel that their own life choices are not being honored. Thus, tough Republican businesswoman, Carly Fiorina, who faces tough career politician Barbara Boxer in California, has been advised to soften her image, to literally pose in her kitchen and wear pink—something she has done.

Yes, feminist women have worked hard for both male and female feminist candidates, and some Republican women are now working hard for Republican candidates, both male and female. And yet, the problem of our collective sexism still remains and will continue to determine how campaigns are conducted and who wins.

Jeff Hart -- Driller/Hero

2010-10-13T08:44:00.005-04:00

This is from Michelle Malkin's Blog. It is her writing in her voice.

In a different day and age, Jeff Hart would be the most famous American in our country right now. He would be honored at the White House. Schoolchildren would learn of his skill and heroism. [It is likely that] more people in Chile will celebrate this symbol of American greatness than in America itself.

Jeff Hart is a driller based in my home state of Colorado. The father of two has been drilling water wells in Afghanistan at U.S. Army bases. When the San Jose Mine in Chile collapsed in August, he flew to lend his renowned expertise to the rescue effort. As part of an amazing three-way race to the trapped miners, Hart drilled for 33 days straight and was first to reach the caved-in workers. The AP recounts the story — and what strikes me again and again is how the world turned to American ingenuity and American fortitude and American equipment and American enterprise to get the job done:

Jeff Hart was drilling water wells for the U.S. Army’s forward operating bases in Afghanistan when he got the call to fly to Chile. He spent the next 33 days on his feet, operating the drill that finally provided a way out Saturday for 33 trapped miners. “You have to feel through your feet what the drill is doing; it’s a vibration you get so that you know what’s happening,” explained Hart, a contractor from Denver, Colorado. A muscular, taciturn man with callused hands and a sunburned face, Hart normally pounds rock for oil or water. He’s used to extreme conditions while he works the hydraulic levers that guide the drills’ hammers…

…Geotec operations manager James Stefanic said he quickly assembled “a top of the line team” of drillers who are intimately familiar with the key equipment, including engineers from two Pennsylvania companies — Schramm Inc., which makes the T130 drill, and Center Rock Inc., which makes the drill bits.

…Standing before the levers, pressure meters and gauges on the T130′s control panel, Hart and the rest of the team faced many challenges in drilling the shaft. At one point, the drill struck a metal support beam in the poorly mapped mine, shattering its hammers. Fresh equipment had to be flown in from the United States and progress was delayed for days as powerful magnets were lowered to pull out the pieces…

…Hart has a home in Denver but works for long periods abroad as a contractor for the Layne Christensen company based in Mission Woods, Kansas.
The miners will ride back to the surface in a rescue capsule as early as today through the shaft Hart and his team drilled.

He told the Denver Post: “This is the most important thing I have done in my work life and probably the most important thing I will ever do.”

Hart’s company, Layne Christiansen, celebrated the achievement:

“Plan B” worked. Winning the three-way race to reach the 33 miners trapped in Chile since Aug. 5, drillers from Kansas City-based Layne Christensen Co. broke through at 8 a.m. Saturday.

“This success required the extra special knowledge and skills only our team could provide,” said Dave Singleton, water resource division president for Layne Christensen.
About two weeks after the collapse, Layne’s Latin American affiliate Geotec Boyles Bros. brought in a Schramm T130 tophead drill. Layne also sent in two drillers, Jeff Hart and Matt Staffel, who had been drilling water wells in Afghanistan to support U.S. troops stationed there. Assisting the drillers were two Spanish-speaking drilling helpers, Doug Reeves and Jorge Herrera, from Layne’s western region in the U.S.

Working as a team, Layne and Geotec drilled a 5-inch hole nearly 2,300 feet, reamed it to 12 inches and finally to 26 inches in diameter – large enough to accommodate the “Phoenix” rescue capsule. A cheer went up as families and rescue workers joined in a celebration when the drill broke through. “I’m on top of the world,” Hart told a TV reporter.

It took the drillers 33 days to reach the 33 miners. “Had Layne and Geotec not been there, it probably would have taken until Christmas for ‘Plan A’ or ‘Plan C’ to break through,” Singleton noted. “We cut more than two months from the original estimate.”

“It’s a first for our company to be involved in a rescue effort like this,” added President and CEO Andrew B. Schmitt. “It’s also noteworthy that we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary with our Latin American affiliates,” he said. In 1995 Layne merged with Christensen Boyles Corp. and became the joint-venture partner with the Boytec group of companies in Latin America.

Now in its third century of operations, Layne started in 1882 as a water-well drilling company in the Badlands of South Dakota. Headquartered in Mission Woods, Kan., a Kansas City suburb, the Nasdaq-traded company operates worldwide, providing products and services for the water, mineral, construction and energy markets.
Hart and his crew are headed back to Colorado and are eschewing the spotlight:

Hart decided to leave the mine now that his work is done and will be watching the rescue from a distance.

“I want to let this become the miners’ and their families’ story and let them have their time,” he said.
Chile won’t forget the quiet driller from Denver and his teammates (also from Colorado): Matt Staffel, Doug Reeves and Jorge Herrera. Neither should we.

Hart’s proud wife, Dora, is looking forward to welcoming them home:

“I was just in awe, really,” she said. “I am just really proud of what he has accomplished.

All of America should be.

***

I must also call your attention to NASA’s invaluable contributions:

Rescuers finished reinforcing the top of the 2,041-foot (622-meter) escape shaft early Monday, and the 13-foot (four-meter) tall capsule descended flawlessly in test runs. The white, blue and red capsule — the biggest of three built by Chilean navy engineers — was named Phoenix I for the mythical bird that rises from ashes.

The miners will be closely monitored from the moment they’re strapped into the claustrophobic steel tube to be hauled up the smooth-walled tunnel. For the last six hours before surfacing, they’ll drink a special high-calorie liquid diet prepared and donated by NASA, designed to keep them from vomiting as the rescue capsule rotates 10 to 12 times through curves in the 28-inch-diameter escape hole.
More:

When Chilean rescuers begin pulling 33 trapped miners from their cramped quarters a half-mile below ground, perhaps beginning tonight, the work of NASA scientists will be put to the test.

For example, the miners, who have been trapped since Aug. 5, have been doing leg squats, taking salt tablets and loading up on fluids full of protein and electrolytes. Also, they will wear pressure stockings.

These techniques and others are designed to stabilize the miners’ blood pressure during the 20- to 30-minute trip to the surface. Doctors also are trying to prevent nausea.

The Chilean health minister has been consulting with NASA experts since the cave-in occurred. One of them is Dr. J.D. Polk, a native of Washington Court House, who is stationed in Houston as chief of space medicine.

Polk, who spent a week in Chile in late August, said fainting can be a problem when a person stands up after having been in a position with his or her knees locked for any long period.

“The idea is using pressure garments to force the fluid up, which helps keep the blood pressure up, so you don’t pass out with your knees locked,” said Polk, deputy chief medical officer at NASA.

Polk is former medical director for the Ohio Emergency Medical Services division. He was an emergency-room doctor at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland and the chief flight surgeon for the hospital’s Metro Life Flight.

http://michellemalkin.com/

Johnny Appleseed

2010-10-10T16:19:00.006-04:00

Yesterday for breakfast, I had a red rome apple on my way quickly out the door to get to church in time for choir rehearsal. While the apple is more of a cooking apple than an eating apple, I get them this time of year because they remind me of my Grandfather Borders. He lived in Scioto County, Ohio, and was a farmer. Everyone, including his children, called him "Pop." His wife was "Mom."

Mom and Pop had a small clutch of apple trees, maybe six or so, and every September the trees dropped many, many apples. The boys and men of our family would gather the apples and the women and girls would make apple butter, apple sauce, and cooked apples, canning it in greenish Ball jars for the winter. On those Saturday events, Mom's house smelled happily of cinnamon and apples, while the windows were fully steamed up all day from the big pots of boiling water on the wood burning stove.

Pop would call the grandchildren over to the back porch and sitting on an old wooden chair painted white many times, Pop would peel a red rome apple using his pocket knife in one long peel. Around and around the apple, he would cut at just the right depth under the skin to keep the peel intact; I never saw him break it.

He would tell us that those red rome apple trees in the corner of the field had been planted by Johnny Appleseed. Now, I knew that Pop was a big kidder and practical joker, but I think he was sincere in telling us this.

Of course at the time, I was not sure that there had been an actual Johnny Appleseed, but later I knew that there had been. His real name was John Chapman and he lived until 1845. He began spreading his seeds and creating nurseries around 1796 in Pennsylvania. Many people believe that he was in Jackson County, Ohio in 1801, the county that borders Scioto County to the North, so Pop's trees could have been Johnny Appleseed trees.

The trees are no longer there, nor are my Grandparents, but great memories still are carried by me and my cousins. Oh, and try as I may, I have only peeled an apple with one peeling once; probably in too much of a hurry.

"Great Heats"

2010-10-01T09:10:00.007-04:00

The third book is almost finished with the re-edit and the publisher is waiting to begin the process. It will take three to six months to complete the process, during which time I have been known to get ouchy; maybe this time, it will be different.

I am happy with the book. In re-reading it during the edit, I was still moved in the same spots as when I was writing.

Most of the writing was done at one of five restaurants where the noise and distractions were easy to ignore, compared to the distractions at home -- the garden, the trees, the painting, the cars, the wife!

During the writing, I became so close to the characters in the book that I would think about them at night or when on a long drive.

On more than one occasion while writing at a restaurant, tears would form in my eyes and then dam up along my glasses rim. Finally, I would have to stop and wipe my eyes with a napkin.

Once, a waitress from another table came over to me and asked if I was OK.

"Onions," I replied. "It's just the onions in my egg-white omelet," I explained.

She looked at my plate. "...Oh," she responded weakly, and left with a funny look on her face, probably because my egg whites were scrambled with no onions.

I still have to insert the 300 DPI high resolution images, but that shouldn't take long. It has been such a long process for me, one where I lost my enthusiasm for a while, but then regained it. Not much left to do now. Just the images.

Maybe, I'll take time for just one more pass through it -- before I let it go.

"Stand up and walk out of your history." ~~ Phil McGraw (Dr. Phil)

Backyard Wildlife Drama

2010-09-22T07:08:00.003-04:00

In the past two years, wild turkeys have appeared in our back yard. The largest clutch was a tom with four hens. Wild Turkeys are large birds weighing 20 pounds or more with wing spans of up to 6 feet and like other birds often talk to one another through various "clucks."

My family delights in pointing out to me what turkeys look like since I never saw a single bird when I hunted them in Ohio (once in the same woods with Bob Evans, the sausage maker and restauranteur, but that's another story.)

I was an avid birder in my "tween" years and have since that time been very sensitive to bird calls, flight patterns and behaviour. While sitting on my deck last week, editing my book -- a seemingly never ending process -- I heard the call of a hen turkey and looked towards the sound to see two fully grown hens walking through our yard near the rock wall under the leather leaf verbena. One of them moved to the open part of our yard ten feet or so from the verbena shrub, pecking at something tasty on the ground.

From the corner of my eye, I saw movement. A Red Tailed Hawk dove from a limb high in one of the walnut trees at the edge of the woods, headed for the turkey in the open. The turkey spotted the hawk as it silently swooped on her. She squatted and ducked as the hawk went by, flying up to a dead tree limb, low on another walnut tree. Both turkeys began clucking loudly.

The turkey who had been attacked ran and flew up over the rock wall wall, scurried to the tree where the hawk was perched and with her big wings, her beak and her claws, started climbing the tree trunk, going after the hawk. Seeing this, the hawk flew to a higher perch in an oak tree at the wood's edge.

"Cree, Cree," the hawk screamed. Angry clucks continued to sound from both turkeys, one standing under the verbena, the other resuming her position in the yard.

Joan opened the sliding glass door to the deck, curious about the racket, just as the hawk dove on the turkey again. The turkey held her ground, bobbing her head. The hawk pulled up and went back to the forest's edge.

The combatants now seemed content to shout at one another "Cree, Cree, Cree."

"Cluuuck, cluuk, CLUUCK! Cluuuck, cluuk, CLUUCK!"

"Cree, cree, Cluuck, CLUUCK, Cree, Cluuck, Cree, cree. CLUUCK, CLUUCK, CREEE"

A new voice from the sky above entered the fray. "Caw, Caw, Caaaw. Caaaaaww. Caaaaawww." A single crow flew over our yard, buzzing our house, speaking in an excited voice. Soon seven of his crow friends joined him, and began diving on the hawk in the tree. The hawk jumped off his perch, flying over our house with eight crows in pursuit.

As Joan and I watched the aerial show, we noticed high above the drama, a lone vulture circling, apparently anticipating a lunch in our back yard.

"From the oyster to the eagle, from the swine to the tiger, all animals are to be found in men and each of them exists in some man, sometimes several at the time." ~~ Victor Hugo, "Les Miserables"

Exciting News!

2010-08-24T08:09:00.002-04:00

The editor has finished her review of my book, "Great Heats" and not only did she cast her Chicago Style Manual at my effort, but she actually read it and liked it. Pretty good from someone who could be easily jaded by having to read words every day for a living and critique their authors.

I also have been given permission by the Portsmouth Murals Commission to use one of the murals for the cover of my book. While this is good news from a variety of standpoints, I also feel a heavier responsibility for the story to stand up to the vision of the original mural committee and to stand alongside the art of muralist Robert Dafford.

It will.

Sandy Words

2010-07-30T09:59:00.002-04:00

Postcard

Sun, glasses, sand, shells, crabs, kids, coconut, breeze, umbrellas, surf, dolphins, tan, sunburn, ball, hard, soft, bounce, bikini, tanks, tankini, skirts, coverup, Pink, Speedo, ugghhh, airplane, tour boat, cigarette boat, fishing boat, sport boat, jet ski, parasail, advertising boat, helicopter, camera, sculpture, mermaid, crab, dog, shovels, rakes, hoes, sandals, slippers, bottles, bare, back, bareback, breasts, thighs, chests, hair, knees, butts, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, sticky, buns, eggs, omelettes, muffin, pannini, French, Spanish, Russian, English, Long Island, Jersey, tomatoes, Virginia, ham, Greek, feta, Italian, provolone, Swiss, swiss, American, garden, spinach, chefs, pasta, Caesar, cobb, corn, Chianti, Cabernet, Sauvignon, Blanc, Franc, Zinfandel, baked, potato, asparagus. beans, mixed, pork, tenderloin, steak, chicken, free-range, ribs, sushi, lobster, scallops, shrimp, oysters, bouillabaisse, clams, calamari, crab, cake, gelato, ice, cream, DREAM.

The Editor

2010-07-17T07:42:00.009-04:00

The manuscript for "Great Heats" is with the editor. Although I am confident that this is a good story, sending it to her causes some apprehension in me because she is the first person outside a small number of family to read it, or parts of it.

I am prepared to receive her grammatical changes because I know that that is not my strong suit. I am better with a broad brush, rather than cutting a fine line of paint/punctuation/periods. The Chicago Style Manual is her expertise but is a black hole to me.

The important first chapter was a struggle for me to re-write. My first pass was too wordy, too expository without reason. Going back and dropping this scene or shortening a section was painful and laborious. Maybe the result is still not good enough. What if the editor hates it? Wants me to re-arrange sections? Throw sections out?

I have to stop thinking this way.

The artist I am working with has finished her work and the illustrations are ready to be inserted in the best possible place to maximize the impact of the story; I am still waffling on where that "best possible place" is.

There continue to be many loose ends to tie up on this book, but I can't find the drive to tackle them. Maybe the interruptions of the June windstorm or planning for the Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia trip or the preparations for a new roof and new windows, or the vacation at the Shore -- maybe these distractions are causing me to lose my concentration, my continuity.

But surely, I can still multi-task!

Or... perhaps my attention, my focus, is taken because, possibly... I am falling in love with my next book involving the Deccan Traps of India. Hmmm. Let's see. "The sky grew suddenly darker over the ancient steppes as a storm blew out of the Himalayas with revenge in mind."

"Life is a flower of which love is the honey."
~~ Victor Hugo, 1802-1885, Author Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Book Signings -- July 3 in Portsmouth and New Boston, Ohio

2010-06-29T15:26:00.006-04:00

"On Harrisonville Avenue" continues to sell in Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky, so while I am in Portsmouth over the 4th of July weekend visiting family, I will be having two book signings, both on Saturday, July 3:

11:00am - 2:00pm I will be at the Market Street Cafe in downtown Portsmouth, Ohio, a charming Cafe with home baked goods and terrific coffee.

4:00pm - 5:30pm Hickie's Hamburger Inn on Rhodes Avenue in New Boston, ranked nationally as having among the best burgers in the country. Brad and Shug there let me use some of founder Don Hickman's photo's of New Boston for my book.

If you are in the area, stop by these two unique and successful places with good food, quick service at a fair price -- all with a smile and a "how you doing'? "

Oh, and Mrs. Giles will be assisting me -- with a smile also :-) Yowzzir! (Yes, that's me in the 7th Grade.)

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.” ~~ Yogi Berra, b. 1925

Finis!

2010-06-23T10:26:00.003-04:00

Rewriting the Epilogue took longer than I thought, and I still may revise it as there are some details that I should revisit, but I say -- over.

My illustrator is reworking the third drawing she is doing for me. Her work will be the last pages of the Epilogue. I hope that readers are not like me and fan through the book, in which case you see the last pages before reading the book; instead, I want the drawings to be a surprise, so please Dear Reader, resist that temptation (and I will try to take my own advice.)

Now, for an editor. I want to work with one where there is a give-and-take, rather than a recasting of my effort. I'm not sure, but I may have located one. We'll see in the next few days.

Oh, and I received another rejection -- I have never been gracious at rejections -- from women, selling ideas, or in this case, publishers; somehow, it seems easier though, when it is an email.

"I used to save all my rejection slips because I told myself, one day I'm going to autograph these and auction them. And then I lost the box. "
~~ James Lee Burke, American Author, "Cimarron Rose," "Black Cherry Blues," and "Heaven's Prisoners."

On to the Epilogue

2010-06-16T06:58:00.002-04:00

Chapter Four is now "in the can," a television expression actually derived from the film industry, meaning it is finished -- the rewrite is complete; of course, it is never really finished. If I started looking at it again today, I would begin agonizing over this word or that one -- but enough. On to the Epilogue.

Yes, its true there are only four chapters and an Epilogue in my new book, "Great Heats." The word count is 53,000 something, so it will likely come in at around 200 pages, helping me earn my new approbation, "the easyreading author."

The title, "Great Heats," derives from an ancient Asian method of dividing the year into 24 parts, for the purpose of planting, planning for festivals and planning for the winter. One of the annual divisions is the Great Heat, the hottest part of the Summer -- the last part of August, where we live. Our main character was born during the Great Heat season, and each chapter is from a year in his life.

Among my favorite authors is William Least Heat-Moon, of Irish and Osage lineage. Least Heat-Moon is really not his legal name, but because his father was called Heat Moon and his older brother called Little Heat Moon already, William became Least Heat. In 1982, his book, "Blue Highways" was a best seller and on the New York Time list for almost a year.

I was not thinking of William Least Heat-Moon when I named my book, nor did I know the story of how his name came about, but in my book, the Chief, who is father of the main character is Tall Heron, his son, the main character is Young Heron, and his son is Third Heron. Odd, eh?

“There are two kinds of adventurers: those who go truly hoping to find adventure and those who go secretly hoping they won't.” ~~ William Least Heat-Moon, b. 1939

Progress

2010-06-12T07:19:00.005-04:00

I now have finished rewriting Chapter Three. The usual grammatical and spelling errors have been found, but the number of content errors have surprised me.

For example, I am amazed that in the heat of writing I would rename a character, combining two names into one. Perhaps I knew it at the time but was so anxious to complete the scene that I went on, never coming back to correct it.

I also trap myself with the age of characters: "Ten years ago when I was when I was eight, my life changed in a dramatic way ... " Well yeah, I guess it would!

And then my most annoying trick -- highlighting a paragraph because something is wrong with it, but continuing to write without resolving or noting the reason because I'll always remember that. Then I rediscover the paragraph weeks later and am not be able to recall the reason I highlighted it. Did I want to move it, reword it, consider pitching it -- argghhhh.

I shouldn't rely upon my memory, anymore. When I taught history for three years in the mid 1960's, my memory was crisp and focused. I often worried then that education simply rewarded good memories and that I had gotten through because I had a really good one.

Much of my time today is spent going to a room in our house, stopping and trying to remember what I went there for.

"Life must go on; I forget just why." ~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, American Poet, 1892-1950, and first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

The Shortest Short Story?

2010-06-08T16:22:00.006-04:00

This was in my mailbox this morning:

A College Class was given the assignment to write a short story using the fewest words possible, but the story had to include the following three things:
... Religion
... Sexuality
... Mystery

One A+ was handed out and here is her short story:

"Oh, God, I'm pregnant. I wonder who is the father?"
(A tip of the hat to Scotty Hood.)

Perhaps the short story that intrigues most literary scholars is attributed to Ernest Hemingway, who in six words communicated a complete message even though it is not a complete sentence. In these words are tangible and intangible elements, used to create a tragedy. The six words:

"For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn."

Snipping Chives

2010-06-05T16:49:00.005-04:00

My herb garden has been neglected. Although I have just potted new Basil and Rosemary plants, last year's Oregano and Chives once again "volunteered" to grow in the same historic but miserable soil without any help from me and a lot of discouragement from the weather; how hardy plants are.

This evening while preparing to braise boneless pork spareribs, I felt the need for chives as a garnish, so off to the herbs on the deck to snip the chives with my scissors. Some of the grassy blades had flowered; others had brown tips; some were hard and stem-like. Underneath all of that were the tender ones that I sought, so I trimmed back the less desirable blades, revealing a fistful of the shoots I needed to grace my dish. SNIP.

In that moment, I shuffled my mind to the on-going editing of my third book. Chapter one needed to be refreshed and strengthened, particularly the first paragraph and certainly the first five pages. It was not as easy as changing a verb here or moving a phrase there; whole sections were cut, new words were added, the old sections re-integrated. I lost the sense of forward motion of the story and had to start again. Laborious, detailed, concentrated -- all things I am not good at.

Snipping chives was much more fulfilling; it's oniony perfume, lovely and less lingering than the visceral after-taste of snipping words.

The first draft of anything is #%&*.
~ Ernest Hemingway

The Hardiness of Plants

2010-05-26T08:41:00.004-04:00

At Christmas, I was given a plant holder in the shape of a tricycle. It joins the rooster plant holder in the front of the house and several other architectural pieces designed to add color, but without a lot of the neediness of flowers.

The tricycle has a small pot holder where the "rider" would sit. I needed the right sized pot to put in there, so off I trundled to the garden (which has yet to be planted) where there is a number of last year's pots stored and waiting to be used. In spying the perfect pot, I noted last year's dirt and dead plant remains in it. And there amongst the detritus was a plant from last season, growing. I was taken by it.

Despite the 40 inches of snow and the freeze that followed, this Hen and Chicks plant survived the winter and was prospering in a pot crowded with dead sticks and crowded roots. I had to try and save it. And I hope it will prosper this season in a new pot.

While that plant positively impressed me, the Morning Glories from last year did also, but in a negative, aggravating way. They survive by having so many seeds and such a powerful underground root system, that they survive despite my best efforts to "control" them. Now they are starting to "fight" with three rose bushes.

We live in a pleasant relationship with plants and trees. They brighten our lives even in the depth of winter. The lushness of green grasses, the chartreuse of a locust tree, the velvet colors of day-lilies all add to the quality of our lives. But, make no mistake, under that foliage and along with their beautiful pastel colors, at the heart of the plant is a potent competitor with a long history of surviving in that jungle of beauty outside my window.

“One generation plants the trees, and another gets the shade”
~~ Chinese Proverb

The Query Letter

2010-05-25T09:37:00.005-04:00

Among the most important pieces of writing that an author can send, is the Query Letter -- either to a literary agent that you hope will represent your new work, or to a publisher that will accept Query Letters directly from an author instead of through a literary agent. The purpose of the letter is to excite/convince/interest them in staking their reputation on representing you or getting a publisher to risk publishing your book! Thumbs up ... or thumbs down on something you have spent a goodly portion of your life.

Some agents have their own peculiar form, such as:
... send the first paragraph or
... send the first five pages or
... send the first chapter or
... write a one paragraph description of your work and I'll tell you if I want more.

Some have no form or template and depend upon you, the author, to "Wow" them with your concise, brilliant prose, written in a new voice, using words that have never sat next to one another -- in 100 words or less. And you hope that they won't "just shrug it off as the foghorn bleat of an over-privileged mediocrity looking for some attention." (Quote courtesy of the Anchoress, Elizabeth Scalia.)

If you are curious or ever need such a device as a Query Letter, take a look at Nathan Bransford's Blog http://www.nathanbransford.com/ (I follow it, so you can see it on the right of my Blog). He has a "form" to follow. Since he is a Literary Agent, the template should be "very" accurate.

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.
~~Mark Twain

Hurst Lightning Rods

2010-05-23T16:13:00.013-04:00

Yesterday, my son, Steve and his son, Jason (my Grand Son) went to a local car show of Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles -- two marques that have recently been relegated to the great car brands of the past, you know like Morgan, Dusenburg and Gremlin -- as well as a few Buick muscle cars from days past.
The show was a nice mix of local enthusiasts with some serious entries. Five year old Jason, particularly enjoyed the 1959 Oldsmobile 98, while his Father and I had our heads under the hood of a 1964 Pontiac 2+2 with a 421 cubic inch engine with three, two-barrel carburetors. (No Pansy fuel injectors on this model!)

It was a trip down memory lane for me, walking among these aging engine blocks, as I regaled my two younger males with stories of hot rods and porta-walls and metal dashboards from my youthful days "On Harrisonville Avenue."

"Grandpa Ron, Grandpa Ron. What are these?" Jason asked.

I looked closer inside the 1984, 15th anniversary edition of the Hurst Olds. There, above the ash tray (another historic anomaly) was the real gearshift and two other shifters, the "Lightning Rods." I had never seen anything like that before.."
.
Well," I replied authoritatively, "one is for vanilla and the other for chocolate."
.
Jason looked to his father for guidance, since he knew that I have kidded in the past. "Is that right?" Jason asked.
.
"Grandpa Ron is having fun with that answer," my son replied. "Actually, the Lightning Rods allow the driver to shift up or down when he wants to, but without having to use a clutch, like I do on my Honda."
.
Jason smiled at me -- knowingly -- and we walked on to the Pontiac Firebird 6.6.
.
Maybe I shouldn't joke around with a five year old. Maybe he'll grow up with a distrust of adults. My Grandfather Borders joked around with me when I was growing up, and I turned out alright. Right? RIGHT?

“Does Grandpa love to babysit his grandchildren? Are you kidding? By day he is too busy taking hormone shots at the doctor. At night he and Grandma are too busy doing the cha-cha.” ~~ Humorist, Hal Boyle

I Have Been Away

2010-05-22T06:29:00.007-04:00

I have been away -- not in the travel sense, but away from this and other widely social settings. Among the things keeping me away is my third book. Even though the writing is complete, I have been revising the first chapter, an agonizing process for me, in preparation for sending it to an editor. And, as part of the process, I have sent off five query letters -- one to an agent that I carefully researched as to his interest in historical fiction, and four to publishers who accept contact without an agent. Four rejections; one is still out.

The book has also sent me searching for an illustrator to work with. I expect to use three or four illustrations, presumably from my main character who was an artist a thousand years ago. The search ended up in my own back yard -- the wife of my cousin's son; she is an '09 Fine Arts graduate from Kent State with quite a range -- from anime to portraits to insect illustration (she currently has a contract with Orkin).

In the past four weeks, Joan and I have presented four hour long concerts -- "Hymns and Their Stories." Each of these are formatted for the occasion; two of the three used an actor playing the role of a poet, with me writing their script. And then there is rehearsal; generally, I try to rehearse one hour a day with Joan for three weeks to get my voice in shape for singing and speaking an hour's length. As I age, my voice is not as forgiving of things like outrageous amounts of pollen. It's amazing to recall that as a younger singer, I smoked two packs of Winstons a day and got away with it (I think)! I couldn't do that any longer.

And then there is family -- Joan is preparing a 75 page booklet on our annual Memorial Day grave visits in Pittsburgh. Carefully researched stories and photographs of deceased family members proudly grace the pages she has painstakingly -- oftentimes in conflict with her computer and other mechanical objects that stand in her way -- assembled over two months in a spiral bound and tabbed edition intended for this and future generations. I have tried to stay away from her "process" but somehow always manage to become involved -- much as she does in mine.

The Grand Children are getting older and as they do, they become involved in sports and theatre and activities that grandparents want to see and photograph. How precious it is to get beaten by your 5 year old Grand Son in Bean Bag Toss; I think I can take him the next time!

Writing, Art, Music, Children -- I have been away Dear Reader, in a most pleasant way.

"Writers will happen in the best of families"
~~ Rita Mae Brown, American Writer, b. 1944

President Obama In His own Words

2010-04-23T09:39:00.007-04:00

One of our dear readers pointed out to me that in my previous post, my partial list of the industries and organizations that President Obama has demonized was unsupported. I offer the following in support of my list. Although the Administration has many people who speak additional words on behalf of the President (Gibbs, Emanuel, Geithner) this is the President of the United States in his own words:

President Obama Blames the Medical Profession for high health care costs, thinking of themselves and not their patients --
July 23, 2009:
"And part of what we want to do is to make sure that those decisions are being made by doctors and medical experts based on evidence, based on what works, because that’s not how it’s working right now. That’s not — that’s not how it’s working right now.

"Right now, doctors a lot of times are forced to make decisions based on the fee payment schedule that’s out there. So if they’re looking and you come in and you’ve got a bad sore throat or your child has a bad sore throat or has repeated sore throats, the doctor may look at the reimbursement system and say to himself, “You know what? I make a lot more money if I take this kid’s tonsils out.

"Now, that may be the right thing to do, but I’d rather have that doctor making those decisions just based on whether you really need your kid’s tonsils out or whether it might make more sense just to change — maybe they have allergies. Maybe they have something else that would make a difference."

President Obama demonizes the Insurance Industry -- March 8, 2010:
“Every year, insurance companies deny more people coverage because they have a pre-existing condition. Every year, they drop more people’s coverage when they’re sick and need it most. Every year, they raise premiums higher and higher.”

“When I was young, just got out of college, I had to buy auto insurance. I had a beat-up old car. And I won’t name the name of the insurance company, but there was a company — let’s call it Acme Insurance in Illinois. And I was paying my premiums every month. After about six months I got rear-ended and I called up Acme and said, I’d like to see if I can get my car repaired, and they laughed at me over the phone because really this was set up not to actually provide insurance; what it was set up was to meet the legal requirements. But it really wasn’t serious insurance." February 25, 2010, President Obama confusing who pays when you are rear-ended, while slamming the insurance company/industry.

President Obama indicts the Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Department
"The Cambridge Police acted stupidly." ~~ President Barack Obama, July 22, 2009, on the arrest of Professor Henry Gates.

President Obama on "people waving tea bags around" (President Obama ,April 29, 2009) "So, I have been a little amused over the last couple of days where people have been having these rallies about taxes. You would think that they would be saying 'Thank You.' " ~~ President Barack Obama, April 15, 2010.

President Obama slams banks and bankers:
"I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street." December 12, 2009

"Banks don't get it." December 9, 2009

"Here's the problem," Mr. Obama said, "It's almost like they've [banks] got -- they've got a bomb strapped to them and they've got their hand on the trigger. You don't want them to blow up. But you've got to kind of talk them, ease that finger off the trigger." March 18, 2010

President Obama insults Wall Street firms
"Unless your business model depends on bilking people, there is little to fear from these new rules." ~~ April 22, 2010

"That is the height of irresponsibility. It is shameful, an outrage." ~~ January 29, 2010

It appears that President Obama and/or his handlers are following a plan taken from Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals," published in 1971. President Obama knows of the Alinsky method because he used it in community organizing and employed it in his 2008 campaign. It was so successful, that he became President, evoking this note from Alinsky's son:

"Obama learned his lesson well. I am proud to see that my father's model for organizing is being applied successfully beyond local community organizing to affect the Democratic campaign in 2008. It is a fine tribute to Saul Alinsky as we approach his 100th birthday." ~~ L. David Alinsky.

Whenever the Administration wishes to undertake a new initiative, it appears they follow Radical Rule #13, excerpted from Alinsky's book, pages 127-134 :

13. Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.

"In conflict tactics there are certain rules that [should be regarded] as universalities. One is that the opposition must be singled out as the target and 'frozen.'..."

"...any target can always say, 'Why do you center on me when there are others to blame as well?' When your 'freeze the target,' you disregard these [rational but distracting] arguments.... Then, as you zero in and freeze your target and carry out your attack, all the 'others' come out of the woodwork very soon. They become visible by their support of the target...'

"One acts decisively only in the conviction that all the angels are on one side and all the devils on the other." ~~ Saul Alinsky.

On Earth Day

2010-04-22T19:07:00.004-04:00

"It always makes it easier to fight a war if you demonize people, so that you are not killing human beings, you are killing the devil." ~~ Retired Army Colonel, Harry Summers

The Obama Administration has demonized quite a few "devils" in 18 months:

... Doctors
... Insurance Companies
... The Cambridge Massachusetts Police Department
... The Tea Party Movement
... Banks
... The Auto Industry
... Wall Street

And, who is most likely to accept this argument of demons, as being responsible for the "ills of the moment" -- the labeling of "them", or "they" as being the ones responsible? Young people are the most likely to buy the argument of demonization without pause, ages 11 - 25.

So, if I were mindful of the power of propaganda -- as demonstrated by the brilliant film-maker, for Adolph Hitler, Fr. Leni Reifenstahl -- what audience would I go after as fertile ground for my message. That's right -- the youth of the country, any country, your country.

... Al Gore announced today, "Inconvenient Youth," a website to indoctrinate our youth without questioning the gospel according to Al Gore, Nobel Prize Laureate, Oscar Winner, former Vice President of the US.

... "Barack Hussein Obama, Hmmm. Hummm. Hmmm" ~~ Maryland Elementary School Children

... http://www.climate.nasa.gov.kids/ -- part of Climate Kids, which is part of kids.gov, a part of the White House Websites, confidently states in #6 that "People Cause Global Warming" and yes, there is the picture of a Polar Bear clinging to melting ice, with the caption: "Polar Bear clinging to melting ice, surrounded by open seas." Awww!

The Polar Bear looks pitiful, doesn't he? Like he is going to drown at an moment now, as soon as we adults melt the ice that he is clinging to. The truth is that Polar Bears are excellent swimmers and have been seen as far away as 100 miles from land. Our kids do not know that they are being manipulated.

www.epa.gov/ozone/science -- Kids are treated to cartoon drawings citing 1992 data proving that CFC's have caused a huge hole in the atmosphere over Antarctica. "Animals can't get enough food to survive and eventually people don't get enough food either." Pretty scary stuff to read, as an adult; imagine how you would feel as a kid!

Dear reader, we are paying for the government to do these things (Al Gore is being paid by others, I guess). Is that what you want done with your money -- presenting a point of view to children as fact, when we are generally 50/50 in disagreement on everything?

There is too much government waste of our money anyway. Let's not have it used to proselytize our children to bureaucratic views.

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the state can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the state to use all its powers to repress dissent, for truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the state.
~~ Joseph Goebbels, 1897-1945 -- Reich Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda for the National Socialists German Workers Party (NAZI)

Alea Jacta Est

2010-04-17T18:45:00.007-04:00

In Mr. Obama's own words:

________________________________________

"I now have been in 57 states -- I think, one left to go." ~~ Candidate Barack Obama, Oregon, 2008.

"Anybody been to Whole Foods lately and seen what they charge for arugula?"

Candidate Obama in Iowa, 2008, relating his own grocery store shopping experiences to the common people.

"It's not surprising then that they [voters] get bitter, they cling to their guns or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment, or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustration." -- Candidate Barack Obama to middle-class voters in Pennsylvania, 2008.

"The Cambridge Police acted stupidly." ~~ President Barack Obama, July, 2009, on the arrest of Professor Henry Gates.

"The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued that region for centuries." ~~ President Barack Obama, Florida, 2010.

"So, I have been a little amused over the last couple of days where people have been having these rallies about taxes. You would think that they would be saying 'Thank You.' " ~~ President Barack Obama, April 2010.

_________________________________________________________

Maybe this explains why the President is not permitted to have Press Conferences and uses a Teleprompter (TOTUS) all the time.

President Barack Obama speaking to elementary school students in Maryland, 2010.

Joan -- the Editor

2010-04-14T08:08:00.005-04:00

Just in case you thought the Chicago Manual of Style was rough on writers whose careful quotient was low, please meet JOAN -- Mrs. Giles.

She can spot a single space after a period as soon as she turns the page, and then takes obvious delight in darkly circling the needy spot. SPACE, she tirelessly writes.

Then there is my need to capitalize words for emphasis, uhh, Emphasis. My penchant for this new and inconsistent addition to the English Language must be very frustrating for Joan, offending her sense of proper rule-following, since I do it over and over Again. If the poet, ee cummings, could play with capitalization and word placement,

why

Can't I?

Finally, I find the ellipsis a very useful form of punctuation ... say, when characters are thinking, looking for just the right ... word. Or, when the villain catches himself from saying the spot was caused by "blood" and instead says ... "wine" after a pause for consideration or for ... effect.

Joan's quarrel with my ellipsis is that they should be . . . that is, three periods separated by spaces, but that really calls too much attention to itself. I want something that the reader "trips" over and pauses to catch their ... balance, rather than pausing to catch their . . . balance.

Joan is very specific, and I'm ... well, Scattered. The differences between us has kept us married for 44 years, and has led to some spirited, if arcane, Discussions.

"Grammar is not a time of waste."
~~ Bart Simpson

Writing

2010-04-08T22:24:00.003-04:00

Rewrite, revise, ellipsis, spellcheck, Chicago Style Manual, rejection letter, Chapter Three, drop cap, page break, cut, paste, copy, clarify, redo, find, replace, eat, pay attention to wife, cook, wine. Sleep.

"I'm not a very good writer, but I am an excellent rewriter."

~~ James Michener

Writing

2010-04-02T09:32:00.002-04:00

Revising, revising, revising -- capitalization, grammer, em dash, grammar -- cutting, substituting, moving, synonyms, missing words, fleurons. Singing, shopping, church, cooking -- revising, revising, revising. Five pages a day, 125 to go.

Writing

2010-03-30T10:29:00.003-04:00

I couldn't let it go! Yesterday, I added three pages to the end of my book. It is an improvement, I think. Joan will tell me.

Maybe this is all about avoiding the rewriting process. I'll have to think about that.

"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday"
~~ Don Marquis, American novelist, playwright and poet -- 1878-1937

2010-03-28T15:24:00.003-04:00

I have completed the principal writing of my third book. It was difficult sleeping last night as I had nothing to resolve about the book. Today, I am having trouble focusing or even getting the energy to organize myself for reading and revising. It is printed out waiting for me to put it into my three ring binder, but the idea of picking it up is not appealing. I liked the story very much -- was even moved to tears several times in writing it -- but this phase is hardly my favorite. After I make the revisions, I need to get it to an editor to do what editors do. But right now, I need to get started. Maybe after I take a nap!

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.

~~ Ernest Hemingway

Writing

2010-03-25T22:27:00.001-04:00

Writing, writing, writing -- sleep -- eat. Writing, writing, writing. Almostattheend. Then revise, revise, revise ...

Writing: Chapter 4

2010-03-16T19:24:00.004-04:00

From 800 AD to 1400 AD, a Global Warming period struck the Northern Hemisphere. During this time, the Vikings discovered and settled "Greenland", naming it Green because it was warm enough then to be green and to grow agricultural crops. Today, of course, Greenland is mostly ice-covered and its name a contemporary misnomer.

In my third book, the Native Americans present around the year 1000 are living through this warming cycle and are, in fact, having to deal with the results Mr. Gore alludes to as "man-made." (No, I am not making a political statement.)

This is the reportage on a scene from Chapter 4 which is setting up a later physical conflict over food -- one tribe against thieves who want their food reserves.

The heat and the lack of rain, has been very hard on the Tribe because the food has not been as plentiful. The plantings have produced pitiful results, even with planting fish skins and water from the springs.

The dry and the heat have increased the amount of insects and have made them more vicious towards humans and more ravenous towards vegetables. New insects seemed to have emerged from the cracked soil while the hoppers prosper and multiply, bringing large white birds who take our fish before we can.

From the cave, I could see the winds whip around in circles, causing dust to rise and be blown away from our fields. Even I as one person, could notice that the coyote were becoming more plentiful and were beginning to hunt young deer in packs, causing the deer to be less plentiful and those who were there were more cautious.

I could also see from the cave the shallow depths of the two rivers. Their banks were never full and many times in the Great Heat, their waters would be reduced to small flows in their main channels. The fish would be jammed together in the small space and the otters, fox and hawks would take more than they should, causing the fish to be fewer and fewer.

All of this was worrisome and there seemed to be nothing that we could do. Some of our villagers had left us, to wander the river banks in search of a better place. Most of us who remained behind, thought it best to stay together as a group, but taking up the wandering life did have its appeal, as our ancients had practiced it many years earlier.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
~~ Dr. Seuss

Writing: Chapter 4

2010-03-15T19:51:00.004-04:00

Consumed with writing, I have finished Chapter 3, a transitional chapter, and now turn to Chapter 4, a critical chapter. It opens with our main character, Young Heron, curious about the activity in his estranged village that he is witnessing from above:

Word had quickly spread through my Village of some important event; the people were running from hut to hut, meeting in the Plaza. Even from my high lookout, I could tell that they were excited.

I left my cave and climbed to the Sentinel’s camp on top, but he was not there—probably hunting, I thought. From my vantage point, I saw my son of twenty seasons, Heron, climbing the hill without regard of being spotted. He must be coming to tell me of the event, but he should be more careful. Heron arrived, just as the Sentinel emerged from the trees on the ridge, carrying a gourd that was sloshing water. Neither of them seemed concerned about the other’s presence; it was confusing to me.

“Father,” Heron said excitedly, “the old Chief of Chiefs has died. Grandfather says you are free!”

The sense of what Heron said did not immediately set in. The Sentinel arrived. I turned to him. “Is it true that the Chief in Chi’cotha has died?” I asked him.

“Yes,” the Sentinel replied flatly. “The Council has named White Eagle from Nurk as the new Chief.”
They could have named Father, but for my mistake twenty seasons earlier. The Sentinel seemed to be making preparations to leave, but it was not time for a new Sentinel – not till the next moon. What did this mean?
Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies.
~~Terri Guillemets, Anthologist

A 5% Pay Cut for Congress

2010-03-09T14:55:00.005-05:00

Meet Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona. She represents the First Congressional District of Arizona, an area that, if it were a state, would be the 25th largest state

Her website indicates that she was "born and raised in Greater Arizona. Representative Ann Kirkpatrick’s first words were in Apache, and she has spent her whole life serving her home state - as a mom, as a prosecutor, a teacher, a small business owner, a community leader, a state legislator and now as a Member of Congress."

She is a first term Congresswoman, having been elected in 2008. She has proposed that members of Congress take a 5% pay cut, or about $8,000. Congress has not taken a pay cut since 1933, the height of the Great Depression. Twenty other members of Congress have signed on to support her bill, despite the fact that Congress is considering a pay raise for themselves.

I spend a lot of time in this column railing against the offenses of Congress, but here is an idea from them that I support. If you do also, then I suggest you call your Representative and ask them to get behind Rep. Kirkpatrick's idea.

Currently, Rep. Kirkpatrick already gives 5% of her salary back to help pay off the National Debt.

"It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself." ~~ Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady, 1933-1945

The Consent of the Governed

2010-03-08T19:27:00.004-05:00

A January, 2010, Rasmussen poll of US citizens found that 45 % of us believe that randomly selected citizens from the phone book could do a better job of legislation than the current bunch in Congress. One wonders what the percentage would be today, given the accusations or revelations of Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY).

Our Declaration of Independence says that the National Government "derives their just powers from the consent of the governed." (That's you and me, Dear Reader.)

A new Rasmussen poll shows that just 21% of American citizens believe that our current government has that public consent.

How do you feel? Do you give your consent to this group? Are they representing your will the majority of the time?

Rasmussen then went on to survey the Politicians about their estimate of ratings on having the public consent.

61% of the political class believe that they have the consent of the governed! A big disconnect between their estimate of consent and the public's actual consent, would you agree?

Why the disparity? Well, if most of your waking moments are spent talking to those in the bubble around our nation's Capital, you develop that attitude, while on the other side of the Potomac River, the nation is simmering in discontent with the amateurish antics of the political class, their out-of-touch legislative agenda, and the disrespect they have for the American Public.

Vote them out -- all of them.

"Politicians are like diapers; they need to be changed often and for the same reason." ~~ Mark Twain

Writing: Chapter Three

2010-03-05T08:09:00.002-05:00

So far, my discipline for writing has held. I am sure that the cold weather has something to do with it as the distractions are limited to things inside the house. Chapter three is now 12 pages (about 18 book pages) and 5000 words.

In this chapter, our hero is 28 years old, and despite being banished from his village for an indiscretion with an older woman, he and his "one," (wife) Lone Bird, have managed to create another child, a three year old daughter, Little Fawn, whom he has not seen since she was an infant.

The scene below takes place in the woods, near a spring -- a familiar meeting place. Although he does not know who might be coming to meet him today, our hero, Young Heron, has arrived early, eagerly awaiting whomever might appear:

From my hiding place in the woods above the rocks where the springs flowed, I waited. Then I heard the sounds of a little girl crying and I knew Lone Bird and my daughter were coming. But the first person I saw, was my son, Third Heron, who came cautiously creeping into the opening around the small pool of the spring’s waters, as if to see if any animals were drinking there.

Then running into the opening came Little Fawn, cuter than I could have imagined. I had not seen her since she was a baby, but now she could walk and run and was beginning to talk to her brother, when her mother, my One appeared, trotting after Little Fawn. My breath was taken away by seeing all three of them there. And, following Lone Bird was Mother. What a gathering this would be!

I whistled the call of the redbird—“purdy, purdy, purdy, wheet,” to let them know that I was nearby. Third Heron looked back at his mother, and she nodded ‘yes’ to him. My son then answered my call with his whistle—“piddy, piddy, piddy, wheet.”

I was thrilled; tears of joy and pride welled in my eyes, as I bounded out of my hiding place and ran down the hill. Little Fawn was frightened by me and hid behind her grandmother. Third Heron ran to me and hugged me strongly. He was ten years old and getting big.

“Aiyee,” I shouted happily. Mother returned, “Aiyee, my son.” Little Fawn stepped halfway out from behind her grandmother and stood with her fingers touching her lips.

Lone Bird looked back at Little Fawn smiling and said in an encouraging tone, “Aiyee,” with her voice rising at the end. She and Little Fawn had practiced this greeting for me, but Little Fawn was unsure. “Come on my Fawn, you can say it, with me. “Aiyee, Father.”
And shortly, alone by herself, Little Fawn ventured softly, saying “Awee, Faver.” It was precious. “Aiyee, my pretty daughter,” I said gently, and she smiled and turned her head in embarrassment.
"A grownup is a child with layers on."
~~ Woody Harrelson, American Actor, b. 1961

Reconciliation in the Senate?

2010-03-03T08:51:00.006-05:00

"The misuse of the arcane process of reconciliation—a process intended for deficit reduction—to enact substantive policy changes is an undemocratic disservice to our people and to the Senate's institutional role." ~~ Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia.

Senator Byrd has written a four volume set on the rules and procedures of the Senate and is not just "an" expert, but is "the" expert on the use of Senate rules. When he states that the process of "Reconciliation" is only for deficit reduction, then the authority on the matter has spoken. End. 30-30.

Yet the Obama Administration continues to push for Health Care reform, despite the fact that the American Public does not want it. The populace may want parts of it, but not the whole enchilada that consumed all of the 2009 legislative year. Why is President Obama persisting on making this controversial and destructive push again?

The Wall Street Journal has suggested a reason for the President's determination that seems plausible to me: "he's volunteering Democrats in Congress to march into the fixed bayonets so he can claim an LBJ-level legacy like the Great Society that will be nearly impossible to repeal."

Obama's legacy as President? Is this what this unpopular, unwanted exercise of power by the President is all about? Ego? All other reasons seem to pale next to this one. And if so, is this a proper use, or attempted use, of the Presidential powers? The Wall Street Journal's article is entitled "Abuse of Power." A serious charge for a serious matter, n'est-ce pas?

"Whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad with power."

Writing: Chapter Three

2010-03-02T15:53:00.004-05:00

I am continuing to write daily, averaging about a page a day. Our now 28 year old hero has been sentenced to spend his lifetime in seclusion -- in a cave -- and Chapter Three is about what has taken place in the first ten years of his supposed isolation. He and his "One," Lone Bird, now have a three year old daughter, so I leave it to you, Dear Reader, to surmise how that might have happened in his decade of imposed loneliness.

When a man looks across a street, sees a pretty girl, and waves at her, that's not a rendezvous, that's a passing acquaintance. When he walks across the street and nibbles on her ear, that's a rendezvous!
~~ Wally Schirra, 1923-2007, US Astronaut and Navy Pilot with 267 Carrier landings

Writing: The Third Chapter

2010-02-26T13:30:00.006-05:00

The Second Chapter is now complete -- 16,000 words and 41 typed pages, about 60 book pages. It is not edited and I still have some open questions about it, but overall, I am pleased.

In the third chapter, our central character is 28 years old. Whereas the second chapter had conflict as well as happiness, the third chapter will be more cerebral.

Young Heron has been living in a cave for the last ten years, part of a punishment handed out by the Chief of Chiefs. Even though Young Heron, our hero, is not supposed to have contact with anyone, over the decade, he has befriended the Sentinels -- lookouts, stationed on the hilltops -- who guard his Village from attack.

In this winter scene, our hero, an artist, calls to the Sentinel to come into his cave and warm himself by Young Heron's fire:

"The Sentinel, having made his way down the side of the hill, rounded the corner and entered my room, my cave.

“Warm yourself, my brother,” I invited. He came over to my fire in the center of the room, took off his snow covered robe of skins, his hood and dropped his bow. Underneath his robe, the Sentinel had hides covering his legs and a deerskin vest, with rabbit fur around his wrists and ankles above his moccasins. He turned his backside to the fire.

“The wind,” he said, “is getting stronger. I was going to go into my hut to avoid the wind, but I thought I would check on you. It is warmer here than in my drafty hut.”

Over the years, the Sentinels and I had come to know one another. As in village life, some were friendlier than others, but each of them had loosened their grip on my “situation.” I always maintained a respect for them and never took for granted any leniency, nor did I take liberties without some sort of understanding from them.

In return, I shared whatever small measure of comfort or pleasure that I had that they did not – such as my warm cave on a cold, windy day or night. I had also made drawings of them while on watch, or sitting by their fire, or just a drawing of their face which they took home for their families.

I offered the Sentinel some sassafras root to chew.

For my part, the Sentinels were an unexpected break in the solitude of my daily life. Most of the time, they were on the rocky top of my cave, watching the valley for any intruders. During warm weather, I might not see them for several days. But I knew they were there; I could smell their fires or hear their calls to other Sentinels on other hilltops. Their presence was comforting and helped relieve the loneliness of my life.

“I see new hands on your wall, yes?” the Sentinel asked.

”Yes,” I replied.

“How do you do that?” he asked.

I needed to be careful in my answer, as the hand was the handprint of my Son, Third Heron, and I did not want to admit that he had been here in my cave.

“By experimenting, I found a white soft rock which I could mash and grind into a fine powder. Next, I would mix it with water, take it in my mouth—but not swallowing—then blow it over the hand on the wall, producing the white outline of a hand,” I explained.

He moved closer to the seven hands on the wall which ranged from small to a medium-sized man’s hand, the seventh; the Sentinel was examining them carefully, moving left to right, small to large. I did not start doing the hands until Third Heron was two seasons old; as he grows older, there is a noticeable difference in the sizes of his handprint on the cave's wall. I saw the differences; maybe the Sentinel would not. There could be trouble for me if he chose to make it.

The Sentinel turned to look at me. He raised his eyebrows… and then he smiled. “Very nice, and clever, very clever,” he said knowingly. “While I appreciate them, do not expect me to praise you or tell anyone about them. I am not that sort of man.” Again, the smile. He understood that they were not my hands, that someone had been in my cave which was against the rules, but he would not say anything. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed, to say “thank you.” We nodded to each other."

Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?
~~ Confucius, Chinese Philosopher, 551-479BC

Writing: The Ceremony of One

2010-02-23T10:03:00.003-05:00

Chapter two has now grown to 14,000 words -- and it is not over. The Ceremony of One, a wedding scene of 1,000 years ago in what is now middle America, is the scene I just finished writing, but have not edited. For your enjoyment, Dear Reader, I have copied below some of the seven vows sequence that the two principals in this scene -- Young Heron and Lone Bird -- have taken.

Only the birds could be heard, as we began, taking three steps together. We then turned and faced each other; I spoke first. “Before these people, I promise to honor and protect you.”

Lone Bird responded, “Before these people, our friends, I promise to honor and inspire you.”

Walking again thee steps, I turned to speak to Lone Bird. “I promise that we will share the responsibility of our shelter and our food, together.”

Lone Bird responded, “And I promise that we will share the responsibility of our shelter and our food together.

As we made our commitments, the crowd began to whisper sounds of understanding and approval.

We stopped again. I started, “May our life together be long and prosperous, and may the Great Spirit bless us with children. I promise to share the responsibility of educating our children.”

“And, Young Heron,” Lone Bird said loudly with a grin, “should we be so blessed, I promise that I will share the responsibility of children with you.” Lone Bird’s playful response was totally unexpected, and when the crowd heard it, there was a smattering of laughter that grew louder quickly, with most of the laughing sounds and whistles coming from the women in the crowd who approved of Lone Bird’s humor and courage. Lone Bird and I were laughing, as well.

When the crowd sounds diminished, she continued, “And I promise to share the responsibility of educating our children.”

We walked on, in step with each other, stopping a fourth time. Holding her hand, I said ”I promise to be devoted to you, and only you, as my One.”

Taking my other hand, Lone Bird said to me, “And I promise to be devoted to you and only you, as my One.”

Dropping our hands, we walked on side-by-side, then stopped.

“Lone Bird, I promise to be with you through the joys and the sorrows of our time on earth.”

“And, Young Heron, I promise to be with you during our joys and I promise also to be by your side through sorrows.” We walked on.

Stopping a sixth time, I turned to her and pledged, “I want always to fill your heart with happiness and peace.”

Lone Bird looked softly at me and said in a sincere voice, “I promise to fill your heart with happiness and peace, over and over, year after year.” A collective sigh came from the crowd, as we moved on to the last stop.
"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." ~~ William Faulkner

Global Warming Report Withdrawn

2010-02-22T14:58:00.007-05:00

From the UK newspaper, The Guardian, "Scientists have been forced to withdraw a (2009) study on projected sea level rise due to global warming after finding mistakes that undermined the findings."

This study, by Mark Sidall of the University of Bristol, projected that the Atlantic Ocean would rise as much as 2.7 feet*, by the year 2100 -- all caused by Global Warming. This report supported another report in 2007 by the UN's IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) which also suggested that the Maldive Islands in the Pacific would disappear as well
since the Maldives has an average height above sea level of only 4'11.

Understandably, this report was so alarming to the Maldivan President that he has stated:
"We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades," so the Maldivan Government has begun looking for land (primarily in India) to relocate their citizens, when the catastrophe starts. (Funding for such a purchase of course would come from the countries causing the warming, which was the big flap at the Copenhagen Conference.)
.
Criticism of the 2009 report began shortly after it was published in Nature Geoscience, a new but respected magazine. Finally, the report was retracted -- much to the embarrassment of Nature Geoscience -- with a statement as follows:

"One mistake was a miscalculation; the other was not to allow fully for temperature change over the past 2,000 years. Because of these issues we have retracted the paper and will now invest in the further work needed to correct these mistakes."

Now, why aren't we seeing these retractions on Global Warming being reported by Newspapers and Television in our country? Why is it only European papers carry this category of news? I leave that answer to you, Dear Reader.
~~
* The sea level around the Maldives in 1970 mysteriously dropped 12 inches. Hopefully this was taken into their account as well. Sea level has since raised up to a "normal" level.

~~

There is no significant man-made Global Warming underway and the science
on which the computer projections of weather chaos are based is badly flawed.

~~ John Coleman, Founder of The Weather Channel

Writing: The Ceremony of One -- The Two Doves

2010-02-18T19:23:00.000-05:00

Still in Chapter two of my third book, I have begun to detail a wedding ceremony set in the year 1000 between our 18 year old hero, Young Heron, and his 18 year old beauty from another tribe, Lone Bird. At the end of the ceremony, they sit on two tree stumps covered with skins, while the officiant, The Storyteller, recites a poem, as follows:

Two doves meeting in the sky

Two loves hand in hand, eye to eye

Two parts of a loving whole

Two hearts and a single soul

Two stars shining big and bright

Two fires bringing warmth and light

Two songs played in perfect tune

Two flowers growing into bloom

Two Doves gliding in the air

Two loves free without a care

Two parts of a loving whole

Two hearts and a single soul

~~ Author, Unknown

Jobs Saved? A Great Depression averted by the Obama Stimulus?

2010-02-17T18:53:00.000-05:00

President Obama and his administration spokespeople -- VP Biden, Gibbs, etc. -- are prone (or instructed) to quote a "Jobs Saved" metric to prove that the stimulus worked. Although the Administration cannot cite the same statistic or number on the matter -- someplace between 1 and 3 million jobs saved by the Administration -- there is no statistical category that proves the number; his assertion cannot be proved.

Please, if there is any economist out there reading this -- can you enlighten me about the statistical category "Jobs Saved," because I can't find it among the minutiae of reporting categories. You would think that some category as important as "Jobs Saved" would be in Bold or CAPS or PURPLE. But, I can't find it. HELP! ME!!

As to the Obama Stimulus package saving the USA from another Great Depression, the President claimed yesterday: "Our work is far from over, but we have rescued this economy from the worst of this crisis," he said, which the Reuters News Service, an apologist for the Obama Administration, characterised his statement as meaning that Obama's Stimulus package averted another Great Depression.

Let's be clear. The Great Depression was caused by a Banking Crisis, brought about by a Stock Market crash and intensified by a protracted Drought in the breadbasket of the US. Unemployment was high at nearly 25%, the circulation of money slowed to a drip and no purchasing power was available.

If anything averted the second Great Depression in our time, it was the TARP funds, created by President Bush aimed at recapitalizing the banking industry. What Obama has done -- demonized Bankers, Wall Street firms, and the CEO's of Industry -- looks like encouraging another Depression, rather than discouraging one.

Of the Stimulus funds -- $800 Billion Dollars -- only $242 Billion has been spent in a year, most of that by giving funds to distressed states like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Caleefornia, as the Governator would say. Those Governors, like our Ed Rendell, will assert that Teachers and Policemen's jobs were saved, because they did not have to be laid off.

Uhhh, excuse me Ed. Why not lay off government bureaucrats first and Teachers, Policemen and Firemen last -- INSTEAD OF FIRST. Have you abandoned your rationality in order to play politics with jobs? Can I hear an "AMEN?"

PREDICTION: As 2010 election time nears, the remaining $500 billion of the Obama Stimulus Fund will suddenly find a fast lane and get placed in states where democrat politicians are in trouble -- Nevada, Arkansas, Indiana, Senator Boxer's district in Caleefornia.

So, what priority will President Obama have demonstrated to us then? That he cares about the American people and those out of work, or that he cares more about getting Harry Reid re-elected? It's our money, Dear Reader; it's our people out of work. If you were in the Oval Office, what would you do?

So, President Obama credits his Stimulus Package from keeping America sinking into the next Great Depression. But... what does America think about the success of his Stimulus Package? Here's a recent poll by the New York Times and CBS News

STIMULUS PACKAGE AND JOBS

Has created jobs 6%
Has not, but will create jobs 41%
Will not create jobs 48 %

CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL
Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Writing: The Confession

2010-02-16T15:33:00.000-05:00

Algonquin Fertility Dance, by Theodore de Bry, 1590

My writing has progressed on the Second Chapter of my third book. The seduction of our young, betrothed hero has taken place at the hands of a scheming 30 year old woman -- Raven -- with an important 70 year old husband -- the Chief of Chiefs. Set 1000 years ago among the Hopewell peoples, the same powerful emotions with which we grapple today are present in my novel of that era.

Our 18 year old hero -- Young Heron -- has decided not to confess to the lovely Lone Bird, his chosen; the only person he will tell is, simultaneously, his Father as well as the Chief of his Village:

“Aiyee, Young Heron, my Son. Welcome back from Chi’cotha. Your tally skins from the Fertility Festival have been reviewed and we believe will be a great help as we predict future… resources,” Father stated. Some of the Council began chuckling at the word “resources.”

“What news do you bring from our first Village?” Father asked.

I began in a sad tone, “I am distressed to report that I fear our beloved Storyteller is soon to cross over to the other side of the river. Privately, he confided that he is bleeding from inside and that the bleeding cannot be stopped. He asked for a personal drawing of him that would be turned into a ceremonial pipe and buried with him. He is now as we know him, but he is showing weakness daily.”

“This is unhappy news,” Father agreed, “but death is a fate that awaits us all. Let us hope that each of us will have as important a life as the Storyteller.” The Council murmured sounds of approval.

“Unless there is other business… then this meeting is dismissed,” Father stated in his Chief’s voice; I remained behind as the others left, speaking softly to each other.
“Sentinel, tell those waiting outside that I will be with them in a moment, " Father said as he turned to me. " This is ‘grievance’ day, so I need to wait for my advisor who knows of these complaints and will help me decide; some will be happy and some will not, but that is our way.” Father was a good Chief and took his duties seriously, which made my confession even more difficult.

“Father, I need to speak frankly of a deeply personal matter,” I began, thinking that I could describe the scene leading up to the moment, hoping that Father would look more kindly on my actions, knowing the entire background. But my need to confess overtook me and I blurted out the ending.

“Raven, the Chief of Chief’s One, and I ‘joined’ while in Chi’cotha.” My voice was nervous and hushed; my head was bowed.

“What?” Father exclaimed. “Did you say that you… joined? Do you mean physically… joined?”

“Yes, Father. I wanted you to know, as it may affect your being Chief somehow.”

“Did Raven indicate that my being Chief was threatened by this?” Father asked in a concerned manner.

“No. It is just a worry of mine.”
“Alright.” His Chief’s voice took over as Father controlled his emotions. “Where were you when this happened?”

“In her quarters,” I answered, still nervous.
Chapter two is now 27 pages long using 10,000 words, probably about 45 book pages. It is not over, as there are still three major sections to write in this chapter.

"Carrots of Wisdom" by Wm. J.H. Boetcker, 1914

2010-02-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

William John Henry Boetcker lived until 1962. He was an influential Presbyterian Minister and a charismatic public speaker. In 1914, he published a small pamphlet that became widely quoted, often being mis-attributed to Abraham Lincoln instead of Boetcker. The famous Jeweler Louis Tiffany, Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan all quoted his work, while attributing it, incorrectly, to Lincoln. Here are Boetcker's "Carrots of Wisdom":

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.

You cannot establish security on borrowed money.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away a person's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

~~ William J. H. Boetcker, 1914

Global Warming ... errr... uhhh Climate Change

2010-02-14T19:03:00.000-05:00

This article is not about the recent snowfalls on the Eastern part of the US. Rather, it is about Dr. Phil Jones, of East Anglia University in the UK, who has just admitted that the Medieval Warming Period (MWP) was warmer than "man-made" Global Warming, errr... uhhh Climate Change, today.

That's right, the earth so warmed in the Northern Hemisphere from 800 - 1300AD that the Vikings name Greenland -- GREEN-land, and actually grew crops there, something that is impossible today.

Dr. Jones also admitted, according to the UK's newspaper, The Daily Mail, Feb. 14, 2010, that the earth has not warmed since 1995.

"Professor Jones also conceded the possibility that the world was warmer in medieval times than now – suggesting global warming may not be a man-made phenomenon. And he said that for the past 15 years, there has been no ‘statistically significant’ warming., ." Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250872/Climategate-U-turn-Astonishment-scientist-centre-global-warming-email-row-admits-data-organised.html#ixzz0fYilhmkZ

Man-made Global Warming is far from "settled science." So far, the US Government is relying upon UN Studies based upon Dr. Jones and his cronies studies, particularly the 2007 Report which won a Nobel Peace Prize, but is suffering when its details are challenged. And then there is the Al Gore film, which won an Academy Award and Mr. Gore was likewise awarded a Nobel Peace Prize; his film, "An Inconvenient Truth" has affected public attitudes and was required viewing in some school districts, and yet has been challenged from many quarters.
Why should we take the word of a discredited UN Report and a film maker (Al Gore) who has a financial interest in making Global Warming a fact? Thank God that same film maker also invented the Internet so that average people like you and me can challenge the elite's opinions.
Dear Reader, why should we take Al Gore's opinion as fact? Why should we take a United Nations Report as being worth anything? Wouldn't it be a wise move by the Obama Administration to establish a neutral, independent Climate Change Commission made up of Americans to separate fact from fiction before taking any US Taxpayer action? I vote "Yes."
"According to a U.S. Senate and Public Works Committee report, the “alarm about the future of polar bear decline is based on speculative computer model predictions many decades in the future. Those predictions are being 'challenged by scientists and forecasting experts,' said the report.
Those challenges are supported by facts on the ground, including observations from Inuit hunters in the region."

Writing: The Seduction

2010-02-13T07:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I was able to pen one page. It was difficult writing as I am leading up to a scene where our 18 year old hero is seduced by a 30 year old powerful woman who is married to the Chief of Chiefs. I suspect that this will be the most difficult scene of the whole book.

While it is tempting to be salacious and very descriptive in the narration and the dialogue, I am determined to resist such writing. The hope is that by leaving the details to the imagination -- and experience -- of the reader, the scene will be more compelling and provocative.

The writing must also convey that the young man knows that he is making a mistake, as he was recently betrothed to a young woman of his village. Yet the behavior of the of the older woman is so outside his experience that his best instincts are overcome with lust and he succumbs.

Of course, that is not the end of the story, Dear Reader. Those words are to be written later and to be read when it is published. :]

“You can seduce a man without taking anything off, without even touching him”

~~ Rae Dawn Chong, American Actress

Writing: On the way to Chi'cotha

2010-02-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

With all the snow-bound days of the past week, I have been able to concentrate on the third book, second chapter, writing ten+ pages in the last five days; it now totals 17 pages and over 6,000 words.

Chapter Two will be a very eventful chapter with much of the plot details unfolding. Since the story is set 1,000 years ago in what is now Ohio, I am also blending in historic interpretations of the Adena and Hopewell Earthworks (Mounds and Embankments) as used by a tribe of pre-Columbian Native Americans representing a transitional stage of living, incorporating some traits from the Hopewell and anticipating the Ft. Ancient culture -- such as crop cultivation.

Probably more than you care to know; the writing isn't that dry, I promise.

In this scene from a Village Festival, our hero's 18 year old girlfriend has just met what will turn out to be "the other woman."

“Who IS THAT!” Lone Bird said with a growling breath.

“She is a person from Chi'cotha that Father and I have known for sometime,” I responded flatly, hoping to pour water on her fire.

“Is she always that irritating? Do you see her every time you go there?” Lone Bird asked, barely under control.

“No, not always,” I answered truthfully.

“Well, I hope I never see her again, and I don’t think you should see her either!” The fire was coming back to Lone Bird’s voice.

“Are you jealous of her,” I said without thinking. I knew that I was in trouble when I saw her mouth open as her jaw dropped.

‘Whaaaat? Jealous! Of that old woman. She’s got to be 30 seasons or more. I don’t like her. I don’t like the way she talks to you. I don’t like the way she looks at you. I don’t like her inviting you to come look for her when you are away from me. But jealous, Not at all! Not the least little bit!! OOooooooooh!!!” She growled and stomped her foot. People nearby were beginning to look our way.

For the Ohiophlyes, Chi'cotha is the principal city of my literary Tribe and is my interpretation of the Shawnee word "Chalahgawtha" from which the current day name of Chillicothe is derived. The next stop in my novel for our hero is Chi'cotha, where "the other woman" is laying in wait for him, so to speak.

"I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English - it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them - then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice. "

~~ Mark Twain in a letter to D. W. Bowser

2009: Health Care. 2010: Jobs?

2010-02-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

President Obama told Katie Couric during the Super Bowl build-up that he did not regret holding back on health reform to pursue a jobs agenda. Here's what the President said:

“Keep in mind: Jobs were my number-one priority last year.” Really. REALLY!

So, if Jobs are so important to the President, why is it that yesterday, President Obama showed up at a Robert Gibbs Press Conference WITHOUT his telepromter (TOTUS), to promote Health Care? This is the first time since July, 2009, that he has taken questions from the Press and it is on the subject of HEALTH CARE!

To review, here is the Pew Survey of the American Public's Priorities:

Note where Jobs rank (2nd) versus where Health Care ranks (8th). Also, note where Global Warming ranks (Last, 22nd).

Despite one whole year of trying to pass a health care reform bill, that a majority of Americans did not want, the President could not get it passed, even with a vast majority in the House and the Senate. His own party could not vote for the various iterations, despite the political payoffs of monumental proportions; his own party, the Democrats, would not pass any of the Health care proposals.

Yet, in face of having a nuclear subject on his hands, so hot with anger and rejection that it is glowing green, President Obama is going back to Health Care.

Matters of confidence are getting so fractured about the Obama Presidency that I want him to succeed at something like JOBS for the health of the nation, and so, I side with Democrat Douglas Wilder, the first African-American elected Governor (Virginia, 1990) who recommends that Obama get rid of the Chicago cronies that campaigned hard to get him elected, and replace them with experienced persons who can help him GOVERN. He and his advisors need to hear the American people, instead of their own contributors, supporters, idealogues, and Chicago Cronies.

On another related matter, despite the growing body of reports showing that Global Warming "scientific" evidence has been manipulated to prove a controversial but lucrative point, the White House yesterday wanted to officially open a Climate Change Agency, as part of the NOAA Agency, a part of the Department of Commerce -- read more bureaucrats -- but had to delay the official announcement due to a new Blizzard in Washington, DC.

~ As an aside, I believe that the American Presidency is so complicated today that only a person with experience as a Governor of a state, should be considered as an experienced candidate for the office. Otherwise, you have amateurs running a huge operation for the first time ~

~ Billboard erected by Small Businessmen near Wyoming, Minnesota, who wish to remain anonymous ~

Odds and Ends (Again)

2010-02-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl Census Ad:

Did you see this ad on the Super Bowl last night? We paid $2.5 million for that? Somebody needs to be fired! I want my money back! Who is the advertising agency? Judge for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/user/paytonschlewitt?feature=pyv&ad={creative}&kw={keyword}#p/u/0/JHMEKDq4CZU

Really?

President Obama told Katie Couric during the Super Bowl build-up that he did not regret holding back on health reform to pursue a jobs agenda. Here's what the President said:

“Keep in mind: Jobs were my number-one priority last year.” Really. REALLY!

President Obama gave 51 Presidential speeches or statements on his Health Care agenda. He didn't push for Jobs. Everyone was asking for it. Jobs were the top priority of the people of the US, but the pressure and focus of the President with Congress was to pass Health Care Something. He now has the gaul to say "Jobs were his number one priority?" His record is his record! His statements are his statements! Oratory won't change that!! Paleeeze!!!

TOTUS: (The Teleprompter of the United States)

Secret Service Jargon below ...

FLOTUS = First Lady of the United States

SCOTUS = Supreme Court of the United States

POTUS = President of the United States

TOTUS = Teleprompter of the United States

Apparently, there is no Oratory from POTUS without his TOTUS. Here is a picture from his recent visit to an Elementary School. Can't risk off-the-cuff remarks here:

The Obama Strategy: DEMONIZING

Here are the current industries that the Obama Administration is Demonizing:

1. Heath Care Insurance Companies
2. Wall Street Investment Firms
3. Large Banks

Do you do business with any of these business categories? Do you think that the President is making it easier for you to do business with them or more difficult? Do you think that the costs of defending themselves will be passed along to you? Will his demonizing them help or hurt to cure any problems?

Why are these industries not on his list and apparently are his friends?

1. Trial Lawyers
2. Fannie Mae
3. Freddie Mac
4. Big Unions, including SEIU

I leave the answers to you, Dear Reader, but I think you can surmise mine.

Americans... still believe in an America where anything's possible - they just don't think their leaders do.

~~ Barack Obama

Writing

2010-02-06T19:17:00.000-05:00

Today the Blizzard forced me inside and I spent most of my moments writing on Chapter 2. Consequently, I actually finished 6 pages of difficult writing.

In this scene, set 1000 years ago in Ohio before the Europeans, the 18 year old central character meets an 18 year old young women from his Village who has been flirting with him. Neither of them have ever, what we would term, "dated" another person. This is part of their encounter, as I wrote it during my snow-covered day:

The spring flowed out of the side of a hill and immediately fell over rocks, which allowed one to cup ones's hands for a drink or to put one's face there and drink the water in as it bounced. From the rocks, the water flowed slightly down hill until it was caught in a pond, dug by our ancestors.

“I am thirsty,” she said, as she turned her back to me cupping her hands, catching water and drinking. Lone Bird was beautiful. Her legs were long and muscular without being thick, and her back was straight and nicely formed. When she turned around facing me, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and then brushed the water away off the front of her body with a laugh. Her black hair was in two braids which fell mainly over her back, but now one was over her front shoulder. Her waist cloth was simple and undecorated. She was very appealing.

I leaned into the rocks and caught the water with my mouth, making some slurping sounds; I probably should have cupped my hands as well. I turned around to face her, and as she had done, wiped my mouth and brushed the water off my chest, laughing.

We looked at each other and a force of some sort moved back and forth between us, causing an aching feeling inside me. Both of us took a step forward, putting us very close to each other. Lone Bird bent over at her waist and in the Ojib way, rubbed her nose on mine, back and forth, gently. She was so close, but we were not touching. Her head tilted back slightly and I slowly moved forward and touched her lips with mine, gently, in the manner of our Tribe. Her breath was hot, as was mine, and our breathing was as if we had been running. I pulled my face back to look at her eyes. She was smiling; I thought that there were tears welling in her eyes, as she started to laugh. I laughed with her also. It was not laughter at something amusing, it was laughter of joy, and we were both celebrating the moment without saying a word.

In the distance up the hill, I heard my Father’s unmistakable whistle.

“Lone Bird, that is my Father calling for me. I must go to him. Will you come along, with me?”

At first, she hesitated and then smiled and nodded yes. I took her hand and we began to run towards the Village center.

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ~~ Ernest Hemingway

Odds and Ends

2010-02-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

TWO NEW HOMELAND TERROR THREATS
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a report to Congress on threats to the Homeland, Here are two threats that they listed:

Dependence on fossil fuels and the threat of global climate change that can open the United States to disruptions and manipulations in energy supplies and to changes in our natural environment on an unprecedented scale.

Climate change is expected to increase the severity and frequency of weather-related hazards, which could, in turn, result in social and political destabilization, international conflict, or mass migrations.

Really? These are terrorist threats? Sounds like an agenda. So Secretary Napolitano, what would you have us do? Coal supplies 50% 0f our electricity needs. We have plenty of oil, but laws prevent us from drilling. What would you have us do, Janet? Oh, and Hurricanes -- the lowest incidence in recent years in 2009. Anyway, isn't this in some one else's portfolio of problems to deal with, not yours? Or should I start duct taping my windows now?

*****************************
A STARTLING USE OF VOCABULARY:

The word "UNEXPECTED" is showing up a lot these days -- as in "unexpected temperatures," "unexpected Jobs Report," "unexpected economic downturn." Well, if these experts are being fooled all the time by "unexpected" results, then shouldn't we get some new experts? Or, maybe we should find several words to substitute for "unexpected" like "surprising, amazing, shocking, or startling."

*****************************

POLITICS IN ILLINOIS:
The state of Illinois is known for its rough politics, gangland political associations, and scandals. The current Governor, Pat Quinn, who took over from ousted Governor Rob Bogoyevitch, declared yesterday that he had claimed the Democratic nomination to stand for Governor in the November Election. He also learned yesterday that his Democrat running mate for Lt. Governor, has just been outed as having been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-girlfriend, a prostitute, and that he is also facing charges of tax-evasion. Just another political day in Illinois!

*****************************

CAN GOVERNMENT LEGISLATE JOBS?
From 1920 - 1933, the United States was under Prohibition; selling or consuming alcohol was illegal. This led to Speakeasies, Bootlegging, Organized Crime, and the start of the family fortunes based on rum-running. What did we learn from that? A Government cannot legislate behaviour.

But -- today, can Government Legislate Jobs, creating Jobs by stimulating the economy with a "Jobs Bill?" Jobs have been created this past year, but in a surprising/not-so-surprising way. The largest growth segment of the economy has been (drum roll, please) ... Government jobs, and primarily Government Union Jobs. Private Sector Union membership has actually declined in the last year, while the Union jobs working for the government has increased.

So to answer my own question -- can the Government Legislate Jobs? Only if the Government bureaucracies get bigger, because that's what happened this year.

*****************************************
GLOBAL WARMING NEWS:
India has disassociated itself from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, saying that they cannot rely upon the accuracy of UN IPCC reports. This comes after it was revealed that the IPCC Report citing melting glaciers in the Himalayan mountains was flawed and not peer reviewed.

Elsewhere, the Netherlands has criticized another part of the IPCC Report which stated that Netherlands was 55% under water. Actually, only 26% of the country is under water. The authors of the report reported that the Netherlands would be 55% under water if their rivers overflowed.

[Yeah, and I would be at a perfect weight if my height was 6'8"]

There are Lies ... Damned Lies ... and Statistics!
~~ Mark Twain

Have a nice weekend and go Colts!

Back To Writing

2010-02-03T14:49:00.000-05:00

It is time to resume writing on my third book. I return to Chapter Two, which promises to be a dramatic chapter with romance, a wedding, a betrayal, a trial, and a banishment. What starts off in a chipper and sunny vein turns sour by the end of the Chapter.

Structurally, each Chapter will represent a ten year passage of time. In Chapter One, our hero was 8; in Chapter two, he is 18; in Chapter 3, he is 28, etc. I do not envision this book going much beyond a Chapter 5. Each Chapter has a different drama at play, with all them them being tied up together and resolved in the final Chapter.

And then, there will be the Epilogue. I first became aware of Epilogues while watching "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," which for some of my younger readers may not be a familiar name. It was a black and white TV series that premiered in 1955, 30 minutes long, and it presented "playlets" of suspense, mystery and sometimes horror.

Hitchcock, who lived until 1980 was a film director with a career spanning 6 decades. His most famous film is "Psycho," with "The Birds" and "North by Northwest" close behind.

In his television series, he would introduce each episode -- sometimes in costume, like a Pith Helmet which would have something to do with the plot -- and also appear at the end, in an Epilogue, speaking directly to the audience, tying up any loose ends. The Internet TV site, HULU, has the first Hitchcock Episode at http://www.hulu.com/alfred-hitchcock-presents

This book, my third, will end with an Epilogue like the others, thanks to Alfred Hitchcock. Oh, and for the musically curious, the Hitchcock theme music is "The Funeral March of The Marionette" by Charles Gounod.

“I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.” ~~ Alfred Hitchcock

"Failure (to convict) is not an option" ~~ Attorney General Eric Holder.

2010-02-02T19:08:00.000-05:00

On November 22, I raised the issue of " Innocent Until Proven Guilty" as it relates to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) who the Obama Administration through Attorney General Eric Holder has decided to try in New York City in a civilian court with all of the attendant rights as prescribed by our Constitution to any citizen of the US.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other Democrat politicians are beginning to "push-back" on that decision to try him in NYC and also on the decision to try him in a Civilian Court. Still, the Obama Administration continues to hold-the-line on this decision to try him as a citizen with Constitutional rights.

In November, 2009, both President Obama and Eric Holder made statements that convicted KSM before his trial, thereby trampling on his rights, depriving him of being "innocent until proven guilty."

Now, in addition to Attorney General Holder and President Obama convicting him in the Press, President Obama's Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, convicted him openly on Sunday. Any good defense attorney will use these three statements to prove that a fair civilian trial could not be conducted because the Jury Pool has been polluted by three of the most powerful persons in the US, and the case could be thrown out; KSM would become a free man!

Surely, Obama, Holder and Gibbs are not stupid and naive on this point, which any viewer of "Law and Order" gets. So ... is their legal naivete intentional? To what end?

I cannot imagine any other reason, other than to provide "cover" for President Obama and Eric Holder with the far left -- as in;

"We tried to do the right thing and try these people as civilians, unlike the disastrous Bush Administration, who wanted them tried in Military Courts. But the politics of Washington and the recalcitrant Republicans got in the way and we were forced to take him back to Guantanamo and try him in a Military Court there. This is all Bush's fault! We had no choice!!"

Let's be factual -- the Democrats have been in control of Congress since 2006 and they currently have enough of a majority in both houses to pass anything they want; the Republicans cannot stop them.

Clearly, this issue of KSM and Civilian trials is owned by the Obama Administration and the Democrats in Congress are getting nervous. Further, closing Guantanamo is OK maybe, but what do you do with all the bad actors there?

I can hear the states considered for prisoner relocation now: "We can create jobs by housing them in Illinois (NO), Ohio (NO), Pennsylvania (NO), Michigan (NO). Nevada -- they take nuclear waste; why not nuclear prisoners?"

"Today, Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) issued a statement regarding the proposal to re-locate Guantanamo detainees to Nevada:

"#/?*%<&>@way"

The only place left then is Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. Thanks, Nancy. ☺
~~~

I predict that Attorney General Holder will find a reason to resign over this issue. The decision to try KSM in a Civilian court is questionable to any thinking person no matter what political stripe they may bear. It is also a symbol of the amateurish and inexperienced idealogues populating the Obama Administration that is crewed with good people, I am sure, but 93% have never worked in private industry and do not know how to create jobs, have never served in the military, and who believe that the way out of a recession is to spend money like a drunken sailor.

What do you do with a drunken sailor, What do you do with a drunken sailor, What do you do with a drunken sailor, Earl-eye in the morning!
Put him in the back of the paddy wagon, Put him in the back of the paddy wagon, Put him in the back of the paddy wagon, Earl-eye in the morning!
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober, Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober, Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober, Earl-eye in the morning!
Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Earl-eye in the morning.
~~ "The Drunken Sailor" a traditional Sea Chantey

Speaker Pelosi and Her Family's Travel

2010-02-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

Details are slowly being released of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's
use of Military planes to transport her family members around.
.
Military planes can be used to transport the Speaker of the House, who is third in line to be President. However, the directive, ordered by President Bush, is for "official" business.
.
It is not clear whether her Son, Daughter, Son-in-law, and Grandchildren were on official United States business or whether you and I, Dear Reader, are paying for the personal travel of her family at $20,000 an hour for these jets.
.
What makes it even more egregious is that Speaker Pelosi and her husband are multi-millionaires and can well-afford to pay First Class commercial for family members -- or reimburse the taxpayers at the actual cost, rather than the $199 mandated repayment for a round-trip ticket. (A tip of the hat to directorblue.blogspot.)
.
Please draw your own conclusion from the information below which Judicial Watch obtained from their Freedom of Information Act requests.

22-Feb-2007: A military jet is used for the travel needs of the Speaker's son, Paul Jr.

13-Apr-2007: A military jet is utilized for the travel of the Speaker's daughter, son-in-law and grandson.

15-Jun-2007: A military jet is used for the travel needs of the Speaker's son, Paul Jr.

09-Jul-2007: A military jet is used for the travel needs of the Speaker's son, Paul Jr.

13-Jan-2008: A military jet is used for the travel needs of Paul Pelosi, Jr., son of the Speaker.

29-Sep-2008: A military jet is used for the travel needs of Paul Pelosi, Jr., son of the Speaker.

30-Oct-2008: A military jet is used for the Speaker's daughter and a son-in-law, Peter Kaufman.
.
25-Nov-2008: A military jet is used for the Speaker's daughter, her son-in-law and two grandchildren.
~~~~~~
Whether the Speaker was along or not, it brings her ethics into question -- she, who promised to "drain the swamp" three years ago of ethics problems, continues to be part of the problem.
.
As always, watch what the Political Class does, not what what they say. To them, words are cheap; to us, it is a solemn vow.

“Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.” ~~ Doug Larson, Gold Medal Runner, 1924 Olympics

McCracken Lecture at Ohio University

2010-01-29T20:07:00.000-05:00

It was an honor to be invited back to my Alma Mater, Ohio University, to deliver the Winter lecture in the McCracken Lecture Series of the College of Education at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. 46 years ago, I graduated with a BS degree in History Education, and proudly went on to teach for three years at Medina Jr. High School in the Columbus Ohio School District. Three years later, I changed careers to commercial television.

Teaching was a pleasure, even with 8th graders, but television was a stronger pull, calling loudly to me; I took a big pay cut and with the support of my pregnant wife, started on the ground floor of TV, ready, willing and anxious to work my way up -- which I did.

I had no idea that this story would be of interest to the College of Education, but the Dean, Renee Middleton, was interested in having students and faculty hear it because many former students have a similar story -- changing careers successfully.

Joan and I were well-received at the Lecture and well-taken care of by the Director of Development, Kaylin Kopcho. We were impressed by the professionalism of the staff there and the plans for the College.

My undergraduate years at Ohio University were a pivotal time for me, and as I looked at the young, fresh faces walking across the Green and riding the escalator at the Baker Student Center, I was refreshed and heartened that these students were in good hands and that there was hope for the future of this country.

.
.

Preparing Talented, Responsible, Ethical Educators

~~ Ohio University College of Education

Let the Good Times Roll?

2010-01-25T23:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks to CBS News, here is a list of the names of the people who attended the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. It cost you and me Dear Reader, 1.1 Million Dollars; some Congress sitters spent $2,200 a day! These people have no idea that we are in a recession or they would not have gone -- RIIIIGHT.

This list does not include the more than 60 people who accompanied President Obama; how much more did that cost? Despite the dulcet tones that we will hear on Wednesday evening as the President delivers the State of the Union Address, his words will all ring hollow in view of the behaviour of these people and the money they are wasting.

Attendees:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi Pelosi's husband Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Rep. George Miller Rep. Henry Waxman Rep. Ed Markey Markey’s wife Rep. Charles Rangel Rep. Bart Gordon Rep. James Sensenbrenner Sensenbrenner's wife Rep. Sander Levin Rep. Joe Barton Barton daughter Rep. Fred Upton Rep. Earl Blumenauer Rep. Diana DeGette Rep. Jay Inslee Inslee's wife Rep. Shelley Moore Capito Rep. Moore Capito husband Rep. John Sullivan Rep. Tim Ryan Rep. GK Butterfield Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Gifford's husband Rep. Marsha Blackburn President Obama Sen. James Inhofe Sen. John Kerry.

Stacee Bako Don Kellaher Wilson Livingood Brian Monahan John Lawrence Karen Wayland Drew Hammill Kate Knudson Bridget Fallon Bina Surgeon Mary Frences Repko Nona Darrell Tony Jackson Josh Mathis Phil Barnett David Cavicke Lisa Miller Peter Spencer Andrea Spring Lorie Schmitt Greg Dotson Alex Barron Christopher King Shimere Williams Tara Rothschild Margaret Caravelli Gerry Waldron Ana Unruh-Cohen Jeff Duncan Eben Burnham-Snyder Joel Beauvais Michael Goo Tom Schreibel Harlan Watson Bart Forsyth Ed Rice Steve Rusnak Carey Lane Matt Dempsey Dempsey wife George Sugyama Tom Hassenbohler.
31 additional unnamed Senate staff State Dept.

Special Envoy Todd Stern Secretary Hillary Clinton Pershing Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Maria Otero, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Ambassador Alejandro Wolff, Deputy Permanent Rep. United States Mission to the U.N. Daniel Reifsnyder, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment Lilburn Trigg Talley, Director of the office of Global Change Sue Biniaz, Deputy Legal Adviser William Breed, Director of Climate Change Programs USAID. Energy Dept: Steven Chu, Energy Secretary Jean Chu, Spouse of the Energy Secretary Rod O'Connor, Chief of Staff Amy Bodette, Special Assistant to the Secretary David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs Rick Duke, Dep. Assistant Sec. for Policy and International Affairs Holmes Hummel, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs Elmer Holt, Economist in the Office of Policy and International Affairs Matt Kallman, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs Dan Leistikow, Director of Public Affairs Devin Hampton, Lead Advance Representative Interior Dept: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar Deputy Secretary David Hayes Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland Science Advisor Kit Batten Senior Advisor of Global Change at USGS Tom Armstrong USGS Director Marcia McNutt Deputy Communications Director Matt Lee-Ashley Jack Lynch (Security) Dave Graham (Security) Mike Downs (Security) Director of Advance Tim Hartz EPA: Security Officer # 1 Security, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Marcus McClendon Director of Advance, Office of the Administrator Security Officer # 2 Security, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Jennifer Jenkins Physical Scientist, Climate Change Division, Office of Air and Radiation COP 15 Negotiator Shalini Vajjhala Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of International Affairs COP-15 Negotiator Maurice LeFranc Senior Advisor, International Climate Change, Office of Air and Radiation COP-15 Negotiator Kimberly Todd Klunich Technical Expert, Climate Change Division, Office of Air and Radiation COP-15 Negotiator Leif Hockstad Environmental Engineer, Climate Change Division, Office of Air and Radiation COP-15 Negotiator Seth Oster Associate Administrator, Office of Public Affairs David McIntosh Associate Administrator, Office of Rep.ressional and Intergovernmental Relations Michelle DePass Assistant Administrator, Office of International Affairs Security Officer # 3 Security, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Lisa Jackson Administrator, EPA Gina McCarthy Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation White House Executive Office staff: From the Office of Energy and Climate Change: Heather Zichal Tony Russell Jake Levine Joe Aldy From the Office of Science and Technology Policy: John Holdren Steve Fetter Shere Abbott From the Council on Environmental Quality: Nancy Sutley Amy Salzman Jess Maher National Security Council: Mike Froman Ed Fendley Communications: Ben LaBolt.

"Laissez les bons temps rouler?"

We should call for an end to this kind of extravagance and waste.

In times like this, shouldn't our government be trying to save money?

Personally, I want my money back.

"Action expresses priorities.”
~~ Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Philosopher, 1869 - 1948

The People's Priorities

2010-01-25T13:01:00.000-05:00

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, a part of the Pew Charitable Trusts, has released the results of a new survey into the US public's priorities. The full release may be found at: http://people-press.org/report/584/policy-priorities-2010.

All of the material in their short, two-page report is very interesting, but I thought, Dear Reader, that you might find these two charts worthy of your time. I hope politicians will actually read this Pew Report:

I leave it to the Dear Reader to draw their own conclusions as to what the Administration should do.

Below are the Center's words describing itself:

ABOUT THE CENTER
The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. We are sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts and are one of seven projects that make up the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
The Center's purpose is to serve as a forum for ideas on the media and public policy through public opinion research. In this role it serves as an important information resource for political leaders, journalists, scholars, and public interest organizations. All of our current survey results are made available free of charge.

The 1937 Flood, the Number 40, the Number 3

2010-01-24T12:33:00.000-05:00

As the rains fall, I was reminded today that in my home town on the Ohio River, New Boston, Ohio, stories were told when I was growing up (and still told today) of the 1937 Flood. Here is an excerpt from my book, "On Harrisonville Avenue." Thirteen year old Ron, is the narrator:

"Every kid in my town had heard stories of the “The ’37 Flood” – and they had heard so many of them that it was never a topic of conversation among kids. My Mother would say that we had “foundered” on the ’37 Flood stories from grown-ups telling over and over the same stuff to us. Pubescent boys know everything anyway and don’t like to be preached at and can only tolerate so much. You know when they’ve reached their limit and are full up because a “sneer” develops and their head droops down and they mumble.

Mr. Emerson from Church on the 1937 Flood:
It was too warm that winter and instead of snowing, it rained 20 days in a row. Snow would have just piled up, but rain soaked into the fields and hillsides. It kept on raining, though, and then the ground couldn’t take anymore and it just ran into the street. There were jokes about Ducks and Noah, but old-timers started telling stories about 1913 and how the Ohio River came way up and flooded everything. We never paid any attention to the old men – but they knew what they were talking about. That’s why you young’uns should listen to us now. Did you hear me, Ronnie? (Yeah, I thought to myself – ducks, Noah, 20 days.)

Mr. Keitel, our German next door neighbor:
The Bible says you should always build your house on higher ground, so if you build your house next to a river bank, you’ll suffer the consequences, like those people in 1937. Why it wiped out those people in the bottomlands. I tried to drive into town to see the damage but the roads were blocked all the way back to Gallia and Rt. 139. The flooded people were looking for loans after the flood and couldn’t get them. Lots of the hitch hikers on the road after that were people flooded out because they built in the low lands. You should take note of that, Zichlein. (Uhh, I grunted. Got it. What’s a Zeesh-line?)

Elliot at Shorty’s Barbershop
My sister lived just up the street in the Mill Housing and the floodwaters rose so fast they evacuated everybody quickly. Maggie only had time to get her picture album and her sewing machine in Frank’s old Pickup Truck. Frank had to drag her out of the house that afternoon because they couldn’t find her little cat before they had to leave. She fretted all night about her cat that they left behind.
After the river had crested, she borrowed my fishing boat and made poor old Frank take her back into town. Why the water was up to the second floor. Frank pulled up to her apartment and Maggie looked in the window and there was the cat perched on the mantle, water up past the fireplace just a foot or two below the cat. Frank broke the window with his oar and Maggie yelled at the cat and waved a piece of liver at it -- wouldn’t you know, the danged cat swam to the window. Nobody knew of that cat ever swimming before but there it was. Ronnie, you can swim, can’t you Ronnie? (Only if somebody waves liver at me.)

In fairness to the people who lived through the Flood, I did understand the impact of the flood. In the Presbyterian Church on 2nd Street, two blocks from the river, there was a plaque on the wall of the two-plus story Sanctuary. The plaque was 12 feet 8 inches from the floor which was not at ground level. So the water must have been 25 feet deep at street level. Members there told me that the Pipe Organ which was in the front of the Church in the Choir Loft behind the Pulpit, was taken apart piece-by-piece by the parishioners and moved to the church Balcony where it survived the flood and is still used today. Pictures of the flood were in Fellowship Hall there and in practically every downtown business showing their store and how high the water was. They were all a part of history and they proudly had survived it. "

So, it rained 20 days and 20 nights for the 1937 Flood in my town. I remembered the story of Noah and his Flood, where it rained 40 days and 40 nights. I started to wonder about the number 40. It turns out that there are numerous mentions of the number 40 in the Bible. Here is only a partial listing:

In the story of Noah and the flood, it rains 40 days and 40 nights (Gn 7:4).

After the sealing of the covenant at Mt. Sinai, Moses is with God on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights (Ex 24:18).

When the prophet Elijah is being pursued by Queen Jezebel, he flees for his life and travels 40 days and nights until he comes to the mountain of God at Horeb (Sinai) (1 Kgs 19:8).

Israel wanders in the Wilderness for Forty years.

In the New Testament. Jesus is tempted in the desert for 40 days and nights.

Jesus fasted 40 days and nights (Matthew 4:2).

Jesus remained on earth 40 days after the resurrection (Acts 1:3).

And then, I thought about another number that gets a lot of use -- the number three. This sequence is taken from my lecture, to be delivered at Ohio University, January 29:

The Three Jewels of Buddhism (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha).

The Christian Holy Trinity, (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

Karl Marx’s three ways of organizing a society – Communism, Socialism, and Capitalism.

Mark Twain's Three Lies, “Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.”

The oath of a witness – the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the… Truth.

Lincoln’s Three for All – “of the people, by the people and … for the people.”

The Three Monkey Philosophy – Hear no evil, See no Evil, and … Speak no Evil.

And of course Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Three Stooges and the Three Little … Pigs .

I hope that you understand a little better now, Dear Reader, why I cannot seem to get back to writing on the second chapter of my third book. One thing leads to another; I am so easily distracted.

Creating Jobs in the Private Sector

2010-01-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

It may have taken President Obama and his team a year to understand that the American People expected his administration to fix the economy first, not take on Health Care Reform; the electorate of Massachusetts has forced Obama, Pelosi and Reid to come to grips with that reality.
~

As an aside, the President has once again demonstrated his out-of-touch-elitist nature. The first time was during the campaign when he sympathized with the people of Iowa over the high price of groceries -- especially, Arugula. Arugula? This week, he once again proved he was out-of-touch-elitist when he criticized Scott Brown for campaigning in his old pick-up truck:

"Forget Scott Brown's truck," the President told a rally for Senatorial hopeful, Martha Coakley. "Anybody can buy a truck."

In Scott Brown's acceptance speech, he responded to President Obama's comment, capturing the populist sentiment and the average person's love affair with trucks when Mr. Brown said from his victory podium: "I didn't mind when the President came here and criticized me and talked about some of the things that he disagreed with me on. But let me tell you, when he started to criticize my truck, that's where I draw the line!" Big laugh and hoots from the audience. ~

It now appears that the President is going to start thumping on employment. He has already visited Allentown, PA., and today was in Elyria, Ohio, touring a factory that has laid off 33 employees; after the tour, he went for lunch at a local diner -- Smitty's Bar -- and had a Hamburger, probably because they didn't have Arugula there. But do these trips to towns on hard times add to the President's understanding of what it takes to create jobs? I worry that the answer is "NO."

This chart shows part of what may be the problem with the Obama Administration's understanding of job creation. His team has the least experience of any administration -- less than 10% -- of working in the Private Sector. It is the lowest percentage of experience for any administration in the last 109 years! They only know how to create Government Jobs!! These are jobs that are only good until the taxpayers money or the current appropriation runs out -- Government jobs!

If this crowd really wants to create jobs, they need to do it the old fashioned way -- cut taxes, so that entrepreneurs are encouraged to start a business and existing businesses are encouraged to make the expansion they had planned.

I fear, however, that instead, there will be more photo-ops where the President uses unsuspecting Americans as photo-props, says a few meaningless, empty words and then they go on doing what they know how to do -- create even more Government Programs and entitlements, while creating a hostile business climate, making Banks, Drug Companies, Insurance Companies, Oil Companies, Investment Companies, Media Companies, and Retail Companies enemies of the public and the object of Administration hyperbole.

Watch Wall Street slide while this happens and watch your retirement fund dwindle. These people are inexperienced amateurs at running a business, a government, or an economy, George Bush can no longer be blamed. This is the Obama Administration -- unelected Czars, income-tax-challenged, Chicago-cronies, etc. -- perhaps good people, but, in my opinion, out of their element.

There's none so blind as those who will not see. There's none so deaf as those who will not hear. ~~ Proverb

A Friendly Suggestion for President Obama

2010-01-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, CBS News released a "by the numbers" report on the first year of the Obama Presidency. Among other interesting stats were:

51 Presidential speeches or statements on his Health Care agenda

171 times that President Obama used the TelePrompTer

158 Interviews were given by the President

10 foreign trips, the most by any President

160 flights on Air Force One

193 flights on Marine One

28 political fundraisers

7 campaign rallies

The seven campaign rallies which President Obama attended and keynoted were for Gov. Jon Corzine, gubernatorial Candidate, Creigh Deeds of Virginia, and Senatorial Candidate, Martha Coakley of Massachusetts; each of these candidates which President Obama personally supported were defeated.

I now note that the President will fly to Nevada to support the dwindling hopes of Senator Harry Reid. I want to add my voice to encourage this kind of behaviour by the President.

As a suggestion, here are some other noteworthy Senators and Congressmen , Mr. President, that you might campaign for also -- Nancy Pelosi, Charles Schumer, Charles Rangel, Steny Hoyer, Dick Durbin, Barbara Boxer and Henry Waxman. Please, President Obama, campaign for them all!

My choice early in life was either to be a piano-player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference. ~~ Harry Truman, 33rd President of the US, 1945 - 1953

Civility

2010-01-19T22:26:00.000-05:00

The lack of civility in politics since 1987, is enough to peel the paint off your fencepost:

"Summing up his case against Brown, Olbermann concluded: 'in Scott Brown we have an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude-model, tea-bagging supporter of violence against woman and against politicians with whom he disagrees'.” ~ Keith Olbermann. MSNBC. Note to Keith -- you forgot to call him a pedophile!

I cite 1987 because in my mind, the contentious confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork (b. 1927, Pittsburgh) commenced that year and marked the beginning of our current raucous un-civility. The rhetoric and fear-mongering mounted against Mr. Bork was crescendo-ing each day; the famous actor, Gregory Peck, appeared in a TV ad attacking Bork as an extremest; the AFL-CIO Union mounted a $20 million campaign against him; Civil Rights leaders made speeches. The speech most people heard, because it was televised nationally, was one by Senator Ted Kennedy, in which he said:

Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists would be censored at the whim of government, and the doors of the federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is often the only protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy.

The Economist magazine in its obituary of Senator Kennedy pointed out that none of his alarming allegations were correct, based on Bork's record, yet the smear was out there -- and it stuck. The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Joe Biden, denied Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court.

And thus began a titanic "Tit for Tat" era of childish sandbox political tactics that has grown into a sophisticated array of scurrilous and defamatory maneuvers designed to discredit. To be "Borked" -- killed politically -- was coined by the feminist and Civil Rights activist, Florynce Kennedy who used it in reference to the confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas.

I wonder now if a new term will appear to describe what happened in Massachusetts yesterday when Scott Brown defeated Martha Coakley -- "Coakleyed." Whatever its definition, it will go into the politician's bag of tricks to be deployed at the drop of a hat or the whiff of a scandal.

The voting public deserves better than this. Besides, these people in Washington D.C. -- politicians and bureaucrats -- are our employees. We hire them to represent our best interests. Each time I see a new face get elected, I hope that maybe -- just maybe -- it is the beginning of a return to civility. Let's trust that Scott Brown feels the same way.

"So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof." ~~ John F. Kennedy, 1961 Inaugural Address

Foreign Aid -- Who Gets What?

2010-01-18T19:05:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends:

I have given to the Haiti Relief Fund of the Presbyterian Church (USA). I do not write this because I am unsympathetic to the plight of the poor people of Haiti. Instead, I write it because I am concerned about them and about all other oppressed and poverty stricken people of the World!

The money that we have given to Haiti over the last 20 years, totals more than $2 Billion Dollars. Has it benefited the poor people of Haiti? Did it build them an infrastructure? Did our money build Hospitals, train Doctors, build water systems, an electrical grid, stronger housing codes? Apparently not. Where did it go? I leave that answer to you, Dear Reader, and I suspect I know your answer.

Below is the 2009 top ten Foreign Aid Recipients, and President Obama has promised to double this number for 2010. It is taken from Parade Magazine.

COUNTRY AID/PURPOSE
1. Israel
$2.4 billion
Virtually all of this money is used to buy weapons (up to 75% made in the U.S.). Beginning in 2009, the U.S. plans to give $30 billion over 10 years.
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2. Egypt
$1.7 billion
$1.3 billion to buy weapons; $103 million for education; $74 million for health care; $45 million to promote civic participation and human rights.
-
3. Pakistan
$798 million
$330 million for security efforts, including military-equipment upgrades and border security; $20 million for infrastructure.
-
4. Jordan
$688 million
$326 million to fight terrorism and promote regional stability through equipment upgrades and training; $163 million cash payment to the Jordanian government.
-
5. Kenya
$586 million
$501 million to fight HIV/AIDS through drug treatment and abstinence education and to combat malaria; $15 million for agricultural development; $5.4 million for programs that promote government accountability.
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6. South Africa
$574 million
$557 million to fight TB and HIV/AIDS; $3 million for education.

-
7. Mexico
$551 million
-
8. Colombia
$541 million
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9. Nigeria
$491 million
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10. Sudan
$479 million
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How is this money -- your dollars and my dollars -- administered for the stated purposes? Do we have an administrator in-country writing checks for the stated purposes? Is that administrator monitoring how each dollar is spent? Is there an accounting for us at year's end? Can I have a report showing the use of my money? Did my money get spent for the stated purpose and did I get my money's worth?

Oh, Ron, there you go again. Don't be naive.

This is about keepingtherightpersoninpower/maintainingthebalance ofpower/assuringourpresenceinacontestedareaoftheworld/showingourintentions/ beingaworldcitizen. [Pick one...or more.]

I'm sorry, but when did you ask me if that is what I wanted to spend my money on? (danglingprepositionacknowledged!)

Let me be clear(er). Ask me, the next time -- not the current occupant of the Oval Office; they come and go. My money and me are here all the time!

ASK ME! STOP TAKING THE AMERICAN PUBLIC FOR GRANTED!! TRANSPARENCY !!!

Ronald D. Giles

Weekend Global Warming Round-up

2010-01-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

Just in case you were busy over the weekend with kids/Church/parties/football/Facebook, and missed some of the News related to Global Warming, I offer the following to you, Dear Reader, as a Public Service:

Danny Glover, the Actor and Producer, blamed the Earthquake in Haiti on the failure of the Climate Change Conference to stop natural disasters (I think):

"What happened in Haiti could happen to anywhere in the Caribbean because all these island nations are in peril because of global warming .... When we see what we did at the climate summit in Copenhagen, this is the response, this is what happens, you know what I'm sayin'?"

From the Sunday Times of London, the claim in 2007 by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that the Himalayan Glaciers could melt by 2035, has been called into question. A journalist traced the story's origin back to a phone call in 1999 by "The New Scientist" magazine to a little known Indian researcher, who has now admitted that his statement in that phone call was "speculation." His speculation was picked up and repeated numerous times without peer review and then was included as a probability in the UN Report of 2007.

Still on matters of Ice, among the most sensational citations of Global Warming Advocates is that the North Pole will be free of ice by the summer of 2013. According to several newspaper reports, including "The Olympian" of Olympia, Washington, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center in Denver, Colorado, has issued a statement that "Arctic summer sea ice has increased by 409,000 square miles, or 26 percent, since 2007.”

DISCLAIMER -- Dear Reader, I do advocate that each of us in our own way be the best stewards of Mother Earth that we can be. That we preserve and protect this precious environment which God has given to us. I only ask that we examine this issue on a rational basis, rather than an emotional basis (spare me the Polar Bear pictures, please) and that we look for the money trail -- who benefits on each side of the argument.

Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents,it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.
~~ Native American Proverb