Mow the Lawn

I have been mowing lawns of some sort ever since I was 13 years old. As with any family with siblings there are chore assignments. I have done all of them but my father saw to it that my main chores were taking out the trash and lawn care. My younger brother came along and relieved me of the trash detail before we moved across the country.

We lived in a typical 1960s housing development - the lots were typically 1/4 acre and the lawn needed mowing once a week. Mowers in those days were basic 3.5hp Briggs and Stratton push mowers with side discharge. The bag and it’s hanger came along with it but gathered dust. My father insisted on perfection as far as the sidewalk and driveway so he also acquired a 3hp gas powered edger so that it looked like the military bases he was stationed at. Those were the implements of my chores. String trimmers weren’t in vogue for some time so if any trimming was needed my father got out his trusty hand trimmers and found one of my sisters. I got on my father’s good side with my use of the mower and edger and the only comment I would want to hear would be “good job”. No comment was fine as that meant the same.
While growing older - how did I get to be 50 this fast?!! - I learned too much about turf. I was interested in a Lawn Doctor franchise, one half of my life ago, and like any business had to learn how it all worked. I learned about fertilizers, molds, grubs, weed control and sales. One summer of fertilizing and mowing yards along with “in the field” upkeep of the machinery curtailed that interest though I have kept it with me all of these years, I can still grow a nice lawn. I don’t care much for high mantenance shrubbery and let someone else trim that. I think she likes it.

My present canvas is 1/2 acre of zoysia grass. It looks like hay from October through May but is the most resilient I have encountered as far as drought or weeds. It needs little care other than rain and will choke out weeds or other grasses that try to grow in it. Crabgrass? Maybe some along the driveway in the spring but it is short lived. Dandelions will grow in anything and a few get their chance before May. After that I don’t see them. Two “weeds” that can cut it is clover and wild onions. The clover is alright as the bunnies eat it and I like seeing them around. Wild onions look like a few spikes poking out of the ground, who cares?

A real “treat” is mowing zoysia. I used to run around behind self propelled mowers in my 30s and bagged the clippings. I would have a stern talking with myself these days about that stupidity. Even though they had 5-7hp engines it was backbreaking work. My rationale was it was good exercise.
I went through 3 good mowers; that should have been some message.

I now ride around on a 20yr old John Deere 175. It was used and free so I didn’t eat the $$$K price tag but never realized how expensive the upkeep is when that name is involved. I might as well mow with a Porsche. The push/self propelled mowers in my past were easy. Change the oil, spark plugs and air filter. Voila!

With the John Deere comes hydrostatic drive; tres cool, pressurized oil system with spin on filter, headlights and most important, a battery. Along with that battery comes a cursed electrical system that rivals the old Lucas systems used in British cars such as the MG or Jaguar. Why the engineers at JD jumped through hoops to make something so difficult is stupefying. I have replaced the battery 3 times since I have had the thing. I got it with the original green JD battery and have been putting cheap Auto Zone units into it. It needs another now. So much for Auto Zone batteries. I tried one in my truck years ago and faced the same problem. Go to WALMART for a good car battery. I think I am going there for my mower battery after this next free replacement dies.

Something to be said about the JD monstrosity is it plows down grass faster than walking behind it. I get into varying the mowing directions from diagonal, vertical, horizontal and even cicular. Circular is a new one and best suited to the huge back lawn. Hitting it once a week is best for negative clippings and I keep the blade at maximum height to let the grass grow. She scalped it a few times and brought upon the need of attention to the blades. Something I have noticed from watching my neighbors on their Sears, Murry or MTD mowers is the JD is a beast. It will let you know when you get in over your head trying to be fancy with it as It is heavy and you better know when and how to stop it when needed or you will fuck up and hit something or hurt yourself. I haven’t gone through anything yet but I have pinned against a tree and knocked a neighbor’s shed pretty good.

If I was to put the bucks down on a new rider I would look at Bad Boy mowers. I don’t like the complicated crap on the market these days and their smallest one fits my bill.

Make them simple and tough, it’s only a lawn mower. They don’t require bluetooth technology, Ipod capability with weatherproof speakers or stringent EPA exhaust standards. Mow the lawn.

Veterinary Hospitals

Yeserday… my dog was mauled by a muttweiler who almost took his ear off. I took my dog home, put him in the shower and washed him with betadine before calling his vet. The vet is usually very full serviced but not until next week - apparently summer vacations took them away. As in humans, medicine doesn’t take a day off. I was referred to an EMERGENCY VETERINARY CLINIC yesterday by his vet’s office.

If you love your pet do not take it to a VCA Animal Hospital. Going on the 20th hour mark, my dog is still lying in a cage waiting for emergency surgery. Worse? He has gone deaf over the past year - he will be 12 in two weeks - I told the doctor and technicians of the fact yet no one knows of it so he soils the cage he is in because no one attends to him. He is truly lost and alone without me. I am retired and spend all day with him therefore I know his needs. I know him well enough I could smell his blood in my truck while riding to the EMERGENCY HOSPITAL. You are close to your dog at that point.
Actually, blood has a metallic odor I learned to smell while miming my dog when he would sniff the air. Try it, you will smell the BBQ grills in your neighborhood you missed previously.

Here is the real bite in the ass. His ear was tattered and bleeding profusely when I presented him. The doctor gave me an estimate of the surgery, $528.00.
When your best friend’s ear is ripped up and he is bleeding that is a shock leaving you vulnerable and susceptible for anything to fix him.

Keep in mind VCA Animal Hospital - I am going to call them and find out what the fuck is going on. If it was going to be this way I would have waited it out at home and taken him to a premier veterinary surgeon today - right now!

I am going to contact the ASPCA and the BBB. Animal Planet would air a show featuring the SPCA raiding the place for negligence.

Are Veterinarians Exempt from Malpractice?

]

I have an 11 year old American Staffordshire terrier who has led a charmed life. I have given him anything my little heart desired. He has been to Atlantic City, NJ, Ocean City, MD, Assateague, VA and the Chesapeake Bay to play in the surf. Add to that - weekly trips to the Potomac River at Ft Washington, MD as well as several swimming holes within 150 mile radius of my home in Camp Springs. The boy could swim for 8 hours at at a clip. He knows the word “burger” well as that was quick food when out on the road.
In short, I have spent a lot of time with my dog. I am disabled and he is my companion dog. Everyone, including my family, always referred to us as Mike and Buster. The best thing I could ever recommend to a disabled person is to get a dog as a companion.
I saw him a week after he was born and had pick of the litter. No human is as close to me as my dog.

My quandary at this point…Buster has always been in good health, gets his vaccines and takes his heartworm medicine monthly and eats Iams Natural. He scratched his eye this spring with his dewlap as his eyes always react to pollen as a humans’. I didn’t like the way it looked so a month ago I took him to the big name vet down the road - he knows the place and the staff all know him. He was seen by a young vet we have never encountered there who wanted to look at his eye - yeah, he was tired of me doing so - so it was a trial. She surmised it was a scratch and I paid $200 and walked out with some eye ointment and Cephalexin capsules he was to take orally twice a day. As I was given the medicine the technician saw something on the labeling that wasn’t right with her and had it changed. His dosage was 750mg twice daily - for a 62 pound dog.
Buster will swallow medicine without a fight - it has always been place it on the floor and he will eat it. What a dream. I gave him this for a while and didn’t like the dosage or length of time. He seemed to be a bit lethargic as well.
I am not a stranger to toxicity from antibiotics as I suffered ototoxicity due to Gentimicin in fall of 2002 at the “capable” hands of the head of the Neurological Dept at Johns Hopkins University. I suffer from bi-polar vestibular damage. Vestibular death as far as I am concerned.
I took part in poisoning my dog to the point of ototoxicity because I trusted the veterinarian. I questioned the dosage but it all seemed fine with them.
Buster can no longer hear me call his name. It happened as suddenly as it did to me. I can hear but suffer tinnitus 24/7. He often shakes his head so I can only guess at what he is experiencing. His breathing has changed and he is not as stable on his rear legs.

This was only a month ago and I am livid. My dog had the sharpest hearing i can remember with most dogs. Being my companion, he would often keep one ear trained on me and used the other as a radar to find the source of other sounds. I felt special in that regard. Now they lay flat for the most part - he only pricks them up if I stand or make a hand gesture.
Something truly upsetting to me is he whines on occasion as if lost or confused, something he never did in the past - ever.

Several people have noticed this sudden change. I only came to learn of what the cause of it is today when I looked up Cephalexin and its possible side effects.
As I stated, I am no stranger to ototoxicity. I suffered from it first hand and I know how quickly it can affect the ears.

What I want to really know…

Is my dog’s veterinarian guilty of medical malpractice? Are veterinarians accountable for the pain they cause to one who has had an animal suffer at their hands?

Tila Tequila

I must truly be growing into my current age. I was flipping around the channels this afternoon and happened upon MTV, MTV2 and VH1 - none of which air music videos any longer. If they do it is at some unknown/unpopular time of day as the crap I usually see on these channels has nothing to do actual music videos.
I remember way back in the early 1980s when MTV debuted and aired lip synced whimsical music videos by nearly every popular band that was hot back then. It was music videos 24/7 for the most part and featured the goofiest V-Js - video jockeys - one could ever imagine.
One thing was very true and the Buggles tune “Video killed the radio star” put the stamp on it. I liken it to the way cassette tapes and CDs killed the artwork of LP record covers. In the case of videos it killed the faceless naivete that existed unless the artists were seen in concert or on a television variety program. LP album art was something to behold as one listened to the record and put the music and graphics into whatever the imagination held. A 5″x5″ CD label is lame in comparison and tapes were the pits. The art is gone.

Back to MTV - I saw a program entitled “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila”. I watched the entire program as I wanted to be educated to the point of being able to criticize it.
My main question…Who in the fuck is Tila Tequila?
I did some research and found she is actually Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen from Vietnam. She is apparently a recording artist and nude model. I don’t want to hear her rap/hiphop crap and I don’t see where she is visually appealing as she is a skinny little waif with breast implants, far too many ugly tattoos and the personality of a Hong Kong hooker. Yuck….
The MTV program could be titled “A Shot at Lust with Tila Tequila” as she was looking for a male or female hookup under the guise of LOVE. We can all take a guess how long an actual relationship forged on this show would last…

The final contestants - a guy and two girls - were pining over this brat-mouse as if she were the ends of the earth. It was actually quite disgusting. Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen opined in much the same manner and spoke of how difficult of a choice it would be between the 3 she “loved”. Give me a break, she visually resembles a 12 year old girl and has no redeeming personal qualities.
I happened to catch Bret Michaels - forever wearing a hat or bandana, is he balding? - in much the same type of show this fall on some channel while surfing. The women were obsessed with him.
Are these the best alternatives to “The Dating Game” network executives could come up with??
A skinny waif with fake boobs and a balding washed up wannabe rockstar…is America so starved for entertainment that we will truly watch anything??

How about a series on Animal Planet - “When Animals Poop” ?

Politics…my overly simple message still rings true…

 

I wrote this in August of 2006 and it makes me wonder where all of the RonPaul2008 people were then. I considered this my “grassroots movement” years before I wrote it all out for any to read. This proves to me that though his message is strong Ron Paul is not going to be president. If I can conceive of the same message his minions are falling for why can’t another?

It is not rocket science or brain surgery. Rather, it is the re-education of a lazy and complacent society that willingly assumes their elected officials are “doing something” for them then are shocked and complain about it when they learn otherwise.
Are Ron Paul’s minions ready to carry through with what he has promised? He has vowed to eliminate the IRS and the current system of taxation that now pays for every service our bloated federal government provides for us. Does he mention who will foot the bill for his salary as well as that of everyone that receives a paycheck from the US Government? How about all of the “They ought to do something about that” branches of the federal government that are fueled by tax dollars?
I am not a fan of the taxation system in this country and never have been. I am a baby-boomer that paid into the system my entire working life. I am also old and wise enough to realize our OVERLORDS need funding in some manner to accomplish what they vote to do in the bills they pass for our good.  However, “WE, THE PEOPLE” have yet to institute a system by which the Federal Government should function in a financially responsible manner, much as we would be forced to with the resources we have in our banking accounts. We can’t spend what we don’t have unless we go deep into debt with creditors. Unfortunately, this has happened with far too much of America as well as with the federal government. The present administration is spending money like a horde of teenage girls in a shopping mall with a stolen American Express card.
Sure it all sounds good in the “RAH RAH Pep Rallies” Dr Paul’s followers sense while he is speaking. It seems rather easy to be lulled into how good it would be if we had a colonial sense of government but, think about the population of those colonial times versus 2007.
The USA is just shy of 3 billion citizens currently - the population of the US was roughly one tenth of that number during the American revolution. We’ve allowed an elitist ruling class to become responsible for us in 200 short years. We look to it for our welfare concerning air, food and water qualities and blame it for not doing enough. We look to it for our health and safety concerns of all manners, including national security and public assistance during times of crisis. When it doesn’t work as we expect we point fingers and blame it further.
How about a less radical stance - trimming the fat a little bit at a time? I live in the shadow of DC and have seen it all too well at times. The fat is more evident the closer one is to the epicenter of any corporation or government.

Flat rate taxation sounds good and looks good on paper, correct? Postage stamps increase in price every few years - what will prevent our legislators from bumping up that flat tax rate in the future as they have allowed the cost of postage stamps to increase over the years? Legislation prevents any other interests from become letter handlers as the Postal Service. Why not have some choice in the matter?

JUST FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES…

Do me a favor and register to vote. Put down your beer and remote controls, grab someone else and go register. You can do it online right now.
Then…GO OUT AND VOTE!!!

Why?? I don’t know how the rest of America interprets the current state of the USA - good, bad?
Do ya like the war? Do ya know why we are there?? Do ya know the total sum of money that has been wasted over in the sand? Do you buy into the propaganda of the spin doctors of the federal government??

Ask yourself this - who are the enemies of the USA and why? Do you agree with Bush’s ongoing mantra of “stay the course”? Are his “enemies” those of the of the USA? Do you believe everything the media has told you about the 9/11
strikes on WTC and the Pentagon? Do any of the conspiracy theories cause you to wonder?
I lived in northern Libya for 3 years - a very Muslim nation - in the early 60s. There was a mosque 100 yards from my bedroom with a minaret that some guy would come out and shout prayers from. I was a tow headed kid who would wave at the guy and shout back - he would wave to me. What did I know of infidels and Muslim versus Christian ideals? They could have killed me any day during the 3 years I lived there. I don’t think about Muslims unless it is a news story that is directed toward me in a very negative fashion by one of the media channels. I have friends that believe all Muslims carry a gun or bomb with which to kill an American and therefore must be killed before they can do such.
Are all Muslims enemies of the USA? I can think of several American citizens elected to public office that have committed crimes against the USA - are they enemies of the state?

As far as Bush…we are protected from him and others like him by the XXII amendment, ratified in 1951. It limits the Pres/VP to two terms. However, we have 535 other individuals that can serve as many terms as their lives or constituents will allow. They are the legislative branch of the US government which happens to be the very same that passed the XXII amendment. Do ya think they would ever do the same to themselves?

This paragraph should be familiar to any American that has a mind of this country’s role in the world at present time. It also begins the rest of the document of what it defines…
*************************************
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
*************************************
Does anyone else that reading this paragraph notice that it specifically denotes “We the People of the United States” and then ends with “Constitution for the United States of America”?
Where does it specify the rest of the world?

I do not have a weekly column in a periodical nor a television program with which to broadcast my message so I have been trying, in my own “grassroots” manner, to ask people to get out, register to vote and put the government back into the hands of “WE, THE PEOPLE“.
The largest obstacle I face is the common comeback of “my vote doesn’t count”. I will never say it in mixed company - politics is a touchy topic in public -  but, I agree when it comes to the Presidential election. Think back to 2000 and the mess that happened in Florida with the count of the electoral votes in that state. Al Gore won the popular election but lost the electoral. The governor of the state just so happened to be Jeb Bush, younger brother of W. Bush. Not many will say it but that was a crooked deal - how many recounts do we need? Gore was gracious and knows the score…if it smells like shit it is.

Time for reality… There are 3 branches of the federal government - executive, the president/VP, secretaries of who done it and the rest of what is under the white house - legislative, the 435 state representatives and 100 senators that pass bills that become laws and - judicial, the supreme court. Of the 3, the legislative branch is ultimately the most powerful - if they know what they are doing. The votes cast for these 535 seats do count as there is no electoral college involved. These are all decided by popular votes.
WHICH LEADS TO… these 535 seats should not be held by the same people for generations. Isn’t that what this country tried to abolish with the “Declaration of Independance“?
Professional senators and representatives in the same office for 20 years of more wield the same power as dukes, barons or counts of the 18th century. Again, the XXII amendment limited the President to 2 terms for this reason.
Something to ponder…you have no voice in the election process of those from a different state than your own. Ted Kennedy is but one I will use as example for holding office for 40+ years. I do not live in his state and have not a vote - yea or nay - whether he should remain.
These seats should be as revolving doors. One should have a vocation or business that may be vacated for up to two terms so the concerns of different communities and businesses have an opportunity to be represented by more than the status quo. If an individual is drafted to serve in the military, the business that employs them holds that position for them if they want to return. Why not the same for serving in public office?
The “old school” manner of legislation has run its course as the cost of maintaining these legislators has escalated far too high. Salaries average in the $165K+ yearly and they carry most of that with them as yearly pensions after they leave office. The cost of running their many offices - yes, they have a main office on the hill in DC and 1 or more satellite offices that require staffing(at generous salaries) as well as the customary office supply needs. Guess who foots that bill? The junkets that were a given in the past have been scrutinized as a waste for some years.
There is far more waste than I can go into - you have the net at your disposal, look into it.

This “grassroots movement” will require more than just a few adamant voters to make a difference. The whole of America has to be re-educated (basically kicked in the ass) so as to remove ourselves from the complacency that pervades. ie…
“As long as the TV works and beer is available most will sit and go along with the status quo”.
We all know it to be true yet how do we change it?!!

Just two generations ago, people would lose sleep over the outcome of elections because they KNEW the face of the country would change as well. I remember staying up late into the night as a youngster with my father waiting for the full election counts to tally in. To be truthful, this has become a nation whose reflection can be seen as the TV cartoon known around the world as “The Simpsons”. Sure, there are those that don’t fit that mold but one thing I have always said about “The Simpsons” was “it’s funny because it’s true”. Sadly, I think i am paraphrasing a line from Homer.

The beauty of this whole “grassroots” idea is those that feel a need to be elected and make a difference actually can once the idea is rolling. The stipulations to be a legislator are less than that to be president.
From the Constitution…
The president of the United States must
Be a natural-born citizen of the United States
Be at least 35 years of age, and
Be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.
[U.S. Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Paragraph 5]

Senate candidates shall be

at least 30 years of age,
a U.S. citizen for nine years, and
a resident of the state when elected.
[U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 3, Paragraph 3]

House of Representatives candidates shall be

at least 25 years of age,
a U.S. citizen for seven years, and
a resident of the state when elected.
[U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 2]

One hurtle to overcome is the need to raise millions of dollars to campaign for a job that pays $165K.
However, once the re-educated American public gets involved and wants to take back the government and end federal waste, balance the budget and end the affairs that take place behind closed doors the price of admission should reduce.

All of this from my puny little head, correct?

I am more concerned about the future of this country now than ever and the industrial-military faction that serves none but warmongers such as those like Cheney and his Haliburton pals. Isn’t that frightening enough to alter the way we think about politics? Shouldn’t we VOTE for other than “the same old guys” or “the same old party”?

If any has a sticker/magnet displayed anywhere that proclaims “I support our troops” ask yourself what you are supporting.
Do you support a faction of this country that is like a crime mob and their wants to use our armed forces anywhere/anytime for personal gain?
If you actually feel for those that are needlessly dying or facing other hardships in countries we have no reason to be in your support would be to insist they be home now. If you buy into the propaganda of leaving the middle eastern area unstable with millions of terrorists wanting to follow us back you have no knowledge of the history of the middle east and should remove the sticker/magnets as you support the war. To what end? I have no ill will towards our soldiers; my father was a veteran of Korea and Vietnam and I am a military brat. I think more of their welfare and the stupidity of placing them there.

The USA is not an empire nor should we continue in our empirical ways around the world.
Sure, we can be friendly and should trade with other countries but, do we have the right to dictate to others what we feel is right and wrong?
Go back up to the first paragraph of the Constitution and decide after reading it through again.

It is late in coming but, we need to vote out incumbent and impotent legislators with two terms or more to begin to taking the USA government back into the hands of WE, THE PEOPLE.

How hard of a message is that to remember and pass along?

Pearl Harbor Day

I have met a few Pearl Harbor survivors in my life, one lived next door to me until the day he died.
Today marks the 66th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of Japan’s role in WWII.

Here’s to all of the people that lost their lives that day.

Sean Taylor - how society treats celebrity versus others that have fallen

Ever since this young man was gunned down by some punk hoping to clean up opportunistically on what was supposed abandoned cash I have been curious if any other 24 year old black men were shot to ultimately die by another on Nov. 26. The odds favor it but are any of them being honored as a fallen US soldier never has within the last 7 years? Pat Tillman doesn’t count as he was another of NFL celebrity.

Taylor was an NFL football player for a very short while. Dale Earnhardt drove race cars for a long time. These two were celebrity sports figures, nothing more. Heroes to some but millionaire sports figures don’t play into the moral fabric of everyday life as the memorials of these two might suggest. All that can be gleaned by putting them on that pedestal is learning of their lives, which we needn’t do. I don’t know if America really needs to grieve over FATHEADS as we are given over to. What does it say about our priorities when soldiers come home dead in body bags and go nameless - minus the fanfare of nationwide memorials that would put their names and faces on news channels as well as newspapers and other periodicals? How many periodicals will Sean Taylor’s face grace the cover of? As was with Dale Earnhardt it becomes macabre.
How many names and faces of the victims of crimes such as the VA Tech shooting or the DC snipers can we readily identify? Who cares? They aren’t celebrity sports figures are they?
Maybe it’s the fact that the media constantly spotlights highly paid sports figures so we may live vicariously through their excesses. Does that cause us to hold them above all others in life? I think the media itself teaches us who to hold in esteem. Hours upon hours of news stories and exposes puts them foremost in the minds of society.
Paris Hilton, not a sports figure, is a celebrity for no reason at all. The world bent a knee and wept when Princess Diana died in an automobile accident while the death of Mother Teresa was barely noticed. Paris would have a leg up on Teresa as well as we know far too much about her than is necessary. I think Teresa was glossed over by the media in its efforts to discuss Di, Di, Di.

The 4 youths that wanted to steal from Taylor are a product of the mindset I have described. They were out to take another’s valuables - steal - no doubt thinking the rich sports figure might have the best goods. They no doubt had an inside line as to what was where.
Shooting Sean Taylor was probably as easy as playing a video game for the trigger man. He has probably played enough games where he has shot another in the game. What is the sense of playing if you don’t shoot someone?
Breaking and entering with a handgun was far too easy. The 4 in question supposedly didn’t know someone was home and planned on ransacking the home to get money to blow within week to further their stupidity.

 

So goes society.

Robert Jordan and his legion of followers

I have been an avid fan of science-fiction of the fantasy genre for longer than I remember. I took the Hobbit and the 3 Lord of the Rings books home from my high school library and still have a few of them, cards and all, over 30 years later. In the very early 1990s I was employed at a government facility monitoring data on midnight shifts and needed something to occupy my mind so that I wouldn’t fall asleep as my co-workers did. I went through a plethora of novels from the library and by chance saw the cover of “The Great Hunt” which piqued my interest. I opened the book to the first few pages to find out more of what the book might be about. It was published by TOR (Bytor?) a company I had come to know as a house for sci-fi writers and learned this was the second of two. I picked up the first, “The Eye of the World”, as well and checked them both out.
I finished these off in a week and thought them to be good writing with a lot of page turning action. The plots and interpersonal relations were good but these books are in the 500-600 page range. Whew! It seemed that a new book in the series was being published every year or so - an average guess - and I have procured them all to date, most first publishing hardbacks. I’ve read them several times.
This tale, also known as the “Wheel of Time”(WOT), seemed to have a huge following though I knew no one that read them. I came to the conclusion that it was a crowd 15 years younger than myself as that is who I saw buying the books. It seems very few people in my age group read sci-fi if they read at all. Stupid yuppies. My 11 year old nephew is into them now.
Once the internet became a common meeting place of those that share like interests, years ago, I looked around for any having to do with the series as it had grown to 5-6 books and hopefully coming to a conclusion. After a few years I found a few sites inhabited by fans that were seemingly role playing and hung up in the world of the books rather than reality. No book has ever done that to me as it is entertainment and not a script for my life.
The WOT series began to drag on as if there was no end in sight. I entertained the thought that TOR wanted Jordan to stretch this saga on to that of an endless daytime soap opera.
I was reminded of reading “Casca, the Eternal Mercenary” written by Barry Sadler(of Green Beret fame). That series is endless and mindless as it went past the mid teen releases of those short pocket novels when Sadler died. I quit reading those long before I got to the 10th release and Sadler was gone at that point so I gave in. I understand another author has taken up the torch and is running with it. Please finish it.

The WOT series seemed to be written by another hand for a few books until a novel entitled “A New Spring” came about. It had the older Jordan touch and IMO should have been the first book in the series. This was considered a supplementary novel to add to the story; why, I will never know. I almost passed it over. I stayed with the series as the writing was good though though I almost gave it up when it became a tale of women bickering over trivial matters. The last two came out and they seemed to have some of the feel of the first three.

Jordan admitted to having a debilitating blood disorder know as amyloidosis a couple of years back. I feel he has suffered from this much longer and the quality of his eternal saga is proof.
During the slow times I read the entire “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye - why not mix a little spiritual sci-fi in with it? I came across two marvelous compilations of novels; “The Deed of Paksenarion” by Elizabeth Moon and “Double Exposure” by Piers Anthony. The “Alvin Maker” series by Orson Scottt Card is great. I found the novel “Ringworld ” by Larry Niven and that was great though I didn’t read the 2nd book as it wasn’t needed. I reread Phillip Jose Farmer’s initial “River World” series. I couldn’t find myself cracking open a Harry Potter” book. George Lucas and Peter Jackson each made three highly acclaimed films during this time and I read the bible. I recorded a bunch of music.

Robert (James Rigley) Jordan died a couple of days ago and left his near 20 year old tale unfinished as did Sadler. I am glad I read what I did because the series was good enough to have me believing I was in the story at times but the 600 page installments that detailed garments, wine and cheese grew on me. The last installment is reportedly due for 1000 pages!! Was an ending ever planned?

My condolences to his family - he was an artist that captured the imagination of more than mine.

I’m curious who will pick up this torch and what is to become of all of the fans that call themselves Aes Sedai, Warder, Aiel and Ogier.

Are you tired of being POLITICALLY CORRECT?

Patience, civility, understanding and following the “Golden Rule” is all that is really necessary for mankind to exist. Following a set template of “right, wrong and do the right thing” is quite obtuse to that. Change is needed for any advancement in any society but the mindset of being “Politically Correct” is nearly insane.
Retitling all of the supposedly “offensive” names of anything and everything so that we all feel good in a homogeneous society of “Warm and Fuzzy” cripples the psyche in as much as we will never know what is not “Warm and Fuzzy”.

If a dog never gets into a row with another dog he/she hasn’t lived a dog’s life.
“What does that NONSENSE mean?”
That row might not have been more than a quick scuffle and wrestling match but, that dog had contact with another of its kind and in a manner that befits their species. The dog will have grown by that contact and will actually have dreams about it. Dogs don’t shake hands and chat - they like to run and wrestle about.

Where am I getting my crazy info? I am a scientist of my own world. We can all be if we take the time to do so.
If you have ever spent much time with your dogs over some years and were truly observant of mannerisms you would know your dog. Why do little dogs that are tossed around by a larger one get up and charge back? First and foremost, dogs are highly social and enjoy the company of another dog. Left to their own they behave as children. I have seen lines of dogs trotting around my neighborhood just checking things out. My dog would run over me for the opportunity to run around with them.
The point? Dogs work out their problems by being the open and honest beings that they are. Sure, they may snap at each other or get rolled by one larger but, it is the definition of the pack. There is no room for 12 alpha dogs in a pack.

We humans have not learned to assert this into our own lives. Though we would never admit so, we each believe we are all alpha and others are below us. One problem is that we don’t have the opportunity to get into a row with those that oppose us. No, we are “civilized”. We have come to rely on others that we raise to alpha status - and shouldn’t be - to guide us as a true alpha being of a species would. The old cliche “the blind leading the blind is frightening when it is truth.

There has been a social push in the past 30 years of this country’s history that echoes of the ideals of communism. The number one goal in a socialism/communist regime is to eliminate the class system. Make everyone homogeneous and held at bay by a ruling party that treats one and all as a CITIZEN rather than a fellow human being.
Bizarre concept? Consider the fact that the middle class of this nation has almost disappeared. That which passes off as the middle class in this day and age is actually what used to be the upper middle class. The word POVERTY is used very little unless describing the homeless or those on welfare and living in inner-city apartments. Poverty has claimed a lot of America in hidden ways.
Most of America is firmly entrenched in debt due to credit cards, their fancy cars or their overpriced houses and all of the fixings that go with it. America’s cash flow is basically from employer to those that hold the debtor’s tab.

Along with this ability to be in debt came the naming of politically correct terms for all races of mankind in the workplace and in the world of commerce. Come one, Come all! People are qualified for loans that far surpass their means for the reason of political correctness. They cannot be turned away or it is a civil crime and politically incorrect.

What gives?

I have no concept of what society is any longer as we have no time for ourselves, let alone another. Hurry, hurry, hurry and road rage is the preferred style of driving. America is obese - that means FAT - due to our diets.
FAT would actually be weight challenged or some such crap.
People are no longer black, white, brown or yellow as titles have been assigned to some that have never been to the country with which they are tied to.

Children no longer flunk grades in school because it may impune their mental well being.

Tough shit! Pay attention.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY?!

I have been to numerous fireworks shows - my father used to moonlight for good cash and do those shows while he was in the military. The best one I ever remember seeing was in the 1960s. We lived in Libya and the shows were shot off over the Mediterranean sea while all of those watching were on blankets, towels or whatever on the beach. He did them everywhere we lived and I learned the technical side; basically cool for an adolescent military brat.

Second to that was the time I went to the Mall in DC and had a day of wall to wall people. Like Mardi Gras, I suggest it for the young and all should attend once. I went in the 1980s - my girlfriend’s parents even dragged me downtown for Reagan’s second inauguration back then. I guess you gotta do it all if you live here. What!?? You don’t like CRABS!!!

I got to see the Beach Boys perform a full concert way back in time. The fireworks were the icing on the cake after checking out the . Back in the days before the WWII memorial (like there are not enough memorials on the mall) displaced the beauty of the Mall the works were shot up over the reflecting pool and that was the place to be. The show took place directly overhead and the little silver and gold sparkling embers fluttered down to the point you could almost touch them.
I’ve had a seat on a rooftop of a 10-story building a dozen blocks away as well as watching them from across the Potomac river near Arlington memorial cemetery - underneath is the best.

I’ve gotten into watching the annual Maryland public television program “A Capitol 4th” over the past few years. I enjoy seeing the entertainment on the west lawn of the capitol building that I would never have a chance to see otherwise. The National Symphony Orchestra is a staple and is one of the best, in my opinion.

I don’t know about the rest of my fellow citizens but, I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I hear Patriotic standard tunes such as “Stars and Stripes Forever”, “God Bless America”, “America the Beautiful”, “National Anthem” and a dozen more when played by by a full symphony orchestra such as the NSO.
I hear and feel the emotion behind the words and musical notes and it takes me away from present day America.

What do I mean?!

I don’t know how anyone in their sane minds can feel any patriotism for the sorry excuse of a government that WE,THE PEOPLE vote into the White House, senate and congress. This has to be the low point of American government for the ages.

Tomorrow, all of the “4th of July” magic will be gone save for the fact it is a 5 day weekend for most federal employees and the rest of America that will continue to swill beer until Sunday night.

When did WE, THE PEOPLE decide that we couldn’t have our own simple fireworks - firecrackers and bottle rockets - for this holiday??! This is but one freedom lost to the political machine with the assistance of lawyers. What else is to follow? I can count a few already.

Does anyone feel that patriotic magic at any other time of the year? It’s not like our over-commercialized fake Christmas season that goes on for 60 days. The majority of you get more worked up about that than being Americans as it is. Christmas starts the day after Halloween and ends January 1 = 60 days. The majority of people that take part in all of the festivities are not Christians. They may claim to be but, it is merely a part of our society that has become a festive custom with no thought of who. what when, where or why. Show me in any bible where it is written that Christmas is to be an observed “HOLY DAY” and I will look further and write about it. It was against the law to celebrate the holiday in this country at one point.
Cards, present, decorations, special clothes and parties…that’s Christmas. Most know the words to several carols but can’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

The latest assault on our patriotic heritage is the want to remove the two words “under GOD” from this pledge of patriotism as some think it is against their better judgment. The ACLU has been taking an active part in this move to erode a very wee part of America - a part that most people have no contact with to begin with. The following is Eisenhower’s words when changing the wording …

“In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”

If we read of very early American history, the reason so many Europeans to made the trip is in these words.

Those that want to change it are the same people that worry about the Political Correctness of our very lives. Get off of it folks - read The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution instead. Base your “feelings” - where feelings come into play, I dunno - upon the written word the government of this country is based. There is no crying in baseball and there is no allowance to tear down the fabric of this country on behalf of PC either.

As for the Republican weenies that are trying to push “Truth, Justice and the American Way” onto the rest of the world - unconstitutionally - be ready to tumble. I certainly hope and pray that my fellow countrymen are learning to put down their TV remotes and beer so that they may re-educate themselves about the political process. Get your friends and family registered to vote and let’s get this train back on its tracks.

If you were born in this country and are at least 35 years of age you are eligible to run for president of the USA. If the selection we have to pick from is the very best and brightest this country has to offer we are, quite frankly, FUCKED.
The two party system is ineffective and the results of such can be seen by the “war” we are five hundred billion dollars in debt to.
WE, THE PEOPLE have to vote at every election so that the old wood is lost and new minds can start to legislate. There are far too many professional politicians on Capitol hill with tenures of 20 years or more. And doing what?? Google congress or the senate and look at the years of the individual’s tenure.

My favorite presidential candidate to point out is Ron Paul from TX. He is an old goat; where has he been with all of his political genius for the past 30 years?? He is now the tool of the internet crowd that have as much of a clue as he does. This guy is their political saviour?

I have come to learn that the more one is detested for no reasons, the more they are a threat to the status quo. The status quo is dangerous in two respects as it can be the same old bald tire about to go flat in one sense or the knife that is slicing away the prime cuts and leaving nothing but bone in another. Either way, it is a system that is wholly inefficient.

Back to the main point…will you feel the same about your country in two months as you did today when you watched the fireworks?
If no, why?

Think of how a child stares in wonderment of a fireworks display and has no idea at all why it is there. He has yet to learn why he lives in a cornucopia which the rest of the world desires; in some regards. At least he was free to watch the fireworks and hopefully went home with his parents to sleep in a nice bed.