Rent this Movie or forfeit a Pound of Flesh

What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world!

At least old Will was. Shakespeare that is.

I rented and recommend Merchant of Venice from our local video store. It’s the 2004 version with Al Pachino as Shylock the Jew. I never really understood it well until I saw it. I have seen and read the play in other forms. This really brings out the full richness of the work.

• Shylock’s anger is about his daughter. I never really grasped the depth.
• Antonio and Basanio are not father son which I always thought.
• Basanio really loves Portia.
• Portia is very wise even in the way she deals with her husband.
• The passion is wonderful.
• Shylock’s speech on being a Jew is rattling and essential.
• Shylock’s comeuppance in the end is just and not just. Merciful and not so.

After watching it I read the play again in bed last night. It meant so much more to me than it ever had before. I saw things in it I never saw before.

Even if you’re NOT a Shakespeare buff, rent this one. You won’t be sorry.

I have it from an Anonymous Source...........

I have it on good authority from an anonymous source that the editors at Newsweek magazine are actually aliens from the planet Nibiru. I also understand from a highly placed source that they regularly eat little puppies, kittens and spotted owls as part of their daily diet. A person from inside has told us that reporters from Newsweek are all illiterate and that the magazine’s content is written by hundreds of monkeys who hammer away on old Alder typewriters until enough legible text is generated to publish the next week.

That’s the kind of reporting MSM pejoratively looks at the on line news world (Blogs) as doing. It gives me great joy to see them once again trapped by their own hubris (and bias). Responsibility for documenting sources hangs on all of us.

I don’t want them to go away. I want them to hold the rest of us accountable. That’s a two way street. So, as the liberal left always quotes the only Bible verse they know, (Newsweek), let those who are without sin cast the first stone.

Tsunami Money You Gave Swirling Down the Drain

When the Tsunmai hit in Asia last Christmas I made a prediction. The money people generously gave would be lost or stolen or never produced. I hate when I'm right.

In today's Sun Times of Chicago Mark Steyn has a brilliant article about Robert Bolton's confirmation to the impotent UN. It's worth the read. Below is a key excerpt.

Bolton would have no problem getting nominated as U.N. ambassador if he were more like Paul Martin. Who? Well, he's prime minister of Canada. And in January, after the tsunami hit, he flew into Sri Lanka to pledge millions and millions and millions in aid. Not like that heartless George W. Bush back at the ranch in Texas. Why, Prime Minister Martin walked along the ravaged coast of Kalumnai and was, reported Canada's CTV network, "visibly shaken." President Bush might well have been shaken, but he wasn't visible, and in the international compassion league, that's what counts. So Martin boldly committed Canada to giving $425 million to tsunami relief. "Mr. Paul Martin Has Set A Great Example For The Rest Of The World Leaders!" raved the LankaWeb news service. You know how much of that $425 million has been spent so far? Fifty thousand dollars -- Canadian. That's about 40 grand in U.S. dollars. The rest isn't tied up in Indonesian bureaucracy, it's back in Ottawa. But, unlike horrible "unilateralist" America, Canada enjoys a reputation as the perfect global citizen, renowned for its commitment to the U.N. and multilateralism. And on the beaches of Sri Lanka, that and a buck'll get you a strawberry daiquiri. Canada's contribution to tsunami relief is objectively useless and rhetorically fraudulent. This is the way the transnational jet-set works when the entire world is in complete agreement and acting in perfect harmony. Unlike more "controversial" issues like the mass slaughter in Sudan, no Security Council member is pro-tsunami. And yet even when the entire planet is on the same side, the 24/7 lavishly funded U.N. humanitarian infrastructure can't get its act together.

Be Ignorant - Be Famous

In today's Chicago Tribune Perspective section the front page is dedicated to the Bible as a political weapon. I will link it but you might have to subscribe (It's Free) to read it.

In the article the author who was an Episcopal Bishop says some of the dumbest things I have ever read. I am coming to the conclusion that people that attend seminary shouldn't be allowed to interpret the Bible. They never read it. At least this man never has. Otherwise he wouldn't be as ignorant in his allegations against the Word of God (which he doesn't think the Bible is).

My conclusion is he is trying to get on the lecture circuit in his retirement. The only way to do this is to say something reassuring to unbelievers lost in their sin and controversial to believers. If I stood up and said, "I believe the Bible is true and I trust it's counsel for my life" I will receive a collective yawn. I certainly won't get press on the front page of the Tribune's perspective section, a 10 minute interview on NPR and Today Show with Katie Couric.

He will gets lots of lectures among liberals. I hope he gets saved. You see, when I apply the 10 point test, he doesn't make it. He is NOT my brother in Christ.

In case you want him to come scratch your itching ears or if you just want to keep your distance I will identify him:

John Shelby Spong, the retired Episcopal bishop of Newark, N.J., is the author of the recently published "The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love" from HarperCollins and other books and essays on belief.

More Heresy can be found on his website.
www.johnshelbyspong.com

I Think I'll Run

I got this from a Pastor friend of Mine, Mike Johnson in Minnesota. I have had a few bumps in life, so I decided I would fit right in. On the other hand, any club that would have me for a member I would not want to join (WC Fields).

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

• 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
• 7 have been arrested for fraud
• 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
• 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
• 3 have done time for assault
• 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
• 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
• 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
• 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
• 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

Give up yet?

It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

Linkers and Thinkers

There are basically two kinds of Blogs, linkers and thinkers. Those who are primarily accumulations of links without much original content, and others.

I would like to believe people read my or any blog for creative content. I would like to but I am more and more convinced this is a little game of I poke you - you poke me. In this week's Forbes Magazine a column about the blogosphere mentioned this post. His complete analysis and a link to him makes the whole argument.

I wonder about LINKER type blogs 6 months old with way more links than thinks who have 20% of all the hits a much more original blog (mostly THINKER) written well that is nearly 3 years old. There's something wrong with this picture except for the fact that there is a blogger quid pro quo about which I know little and in which I choose not to participate.

Trevor Romain (Trevor's blog Read Below) is all original, all his own thinking and writing and it's spreading like wildfire because of it's quality. No gimmicks. No traffic builders. It that too much of a standard to reach for? I will strive to do better writing. The bar he has set is very high. Thanks for the challenge Trevor.

I will be true to myself and if you are my solo reader today I will be content. I think in the long run original thought with some documentation by link is more interesting than I-saw-this- linkism.

Make it SO!

Captain Picard used this command to initiate action. The other day when a Cessna training plane strayed into DC airspace causing the keystone cop event that demonstrated our collective incompetence I kept asking myself,

Don’t they have a hailing frequency? I mean Captain Picard did. If he wanted to talk to any non-federation ship he would say, “open a channel on all hailing frequencies.” The problem it turns out is that the little plane (like my wife flies) wasn’t tuned to the right channel. 121.9 or something. If Picard could do this can’t the US Government blast an all possible little plane channels an emergency communication and hail that errant pilot without scrambling the Air Force or causing the white house staff to (Mostly) evacuate?? Am I missing something here? Could someone explain? Doesn’t anyone in government watch Star Trek Next Gen?

Another thing. In a post a couple days ago I postulated that the blog in whatever permutation it ends up will change everything. Newspapers are static non-dynamic unplugged blogs you can carry; magazines because of their narrower interest are interest specific static portable blogs. Talk radio had a big influence in the last century. Does anyone really believe this will continue exponentially? So, look at Star Trek again. Remember, “Personal Log, Star Date 4538-2”.

Will there be personal logs posted somewhere just like on Star Trek? Will it become a form of interpersonal relationship with people “Conversing face to face but not in real time”. Is that where it’s all headed? Or is it like in Logan’s Run where the “Machine” gins up someone who has entered the system looking for a relationship. Reading science fiction imaginings helps us understand where we could be heading.

I have seen every single Star Trek Next Gen. Some several times. Many are profound and a few are moving. And sadly are too many I think are just stupid. Star Trek comes out of my long-term love affair with Sci Fi. I confess much of what passes for Science Fiction today in literature and movies is banal. TV writers for the most part don’t get it. They don’t ask the questions that Star Trek or the Matrix did. Read some of the really old Science Fiction (Pre 1950) and you will see what I mean. Before it became profitable and commercial.

As I think about a book written in the early 50’s called “One Child Too Many”. A fictional story of a futuristic world where the population police will put you in jail for having too many children and contributing to the population problem. The saga had to do with the protagonist and his wife and child escaping capture. CHINA ANYONE?

Or consider the story, “The Machine Stops” written in 1909 where Lazy Boy Lardos live in a virtual machine controlled environment of space and relationships. The net goes down, they are stuck. So in desperation they emerge to the outside to discover the world is in fact a beautiful place. X-Box, Internet, TV, the World of Blog and therefore not having any actual personal relationships, how far are we from that today?

I won’t mention 1984, Animal Farm, War of the Worlds, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 leagues under the Sea, The Martian Chronicles, and hundreds of others. They contain clues to what could be. They are not only cautionary but also helpful in understanding where we are. They contain specific “Prophetic” clues. Not Biblical but societal in prophetic terms.

I am teaching the Old Testament Prophecy of Zechariah right now. I am always amazed at how precise Biblical Prophecy is. Daniel, Zechariah and Revelations are The Drudge Report written thousands of years in advance of real time events; almost to the letter. We need to have ears to hear and eyes to see what the Spirit says.

BIRDSONG

Yesterday I was outside in the yard. I heard as THUMP. Looking around I saw a little bird of some kind (my ornithology skills are less than I hoped they would be). It had hit the front window of our living room window.

I must be getting more sensitive. In years past that would have been a simple clean up project. Dead Bird disposal brigade. I picked the little fellow up, I held him close to me for warmth (it’s cold here). I was about to give up when he gave a little shiver. For the next several minutes I held him and stroked his feathered head. He came around without mouth to beak resuscitation. I laid him in a boxwood plant in our front yard. He sat there for a few minutes, dusted himself off and flew away.

I’m a hunter. I like shooting grouse, doves, pheasants, geese, ducks and anything else legal and in season. I particularly like deer hunting. It serves a purpose and it’s part of the order of things. But a little innocent life like that little bird deserves my compassion and time. I’m glad I did. Maybe it’s a \/ testosterone thing of age. If it is, I’m OK with it.

I would like to believe that it had to do with my love for music and beauty. I have become convinced that birds sing in natural musical organization. I have heard enough pretty birdsongs to know that they have an instinctive ability to sing on key in an accessibly beautiful chromatic order.

There is a guy who has studied this. Why Birds Sing.

So maybe I saved or nursed an avian Beethoven. I will listen carefully this spring and see if I hear him in the orchestra.


UPDATE:
I just found his little carcass in the flower bed. Very sad. His recovery was short lived.

A Wonderful Blog I Recommend

I want to give credit where due. Julie mentioned Trevor's Blog. I'm blown away.

If you want your heart touched and laugh at the same time read Trevor's blog. This is what the blogosphere does well. Above all the screaming, catty remarks and ironic observations (guilty as charged) are truly thoughtful emissions of humanity.

You Go Trevor. Thanks for being there.

Gutenberg LIVES

I believe that the world of the blog is changing everything. I didn't at first. I do now. Even very conservative people are now saying things you old pro's in blogging may have thought long ago.

1. The Gutenberg Press Brought the Word's truth to the Masses.
2. The blog and whatever permutations follow on behind which will be many is bring the masses truth to the masses.

Just as Gutenberg made it impossible for false religious leaders to lie about what the Bible said, the blog is making it impossible for News and Political leaders to lie about what is really happening. See Dan Rather.

This is a revolution. Pure and simple. Don't let the fact that you have been doing this for a while blind you, or that you don't see it yet. This is a big deal.

I must confess, I think Ariana Huffington (with whom I disagree on almost everything) has a good idea. Creating a virtual community of opinions accessible at a glance for review. Drudge Report of blogs of around a general mindset. Clever.

Ok, my right thinking friends, how bout it! Can we get over out independance and do better?

I read it in a book, no radio

On National Liberal Public Radio over the weekend I heard a report on the Flossmoor public library in South Suburban Chicago. I have had a St Charles library card for 5 years. It's just like new. Unused.

I like to read but I don't find the local library all that inviting. Mostly made up of old retired folks (of which I am not) reading the newspapers.

But, hearing the story on NPR I came away with a clear impression that things are changing. I probably go to Barnes and Noble or Borders a half dozen times per month. What Flossmoor's librarian is trying to do is attract people like me and particularly younger folks to come give it a try. Free coffee. Bring your lunch, eat it in the library, rooms for study, free wireless internet, no interaction with any human to check out or return a book. These are all good things.

So, I know the purists among you all will swear this is apostasy of the worst kind. Guilty as charged. It means that we may have made progress.

All change is considered loss (at first) by most people. There is no improvement without change (not all change is improvement).

Now if we can just get concert halls to put in big comfy theater type seats that would be real progress.

Couch Spud Comic

10 years ago Kevin gave me this cartoon, Flowers for Trinitron. I dig it out from time to time in order to be reminded of the intellectual price I pay for being Potatoeia couchiana.

For many years he lived without TV to allow his artistic ventures to bloom. It worked.

My older son's family goes without TV for other reasons. There is no evidence of permanent brain damage so far.

In fact both seemed to do pretty well.

So, if you feel like you are missing something. I have 157 channels on my sat TV dish. I just checked. There's still nothing on.

I'll check later and keep you posted.

If you don't have TV or few channels it may be one of the reasons you are as creative as you are, J!

Class-less Art Project

I know I should be more understanding and openminded. This was ART. OK. I don't get it.

Maybe we should ask this 18 year old. He seems to have a handle on it.

What a mystery. Does truth have to be void of beauty? Maybe truth IS beauty.

It's good to think about these things. Makes watching Jerry Springer so much more enriching.

The Carved Wooden Turtle

20 plus years ago our youngest, Kevin was part of a singing group that went into an old folks home in Fargo to sing a few Christmas Carols. I don’t know if it was a church or school group.

When he came home he showed me a small carved wooden turtle some elderly gentleman had given him in appreciation or something for the singing. I thought that odd. I wondered why? Who else might he have given it to who might have appreciated it more? Didn't he have any children? We moved it with us to Chicago when we moved. I see it in among the “stuff” from time to time.

Now that I am closer to his age (whatever that was) I am beginning to grasp what that act was all about. I don’t think if Kevin had gone back a year later the gentleman would have still been there. I doubt that he had other candidates for his stuff. This shot at immortality (being remembered) was giving away something he knew the attendants at the nursing home were going to throw away anyhow. He hoped he might be remembered positively by this act. It worked.

A few years ago after having been thru the burial and distribution of things left over from aunts and uncles on both sides of the family I have arrived at these conclusions:

• Everything I buy from this day forward will be given away, thrown away or sold at auction.
• Little of what I now own will mean much if anything to my offspring or their wives, they have enough of their own stuff.
• My brothers and sisters don’t want what I have accumulated in stuff.
• The final dumpster will only stacked higher and deeper the longer I keep things.
• If I want to do some good I must give it away now to someone, no matter who, who might value my “stuff” more than I do anymore.

Once when I was in Guatemala I was in a man’s home and admired a woven wall hanging. Big mistake. It went home with me. Mi casa su casa and all the stuff within. I did that with a suitcase a man had in China. I went home with that too.

So, be aware, if you express a positive opinion about anything which I might own, something I am now sort of over with, you will get it by parcel post if I have your address. I have a book collection numbering in the thousands. I have CDs and albums (vinyl) equal to that. I have collectables from all over the world. So, beware. I’m just like that man in Guatemala; I’ve got lots of stuff needing a new home. Watch your mailbox.

V-E Day May 8, 1945

Tomorrow is Victory in Europe Day plus 60 years. I was 7 weeks old when victory was declared. I don’t remember it at all. I do remember the aftermath.

Growing up in small town America there were many opportunities to see the strong young men and women who had served in that brutal war. When I was 10 years old most of those veterans were an average age of 35; still young, erect and strong. On Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July, and Homecoming we would have parades and the honor guard of veterans carrying the flag would walk by. Even at 10 yrs old I was impressed by the stature of these people.

I remember seeing Gold Star Mothers, those who had lost sons in battle. I didn’t understand it then. I barely do now. There were signs in windows in our town demonstrating the same thing. It was a holy thing.

These noble men and women are disappearing from the face of the earth. I wanted to once more say thank you to that Generation Brokaw called Greatest.
May those of us who now must carry that banner recognize and value the trail blazed before us and travel it with proper reverence. I will

Clinton, I miss him, kinda

I saw XXX President Clinton on C-Span today. He was making a speech to a Jewish committee of some kind. I listened for 5 minutes or so. He was very good. I had forgotten how deep in knowledge and analysis of situations he could be. It was astounding.

I think George Bush is wonderful, a man of God, a strong ethical leader, a sure voice in an uncertain time. Lots of other things Clinton never was.

But, ol Bill was the best when it came to talking about issues on which I have little comprehension like Mid East Peace. He is a very smart man. When he talked to us as President, even though we knew he was lying much of the time, it was a pleasure to hear him do so. Like lovers in an illicit affair, nothing anyone says is truth but its very exciting stuff at the time.

I wonder if the cloning folks could do anything about getting a few speech making genes into our beloved leader. I’ll bet ol Bill wouldn’t miss em a bit.

Too Much PowerPoint Already you ADHD Heads

Teach me everything you know about trees Gene. Do it in 5 minutes. Alrighty then. I have 30 years in the business, a post graduate level of education in horticulture, and you want me to give you a 10 bullet points overview of everything I know. Curse you evil PowerPoint.

As if we didn’t have people with short enough attention spans promulgated by remote controls, microwave ovens, and now the internet, everyone thinks everything is easy like the home makeover shows. Give us a day and we’ll give you the world. 22-minute problem to full resolution TV sitcoms have created an expectation that anything can be mastered if we just had the right PowerPoint presentation. It’s not me you understand, it’s the poor PowerPoint presentation you prepared. We used to have Cliff notes to read great classics. Then they got too long.

I hear this all the time:

• I don’t have time to read like you do
• Just give me a quick overview
• Teach me how to __________________
• Could you give me one page that tells me all about it. BUY A BOOK!

I know there are all kinds of quick and dirty cribs on the market to help you learn history, WordPerfect, math, exercise. You have seen these laminated sheets for sale in truck stops printed both sides that purport to give you all the information you will ever need. I confess I have bought them.

Video professor will make you a software engineer.

Then there were the quick learn a language books complete with vocab flash cards. I have several; Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, French and others. I lived in the hope that in the trip over to those countries I could master the language enough to “pass”. ADHD. If there were only a 5-minute PowerPoint to master Latin we would all be better for it? The illusion is we really believe this is possible. Its not!

So, my friends admit some of your ADHD’ness is laziness. Buy a book. Work. Study. Master it. For goodness sake try living without PowerPoint for a month. The shakes stop after two weeks.

I don’t know why this is so long, the ones who needed to read it stopped after the first line. Sighhhh

Blogging = The Pain of High School

1959 I became a freshman in EHS. Gangly, skinny, and a little nerdy.

This new world was Ruled by Seniors and Juniors who didn’t know or care that I existed. There were Jocks who roamed the halls with virile accomplishments. There were the tag along sycophants who were their “best friends”. There were the popular pretty girls. There were the Rock Star Guys, president of or leader in everything.

Much of the time in High School was about connections. If I knew him and he knew her then maybe she would know me. Jockeying for position was the game.

A few Juniors and Seniors befriended me. Very few. I was thankful for those who did. More like a charity case I guess. They had their clubs, cliques and groups most of which I was not allowed to be part of. There were teachers who tried to organize relationships into formal structures. This nearly always failed.

So the system developed into Freshmen and Sophomores laughing uproariously at Juniors and Seniors jokes to ingratiate themselves to these power brokers. Everyone wanted to be recognized and be part of the in crowd.

There were a few freshmen who were track stars, good looking, and who were adopted quickly by the Seniors. Most of us less athletic types who didn’t mesh well with the groupthink were seen as outsiders and shunned. It was political gamesmanship at it’s worst.

Heavens forbid if you had a view on something that you shared with an upperclassman that was outside the mainstream. You were considered narrow-minded or judgmental or not able to think for yourself (an accusation they often made against my brother John). We had to make a decision to either fit, go along to get along or be made an outcast. That has never been my style.

Some freshmen with good ideas and great ability chose rather to blend colorlessly into the wallpaper than to exercise their individuality and be put out of the High School social order.

Eventually I became a Senior. Self-absorbed I performed the task of ignoring the Freshmen coming up below me admirably. They were just as awkward an clueless as I had been. I would like to think that I was helpful and encouraging. I don’t know. I was to a few. Some of them remember me better than I remember them.

It is just about 6 months now since I entered Blogosphere High School. My experience has been nearly the same as 46 years ago. I click around 30 or 40 blogs from time to time and find little cliques and clubs most of whom I don’t want to be part of. I find a few which look like-minded. But you have to hold your mouth right to be accepted. I want to remember what this was like so later I can help upcoming freshmen. Nice to have a second chance to be nice.

The Blogosphere is just like High School. Isn’t that sad how far we haven’t come?

I do believe, I do, I do maybe

I just read this review of The Revenge of the Sith. I want to believe it. I really do. My expectation on this is so low the bottom is up. Is it possible?? Is it? We'll see.

But, I’m a Person of Faith, Really, Honest, Cross my Heart, Swear to ????

I read a couple dead tree blogs every day. Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune. It takes a lot of pulpwood to feed my habit.

Today’s WSJ editorial page has a couple op-ed pieces about the religious right. I don'’t mind if a person wants to opine and says right off the bat, I’'m not a Christian, or I’'m an atheist. I can tolerate that. It’s pretend Christians I struggle with. You either is or you ain't.

I draw the line with phony baloney quasi Christians on NPR and talking head shows whose primary drone is, “"I'’m a person of faith and I don'’t agree"”. They will then trot out their thesis based purely on popular opinion. Their mantra is, "I go to church, I pray, I believe in God". I know lots of people who have all those qualifications who have nothing in common with the believers of conviction they criticize. They might be Muslim, Bahi, Hindu, Taoist or Buddhist. I don't consider them a brother or sister in Christ. A brother or sister in Christ knows who their father is and what his last will and testament says.

Barry Lind is the poster child, a “Minister” who’s primary service to the kingdom of God is seeing to it we don'’t have any of that sort of thing in any form anywhere. Not my spiritual kin.

So, Mr or Ms person of faith who disagrees so vehemently with the Christian Right in this country, Here’s a short quiz to see what the cultural divide really is all about..

Answer Yes or No to these questions:

1. I believe the Bible is the word of God and true from Genesis to Maps.
2. I believe God is involved in the world and is passionate about it.
3. I believe there is a literal heaven and eternal damnation.
4. I believe Moses, Abraham, Joseph, Sampson, David, Daniel, and Noah are real people who lived and died on this planet.
5. I believe evil is real and that there is a real Devil (Satan) who roams the earth.
6. I believe life is sacred to God and cannot be taken without consequence.
7. I believe miracles still happen in response to prayer and fasting.
8. I believe God is a good God and wants only the best for his people.
9. I believe Jesus was born, lived, died and rose from the dead and lives today
10. I believe Jesus is truly God and the only way to redemption and salvation**.

Total the number you don’'t agree with completely and you will see why you might consider yourself a person of faith, but we don'’t. That is the true cultural divide. Sorry.

**I consider Devout Jews to be my Brothers and Sisters, I can't explain it but they are. I'm grafted in. They have just not yet come to faith in Jesus. They will.

Long Long A'GORE

Growing up in rural ND as a teenager was a mixed blessing. In early High School I had a girlfriend. There's not much to report from that relationship except this one event. One sunny September afternoon I was walking her to the corner after school. She was upset, crying (15 yrs old). I being the center of everyone's universe in my eyes asked her what I had done to make her cry. She set me straight with these words, "What makes you think everything is about you". She was right and I never forgot it. I also didn't marry her. But thanks Jean wherever you are. I learned that day that sometimes people who are close to you have pain a part of which you don't play at all. It is egocentric to think you do, so get over your big bad self. It's not always about you.

This rush of memory (something those of us in our 7th decade do a lot) brought to you courtesy of Eric and his mention of a new compilation of Leslie Gore. You Don't Own Me is a great song and a good thing for young men to learn. I did.

Tip of the hat to Julie, see, I learned how to use the permalink. HA!

Miracles come from Expectancy

Many years ago I stopped to see an old college friend while I was working in Bismarck. She was operating a travel agency and I was organizing a Dale Carnegie Sales Training class. There's not much about the visit I recall except a poster on her wall which said "Anyone who doesn't believe in Miracles isn't being Realistic".

That saying impressed me. I have thought about it many times. It was a wind in my life's sail.

I do believe in miracles. I have seen many. Some come out of trust and faith in the potential for good from choices we make. Not everything we try works. Trust me, I've failed in some spectacular ways. I've been nearly bankrupt 3 times in my life. I have very wealthy (7 figures) twice. I'm just off the 3rd of 3.

So I should be more conservative, more cautious, not take a risk, right? I read this recently, "If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable you disconnect yourself from what you truly want and all that is left is a compromise".

So why this now? I don't know. I just know that I am too conservative sometimes. I have built some substantial businesses in my life. I have had a few crash and burn with disastrous results.

So I'm starting all over again, at my age. Oh, I'm OK, I'm not missing any meals (my waistline demonstrates that). I enjoy good things as much as ever.

I just have a new sense of optimism and expectancy I haven't had in a long time. I have no idea what it looks like. But there is a pony in that pile somewhere.

Wiser people than I have pronounced this truth of looking for good and shunning security for the sake of security. I was taken up short one time by a friend who said to me, "If you were as conservative and cautious as you are now 20 years ago, you would never have accomplished everything you have till now". He shocked and awed me. He was right. So, here are a few other thoughts. Maybe for you today.

Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death.
James F. Byrnes (1879 - 1972)

Security is a kind of death.
Tennessee Williams (1911 - 1983)

There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity.
General Douglas MacArthur (1880 - 1964)

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature....
Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)

The one above is my favorite, written by a deaf, dumb and blind woman given up for nothingness of a state institution. Saved from it by an anointed woman of God. To offer hope and inspiration to those of us blessed to see, hear and speak. Press on! Expect a miracle!

And you thought slavery was abolished

I’ll have to go to the final prequel to Star Wars. I am dreading it. I have come to the conclusion after the last two I suffered thru that if George Lucas would just come on the screen after we are all seated in the auditorium and say, “OK, I got you. You’ve paid your 8 bucks, you have your 11 dollars worth of popcorn and pop. Since it’s no better than what you were going to see, we just want to thank you for being a total idiot. Enjoy your popcorn and go home.” The screen would then go dark and that would be that. It would at least be honest.

I have to go you understand; Just as I had to see Matrix 2 and 3. I would have preferred they would have given me a pass on going; I would have mailed in my 8 bucks and skipped the popcorn. Now that I think of it, there are almost never sequels which even come close to the original. Rocky, Superman, Batman, Predator…..

That’s why I shudder to think that Adams wrote other books relating to Hitchhiker’s Guide. I smell a sequel. YUCK.

On the other hand there have been a very small handful of sequels that were as good as and in one case better; Spiderman and the Star Trek Next Gen movies.

So, like an obedient drone I’ll file into the theater in a couple weeks and whine like mad. Wait, I already did. I’m a prisoner of hope; I keep hoping I’ll be surprised. What are the chances? Maybe I’ll win a million in the lotto. Bout the same I’ll wager.

We’re a Nation of Laws - and that's good?

I’ve heard this mantra enough lately to come to the conclusion that it’s doublespeak (1984). For instance, during the Terri Shaivo incident we heard constantly that “we’re a nation of laws”. This uttered by spineless politicians who knew the right things to do. Even my beloved Rush Limbaugh is in lockstep with this drumbeat.

In Hitchhikers Guide there were the fat ugly Vogons; bureaucratic drones that took their lunch breaks and did all their work according to a set of rules, laws and regulations that made everything gray. The irony was not lost on me. We are becoming Vogons. Not only in government but in business too.

I remember when AT&T was under the impression that it made laws in the late 70’s. If you tampered with or sent digital information over a voice line it was “against the law”. It was a culture shock when telecom was deregulated. When I told an AT&T employee that there was no law behind their rules it tipped her over. Companies always become more and more bureaucratic until they implode or are taken over by a more flexible creative competitor. It’s part of the life cycle.

It’s also part of the life cycle of nations. Germany and Russia were more and more nations of laws (particularly about Jews and political opponents) until they imploded. I worry about the USA.

I am not a liberal by any means. I do question everything I see or read. So sometimes what I hear my conservative brethren saying I question just as vigorously. Does that make me a libertarian? I don’t think labels work here. I think, I question. Is it still legal to do this? Will I go to jail?

Which brings me to the point: If as US politicos are famous for saying, “we are a nation of laws” my question is; Who’s Laws? The talk shows are full of self-righteous folks saying, “keep your nose clean, behave, and you don’t have to worry about the law”. I have done enough in-court time to tell you that it isn’t that simple. Not until you see the laws tyranny do you understand it’s potential for danger to you and yours.

Since 9-11 2001 we now have cameras everywhere, TSA, bank transactions over $1000 tracked, Patriot Act, Government of the, by the and for the Corporations (ie new bankruptcy bill), and a thousand other growing intrusions into your life’s road until you can barely keep from falling off this government imposed straight and narrow. In fact oppression comes when you do fall off and they have something to hold over your head. (Ve haf vays of making you talk)

Who’s making these laws we are a nation of? Un-elected Judges, bureaucrats, obscure lines in laws passed in omnibus spending bills, and rouge lobbyists with deep corporate pockets buying for sale politicians.

That’s who. Not you, Not me. It’s out of control.

This is not innocuous. In Toronto Canada they have allowed Sharia courts to pass judgment on Muslims. Can we be far behind? We need Muslim controlled oil don't we. How could we deny them this in the good old USA.

Iran is a nation of laws too. Take a look at this Justice being handed out.

Do we simply want to be a nation of laws abandoning all sense of reason and redress? I think we need to rethink this whole thing. Not lawlessness. Maybe laws bigger than a nation. Think about it. How about revisiting the bill of rights?

Hitchhiker, a Guide

I just saw A hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I recommend it IF:

* You are willing to suspend your judgment
* Having a really good time is your objective
* If you don't mind your sensibilities messed with


I DON'T recommend it IF:

* You aren't a science fiction fan
* You like logical story lines
* You have a hard time with underlying themes (there are some)


I sat down in the theater chair prepared to be hypercritical and disappointed. I was going because I enjoyed the old TV series. I came expecting to harangue on how bad it was.

Was I ever pleasantly surprised. I laughed and marveled thru the whole think. I did wonder how much LSD it took to write this?

I don't know if the author really intended this to be an argument for intelligent design, God's existence and the power of pursuing the answer. You knew I would end up here. It does. It also pokes appropriate fun at "Religion".

In any case, it was terrific. I will see it again on DVD.

Haunting Movie Scenes Become Reality

Years ago I saw two movies on cable TV that haunts me to this day. I don’t remember the name of either one but I remember a scene. If you know the name of either I would appreciate it.

Movie One: A queen or some mighty power middle ages or earlier. She is worshipped by her minions. The scene, she and an opponent or potential ally are standing at the bottom of a hill. On the hill is a long sharp blade. Perhaps designed as a method of execution. As a demonstration she looks up the hill, points to a minion and signals him to come to her. He understands her, leaps upon the blade on the hill and is cut in half from the groin up. She (the queen) is unmoved by this display of obedience and uses this senseless act as a card in negotiations.

Movie Two: An evil leader (oriental as I recall it) has a group of trained competent young men who serve him fearlessly and in absolute obedience. He is meeting with an opponent. He has brought with him what appear to be two body guards, dressed in black. During the discussions the evil leader snaps his fingers and the two young men hang themselves in 2 seconds and die. The evil leader is unmoved. The opposition is impressed.

I don’t understand wanton waste of life, any life. I believe it is wrong to commit suicide. I believe that if you do it’s insanity. I’m the kid who at the age of 5 killed a robin with a toy bow and arrow and grieved. I’ll hunt. But I don’t kill without a reason. I’m not against just war. I’m not against capital punishment. Some cancer must be cut out.

I have preached on these two movie scenes. The issue for me is the devil’s ability to delude people so completely that they give their lives without any regard for the consequence. In both cases in the movies, no thought was given to the fact that these people who killed themselves deluded end up in Hell. I know that about now if you don’t share this doctrine you just tuned me out. Hear me out.

That’s why the last couple day’s headlines disturbed me. What in the world kind of delusion demonically inspired causes this kind of wanton waste of life.

A man bombs a group of people and then as the police come, jumps to his death; an hour later his fiancé and sister fire several rounds at a bus and then shoot each other. Columbine was a horror when the two young men killed several others and then shot each other. How is this horror with the same deception from the pit of hell any different. That young man, his sister, and his fiancé woke up in Hell. I’ll bet when he gave her the ring and they were planning their life together this wasn’t in the honeymoon plans.

The other was the large number of suicide car bombings in a single day in Iraq. 5 people die in one day for what?? Gallows humor says they come from the Bagdahd suicide hotline. "You're depressed? Too bad. Listen can you drive a stick shift?" Funny? Not really. The truth in the humor is maybe these are self destrutive people in the first place. But the question is: How is that different from Columbine? How is that different from the horror of the two movie scenes I mentioned? People totally deluded giving their lives not in the line of duty but because some evil prince of darkness tells them to.

I don’t understand it. I think the level of delusion must be incredible. If you don't believe in Satan take another look. He's still an evil prince or princess calling people to eternal destruction.

How to Recapture Symphony Patrons

Many venues and symphony orchestras are suffering from poor attendance nationwide. There are lots of reasons which people give. Tickets are too high priced, the music is boring, no place to park, too far away, and lots of other half baked reasons. I think I have the real reason. The seats in most symphony halls are too darn uncomfortable. If I have to park my butt in one for 3 hours I want to be comfortable.

At home I listen to music of the same type. I get a nice cup of something pleasurable, set it beside me, sit back in my big red overstuffed chair, turn off the lights and drift away. I get lost in the music. I'm an active listener. I can't stand good music as background music if it's written and performed well . I shut my eyes and disappear into the depths of it. BUT if my butt hurts or I'm cramped like I was in a 737 airplane seat it's much harder. If you owned a movie theater and you said, "darn it all, those seats were good enough when I was growing up, they're good enough for my patrons." We would soon see a movie called "out of business" on your marquee.

Here's my iconoclastic suggestion to the musical performance arts community. Take a hint from the movie theaters. Gut your auditoriums. Put in big comfy chairs that hold full sized German American's which weigh an eighth of a ton each. Make them wide, deep, soft and with lots of leg room. Put in cupholders. Serve coffee and/or other beverages for people to consume at exorbitant prices during the concert. You aren't filling those seats now. Why not make those few refugees like me that attend more comfortable. Who knows people might actually come back if your weren't exacting such a physical as well as financial price for attending.

Don't give me all that guff about people that attend football games on bleachers and survive. Do you really want the wave during Mahler? So who'll be the first to go? Anyone, someone, anyone? (Ferris Bueller).

Sci Fi Sickness = 42

For most of my life I have been a science fiction nut. I belonged to the official nerd conclave, the Science Fiction Book Club as a pre teen. Every month I received 3 tomes. Read them with passion. I have many many of these yet. Even today, I virtually never read fiction except science fiction. I read only non fiction and things which look like non fiction but might be. I mean space aliens among us today is non fiction, right, right??

So it is with a great deal of pleasure that the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is coming out. I have read very little about it. I was a fan of the old BBC series in the 70s on Public Television. I have been a towel head since. Arthur Dent always wore a long scarf and Ford Prefect used a towel to ward off all kinds of evil.

But the most fun has been 42. Don't read this further if you don't want the plot given away.

Ok you're not reading this, good. The answer to life, reason and everything is 42. That would be funny except for the fact that it may be non fiction. Maybe in fact the answer to life is in fact 42. Consider these links and ponder. I know you have more weighty things to exercise your brain on, but this is really fun if you are a genuine nerd. If you aren't, never mind.
The meaning to life
The universe and everything
The Real 42

PS: The statue of Liberty's outstretched arm is 42 feet long. 42 a few more

Extra Extra, Stop the Presses, Men and Women are Different

About every few months some magazine or newspaper will print an article proclaiming "Men and Women are different". I subscribe to Scientific American (something I got with frequent flyer miles) I was privileged to read the latest pronouncement in this area. Men and Women's brains are different. Wow, who'd a Thunk it!

Now, I have lived long enough to have heard all the enculturization and genetic arguments. I just know that if you get little boys together they make guns from sticks and make motor sounds driving a rock over the ground. If you get little girls together they build or make things, they talk (all at the same time) and they play "nice" or fight. They Play act. They are boys and girls from conception.

So whenever I see or hear of one of these studies which are presented as if they just discovered that in fact the moon is made of green cheese I am amused. I guess it keeps researchers in research money to continue to prove what the Bible and history has taught us from the very beginning. God created man and women. That's two different things. I have been married to a wonderful woman for nearly 40 years and still know she is cat I am dog, Mars / Venus, apple / orange, coffee / tea, et al. Viva la difference.

A Story that Changed my Life and Marriage

In the 70's Peggy and I were at a Dale Carnegie convention in Texas. I was an instructor and organizer for many years. During the convention they showed a film called "The 8 Cow Woman". I didn't know it then but it was produced by the Mormons. I'm not Morman. The story is worthwhile. I was going to tell it as I remembered it, then in poking around on Google I found it in it's original. I also found several entries on blogs objecting to the dowry system represented in the story. Please put your North American idealism on hold, read this allegedly true story for what it's worth. Have a little cultural understanding and extract the truth contained. I have and do know of many women who when treasured by their husbands, fathers, or significant male other have blossomed into the most charming beautiful people you ever will meet. I have seen the opposite. It's sad.

As a husband who loves his wife I owe her (and myself) an 8 cow treatment. I hope I have succeeded.

One last thing, the movie more than the following story showed not an abusive father of Sarita, but a disdaining one. One who treated his daughter as ugly, stupid and worthless. Because the most important man in her life treated her this way she became that. This story is about transformation.



My trip to the Kiniwata Island in the Pacific was a memorable one. Although the island was beautiful and I had an enjoyable time, the thing I remember most about my trip was the fact "Johnny Lingo gave eight cows for his wife." I'’m reminded of it every time I see a woman belittle her husband or a wife wither under her husband'’s scorn. I want to say to them, "You should know why Johnny Lingo gave eight cows for his wife."

Johnny Lingo is known throughout the islands for his skills, intelligence, and savvy. If you hire him as a guide, he will show you the best fishing spots and the best places to get pearls. Johnny is also one of the sharpest traders in the islands. He can get you the best possible deals. The people of Kiniwata all speak highly of Johnny Lingo. Yet, when they speak of him, they always smile just a little mockingly.
A couple days after my arrival to Kiniwata, I went to the manager of the guesthouse to see who he thought would be a good fishing guide. "Johnny Lingo," said the manager. "He’s the best around. When you go shopping, let him do the bargaining. Johnny knows how to make a deal."

"Johnny Lingo!" hooted a nearby boy. The boy rocked with laughter as he said, "Yea, Johnny can make a deal alright!"

"What'’s going on?" I demanded.

"Everybody tells me to get in touch with Johnny Lingo and then they start laughing. Please, let me in on the joke."

"Oh, the people like to laugh," the manager said, shrugging. "Johnny’s the brightest and strongest young man in the islands. He’s also the richest for his age."

"But " I protested. " if he's all you say he is, why does everyone laugh at him behind his back?"
"Well, there is one thing. Five months ago, at fall festival, Johnny came to Kiniwata and found himself a wife. He gave her father eight cows!"

I knew enough about island customs to be impressed. A dowry of two or three cows would net a fair wife and four or five cows would net a very nice wife.

"Wow!" I said. "Eight cows! She must have beauty that takes your breath away."

"She’s not ugly, " he conceded with a little smile, " but calling her ‘plain’ would definitely be a compliment. Sam Karoo, her father, was afraid he wouldn'’t be able to marry her off. Instead of being stuck with her, he got eight cows for her. Isn’t that extraordinary? This price has never been paid before."

"Yet, you called Johnny’s wife ‘plain’ "

"I said it would be a compliment to call her plain. She was skinny and she walked with her shoulders hunched and her head ducked. She was scared of her own shadow."

"Well," I said, "I guess there’'s just no accounting for love."

"True enough." agreed the man. "That’s why the villagers grin when they talk about Johnny. They get special satisfaction from the fact the sharpest trader in the islands was bested by dull old Sam Karoo."

"But how?"

"No one knows and everyone wonders. All of the cousins urged Sam to ask for three cows and hold out for two until he was sure Johnny would pay only one. To their surprise Johnny came to Sam Karoo and said, ‘Father of Sarita, I offer eight cows for your daughter.’ "

"Eight cows." I murmured. "I’'d like to meet this Johnny Lingo."

I wanted fish and pearls, so the next afternoon I went to the island of Nurabandi. As I asked directions to Johnny’s house, I noticed Johnny'’s neighbors were also amused at the mention of his name. When I met the slim, serious young man I could see immediately why everyone respected his skills. However, this only reinforced my confusion over him.

As we sat in his house, he asked me, "You come here from Kiniwata?"

"Yes."

"They speak of me on that island?"

"Yes. They say you can provide me anything I need. They say you’re intelligent, resourceful, and the sharpest trader in the islands."

He smiled gently. "My wife is from Kiniwata."

"Yes, I know."

"They speak of her?"

"A little."

"What do they say?"

"Why, just " The question caught me off balance. "They told me you were married at festival time."

"Nothing more?" The curve of his eyebrows told me he knew there had to be more.

"They also say the marriage settlement was eight cows." I paused. "They wonder why."

"They ask that?" His eyes lighted with pleasure. "Everyone in Kiniwata knows about the eight cows?"

I nodded.

"And in Nurabandi, everyone knows it too?" His chest expanded with satisfaction. "Always and forever, when they speak of marriage settlements, it will be remembered that Johnny Lingo paid eight cows for Sarita."

So that’s the answer, I thought: Vanity.

Just then Sarita entered the room to place flowers on the table. She stood still for a moment to smile at her husband and then left. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. The lift of her shoulders, the tilt of her chin, and the sparkle in her eyes all spelled self-confidence and pride. Not an arrogant and haughty pride, but a confident inner beauty that radiated in her every movement.

I turned back to Johnny and found him looking at me.

"You admire her?" he murmured.

"She's gorgeous." I said. "Obviously, this is not the one everyone is talking about. She can'’t be the Sarita you married on Kiniwata."

"There’s only one Sarita. Perhaps, she doesn’'t look the way you expected."

"She doesn’t. I heard she was homely. They all make fun of you because you let yourself be cheated by Sam Karoo."

"You think eight cows was too many?" A smile slid over his lips.

"No, but how can she be so different from the way they described her?"

Johnny said, "Think about how it must make a girl feel to know her husband paid a very low dowry for her? It must be insulting to her to know he places such little value on her. Think about how she must feel when the other women boast about the high prices their husbands paid for them. It must be embarrassing for her. I would not let this happen to my Sarita."

"So, you paid eight cows just to make your wife happy?"

"Well, of course I wanted Sarita to be happy, but there’s more to it than that. You say she is different from what you expected. This is true. Many things can change a woman. There are things that happen on the inside and things that happen on the outside. However, the thing that matters most is how she views herself. In Kiniwata, Sarita believed she was worth nothing. As a result, that’s the value she projected. Now, she knows she is worth more than any other woman in the islands. It shows, doesn’'t it?"

"Then you wanted.. "

"I wanted to marry Sarita. She is the only woman I love."

"But " I was close to understanding.

"But," he finished softly, "I wanted an eight-cow wife."

My Mind is a Terrible thing to Waste

I have been blessed/cursed with a brain that seems to do what it wants. As I get older it seems to be more that way. There is alzheimers in our family. Every time I have a brain hiccup I worry. I mean if 60 is the new 50 (I keep telling myself that) then there is nothing to fear, right?

On the plus side, I have nearly a photographic memory. I can walk by a situation, glance at it and recall detail from the image in my mind that astounds even me. I can read a document and if I care, recall the whole thing even to quoting from it in detail. Bible passages, doctrine stories etc flow out of me easily. 2000 Latin plant names and details about each one which is very boring to most.. Every sermon I ever heard or given. If I read it I can recall it. Jeopardy is my favorite. I'm loaded up (a quote from the Matrix). Speaking of the Matrix, I can rehearse nearly all the dialogue from that movie. This is very weird.

On the Minus side. Your name? My own? Words don't show up. It's a cloud. I will be talking and a word I know well will be right there but unspeakable. I have a wonderful wife who shares the other half of my brain so when I hit pause in my dissertation she can fill in the blank. I am really bad at crosswords, wheel of fortune.

As I get older my certitude becomes greater. The world is less gray and more black and white. I have solutions for nearly everything. I haven't been this smart since I was 17.

I have flashes of what I construe as pure genius. And then quiet spells.

I remember when my dear Uncle and then Father Earl was my age. He said to me, "I have more ideas and concepts than I could ever execute in a lifetime." I don't doubt it. He had a creative mind. They just rolled in his 50s and 60s. Now the struggles of genetics are attacking this brilliant man who once ran for Governor of ND. What a waste.

That's why is is so important to ME (probably not to you) to write my sense of self and my observations. It may be more reliable than my own memory someday.

Friends I have never met

I have come to appreciate the world of Blog. I read several every day. They come in 6 categories (my opinion)

1. Opinions on current events

2. Links discovered surfing the Internet and reading the news

3. Personal experience and observations

4. Things people are angry or irritated about

5. Comments on other people’s blogs

6. Original opinion, prose and sometimes poetry

I read blogs that others recommend. When I see a blogroll I click down it hoping to strike gold. Only a very few make it to my personal bookmark list. Here’s why:

My favorite types are those comprised of mostly #’s 3 and 6.

I almost never read #’s 5 and 2. (I’m guilty of doing this myself however)

I don’t mind reading 1’s and 4’s but they have the potential to be tiresome.
(Sometimes I do this, I need catharsis too.)

I enjoy those that are transparent, personal, and elegant. My first read every day is Julie Neidlinger. I have never met her, never talked to her on the phone and other than a few emails back and forth not communicated with her much. But she is a part of life, as I know it. I guess people felt that way about Mike Royko in the dead tree press years ago. Every day people had to read what Mike had to say.

This is better, more current and I would miss her if she stopped. She has no peer I have found to date. I hope to be a good as she is at the Art of Blog in this lifetime. I love this new art form. I’m glad to be a little part of it.

A Bully Never Really Grows Up

I do business with all kinds of people. Most are really pretty good. There are a few who are over the top.

One I will call Biff (not his real name) who is a classic case of “always being taken advantage of” (in his eyes). He'’s unwilling to do what he said he will do and then when others don'’t jump to his tune he creates the following fine whine:

• After all I'’ve done for them
• I’'m taking all the risk
• I don'’t like this
• I’'ve done all the work
• I’'ve been accommodating in every way
• This isn’t the deal I wish I had made
• I'’ve worked so hard on all this I deserve to get what I want

These are symptoms of a spoiled brat. “ It isn’t fair. It isn’t fair. Mine. What about me? It’s my turn. I’m carrying all the weight around here”.

This would be funnier if it wasn’t a 60 year old man. If this were a 13 year old kid I could understand. You assume he'’ll grow up. Biff never did.

As I get older I get more selective. Once this deal is done I'’m done with him. I don’t need the aggravation and I have sworn off baby sitting spoiled brats no matter their age..

I am not the Yellow Pages

I have a few friends who will call me and within a couple minutes will ask for someone’s phone number “I need to give him a call, do you have his phone number handy?”

I am accommodating short run. You get one gimme. Kind of like calling your phone company’s directory services. I’ll be a friend but not your golden retriever.

I have two friends in particular who are serial offenders. They will call me, assuming I have nothing else to do, knowing I am not near a phone book, and ask me to find the phone number of a mutual acquaintance.

I am learning an important word from David Spade. NO NO NO NO NO!

So if YOU are that offender and you read this please get a piece of paper, call information, and get the number, WRITE IT DOWN. I’m not your directory service. If you call me I’m going to be pretty tough to move. I have a lot against being used. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can take advantage of you without your consent”. Consent officially withdrawn.

A Too True Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a king (Green) from a far country who sent treasures to a Sneaky Servant who served the kingdom of Vale. Vale’s sneaky Servant promised to pay Green for these treasures out of Vale’s treasury. Sneaky Servant was in charge of the moneybags. I see to it you get paid, “he said.”

The kingdom of Vale generously supported weaker fiefdoms with lesser treasures. One in particular was the Fiefdom of Manx. Manx got seeds from Vale to grow cucumbers to help support himself, most of which he sold to the Kingdom of Vale. The Kingdom of Vale had all the cukes it could eat and the small investment the Kingdom of Vale made was honored by Manx selling the Cukes it did to Vale for less than he could have received at the village market. Manx didn’t have to go to the market on Saturdays and sit all day and Vale didn’t have to worry about cukes. It was a good arrangement based in trust and honesty. Vale was becoming weaker and weaker because Sneaky Servant was draining the treasury. In time Vale couldn’t even pay Manx for Cukes it had received. But Manx being a loyal fief continued to send Cukes hoping to help Vale survive.

By and by the kingdom of Vale was conquered by a Lord named Bink. Vale had borrowed much money from Lord Bink to do battle and had lost. Vale had to surrender to Bink and Bink took everything in Vale’s kingdom.

Much later Green, angry over the money that Bink had captured when conquering Vale that was not paid back to Green, decided that the support Vale had been giving to Manx was a conspiracy to do evil. Green went to Bink and said, “did you know that Vale was growing cucumbers on Manx’s land?” OOOOOO! Evildoers. There’s money in here somewhere Green said to Bink, “I’ll split it with you.” Besides, I have a secret weapon, “Sneaky Servant will testify and prove the evildoing” So Bink and Green decided to appeal to the grand Poo Bah and ask the grand Poo Bah to punish the deposed king of Vale for the evil of supporting a small fiefdom even though he had lost his head to Bink and was dead. “Dig em up” they said. Maybe he has a ring or something we can capture from the corpse.

The Poo Bah spent 2 full days listening to Green rant and rave about the evil dead king. Green kept insisting that the support and help Vale had been to Manx was wrong. Bink said to the grand Poo Bah that if he were to decide that Manx should have paid Vale back for the support from Vale when Bink conquered Vale that Bink was due the refund (which would be split).

The humble defense poor Manx could offer was shouted down by his accusers.

The king of Vale was still dead.

Sneaky Servant was just as sneaky and didn’t help anyone except himself.

The grand Poo Bah consulted all the stars in the heavens and pronounced that the king of Vale was still dead. No purpose would be served in digging him back up. Poo Bah decided that Manx should pay Bink and Green for the cucumber seeds Vale had given him. The fact that Vale owed Manx for Cukes when conquered by Binx was of no account to the Poo Bah. The fact that the arrangement was one of honest accommodation born of grace and trust made no difference. Everyone lost.

That is the essence of the justice I experienced in the last week. Thought you would want to know. The best thing to do ever is never go to court. Everyone loses.

I'm on a Rock and Roll Here - End of the World in Sight

A couple posts below this one I make note of Malachy's prediction of the end. Then I stumble upon this piece of information. A large rock is headed directly (astronomically speaking) for earth to hit on April 13, 2029 (a Friday the 13th).

I immediately thought of the predictions in the Bible (Revelations) about a meteor called wormwood hitting the earth. Thinking I was on to something I was chagrined to see someone else had beat me to the punch.

I did the math however. Lets suppose that Pope Benedict lives for 7 more years. That makes him 85 upon departing earth. Lets suppose that the next (Last) Pope is in place for at least 17 years (JP THE GREAT WAS 26 Years). That means that in 2029 we could well have the last Pope in place when the asteroid hits.

Do I think any of this will happen? Last Pope? Asteroid? I don't know. I will live my life and try to do all I can to help people be ready if or if not.

I did hear this one piece of information. If this big Rock hit for instance TEXAS it would flatten the whole state. This is a BIG ROCK.

It sort of puts into perspective lots of the arguments, politics, and petty frustrations we live with. In view of a 2029 end of the world if it should happen, How then should we live?

A friend of Mine looks into his crystal ball

A J Skurdahl is a college freind of mine. He has offered his view of the future. He's an investment guy. I find his view a little dark but certainly worth reading. I love future stuff. When there's only bad news Jesus is all you will have left., That's bad news for those who don't believe and really good news for those who do believe, because Jesus is all you need. Gene



What Lies Ahead Economically? (January 2005)

Life-altering economic events happen rarely. One should approach with caution a proposition that such an event is eminent. Nonetheless, several major traumas of global impact are possible during the next few decades. Successful investment management through any of these possibilities will require careful portfolio design and investment selection. Attentive, ongoing investment management that seriously considers the possibility of calamity before the end of the decade is now crucial. Currently foreseeable traumas include:

1. An Energy Crunch. The world’s supply of oil is being used up.1, 2 Oil extraction in the U.S. peaked in the 1970s, and global extraction will peak soon, perhaps as early as 2005. Demand for oil, however, continues to rise. There is no easy resolution to the conflict between rising demand and falling supply. Sometime later this century we will run entirely out of oil, but the impact of dwindling supplies will be felt soon. The one bit of good news is that oil and gas may run out before global warming/cooling becomes an issue.3

2. Pension Plans Without Enough Money. Underfunded corporate pension plans4 threaten both profitability of corporations and retirement incomes of current workers. Underfunded government pension plans5, 6 threaten the credit ratings of local and state governments, pocketbooks of taxpayers who will make up the shortfalls and incomes of future retirees. As with any financial prediction, the extent of underfunding depends upon assumptions brought to the analysis. As the problem unfolds, however, assumptions will be tested against reality and the outcomes are likely to be very unpleasant.

3. The End of Growth. The history of global growth is ending, but birthrates and life expectancies combine to create different futures for different parts of the globe. The low birthrates of Europe, Japan, and Russia mean they will be the first to experience the shift from growth to no-growth economics. Life expectancy in Russia is low and falling, so problems will be obvious there sooner. Undeveloped nations in Africa and elsewhere have high birthrates with low life expectancy. Realizing the human potential of these societies remains a major challenge. China and the United States are perhaps the only bright spots, but with high life expectancy and low birth rates, both face challenges in providing social support to the young and elderly as the working population slips in proportion. The only model we have for a no growth economy is “pre-economic”: hunter-gatherer societies and subsistence farming.

4. Unfunded Entitlements. Because of the investment choices for the Social Security “trust fund,” Social Security is basically an unfunded retirement plan. The trust fund has been loaned to and spent by the government, leaving taxpayers “on the hook.” Originally intended as a safety net, Social Security will likely become increasingly frayed over coming decades. Every five to ten years it will become a political “hot potato” as the rolling 75 year forward projection predicts a growing gap between tax income and payment obligation for the government. Medicare and Medicaid share the funding issues of Social Security, except that medical costs have been escalating even faster than general inflation.

5. Global Warming. While the specific causes still bring some debate, the simple fact of global warming is now established. Erratic, volatile weather and melting icecaps with rising sea levels are two apparent symptoms/results. As environmental changes play out over coming decades, economic impacts will be challenging.

6. Terrorism. Sir John Templeton’s well known quote that the best time to buy is “when there is blood in the streets” may unfortunately become literally true. Whether you think of it as World War IV, Twentieth Century Warfare, or simply terrorism, the sad fact is that the modern world is learning to function in the midst of bloodshed. Countries such as Israel have demonstrated the possibility of building a viable social and economic structure in the face of ongoing terrorist attacks, but widespread use of terror globally portends difficult times ahead.

This is a sad list of unpleasant future possibilities. Other than the combination of events that combined to create the Great Depression, no other modern era has held such potential for unhappy outcomes. Successfully managing one’s money and investments through the upcoming decades will require concentration, skill and good fortune. The help of a professional who understands one’s personal goals and style as well as external factors will be prudent.

A.J. Skurdal, Ph.D., CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
Senior Financial Advisors, Inc.
Financial Network Investment Corporation
11911 NE 1st Suite 312
Bellevue, Washington 98005
(206) 525-2524
aj@sfai.net

Securities offered through Financial Network Investment Corporation, a registered broker/dealer and member SIPC. Financial Network and Senior Financial Advisors, Inc. are not affiliated companies.

1Out of Gas; Goodstein, David; Norton, 2004
2http://www.Princeton,edu.hubbert/current-events.html
3http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=nx99994216
4http://www.pbgc.gov.news/press_releases/2004/pr04_53.htm
5http://www.gao.gov/archive/1996/he96056.pdf
6http://www.Wilshire.com/Company/2004_State_Retirement_Funding_Report.pdf

Pope Points

The universal church has a pope. This has been really good publicity for my Catholic friends. I hope for good things from this man. I will believe the Holy Spirit will give him supernatural ability, wisdom and leadership quality for as long as God allows him to stand in this place. I would wish this for any person in spiritual leadership.

I have a weird side. I enjoy hearing about the strange and unusual. When I can’t sleep I have listened to Art Bell and now listen less since George Norry took over on Coast to Coast. The corporate theological platform of this program is conservative Christian Wiccan Ghost Hunting. Who knows. It’s a mess. You need to be pretty spiritually centered to sort it out.

But I have heard things which make me go HMMMMM. One such are St Malachy’s predictions of the names of all the Popes (not exactly name but name indicators) to the last pope. According to him we have one pope left after this one. This priest named Father Malachy around the year 1000 made these predictions. Hal Linsey of Late Great Planet Earth fame wrote a piece on this right after Pope John Paul II died. Before Pope Benedict XVI was elected. This will make you go HMMMMM.

I have studied up on this and have made these conclusions:

1. If the names of the popes Malachy predicted are right to date I see some credibility
2. If this Pope is next to the last Pope before Jesus returns, or the end of the age or the dissolution of the Catholic Church or something we need to be aware.
3. If these predictions are accurate Jesus is coming soon. Real Soon.

I think it’s worth thinking about. I searched Google on all this and read all I could find. It was fun, thought provoking and just a little sobering.

Roaring Trip to der Heimat

1375 miles. That’s what I drove in the last 3 days. I won’t kid you. It’s not near as much fun as it used to be (if it ever was). But, it was good to see the relations, hug the aunts, cousins, and others again. We said final goodbye to my Uncle John. Of all my mothers brothers and sisters there’s only ONE left. Tom,. Namesake for his father Tom who married Borghild not so long after she got off the boat from Norway. I confess, I am not full blooded German. I’m what we call a Dakota multicultural. A half breed. German and Norwegian. Oof-da Ja-whol!

A few memorables:

I slept at the Redlin Lodge near Summit SD located on the land my dad owned 60 years ago. I slept therefore on the very spot I had slept on when my folks had a place in the back of the store. I slept on that ground for the first time in 59 years. Very cool. No Really, in the morning it was very cool. I woke up about 6AM. Stepped outside and was deafened by the silence. Then an occasional pheasant crow. A turkey Gobbled. Living in urban America the quiet is, well, disquieting.

I saw Turkeys running around. Coyotes. On one piece of CRP land hunters took 113 coyotes this winter. They are really getting to be a pest.

And, mountain lions. People see them walk across the backyard all the time. Looking for chicken or a kitty cat for breakfast. There’s already all kinds of yore on how to avoid being eaten by one. Don’t run, face it down, try to scare it off, throw a rock at it, cougars are cowards, they only attack if you are afraid. I’ll remember all that I’m sure next time I’m face to face with one.

My uncle Johns ashes were planted after the funeral. I mean planted. The family took two pickup trucks, and old John Deere Tractor and a field cultivator in tow and then making a big round in the back 80 scattered his ashes in the field and tilled them under. I think if you knew John he would have approved.

I missed the tillage. I couldn’t find the place. Of course being of male persuasion I did not ask directions until I became desperate. But I made it eventually. Counties in South Dakota are very large and open and lots of roads go long ways. I traveled most of them.

All my uncles and aunts are getting older. The decision tree is deciding which funerals to attend. We can’t attend them all. The trip is too much of a killer.

If my mom had lived she would be 80 this year. I remember her at 35, the age she was at the accident. I think that’s a gift.

One last thing. The singing at the funeral. All my Lee kin launched in to full voice. Frankly, the musical giftings don’t come so much from the Redlin side of the family as the Lee. It’s a pleasure to hear the continued talent rise up from this group of gifted singers and players.

I’m glad to be home. Back to the battle.

Could I go back? I don’t know. I may never know. The mystery of place is without solutions.

ART - I don't get it

I am not a connoisseur of art of the Gallery Type.

I’m not unschooled or unappreciative of Good Things.

I love much music, I think Opera is “Da Bomb”. I really enjoy Shakespeare ever since Minnie Onsrud made us read Julius Caesar aloud in Sophomore English. To date I have probably seen 30 different stage presentations of Shakespeare in my life. I loved them all. Then about 5 years ago I took it upon myself to read all the plays of Shakespeare. I did.

This must be an age thing since I notice that the people at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (an exact replica of the Globe in England) where we have season tickets, are all my age (OLDER). Except last night. Romeo and Juliet. Very excellent. Lots of “Dates” with the guys looking into their date’s eyes and saying, “all that stuff Romeo said, DITTO”.

We have been members of the Chicago Art Institute. Pretty darn famous I hear. Plus when we lived in Europe we traipsed up and down galleries often. I have been exposed. I have even watched the little nun who describes great art. Interesting. No emotion however.

Great Music makes me cry, Opera moves me, I got all “welled up” at Romeo and Juliet’s death. I love it when I am moved. That’s what greatness is supposed to do, isn’t it? I love great writing that stirs my soul. I wish I could do it as well as some.

But except for a few times with most ART I haven’t had the same reaction. Exceptions would be Michelango’s Moses, David, the Pieta, Starry Night (the second) by Van Gogh, Haystacks by Monet, Degas’ Dancers, Second thought, I guess much of Monet touched me. So there have been times. But given a choice Shakespeare, Opera or the Art Museum I will opt out of the Museum. I remember standing looking at Blue Boy, or a day at the Park or the Mona Lisa and thinking OK fine, is that it?

So when I looked at the Virtual Art Gallery that Julie is presenting, I think it’s good. I just don’t understand it.

I hope I can someday. I wish I did. I feel like I’m missing out on something.

Redlin Hunting Lodge and Uncle John

I’m off to SD for a couple days. My Godfather and Uncle John Lee changed worlds and we are having a service for him in Florence. My mom’s family has only one of her siblings left. She died in 1959. Wow. Think of the spread.

I will be staying with my Cousin Wally at his Redlin Farms Lodge north of Watertown where I was born. My brother Jim has hunting Lodge (Autumn Breeze) near Ellendale. And, my distant cousin Terry is the famous one. You would think all the Redlin’s have ever done is hunt and fish. I wish it were more true. I shoot for a weekend a year and haven’t had a fishhook in the water in years.

Very sad. But I grow trees, Write and Preach. That’s enough life isn’t it? I think so.

I will tell all upon my return. These family reunions are always fun and interesting. PS: Uncle John must have done OK Godfathering. I made it.

Why I can’t get another Dog or Cat

I will admit. I’m a soft touch in lots of ways. I have had my heart broken

I had a Dog named Skipper for 18 years. He was the ugliest dog you ever saw. In fact I entered him in an Ugly Dog Contest. He didn’t win but HIS picture was the one the Fargo Forum put on the front page news about the contest.

I loved that dog and he loved me. We moved him around more than he wanted to. As he got older, lost his hearing got feeble, conventional wisdom said to put him out of his “Misery”. But he would sit at my feet and sleep.

One day in 1989 June he died. Our whole family by happenstance was there. We buried him. I prayed. I cried. I still miss him. I have the little sandstone Grave Marker my two sons made.

I have never been able to bring myself to get another dog. We dog sit sometimes. I enjoy having a dog around. I just can’t give my heart away like that again. If I let myself love like that again I might get it broken.

We had a cat for 20 years. (We take good care of our animals)

EBNER. A big gray consultant “Male” Tabby. (neutered)

He spoke English. If he wanted to go out he said OWWMWMMOW,
If he wanted something to eat he said FONEMMMOERW, if he was in pain he said NENOWWOWOOW. Or maybe we spoke cat. I’m not sure.

He was very affectionate in a kneading drooling kind of way. They tell me that has to do with being weaned too early.

Who knows.

He was fun, later he became very ill. I don’t kill cats, dogs or kids because of inconvenience.

When he died I was sad. I also couldn’t see myself loving another cat that deeply again.

When our boys left home, I cried.

I love too deeply; give my heart away too completely. I am therefore vulnerable to the pain I read in Julie’s blog on “Leaving”.

I don’t have the answer. If loving means hurting, are we better to have loved? or not. Poets sometimes have the answer. I am going to the last of the Shakespeare presentations for our season tickets tonight. Romeo and Juliet. Certainly those two would have been better off without having loved, right? Well they would have survived, right? But what’s it all about if not about loving, giving your heart away and having it broken sometimes? I am not full of answers. Poets, painters, preachers and a few playwrights catch a glimpse of the mystery once in a while.

Meanwhile I’m not ready for another dog just yet.

Big Hairy Deal

I am not a big fan of Wal-Mart. For lots of reasons. I have promised to do a long form version on this blog sometime. I'm not ready yet. I already have spoken of it on the Dakota Revision blog I maintain. You can read it there. More will follow.

Today's news was all apoplectic about $35 million dollars Wal-Mart was going to give over 10 years for conservation restoration. In Dumb Dakota Kid math that comes out to $3.5 Mil a year. Wal-Mart made NET profits last year of $8 BILLION dollars. 8 bil/3.5mil. If you made $40,000 last year that would be the same as if you threw $20 bucks in the bucket to save the ducks or something. A good thing to do, but not a big deal. The proportional relationship is exactly the same. Where was Katie Couric then?

I wonder if anyone will follow up 10 years from now and see if it really happened. We have such an ADD focus capacity in this country I would place even money it never happens. Remember Ted Turner giving a Billion Dollars away in the late 90's (Over the next 10 years). OOOPS. Market went down. Didn't happen. Katie??

So, big spender, I'm with Shania on this one, "You don't impress me much"

Why I am a Nurseryman, a Preacher and a Writer

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist
complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked
how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the
American.

The Mexican fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to
meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta
with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends,
have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs...I have a
full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help
you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the
extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger
boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a
second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of
trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can
negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your
own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico
City or Los Angeles! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the
American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start
selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a
siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings having a few drinks and
enjoy your friends.

(tip of the hat to Phil)

Man’s Humanity is his Doing or Un-Doing

I just had a conversation with a person I respect very much. He is one of the brighter minds I have the opportunity to engage in conversation.

We discussed the post below this one, the slippery slope, Terminal Timmy.

He was irritated, offended and without any sense of resonance at all regarding the mythical story of 2025.

I am not sanguine about the human condition. I believe that the heart of man is filled with all kinds of evil. Even Christians sometimes. I don’t ever get too self satisfied with my own personal ability to be righteous. Where do I get all this? Without starting a bible study, that’s where it comes from. We look ourselves in the mirror and see ourselves for who we really are.

My concern is that the man I was talking to believes that humanity can be basically good and could never sink far enough to find themselves in Terminal Timmy land.

OK: Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, KKK, Jim Jones, Suicide Pacts in Japan, Moms who drown children (too many to name), Japanese in China 2nd World War, Boxer Rebellion in China, French Revolution, Female Infanticide in India and China, Death Squads in Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Bolivia, Sudan, Rwanda, and more than I can call to mind right now.

Yes, but some of those are 3rd world, some are not civilized, some are un-enlightened. We in America are good. We are noble. We are civilized. So was the Germany of Beethoven, Wagner, Bach, Goethe, Schiller and hundreds more.

The people who gassed little Jewish Children went home to their houses, paid their bills, played with their kids, loved on their wives, went to church, had tea, listened to music, read good books and saw fine orchestras. The next day they went back to work.

It’s all about valuing life. Valuing human beings. Valuing ourselves.

I have a low belief in the innate goodness of man. I don’t think I am evil but I believe that properly deceived I could be led into evil and believe it to be good. The most haunting person in the Terminal Timmy story is not the mom, dad, grandma, or Timmy. It’s the Pastor figure telling Timmy’s parents it’s OK if they prayed about it. Calling good evil and evil good.

I don’t buy man’s basic goodness. I think we do battle till we die. I believe we must be on guard. I believe the deceiver is out to trick us up. Looking for whom he may devour.

But, if Gallup polling is any effect I will admit to you that I did an email blast on this story as I do when I think it’s important. It had such an impact on me. I usually will get back a certain percentage (10 out of 50) who say, “Very Interesting” or some such. This time I got 1. ONE! OK, I’m out of the mainstream here. I need to be more positive. When I got ZERO response (and I know you read it because I have a counter) it tells me I either hit a nerve or I’m way off.

One dear one said, don’t say things too controversial in your blog, people will think you’re a crackpot. Well if that’s my destiny, OK. I stand by my stand. I believe many persons I know are basically good. It’s people I don’t believe in.

Hope you can still love me. What if I’m right? Do you want to live in that world if it comes? I won’t, you might. Consider yourself warned. I can do no less.

No one believed in 1984. How close are we now??