Sometimes the stars align and all is right with the world. I'm not much for politics or the promises of people who hold the power but this past week I truly believe we've turned a corner in the continuing story that is our country. I've talked to very few people who think we (as a society) were headed in a good direction, regardless of their political, religious or ethnic affiliation. Perhaps the change in leadership will be cause for all of us to reassess who we are and what we think the future should hold. My favorite mantra lately has been our diversity makes us strong. We are the only country in the world with such a diverse population base and yet, comparatively, our problems are minuscule compared to other places. We can travel from one end of the country to the other in relative safety without having to go through border crossings or possible terrorist strikes. If we get hungry, we can go to the store and select from an array of foods that is second to none. We can use our bathrooms and flush the waste away to sewage treatment plants that lessen the chance of an epidemic because of poor sanitation. I'm really scaring myself because I don't want to come off as a flag waver. I am far from it and don't mean that, by painting with such a broad brush, everyone is well off and we don't have some problems that need tending to. The good things are those that can be applied around the world. The bad, well, they need work but aren't as uniquely American as the naysayers of the world would think. My old hippie ideal of one world, one people still consumes me. I guess what I'm thinking is that maybe this is our chance to be the generation that will begin that metamorphosis the world needs so badly. In the words of my hero, Bucky Fuller: It's either Utopia or Oblivion.



peace

It happened...the thing I feared most. The first game of the playoffs and the Cubs looked as flat as a board. They lost to the Dodgers, 7-2. What the &#$%!! Again, to those of you who could care less, it's meaningless to try and convince you that for this brief moment in time the world problems we face as a society just kind of fade away for a few weeks (maybe in this case a few days) and those of us who would bleed for our team focus entirely on a playing field where 18 guys take wooden sticks and whack around and catch a small leather encased ball. It is a silly game borne of the summer but gone soon after the first frost. The Cubs must win tonite or the prospects for moving along in the playoffs will be very dim. And the winter will be long and cold until we wake with renewed optimism next spring. And it will start all over again........

Just so there's no confusion as to where my allegiance lies....BEFORE the playoffs begin! Forget the goat, forget the 100 years blah blah, this could be (ever the paranoid Cubs fan) the year because their team is really that good. There are many of you out there that can't understand the seemingly silly and childish fascination that is part of rooting for a team you've followed your whole life. Furthermore...they've been losing for the better part of the time I've been following them. No, this is for my father and all those like him, who were faithful till their dying day and never waivered in their love (and condemnation)for a team that, really, didn't even know or care whether they rooted for them or not. Pro sports has become this huge corporate entity that has de-personalized itself to the point where there is no loyalty so why should anyone care what they do? Well.....it's the same old thing, year after year. We care because it is so closely weaved into our lives that to do otherwise wouldn't seem natural. Silly....perhaps, but it's better than being a terrorist. GO CUBS!!!

My younger brother has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease). Unfortunately for my older brother and myself, we are based in the Midwest while Harry is and has been living in Los Angeles for the last 30 years, making it difficult to check in with him regularly. As good fortune would have it, he has a fantastic network of friends who are taking care of him with their many kind words and deeds. One of the things they have organized is participation in a "Walk for ALS". Their team is called "Harry's Heartbeats" and they are asking for donations. Please take the time to click on the "Walk For ALS" link and make a small donation if you can. The money might not go to Harry directly, but it supports research into this deadly and hideous disease in the hopes that a cure may be found. Thank you....

This is a short clip about a school that my niece is currently involved with during the course of writing her doctoral thesis. I like it when people have an impact. The hope for a better world just seems a little brighter knowing someone cares! There's a link to the school website where you can read more if you'd like. Love you Mar(you too Jo)

Forgive the unabashed sentimentality, but buzz off, it's MY blog!!!



Katitawa school from Justin McIntosh on Vimeo.

Liar, liar, pants on fire!!

Ummm....I know this is from more than ten years ago.....but what has changed? Could the fact that the company he used to work for (and is still drawing money from) was one of the biggest contractors over there have ANYTHING to do with it? Incidentally, that same contractor has pulled out of the country before completing their mission. So much for "stay the course", ya think?

Well...it's been awhile. Of course, there's not much you can do when your back is out and you have a lingering cold. It certainly makes for some truly boring reading. HOWEVER, one of the more fun things that I did do is go out and visit my good friends in Boise, Idaho over spring break.



John and Linda Laz were my housemates at Western Illinois University and we've managed to stay friends for ohhhh, going on thirty years or so. I have been out to see them several times but this was the first opportunity I've had to visit their new house. Needless to say, waking up to the wild turkeys and elk every morning was a change of pace for this city-dude. John and Linda were great to hang with (as well as the kids, who aren't really kids anymore....Arwen and Zac and the newest addition to the Laz clan, grandson I-zac). In addition, I was able to hook up with my buddy Bill Horvath and his wife Ginny, if only briefly (hope your knee is well on the mend Bill).

Linda has a radio show on KBSU every Saturday morning. In fact, she's become a fixture on the airwaves in addition to her dedicated work with autistic kids (her full time job)....she's great.

John continues to be a project manager for Weyerhauser but really, he is one of the most artistically creative guys (no...I didn't say autistically) I know. His curiosity about all things is an inspiration to me and I always feel recharged by being around him.

Thanks John and Linda for a wonderful week!!!

Say hi to Rosey, the newest member of our family. We got her from the Pet Adoption shelter and think she's half Lab/half Catahoula Leopard Dog (I never heard of it either). Whatever she is, she's a blast!!!

Rosey says "arf".

Music of the month

anyway................

HOW HAVE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES VOTED????


If you care about the internet and keeping it an open forum free from the corporate greed that seeks to use it for their own ends, click on the link below for some answers on the issues. True enough, there are knuckleheads out there who are using the internet for less than honest, ethical purposes, but restricting freedom of expression, a right we supposedly hold near and dear (at least in the United States) only serves those who wish to manipulate people for their own ends. With freedom of expression comes the responsibility to say something when it is threatened and these are indeed dangerous, threatening times we live in. ACT NOW!!!

GO HERE and make a difference!!

thanks

My congratulations to the judge in Pennsylvania for banning Intelligent Design from the curriculum in the PA public schools...AND....kudos to the people of the district for voting almost the entire school board OUT!! Perhaps the pendulum is swinging the other way for awhile. I hope so. I know there are those of you that think ID should be an option in schools. If so, send your kids to the private school of your choice and teach them that voodoo is science if you wish, but don't expect public monies to be allocated for that bullshit. WE EVOLVED........as has every other living thing in our world. The ONLY reason we've evolved to a higher state (in the loosest sense of the word) is that we learned how to walk upright and use our hands to grasp things (opposable thumbs).

DON'T USE GOD TO JUSTIFY YOUR IGNORANCE!!

(if you like the cartoon...go here)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
PEACE ON EARTH

photo: Kathleen Newman

http://www.kathleennewman.com/

This is Dick the Cat
Strange I suppose to post a pic of the cat before I post one of me, but the cat is infinitely cuter than I am. This blog is dedicated to the I'll do pretty much anything I want to do spirit that Dick used to behaviorally modify both my wife and myself.Those of you with pets know the bond that develops. We had such a relationship with our cat.
Cheers, and welcome!!