Reflecting on our ritualistic celebration of “NEW YEAR”. I paused to wonder why we celebrate something we have no idea if it will be a good year or a bad year. After all we welcomed in 2011. Was it worthy of the celebration we had. For most people I would guess not. For a few it may have been better than 2010. Now we have no idea what 2012 will bring. Yet we welcomed it in, with a big worldwide party. I suppose the reason is our eternal hope that things will get better. We always look forward to better things. Remember the saying…”The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”. Maybe it is why we celebrate the birth of a new family member, be it by birth, adoption, or by the unification of two people; (a wedding). We have no idea what a baby will grow to be. I’m sure bin Laden’s, family never foresaw his being the leader of murdering cult. Apparently something went wrong in his wiring and why he took the path he took, we really don’t know. Did he really believe he was in the right, or was he just evil. Did Abe Lincoln’s family know he would grow up to be a great President of the United States. Most likely not. Yet the promise of the unknown, hope for a better tomorrow, for our family and friends is; always present. So, whatever your reason for the celebration, (believe it or not some just see the New Year Celebration as an excuse to get drunk). But I believe for most it is the expectation of things getting better. I personally believe it is like beauty…in the eyes of the beholder. Have a Happy and Safe and Prosperous New Year! That Is How I See It. Views: 500
Category: NEWS
Happy New Year !!!!
I am happy to report that because I didn’t make any New Years Resolutions. I did not break any of them this year..SUCCESS. This will be a super short post. I am one of those people who only get about 4 hours of sleep a night. Regardless of what time I go to bed I usually fall asleep between 11:30 and Midnight. I wake up between 2:30 and 3 am. If I don’t fall asleep before Midnight then I don’t go to sleep until the next night. Therefore to stay as close to tradition as I can I plan to celebrate New Years at 12 NOON Saturday, New Years Eve. What?? It is still 12 even though it isn’t Midnight. OK? I figure it must be midnight somewhere. I feel sorry for my friends who have to work Monday Jan.2, 2012. Most of them have made a tradition of watching the Rose Bowl Parade, and Game. I have told them I will record it on my Recording device and they can come over and watch at a mutually agreed time and we can have a Rose Bowl Parade Party. Well I guess that is it for now. If I don’t see you before…. HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!! That Is How I See It. between Views: 165
Christmas Cards
I remember when as a child, we had our fireplace mantel full of Christmas cards we received. Not only was the mantel full, but we had at least one wall, and usually more, filled with Christmas cards. Then when I had my own place, it was the same way. We had cards from friends, and family, we may only see once every year or so. These cards would be full of update messages, and imparted a genuine desire to keep in touch with each other. They came from all over. I received one from my older cousin who was stationed in Okinawa., I was probably about 10 then. (Off the subject a little but this reminds me of one of my favorite memories) He came home between Thanksgiving and Christmas. He came to my school to pick me up, in his dress blue uniform. It was quite a thrill when you are only 10 for a real Marine to come get you out of school to spend the day with you. But back to the Christmas cards. I look around now and I got one. From my insurance agent. Granted my extended family and friends are dwindling. Spread out far and wide. We, the younger generation have just gone our separate ways. If we see each other at all it is when one of our relatives die. But because of riffs between some of the older relatives, some of my cousins refuse to attend the funerals of these elder relatives. So the Christmas card would have still been a good way to keep in touch. Several of them have moved around several times. I don’t have any of their addresses. And I suppose they have lost mine. Some of them have prospered way beyond my means, and probably think they are too good to communicate with me. When we do see each other, on those rare funeral occasions, we still have fun talking and reminiscing. But the ones I really have to blame is the CARD COMPANIES, and the UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE. They have pretty much priced the average Joe out of the Christmas card season. We could get enough cards to send out to 40 or 50 people for what it costs for about 5 cards or less now. We could mail about 8 or 9 cards for the price of one now. Then you have the Card Companies making their cards the right size but once you put them in the envelope, the USPS has this little fee for cards that don’t fit through the sorter. Much of the time it is because the card would fit but once inside the envelope it is too large by maybe a 1/32 of an inch, and has to be hand sorted. Enough about the card situation. Let’s remember the real reason for Christmas. CHRIST. Whether you consider him your SAVIOR, A PROPHET, or whatever. For Christians HE is the beginning, of our salvation, To others he may be someone else. Either way his birth. (whenever that may have been) we celebrate HIS Birth on this CHIRSTmas day. I still miss the cards. But I still Have CHRIST. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL That Is How I See It, between Views: 420
Rod Blagojevich Former Politician
As you all know Rod Blagojevich has been found guilty and sentenced for his actions as governor of the state Illinois. He, unlike you and me was given a grace period, until February 16, 2012, to report to prison. If it were me they would have hauled me off to a cell right then. But I suppose when you are wealthy, you have to be allowed time to prepare yourself, and “set your affairs in place”. Here we have a man. A man who as a child worked as a shoeshine boy, and a dishwasher, among other odd jobs, to help his family pay bills and to enable him to attend college. He earned his BA degree from Northwestern University, before gaining his JD from Pepperdine University, A man who became a lawyer, prosecutor, State Legislator,U.S. Congressman, and Governor. Granted he did marry well and a lot of his success came from the backing of his influential father-in-law. Now he will spend at least 11.9 years in prison. I don’t think they have decided which prison, most likely Terre Haute, Indiana. (A good 4 hour drive from Chicago). Will his family and friends make that 8 hour roundtrip, for about an 1 hour visit? Will they move closer to his prison? What will his family do? Will they stay behind him? Will his wife wait nearly 12 years to resume her life with him? He will be about 67 when he is released. Did he make enough money on the side to compensate for the lost retirement he will surely face? For some of you the $65,000.oo a year retirement he would receive from the state of Illinois is not much. But to someone like me, that exceeds the total of my best 2 years of work during my entire life. I am assuming due to the nature of his crimes he will not be receiving that retirement, which he would begin receiving, I think, in January. He may get his federal retirement ($15,000.oo) from the term he spent in Congress. (When he turns 65). The man who came from shoeshiner/dishwasher. To an IMPORTANT, INFLUENTIAL, man on top of the world. What went wrong??? I guess Mr. Blagojevich will have plenty of time to contemplate about what went wrong, and why. I would sure like to be able to talk to him. To learn where he blew his fuse. I think it took tremendous drive as a young man to attain the heights he reached. Perhaps it was this same drive that became his undoing. That Is How I See It. became Views: 174
White Canned Coca~Cola
Have you tried the new Coca~Cola in the WHITE CAN. Coke tries to pass this off as the “CLASSIC COKE”. But real Coke drinkers can tell you it is NOT!!!! Some of you may remember when they ditched the Coca~Cola formula and introduced “NEW COKE” What a disaster. Coke lovers raised such a fuss they had to come up with “CLASSIC COKE”. “CLASSIC COKE” as anyone who remembers was not the ORIGINAL COKE. It left something out that gave Coca~Cola it’s unique aura of taste, and (for a lack of a better word), It’s kick. A milder version of the ORIGINAL version. Coke, if you did not know came in 6 ounce bottles. That was in it’s heyday. Then because Pepsi Cola was selling 12 ounce bottles (this was how they competed. They gave a very watered down version of coke in 12 ounce bottles which had about half the kick of Coca~Cola in the 12 ounce bottle for the same nickle as Cokes 6 ounce bottle). For some reason Coca~Cola felt the need to compete with the 12 ounce Pepsi Cola. When Coca~Cola put their product in 12 ounce bottles it lost some of it’s flavor. The bigger the bottle the less pizzazz, it had. I just tried the COKE (?) in the WHITE cans and found it to be a sweeter milder flavor, nothing like Coca~Cola. Still better than Pepsi Cola. Better than the “NEW” Coke. Not as good as “CLASSIC” Coke. No where near as good as “ORIGINAL” Coke. I fail to see why the company wants to fool with perfection. I know this new generation may not be able to handle the REAL THING. It probably has too much kick for them. What I do not like is Coca~Cola trying to pass off this new flavor by saying we only changed the can color. But for people with real taste we can tell the difference, and the difference was not made by a white can. White Can Coke is NOT THE REAL THING! I am not a diet drinker. But I have tried Coke Zero. Believe me Coke Zero has more Coca~Cola taste than White can Coke. I’m not saying White “Coke” is all bad. It just isn’t Coca~Cola. It might go well by some other name. But Please COCA~COLA don’t try to pass this formula off as COKE. Give it it’s own name. Perhaps the people who like the sweet mild taste of Pepsi Cola will pick upon your WHITE CAN cola. That Is How I See It. Views: 293
Pizza a Vegetable?
Well it looks as if our United States Government, has done it again. No they did not say Pizza is a vegetable. Only the Sauce. This will be a very short post, because that is all this deserves. If any at all. Correct me if I am wrong…. But isn’t pizza sauce made out of TOMATOES? This is just another example of the inept leadership we now have. If the leaders of our country don’t know a FRUIT; from a Vegetable, How can they possibly be relied upon to make decisions regarding the SAFETY, HEALTH, and WELFARE of our great country. The TOMATO has been a fruit from the beginning of time. Come on people. Do we maybe need to require an IQ test for anyone elected to office. That Is How I See It Views: 195
Joe Paterno to Retire
It is no surprise to hear Penn State’s “Elder Statesman” is retiring. We all expected him to retire, due to health issues. But his love of the game kept him going. I can’t think it was the money which kept him going. After all these years he has earned enough to retire and live quite comfortably. Why would a man of his age, even think about standing out there in the cold, rain, snow, etc. I feel it had to be the love of the game, and the kindred spirit he shared with his players. Rare men like Joe Paterno are able to pass on many life lessons to the young men he tutors. I hope COACH Paterno enjoys his retirement. I feel he will somehow find a way to be associated with either football, the young men or both. Coach Paterno (age 84) (85 December 21, 2011), has ran an exceptional football program for the better part of the 62 years he has been coaching at Penn State. (Let me explain RAN. The head coach runs the program. “JoePa” has only been the head coach since 1966. That was before many of us were born,) Before becoming Penn State and the nations longest reigning football coach, Paterno had a lengthy history with the game of football. While attending Brown University he played QB and CB. and currently co-shares the record for interceptions, at fourteen. Coach Paterno served as an assistant coach at Penn State from 1950 until taking over the reins as head coach in 1966. I could most likely fill at least one entire page listing the awards he has won. However the circumstances surrounding his retirement is a real bummer. One man cannot be held responsible for the actions of other adult men. But true to his teachings he bears the responsibility of his program. And thus the shame brought on his program by others who were apparently not able to uphold the high standards, Coach Paterno has set. Coach their actions do not really reflect you. How many people do we know who could stay at one job 62 years. Congratulations on a GREAT career, and being a TERRIFIC example for young men everywhere. That Is How I See It find find find Views: 168
NBA Strike. Fans Strike Back
The Bible has the 10 Commandments. One of those commandments is “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You”. I am asking you to do this for the NBA. Neither the owners or players, took into account the fans wishes when they entered into this STRIKE/LOCKOUT. Causing the Die Hard fans anguish. With little or no regard. I admit I am not a Die Hard Fan of the NBA, only rarely watching a portion of a Professional game. I think everyone should GO ON STRIKE/LOCKOUT against the NBA. No one should attend or watch on TV or listen on Radio. The same number of games you have been deprived of by the on going actions of the NBA. It only sounds fair to me. But, alas the fans are weak and will give in willingly to the NBA machine. It’s Time for the fans to retaliate, and make a stand. Passing the message to Professional sports that the FAN also has a say in these matters. It is only fair. STRIKE back LOCKOUT the NBA. That Is How I See It. have been Views: 585
Government Seeks More Of Your Money
It must be that time of year. Companies are talking of more layoffs. According to news reports the RICH widening their gap between them and the middle class, which must mean the poor are getting poorer. What we have doesn’t buy what it did a year ago. One area I read about is trying to kill itself. Earlier I wrote of a community in Indiana who charges parents for their children to ride to school. And to participate in sports. Now I see they are wanting to raise fees for just about everything, and put new fees on anything they can find. NO wonder people are looking to move away. Perhaps this is an attempt to weed out the poorer class (perhaps including the middle class), and establish a community of upper crust citizens. I just read that Illinois citizens have built the WHITE SOX owners a new BACARDI restaurant, at a cost of millions. By the way the taxpayers receive no share of the profits of this restaurant. It all goes to the owners of the White Sox baseball team. BUT we all know that movie theaters make most of their money from concessions. I just read that in Washington D.C. The mayor wants to tack on an extra tax for concession. They already pay 10% tax on concessions. As I understand, which is quite high. BUT to add another 5% and raise the tax to 15%…..well isn’t that a little greedy? Not to mention the less people will be able to attend, and may put the theaters out of business. Thus a loss of revenue from the property, and business tax, let’s not forget the current 10% tax on concessions. I think their reasoning is flawed. They intend to use the money to lure movie production companies thus creating jobs. Am I wrong if less people go to the movies because they can’t afford the concessions, there will be more demand for movies to be made. I know now in my town for 2 of us to go to the movies cost about $20 this is more than the average wage. But get this for one medium Coke and medium popcorn add another $20. That is why we have began driving 2o miles to another town that costs us about $12 on a Sunday afternoon, to get in and about $10 dollars for a medium Coke and medium popcorn Oh for the good old days when we had drive in theaters. One night I think it was Monday was carload night. you could take your whole family to the movies for about $2, You brought your own popcorn and Cokes. Yet the concession stand was always crowded with people buying hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. Well I guess it is getting close to Christmas. What better time to lay people off and raise taxes, fees, etc. That Is How I See It. more than between Views: 170
Election Mud
Welcome to the MUDSLIDE. Election time is here. At least local elections. It truly amazes me how these politicians, these public figures, these people with college degrees, who have other people with college degrees revert to a a kindergarten mentality. I apologize to you kindergartners, as you are probably more advanced than these so called leaders, and their think tanks behind them. If you listen to their ads you will learn that each one is a perfect fit to represent you. they have never made any mistakes, or miscalculations, if you will. But their opponents have done NOTHING right. The one I have been listening to in particular, (because one of the candidates apparently has more money than Bill Gates. Every ad is centered on what the incumbent has done wrong. The poor guy must have have been kidnapped by aliens as he has not fulfilled a single promise he made that got him elected. I assume he will be returned after this election is over. Meanwhile I can remember when the other candidate was in office as an assistant for the job she is running for. They didn’t accomplish anything, and did exactly all the wrong things she is accusing the now incumbent of doing. Probably those same aliens grabbed her during her reign and brought her back after her term. The way I see it these alien abductors erase all memory of them being gone, and the being that replaced them returns to outer space. What I would like to hear is WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO. NOW!!! If I vote for you. We have problems both economic, and political, as well as dozens of other smaller problems. What are your plans to ease unemployment, school budget cuts, etc. Perhaps I just miss these positive ads. But it could be that there are either none or very few. Maybe I am so far below your intelligence level that you don’t know how to communicate to me. Or perhaps I am just to poor to understand the ECONOMIC ramifications. Living at or below poverty level. What could I know about economics. Enough of the supposed history of the clients. It’s time to look to the future. The pass is passed. (Although the past performance should be considered), Since you millionaires running for office have nothing in common with me. TELL me what your answers are for the future. What the heck are you going to do to correct these past errors. Apparently you have no ideas on the FUTURE or you could promote them. Not bash your opponent. That Is How I See It have been they have Views: 296
