Divergent Thoughts on Life, Love and Death
21 May 2023 6 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: anti-education, anti-gay, anti-immigration, bigot, desantis, dictator, homophobic, idiot, racist
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20 May 2023 2 Comments
Here is another thought about time. We all all familiar with the idea of Time Machines and the Paradox that Time Travel presents. How about simply turning the hands of time back on you clock? My blog from the past deals with what might happen if we had the power to do so.
We have all heard the comment or perhaps said ourselves, “I wish I could turn back the hands of time.” Have you ever thought how this could be done with a digital clock? Not as simple as just turning back the hands. We must now press the right buttons. Progress and time seem to forever march on and on and on into the future. However, what if we could get progress to march backwards? What if we could turn back the hands of time? Imagine all the events that it would be possible to alter. Would we be smart enough to prevent disasters? For instance, what if we could go back to the beginning of WW II? Would we be able to find a way to stop Hitler and the Holocaust? What if we could go back to the assassination of Julius Caesar? Would you grab him by the toga…
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17 May 2023 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: forever, happiness, love, renewal, timeless
Wrote this thirteen years ago. Just as true today as it was 3000 years ago. Don’t forget to do the reflection questions.
And I think I will keep you here,
deep within my heart.
Today…tomorrow…forever…and a day! — (From “Forever and a Day”, by Cindy Heavican)
Songs can tell us a great deal about the feelings that are associated with time. Forever and a day! What a beautiful thought. When we marry someone, our thoughts are like in this song. Our hope is that our love and our happiness together will last long after our earthly bodies have withered away. Poems and stories are full of tales of love that have somehow transcended time. Some of these stories, like Romeo and Juliet, are now timeless themselves.
We would all like to think that our love will last forever and a day. We marvel at those people for whom this seems to hold true. We may know a special couple who never seem to tire of each other and who are always loving…
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14 May 2023 Leave a comment
in Uncategorized Tags: greed, money
In the last three elections, I voted for Obama, Hillary, and Biden. However, these candidates were only marginally better than the Reprehensibles on the Right. There is a blight or perhaps a disease in politics today and it is money. “Follow the Money” as my now deceased friend Dick ALWAYS said. And he was always right. Each of these candidates has been only slightly less of a war monger. Obama followed his generals directives to a T. (See “Obama’s Unending Wars: Fronting the Foreign Policy of the Permanent Warfare State” and “Obama’s Wars.”) Hillary was a known hawk and Biden has now got us knee deep in the Ukraine.
War today is a means to perpetuate economic dominance. Our leaders guided by their rich contributors, corporate benefactors, lobbying partners, and fellow rich crowd intend for the USA to dominate the economic decisions in the world. These decisions are not there to benefit the poor or middle class. They are there to benefit the rich and powerful. As George Carlin said in a famous monologue, “There is a big club for rich people and you ain’t fuckin in it.” Any benefit to the poor and middle class is a bi-product sometimes called “Trickle Down.” Only, don’t count on it regularly trickling down. It will only trickle down if any is left over after the billionaires take their share. Politicians are there to make sure just enough is left over to keep the public appeased and waiting for more to trickle down.
Which brings me to my latest missive or plea for more money from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). I get these requests regularly since I have supported Democratic candidates in the main as the lesser of two evils. This latest plea for money was in my email box a day ago. The DCCC comments are in bold black ink below. My comments to their requests are in bright red.
______________________________________________________________________________
Fourth attempt for John
I get called by my first name. Like they know me. Funny, I have never been invited to any of the balls, celebrations, or inaugurations for the candidates that I have supported. Fourth Attempt? I do not recall getting three attempts before)
DEMOCRATS ATTACKED (via DCCC) <dccc@dccc.org>
Are they kidding? Democrats attacked! On MY GOD! I will rush out and buy an AR 15 to protect the poor Democrats! I wonder who is attacking them? Could it be those reprehensible Republicans?
Mon, May 8, 1:01 PM (19 hours ago)
We emailed you last night.
We emailed you this morning.
We emailed you this afternoon.
Now we’re emailing you again, John — because we’re deeply concerned.
I am deeply concerned here as well. How do I stop getting these frickin emails from these assholes? I can’t seem to stop them no matter what I do. If I gave them one million dollars today, I would get more emails tomorrow asking for another million.
Republicans just passed a HORRIFYING bill with drastic budget cuts that would harm America’s seniors and veterans.
Oh Yes! Resort to fear. How did they know I was a senior and a veteran? I am HORRIFIED!
And now, a GOP dark money group just launched ads in must-win districts ATTACKING our Democrats for opposing their efforts!
Dark money? Like the Democrats are not getting Dark Money? What group is this? Can they be more specific? A nebulous GOP dark money group just launched ads. My My, what is new?
John, it’s clear Republicans are sparing no expense in their fight to hold on to power and further their radical agenda.
This is ironic. The Republicans are sparing no expense, so I should spare no expense? Talk about OPM. Other people’s money. They want my money to fight Republicans so they can throw my money away as well. This is going to change the economic system and political system in America and help me to live to a ripe old age without any economic worries? I am already 76. I think I will take my chances with my present bank account.
But unless we get 8,800 grassroots gifts in the door before midnight, we could LOSE any hope of reclaiming our Majority. So please, we’re BEGGING you: Can we count on you to answer the call with $11 to the DCCC straight away?
How can I resist anyone begging me? They only want a measly 11 dollars. If I give it, Democrats can reclaim our Majority. Maybe the stupid Democrats should have blocked the Republicans years ago when they were doing all their Gerrymandering with the districts. This is why the Republicans can thwart the majority because they have rigged the game while the Democrats had their heads up their asses.
GIFTS REQUESTED: 8,800
NAME: John Persico
Suggested Support: $11
Please, John: We need you to make a choice.
Will you let these shady GOP attacks destroy our standing in the polls and hand McCarthy another horrifying term as House Speaker?
Right! More money is always the solution. Republicans are shady but what are Democrats? Stupid and Gullible!
Or will you rush in $11 to the DCCC to help defend our House Democrats, flip the House BLUE, and rescue our country from the GOP’s chaotic Majority?
I love this. My 11 dollars will rescue our country so we can continue to send money to the Ukraine. Where next Democrats?
If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
At least Democrats have learned how to use online payment systems. Only took them twenty years.
Chip in $11 immediately >>
Chip in $15 immediately >>
Chip in $22 immediately >>
Chip in $38 immediately >>
Chip in $90 immediately >>
Or chip in another amount >>
Sure, I will send you all my 401 K, my first-born baby and my tickets to the upcoming Andrea Bocelli concert.
Thank you,
DCCC
Thank you DCCC for being as greedy, short-sighted, and stupid as the Republican Party in continuing to treat politics in this country as simply a battle between who can raise the most money and who has the most money for ads. Thank you for continuing to hound and try to frighten poor people with fake threats and phony dire warnings about what will happen to America. The disease that you and the Republican Party are spreading is the real disaster that is happening to America. It is a disease that puts money over morals and ethics and character. Feeding more money into this system is like pouring gasoline on a fire.
12 May 2023 Leave a comment
Another “Older but Goodie.” Time may have caught up with this blog but did you get your “Time Capsule” yet? What are you waiting for? Read my blog and find out why everyone should have a “Time Capsule” and how to make one for little or nothing. Or if you prefer you can buy one.
Time Capsules! I want to open a time capsule. When I was a small boy, I was truly fascinated by the whole idea of a time capsule. It seemed so Buck Rogers like. You take parts of present civilization, put them in a non-destructible container, bury it in the ground and then 1000 years later, you open it up. The commonplace of the past are not the treasures of the future. I did not believe anything could be more interesting.
I hoped someday that I could be present at the opening of one. I thought surely sometime during my lifetime, a time capsule from the past would be opened and I could be present when it was opened. How exciting it would be! I would be able to see what people of generations long ago thought was important. The messages and memories sent by the people from generations past…
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11 May 2023 Leave a comment
I am reposting this blog from May 11, 2010, 13 years ago that still resonates with me today. This one could be expanded to talk more about “hypermasculinity” which just may be one of the biggest threats we face today. Machismo and Crying are the anti-thesis of each other and perhaps that is our problem.
Crying Time is more acceptable for women than men. Nevertheless, even men have their crying times. Crying time most likely occurs over a tragic death, when we lose a relationship, attend a funeral or feel badly about something we did. Paradoxically, many people cry when they are happy, for instance at weddings. Others cry when they are angry.
For men, there is less crying time than for women. I have often wondered what the purpose of crying is or how the function developed. What evolutionary or biological purpose does crying serve? There are those that say that only music truly sets us apart from lower creatures, but do animals cry? I have seen sadness in some of my pets, but I cannot say I have ever seen an animal crying. For myself, I cannot say that I cry very much. This is not to say that I never cry. I…
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10 May 2023 Leave a comment
My running times have been running down since I wrote this blog 13 years ago. I am still running but mixing it up with hikes and walks. I have given up running the mountain trails. Too many falls. Broke my finger last year on one fall and decided that I would stick to trails and runs that were somewhat less technical or at least rocky.
Run time! No, this is not the run time for my computer. This is my personal running time. I have been running regularly for 45 years. On the average, I run about 4 times a week and about 3 to 4 miles each run. I am still waiting for the runners “high” where I can feel nothing but blissful peace. I really enjoy running but through the years, there have been numerous pains and hurts to overcome. It seems to get harder running in the winter. I suppose running is a great deal like life, it has its ups and downs and it only gets better when we keep working at it. There are no magical highs (except for temporary ones on drugs) but in general, the pleasure I get from running outweighs the pain. I no longer try to increase my running speed or my distances. I will…
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09 May 2023 Leave a comment
Here lies another blog from May 9th, 2010. I have edited some but I think the thoughts are still worth reflecting on.
Polls show Americans like instant gratification. A recent AP Poll showed that Americans are an impatient bunch. We get antsy after a few minutes on hold; we hate to wait in grocery stores or in airports. Older people are more impatient than younger people. People in the country are just a little more patient than city people but not by much. This poll was based on 1003 adults. Most people answered they felt more time poor than money poor. Benjamin Franklin said that time was money and many of us take this truth to heart.
The findings from this AP Poll will probably not surprise anyone but it is significant in that today we are beginning to value time more than money. Economic theory or the Law of supply and Demand says that the scarcer something is the more valuable it will be. If we now have less time than…
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08 May 2023 7 Comments
I wrote this short blog 13 years ago. Nothing much seems to have changed except the death toll keeps climbing and the number of mass killings is almost daily rather than monthly. How about holding the politicians who support these extreme gun laws as equally guilty of MURDER? Abbott in Texas should be held guilty as an accessory to murder. If you give a person a gun and he/she kills someone, are you not also an accessory? Republicans deflect the gun problem by talking about “Mental Health Crisis.” There is no Mental Health Crisis. There is a “Gun Crisis.” Before you read my prior blog, read what one first responder had to say about the recent gun massacre in Texas.
“The first girl I walked up to was crouched down covering her head in the bushes, so I felt for a pulse, pulled her head to the side and she had no face. I went to help a boy covered in blood who had survived the shooting while being protected by his mother, who was killed.”
The reality is brutal and more than sad. My prayers and thoughts are that someday the politicians who are responsible for this carnage will rot in hell.
It’s killing time! The papers are full of it. You can hardly pick up a newspaper or listen to the TV without hearing of another murder or atrocity. Each day seems to bring fresh carnage. Each instance is more unbelievable then the last. It seems there is no end to the mayhem that can be perpetrated on our fellow human beings.
For too many of us, life seems to hold little value. We have all seen the headlines, wherein some stranger kills someone for a few dollars or even for “no” dollars. Two suspects in a string of murders in Arizona were reported to have described their acts as: “random recreational violence.” We no longer need motives for killing people.
Are you appalled by such a thought as “random recreational violence? How long before we become accustomed to such killings and simply take them for granted? There are over 50…
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07 May 2023 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: books, children, parents, quality time, reading, time, tots, toys
Children Time! The experts all say that the best thing to spend on your children is your time. Nevertheless, toys have become a parent substitute for time spent with children today. How much money is spent on children’s toys each year? How many parents do you see who try to buy their kid’s affection with toys? Children are inundated with Nintendo, video games, tablets, cellphones, TV, and countless other throw-away items. We bury our kids with an avalanche of toys and mindless distractions. The toys and the interest in the toys do not seem to last as long as the batteries before a new toy is demanded.
Once upon a time children, if they were good, got one special toy at Christmas or on their birthday. Today, every day is toy day for kids. I have seen friends who have children with so many toys you can barely walk through their houses. Many motorcycle clubs have a ride each year called “Toys for Tots” to obtain toys for children. I will never support this effort. The real problem is too many toys for children and not enough books. How about rides for “Books for Tots.” Perhaps parents should spend more time reading to their children and less time buying toys for them. Libraries are free in this country and have plenty of books for TOTS!
Have you noticed that kids seem more angry these days? (witness the increasing school violence). They are certainly getting more obese (due I believe in some small part to all the toys they have that prevent them from playing outside and getting some real exercise). I see young children riding down the street on motorized skateboards and motorized scooters instead of pedaling or pushing a regular skateboard or riding a non-electric bicycle.
Computer sports, war games and other on-line competitive games have replaced real sports for many kids. Of course, there are those children whose parents are grooming them for the NFL or NBA or NHL. These poor kids are forced to go to so many sports events they hardly have a life outside sports. Trailed all over the state by the inevitable coach parent, they will probably learn to hate sports as something that is a duty rather than something you can do for fun. I wonder how many of these sport-aholic parents and children will appreciate exercise for exercise sake when the child grows older or can no longer compete in a team sport. Do the children of sport-aholic parents really enjoy the parent child time spent together? I hope so.
Regardless of how much we give our children or how many sporting events we make our children attend, the thing they will remember the most and that will have the most impact on their lives will be the quality of the time that we spend with them. Quality time is time spent interacting with our children. This does not mean watching TV with them or even going to their soccer games and baseball games. It is time spent relating to them and sharing parent wisdom, guidance, and experience with them. It is time spent having dinner with your children, camping with your children, roller skating, ice skating or playing games with them. It is time spent reading a story to or with them. It is time spent helping them with their homework or doing chores around the house with them. It is time spent during the entire cycle of your children’s lives from infant to old age. Parent child time will change as our children grow older, but the quality of the time will always depend on the interaction that we have with them. Parents need to guide, counsel, and provide role models for their children and not just strive to be friends with their children.
Questions to Reflect On:
How much time do you spend doing things with your children, with your grandchildren? Do you read to your children, play games with them, take walks with them? How much quality time do your spend with your children versus just “busy” time? What could you do to increase the quality of the time that you spend with your children and with your family? Would this improve your life or their lives?
Aging Capriciously 