tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560672339938887422024-03-05T21:54:59.975-08:00Interesting TimesEasmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-12519951046191664292017-10-26T17:16:00.000-07:002017-10-27T19:18:59.850-07:00Your Ku Klux Koworkers <b><br /></b>
<b>I like to ask questions. I watch and read the news, but I keep asking questions because most sources of information don’t satisfy me. Sometimes I find what I am looking for, sometimes I don’t. So this is the result of some of my questioning. </b><br />
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A few years ago, as I noticed a resurgence in people’s willingness to be openly racist, I started asking questions.<br />
Now, I know right away, some people will reject the notion that people were/are more openly racist. If you’re one of those people, stop reading now. You are, in fact, unreachable. My more aware friends always told me, “Mike, it’s not that they don’t know, they don't want to know!” I’m seeing this more and more.<br />
Well, on with the story. As I am a curious type, I started asking questions. Is the Ku Klux Klan as an organization getting stronger? If so, how? Are they recruiting? Do they have websites?<br />
Boom, that was it! I would search their websites. And I found plenty. This was long before goons with tiki torches descended on Charlottesville.<br />
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In particular, I found some very disturbing, yet very enlightening points of strategy for these groups. Let me know if any of this seems like it’s familiar. It is to me and it makes my stomach knot up. </div>
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They decided a subversive approach would be best. These are some of the things I found as common themes on many of these white supremacist, white knights, KKK sites:</div>
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<i><b> “ It is not so productive to make it obvious what you think of Negroes. We cannot stand on the courthouse steps and yell the n-word (they spelled it out). We have to keep our views less obvious. </b></i></div>
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<i><b>Instead, we have to change things differently. We need to become more politically active. We need to elect more people like ourselves. We need to focus on Christian values, patriotism and Americanism. We will attack people and political opposition based on not being Christians or not being American... </b></i></div>
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<i><b> We need to get more involved in our police and fire departments and public services.” </b></i></div>
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I’m not sure I need to write much else. But if you did not pick up on it, they chose to co-opt values ideas that matter to people in order to hide behind them. This way when someone attacks them politically, they can say, “They hate America, the flag, the military, Christians.....”<br />
Crazy thing is that it’s much like what ISIS or the Taliban does to further their twisted aims. In other words, neither of these entities represents what they purport to, they only use them. </div>
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But I’ll finish with this. We all know amazing people in public service. We know they love their country and are dedicated. I’ve always had solid relationships with them and a huge appreciation for them and the sacrifices they make, as well as their families’ sacrifices (some are my family). </div>
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But know this, some twisted people have co-opted your good values, and hidden their filthy agenda behind them. And now they might be working alongside you.<br />
You need to separate yourselves from them. You probably know who they are. You probably have been ignoring their occasional racist slip, thinking, “Hey, he’s not like <i><b>that</b>!” Well he is...and now you know this.</i></div>
Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-48340650175042671042017-07-07T06:48:00.001-07:002017-07-07T07:49:17.554-07:00Our On Demand World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We live in a time of speed... lightening fast internet, On demand video, on demand music, pizza in 30 minutes or less, Amazon same day delivery, Google searches measured in milliseconds, instant messaging, and the list goes on.<br />
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We may be the most spoiled rotten society ever in terms of our "on demand" lives. It's not really our fault though. In most cases, it's often required to compete, to keep up with life.<br />
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We've gotten so accustomed to things happening fast, however, that we've forgotten that some things in life still require time. As a result, we've become ineffective by our impatience at the things that do, in fact, require time. We quit too early, we get outraged and angry, we stop talking to people. We often immediately define and dismiss others because we process quickly, often without much actual processing (thought).<br />
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Growth, change, social change, development, advancement and relationships all require time. None of these things can be shortchanged on the path of getting desired results.<br />
Our collective impatience brought on by this "on demand" world is making us ineffective at achieving meaningful change in places that matter most. The most successful will always be the ones who know what can be fast and what cannot. Knowing the difference and having the patience and discipline is the most critical skill for thriving in the "on demand" age.<br />
For adults this might seem like a good reminder, but for your kids growing up in this world, I hope you're not taking this for granted. The challenge for them is exponentially more difficult. Be proactive.<br />
Good luck.<br />
<br />Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-5409892795018806312013-11-18T11:37:00.000-08:002013-11-18T14:04:17.670-08:00Keep Whatever Integrity You Have Left, Don't Run for OfficeKeep whatever integrity you have left, don't run for office....<br />
(True story)<br />
It was a beautiful mid morning in March and I was hurrying to catch up to my family and friends who were already enjoying the annual Oceanview St. Patrick's Day Parade.<br />
I was running behind, and doing my best not to make eye contact with anyone in order to avoid the chance of seeing someone and delaying myself further with a useless "Hey! How's it going?" conversation with a random someone I know, but only see once every 3 years when I'm late for something else (that happens to me more often than it should).<br />
As I'm hustling along, a man in a suit stops me with an abrupt, "Excuse me, can I have a minute of your time?"<br />
I notice another man standing next to him with a clipboard in hand and a political campaign button on his shirt.<br />
He continues, "I need your signature on this petition so I can get on the ballot to be your representative in congress"...<br />
Now, normally I would simply tell him I'm in a hurry and can't stop, but I could tell by his aggressiveness in stopping me, this guy wasn't letting me off that easy....so I didn't let him off that easy either.<br />
"Why do you want to run for office?" I asked.<br />
"I'm not happy with the direction our country is heading in..." he says.<br />
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And then my cynicism kicked in.<br />
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"Well what are the chances you'll win? Do you have a lot of money? You'll need a lot of money. And if you don't have a lot of money, you'll need support from people with a lot of money. Now let's say you have that....and let's further agree that you're a good man with good and noble intentions. Here's what happens next. Let's say you win. You will then have two options in our government. First, you'll find yourself as a freshman congressman with little to no influence. In order to gain influence you'll make friends. Maybe you'll have to compromise your principles a little to make those friends...and you will. You'll find that in order to make a difference, you'll need more than one term and immediately begin making decisions that ensure you'll have the funds to win the next election. And those people you know with a lot of money...well they don't just give it away for free.. You'll owe them, but not in cash. You'll owe them in political favor.....At least that's how most of them do it. You'll pack away your great ideas on 'fixing the country', and focus on getting along with the more senior members of congress who can help you and vilifying people who don't believe agree with everything you agree with...and you'll be caught in the game...you won't be governing, you be politicking. You'll be owned...So in that scenario, I'm not interested in signing your petition.....<br />
Now there's a possibility that you'll stick to your convictions and you won't bend. You're maybe a strong person, and you really mean what you say about doing 'the common good...the will of the people'. In that scenario, you will definitely fail. You see people like that don't last in our government. Those that somehow do are often marginalized as kooks. The rest get their one term in office and move on.....<br />
So these are your options... Bend and sell out like the rest of them, or be marginalized as some crazy person. And you want to do this!?! Give me that clipboard...."<br />
He looked at me with his mouth open and nothing coming out.<br />
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I went on about my day and he went on about his. I caught up with my family and enjoyed the parade. <br />
I don't know what he did. Smart people simply don't run for office. I do know that he didn't win however...and that's probably a good thing for him.<br />
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Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-55079119534100322662013-09-23T08:50:00.001-07:002013-09-23T08:50:45.571-07:00My First Love.... I met my first love when I was 12 years old. I remember I used to stay up late or sneak downstairs after bed to see her when everyone else was asleep. I knew I should be asleep, but I couldn't resist the amazing feeling I had when I was with her. If I felt sad, she made me smile, often laughing out loud. She never judged me. She never made me feel bad. She didn't care what I looked like. She never gets jealous. She never noticed my failings.... She even helped me find ways to enjoy them, and laugh at them. Now there are some nights that we don't get along, but those are few and far in between.<br />
When I'm depressed, she picks me up. She has the power to heal my soul. When I'm happy, we laugh out loud together.<br />
I still am very much in love with her today. Not a day goes by when I don't think of her, or write something for her. She's amazing.<br />
You see, my first love is comedy.... I fell in love with comedy when I was 12, watching The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It was there that I saw the magic of Jerry Seinfeld's first Tonight Show appearance, I saw George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Garry Shandling, David Brenner, Jay Leno, Ray Romano, Eddie Murphy, Ellen DeGeneres, Rodney Dangerfield, and so many more....<br />
I know she'll always be there. If one of us gets fat, we'll laugh about it. If one of us goes bald, we'll laugh about that too.<br />
And the amazing thing about this love, is that she always helped me with women too. She's the best.Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-12563314797125979872013-07-14T22:38:00.000-07:002013-07-14T22:38:29.380-07:00A Rainy Night I'll Never Forget<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 15.989583015441895px; padding: 0px;">
It was Easter, 2002. My beautiful young wife, Mary Sue, and I had just enjoyed an Easter gathering with family and were driving home. At the time we lived in a small two bedroom apartment in Virginia Beach, while our first home was under construction in Chesapeake. We were pretty jacked up excited about our new home and decided to drive past it to see construction progress, which we did pretty often.</div>
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Now to illustrate how ridiculous our exuberance was about this, it was after 8pm, so it was dark, and to top it all off, it was raining. But our enthusiasm for our "home to be" was off the charts and we wouldn't be deterred. </div>
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So we headed down I-664 to the number 12 Exit and drove into the neighborhood. It was mostly vacant lots with only a few homes under construction. Our new home was situated towards the front of a cul de sac, and was the only one under construction at the time on that street. We turned onto Tattinger Trail (the name of our new street) and slowly drove past the partially framed home, giddy with excitement. Admittedly we couldn't see much, but we didn't care. THIS WAS OUR NEW HOME! I continued driving to the end of the cul de sac and turned around once there and headed back to pass the house again to make our exit.</div>
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However, as I made my way back up the street, I noticed a car headed our way. I believe it was a red Trans Am. I moved to the right of the road to give him space to get around. But as I did, I noticed him move in the same direction, as if to block my exit. He clearly was not interested in getting past me or letting me past him. So then I shifted to the left lane to go around, but as I did another small car appeared from behind the Trans Am and effectively blocked our exit. My wife and I looked at each other, "this is not good", I said. We were both pretty uncomfortable to say the least. Were we about to be robbed or killed? Why would two cars behave in such an aggressive manner? We didn't want to have to find out.</div>
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A chill ran down my spine. Here we were, basically trapped in the cul de sac, in the dark, in the rain by two unknown people driving aggressively. In just a few seconds I had to decide what to do. Getting out and finding out what they wanted was out of the question. I also quickly eliminated going off road, even though I drove a 4WD vehicle. The lots were extremely muddy and I couldn't risk getting stuck. But I couldn't just sit there and wait, so I put the car in reverse and began to drive backwards slowly to the cul de sac. I was just doing this to buy time... to think. I gave Mary Sue my cell phone and asked her to call the police. As we drove in reverse, the two cars moved towards us, so apparently we were ALL headed to the cul de sac. As we got back there, I realized a funny thing. Because they followed me back there, the two cars were no longer wide enough together to block the now wider space in the cul de sac. There was some space to the left of the smaller white car. I decided that I was going to put the car back in drive, hit the gas hard and squeeze past them on the left. I asked Mary Sue to duck her head as a precaution and I put the car in drive. Just as I did I noticed the passenger door on the white car opening. I had to choose. Do I go through with the plan and "floor it", knowing that there wasn't enough room to pass without hitting the opening door and whoever was about to come out? Or do I let them come out and approach us?</div>
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I decided that staying and finding out what they wanted was not a risk I was willing to take. So I put the pedal to the floor and drove straight for the opening door. That night it was either gonna be them or us, and I decided, we were not about to become victims. They were able to close their door just milliseconds before I passed them. They tried to chase us but only followed us for a quarter mile or so.</div>
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That was a scary night. We never found out who they were, or what they wanted. I did ask around. They were not some kind of security for the builders. The police didn't have any answers either. </div>
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On that night, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that when pushed into a corner, I'm bright enough to find my way out. But I also learned that if I felt danger to me or someone I loved, I was willing to run someone over to protect myself and her. I am comfortable with my choices that night.</div>
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Would I have been wrong to do so? Should I have found out what these people wanted? </div>
Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-11070856428228096322013-03-18T07:43:00.000-07:002017-07-02T04:18:20.981-07:00Silent heroes, we can all be one<span style="font-family: "noteworthy"; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">Some people quietly get things done. </span><br />
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They're the quiet, friendly type that you don't pay much attention to. They're kind when kindness is needed and when it isn't.<br />
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They blend in the background with the rest of the volunteers at your homeless shelter. They're almost faceless. They stop to help you change your tire, they help push you to the gas station when you run out, they read to children in the pediatric wing, they show up when you need help, they offer the postman a glass of ice water on a hot day, they volunteer at the local fire station, and they take lunch outside to the guys working to restore your electricity when the power goes out. </div>
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They're the last to complain. In fact, they're usually the ones listening to you complain. They're quiet. They're good listeners. They're usually patient.</div>
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There's almost never any fanfare or celebration when they step up. They're not comfortable with it. They don't self promote. They'd prefer to just do something nice because in their mind, "that's what comes naturally", "it's what people are supposed to do".</div>
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Often their ideas are swallowed up by others who take the credit because they desperately need approval of peers or parents or employers. And still other times they're so quiet and modest that their ideas are even attributed to others in their organization because no one remembers who really birthed them. And while this irks them a little, it's not enough to make them stop being who they are. They "need" to do good things. It's almost like it's part of their DNA. They're problem solvers, they love doing good things. They can't help themselves.</div>
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Without them, no one would be coaching your little league team while you're too busy. Without them, your kids might not have the school supplies they need. </div>
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They are people at your road race cheering you on, that don't even know you. They are the people in the car in front of you who pay your toll. They are the people struggling to gather resources (asking for donations) for an underfunded event at your school or rec team. They're doing a career day at your school. They're cleaning the highway you drive to work everyday. They're in the nursing home holding the hands of the elderly with no family left. These people are doing things. Maybe we all should be.</div>
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And while this note may compel you to want to thank them, it should not be all you do. And if that's all you believe you can do, I'll ask you to dig deeper . If you feel compelled to do anything, carve out time from your busy schedule, and do something for someone on a regular basis. You can do it. </div>
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Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-75603465261444463652013-02-26T07:14:00.001-08:002013-02-26T07:14:46.365-08:00Outrage is the new Significance<br />
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People are so devoid of significance in their lives these days that they will look for it anywhere they can find some semblance of it. Today's flavor of "significance" comes in the form of outrage (often faux outrage). You find people outraged about all kinds of things these days. We're commenting on social networking sites, talking in coffee shops, school parking lots, at work, at school, about all the stuff that we should be outraged by. </div>
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"Can you believe this!" </div>
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We share the memes about things we should be outraged by, we TYPE IN ALL CAPS, to show our outrage. It's everywhere! </div>
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And I suppose there are a lot of things that you CAN be outraged by, but isn't it uselessly expended energy? </div>
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It gets you almost no results and doesn't add any significance to your life. I suppose we think that it somehow it might make us socially or politically conscious when we spout off... But we're really not. Our actions prove otherwise... And still no real significance.</div>
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If we really measure all the outcomes of the fashionable outrage in this quest for significance, we'll likely find negative ones (With the exception of our friends in Northern Africa, where Internet outrage led to revolution and removal of dictators). It may, in fact, give you a momentary level of faux significance, but because it doesn't last long, you find yourself soon looking for the next thing to show outrage over.</div>
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We find that most of our actual outrage results in offending friends, losing friends, being avoided on social networking sites, and nothing really good.</div>
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I can't blame people for using the expansive number of methods of communication available to them. I suppose the outrage, helps people feel like they're not sitting idly by as bad things happen. But really you are. In actuality, you're doing worse. Rather than pull people together to combat the negative things you see, you unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) separate.</div>
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What's worse is that this momentary feeling of social or political consciousness is so short that you need to find something else to show outrage over. So now you're looking for it....or maybe your FBBFF (Facebook BFF), is posting it and you're joining the party. So instead of looking for good things in life, and things that actually add significance like being involved in the community, volunteering, being active in your kid's school, you're looking for the negative in everything. What a life!</div>
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It's hard to be too bothered by this. There are big problems facing us in 2013. And maybe we just feel like there's nothing that we can really do about them. Maybe our social and political impotence, has us so desperate that we think this is "doing something". I also know that many people say "I just don't know what "I can do". I'm so busy with work, and kids, and life.... I get it, me too. </div>
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I'm just telling you, this isn't the way.</div>
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Outrage should exist, but only as fuel for you to do good things. Otherwise, it just makes you look angry.</div>
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There are lots of ways to feel significant, mostly by showing love, not hate. Show kindness, not anger. Show compassion, not judgement. Show your joy in things to celebrate, not outrage. Let's save outrage for outrageous things.</div>
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Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-29645825037559035012013-01-24T19:07:00.002-08:002013-01-24T19:19:58.803-08:00Humor is good for the Economy<b style="font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 24px;">A couple of years ago, Thursday nights at the Cinema Cafe (local movie theater in Virginia Beach) were somewhat quiet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The staff consisted of a guy or two in the kitchen, the manager, and a waitress or two, and they took home $30-$40 bucks in tips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Fast forward to today, and the wait staff takes home three to four times that amount every Thursday... What happened?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> This blog entry is attempting to discover the impact of a simple, but well executed, effective stand up comedy open mic.</span><br />
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<a href="http://debracolecomedy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/136-comedy-cellar-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://debracolecomedy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/136-comedy-cellar-11.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I have been performing stand up comedy for more than 20 years. However, while I take my comedy seriously, I chose a different path to make a living rather than take on the road and comedy full time. I stay local, performing at the occasional theater or comedy club, charity benefit, or comedy festival, and take care of my family and business. I enjoy the stage time and spend a good deal of time at local clubs and the occasional open mic. I am fortunate to be able to do that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I had heard that there was an open mic close by at a movie theater that had table service. I figured, it was close, provided a stage to tell jokes, and people would be eating and drinking like a comedy club, so why not give it a try?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> My first experience at the Cinema Cafe was good but not so good. There were about 7 people in the audience, and 9 guys telling jokes. I am hesitant to call them comics because, well...they weren't. The material was mostly blue, but not funny blue...just dirty for the sake of being dirty, and these guys would just go on and on forever with no light to signal them to end their set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> When it was my turn to go up, the "emcee" said, "do as much time as you like, 10-15 minutes, whatever." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I told him I was doing 6-7 minutes and that would be all I need. I was shocked to find that the previously comatose crowd (of 7) was actually very receptive. I got great reaction and thanked them. On the way out, the manager stopped me and asked if we could talk about how to make it better in there. <span style="line-height: 24px;">I reluctantly offered a few ideas, but wasn't sure he would be able or willing to do the things I mentioned. With the help of my buddy, comedian Hatton Jordan, we convinced him to make the tough choices.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> We made a few changes. We changed the structure of the show, found a local headliner (Dan Ellison) who happens to be the best comedy open mic/workshop host (and luckily was willing to run the show), limited the roster to people with mostly the best talent, and did a little bit of legwork to promote the show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> These are not trade secrets in business, but they are rarely seen in comedy club open mics. You need talent, promotion, and professionalism to be effective. My buddy Dan Ellison added a good bit of that....and credit the Cinema Cafe for being open to change. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Dan, Hatton and I have been friends for a very long time, and we all credit former owner of the Thoroughgood Inn Comedy Club, Dean Speerhas, for the blueprint to be successful.</span><br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSNUhqOUzwKJETjVVwCfaKlkBOGu9XcP_ieNgZ4easZn2SFplGJ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSNUhqOUzwKJETjVVwCfaKlkBOGu9XcP_ieNgZ4easZn2SFplGJ" width="194" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> We began promoting the show with myself and my good friend Hatton visiting the businesses within a 1-2 mile radius and sharing with them that we have a free comedy show with funny local talent and inviting them over to enjoy it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Unlike most clubs and open mics, we chose not to keep bugging our friends to come to the shows, but instead to get a real audience, who wanted to see comedy, not just their office buddy who they think is hilarious around the copy machine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our first effort netted us 25-30 audience members. In a 150 seat theater, that still doesn't look like much, but it was 4 times the usual audience. It was our bet that if we brought them in, thanked them for coming, gave them a good show and asked them to tell friends, we might have more audience in coming weeks. It worked. Now there are an average of 80-100 people at the shows, 12 comedians and occasionally a drop in from a well known headliner who has "heard about" the room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The most intriguing part and frankly, gratifying part, for me is that a handful of guys with their notebooks full of ideas, jokes (some not funny) along with a willing partner (the Cinema Cafe) have created a space where people can get away from life and laugh every Thursday for free. That alone is a positive impact on society. Laughter heals the soul, they say. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> But even more is that there is a small but profound economic impact of our joke telling efforts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Out of thin air, the imaginations of aspiring comedians, and an enthusiastic crowd, people are able to provide better for their families.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The waitresses are able to more easily provide better Christmases for their families, pay phone bills, electric bills, rent, groceries, you name it. Out of thin air there is up to $600 a month more in some waitresses' households. That's up to $7200 a year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Also don't forget that there is more food and drink purchased, so somewhere in some building where this food is produced or some farm where it's grown, there is a need to produce more. It may not be a ton more, but it requires a man or woman to produce it, package it, deliver it to the theater, and cook it. There is a small economic impact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> After the show, many of the comics, including myself, CB Wilkins, Brendan Kennedy and others head out to make fun of each other, talk about comedy, the show, and life at a local restaurant. And again, <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">at 11:20pm</a> on a Thursday night a waitress who's just likely finishing up a slow Thursday now has anywhere from 4 people to 12 people show up. Which means she's likely taking an extra $20-$50 bucks extra home in tip money. Once again, for many of you this may not sound like much, but it's gas for their car, a phone bill, groceries, it helps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> So, if you don't mind sharing with your friends about the local open mic, do so. There is one in your town where they play music, tell jokes, tell short stories, read poetry, etc. Give them a shot, you might find your local talent is pretty amazing. You might find that you have a great time. And you might be able to be part of making a difference by simply enjoying yourself.</span></div>
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<a href="http://static.shoutback.com/pilotonline/images/deals/4f1f2c4c8b48bc91bb354883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://static.shoutback.com/pilotonline/images/deals/4f1f2c4c8b48bc91bb354883.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Ours is at the Cinema Cafe in Pembroke Meadows Shopping Center in Virginia Beach <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">at 9pm</a> on Thursdays. Come see us, but arrive early, sometimes we run out of seats.</span></div>
Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-16973860066293830662012-12-18T06:09:00.000-08:002012-12-18T06:09:01.690-08:00When tragedy strikes, we don't get it...<br />
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: small;">One of our biggest problems in the U.S. is that when tragedy comes our way, unless it involves a foreign country or other entity, we don't know how to respond. We wring our hands in fear that somehow the same thing could happen to us.</span></span></h5>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: small;"> Instead when the tragedy is of a domestic nature like Sandy Hook, we too often resort to the same things that never work to find solutions. We point fingers, focus on difference of politics, differences in faith....differences.... Maybe if we pay attention first to our common concerns, common fears, and common hopes, we will realize that we're more alike than different, and we'll keep an eye on solutions that help us realize those common concerns and hopes.... Why not? So far the other crap isn't working...</span></h5>
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Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-84234207477595642932012-10-30T04:14:00.000-07:002014-02-14T06:31:46.563-08:00Love <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjq6X6Hw7ESzVf7_dNcyNVjYbWGU4pXS_ifcthR-o5PKlvJh8NkzIraba-kaeKrh3YFzH5p5grYaEFgOC55V7f8ecRO3xS_j9ybumTA9oDwMR1oLJZwp_hfZXCObQZeKqXQk7efgd_Woc/s1600/LOVE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjq6X6Hw7ESzVf7_dNcyNVjYbWGU4pXS_ifcthR-o5PKlvJh8NkzIraba-kaeKrh3YFzH5p5grYaEFgOC55V7f8ecRO3xS_j9ybumTA9oDwMR1oLJZwp_hfZXCObQZeKqXQk7efgd_Woc/s1600/LOVE.jpg" height="175" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Love is ....<br />
choosing to perform specific actions that give way to intensely wonderful feelings...<br />
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At first, intense emotions fuel actions, but there comes a point where it will reverse and actions will be counted on to fuel intense emotions.<br />
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Love is a great many things, and it can be quite confusing at times....<br />
<br />
Sometimes love is Tough<br />
Sometimes love is doing good things for others<br />
Sometimes love is simple kindness<br />
Sometimes love is letting someone fail, but consoling them in their misery<br />
Sometimes love is keeping someone from failing, because you know it is too much for them to bear<br />
Sometimes love is giving someone a place to stay<br />
Sometimes love is making someone tough it out and make their own way<br />
Sometimes love is holding on<br />
Sometimes love is letting go<br />
Sometimes love is a sweet note from the heart<br />
Sometimes love is in a song<br />
Sometimes love is praying for you<br />
Sometimes love is a bowl of soup<br />
Sometimes love is a warm blanket<br />
Sometimes love is the perfect hug<br />
Sometimes love is a kiss<br />
Sometimes love is walking away<br />
Sometimes love is walking home<br />
Sometimes love is lying together on the sofa<br />
Sometimes love is lying about her weight, her hair, her friends, her shoes, her outfit....<br />
Sometimes love is simply acceptance, without judgement<br />
Sometimes love is telling the truth and being honest<br />
Sometimes love is not telling the truth<br />
Sometimes love is laughing at his dumb jokes<br />
Sometimes love is forgiving<br />
Sometimes love is sacrifice<br />
Sometimes love is defending<br />
Sometimes love is keeping a secret<br />
Sometimes love is a pint of Ben and Jerry's Karmel Sutra<br />
Sometimes love is hiding that pint of Ben and Jerry's Karmel Sutra<br />
Sometimes love is in a box of chocolate<br />
Sometimes love is a hot cup of coffee<br />
Sometimes love is doing the dishes<br />
Sometimes love is cooking the dinner<br />
Sometimes love is a soft hand scratching your head<br />
Sometimes love is holding that hand<br />
Sometimes love is washing the car<br />
Sometimes love is cleaning the house<br />
Sometimes love is advice<br />
Sometimes love is complete silence...listening<br />
Sometimes love is a strong shoulder<br />
Sometimes love is a foot massage<br />
Sometimes love is caring for you when you're sick<br />
Sometimes love is doing something you hate because you love me more than you hate it<br />
Sometimes love is a kind word<br />
Sometimes love is time alone<br />
Sometimes love is time away<br />
Sometimes love is a sweet awkward first kiss on a date<br />
Sometimes love is in the first card she gives you<br />
Sometimes love is the first cake he bakes for you even if its not that good<br />
Sometimes love is him believing in you when no one else does, even yourself<br />
Sometimes love is found between miles 13.1 and 26.2<br />
Sometimes love is found in the subway<br />
Sometimes love makes you laugh<br />
Sometimes love is so strong it makes you cry<br />
Sometimes love is over email<br />
Sometimes love is at first sight<br />
Sometimes love grows over time<br />
Sometimes love is endless conversation about life, our fears, our dreams, our insecurities, our shames, our hopes, and our desires...<br />
Love is a lot of things...<br />
But mostly love is action, it's things we do for someone else to get that amazing feeling.....only after that is it feelings we have to make us do crazy sweet things....<br />
I wish you love in all forms... A full love that always gives you that feeling to make you do crazy things....<br />
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Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-2854908545299673332012-02-06T19:00:00.000-08:002012-02-07T08:32:56.581-08:00Winning is the new losing for Presidents<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"> </span> In November we will either vote for a new President of the United States or we will re-elect our current President. Either way, supporters of the winner will experience a temporary euphoria, similar to the fans of the most recent Super Bowl winners, The New York Giants. And it will be almost as great.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> In the case of the Super Bowl winner, it's great to be a fan. You get to wear the jersey, sweatshirt or hat and all of the fans of the other NFL teams have to go along with the idea that this was your year. You are the champions. You can wear the title proudly. No one will accuse you of being un-American. No one will accuse you of hating poor people. No one will openly discuss how being a NY Giants fan makes you philosophically or intellectually inferior. There will not be any character assassination. You will get to enjoy it. And next year, you get to try to do it all over again. </div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> In the case of the next Presidential Election, it's not great to win. It's not great to be a fan of the winner either. And worst of all it's not great for the country, no matter who wins. Your euphoria will last about a week or two (if that long) before political opponents will begin to wear down your joy. As new President, anything and everything that goes on during your administration will be your fault. You will immediately become the butt of jokes. There will be personal attacks on the you. People will spend countless hours exaggerating your smallest flaws in an effort to make you appear stupid, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">un</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">-American, racist, or just bent on the destruction of the country if your the "winner" or simply supported the winner. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> There are entire television networks dedicated to this activity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQF30E4-ob5AJqhBb0GpOMrkdv4JAfB-sKpt2Q94_fJ6SU0CEym" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQF30E4-ob5AJqhBb0GpOMrkdv4JAfB-sKpt2Q94_fJ6SU0CEym" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> We Americans are funny people. All it takes for most of us to dislike you is for you to become President or a member of Congress. It's an American tradition to tear down our leaders. Now I will agree that in many cases it's our duty to be critical. It makes sense to question authority. It makes a lot of sense to hold people accountable.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> However, we have taken things to a bit of an extreme. These days you don't even really have to do anything wrong or controversial to be ripped to shreds politically. You can just have a different view of things. That's usually enough. It's enough to verbally ripped with unwarranted attacks, unwarranted accusations, and blatant lies. We do it with all of them.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> It's also enough to get you labeled, which is another American tradition. Keep life simple by slapping a label on someone. We throw around labels all the time. Fascist, Communist, Socialist, Liberal, bigot, tree-hugger. Yeah we're good at labeling, even if we're wrong. We like to label. That way we don't have to do the tough work of thinking. If I label you, I no longer have to consider you or your ideas as legitimate.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> What's even worse is that many people might read this and think, "Well, that's just politics. That's how it is.."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">Well, that's just another sign that we're losing. When we simply accept inappropriate behaviors in politics and life because "that's just what they do," and neglect to hold them accountable, we lose. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">Why in the world do we suspend values and decency in matters of such importance? Is "that's just what they do" really good enough?</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> It is true what they say, people do get the government they deserve.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> Winning isn't great, anymore.....unless you're a Giants fan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOVFN2Tx8Ysv30KuOIs7sbD9i6iVVNHft6rfJ2dSCzjxQE14Zy" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOVFN2Tx8Ysv30KuOIs7sbD9i6iVVNHft6rfJ2dSCzjxQE14Zy" width="200" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-85747253769566661922012-02-01T17:31:00.000-08:002012-02-01T18:58:58.663-08:00Politicians Stink at Comedy<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"> </span>Politicians are not funny. I wish this was enough to stop them from trying to be funny, but sadly it is not. These people regularly fail at telling jokes and often end up offending others while doing themselves significant damage politically. Sometimes they simply tell poor jokes, other times they come across as racially insensitive and stupid. Sometimes they say something or do something because of a human failing and then claim it was a "joke".</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><strong>Note: If you have to inform us that something you did or said in the past was a joke, you suck at jokes, stop it.</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Recently, the Mayor of East Haven Connecticut, Joseph Maturo, got himself in a little bit of hot water doing this. When asked what he would do for the Hispanic community in light of allegations of police discrimination against the Hispanic community he said, "I might have tacos" for dinner. Okay, first of all, that's not even funny to racists. I asked one. It's just bad politics and bad comedy all rolled into one. So in an attempt to be funny, this guy now is railed on as racially dense and it made his police situation worse. Seriously Joe Joe, stop trying to be funny (and you might want to steer clear of Mexican Restaurants for a while)!</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Herman Cain famously said before dropping out of the race for GOP nomination that, "I would bring a <em>sense of humor</em> to the White House. America's too uptight!"... Well Hermanator, you have to be funny first, and even then, we already have comedians for that. Keep your lame jokes to yourself.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> As we approach a November 2012, you will see and hear many more feeble attempts by candidates to be funny. I suppose one of the reasons they do it, is to get you to like them as "one of the guys" or as so many people said about George W. Bush, "as someone you could have a beer with". </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> These are both dumb ideas. I don't want "one of the guys" running the country, trying to fix the economy, speaking on my behalf with foreign heads of state or being commander-in-chief. </div><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> "One of the guys" responsibilities should be reserved for "wing-man", picking up the beer, or finding a designated driver.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Guys described in this way typically do really stupid things. As for the economy, "One of the guys", will probably "forget his wallet" again when you go out. I don't want him at the controls with our money. He'll be selling our plasma to buy a six-pack.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"One of the guys", might not shower in the morning. "One of the guys" is definitely "going commando" right now. "One of the guys" might pick a fight with someone just to prove his manliness (Iran here we come). You might find "one of the guys" peeing on a tree in your back yard...and your front yard... and probably your closet. "One of the guys" will definitely light a fart on fire. The list is endless..."One of the guys" should not be President of the United States.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> So candidates and other politicians, spare us your horrible sense of humor. We do not need you to be "one of the guys". Very few of you have the ability to really be funny, anyway.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Leave it to comedians, please! </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Below I give you some samples of comedic WINNERS and the LOSERS:</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b>LOSERS</b></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The former Mayor of Los Alamitos, Dean Grose, sent an e-mail "as a joke" that depicts the White House lawn planted with watermelons, under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year."</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_F8Hcpw5vQmGJbICpxOrnoQM89as-Q9CiaVQsFUJLa_AcS90V1dHZMAbFniUZM8selxDNbW2-CtynCAladAmth7Yt_wkIQoxMOrB-bJDNeV91nPuCnL_kcdVkkbor3bbkvwmF_LMn_7_/s1600/White+House+WATERMELON-+emailed+from+politician.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_F8Hcpw5vQmGJbICpxOrnoQM89as-Q9CiaVQsFUJLa_AcS90V1dHZMAbFniUZM8selxDNbW2-CtynCAladAmth7Yt_wkIQoxMOrB-bJDNeV91nPuCnL_kcdVkkbor3bbkvwmF_LMn_7_/s1600/White+House+WATERMELON-+emailed+from+politician.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Classless and Stupid</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Orange County, California, Republican party official Marilyn Davenport sort-of apologized for sending out a racist picture of President Obama depicting him as a chimp being held by his chimp parents: “I’m sorry if my email offended anyone. I simply found it amusing regarding the character of Obama and all the questions surrounding his origin of birth.”</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIzqznX7f0RbhDRGz9DI5FFF_SG_CuQEgaLhaDQNWiIR0ZIHmPlpNtm7eKL0p5haYJR_EaJMcM3MDI7ikAqBr09QNuRAU13CsulpVx0PqFbMdcGhmxloRhp7MDTguGd09Kdrl3vs4xm02/s1600/new-obama-ape-+another+stupid+mayor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIzqznX7f0RbhDRGz9DI5FFF_SG_CuQEgaLhaDQNWiIR0ZIHmPlpNtm7eKL0p5haYJR_EaJMcM3MDI7ikAqBr09QNuRAU13CsulpVx0PqFbMdcGhmxloRhp7MDTguGd09Kdrl3vs4xm02/s320/new-obama-ape-+another+stupid+mayor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">More Classless and Even more stupid</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Ronald Reagan definitely had some funny moments, but he also had a couple of bad ones.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">This one may have been a bit of a mistake---but mostly Reagan got good reaction to jokes</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zv13ZnkpWos?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden both have told horrible jokes, that are racially or culturally offensive</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Joe Biden is virtual treasure trove of wacky and inappropriate stuff.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/e1Mq8kOXV_E/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e1Mq8kOXV_E&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e1Mq8kOXV_E&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">This was just poor... and who were the idiots laughing?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OIT3jUrNTX0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">REALLY JOE? </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">George W. Bush</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As a matter of style, David Letterman pointed out how "W" had an odd joke telling style...</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/KEbUyyQBY_E/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KEbUyyQBY_E&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KEbUyyQBY_E&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Also, as part of a bizarre comedy skit at the 2004 Radio & TV Correspondents' Association dinner, Bush showed a series of photos depicting him searching for those elusive WMD's in the White House. Probably not a wise on such a hot subject. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Romney actually believes that he has the "gift of telling jokes". Really?</div><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"He could never tell a joke. My mom was an aspiring actress and an English major ... so I picked up her gift of telling jokes and I love humor, which I get from her." - Mitt Romney 2005</div></blockquote><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>This guy is so dull, he could combine forces with Al Gore to bore Al Qaeda into submission.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/l3cvAjIdEy0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Really Mitt? Really?</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">John McCain made this joke about Chelsea Clinton at a Republican Dinner back in '98. It might be good to leave kids out of the equation, Big John. This just makes you look like a jerk.</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."</blockquote><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div>President Obama really blew it when he made this really dumb remark on the Tonight Show... WEAK</div><div> ----Special Olympics joke and video</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8eg3Ugi3WtM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>WEAK </b></div></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b>A FEW WINNERS</b></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div><br />
</div>Abe Lincoln</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"></blockquote></div><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"</span></span></blockquote></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Ronald Reagan</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">“I hope you’re all Republicans.” – Speaking to surgeons as he entered the operating room following a 1981 assassination attempt</blockquote></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Obama</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I don't want to be invited to the family hunting party." --on revelations that he and Dick Cheney are eighth cousins </blockquote></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b>Gerald Ford</b></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I know I am getting better at golf because I am hitting fewer spectators."</blockquote></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-14991928692578959472012-01-29T06:56:00.000-08:002012-01-29T06:56:03.380-08:00Recent Ramblings from Comedy at the Cafe-Virginia Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/dtPu9Ef29rY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">A recent set of mine working on new bits, and polishing up some old ones... enjoy!</div>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-69837147856299988132012-01-15T18:07:00.000-08:002015-12-09T06:53:04.922-08:00A Muslim's Introduction to America<div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> In 1966, a young Palestinian man traveled with his young wife and infant daughter from the turmoil filled and troubled Palestine to live in the land of opportunity, the good old U.S.A.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Now leaving Palestine wasn't easy for them. First of all, this was their home. Secondly, he was barely 25 years of age with a High School education and she was 20 years old with more limited education. America was entirely different than their little villages in Palestine. It was bigger, busier, faster, and a bit scarier because everyone was so different. Both left behind nearly all of their family and friends with the belief that opportunity and a better life for them and their little girl could be found in America.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> They found a small apartment in Stuart Gardens Apartments in Newport News, Virginia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> This is a story about kindness, a sense of community, color blindness and compassion. It's about the good people who lived in Stuart Gardens Apartments. It's about a part of the American Spirit that I think needs a little awakening today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My dad, Ahmad, found work to support his little family while my mother began the tough task of adjusting to life in a foreign land. Having a dear Uncle and Aunt nearby certainly made things easier, but there were many times, while Dad was at work, when Mom had to make things happen on her own. Mom was a very young lady who spoke Arabic almost exclusively, and began to slowly pick up English words here and there, mostly from television. She was a small young lady with beautiful black hair and a sweet face, standing only about 5'2". She spent quite a bit of time in those early years with "I Love Lucy", "All my Children", and "The Young and the Restless", so we have to thank Susan Lucci and Lucille Ball for helping Mom with her English.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSl8lZmJ-NrOoz_lq2qNiUTie4PeVAajFfP657fAU_2VbyuvyNL" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSl8lZmJ-NrOoz_lq2qNiUTie4PeVAajFfP657fAU_2VbyuvyNL" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucille Ball</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTU9wAOBr8Z4ulgN5jyix_R_WvysWpKvxJJTfB_0eA2u2dkp-Ur0BDpzk8JHrFgBgho7HVfbTUQNmi0W8O0kdfwwjUGaieZzvxVQ5m09gKt1RC2CUEA_Cm_EPBmVb-iK29sP68_HaPMTiX/s1600/Young+Mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTU9wAOBr8Z4ulgN5jyix_R_WvysWpKvxJJTfB_0eA2u2dkp-Ur0BDpzk8JHrFgBgho7HVfbTUQNmi0W8O0kdfwwjUGaieZzvxVQ5m09gKt1RC2CUEA_Cm_EPBmVb-iK29sP68_HaPMTiX/s200/Young+Mom.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Mom and Dad were Muslims and unmistakably Arab. They looked like Arabs, they spoke Arabic, and everyone could tell that they were different. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> In the winter of 1966-1967 when Mom and Dad learned that they were having another child. Their financial limitations along with their unfamiliarity with "baby carriages" had them going without. You see, in our little village of Deir Ballut, Palestine, in 1966, people didn't use strollers or "baby carriages".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The neighbors in Stuart Gardens noticed my Mom, pregnant with my brother, walking to and from while holding her little girl in her arms. It was about this time that one of the most beautiful characteristics of the American spirit revealed itself to this little Palestinian woman and it came in the form of a little green stamp.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> In the late 1960's and 70's, one of the very first shoppers rewards programs, (maybe the first ever, starting in 1896 according to Wikipedia) came in the form of S&H Green Stamps. S&H green stamps were given to you at grocery stores, gas stations and other shops. The way the program worked was that you collected S&H Green Stamps and used them to fill pages of Green Stamp Collectors Books which then could be redeemed for premiums, including housewares and other items, from the local Green Stamps store or catalog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> After a very short time in Virginia, Mom, even with her cultural and communication challenges, began to get to know some of her neighbors. There were sisters Cee Cee and Betty, along with neighbors Mary Ann Felburke and Mrs. Cassidy. I try to imagine what these ladies saw when they talked with Mom. It would have been easy to patronize her with an occasional wave and a smile. It would have been easy to allow a small amount of xenophobia to seep in and keep their distance. You have to remember, this was a time of intense change and struggle for change in the U.S. Our country was struggling with Civil Rights challenges, we were involved in the Vietnam War, and we saw nation-shocking assassinations of Martin Luther King in 1968, JFK in 1963, and Malcolm X in 1965. This time was also a time of riots, and a very active Ku Klux Klan. So for most Americans, "other people", including these foreigners would have been easy to cast aside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> But these folks at Stuart Gardens Apartments didn't do that. Instead, they noticed a neighbor who was in need of a baby stroller. And they took it upon themselves to combine the Green Stamps that they had been saving for their own needs with hers and redeem them for a stroller (or baby carriage) to ease her burden. She can't recall exactly how she befriended these ladies because her English was so limited, but she did. Cee Cee, Betty, Mary Ann Felburke and Mrs. Cassidy, among others took a liking to this little Arab woman who spoke soap opera aided English. They didn't care what she sounded like nor did they care what she looked like. They also were perfectly okay with her Muslim faith.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> They didn't stop with the stroller either. When my brother was born, they showered her with gifts in the form of baby blankets, diapers, and other baby needs. Mom says they were a little older than her, and they were Christians. They didn't see a foreigner, they saw a friend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> They didn't see her through a prism of Christian versus Muslim, instead they saw her through the prism of loving thy neighbor. They saw her with the most beautiful eyes Americans can have. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Mom still remembers these ladies fondly. I never knew these ladies, but I am grateful for the kindness they showed my family. I am grateful for the example they showed of what Americans should be all about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> In 2012, we could all learn a lot from these ladies and their American Spirit on display more than 40 years ago. </span></div>
Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-90370655134400974262012-01-01T20:21:00.000-08:002012-01-03T06:13:00.566-08:00I am an Arab American<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"> </span>Recently, I found myself watching NBC's new show Rock Center. They were doing a segment on some of my comedian friends in "The Muslims are Coming" Comedy Tour. It was a well put together segment and very entertaining.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>During one part, an older white gentleman from Alabama suggested there was something wrong with the comics labeling themselves Muslim Americans or Arab Americans. He says "there's only one kind of American... you should just call yourselves American" and drop the additional descriptor "Muslim" or "Arab". He goes on to say, "My ancestors are Dutch, I don't call myself a Dutch American...".<br />
This got me to thinking. Does he have a point there?</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I've heard this quite a few times recently. It's a popular idea in some circles. They say that by adding our heritage in front of the word "American", like African American, or Latino American, or Filipino American, or whatever, that we are somehow creating a separation between ourselves and the folks who simply call themselves "Americans". </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>They don't like it when we say we are Arab American, or when people of differing ethnic backgrounds highlight their ancestry. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Well, as an Arab American, as compelling an idea as this is, I disagree. I also submit that most of you don't really agree with the idea either. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Let me start by telling you that we all love our country and love being Americans. Believe me, no one knows more about how amazing it is to live here than people from other countries. Duh...That's why our ancestors came to the U.S. and the reason why many of them joined our military and fought in wars for our country. It is in no way our intention to separate ourselves. It's simply a way for us to preserve our heritage and culture, which we are proud of. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We enjoy our culture, our music, our food and like that it makes our lives richer. We also believe that it makes the American experience richer. How in the world does that negatively affect you? Really, what's it to you Dutch guy? We're not recruiting! We're just hanging out sharing who we are with you, and sharing good food.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hey Dutch American guy, If you were actually culturally involved in your Dutch heritage, we would be the first to want to know about it. But it's more likely that you don't do any "Dutchy" things. Maybe that's why you don't call yourself a Dutch American. You should embrace your Dutch heritage. I do agree, however, it was a good idea to ditch those wooden shoes. You were getting your butts kicked in the Olympics in every race. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTIczp8Ro89epEqf_QZqY6LdnvugJNJkUjDtfhEnFQXvnYYbbId" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTIczp8Ro89epEqf_QZqY6LdnvugJNJkUjDtfhEnFQXvnYYbbId" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Oh, and let's not pretend you don't like our food. We all like our ethnically labeled restaurants. We've got Mexican, Mediterranean (code for Arab), Greek, Chinese, Italian, and more. And suddenly, I'm hungry. Who doesn't like good authentic Mexican food? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you have get it from "authentic Mexicans" who became Americans, sometimes they're missing a little paperwork, but that's another issue. And we still label them Mexicans, even when they are American citizens. The uproar over immigration from the south clearly shows that we don't want "actual" Mexicans making our food. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/29000/Mexican-Immigration-29289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/29000/Mexican-Immigration-29289.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Also many comedians would lose half of their acts without pointing out the differences in people from different cultures... Comics joke about differences in black people, white people, Filipinos, Arabs, Latin Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Native Americans, Tall people, short people, fat people, skinny people, you name it. We point out the differences in people ALL THE TIME! And you don't have to be a comedian to be a part of this example, because I'll bet everyone reading this has laughed at jokes like this or enjoyed other entertainment that does the same...and guess what? It's okay!</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But you can't have it both ways. You can't tell us to shut up about our heritage and then use it yourself when it's convenient.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>By the way, I am always an "Arab American" at airport security. Those guys rarely see me as "just American". </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Another point that I think is fair to make is that EVERY person (In the U.S.) I have ever come in contact with that carried on more than a half an hour's worth of conversation with me, eventually asked "where are you from?" And if I answer, Hampton, Virginia, they're never satisfied. To quote my friend Amer Zahr, a very funny comedian, they continue, "no...where are you from, from?", because they<strong><em> want to know</em></strong> my heritage.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> So to be honest, I really don't think many of you mean what you say when you tell us that we should just be "Americans". </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Funny thing is that to everyone else on the planet, <strong><em>we are</em></strong> just Americans.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What are you really saying? Should we just become a washed out version of our heritage? Believe me, we already are pretty vanilla compared to our families in the old country. We're just trying our best to keep our culture alive in our families. It's something to be proud of.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And don't worry, we are plenty American. We eat cheeseburgers, watch wrestling and reality TV, listen to good old rock-n-roll, play baseball, have cholesterol issues and a lot of us are overweight too! So you see, we're just like you, but with an accent and maybe a bowl of hummus.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We can't all just eat white bread and baloney (or bologna, for you purists), can we? And by the way, baloney comes to us from our Italian American friends. Enjoy!</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-20497420892740842582011-12-19T13:41:00.000-08:002012-01-03T06:37:29.629-08:00Merry Christmas Mr. Postman<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span>It's that time of year again, when you receive and send the beautiful Christmas Cards and photos of your family, your kids, or your pet to family and friends.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> I think it's time we gave a Christmas greeting and maybe a gift, long overdue, to the U.S. Postal System.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We've been exchanging holiday greetings on paper for hundreds of years. At first, handwritten and hand delivered holiday greetings were the tradition, but by the early 1800's Christmas cards through the mail had begun to put a heavy burden on the U.S. Postal System. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Today, more than two billion Christmas Cards are exchanged (just within the U.S.) annually.....and it's the biggest bargain on the planet that you probably take for granted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chumpysclipart.com/images/illustrations/xsmall2/4094_picture_of_a_mailman_struggling_with_two_large_mailbags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://www.chumpysclipart.com/images/illustrations/xsmall2/4094_picture_of_a_mailman_struggling_with_two_large_mailbags.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Lately you may have read that the US Postal Service is struggling financially and looking for ways to drastically cut costs to trim it's debt. Some of these ways include laying off workers, closing smaller offices, or trimming the number of delivery days. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Some other, more forward thinking, folks advocate adding more profitable services to the USPS offerings to increase profitability and their ability to pay down debt.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> There are lots of reasons some cite as to why the USPS is having financial issues. Costs are obviously rising. The cost of fuel alone for delivery vehicles, trucks, and jet fuel has taken a heavy toll on the system. Besides that, the U.S. Postal system has seen lower demand as e-mail and web services are much more popular and convenient for Americans.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> And to top it all off, a 2006 law, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, requires the post office to make payments into federal accounts that are meant to fund health benefits for future Postal Service retirees. The law requires that the Postal Service pay about $5 billion a year toward future health benefits for 10 years, until 2017. A 2009 report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service determined that the payments were having a "considerable" impact on the post office's profitability. By the way, this burden, while some believe is financially prudent for the future, is not placed on any other government or private institution.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> I have some ideas of my own I'd like to propose (if you're listening Mr. Postman, which I'm sure you're not, because my blog is simply not that popular).</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>First of all, why is mailing a letter so doggone cheap? It's ridiculous! This is the most unappreciated institution in America. I can give my mail carrier, a total stranger, an envelope and ask him, with a straight face, to take it 3000 miles away, and drop it off at my buddy's house, for 44 cents....44 CENTS!! And he will smile at me, and do it.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Think about that for a minute people...that's insane!! You couldn't do that with anyone else. SO you think your best friend will do anything for you? Ask him or her to do that. Can you imagine?</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">(Setting, two guys walking out to their cars in the morning, Norfolk, Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay)</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">You: "Hey Tom, how's it going pal?"<br />
Tom: "I'm good, how about you? </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">You: "Well Tom, I need a little favor. On your way to work, could you drop this letter off in San Diego?"</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Tom: "What? San Diego?"<br />
You: "Oh don't worry...I'll happily pay you for it....how's 44 cents?...."<br />
Tom: "Uhh no...."<br />
You: "Dude!! I'm paying you 44 cents!!! what more do you want?"<br />
Tom: "Uhh...I want you to shut up now...Thanks..."</blockquote><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mailing a letter should at a minimum cost about a dollar, at least for out of state service. And based on the above example, that's still a ridiculous bargain. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The problem is that we have just become spoiled rotten by the service and the crazy low postal rates. We are horribly spoiled. Every time the postage goes up two cents, I always hear somebody opening their big mouth to complain. On those days, I wish I worked at the post office. That would be awesome.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Big Mouth: "Man this postage just keeps going up...it's ridiculous" </span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Me: "Yeah I know, it's outrageous that you have to pay a whole 44 cents for me to deliver this piece of mail <span style="line-height: 16px;">3000 miles and drop it off in perfect condition at your mother's </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">doorstep, whether it's snowing, sleeting, raining or my bursitis is acting</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">up.... Are you out of your mind!!! That's the best deal you'll get in your lifetime! Shut your big mouth and see</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">if ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE would even take it 30 miles or 3 miles for 44 cents... you cheap, ridiculous, spoiled</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">rotten, complaining,</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;"> jack-hole"</span></blockquote><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>By the way, other ways to deliver the mail are quite a bit more expensive... </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$488 by car assuming no hotel and food costs</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$510 by Greyhound bus... again no food and no hotel</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">One other problem with the USPS is it's inability to keep up with the times. They have the technology, and that's good. They must, to be able to move over 2 billion Christmas cards and all of the other mail too during this time of year. But on the outside they still don't have enough products that young people and 2011 people in general want.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The whole business model seems like it's stuck in 1955. I mean it's old. It's time to freshen up! It's like grandma's mail. Don't get me wrong, I love grandmas...I love them all, but I don't want them delivering my mail.</div><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">They may as well deliver in station wagons with wood paneling. I imagine the break room in the Post Office has plastic covered sofas, and bingo on Tuesdays.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.printactivities.com/ColoringPages/family/grandma-coloring-page.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.printactivities.com/ColoringPages/family/grandma-coloring-page.gif" width="163" /></a></div><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And what's going on with that goofy uniform? Why in the world do these guys have uniforms? Is it so we know they're on the same side just in case a skirmish breaks out with other delivery people like the milkmen (yes they still exist) or the Fed Ex guy (which by the way would charge double digit dollars to mail your letter)? My point here is that it's just not very cool, and in 2011, cool matters to a lot of people. How about changing the uniform to a simple ID card and maybe a hat, or t-shirt? It's much cheaper than a dumb old uniform and probably more comfortable. Besides, my unofficial math shows the USPS uniform bill (at only one shirt, one pair of pants, and a hat replaced once a year) to be in excess of 13 million bucks. I could cut that by 2/3 easy....cut out the goofy expensive uniforms. Every little bit helps.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hey I've got another novel idea...how about selling you're own cool (non-old) greeting cards at the post office? Hello?!? Americans love convenience. You probably ought to sell coffee there too and some comfy furniture. Your lines can get a little long. Maybe you could sell gift cards too. Guys would have no problem shopping for Christmas and other celebrations then. </div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dude 1: "Dude, I'm going Christmas shopping"<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dude 2: "Cool, you goin' to the mall?"<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dude 1: "No, the Post office.."<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dude 2: "Cool, I'm coming too... Gonna get one of those postal-lattes"</blockquote><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So, rather than put even more people out of work by laying off more postal workers, and reducing service, lets consider paying a fair amount for what we're getting, and quit whining about our mail service. These are good people doing a great job moving billions and billions of cards and packages every year for extremely low prices.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And maybe you Mr. Postman can sneak your ways into the 2000's and update your look and feel. People will buy more of your stuff and like you more. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>This is just my two cents worth. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Thanks Mr Postman, and Merry Christmas!</div>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-18833474551609580222011-12-05T19:22:00.000-08:002012-01-29T08:36:41.221-08:00Barack HUSSEIN Obama<div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we come upon a new election season, I am reminded of how ugly politics can get. </span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shortly after it became apparent that Barack Obama would become a factor in the elections in 2008, some folks in politics decided they didn't like this man with a "different" sounding name.</span></div><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> Politically, and on the issues, there was plenty for people to attack, but some decided to use his name. While they could have simply stuck to issues of political view or voting record, which in my view would have proven more effective, opponents made an all out effort at using fear to dissuade voters from considering then candidate Obama. </span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This has become the most popular tactic in politics by both the left and the right. The left is consumed with the idea of convincing you that the right hates poor people and minorities and is financially corrupt. The right would have you believe that the left hates America, is unpatriotic, stupid, hates minorities, and are all commies. These are our choices? Great!</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I have noticed that some folks in the "Barack Obama isn't American, is unpatriotic, and is a Communist" crowd are still using, today, some of the tactics that I found unproductive, and frankly dumb. Specifically, they have remained fond of emphasizing his middle name HUSSEIN. They enjoy saying the President's name as Barack HUSSEIN Obama, with an odd emphasis on Hussein. It's interesting.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey people, it's been three years. It's okay that his name is different. Now, you not only look dumb, uninformed and bigoted when you use it in that manner, but you also look way out of touch. Do yourself a favor and cut it out. While you're at it, maybe you could invest in a new wardrobe, that Member's Only jacket is a little tired and you can stop rockin' that cassette deck. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pcphd.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/members.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://pcphd.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/members.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Husseins need not apply"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the name Hussein. It's a great name. It means "handsome or beautiful or good looking". I have family members named Hussein, my grandfather's name was Hussein and there was King Hussein of Jordan (a wonderful ally of the U.S.). Also, my brother is named Hussein and he's an awesome guy, you should meet him if you haven't (and he doesn't know anybody in Al Qaeda, or even somebody named Al as far as I know).</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01570/king-hussein_1570345c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01570/king-hussein_1570345c.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">King Hussein of Jordan</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Initially, when candidate Obama's middle name was used, it was during a time when some folks were desperately trying to somehow connect him with terrorist elements or people believed to "hate America". It worked with some folks like this misinformed older lady at a McCain rally: <a href="http://youtu.be/MRq6Y4NmB6U">VIDEO- Anti Arab McCain Supporter</a> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MRq6Y4NmB6U?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In March 2008, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), predicted Al Qaeda would be “dancing in the streets” if Barack Obama were elected president. </span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shortly after this, the RNC and many others publicly stated that this "tactic" that some were using would not be a "tactic" that they would endorse and shouldn't be used at all. The "tactic" of course refers to the attempt to associate Obama, through the use of his name with Al Qaeda and others opposed to America. Bravo to all who called these folks out for not only attempting to connect Obama with terrorists, but also for the slap against all good people named Hussein.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It's this last point that bothers me most. These people insulted the intelligence of Americans and insulted Arabs at the same time. They thought simply mentioning the name Hussein would scare people from voting for him. For the record, if the name Hussein scares you, you're a moron. If it doesn't scare you, be aware that the folks who emphasized it over and over think you're a moron.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides, it's not the first time we have had someone with a Semitic name in our federal government as noted by Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan in the following <a href="http://www.juancole.com/2008/02/barack-hussein-obama-omar-bradley.html"> piece</a>. </span></div><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; color: grey; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gen. Omar Bradley, who bore a Semitic, Muslim first name, and shared it with the second Caliph of Sunni Islam, was the hero of D-Day and Normandy, of the Battle of the Bulge and the Ruhr.....What about Congressman Darrell Issa of California?(“`Isa” means Jesus in Arabic)....Abraham Lincoln, of course is, named for the patriarch Abraham, from the Semitic word for father, <em>Ab</em>, and the word for “multitude,” <em>raham,</em>. Abu, “father of,” is a common element in Arab names today.</span></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beembee.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Abraham_Lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.beembee.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Abraham_Lincoln.jpg" width="258" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out that Lincoln beard...Taliban like?</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's exciting to me that America has embraced so many people with Semitic names. It's particularly exciting because my little ones with middle names Hassen and Hussein live in a country that is smart enough to know better than to be frightened off by bigoted kooks. </span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the rest of you folks out there should be careful. You could be the next target....like you Al Roker. You should never run for office. Think about it...Al Roker....Al Qaeda? Spooky...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">UPDATE</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A comment pointed out a potential flaw in this blog entry in that I did not cite any current such uses of Obama's middle name. I suppose this is a question of the validity of my claim that this tactic is still being used. The fact of the matter is that you will find thousands of examples in the past 12 months on Google. Forgive me, there were too many to list. </span></div>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-86231948549164260802011-11-11T13:33:00.000-08:002011-11-11T14:04:45.004-08:00McDonald's is always hiring....<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Earlier this month, some members of the Chicago Board of Trade showered protesters of the Occupy Chicago movement with applications from McDonald's. Oh those wacky traders, those wacky elitist traders! That's hilarious...well, not really hilarious. It's more like smug, elitist, and arrogant. Frankly, it's also quite stupid.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> I can't help but wonder what statement these people were making by specifically using McDonald's Applications. Why not post Monster.com or Careerbuilder's website information? Is it possible that the traders were specifically using fast food applications in an attempt at a joke that mocks both the protesters and the McDonald's opportunity?</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> It's pretty common for comedians both professional and the jerk in your office, classroom, or family to occasionally crack a joke at the expense of fast food workers. It has become the go-to move when we want to put down someone's job aptitude, ability or intelligence.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Oddly enough, it's also the same opportunity people cite when saying about the unemployed that they "could" find work "if they really want to". They say places like McD's are always hiring.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Now, I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to work there. You make it sound so prestigious. You are so respectful of the opportunity there... Your go-to jokes denigrating the folks who currently work in these places make it seem like such a great idea. It's so weird that people don't flock to the opportunity.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> You often speak about them as if they are stupid and beneath you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p99/MadDogFargo/snob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p99/MadDogFargo/snob.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The funny thing here is that you could not be more wrong. The vast majority of people that work in fast food are good, honest, hard-working people that do not deserve your ridicule or the ridicule coming from the pompous jerks at the Chicago Board of Trade.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The way it looks, the folks protesting are either ridiculed for protesting or have the option of being ridiculed for taking that coveted prestigious job at McDonald's.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> I will take a moment as someone who has worked in a fast food environment for more than half of my life, to tell you Chicago Board Trader and those that join you, to get a life. I have had the privilege of working with fast food workers that have more character, more integrity and more intellect, yes intellect, than most "professionals" I know outside of the fast food industry. I hope it makes you feel better about your own pathetic existence to poke fun at some people simply trying to put food on their family's table.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Fellas, you could never compare to the quality of people I know in fast food. </div><br />
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</script></div>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-20973976834845771782011-10-27T13:19:00.001-07:002011-11-07T21:06:18.682-08:00When soldiers Occupied Washington DC: Bonus ArmyThis is an article from www.eyewitnesstohistory.com. It's an amazing story about the "Bonus Army", another time in our past where Americans protested perceived wrongs.<br />
As I watch news reports and hear from people on the ground in the "occupy" movement, it's sometimes hard to believe that this is happening right now our country. Especially with recent developments such as in Oakland, California, where police attacked protesters with flash grenades, rubber bullets, and tear gas. The video from that situation looked like something we were watching just months ago in Egypt as Mubarak's thugs violently attacked protesters. It is an uncomfortable time.<br />
And so, I offer this to you to lend some perspective. Many in my generation and younger have never really seen this kind of protesting in the U.S., but our country has a long history of American People standing up for themselves and doing this very thing. Enjoy this as one of the many examples.<br />
Agree with the "Occupiers" or not, we should all be defending their right to protest. One day, this could be you or your kids protesting something you believe in.<br />
<a href="http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snprelief4.htm">When the Bonus Army Occupied Washington</a><br />
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</script></div>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-33857169712481945862011-09-30T20:00:00.000-07:002011-09-30T20:14:04.235-07:00How gas and Oil sucked the life out of the Economy: Occupy the CFTC<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In all of the discussions I've heard, read, or had since the U.S. economic woes began, I am completely confused as to why Americans seem to just roll over and quietly deal with ridiculously expensive fuel costs and ignore the ramifications of these obscenely high gas prices. I have rarely heard anyone discuss fuel and food costs and their role in our country's financial misery. Sure you do hear that the costs of both are higher and life is more difficult as a result, but there's a lot more to this story.<br />
I would suggest that the U.S. economic woes wouldn't be nearly as bad if not for the unnecessarily high prices in food and energy. I would suggest that fewer people would have lost their jobs, their homes, and their dignity if not for the artificially and unnecessarily inflated gas costs. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span>Some quick research show the following numbers:</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;" /></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b>GASOLINE</b></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span>The U.S. consumes approximately 140 billion gallons of gasoline per year. At an average increase of $1.26 more per gallon over 2004 prices ($1.81 according to DOE). Over the 6 years from 2004 to 2010 that equals $1.058 Trillion dollars EXTRA spent on gasoline. Well this money had to be diverted from somewhere. This money was likely taken away from consumption of goods, away from clothing, away from electronics, away from automobile purchases, away from mortgage payments, away from education, etc. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Can you imagine how many jobs are lost as a result of an extra 1 trillion dollars coming out of the economy to fuel your car?</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;" /></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">DIESEL</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Diesel fuel cost $2.55 in 2009 and increased to $3.68 (avg in 2011) increase of $1.13 per gallon with an annual a usage of 64.32 billion = $72.7 billion dollars out of the economy in 2011 alone. You think that might take the wind out of any recovery sail?</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">An estimated $72 BILLION DOLLARS in 2011</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Can you imagine how many jobs are lost as a result of an extra 72 billion dollars coming out of the economy to fuel your car?</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">HOME HEATING OIL</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></strong>Home heating oil consumption is 7.2 billion gallons a year.The price jumped to over $4 a gallon in 2008 with an average price of $3.45 compared to 2.45 prior to oil run in the market or approx. $7 billion dollars taken out of the economy.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">More than 7 BILLION DOLLARS in one year</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Can you imagine how many jobs are lost as a result of an extra 7 billion dollars coming out of the economy to heat homes?</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">JET FUEL</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></strong>Jet fuel 2.77 to 3.44/gallon up from under $1/gallon 10 years ago<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span>17.5 billion gallons per year weakened airline industry, weakened wages, fuel surcharges passed on to gen public... 34 billion over 10 years</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> More than an 3.4 BILLION DOLLARS AVG. Per Year</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Can you imagine how many jobs are lost as a result of an extra 3.4 billion dollars coming out of the economy to fuel jets?</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newsrealblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/gasprices-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.newsrealblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/gasprices-300x300.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">I imagine that a huge number of jobs, many homes and significant amount dignity would not have been lost if not for the artificially inflated costs of energy that benefited Wall Street, Big Oil, and Oil transport and storage companies.</span></span></strong></div><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span></span></strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It's important to note that during this time Wall Street speculators, BIG bank, oil companies, oil storage and transport companies raked in insanely high profits. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> It would seem that most of the benefit here would be going to oil companies. Yes some, but don't take your eye off of the Banks. Formerly classified as speculators, the biggest banks are now classified, through some stroke of classification voodoo, as hedgers, as if they are no different than oil companies in the eyes of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span>A more thorough explanation can be found here. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont saw fit to share some illuminating documents regarding speculation in oil. Enjoy or vomit, whichever it moves you to do.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static7.businessinsider.com/image/4e3030e369beddf81d000013-400-300/getting-rid-of-tax-breaks-for-big-oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://static7.businessinsider.com/image/4e3030e369beddf81d000013-400-300/getting-rid-of-tax-breaks-for-big-oil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span>So while there are plenty of places to look for why our country is in such a financial mess, do not overlook the artificially inflated fuel costs and the TRILLION plus dollars diverted out of the economy and into the pockets of Big Oil and Big Banks.<br />
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<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/09/15/317330/leaked-cftc-oil-speculation-data/">http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/09/15/317330/leaked-cftc-oil-speculation-data/</a><br />
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Data was compiled from several sources including AAA, the Dept. of Energy, and Dept of Transportation.</div>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-73818927192883433242011-09-23T13:48:00.000-07:002016-01-11T18:41:50.762-08:00"Too Politically Correct"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
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I'm not a fan of the term politically correct or even the concept of political correctness as it relates to everyday use of language. Don't get me wrong, I do think people should play nice with each other and have consideration for the words we use, what they mean and how they impact others. That's just common courtesy. Isn't it?</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span>Besides, Politically Correct or Incorrect is an odd way to describe it. Unless you're talking about politics, why is it even called "politically" correct? Don't we have enough politics in our daily conversation? It seems to me like we could do without throwing it into every conversation, couldn't we? I think the folks who started this whole movement need to take a vacation and relax. PUT DOWN THE COFFEE! </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span>Isn't it up to each individual to decide how they speak? I think it is the right of everyone to be able to say whatever they would like to say (as long as it is legal and doesn't endanger others). Everyone has the right to sound as dumb or rude as they would like. You have the right to be a buffoon. I don't think it's American to take that right away. Governing words, even in an informal matter is just too heavy.</div>
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According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Political Correctness is:<br />
<em style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">adj.</em><em style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> Abbr. </em><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">PC</strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1. </strong>Of, relating to, or supporting broad social, political, and educational change, especially to redress historical injustices in matters such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.</blockquote>
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The Collins English Dictionary defines it this way:<br />
politically correct: demonstrating progressive ideals, esp by avoiding vocabulary that is considered offensive, discriminatory, or judgmental, esp concerning race and gender </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> I guess that explains the "Political" part. But, t</span>here are more than a couple of problems with this. First, who is it that decides what is politically correct and what isn't? How do these people achieve this standing in society to dictate what may be unacceptable and what isn't? And now, isn't everyone with a mouth, that can utter a noise, suddenly on guard. That sure is a rotten way to live.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span>Surely this arbitrary power given to people to decide what is "correct" to say and what is not, creates an angst and a social discomfort in people. Too many decent well-meaning people get caught unaware of the days "proper" way of saying things by the PC Police. Often what is "okay" to say today, may not be tomorrow. No one sends out a memo, there's no facebook post, no tweet, nothing. It might be okay if your mom called you like when she reminds you it's daylight savings time.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span> It could go something like this, "Okay honey, don't forget to set your clocks back tonight, and you can no longer use the word midget....it's little people, Good Night."</div>
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The concept of politically correct has occasionally gone way overboard to where it attempts to govern everything others say. Often people are vilified who sometimes misspeak out of ignorance. It becomes hard to just have conversations anymore in a time where we always seem ready to pounce on the slightest slip of the tongue to point out to everyone "AHA! You see he is a bigot!" or "See! he's a misogynist!" or "HA! see she hates short people!" Relax PC people, sometimes people are just dumb or don't know better! That doesn't always make them a bigot. Bigot equals ignorant, but ignorant doesn't always equal bigot. BREATHE!</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span>It's pretty easy to see how there can be a backlash. And with this backlash, you end up with the other problem with PC and that is the concept of "Too PC". I understand if you're a little confused.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span>"You're too PC" has become the defense these days for anyone who says something that actually is racially or otherwise inappropriate (for example) and gets called out on it. Rather than recognize the inappropriateness of their words, they say "You're just too PC".</div>
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"Come on dude, you're just way "Too PC", he didn't mean anything by it when he said towel head."</blockquote>
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"Oh... I see, my bad." </blockquote>
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Well, I don't need the concept of Political Correctness and PC police to know that this guy may be an idiot. In fact, I'm somewhat grateful he didn't censor himself. It's better if I know who these people are. So you see, the flip side problem with "PC" is that it had a baby, a really ugly, rude, obnoxious baby.</div>
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Meet "Too PC".</div>
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"Too PC" now has become an all to commonly used weak defense for people who routinely say offensive and often racist things. It's like an offensive person's hall pass. Some in the "Too PC" crowd now have lost their bearings on what actually is inappropriate to say. It's simply a backlash, a reflex. These people are so fed up with "PC", they have just pulled the plug on their language, and previously understood offensive language is flowing freely again. </div>
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Now having said all that, opposition to you saying something offensive is allowed to exist, and frankly encouraged. The problem here is labeling. Labeling people as PC or Too PC is not wise. The more we label, the more we put people in a box, and unless you broke a law, or you're dead, or your name is David Blaine, you don't belong in a box, no one does.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span>I think we have all heard grandma or grandpa or some other family member or family friend who grew up in a time gone by say something way too inappropriate or even offensive (no matter what your ethnicity, I don't care who you are). And our response was initially to cringe, but then move on. </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span> "It's okay kids pop pop's been drinking again..." and you move on.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span> PC or Too PC are just stupid labels people use so they can just write someone off. And writing people off over a statement or two is simply a bad idea.</div>
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So I propose that we allow people to be people. Allow them to be offended and deal with being offended. Allow them to say dumb things and deal with the consequences of saying dumb things. </div>
Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-28873495235736953732011-09-02T19:37:00.000-07:002011-09-03T04:28:04.420-07:00Interesting Times: The Worst Kind of PartyEasmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-34977886612907609242011-09-01T11:09:00.000-07:002012-01-03T06:43:08.970-08:00The Worst Kind of Party<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"> </span> Parties are usually great. What's not to like? You get to hang out with your good friends. Some people even meet that special someone at a party. For many party goers, the possibility of meeting someone special, someone that can change everything for you, and make all the difference, is mighty powerful, even though conventional wisdom (and likely your mother) tells you this is just not the place to find <strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><em style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">tha</em><em style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">t </em></strong>person. Even so, we enjoy the good food, good drink, fun activities and of course there's almost always cake. And who doesn't like cake?</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>At 42 years old, the parties I go to today are usually pretty low key, but still quite enjoyable. They usually involve dinner, some wine, and good conversation. Being married, sometimes I end up going to a party that I'd rather not go to, at the insistence of my sweet wife (who will be reading this). My move, to make such parties tolerable, typically involves making nice with other dudes who have that similar look of forced social interaction on their face, finding the TV, and watching ESPN. You almost always find another dude or two there watching something already and willing to talk about whatever sport is on. And of course ESPN has the power to make any "old guy" party experience okay.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>In college, parties were entirely different. There was the loud music, the red plastic cup, too many guys and not enough women, and lots of cheap beer, many times bought with a fake ID. Sure, someone usually ended up drooling on your sofa or peeing in your closet, but hey, we were kids. By the way, I went to Radford University, where it was rumored that the ratio of girls to guys was 3 to 1. I have to say, however, that some guy had to be walking around with 6, because I never ended up with even one much less three. Even so, the parties were mostly harmless fun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emeraldcityguy.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/sat-lets-party-webentry.gif?w=470" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emeraldcityguy.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/sat-lets-party-webentry.gif?w=470" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>But as I think about all of the different kinds of parties, the worst parties of all have to be Political Parties. These parties just plain stink. I'll bet even their cake sucks, and it's pretty tough to screw up cake.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>Even good old George Washington thought political parties would suck, as evidenced by the following quote:</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;" /></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">"Political parties are just full of a bunch of pretentious, insincere self-serving jackwads and they make me wanna puke"- GW</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Okay, I may have paraphrased a little, or just made that last one up entirely. What he actually said is below:</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">"However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." -George Washington</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>That's some pretty accurate predicting on the part of our first President. Right on GW! </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>Political parties exist for the purpose of getting people elected to government positions. Their intention is to join people of similar beliefs and opinions on how government should work, and influence that government by getting people from their own party elected. Presumably, these elected officials would then govern in the best interests of the people.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>It sounds harmless enough. It even sounds like it could be good and productive. The problem I have with them is that these days many of the principals in this type of party are still behaving like a bunch of overactive spoiled college kids with no responsibility. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>To get what they want, they don't mind lying. Much like a teen with a fake ID, some of the principals of these parties are exceptionally good at fooling people into believing that they are something they're not to get what they want: power and money. They'll tell you just about anything to get you into...well, let's say to get your vote, though they don't usually mean it. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>These days many of the people from political parties are committing a lot of party fouls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/anthony-weiner-leave-of-abs__oPt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://img.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/anthony-weiner-leave-of-abs__oPt.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>You'll find leaders in these parties tweeting pictures of their doodads, having unwanted encounters with 18 yr olds, driving drunk, taking illegal drugs, and other immature, irresponsible behaviors. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>One big difference is that in the case of the college kid, he's damaging his own future and wasting mommy and daddy's money. In the case of these pathetic Political Party members, they are messing with our country's future and wasting tax payer money. </div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>These politicians seem to have never left adolescence. And anyone would admit that while college parties got a little crazy, they were generally harmless, and no one at those parties was fit to make decisions about the country's collective future. We would all admit that at that age, with the kinds of shenanigans we pulled, none of us should be trusted in such matters.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>And so I ask, why then do we trust some of the people we vote for elected positions? The only answer I have is short memories. In the worst parties you can remember, the following things may have happened: <strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">someone passes on the floor, </strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">a dude ends up drooling on your sofa cushions, </strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">you end up cleaning vomit off the floor (sometimes under the dude who passed out), </strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Some of your stuff ends up missing, </strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">people pretend to have a good time, </strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">there's bad dancing, </strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">someone ends up pregnant,</strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida gande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> someone clogs the toilet, </strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">a fight starts, or</strong><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> someone pees in the closet.</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></strong>After each of these parties, you might say to yourself, "Wow, that got waaayyy out of hand". And you swear that you're done with <i><b>THAT </b></i>kind of partying......until a week later. Somehow through the passage of time, you forget the pee in the closet or the vomit on the floor and you go again believing this next party will be different.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>With each election, through the passage of time, memory fades and you go vote for another group from one of the political parties. You think somehow with the same kind of party, "This time it will be different". You forget the tweeting of the doodads, or even worse the time Corporate America showed up uninvited and some of your stuff ended up missing.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"></span></strong><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre;"> </span>You can't help yourself. You want to find that special someone. You want to find that candidate that can change everything, and make all the difference, even though conventional wisdom (and likely your mother) tells you this is just not the place to find <em style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">th</em><em style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">a</em><em style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">t kind of </em>person.</div><br />
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</script>Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-43528264494564513192011-08-15T17:25:00.000-07:002011-08-22T13:14:04.268-07:00What Happens in the Middle East Stays in the Middle East: Facebook Revolution in America?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the last year we've seen a number of Arab governments taken to their knees by popular uprisings demanding change. Painfully high unemployment, rising costs for goods and housing and abuses of government power and corruption just got to be too much for these populations, so they let their collective voice be heard. Now in each of these countries there is much hard work yet to be done to right the ship, but no one can deny the courage, unity and determination of the people. As an American, I'm envious of their united effort, as an Arab, I am quite proud.</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBFIvk4fQhtKcFjhEuBk_024zUIALa_sY45IL3qq18p33KfAhvzQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBFIvk4fQhtKcFjhEuBk_024zUIALa_sY45IL3qq18p33KfAhvzQ" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 16px;"> </span>One of the more intriguing elements in each of these is the role Facebook and Twitter has played in organizing massive demonstrations. In fact, some were calling them Facebook and Twitter revolutions. Literally hundreds of thousands of people in Arab countries organized via Facebook and brought dictators down.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 16px;"> </span>And so, I wondered, could Americans find the common beliefs among them and coordinate government protests on such a massive scale that literally could change our country's history forever? Could we have our own Facebook or Twitter revolution? Hmmm...</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 16px;"> </span>Now I'm not talking about complete government overhaul, like in these countries. I'm just looking to get corporations and special interests out of our government and put some term limits in place to get rid of these career politicians. I figure a couple of amendments to our constitution would do it. The U.S., even with our difficulties, is still the land of opportunity and is still a great country, but we do have some work to do to eliminate corporate and special interests influence on our government. If done, these changes would have dramatically positive effects on our government's ability to govern with the will of Americans in mind. </span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span>As I thought about the possibility of a Facebook revolution in the U.S., I became a little skeptical. Americans seem a little more distracted than our friends in Tunisia or Egypt, for example. We play Farmville, they farm. We play Mafia Wars, they survive wars. When I think about how things got rolling in Egypt, I'm pretty sure you didn't see a post like this:</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="line-height: 16px;" /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"That's it! Mubarak has poked us for the very last time! We must take to the streets, call all of your friends in from Mafia Wars!! This will be no pillow fight!! It's time!!"</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="line-height: 16px;" /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Or a post like this:</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="line-height: 16px;" /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span>"Mubarak has abused Egypt. He has used our government dollars as a personal piggy bank, he has run our country into the ground. He is a brutal dictator with no conscience. I think it is time to make our voices heard. If you agree that our voices should be heard and we should remove this evil dictator please re-post. I realize that there are only a few of my friends that are true lovers of Egypt and WILL re-post this. 97% of you will not, but I know who the true Egyptians are."</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="line-height: 16px;" /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span>We seem to like to express our revolution in a much more passive way (to be nice). Our type of revolution has really boiled down to venting on the Internet and blaming the guy next door, or the guy of a different religion, or the guy with no money, or the guy with a lot of money, or the Mexican guy, or the black guy, or the white guy, or the now very popular Arab guy for our troubles.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span>Maybe we should spend a little more time focusing on our name "The UNITED States of America". Hello!!! United?? Our friends in the political parties have us convinced that the enemy lives next door or just down the street. We've also been convinced that there is but one fate for this enemy and that is defeat. Well, I'm sorry, I don't believe in that kind of America. I believe that the enemy is not down the street. Down the street, I have friends that have different perspectives. For me, that's okay.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span>What's interesting is that this is exactly how we see each other when catastrophic events occur. When Americans are dealing with devastation from hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and other catastrophic events, we don't care if you're a Tea partier, a donkey or an elephant or simply a partier, we all work together. It's a shame that it requires tragedy for us to act as one. It seems like we should be better than this. </span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span>I guess there is one good thing about a dictator. Given that there has only been one guy in charge for a long time, it is easier for the majority of people to coalesce with common ideas in mind, even if they are limited to getting that pig out of office. And it's much harder to get people passionate about amendments.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTjHqrkvlec-avFHP-vZJOSDOlcaIR1UK6GGeeJjaMS0NymsHM4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTjHqrkvlec-avFHP-vZJOSDOlcaIR1UK6GGeeJjaMS0NymsHM4" /></span></a></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"></span>Now I realize that many of us will still dwell in Cafe World, but I remain hopeful that someday Americans will be United as Americans for the common good of the people. Until then, thank you for allowing me to share a few Words with Friends.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</script> Easmeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238994651221721984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856067233993888742.post-34925332525884915252011-08-11T16:19:00.000-07:002011-08-11T16:42:36.117-07:00Alternative Economy: Let the sun shine inOkay, I will start by telling you that I came up with this plan over coffee. So part of me was likely still trying to wake up. But I believe there is potential here. Also, I welcome all criticism or feedback.<br />
So here's the idea. I propose job creation by the hundreds of thousands while increasing energy independence through solar power and geothermal heating and cooling systems in the U.S. How? Well here it is. Offer homeowners an extremely low interest loan (2% or lower) for the purpose of purchase and installation of a solar power or geothermal system for their home. To make it even more affordable, the loan could be rolled into a cost friendly home refinance. This way the monthly cost of electricity for these homeowners would be under $100 unless their energy use required more. But the good news is that homeowners would largely be insulated from the relentless increases in energy charges from the Dominion Powers (Virginia) of the country because they'll be paying a fixed mortgage type payment for their solar energy.<br />
In many cases a home solar power system or geothermal system would cost $20-25k (Solarcity). Given this figure the U.S. Govt could offer $20 billion a year to homeowners in these low interest loans, resulting in the ability to cover a million homes a year in solar power systems.<br />
This would require literally hundreds of thousands of people to be hired for the production, sales, and installation of these solar panels. Further, the debt, would be in the hands of private citizens and not the U.S. Govt. One stipulation is that all panels purchased with these loans must be U.S. made (the same kind of thing other countries do to create domestic jobs). With this stipulation, you get the jobs.<br />
Further, the energy produced, would offset or eliminate electric bills in many cases leaving a net gain monthly for many homeowners, thereby increasing cash-flow, and increasing the value of their home all in one fell swoop. The resulting cash-flow increase would likely be reinserted into the economy by these consumers or banked. I'd take either result, but would prefer a combination of both.<br />
So with this plan, millions of people go back to work, we kick start alternative energy, we put lots of money back into the economy, and private citizens (not the govt) carry the burden of the loans.<br />
Also, if you're adventurous enough to buy an electric car, you might even be able to stop buying gas at some point.<br />
Now if you want to really get crazy, at 200 billion dollars a year, you cover 10 million homes and could effectively cover over 50% of U.S. homes in 4 years.<br />
Admittedly, this will not eliminate the need for the power companies, nor is it a long term solution, but it is an intermediate step that should be taken to move our country forward.<br />
This is my proposal. Let the bashing begin.<br />
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