tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1492247571837566602017-03-25T22:04:57.289-07:00Tossing It OutArlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comBlogger1370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-69587444695186522082017-03-24T02:00:00.002-07:002017-03-24T02:00:13.139-07:00Newsprint Time Machine<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AbandonedLosAngelesTimesVendingMachine2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: An abandoned Los Angeles Times vendin..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="197" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/AbandonedLosAngelesTimesVendingMachine2011.jpg/350px-AbandonedLosAngelesTimesVendingMachine2011.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">&nbsp;An abandoned Los Angeles Times vending machine in Covina, California, October 2011 (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AbandonedLosAngelesTimesVendingMachine2011.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For the many working years after I moved to Los Angeles in 1991, I subscribed to the daily Los Angeles Times. &nbsp;Sometimes when I didn't get around to reading the paper, I would save the paper to read later. &nbsp;As things would happen I often didn't read that paper and put it in an ever accumulating stack of newspapers, now and then tossing aside sections that didn't interest me--sports, classifieds, fashion or whatever they were--and keeping sections that seemed like they would be interesting to read sometime later.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Over the course of many years I acquired several stacks of news papers--some at work and some at home. &nbsp; After the California branch of the company where I worked shut down for good and I was left jobless, I toted those work stacks home and put them in my garage. &nbsp;Since I was no longer working outside of the house, I was able to dwindle my newspaper stacks at a faster pace. &nbsp;In order to save money, in 2012 I cut back my <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.latimes.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Los Angeles Times Media Group">L.A. Times</a> subscription from seven days to weekends only. Besides, there wasn't that much in the paper that interested me anymore. &nbsp;And the paper was highly biased and annoying for me to read. &nbsp; Soon I switched to Sunday only, mostly because of the ad and coupon sections and the crossword puzzle, but then I let that go. &nbsp;Now I no longer get any papers. &nbsp;But I still have some news paper stacks in my home office closet.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Some of the papers remaining in those stacks are from 2012 to 2013. &nbsp;Then like anomalies in the geological strata, there might be small layers of papers from 2002 or sometimes even older. &nbsp;These days instead of reading a daily paper I'll read the papers stored in my closet. &nbsp;Sometimes I feel like an archaeologist making discoveries about the past as I read old news stories. &nbsp;The odd thing though is that some of those old stories seem like the same things that are in the news now or stories that seemed to foreshadow later events then still to come.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It's like a story I was reading last week in a paper from 2012. &nbsp;The section I was reading had an article about German Christmas markets where they sounded so fun and festive.. &nbsp;As I was reading though, I was thinking about the terrorism that came in 2016. &nbsp;That story from 2012 stood out more for me now in the aftermath of the 2016 attack than it probably would have if I had read it back then.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lately I've been reading about movies that I hadn't realized had ever been released. Some I've added to my Netflix queue while most seem to be now mostly forgotten come and gone releases in the past. &nbsp;Reading about films in retrospect makes me realize how much movie garbage actually does get released. &nbsp;When I was reading contemporaneously to film releases, this ephemeral nature of pop culture wasn't always as evident. &nbsp;How quickly we forget that next big thing after it has come and gone.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Reading in the past might seem a bit absurd to many. &nbsp;Consider that I'm no longer reading for the news of the day, but just to get a feel for the past. &nbsp;Sometimes I wish those stacks contained newspapers from 20, 40, or even 100 years ago. &nbsp;Old newspapers provide a window into events of days gone by. &nbsp;The stories are history written from the perspective of those who were witnessing it. &nbsp;Rather than the standoffish perspective analysis of history books written years later and based on research and author's interpretation, the old news stories are seen through the eyes and minds of those people back then as they perceived what was happening.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;If I could I'd much rather take an actual physical <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Time travel">time travel</a> trip back to old times to witness that world for myself. &nbsp;Even if that world was something I had lived through, I'd like to go back with my mind of the future to see if what I remembered was really how it was. &nbsp;Or to see if what I've heard from those older than I was really like how they described it all. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Old movies and television shows provide some of that perspective. &nbsp;But then that is part of the illusion of the past. &nbsp;An image on the screen can never capture the actual immersion into that place in the past and having that experience of immersion is only a fantasy of my mind. &nbsp;For now at least. &nbsp;And probably forever. &nbsp;Unless time travel ever does become a reality.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For now I have a newsprint time machine in my closet. &nbsp;The machine is dwindling as papers are read and deposited into my recycling bin. &nbsp;No point in keeping them. &nbsp;If I kept everything I'd eventually run out of room. I'd live in a past made of paper and newsprint. &nbsp;It all needs to go. &nbsp;And once I've rid myself of that time machine, I can read more of the books on my shelves, watch more of the movies I want to see, sort through old photos as I place them in albums...so much of the past with so little of the present to accommodate it all. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; What will the future do with all of the past anyway?<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> &nbsp;Do you still read the newspaper? &nbsp; What do you have a tendency to accumulate? &nbsp; Will newspapers have much validity for future generations?&nbsp;</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0;"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://blog.builddirect.com/a-different-take-on-organizing-books/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/197056963_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://blog.builddirect.com/a-different-take-on-organizing-books/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A Different Take on Organizing Books</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://blog.getresponse.com/time-travel-has-never-been-easier.html" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/96249417_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://blog.getresponse.com/time-travel-has-never-been-easier.html" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Time Travel Has Never Been Easier!</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-64867358777695453582017-03-22T02:00:00.000-07:002017-03-22T02:00:16.572-07:00 Time for #BOTB Results <br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"> Life is like a battle between us and the clock. &nbsp;Or in the bigger picture, a battle against the calendar.</span></i></b> <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Once again I'm taking on the daunting <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Alphabet Challenge of April</a></span></b> &nbsp; I revealed my theme officially<b><a href="https://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/03/theme-reveal-atozchallenge-its-about.html" target="_blank"> here</a></b>, but some of you might have guessed my theme from <a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/03/its-about-time-botb.html" target="_blank">my recent <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> post</a>. &nbsp;Yes, it <i><b>is</b></i> about time. &nbsp;Isn't everything?</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Battle of the Bands Results</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cjhxw-jV0Sk/WM3CVTcZr0I/AAAAAAAAGV0/6mZfz7rgwfQX9DJZgJK7uG_0x81ZeFVOgCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cjhxw-jV0Sk/WM3CVTcZr0I/AAAAAAAAGV0/6mZfz7rgwfQX9DJZgJK7uG_0x81ZeFVOgCLcB/s320/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;This latest Battle was between <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Fleetwood Mac">Fleetwood Mac</a>'s "Sands of Time" and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alan_Parsons_Project" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Alan Parsons Project">Alan Parson Project</a>'s "Time"--both excellent songs which I like very much. &nbsp;Of the two, I see "Time" by APP as the more linear song. &nbsp;It moves steadily, barely deviating, with a constant flowing theme that begins and ends without much in the way of surprises or invested thought for that matter. &nbsp;This is such a relaxing tune that it lends itself well to meditation or even preparation for sleep. &nbsp;It might even make for a lovely song to play at a funeral. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; On the other hand, Mac's "Sands of Time" wanders and meanders in a good way. There is a sense of hope expressed in the lyrics, but also an ambiguity that invites anticipation of things to come. &nbsp;The thoughts expressed are not definitive, resigned to giving into death, but mystical and magical. &nbsp;The instrumental portions add an edgy sense with drifting guitar riffs that seem to simulate imagination and dreams. &nbsp;I love this song--which is not to say that I don't like the other song a great deal--but my preference definitely leans toward the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Kirwan" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Danny Kirwan">Danny Kirwan</a> penned "Sands of Time". &nbsp; This song has been playing in my mind all week which is another strong indicator of where my vote gets cast in the end.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Nevertheless, you the voters decided the outcome no matter what my favorite version is. &nbsp;And the outcome in this case was very decisive:<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Final Vote Tally</span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Fleetwood Mac &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;11</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Alan Parsons Project &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;22</span></b><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next Battle of the Bands Saturday April 1st</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; My next <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands </span></b>post will coincide with the opening day of the <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Blogging from A to Z April Challenge</span></b>. &nbsp;My A to Z theme of "time" will not only encompass my posts for the upcoming month, but this theme will continue in my next few posts leading up to April. &nbsp;My <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> posts during A to Z month will also be related to time. &nbsp;In fact, the next BOTB match that I'll be presenting is a movie theme that was also a top pop hit in 1969. &nbsp;The song is a great introductory tribute for those participating in the <b>A to Z Challenge</b> and one that will likely bring back a few memories for many of us. &nbsp;Anyone want to guess what song I'll be presenting?<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Was my A to Z theme of "Time" any surprise? &nbsp; Did you find any A to Z themes in the recent Reveal day that particularly interested you? &nbsp; Are there any aspects of time that you'd like for me to cover during my A to Z Challenge? &nbsp;</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-78128707728324041442017-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:002017-03-20T00:00:11.463-07:00Theme Reveal #AtoZChallenge: It's About Time<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"> &nbsp;Once again it's time for the official A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal. &nbsp; This is the time when those participating in the upcoming 2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge will reveal their themes for the month or, if there is no theme, provide us with a preview of what to expect next month on their blog. &nbsp; What follows is my story and my plan...</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4_ZtZ-Nvtwc/WMqqHetqMjI/AAAAAAAAGU4/VIhu8ZVrDQ8QqbK-27ChuZI236fJGTPogCLcB/s1600/thmrevel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4_ZtZ-Nvtwc/WMqqHetqMjI/AAAAAAAAGU4/VIhu8ZVrDQ8QqbK-27ChuZI236fJGTPogCLcB/s400/thmrevel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Theme Evolving</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Prior to last years 2016 <span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z April Challenge</a></b></span> I already had a few themes considered for that year. &nbsp; But as plans often go, those old ideas got pushed to future years and I came up with my 2016 theme of <b><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/01/what-does-manhattan-say-to-you.html" target="_blank">Manhattan </a></b>in January of that year. Then later, after the April Challenge had ended, not only did I still have those old ideas in my queue, I had come up with a couple more along the way during April. &nbsp;I've found that in blogging I'm often inspired by posts by other bloggers that will give me ideas for posts for my own. &nbsp;Which, incidentally, is a good thing for any of you to keep in mind if you sometimes find yourself lacking in inspiration for ideas to write about.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; During the course of the year that followed the 2016 Challenge, I wavered between this idea or that, all the while writing down particularly good ideas to be stored in my blogging queue. &nbsp;Come January of 2017 I was pretty well settled on an idea, but within a matter of weeks changed my mind. &nbsp;As the approach to each of my Aprils has been since first beginning to do the A to Z Challenge, my mind becomes focused on thematic concepts and the words that might alphabetically fit those themes. &nbsp;A to Z has become a way of conceptualization when I think in context of blogging or writing ideas. &nbsp;A bit of a fixation one might presume, but I'd prefer to see this thinking as inspiration with organization of thought.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I guess I've developed a bit of an A to Z brain!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-adapTvDo4hM/WMqqSR-Y2vI/AAAAAAAAGU8/R18csPWxV-QIJqil1oTMzjJkAkjd1O_FgCLcB/s1600/A2Z-BADGE-150%2B%255B2017%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-adapTvDo4hM/WMqqSR-Y2vI/AAAAAAAAGU8/R18csPWxV-QIJqil1oTMzjJkAkjd1O_FgCLcB/s1600/A2Z-BADGE-150%2B%255B2017%255D.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">My 2017 A to Z Theme</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; My theme is a natural since it is something that we all think about and thereby to which we can all easily relate. &nbsp;<b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">It's About Time</span></b>--my theme that is. &nbsp;I'm officially calling my April theme <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">"It's About Time"</span></b> which also is my own declaration of having come to that decision. &nbsp; So many themes from which to choose and this one comes to me will having lunch one day. &nbsp;You can read that story in <a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/03/its-about-time-botb.html" target="_blank">my recent <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands </span></b>post</a>, which I'd encourage you to read and vote on if you haven't done so already.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Just think about all the times you yourself speculate or worry about time. &nbsp;Our lives revolve around time scheduling. &nbsp;We often keep an eye on our watches when something goes on longer than we'd like or revel how quickly time flew when we've been having a great time. &nbsp;Without time, especially in our often rapid-paced and highly scheduled society, our lives would be in near chaos. Communal activities would never get organized and we would continuously be late. Of course without time the concept of lateness would not particularly be relevant, but neither would the idea of being on schedule.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Our world and each of our lives thrives according to time. &nbsp;We have days of births as well as all of the other special days of our lives. &nbsp;Why, heck, we have days period! &nbsp;Without the definition and management of time we wouldn't have days, weeks, months, or years. &nbsp;Aside from the essentials of existence like air to breathe, liquids to drink, and food to eat, time is one of the primary forces that gives us our humanity--our ability to reason and plan for our futures. &nbsp;Or for that matter remember our past in more than just random images. &nbsp;Time is a reality of this world and time is the measurement that helps up organize the realities we encounter in life.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There's so much to write about the topic of time and it would take a lot of time to write about everything regarding time. &nbsp;I will barely touch upon all that time is, but in 26 days during April I'll try to cover a few thoughts that interest me most. &nbsp;Though time can serve us, time will always be our master. &nbsp;In April of 2017, "Time" will be the master of my A to Z Theme. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; If you've decided to participate in the <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge</span></b> and would like to reveal your theme or, if you don't necessarily have a theme, you can tell us about your plans, goals, or impressions about April by putting up your own Theme Reveal post. &nbsp;You can link to your post on Twitter using hashtag <b>#atozchallenge</b>, or you can post on the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/atozchallenge/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel" target="_blank">A to Z Facebook page</a>, </b>or&nbsp;<span style="font-family: inherit;">leave your link in my comment section today, or visit the </span><b><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">A to Z Blog</a></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to leave your link. &nbsp; Or you can do all of these things and whatever else you can think of to promote your post. &nbsp;Today will be essentially a test run for the social media linking we'll be doing in April and this will perhaps give us some idea of the success of the method as well was provide some indicators of strengths and weakness. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Give it a try to see how it works for you. &nbsp; And check all the aforementioned sites to see who else is posting their own Theme Reveals. &nbsp;This can work, but it is up to you bloggers to make it work!</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"> &nbsp;Have you found any other Theme Reveals so far and if so how did you find them? &nbsp; What have been some favorite 2017 A to Z themes that you've found so far? &nbsp;Are there any particular aspects of "Time" that you think I should cover during April?&nbsp;</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; 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display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-psychotherapist-shares-6-ways-to-worry-less-and-live-more-2017-2" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377433191_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-psychotherapist-shares-6-ways-to-worry-less-and-live-more-2017-2" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A psychotherapist shares 6 ways to worry less and live more</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="https://lindaghill.com/2017/03/04/taming-the-social-media-maze/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377900841_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="https://lindaghill.com/2017/03/04/taming-the-social-media-maze/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Taming the Social Media Maze</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-25117325252047613212017-03-15T02:00:00.022-07:002017-03-15T02:00:06.673-07:00It's About Time (#BOTB)<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"> God created everything except that man created the artificial construct we know as "time." &nbsp;And as though that weren't enough, government stepped in and created Daylight Savings Time. &nbsp;If it were up to government, they would meddle with all of God's creation and screw up everything. &nbsp;Hmm--come to think of it....</span></i></b>..<b>--<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">said by me after the time changed.&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Clocktower%2C_West_Parade%2C_Bexhill%2C_Sussex_-_geograph.org.uk_-_36861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: The Clocktower, West Parade, Bexhill,..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="320" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/The_Clocktower%2C_West_Parade%2C_Bexhill%2C_Sussex_-_geograph.org.uk_-_36861.jpg/350px-The_Clocktower%2C_West_Parade%2C_Bexhill%2C_Sussex_-_geograph.org.uk_-_36861.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">&nbsp;The Clocktower, West Parade, Bexhill, Sussex<br />. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Clocktower%2C_West_Parade%2C_Bexhill%2C_Sussex_-_geograph.org.uk_-_36861.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Linear versus Nonlinear Time</b></span><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There are many variants concerning what time is and how it is comprised, but generally speaking I think most of us commonly think of time as being linear; that is a series of events or points in a line that presumably have a starting point somewhere in the past, continuing to where we are in the present, and heading to some point in a future. &nbsp;Then there is nonlinear time which is the impression of time cumulatively as viewed from a far vantage point.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Scientist/theologian <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Missler" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Chuck Missler">Chuck Missler</a> provides what I think is an excellent analogy of the two ways of viewing time. &nbsp;He says to think of a parade. &nbsp;If you are sitting curbside watching the parade pass by then that would be like experiencing&nbsp;<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_complexity" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Time complexity">linear time</a>. &nbsp;The past is represented by the part of the parade that has already passed by your vantage point, while the present is that fleeting part of the parade that is immediately in front of you soon to enter into the past. &nbsp;The future is that part of the parade that is still to come.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To view the parade from the nonlinear aspect, you might think of yourself hovering high above in a helicopter from which vantage point you are able to see the entirety of the parade from the staging area, then winding through the streets below, and finally dispersing at the end of the parade route. &nbsp;Missler reasons that this nonlinear view is how God would view the time line while we humans are limited to merely experiencing the passage of linear time.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The linear view has immediacy and greater subjective meaning to a viewer while the nonlinear view is more impressionistic where the spectator has no direct connection to singular parade parts, but instead a feel for the entire parade all at the same time.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; My <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> offering this time around represents to me two distinct ways of assessing time: &nbsp;linear and nonlinear. &nbsp;See if you agree and more importantly, let us know which song you like best...<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yo4Gdlk2umo/WMIIz5u_dQI/AAAAAAAAGUY/T3n7UXo0BTQSdpRVXdoOkmVAdtFw28uYACLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yo4Gdlk2umo/WMIIz5u_dQI/AAAAAAAAGUY/T3n7UXo0BTQSdpRVXdoOkmVAdtFw28uYACLcB/s200/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">is</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">the blogging event started by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://farawayeyes1.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #b03300; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Far Away Series</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;now hosted by</span><u style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;"><i>&nbsp;</i><b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th. &nbsp; The premise is simple: &nbsp;Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. &nbsp;Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">This Time Battle</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This Battle came upon me just a couple weeks ago as my wife and I were eating lunch at the Sizzler Steak Restaurant near our house. &nbsp;As we dined, the background music being piped in seemed to be primarily deep tracks from the seventies so that made for a pleasant dining experience for me since that is a musical era that I particularly enjoy. &nbsp;My attention perked when I heard a familiar old Fleetwood Mac song begin playing and it was not long before a Battle was born, pushing all of my other Battle songs in my line-up to some indefinable future time. &nbsp;Not only did hearing this song change my schedule for Battle of the Bands, it influenced the topic of my current series--<b>"It's About Time"</b>. &nbsp; <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Funny how things like that can happen when you're just sitting one afternoon eating a steak dinner while a life soundtrack provided courtesy of the dining establishment plays in the background. &nbsp;And to think my wife and I went there on a last minute whim. &nbsp;We hadn't been to that restaurant in many months. &nbsp; And that song was just waiting there to happen to me at that one particular moment in time...<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Fleetwood Mac &nbsp;"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf9xxeeluHM" target="_blank">Sands of Time</a>" &nbsp;(1971)</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; "Sands of Time" is one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs from the 1971 album <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Future Games</span></b>, which I would call my favorite album by the group and consider perhaps their best. &nbsp;Though the later addition of the team of Buckingham/Nicks certainly added a greater commercial appeal to the group, I tend to prefer the songs that came from the teaming of Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, and Christine McVie. &nbsp;Kirwan lasted about five tumultuous years with Fleetwood Mac until his mental disorders forced his removal from the group--another one of those sad troubled rock and roll genius stories. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The Kirwan penned "Sands of Time" is a wonderful piece of music with somewhat confusing disjointed lyrics that might be a reflection of his mental state of the time. &nbsp;There is no precise focus to the song which to me might represent a more non-linear way to view time. &nbsp;The message depicts a dichotomy between dark and light, apprehension and hope. The final destination is "the sea" without any precise indication of what will be waiting there, but there seems to be an expectation that something good might happen when that sea destination is reached. &nbsp; The music wafts and rolls fading smoothly in and out, almost with a jazzy feel...<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kf9xxeeluHM" width="420"></iframe> <br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Alan Parsons Project "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZX8u1eCXzo" target="_blank">Time</a>" &nbsp;(1980)</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Alan Parsons Project was certainly more of a project than any actual band. &nbsp;Consisting of the core members Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson and a parade of guest musicians and regular sidemen, the group cycled through a number of concept albums starting in 1976. &nbsp;Sometimes mistaken for a song by Pink Floyd, the beautiful "Time" sounds like it could have been pulled off of <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dark Side of the Moon</span></b>. &nbsp;This song is about as laid back as music can get. &nbsp;Truly wonderful stuff.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Though I can easily say that "Eye in the Sky" is my favorite song by The Project, "Time" is right up there among my favorite songs by the group. &nbsp; Dreamy and relaxing, "Time" expresses a more linear view of time with the narrator suggesting a sense of resignation as he drifts from the present to eventual death. &nbsp; As in the Mac song, the ultimate destination is the sea. &nbsp; In the Parsons song the "sea" of "Time" is an ambiguous eternity...<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cZX8u1eCXzo" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Time To Vote!</span></b><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you have time to vote! &nbsp; And hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. &nbsp;Which version do you like the best? &nbsp; To me it's a somewhat tough choice, but how do you feel about it?</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.</span><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif;"><b>Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br style="line-height: 20.79px;" /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;<b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;‘</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>YOUR</u>&nbsp;<u>DAILY</u>&nbsp;<u>DOSE</u></a></b></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">’&nbsp;</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;'</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://mikespainwrites.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>MIKE'S</u>&nbsp;<u>RAMBLINGS</u>'</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://curiousasacathy.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">'Curious as a Cathy'</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><u><br /></u></span></span><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://thesoundofonehandtyping.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sound of One Hand Typing</a></b></u><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://thedogladysden.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Doglady's Den&nbsp;</a></b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="https://angelsbark.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Angel's Bark&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.cherdoontheflipside.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Cherdo on the Flipside&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.jinglejanglejungle.net/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jingle, Jangle, Jungle</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Winner Announced on Wednesday March 22nd</span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Monday March 20th I'll be revealing my theme for the </span><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z April Challenge</a></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">---yes, it's that time already. &nbsp;Funny how time slips away. &nbsp;Then on Wednesday I'll be back with the results of this current Battle. &nbsp; Who will win? &nbsp;Hope you help decide with your vote.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"> Do you consider time to be a dimension? &nbsp; What is your favorite combination of artists who comprised Fleetwood Mac? &nbsp; Thinking of concept albums such as those recorded by Alan Parsons Project, do you have a favorite?</span></i></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0;"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://time.com/4694142/daylight-savings-health-impact/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377739696_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://time.com/4694142/daylight-savings-health-impact/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">7 Ways Daylight Saving Time Can Impact Your Health</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/daylight-savings-dst-should-die-2017-3" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377782500_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/daylight-savings-dst-should-die-2017-3" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Daylight-saving time is dumb and we should get rid of it</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://thechive.com/2017/03/03/next-level-sht-wake-up-and-smell-the-roses-edition-12-photos/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377670675_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://thechive.com/2017/03/03/next-level-sht-wake-up-and-smell-the-roses-edition-12-photos/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Next Level Sh*t: Wake Up And Smell The Roses Edition (12 Photos)</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.amtvmedia.com/are-you-there-god-its-me-humanity-please-rescue-us/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377748668_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.amtvmedia.com/are-you-there-god-its-me-humanity-please-rescue-us/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Are You There God? It's Me, Humanity. Please Rescue Us.</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com84tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-79134214895124307942017-03-13T02:00:00.000-07:002017-03-13T02:00:01.537-07:00Time Travel, Revisionist History, and the Liberal Agenda<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>&nbsp;"Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."&nbsp; </i></span></b><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px;">&nbsp; </span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1984</span></b><span style="font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px;"> <b>by </b></span></span><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #222222; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px;" target="_blank" title="George Orwell"><b>George Orwell</b></a></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stone_mountain_closeup_mosaic_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="A mosaic stitched image of Stone Mountain, Geo..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="187" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Stone_mountain_closeup_mosaic_crop.jpg/350px-Stone_mountain_closeup_mosaic_crop.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A mosaic stitched image of Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States. Taken with a Canon 5D and 70-200mm f/2.8L at 200mm. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stone_mountain_closeup_mosaic_crop.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;When the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.cwtv.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="The CW">CW television network</a> debuted <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash_%282014_TV_series%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Flash (2014 TV series)">The Flash</a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span></b>in 2014 I was enthusiastically on board from the first episode. &nbsp;Since I had been a big fan of the first short-lived incarnation of <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">The Flash</span></b> in 1990 and sad to see its demise after only one season, I welcomed the reinvention of the superhuman speedster in a television era where special effects technology would be so much better. &nbsp;The characters in the new show were well developed and fun and the story was not so far-fetched that I could reasonably buy into it. &nbsp;But then, as will invariably happen with such genres, the writers of <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">The Flash</span></b> went into realms of the absurd that I could no longer accept. &nbsp;I've stopped watching <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Flash</span></b>.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Superhero stories like most science fiction and fantasy typically require healthy doses of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Suspension of disbelief">willing suspension of disbelief</a> and yet there can be limits to just about everything. &nbsp;In <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Flash</span></b> I could accept the increasing array of super villains and even the alternate universe. &nbsp;However for me the entire "flashpoint" concept--the changing of a timeline where the Flash entered a world where he had memories of another timeline that no one else knew with subsequent plots revolving around events connected with the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_history" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Alternate history">new timeline</a> with plot points interjected from the previous timeline--this concept annoyed me. &nbsp; To me an ability for someone or some power to be able to change the past or create an alternate past has no logic and becomes downright silly.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Oddly over the past few years we've seen a number of television shows and films with similar past-changing <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_device" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Plot device">plot devices</a>. &nbsp;This past TV season alone I've gotten caught up in <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Frequency</span></b> (derived from the 2000 film of the same name) and <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Timeless</span></b>. &nbsp;In both, the element of going back in time in order to change the timeline of history does bother me, but the stories have been so engaging and are so well written that I was able to forgive the illogical premise. &nbsp; I also recall seeing other films and shows that used the device of changing time (<b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Looper</span></b> comes to mind) but I can't name any others at the moment, but I've been less forgiving of most of them.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Time travel happens to be a favorite fictional genre of mine, but I have a hard time accepting the stories where someone goes back to change history. &nbsp;To me that's like the story that has the "it was only a dream ending". &nbsp;It's a gimmick that usually doesn't work well for me unless it's something on a less serious note such as the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_%28franchise%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Back to the Future (franchise)">Back to the Future films</a>. &nbsp;If time gets changed to the point of a new outcome then was the outcome as remembered by the time traveler comparable to being only a dream? &nbsp;And what does that traveler do with that memory and once returned to a future with a new outcome does that traveler have the memory of the new history line somehow implanted in their mind? <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For me there becomes an almost conspiratorial suspicion that this type of change plot line is a sort of liberal leftist agenda, whether it be purposeful or subconsciously devised, to become a part of the revisionist history movement that is becoming more popular in recent U.S. thinking in circles of academia and new progressive socialism. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; More often a tool of dictatorships and radical governmental change agents, the concept of historical revision is being seen in the movements to remove symbols such as statues of former heroes, primarily associated with the Confederacy, or the names of historical figures that offend certain people in new movements taken off of schools and other public buildings. &nbsp;Many early explorers, founders, and shapers of the United States are now being looked upon with disfavor and gradually being eliminated from this nation's history or relegated to roles where they are deemed essentially unsavory.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The agents of social change and certain academicians unable to physically go back in time in order to exert change seem to want to instead rewrite history books and change the landscape to no longer reflect an existence of anyone who engaged in anything that is now looked upon with an unfavorable eye. &nbsp;The revolutionaries of the New Order of Thought would prefer future generations to understand a new and different history that is more reflective of the demographics of our time. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Revising history is in the hands of educational institutions, politicians who exert the most power, social groups with the loudest voices, or whoever else becomes the victor in future struggles for dissemination of knowledge and lore. &nbsp;The entertainment industry has been doing this for years as seen by theatrically released biopics and historical epics.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;More than once have I been disappointed after watching an interesting film and then, after being driven by curiosity to investigate further about the topic, to find that what I had seen was mostly a reinvention of actual history. &nbsp;If in the future our textbooks and other references are changed to reflect the new history then who will know what the truth is. &nbsp;Already we see a mythology of history appearing on the internet to the extent that we cannot always trust what we read. &nbsp;This of course has always been the case to some extent in published materials, but with the internet it seems that revisionism could be getting worse.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;So George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were really jerks and not worth having a school named after them? &nbsp; Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were part of an evil cause and should have their monuments removed from public view? &nbsp; The United States legacy is really one of aggression and oppression? &nbsp;Does the history of this country and the country as it now is deserve to be respected? &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Oh, I'll still be watching the time travel shows and films. &nbsp;I'll do my best to suspend disbelief as much as I can. &nbsp; But nevertheless, this nagging fear will linger in my mind that maybe the trend to depict time travelers as being successful in changing history is really a nod of approval to the real history revisionists in our midst. &nbsp;When society starts eradicating the truth, they might create an illusion that where we are now and where we are going in the future is wonderful, but they will also be building castles with foundations of sand. &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What do you think of the revisionist history movements? &nbsp; &nbsp;Do you like time travel stories in which history gets changed? &nbsp; What is your favorite time travel television show or movie? &nbsp;</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SJyxetgTtM/WMYWSZWHqNI/AAAAAAAAGUo/_j_AUQ8137UFcZ6Tb2PcCsikFUykpZDlgCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SJyxetgTtM/WMYWSZWHqNI/AAAAAAAAGUo/_j_AUQ8137UFcZ6Tb2PcCsikFUykpZDlgCLcB/s200/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><span style="color: red; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp; On Wednesday I'll be presenting a Battle of the Bands post which continues on the theme of today's post. &nbsp;Two different songs from the seventies by two well known groups who went through numerous personnel changes over the years. &nbsp;If you'd like to join the participants of Battle of the Bands to present your own musical battle then let me know so I can have your blog link added to the list. &nbsp;It's great fun and we'd like to see some more musical tastes involved. &nbsp; I'm sure you've got something you can add to the mix that will make things even more interesting that they are now.</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; 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text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">(Identity) Politics &amp; Prose</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-40598907471262280192017-03-10T02:00:00.004-08:002017-03-10T02:00:05.879-08:00Meryl Streep Is Overrated <b><i><span style="background-color: cyan; color: magenta; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">You don't always have to talk about politics or religion to piss some people off. &nbsp; Any opinion you express will likely find someone on the opposing side--sometimes a lot of people.</span></i></b><br /><br /><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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vnOnViIQyBw/WMHwJYrQeBI/AAAAAAAAGUE/NZTmvYUCAXUzSh63D8GIXZUkV70hi94rwCLcB/s1600/streep-08.today-ss-slide-desktop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vnOnViIQyBw/WMHwJYrQeBI/AAAAAAAAGUE/NZTmvYUCAXUzSh63D8GIXZUkV70hi94rwCLcB/s320/streep-08.today-ss-slide-desktop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.today.com/popculture/meryl-streep-thanked-more-often-oscars-god-2D12150146" target="_blank">Today</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; <span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Long before Donald Trump's notorious tweet and Streep's unnecessary acceptance speech at the Golden Globes ceremony, I've always said that I thought the multi-Oscar nominated actress was overrated. &nbsp;Now do I not only think that she's overrated, but she's also an idiot. &nbsp;But that's my opinion and I'm sure that I'll make some of you cringe with that statement. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;My sister and I have gotten into arguments every time I've said this over the years as she is a firm Streep adulator. Others have also found it a bit disturbing when I express this opinion of mine so I try to stay mum on the topic most of the time, but if her name comes up in a conversation I can't help but blurt out something like, "I can't stand Meryl Streep--I think she's a bore."</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Thinking that I might be wrong after hearing the floods of Streep accolades after her recent controversies and yet another Oscar nomination (oh no, not another stupid award nomination for Streep!), I decided that I should check her filmography to see if maybe I'd made an unfair assessment of Meryl Streep. </span><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;Checking the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000658/" target="_blank"><b>IMDb</b> site</a> I discovered that Meryl Streep has been a part of &nbsp;nearly 70 films and of those films there are 12 that I've definitely seen and maybe a few more that I might have seen and have forgotten that I've seen them. &nbsp;Only one of these was a movie that I purposely saw because she was in it and that was&nbsp;<b style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094924/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_58" style="color: #136cb2;">A Cry in the Dark</a></b><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;">&nbsp;(1988) which&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;">I watched this past week-end mostly because it sounded interesting. It was good, but not necessarily because of her performance.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I liked the <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110997/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_50">The River Wild</a> </b>(1994) because it was a good story, but I actually didn't recall Streep being in it. I guess she did a fine job, but there are a lot of actresses who would have been good in this film. This is the case with many of the films I've seen Streep in--any actress would have been fine in the role that she played and some might have been better. Some of those films being <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101698/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_53"><b>Defending Your Life</b></a> (1991) (she must have had a cameo in this one), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166943/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_40"><b>Music of the Heart</b></a> (1999) (I think I saw this, but it didn't make any impression I guess),<b> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089755/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_63">Out of Africa</a></b> (1985) (I don't remember this other than it being rather a bore as I recall--probably a suitable film for her style), and <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077025/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_76" target="_blank">Holocaust </a></b>(1978) (actually a TV mini-series that is one of my wife's favorite "films" that I bought her on DVD and I liked for the story--don't recall Streep's role that much). &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Then there was the 1979 Woody Allen film <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079522/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_74" target="_blank">Manhattan </a></b>and that great film <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077416/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_75" target="_blank">The Deer Hunter </a></b>(1978), both which garnered early Oscar nominations for Streep. &nbsp;However, if you had asked me before I had looked it up if Streep had been in either film, I would have said that I didn't think so. &nbsp;In other words, the roles she played in those films made no impression on me. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Streep also starred in two films that I absolutely hated. &nbsp;The first is <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112579/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_48" target="_blank">The Bridges of Madison County</a></b> (1995). &nbsp;I hated the movie and equally hated the book and didn't care for Streep's role in the movie that I hated. &nbsp;This one is a big source of contention between my sister and I and will always result in an argument when the topic comes up so we usually don't discuss it. &nbsp;Most women seem to love this dumb movie, but to me it's a rotten enough movie to make a case for disliking Meryl Streep period. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Another "hate it" role I'll add is the one from the remake of <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368008/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_32" target="_blank">The Manchurian Candidate</a></b> (2004). &nbsp;For one thing the role Streep played reminded me too much of Hilary Clinton of whom I'm no fan either. &nbsp;The only consolation about that role is that Streep's character gets killed--oops! &nbsp;Sorry for the spoiler, but if you haven't seen it, don't. &nbsp;See the original from 1962. &nbsp;In my opinion the remake is typical modern Hollywood liberal garbage. &nbsp;Hated the film. &nbsp;Hated Streep's role.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; So, I guess the argument I'm making is that I don't like Meryl Streep's acting and I don't particularly like the way she looks. &nbsp;There is something about her that creeps me out. &nbsp;And now she's added her political opinions to the mix and that's all the more reason for me to dislike her.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; For those who think I'm being superficially judgmental about looks and beliefs and that those things shouldn't affect my opinion of acting ability I'll offer another case--Sean Penn. &nbsp;Can't stand the way he looks and hate his politics. &nbsp;But every role that I've seen him in has been great in my opinion. &nbsp;I can watch one of his films and forget his looks and his politics and walk away thinking he did a great job. &nbsp;Too bad he's such a jerk.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Of course, many will disagree with my assessment. &nbsp;But then, many would likely ridicule some of my favorite actors like Nicholas Cage or Jean-Claude Van Damme--hey, my wife and I both like those guys and have enjoyed every film we've seen them in. &nbsp;And we've seen a lot of their films. &nbsp;We also think Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Leonardo di Caprio, and Christian Bale are far better than Streep.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Funny, but I tend to find actors more memorable than actresses. &nbsp;There are plenty of actresses I like, but none that stand out as much as actors. &nbsp; Of great actresses from the past you can give me&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0556399/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" target="_blank">Giulietta Masina</a></b> over Streep any day. &nbsp;I think the roles played by either Charlize Theron or Christina Ricci in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340855/" target="_blank">Monster </a></b>blow away anything Meryl Streep has ever done. &nbsp;But that's just me speaking here. &nbsp;Maybe you agree or maybe not.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;If you're a Streep fan and I've offended you then I apologize. &nbsp;After all, I'm just expressing my personal opinion. &nbsp;And if you're Streep and you're offended then I don't really care. &nbsp;You shouldn't be spouting politics on a stupid &nbsp;awards show. &nbsp;If you really feel the need to shoot off about your political beliefs then start a blog or something. &nbsp;The ABC Network daytime show </span><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_View_(U.S._TV_series)" target="_blank">The View</a></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> would probably even give you a seat right there with Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar. &nbsp;If you were on that show I'd have yet another reason not to watch it.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;On the other hand, Meryl Streep, send me some of your money and I'll delete this post and replace it with one telling how much I think you're the greatest ever and write glowing reviews of all your films. &nbsp;I might even watch <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795421/" target="_blank">Mamma Mia!</a></b> and give it a great review. &nbsp;For that you'll need to send a lot of money.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </span><i><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp;Have I been overly harsh in my assessment of Meryl Streep? &nbsp; &nbsp;Is there any particular actress or actor that you think is overrated? &nbsp; &nbsp;Do you think actors and other entertainers should be expressing their political opinions and causes on public forums like award shows and concert appearances? &nbsp;</span></b></i></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></b></i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-style: italic;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Join me next Wednesday March 15th for the </i><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Battle of the Bands</a><i>. &nbsp; If you love music then why don't you join us with your own Battle post. &nbsp;Let me know if you'd like to join in and we can add you to the participant list.</i></span></b></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0;"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-viewers-abandon-oscars-2017-2" style="border-radius: 2px; 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display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Profile-FLORENCE-FOSTER-JENKINSs-Oscar-Nominated-Stage-and-Screen-Meryl-Streep-20170221" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">BWW Profile: FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS's Oscar-Nominated Stage and Screen, Meryl Streep</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://madworldnews.com/meryl-streep-furious-melania-trump/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377533050_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://madworldnews.com/meryl-streep-furious-melania-trump/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Meryl Streep Is FURIOUS After What She Just CAUGHT Melania Trump Doing</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://ijr.com/2017/02/809155-melania-trumps-making-a-statement-to-the-academy-awards-reveals-big-event-shes-got-planned-that-night/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377532641_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://ijr.com/2017/02/809155-melania-trumps-making-a-statement-to-the-academy-awards-reveals-big-event-shes-got-planned-that-night/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Melania Trump's Making a Statement to the Academy Awards, Reveals Big Event She's Got Planned That Night</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-74163702083098593622017-03-08T02:00:00.002-08:002017-03-08T02:00:00.187-08:00Crazy Love Affair (#BOTB Results)<br /><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span style="color: #cc0000;"> Love can make you feel crazy and love can make you feel cozy, but love doesn't pay the rent. &nbsp;If you think it does, then that ain't love.</span></span></i></b> &nbsp; ---<b>someone somewhere sometime must have said this or something like it. If they didn't then I just said it.</b><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_computers_with_a_Xerox_Star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: Old computers (including a Xerox Star)." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="263" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Old_computers_with_a_Xerox_Star.jpg/350px-Old_computers_with_a_Xerox_Star.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">&nbsp;Old computers (including a Xerox Star). (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_computers_with_a_Xerox_Star.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">My Crazy Love Affair</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I've got this crazy love affair going on that seems to have hopelessly taken hold of me. &nbsp;Many years ago I said--with complete sincerity--that I didn't need no stinkin' computer. &nbsp;Then I started messing with someone else's computer and discovered Google and Amazon and stuff like that and before I knew it I was hooked. &nbsp;Not long after that I became a computer junkie.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Computers are so darn helpful. &nbsp;They're also a huge diversion and time suck. &nbsp;Now I don't know that I'd ever want to be without computer access. This is why I started getting frantic a few weeks ago when my internet started becoming very inconsistent.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Seems like every year shortly before the <span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z April Challenge</a></b></span> I start encountering strange computer problems. &nbsp;Probably I just notice more at this time when abnormal computer things start happening, but some years the slow downs and disruptions have been serious issues for me during April. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;So when my internet connection totally shut down on me one day I contacted my provider to see what the heck was happening. &nbsp;They said they were upgrading the lines in my area and had no idea when the job would be finished. &nbsp;Up until last summer I'd been getting service from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verizon_Communications" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Verizon Communications">Verizon</a> and then suddenly for reasons of which I am not aware, my provider become Frontier. &nbsp;Okay, no big deal if I've still got service, but last November I began noticing that my connection was no longer reliable. &nbsp;I was becoming annoyed with this new provider. &nbsp;And as the months went by, the service got worse until that day of the shut down.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The tech guy at Frontier said that it could be a while before the upgrades in our area were completed and he had no idea when things would get better. &nbsp;He did, however, offer to connect me with a sales rep who might have some other service to offer me. &nbsp;I accepted--after all, it couldn't hurt to listen and I wasn't doing anything else.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The rep said that they could install a different kind of service through another cable other than my phone line and that service would be far faster and more dependable. &nbsp;After I inquired as to how much additional I'd be paying, he checked my current plan and told me that the new faster plan would be about $25 less. &nbsp;Sounded like a deal to me so I said to proceed.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The technician came today and set me up with the new service. &nbsp; I've only been working with the new set up for half a day now, but if this is how it's going to be then you can count me as a happy camper. &nbsp;If everything continues as it's been going today then I'll be rocking and rolling this April. &nbsp;And if the price and service stays like it is now I'm going to be so crazy in love with Frontier.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And by the way, if you haven't been doing so already, be sure to be checking the <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">A to Z Challenge Blog</a></span></b> for updates and tips about the upcoming April Challenge. &nbsp;Things are being done differently this year and that's where you can get your Challenge info as well as helpful pointers to make the Challenge--and blogging in general--a bit more rewarding.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23M92JZngIM/WL40QbmKJmI/AAAAAAAAGTs/3ufqaJjXtYosklR3CB72y9OsnTWSAVv0gCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23M92JZngIM/WL40QbmKJmI/AAAAAAAAGTs/3ufqaJjXtYosklR3CB72y9OsnTWSAVv0gCLcB/s320/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In <b><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/03/crazy-love-botb.html" target="_blank">my most recent round of Battle</a></b>, I pitted two versions of&nbsp;<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Anka" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Paul Anka">Paul Anka</a>'s 1958 hit "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Love_%28Paul_Anka_song%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Crazy Love (Paul Anka song)">Crazy Love</a>" as done by the Serbian artist&nbsp;<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Miki Jevremović</span><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp;and the Cuban singers&nbsp;</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dúo Los Diablos. &nbsp; I liked both of these a great deal. &nbsp; Miki's version was certainly the most commercial sounding and closest to Anka's original recording. &nbsp;The&nbsp;</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;">Dúo gave a darker jazzier bluesy turn to the song and that is the version that I gave my vote to. &nbsp;My vote was enough to break a tie and push the Cuban duet over the top for the win. &nbsp;And before doing the tally I was sure that Miki had won. &nbsp;What a race that was!</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Final Vote Tally</span></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><br /></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Miki Jevremović &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;12</b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></b><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dúo Los Diablos &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;13</b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></b><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next Battle on Wednesday March 15th</span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I'm planning a post or two before that next Battle. &nbsp;I may not get directly political, but I might be a bit controversial nevertheless. &nbsp;After all,<i><b>&nbsp;Tossing It Out</b></i> is my business on this blog. &nbsp;My next Battle is one that came to me recently and mid-March seemed to be a good time to do it. &nbsp;With the April Challenge quickly approaching, the pairing I've planned seemed to be something on the minds of many. &nbsp;The next Battle will consist of two different songs by two well-known groups. &nbsp;The songs involve a related theme--it's something we all deal with on a daily basis. &nbsp; Maybe that gives you some hints so you're free to guess the songs or the theme. &nbsp;You've got some time to think about it.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you planning to participate in this year's A to Z Challenge? &nbsp; How's your internet service? &nbsp;Have you become somewhat dependent on computers and internet?&nbsp;</span></i></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</b><br /><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; 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padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Verizon to buy Yahoo at reduced price</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://247wallst.com/technology-3/2017/02/16/is-alphabet-making-the-right-move-in-broadband/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377411373_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://247wallst.com/technology-3/2017/02/16/is-alphabet-making-the-right-move-in-broadband/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Is Alphabet Making the Right Move in Broadband? (or, Why Did Google Fire Broadband Team?)</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.coloradotech.edu/resources/blogs/january-2016/why-social-media-matters-for-online-students" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/AVSqalXejkhatVbrLMWg_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.coloradotech.edu/resources/blogs/january-2016/why-social-media-matters-for-online-students" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Why Social Media Matters for Online Students</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-80593076247544436092017-03-06T02:00:00.000-08:002017-03-06T02:00:16.239-08:00Changing Horses in Midstream&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp;Changing horses is not the same as changing a diaper. &nbsp;One might be more a matter of avoiding a mess while the other is a necessity to get rid of a mess. &nbsp;And if one does change horses midstream they can always get back on that same horse later on. &nbsp;Which brings me to the question: &nbsp;Does anyone not use disposable diapers these days?</span></i></b><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Another.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: example for camera tossing foto techn..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="233" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Another.jpg/350px-Another.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">&nbsp;<span style="font-size: xx-small;">example for camera tossing foto technique, done by Nadja (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Another.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Have you voted on<a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/03/crazy-love-botb.html" target="_blank"> <b>my most recent <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b></a>? &nbsp; I've gotten a number of votes so far but as always I could use more. &nbsp; In my highly biased opinion it's an outstanding Battle related to an interesting topic. &nbsp;So if you have not voted on this Battle I'd appreciate it if you'd do so now. &nbsp;After all, <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> is really my main focus on <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tossing It Out </span></b>despite of what things might have appeared in recent months. &nbsp;I try to revolve all of my posts around those music battles and not politics. &nbsp;Maybe hard to believe, but it's true.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Back in November I started<a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" target="_blank"> my series about Donald Trump</a> in response to some encouragement of sorts from other bloggers. &nbsp;Originally my intent was to blog about the negativity concerning President Trump and related issues until the Inauguration. &nbsp;But the lies and hate spewing continued after that day and since I still had more to say I kept presenting what I felt were calm reasonable posts in response to the nasty mentally unhinged ranting from the liberal left and others who didn't like our new president. &nbsp;The dishonest negativity continues in the mainstream media as well as social media. &nbsp;My series could continue for months, maybe years. &nbsp; Still there are other considerations for me to heed.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Looks like it's time to end my<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #b03300; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="background-color: white; color: #b03300; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a>,</span>&nbsp;not because I'm giving it up, but because I want to "sanitize" <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Tossing It Out </span></b>from contentious politics as we head toward A to Z April. &nbsp;For those who are not aware, there is this little blogging event coming next month and I have participated in this event for the past seven years. &nbsp;This next one will be my eighth year of involvement. &nbsp;If you want to know more you can visit the <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z April Challenge</a></span></b> blog to get more details.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;My April theme will not be politics (unless I change horses again) so that's why I need to step back from my intelligent countering to anti-Trump absurdity. &nbsp;On Monday March 20th I'll tell you what my theme will be as this will be <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A to Z Theme Reveal </span></b>day--the day when many participants will jointly tell the world what they will be blogging about in April.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As for the posts on President Trump and politics in general there will likely be more to come unless the world suddenly gains sanity and the United States has begun to progress in the direction of becoming greater. &nbsp;And even if I don't blog politically, I will continue to Toss It Out with controversy now and then. &nbsp;I might make some readers angry, annoyed, amused, or just contemplative. &nbsp;It's what I've usually aimed for on this site in one way or another.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; So stay tuned. &nbsp; My Wednesday post will be my announcement of the winner of my current <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands </span></b>match. &nbsp; Will your favorite version be the winner? &nbsp; My Friday post will likely upset a few readers--it's not meant to be political, but since so many celebrities insist on sharing their opinions then some might construe my post to be a revenge based on politics.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Hope you'll stay with me in whatever I discuss in my posts. &nbsp;And most of all, I hope you'll keep contributing to the comment section. &nbsp; The comments are the best part of the blog.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">&nbsp; When do you have a tendency to "change horses in midstream"? &nbsp; Do you think it's best for me to avoid politics during A to Z April? &nbsp; Do you think the topic of President Trump is worth coming back to later?</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-7227648512015549382017-03-01T02:00:00.051-08:002017-03-01T02:00:15.923-08:00Crazy Love (#BOTB)<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly.</i></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;-</span><b>---Thomas Sowell</b></span><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SeVKf3Q9FTE/WLO0LyTh0gI/AAAAAAAAGSo/05-SH0joaLklIZI3wn89o7ogIaB4EtoKgCLcB/s1600/Insecure%2BWriters%2BSupport%2BGroup%2BBadge%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SeVKf3Q9FTE/WLO0LyTh0gI/AAAAAAAAGSo/05-SH0joaLklIZI3wn89o7ogIaB4EtoKgCLcB/s200/Insecure%2BWriters%2BSupport%2BGroup%2BBadge%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>&nbsp; <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;<i> &nbsp; My contribution to this month's </i><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Insecure Writer's Support Group</span></b><i> can be found on my Monday post. &nbsp; But please do vote on my </i><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><i> found below. &nbsp; It's related to the Monday post as well. &nbsp;</i><br /><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;"></span></i><br /><div style="color: #191919; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Propaganda As Art</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;In <b><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/02/media-is-making-us-crazy.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a>,</b> I discussed how many in today's media have become outlets of propaganda for whatever agenda they are pushing whether it be a political party or whatever. &nbsp;In my view, much of the blame for the divisiveness in the United States as well as the world is due to the ideological media outlets that masquerade as vehicles to disseminate news and information. &nbsp;To me this seems like a dangerous trend that will make it more difficult to bring opposing sides to a point of unity where they can work together to get more positive things happening in our society. &nbsp;The power of informational and ideological propaganda can work as mind control if we aren't careful.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I am fascinated by much of the anachronistic propaganda of the past such as that of the Nazis, the Soviet Union, and Communist China. &nbsp;The garishness of the poster art can be visually enticing. &nbsp;Film propaganda is frequently highly stylistic and arty. The cinematic work of filmmakers such as Leni Riefenstahl who created classic documentaries for Nazi Germany are still admired for the artistry. Despite the arguably insidious nature of the art of propaganda, there can be an appreciation for that which the artists have created when examined aside from the context of the intent of the work.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;As I have written about on my blog <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://wrotebyrote.blogspot.com/2015/06/radio-havana-is-on-air.html" target="_blank">Wrote By Rote</a></span></b>, I became interested in the propaganda that I used to pick up on shortwave radio broadcasts coming from Radio Havana back when I was in high school in the sixties. &nbsp;Since that time I have had an interest in Cuba and whatever little information I would hear from time to time coming from that country. &nbsp;This is why a year or two ago, when I noted that the Cuban sixties propaganda film<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I Am Cuba</span></b> was going to be broadcast on TCM, I was drawn to watch it. &nbsp; I'm glad I did.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Soy Cuba (I Am Cuba)</span></b> was released in 1964 to a poor response. &nbsp; The film was financed by the Soviet Union as a propaganda vehicle to promote the Castro revolution, however the audiences in the Soviet Union and Cuba largely rejected it and it was mostly forgotten until "rediscovered" &nbsp;and show at the Telluride Film Festival in 1992. &nbsp;The film was championed by U.S. directors, including Martin Sorcese and Francis Ford Coppola, who rallied for restoration and re-release. &nbsp;The film has since been screened at a number of film festivals and events receiving wide accolades.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; What interested me most about the film was seeing the Havana and Cuba of the early sixties and how the revolution was seen through the eyes of the people who fought and lived through it. &nbsp;Scenes in the film show how Havana retained some capitalistic vestiges of the past. &nbsp;The one sequence that especially blew me away was a superbly shot musical number by a couple of musicians singing a song that made me search online until I found it. &nbsp;I was shocked to discover that the song had been written and originally performed by Paul Anka when still in his teens. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The film <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I Am Cuba</span></b> looks like it could have been done by Fellini or David Lynch. &nbsp;It was shot in black and white often using some innovative camera techniques. &nbsp;The musical number that caught my attention used the 1958 Paul Anka hit "Crazy Love" song performed in Spanish by two musicians strolling through a nightclub setting with the camera following them. &nbsp;The sequence is surreal and aloof like a dream. &nbsp;When I found the clip on YouTube I knew I had the makings of a good Battle.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The match I found for this Cuban version is one by a Serbian recording star with a name I won't even try to pronounce. &nbsp;This version is a raunchy slow rock version complete with searing saxophones and a solid backup band driven by a steady piano tinkling away along with the beat. So let's have a <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b>!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-20JGmphXRGU/WLZSCjAB3tI/AAAAAAAAGTE/uVOSOJ3JSdESpzQ10VDk92nV8T0D_K7pACLcB/s1600/poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-20JGmphXRGU/WLZSCjAB3tI/AAAAAAAAGTE/uVOSOJ3JSdESpzQ10VDk92nV8T0D_K7pACLcB/s400/poster.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0GHWE6AFzU/WLDBB6Bwd9I/AAAAAAAAGSE/de3xUH5tlbkBuR1vcRp3ObUH9Z-KYbthgCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0GHWE6AFzU/WLDBB6Bwd9I/AAAAAAAAGSE/de3xUH5tlbkBuR1vcRp3ObUH9Z-KYbthgCLcB/s200/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">is</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">the blogging event started by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://farawayeyes1.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #b03300; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Far Away Series</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;now hosted by</span><u style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;"><i>&nbsp;</i><b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th. &nbsp; The premise is simple: &nbsp;Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. &nbsp;Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Paul Anka &nbsp;"Crazy Love" &nbsp;(1958)</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; "Crazy Love" was Paul Anka's sixth single which charted at #15 in the United States. &nbsp;Anka was a teen singing sensation at that time, but he is now perhaps most notably known as a songwriter with standards like "My Way". &nbsp; He has appeared in numerous movies and television shows and continues to perform as a singer. &nbsp; I'm offering his version for those who want to hear what the original sounded like. &nbsp; But please don't cast your vote for this version.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">For reference only!!! &nbsp; Do not vote for this version!!!</span></b><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t-PzzT9OTHc" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">Here are your voting choices:</span></b><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Miki Jevremović &nbsp; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2NTSSyyaTg" target="_blank">"Crazy love"</a> &nbsp;(1962)</b></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Serbian singer&nbsp;</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Miki Jevremović</span><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp;was b</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">orn in Belgrade in former Yugoslavia in 1941, Miki achieved his greatest popularity during the sixties and seventies with numerous hits in his native country as well as recognition in other countries as well. &nbsp;He died of a stroke in January of this year.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G2NTSSyyaTg" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Dúo Los Diablos &nbsp; &nbsp; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWij9sTnAEc" target="_blank">"Loco Amor" &nbsp;("Crazy Love")</a> &nbsp;1964</b></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;This group consists of Sammy and Richard, two artists that played through the years with a number of popular Cuban bands. &nbsp;They changed their names in the early sixties to reflect the artists who had inspired them and most influenced their styles--Sammy Davis, Jr and Little Richard. &nbsp;Sammy continued to perform until he died in 2014. &nbsp;In his 70's, Richard stilled lived in Havana according to <a href="http://www.desmemoriados.com/soy-cuba-tres-historias-sobre-su-musica-medio-siglo-despues-los-diablos-melodicos/" target="_blank">the article</a> that I resourced which was published in 2014. &nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;If you've got the time to watch the video, it's pretty cool cinematography. &nbsp;But just listening to the music is a real treat especially if you're a fan of that musical era.</span></span><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OWij9sTnAEc" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Time To Vote!</span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">These might sound strange to you--maybe even a bit crazy, but hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. &nbsp;Which version do you like the best? &nbsp; Surely one version drove you less crazy than the other.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.</span><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><b>Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br style="line-height: 20.79px;" /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><u style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;<b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;‘</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>YOUR</u>&nbsp;<u>DAILY</u>&nbsp;<u>DOSE</u></a></b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">’&nbsp;</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;'</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://mikespainwrites.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>MIKE'S</u>&nbsp;<u>RAMBLINGS</u>'</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><u style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://curiousasacathy.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">'Curious as a Cathy'</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><u><br /></u></span></span><u style="color: #666666; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://thesoundofonehandtyping.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sound of One Hand Typing</a></b></u><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://thedogladysden.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Doglady's Den&nbsp;</a></b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="https://angelsbark.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Angel's Bark&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.cherdoontheflipside.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Cherdo on the Flipside&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.jinglejanglejungle.net/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jingle, Jangle, Jungle</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Winner Announced on Wednesday March 8th</span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I'll tally up votes on Tuesday the 7th and be back here on the next day with the winner of this Battle. &nbsp; On Monday the 6th I'll show up with some kind of post. &nbsp; I haven't decided what yet and, who knows, I might forget to post on that day. &nbsp;Whatever happens, happens.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you like propaganda art? &nbsp; What are some favorite propaganda films that you might have seen? &nbsp; Have you ever written a story that you might feel is propagandist in some way?</span></i></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com73tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-57347743908409575612017-02-27T02:00:00.003-08:002017-02-27T02:00:19.131-08:00Media Is Making Us Crazy<br /><br /><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>People hear what they want to hear, or say they heard what they want to believe was said. </i></b></span><br /><b>---I guess I said this in this way.</b><br /><b><br /></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: museum of communism in Prague Deutsch..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="525" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06.jpg/350px-Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">&nbsp;<span style="font-size: xx-small;">museum of communism in Prague Deutsch: "museum of communism" in Prag (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mainstream media continually attempts to brainwash their audience into accepting that everything they (the mainstream media) say is undeniable truth and is ultimately not only what that audience should believe, but ultimately what that audience in their heart of hearts <i><b>wants</b></i> to believe. &nbsp; And those who consume a limited amount of sources that are skewed mostly toward one bias or another will become hardliners regarding whatever bias they primarily hear. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Watching the "evening news" is not what it once was with networks now being tentacles of the leftist liberal agenda. &nbsp;In earlier days of television, the audience was limited to a short window of information dissemination with little time for analysis and commentary. &nbsp;In our time it often seems that we are delivered far less hard information and a seemingly never-ending stream of opinions and editorializing. &nbsp;We don't even have to think for ourselves because the media spokespersons tell us what we should think. &nbsp;No wonder so many people seem to be a bit bonkers as they parrot the words they constantly hear from the media.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Recently, t<span style="font-family: domine, serif; font-size: 16px;">he hosts of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' were discussing President Trump's efforts to "undermine the media." &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: domine, serif; font-size: 16px;">Co-host Mika Brzezinski indicated her concern that President Trump was &nbsp;trying to shape the thinking of the public&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: domine, serif; font-size: 16px;">through his tweeting and public comments</span><span style="font-family: domine, serif; font-size: 16px;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: domine, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;domine&quot; , serif; font-size: 16px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; "He is trying to undermine the media and trying to make up his own facts," she said about Trump. "And it could be that while unemployment and the economy worsens, he could have undermined the messaging so much that he can actually control exactly what people think.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;domine&quot; , serif; font-size: 16px;">And that, that is our job," she noted, referring to the media.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: domine, serif; font-size: 16px;">&nbsp;</span><i style="font-family: domine, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/02/22/msnbcs_brzezinski_trump_thinks_he_can_control_exactly_what_people_think_but_thats_our_job.html" target="_blank">Real Clear Politics</a></i></blockquote><span style="font-family: &quot;domine&quot; , serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;domine&quot; , serif; font-size: 16px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Univision's&nbsp;</span>Jorge Ramos anchors nightly news heard by millions of Spanish speaking viewers. &nbsp;He is a &nbsp;journalist as well as a self-proclaimed activist and advocate who stands up for his cause thus dividing Spanish-speaking Americans from their counterparts. &nbsp;He has become a self appointed spokesman of Latino interests which is another dangerous foray into media mind-control of a specific segment of those living within the U.S. borders. &nbsp;A great deal of the dissent within the Latino community against President Trump can most likely pinpointed on Ramos and his cohorts. &nbsp;Not good for unifying America.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;What we are dealing with is essentially propaganda attempting to sway minds in one direction or the other. &nbsp;Though this has always been a tool of the free press, now more than ever, with 24/7 television news/information broadcasting, we are bombarded with opinion and unfortunately that opinion is skewed by facts reported as the networks want us to hear them.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Here lies the problem: &nbsp;If we aren't taking in more than one of these "news" sources and processing what we hear through the filter of rational thinking, then we are merely proselytes of the cult of the single-minded media outlet.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; For example, I'll point to my favorite nemesis of leftist promulgation--CNN. &nbsp;This was my favorite cable news channel in the eighties, but it was also perhaps the only one at the time, or at least the first one of which I became aware. &nbsp;Back then it was news reporting all day every day and it was fascinating. &nbsp;I don't recall ever seeing the analysis with opinions and editorializing like they have now. &nbsp;I'm not sure when it became what it is now, but it seems that every time I tune in to CNN--which is with relative frequency though never for very long--all I hear is an extreme anti-conservative message. &nbsp;I was rather surprised, and pleased, to see Ben Stein recently on CNN ripping into the network for their excessive negative anti-Trump messaging. &nbsp;Now if only CNN would heed Stein's advice.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;If someone only watches CNN or other similar outlets, they are going to eventually develop a highly skewed and mentally unhealthy view of the world. &nbsp;When I read some of the anti-Trump blog or Facebook posts, what I'm receiving is a mimicry of those biased network litanies of lies, misinformation, and distortions. &nbsp;Too much of anything can make you sick. &nbsp;Too much untruth and bias can warp your mind. &nbsp;It can make you crazy. &nbsp;And this is pretty much what we've been seeing happening all around us. &nbsp; The world is going nuts and to a great extent I blame the media. &nbsp;Where else do we get the information about what's going on in the world? <br /><div><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Insecure Writer's Support Group</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Since<a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/" target="_blank"> <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Insecure Writer's Support Group</span></b></a> day coincides with <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Battle of the Bands</a></span></b> this month I'm posting a couple days early. &nbsp;My posts tend to get overly long as it is without my combining posts together. &nbsp;As has been the case with my posts, I'm going to tie in this #IWSG post with my current blog theme.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uXNQlqt5it0/WLJyg30DzuI/AAAAAAAAGSY/WIO8GnBuS7oV1gD4ImHJBOwmZTj5-TBHQCLcB/s1600/Insecure%2BWriters%2BSupport%2BGroup%2BBadge%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uXNQlqt5it0/WLJyg30DzuI/AAAAAAAAGSY/WIO8GnBuS7oV1gD4ImHJBOwmZTj5-TBHQCLcB/s200/Insecure%2BWriters%2BSupport%2BGroup%2BBadge%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</i><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's<a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;">&nbsp;</a><a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;">Insecure Writer's Support Group</a>--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;">Alex's Blog</a>.&nbsp;</span></i><br /><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"></i><br /><div style="background-color: #f4f2f8; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: cyan;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?</b></i></span></span></div></div><div style="background-color: #f4f2f8; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Not my original story, but I have used old stories to inspire my own stories. &nbsp;There was no publication involved, but I feel that some of those stories have been fairly worthy ones. &nbsp;My sources have sometimes come from stories in the Bible reworked in modern settings. &nbsp;Other writers have done this as well with varying degrees of success. &nbsp;Seems like using a time-honored story such as one from the Bible or Shakespeare would be a sure winner, but this can result in massive failure. &nbsp;Heavy-handed messaging or being overly obvious in presentation can make for a story that is more silly and distracting than not.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bad propaganda often comes from bad story-telling. &nbsp; Sloganeering and repetive ideas can become burdensome to the point causing a reader to reject what is attempted to be conveyed rather than embracing the story. &nbsp;Those who embrace those kinds of stories are probably a bit off their rockers anyway. &nbsp; Maybe they watch too much CNN.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you think messaging from mainstream media is mostly or at least partly responsible for much of the discontent we are currently seeing in the United States and elsewhere? &nbsp;Do you think there are many new stories left or are all stories reworkings of previously told stories? &nbsp; Are there any propagandistic works of literature that you have particularly enjoyed? &nbsp;</span></i></b></span></div><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title"><br /></h4><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0;"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://ijr.com/2017/02/802993-mika-on-morning-joe-gives-a-stern-message-to-kellyanne-conway-then-delivers-final-shot-at-her-credibility/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377400797_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://ijr.com/2017/02/802993-mika-on-morning-joe-gives-a-stern-message-to-kellyanne-conway-then-delivers-final-shot-at-her-credibility/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Mika on 'Morning Joe' Gives a Stern Message to Kellyanne Conway -- Then Delivers Final Shot at Her Credibility</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://madworldnews.com/liberal-msm-anchor-americans/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377523240_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://madworldnews.com/liberal-msm-anchor-americans/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WATCH: Liberal MSM Anchor Makes SHOCKING 5-Word Admission About Americans</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://mashable.com/2017/02/14/5-ways-to-improve-coworker-communication/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377371144_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://mashable.com/2017/02/14/5-ways-to-improve-coworker-communication/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">5 ways you can improve communication with colleagues</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-89686090857917933082017-02-24T02:00:00.002-08:002017-02-24T02:00:12.592-08:00Why I Am the Funniest Guy in the Whole World<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Humor is something that thrives between man's aspirations and his limitations. There is more logic in humor than in anything else. Because, you see, humor is truth." </span></i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, DejaVu Sans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">- <b>Victor Borge</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, DejaVu Sans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, DejaVu Sans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3b7lCGrBHc/WK8Jl_y36FI/AAAAAAAAGRo/hn_6KQ_qIB84Hbrbk9ePBMx6tP3UidTNwCLcB/s1600/DSC01957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3b7lCGrBHc/WK8Jl_y36FI/AAAAAAAAGRo/hn_6KQ_qIB84Hbrbk9ePBMx6tP3UidTNwCLcB/s320/DSC01957.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, DejaVu Sans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I'm convinced that I am the funniest guy in the whole world. &nbsp;Why? &nbsp;I'm the funniest guy because I'm the smartest guy in the world. &nbsp;Not to say I'm more intelligent than some physicists, doctors, brilliant scholars, or any learned erudite individuals such as that. &nbsp; There are many vocational abilities like auto mechanics, computer technology, or plumbing that I don't know much of anything about. &nbsp;However, I could learn anything I wanted to learn if I so desired because I am so brilliant.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;My absolute brilliance is what makes me so funny. &nbsp;You might as well accept that I'm smarter than you are. &nbsp;Smarter than anyone anywhere is. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Take for example some bearded pseudo-intellectual who looks like he could be a college professor or some bogus intelligentsia phony like that. &nbsp;Sure, he might write or talk a good game that might cause some folks to believe he's brilliant because <b><i>he</i></b> thinks he's brilliant. &nbsp; Forget it. &nbsp;Not as smart as I am and nowhere near being as funny even when he tries.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Or what about that new age globalist thinking so and so who thinks science has all the answers and she has attained some kind of moral superiority to others she sees as lesser to her though she might try to portray herself as equal to all. &nbsp;Some might ooh and aah over her smooth written words, but any really smart person is not really fooled by that nonsense. &nbsp;I mean, it's all okay--nice and all, but kind of a bore.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;There are smart and funny people in the world, but really no one smarter and funnier than I am. &nbsp;I don't have to do anything to prove it. &nbsp;Facts are facts. Alternate facts are even facts albeit they are alternate. &nbsp;Some who read this might be annoyed by what I'm saying here, but if you're annoyed it might be because you don't get it. &nbsp;Or maybe you're taking it all too seriously. &nbsp;Lighten up--I'm hilarious and you know it. &nbsp;Even if you don't immediately recognize it.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The best humor is not often immediately understood because it requires deep long thought. &nbsp;Or maybe not long and deep, but perceptive consideration. &nbsp;Perceptivity is not something that comes natural to everyone. &nbsp;Not if literal thinking about everything you hear gets in the way. &nbsp;We can see this in a good many journalists on an everyday basis if you watch television mainstream news. &nbsp;They are funny without thinking or realizing they're funny and they don't fully comprehend a lot of stuff they absorb because of overly literal thinking. &nbsp;On the other hand, I get it because I am brilliantly perceptive.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Anyone who doesn't realize that I'm amazingly funny is reading me the wrong way. &nbsp;Or more likely they're not reading at all, but merely skimming through. &nbsp;If you're skimming through this piece for example, you're liking missing the xjafadisg that I'm talking about here. &nbsp;If you are reading with even casual care, that is, to the extent of comprehending part, but maybe not all of what I'm saying, then you might be getting it--or maybe there will be a delayed reaction.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; You might wake up tonight or in the wee hours of the dark morning chucking about this post. &nbsp;Or you might find yourself laughing out of nowhere ten years from now and then suddenly realize it's because of what Arlee said in this current post. &nbsp;Or even when you are in the far reaches of old age lying on your death bed finally getting what I once said, you might burst out laughing to the astonishment of loved ones gathered around your bedside as you vaguely recollect the gist of what has been written in this post. &nbsp;Even if you don't remember exactly that it was this blog post or it was me who had said what was said here. &nbsp; What a great satisfaction for me if you were to literally die laughing because of something I said so many years before. &nbsp;I'll likely already be dead too, but it would still be a smile on my face if I knew it happened.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Now, what I'm saying might not really be what you think you are reading. &nbsp;In fact I might not even totally fathom the extent of my words in this blog post. &nbsp;Just because I'm brilliant doesn't necessarily mean that I know everything immediately, but it only means I know more than you. &nbsp;I am truly funny. &nbsp; Hilarious. &nbsp;Humor beyond all human comprehension. &nbsp;Laughable I know, but because it's so brilliant you will eventually get the joke. &nbsp;Even if you die arriving at the punchline.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;My guess is that someone reading this is irritated and annoyed, thinking, "What a pompous ass this Arlee Bird is." &nbsp; Some guy somewhere is probably stroking his beard in perplexity, almost angry and brimming with frustration, knowing that I'm probably right--no, not probably, but he knows I am absolutely correct and there's nothing he can do to forget my words, until one day sad and misty eyed he will began to slightly smile and then burst into uproarious laughter that purges his sorrow and opens his heart to the complete awareness of the regret he has never understood until that brief uproariously funny moment when he realizes that the funniest guy in the world was me, Arlee Bird.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Arlee Bird--The funniest, the smartest, the most acutely aware guy in the world. &nbsp;And perhaps the most delusional. &nbsp;But by then it all comes together as the beautiful most perfect delusion that brings laughter to all the world even though no one yet hears that laughter. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; If a joke falls upon an empty brain, does anyone laugh?<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> &nbsp; Did this post annoy you, anger you, perplex you, or make you feel anything at all? &nbsp;What has been the most inappropriate moment of your life when you found something to be funny? &nbsp; Do you feel that posts like I have written here are a waste of time? &nbsp; Are you going to waste your time watching the Academy Awards?&nbsp;</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0;"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.pakalertpress.com/25-funny-quotes-to-celebrate-smile-week/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377455812_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.pakalertpress.com/25-funny-quotes-to-celebrate-smile-week/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">25 Funny Quotes to Celebrate Smile Week</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/miller-mccune/main_feed/~3/jo6jHzWjEP4/smart-emotionally-stable-people-enjoy-morbid-humor-25544fcb4a9b" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/376973313_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/miller-mccune/main_feed/~3/jo6jHzWjEP4/smart-emotionally-stable-people-enjoy-morbid-humor-25544fcb4a9b" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Smart, Emotionally Stable People Enjoy Morbid Humor</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/five-month-old-babies-know-whats-funny" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/noimg_87_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/five-month-old-babies-know-whats-funny" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Five-month-old babies know what's funny</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://blog.lakeside.com/2014/04/14/international-moment-laughter-day-benefits-laughing/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/264256407_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://blog.lakeside.com/2014/04/14/international-moment-laughter-day-benefits-laughing/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">International Moment of Laughter Day: Benefits of Laughing</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-30864454453644190272017-02-22T02:00:00.000-08:002017-02-22T02:00:01.564-08:00So Many People Going Out of Their Heads! (#BOTB Results)<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><b><i>That is one of most vitriolic statements I've heard in a long time. You've just outed yourself for what you really are. You are an angry old white man. That can't stand either the liberal agenda, or anybody that can. You truly are not the man I thought you were, and I'm done with you.</i></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>--comment received on a recent post at TOSSING IT OUT.</b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Angry_Penguin.svg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Angry Penguin" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="495" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Angry_Penguin.svg/350px-Angry_Penguin.svg.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Angry Penguin (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Angry_Penguin.svg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;In recent months--certainly since shortly after Donald Trump announced his candidacy and I hinted my support for him as president-- a few followers have been trickling away from my blog while others have expressed a distaste for my support of Trump. &nbsp;No problem there since disagreement, so long as it is respectful and healthy, is something I think we can and should all accept without getting whipped into a frenzy.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;However, after the election when Trump won and it was fairly known that I had voted for him, there has been some crazy reaction to me and to some of my blog posts, which I have tried to present with a sense of intentional calm and rationality. &nbsp;It seems those on the opposition side to mine can say whatever they wish in any disrespectful way they wish while what I say or what others on my side of the fence might say is met with anger and vituperation. &nbsp;It all seems a bit unhinged to me, but what's a blogger to do?</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Though I haven't unfollowed any blogs, there are a few that I no longer bother to read for one reason or another which probably works to my advantage from the standpoint of using my time wisely. &nbsp;If a blogger does leave a comment on my site then I will visit their blog and usually leave a comment--that is, unless they've left a comment like the one that opened this post. &nbsp;I don't want to rile anyone any more than they've already been riled. &nbsp;If I do visit a blog and don't leave a comment then that would be highly unusual for me, but it would also mean that there was nothing for me to respond to--and this from a blogger who will typically even respond to a post about knitting or something that I don't do or know nothing about.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; And then there are those comments on my posts that seem genuine and intelligent to which I will leave thought out and often extensive replies which I don't know whether they have been seen or not because there is no further response from the blogger who left the original comment. &nbsp; But more on that come Friday's post...</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; text-align: justify;">Battle of the Bands Results!</span></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9sr0ZA6-Kc/WKeJoHdN_iI/AAAAAAAAGQ8/MensFZaTwpIhM1ZUbsWTvCbT-3RvJhAewCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9sr0ZA6-Kc/WKeJoHdN_iI/AAAAAAAAGQ8/MensFZaTwpIhM1ZUbsWTvCbT-3RvJhAewCLcB/s320/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My<a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/02/going-out-of-my-head-botb.html" target="_blank"> most recent </a></span><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/02/going-out-of-my-head-botb.html" target="_blank">Battle of the Bands </a></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">contest featuring renditions of the classic Little Anthony and the Imperials song "Goin' Out of My Head" did not turn out quite like I expected. &nbsp;I thought there was far more disco hate out there, but I guess when put up against an eccentric sounding La Lupe, disco rules. T</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">he Queen of Latin Soul in this match was no contest when put up against a queen of disco.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It was kind of close deciding for me, but the disco string section wins me over more than percussive Latin horns, which I do have an affinity for though not enough to sway my vote in this match up. &nbsp;And in agreement with most of you voting in this round, Gloria Gaynor's voice was more appealing than the--how do I put it?--the slightly kooky vocal styling of La Lupe. &nbsp;I never really got on board with that "Disco Sucks" movement and I still enjoy hearing the danceable music that I don't normally dance to. &nbsp;Sorry Lupe, you were kind of fun, but your version didn't have the appeal for me that Gloria did.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Final Vote Tally</span></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Gloria Gaynor &nbsp; &nbsp; 19</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; text-align: justify;">La Lupe &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2</span></b></span><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br /><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><b>****************</b></span><br /><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b>Next Battle of the Bands on Wednesday March 1st</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;My next Battle will be continuing on somewhat the same theme as this previous Battle with a bit of an international flair. &nbsp; It's a well-known American artist's pop hit from the sixties that seemed to have caught the attention of the world with renditions coming from somewhat unexpected places. &nbsp;It's another "crazy" tune that will tie in with my post that will appear on Monday February 27th. &nbsp; Before that Monday post though, I'll try to push the envelope a bit more with an absurd post on Friday that might mostly bug some bloggers who might not see it. &nbsp;But what the heck--I've started stirring the pot so I might as well finish the stew.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Have any of my posts ticked you off a bit, but not enough to run you off yet? &nbsp; Do you come back to a comment thread to see if a blogger has responded to a comment that you've left that has included questions? &nbsp; &nbsp; I doubt whether you can do it, but would you like to venture a guess as to my next song choice for BOTB?</span></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #545454; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div><br /><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0;"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.business2community.com/health-wellness/10-mindful-things-2017-01776017" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377332375_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.business2community.com/health-wellness/10-mindful-things-2017-01776017" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; 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margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="https://whispersinmyear.com/2017/02/06/fear-and-anger/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377410244_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="https://whispersinmyear.com/2017/02/06/fear-and-anger/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Fear and Anger . . .</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-17743806019389589242017-02-20T02:00:00.006-08:002017-02-20T06:27:03.513-08:00Personal Encounters with Mental Disorder<br /><h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>“I think that we're all mentally ill. Those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better - and maybe not all that much better after all.”</i></span></h1><h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp; <span style="font-size: large;">--<span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;lato&quot; , &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; text-decoration: none;"><a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3389.Stephen_King" style="color: #333333; font-family: lato, &quot;helvetica neue&quot;, helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">Stephen King</a></span></span></h1><h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gato1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Drawn by early 20th-century commercial cat ill..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="400" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Gato1.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="327" /></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="width: 184px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Drawn by early 20th-century commercial cat illustrator Louis Wain near the beginning of his mental illness (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gato1.jpg">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table></h1><b><span style="font-size: large;">Was There Something Wrong with Me?&nbsp;</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; When I was in high school I became concerned that I might have had or had been becoming afflicted with a mental disorder. &nbsp;I felt out of place, unable to fit in well with the culture of my peers. &nbsp; Most of the time when I wasn't at school I stayed home watching television, reading, writing--doing solitary activities. &nbsp;Having few friends, I was certain that there was something not quite right with me.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In my concern, I began doing research about "mental illness". &nbsp;I read every book and article I could find on the subject. &nbsp;When I enrolled in college, I started out with a major in psychology with my aim set on become a psychiatrist or a psychoanalyst or something related to these fields, partly in hopes of curing my own affliction. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;As I was completing my second year in my pursuit of my major in psychology, I began to rethink my original intentions. &nbsp;This was partly due to my struggle with the required statistics classes which I could not understand why they were important to what I wanted to do. &nbsp;In retrospect I wish I had focused better on those classes as statistics is now a topic that does interest me. &nbsp;At the time it just seemed like another difficult degree requirement that I would have rather not had to contend with. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;That's when I changed my major to English and pursued a general liberal arts education that left me with a fairly well-rounded acquisition of appreciation of fine arts and general knowledge in a whole realm of different subjects. &nbsp;This is the course I pursued for five years until dropping out of the University of Tennessee just a few credits shy of a degree.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Soon after that I found myself with a career in show business traveling on the road and discovering that I wasn't any more mentally ill than most average people. &nbsp;What I had earlier mistaken for "mental illness" was merely a state of mind called adolescence and then later it went on to become aimless meandering of young adulthood.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Reflecting with old friends and acquaintances as years went by I discovered that not only many of them had the same self doubts and fears that I had, but some suffered to a greater degree. &nbsp;Through the years I've seen people I know struggle with problems of dependency and depression. &nbsp;A few even committed suicide. &nbsp;Some came out of those years just fine while others fared far less well than I.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I guess we've all had our moments of craziness and periods when life tried to batter us down. I can't think of anyone that I've known who hasn't at least considered therapy, counseling, or some kind of treatment whether it be from someone else or their own pursuits of self-help. &nbsp;What we ourselves do with major or minor mental crises determines how our own stories turn out in the end.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">My Brother's Story</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;My youngest brother by eleven years difference began his own struggle with mental disorder after he entered high school. &nbsp;By that time I was mostly away from home so I wasn't close to what was happening in his life or the lives of my parents. &nbsp;I didn't understand the seriousness of his condition until after he was hospitalized with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. &nbsp; And being away like I was, the situation didn't have that much of an impact on me.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;My brother's condition was a great burden of sorrow on my father until the time of his death at age 67. &nbsp;My father kept my brother in the best hospitals until his insurance would no longer cover the cost. &nbsp;Over time my father researched the disorder and sought out whatever treatment he thought might help and yet to no avail. &nbsp;His youngest son seemed to be hopelessly ill with no cure that would even bring a semblance of normalcy to his life. &nbsp;There came a resignation that his youngest son, my youngest brother whom I discovered that I had never really gotten to know very well, would probably be institutionalized for the remainder of his life.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; After my father died in 1990, my mother was left to shoulder that burden which was a burden that she carried mostly on her own (with the help of the mental health professionals) for the next 24 years. &nbsp; Fortunately she did meet a kind devoted man who became her partner in 1997 who did help her tremendously until his death in 2012. &nbsp;And though I spoke to my mother regularly--and after 2009 almost daily--on the phone and visited her as often as I could, she being in Tennessee and me in California, and she received some emotional support from my other siblings, this was still a relatively small solace in contending with a mother's baby who was in such a sad condition of mental health.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Then my mother died in November of 2014. &nbsp;Still institutionalized in Nashville, his closest family living three hours away, my brother was an orphan in his fifties. &nbsp; The responsibility of attending to his affairs fell upon me. &nbsp;Correspondence and reporting from the care facility is directed towards me and now it is I who is responsible for making important medical and life decisions for my brother. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;He calls me several times a week and sometimes several times a day mostly to talk about music CD's he wants me to order for him. &nbsp;Most of that CD conversation is redundant if not a bit perplexing to me since he seems to be buying music that he has owned in the past that has been lost or stolen. &nbsp;All of the music is from the seventies and eighties or newer releases that those same artists might have put out. &nbsp;Sometimes he tells me about other things he needs like clothes. &nbsp;The CD's, the clothes, and whatever else he wants or needs I order online and have drop shipped to him at the hospital where he lives. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Occasionally, I'll try to get him to change the subject of what he wants me to order for him to something about him and his life. &nbsp;In some rare instances he'll talk about the past or he'll talk about his life now. &nbsp;Often I don't quite understand what he is referring to or the stories will seem so outlandish that I don't know if they're real or not. &nbsp;He often tells me about his pain, mostly due to his legs and neck being broken. I tell him that he wouldn't be able to get around if his neck and legs were broken, but that doesn't convince him that they are not broken.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Some readers of my previous posts of the past week might have thought that I take the topic of mental disorders lightly. &nbsp;Believe me, I have first hand experience with the subject of mental disorders. &nbsp;I understand the difficulties that those directly affected by mental afflictions go through as well as the pain and sadness that the families and others might face. &nbsp;Mental affliction is a serious matter and yet like most serious matters you can laugh about them sometimes. &nbsp;One almost has to laugh about them now and then. &nbsp;Life can heap enough pain, sadness, and misery upon us that can wear us away and even destroy us if we allow the negatives to beat us down. &nbsp;There are times to weep as well as times to laugh, so laugh I will when I feel like laughing and laugh I will in the face of defeat and adversity. &nbsp;Laughter is, as the cliche goes, the best medicine and that is something I firmly believe.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I have a great tendency towards being a patient person. &nbsp;I also attempt to be one who will try to reason with those who are being unreasonable. &nbsp;This is partly why I've taken on my&nbsp;<a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="color: #b03300; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot;, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a>. &nbsp;I've been hearing the craziness all around me for eighteen months now. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Unlike trying to reason with my brother, I have hope that some of the vehement anti-Trumpers can be reasoned with. &nbsp;There are also times I tip to the edge of humor with poking a bit of fun at what I see as lunacy on the left. &nbsp;Even my brother has brief flashes of what seems like a brilliant clarity that makes me want to believe he's been scamming all of us all along. &nbsp;However, I know that's not true but only my glimmer of hope that one day he'll suddenly say with lucidity that he wants to come back and be a part of the reasoning world. &nbsp;When he explains concepts of wants versus needs or contemplates spiritual issues I have a hope that the man that my father dreamed of my brother becoming one day has finally emerged from a distant dim place of confused thinking. &nbsp; When he comes up with an insightful bit of wit that brings laughter to the both of us, I feel like somehow he gets the humorous aspect of life's darker sides.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I don't really expect that he will be better any time soon because he has been medicated for too many years and probably could not exist without being in some type of institutionalized setting where others have to make decisions for him. &nbsp;It's doubtful that he can ever live normally like most of the society around me.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Then I look at the insanity that is going around in this supposedly normal society. &nbsp;In my post <b><i><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/02/is-extreme-anti-trumpism-mental-illness.html" target="_blank">Is Extreme Anti-Trumpism a Mental Illness </a>&nbsp;</i></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span> might have seemed to be making light of a serious situation, but I was indeed as serious as I could be about this current socio-political phenomena. &nbsp;Consistently taking things to an extreme and fixating upon them can, in my opinion, start leading to some serious problems within an individual as well as within our society.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Closing Thought with Example</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I realize this has been a long post, but I felt a need to clarify where I'm coming from about mental afflictions and fixations and such related things. &nbsp;Before I close, I'd like to leave you with an exchange between myself and a blogger who has seemed to have developed what I think is a peculiar almost unhealthy fixation regarding President Trump, Trump supporters, and the beliefs those supporters have. &nbsp;I've decided to no longer identify or link to this blogger, but as illustrated in an exchange which began prior to Donald Trump's announcement to run for president and continued to shortly before his inauguration. &nbsp;The nature of the relationship as it progresses strikes me as weird, but I'll let you decide. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To set up the comment thread, the original post was what I found to be a rather cynical, but entertaining review of the film <span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Whiplash. &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Take note that I was interested in the conversation with this blogger enough to remember the initial exchange and return to the conversation over a year after it began.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is the thread that ensued with dates of each comment and response</span>:<br /><br /><br /><div class="comment-block" id="c4012365048963399299" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 14px; margin-left: 48px; position: relative;"><div class="comment-header" id="bc_0_7M" kind="m" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><cite class="user" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Arlee Bird</a></cite><span class="icon user" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text" style="margin-left: 6px;"><a href="http://strangepegs.blogspot.com/2015/01/whiplash-movie-review-post.html?showComment=1422476452667#c4012365048963399299" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">January 28, 2015 at 12:20 PM</a></span></div><div class="comment-content" id="bc_0_7MC" style="margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: justify;">Very funny review.<br /><br />I've been hearing so many good things about this film that it's had me curious to see it. Then your review reaffirms the bad things I've heard about this film. I might see this one eventually when it makes it to DVD, but I might forget to see it too. This sounds like one of those films that will end up on my Netflix queue toward the bottom and never make it toward the top because I keep putting other films above it.<br /><br />Then again, based on your review, I might have to see it just to see what you've described. It sounds pretty crazy.\</div></div><div class="comment-replies" id="bc_0_7BR" style="font-size: 14px; margin-left: 36px; margin-top: 1em;"><div class="comment-thread inline-thread" id="bc_0_4T" kind="t" style="margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0.5em 1em;" t="0" u="0"><ol class="thread-chrome thread-expanded" id="bc_0_4TC" style="list-style-type: none; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif;"></div><br /><li class="comment" id="bc_0_4B" kind="b" style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 16px 0px 8px;"><span id="bc_0_7b+seedHvvFD" kind="d"><div class="comment-block" id="c7705846597085005366" style="margin-left: 48px; position: relative;"><div class="comment-header" id="bc_0_4M" kind="m" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span class="datetime secondary-text" style="margin-left: 6px;"><b>anon blogger &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</b><a href="http://strangepegs.blogspot.com/2015/01/whiplash-movie-review-post.html?showComment=1422479392478#c7705846597085005366" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">January 28, 2015 at 1:09 PM</a></span></div><div class="comment-content" id="bc_0_4MC" style="margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: justify;">Lee: It is pretty crazy. But what I find more crazy than the movie are all the things people who like it are saying about it. It's like, maybe, they are blinded by the music aspect of the movie. Or, maybe, they all had experiences with a band director who yelled at them for screwing up, so it's some kind of "experience" to see the movie. I don't know.</div><span class="comment-actions secondary-text" id="bc_0_4MN" kind="m"></span></div><div class="comment-replies" id="bc_0_4BR" style="margin-left: 36px; margin-top: 1em;"></div><div class="comment-replybox-single" id="bc_0_4B_box" style="margin-left: 48px; margin-top: 5px;"></div></span></li><span id="bc_0_7b+seedHvvFD" kind="d"><li class="comment" id="bc_0_5B" kind="b" style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 8px;"><div class="avatar-image-container" style="float: left; margin: 0.2em 0px 0px; max-height: 36px; overflow: hidden; width: 36px;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pEPAFa9rGAk/Uu3kEzluB7I/AAAAAAAAD6g/EVNSbZh2YsA/s35/*" style="border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); max-width: 36px;" /></div><div class="comment-block" id="c4136495722448284173" style="margin-left: 48px; position: relative;"><div class="comment-header" id="bc_0_5M" kind="m" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><cite class="user" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Arlee Bird</a></cite><span class="icon user" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text" style="margin-left: 6px;"><a href="http://strangepegs.blogspot.com/2015/01/whiplash-movie-review-post.html?showComment=1455905746582#c4136495722448284173" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">February 19, 2016 at 10:15 AM</a></span></div><div class="comment-content" id="bc_0_5MC" style="margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: justify;">Finally a year later my wife and I watched this film. We both liked it a great deal. Everything you've pointed out above is true, but I guess I'm often more than willing to suspend disbelief for a film like this. I'm not as forgiving these days to suspend my disbelief for a lot of the sci-fi that I watch (which I find myself watching less as time goes by).<br /><br /><i>Whiplash</i>&nbsp;was entertaining for me aside from the parts that annoyed me. I can be pretty forgiving about a lot of movies while others (e.g.&nbsp;<i>Prometheus)</i>&nbsp;I find my assessment to be rather harsh.</div></div></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_5B" kind="b" style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 8px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://strangepegs.blogspot.com/2015/01/whiplash-movie-review-post.html?showComment=1483779075773#c6675256427032255520" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">January 7, 2017 at 12:51 AM</a></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_5B" kind="b" style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 8px;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I guess that just serves to demonstrate that you have a fucked up, distorted view of actual reality.</span></blockquote></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_6B" kind="b" style="background-color: #dde2ee; border-bottom: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0px;"><div class="comment-block" id="c6675256427032255520" style="margin-left: 48px; position: relative;"><div class="comment-content" id="bc_0_6MC" style="margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: justify;">(Yes, I am only just now seeing that you left this comment.)</div></div></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_6B" kind="b" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0px;"><br /></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_6B" kind="b" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><b><i><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </span><span style="background-color: #dde2ee;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white;">Have you ever felt like you were experiencing some sort of mental affliction or breakdown? &nbsp; &nbsp;What have been your direct encounters with people who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder? &nbsp; Does the example of the comment exchange I've provided seem odd to you or do you find it totally acceptable?</span></i></b></span></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_6B" kind="b" style="border-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><b><i style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</i></b></span></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_6B" kind="b" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0px;"><br /></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_6B" kind="b" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></li><li class="comment" id="bc_0_6B" kind="b" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0px;"><br /></li></span><br /><div style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif;"></div></div><span id="bc_0_7b+seedHvvFD" kind="d" style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;times&quot; , &quot;freeserif&quot; , serif;"></span></ol><div style="background-color: #dde2ee; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif;"><span id="bc_0_7b+seedHvvFD" kind="d"></span></div></div><div style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, times, freeserif, serif;"><span id="bc_0_7b+seedHvvFD" kind="d"></span></div></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-62589880696359564222017-02-15T02:00:00.019-08:002017-02-15T02:00:26.811-08:00Going Out of my Head (#BOTB)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mental illness is not only used as a metaphor to cover a broad swath of conditions of the state of the human mind, it has also been literally called a metaphor by some who have studied the issue. &nbsp;In his renown book <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Mental_Illness" target="_blank">The Myth of Mental Illness</a></span></b> (published in 1960), Thomas Szasz introduced the controversial idea that "mental illness" is not a true disease in the same sense as cancer and the concept termed as mental illness is in reality "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Szasz" target="_blank">a metaphor for human problems in living</a>". &nbsp; Szasz actually comes to a conclusion that those who say they have a mental illness have a "fake disease.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; While some might deem the variant popular terms related to mental illness as disrespectful and flippant, many of us use descriptions like nuts, loony, crazy, and whacked to describe a number of human conditions. &nbsp;Love has often been cited as the cause for driving one mad or crazy and not in a true psychological sense of the condition described.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;In the following post-Valentine's Day <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> I present a popular song that has nothing to do with what we would normally think of mental illness, but uses the condition of being in love as a metaphor for a disruptive mental condition...<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cdX0XOjRzIE/WKJCGs1PD-I/AAAAAAAAGQo/auG7s-7fCvwSFr5hMZiET9bFekEpsviHwCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cdX0XOjRzIE/WKJCGs1PD-I/AAAAAAAAGQo/auG7s-7fCvwSFr5hMZiET9bFekEpsviHwCLcB/s320/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">is</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">the blogging event started by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://farawayeyes1.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #b03300; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Far Away Series</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;now hosted by</span><u style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;"><i>&nbsp;</i><b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th. &nbsp; The premise is simple: &nbsp;Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. &nbsp;Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goin%27_Out_of_My_Head" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Goin' Out of My Head</span></b></a><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I was still in middle school when Little Anthony and the Imperials hit the pop music charts with the lovely "Goin' Out of My Head". &nbsp; Living in the Chicago Land area at the time, I'd hear this song played often on radio station WLS and it became a theme song of sorts for my own adolescent longings for love. &nbsp;In reality I had little idea of what romantic love was really about, but like many a young fellow I thought I was in love more than a few times and it was never easy. &nbsp;Unrequited love, lost love, or any love that leaves one unsatisfied or unfulfilled has been the inspiration for so many songs.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; For the purpose of reference only--DON'T VOTE ON THIS VERSION--here's that original version of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3j9bAVqt3c" target="_blank">"Goin' Out of My Head"</a> in case you've forgotten or never heard it before.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Since that first recording of "Goin' Out of My Head" was released, the song has been covered by many artists both vocally and instrumentally. In this current Battle I present two versions that are quite different from the original. &nbsp;The tempo and energy gets stepped up a bit to give the song a distinctly different flavor. &nbsp;So get your dancing shoes on and get ready to move and groove and go out of your head...<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Gloria Gaynor &nbsp;"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2N7J3JxQb0" target="_blank">Goin' Out of My Head</a>" &nbsp;(1978)</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; After ten years of paying her dues in the music business, Gloria Gaynor finally broke out as a well known artist with her disco album that included her hit "Never Can Say Good-bye". &nbsp; However her signature song "I Will Survive" will always be the one most identified with her. The album that featured that song also included Gaynor's fine cover of "Goin' Out of My Head". &nbsp;I'll have to admit a bit of a weakness for disco music so I happen to like her cover though I know there are some of you who might not be so keen on this music genre. &nbsp;Hope this doesn't drive you out of your head...<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w2N7J3JxQb0" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">La Lupe "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vstlwKmW77w" target="_blank">Goin' Out of My Head</a>" &nbsp;(1967)</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; "The Queen of Latin Soul" La Lupe was a popular Cuban entertainer who was no stranger to controversy when it came to her frenzied performances as well as her life outside of music. &nbsp;Exiled after Castro took power, La Lupe eventually landed in New York performing with Tito Puente among other notable musicians. Her career was short-lived as she descended into a life of drugs and destitution. &nbsp;A long adherent to the religion of Santeria, she eventually ended up crippled and homeless until healed at an evangelical crusade after which she became a born again Christian. &nbsp;Her final recordings were albums of Christian music. &nbsp;She died in New York City in 1992 at the age of 52. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Get up and dance to the crazy Latin sounds of La Lupe...<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vstlwKmW77w" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Time To Vote!</span></b><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maybe not your favorite musical styles, but hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. &nbsp;Which version do you like the best? &nbsp; Surely one version drove you less crazy than the other.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.</span><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif;"><b>Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br style="line-height: 20.79px;" /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;<b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;‘</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>YOUR</u>&nbsp;<u>DAILY</u>&nbsp;<u>DOSE</u></a></b></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">’&nbsp;</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;'</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://mikespainwrites.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>MIKE'S</u>&nbsp;<u>RAMBLINGS</u>'</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://curiousasacathy.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">'Curious as a Cathy'</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><u><br /></u></span></span><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://thesoundofonehandtyping.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sound of One Hand Typing</a></b></u><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://thedogladysden.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Doglady's Den&nbsp;</a></b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="https://angelsbark.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Angel's Bark&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.cherdoontheflipside.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Cherdo on the Flipside&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.jinglejanglejungle.net/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jingle, Jangle, Jungle</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Winner Announced on Wednesday February 22nd</span></b><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I'll tally the votes next Tuesday and announce the winner of this match-up the following day Wednesday February 22nd. However, since we'll have a week-end that gives adequate time for everyone to stop in to vote, I'll be continuing my topic on mental illness on Monday the 20th. If you missed the first installment, you can find it <a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/02/is-extreme-anti-trumpism-mental-illness.html">here</a>. </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>What are your thoughts about the "Mental Illness is a myth" theory? &nbsp;Are you offended by non-pc terms like crazy, nuts, mad, and others? &nbsp; What do you think &nbsp;is the "cure" or solution to mental illness or do you think there is one? &nbsp;</i></b></span></span><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-39852300708836071702017-02-13T02:00:00.000-08:002017-02-13T02:00:10.099-08:00Is Extreme Anti-Trumpism a Mental Illness?<br /><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Mental Illness:&nbsp;</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Any of various disorders characterized by impairment of an individual's thoughts,emotions, or social functioning</span></i></b><br /><span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #404040; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 11.05px;">The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary</span><br /><span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #404040; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 11.05px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #404040; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 11.05px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n701lDjoWYs/WKFO3fXJ8zI/AAAAAAAAGQQ/J0mn7vAapk8NiOoDnYMfCFLIR0zEL2DdQCLcB/s1600/DSC01441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n701lDjoWYs/WKFO3fXJ8zI/AAAAAAAAGQQ/J0mn7vAapk8NiOoDnYMfCFLIR0zEL2DdQCLcB/s320/DSC01441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #404040; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 11.05px;"><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Introduction: &nbsp;Keep Your Cool If You Can</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;More than a few reading this article will undoubtedly be offended by its premise. &nbsp;In no way do I intend to make light of the serious issue of mental illness. &nbsp;My post of next Monday February 20th will elaborate on my own background on the broader topic of mental illness, but for today I will start with that which will offend some while others will understand the gist of my argument. &nbsp;I might as well add to the outrage some have felt over my previous posts in my<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: italic;"><b><span style="color: blue;">&nbsp;</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a></span>.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Keep in mind that my intent is to present my side of a story with the hope of starting an intelligent discussion. &nbsp;Some might call it stirring the pot or some such term, but I think of my aim here as merely <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html" target="_blank">Tossing It Out</a></span></b>--presenting ideas for you to consider. &nbsp;It's something I've done since the outset of my blogging, except in recent months my subject matter has had a tendency to rile more than a few readers and followers. &nbsp; And I don't always expect that what I write here will make everyone feel good or agree with.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">An Illness Takes Root</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;By no means am I the first to suggest that liberalism and leftist thinking are mental disorders. &nbsp;The idea has been around for many years, but the extremism displayed by the anti-Trump crowd seems to have taken the notion to levels of absurdity. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Now, be assured that I am not assigning the "mental illness" label to those who merely don't like President Trump or disagree with him. &nbsp;That's as normal as those who didn't like President Obama or any other politician, person, idea, or whatever. &nbsp;What I'm talking about is the ceaseless ranting, sometimes to almost foaming at the mouth proportions, about the President, his administration, his supporters, and anything else related to Trump or his family.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Prior to June of 2015 there were probably few people who thought much about Donald Trump. &nbsp;Most of us knew the name, some of us might have seen him on television, but for the majority of us Donald Trump had little to no affect on our thinking. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;At first Donald Trump was dismissed as a joke, a passing fad perhaps. &nbsp;But then a strange thing began to happen. &nbsp;Trump's words began to be taken more seriously by those who understood what he was talking about. &nbsp; His rallies drew crowds, &nbsp;He began to amass a large number of followers.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The media seemed perplexed, but recognized the value of a ratings generating story. &nbsp;The political world began to feel annoyed and then intimidated. &nbsp;With every seeming misstep taken by Trump that pundits predicted would cause him to collapse, the novice candidate would only grow more popular and gain more credible standing in the presidential race. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Trump's presence in the race was maddening to the mainstream media and absolutely frustrating to most of the Republican party. In the meantime, Democrats smugly cast derision upon the Donald and prepared for the coronation of Queen Hillary. &nbsp;Those on the left who weren't rioting or protesting Donald Trump, campaigned with full expectation of another win for the Democrats.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;When the outcome of the November election didn't turn out as planned, Democrats and other liberals were confused and shaken. &nbsp;At first reduced to stunned disbelief and weeping, soon many began to express rage as they tried to figure out what had happened. &nbsp;Thankfully, most who had been against Trump in the election are essentially still against him, but have dropped the issue to move on with their lives. Oh, sure, they'll express their displeasure when pressed, but for the most part they have moved on with their lives and dropped the issue. &nbsp;A steadfast number, however, cling to their outrage and are unwilling to shut up about the whole thing, repeating the same tired complaints and arguments about President Trump and anyone who supports his administration. &nbsp;They take their negativity to a level of irrationality.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Who's to Blame and When Will It End?</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Media in all its forms planted the seeds of insanity regarding the anti-Trump movement while television media takes it to a level of utter absurdity. &nbsp;If one accepts the cliched definition of insanity being the repetition of certain actions then watch television to confirm it. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Unable to watch CNN and MSNBC for any extended periods of time I tend to watch Fox News more than any other network. At times, I have suspected the casting agents at Fox of placing wild eyed wackos who spew nonsense and convey dubious logic as representatives of liberalism. &nbsp;They are often like unrealistic caricatures of mentally disturbed agents of the left. &nbsp;Then I switch over to the competing networks and there are the same types of spokespersons along with &nbsp;fake news panels and show hosts who repeat the same nonsense ad nauseam that we've been hearing since Donald Trump began running and continuing after his unexpected win. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And what about the demonstrators protesting Trump. &nbsp;Or the rioters going bonkers with disruption, destruction, and as much chaos as they can create. &nbsp;Is there any element of sanity to any of this behavior? &nbsp;They carry "Love Trumps Hate" signs and decry violence while interfering with the normal people who just want to catch planes, get to work, or whatever it is that normal people are trying to do when their activities are screwed over by people who are angry because their side lost and now they no longer know how to behave in any sensible manner.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I find it immensely ironic when certain representatives in Congress and other arms of government suggest that President Trump may be suffering from mental problems. &nbsp;Excuse me--look at who are the ones delivering these messages: &nbsp;Al Franken, Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, and so on. &nbsp;These are like the poster faces of emotionally unstable individuals so who are they to be casting aspersions. &nbsp;Please! &nbsp;You people are driving me nuts when I see and listen to you.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Contagion Infecting Many</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; A lot has settled since the immediate aftermath of the election and yet there are a persistent minority who won't let any of their post-election grief and anger subside. &nbsp;There are still those folks on Facebook and Twitter who have a compulsion to continue with their loony tune posts and more often than not there are vitriol and insults directed toward others on those social mediums, often family and friends--or should I say ex-friends. &nbsp;I ignore these things for the most part, but I wonder what these whiners are trying to accomplish to make the world a better place. &nbsp; Their posts become repetitive empty railings to the other inmates in their imaginary asylum of life while they alienate the rest of us.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I'm sure there are also a number of bloggers doing much the same thing, but since I've mostly only been visiting the blogs of those who have commented on my posts I'm missing those anti-Trump rantings. &nbsp;There is one blogger, who I will no longer name or link to, who is bearded and conveys this arrogant attitude as though he were the supreme expert on all things including morality, who I occasionally check on only because his posts seem to be in response to mine. &nbsp;It's sad because I've known this blogger for quite some time and have always made some attempt to be congenial with him even though he often retorted with his better and smarter than thou responses to my comments. &nbsp;At least I tried to be nice. &nbsp;The few comments he receives are mostly from a small stable of like thinkers who somehow seem gratified that this blogger's words have provided some validation to their own irrational thinking. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Like thinkers seem to congregate and when those like thinkers are extreme left, anti-Christian, anti-Trumpsters there seems to not only be no room for any opinion from the other side, but they will also be rudely castigated for their opinion, ignored, or even have their comments deleted. &nbsp;So much for free exchange of ideas.<br /><br />&nbsp;<b><span style="font-size: large;">So What About You, Mr. Loony Bird?</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Some of you might be thinking, "Well, you've keep posting your pro-Trump garbage! &nbsp;Doesn't that make you mentally ill too?"<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Okay, fair enough. &nbsp;The difference, as I've pointed out from the beginning of my series, is that I'm taking the arguments and insults against Trump and his supporters and attempting to rationally explain each one, disprove the fallacies, and correct what I see as outright lies. &nbsp;I've also been trying to analyze what I see as serious issues from my point of view arguing my case regarding each issue. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I have tried throughout to be respectful of opposing views and attempted to avoid calling names or casting a net of generalized insults. &nbsp;And if you're thinking of my earlier comment about certain politicians who I think look unstable then I'll just say I'm dishing a bit of slop back to them and I didn't intend to insult any of you directly. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Then there is one final thing I want to point out. &nbsp;There have been some excellent discussions on the posts in my series. &nbsp; Some of you have gotten upset and some of those readers may no longer be reading <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tossing It Out</span></b>, but in each of those cases I think that I have responded in a responsible manner--maybe a little ticked in a couple of cases--but I've always tried to smooth things over when I've felt there has been a misunderstanding of some sort. &nbsp;If I've failed then let me know and I'll be willing to engage as respectfully as I know how.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;In closing let me say that I have the best commenters anywhere. &nbsp;Even the ones who have gotten upset with me. &nbsp;You are always welcomed at my site and your comments will always be read and acknowledged when I can. &nbsp;That is, unless they become vile and profanity laden. &nbsp;Then they are deleted. &nbsp;Fortunately, this hasn't happened yet if I remember correctly. &nbsp; But like I said, I have the best commenters of any blog. &nbsp;Of course, I'm a bit prejudiced about those who leave comments on my site. &nbsp;Why wouldn't I think you're the best? &nbsp; Thank you all.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;A bit more on this topic next Monday. &nbsp;Be here this Wednesday for my next <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> which will be featuring two versions of a song that relates to today's post.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp;Have you been having a difficult time watching any of the television shows that are overly fixated on the outcome of the election? &nbsp; What annoys you the most on television? &nbsp; &nbsp;Do you have any idea about my song pick for my next </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"> match?&nbsp;</i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-5493297213543296392017-02-08T02:00:00.001-08:002017-02-08T02:00:14.859-08:00Do You Think Bible Prophecy Is True? (#BOTB Results)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XNl1q7_SJv0/WJqT6peJOwI/AAAAAAAAGQA/7a7Nret2d80Vp6QeS8sQzT8JOmScPMVtACLcB/s1600/DSC01936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XNl1q7_SJv0/WJqT6peJOwI/AAAAAAAAGQA/7a7Nret2d80Vp6QeS8sQzT8JOmScPMVtACLcB/s320/DSC01936.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">If It's in the Bible, Is It True?</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; One thing that I've found over the past week is that the topic of abortion can piss more people off than talking about Jesus. &nbsp;But I guess nothing pisses some people off more than President Donald Trump. &nbsp;I'm still hoping that during the Trump administration, and soon at that, the United States moves its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and we build even stronger ties with Israel. &nbsp;That will likely piss the whole world off and I'm ready for that.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I don't know what other religions of the world are so grounded in prophesy as much as the Judeo-Christian tradition. &nbsp;From my understanding of Islam, the Hadiths and maybe some other writings contain something they refer to as prophesy, but I see no real trustworthy prophesy of future events in any Islamic writing. &nbsp;They call Mohammad a "prophet" but I'm not sure what he actually prophesied that can be put in any believable context. &nbsp;Then again (oh wait for the gasps and stirrings of indignation) I don't accept Islam as truth. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; However, the prophecy of the Bible gets pretty darn specific when you start studying it all closely. &nbsp;And these prophecies started coming thousands of years ago in regard to events we see coming into shape in our time. &nbsp;Sure, some might say that its all just generic statements that can be applied to anytime and anything, but places are named and signs are indicated and we can see this all coming about in our age.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There will always be the scoffers--more of them than believers--but before anyone scoffs too heartily I would encourage a closer study of the prophecies with a comparative look at world events. Is Jesus coming soon? &nbsp; To me it would appear so, but I'm not going to be one to predict when. &nbsp;For now I'll just be a watchman on the wall. &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;By the way, for those who are familiar with the Bible, have you noticed how much the Bible talks about walls? &nbsp; So who says building walls isn't a Christian activity? &nbsp;In fact, despite what some will say, to my knowledge there is no mention of building bridges in the Bible. &nbsp; Well, other than a metaphorical bridge which is Jesus Christ. &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Did I offend anyone today? &nbsp; I hope not. &nbsp;I didn't mean to offend, but only to tell truth as I see it. &nbsp;My hope is that maybe you'll think about what I've said here and perhaps even do some research about what I've said.<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Battle of the Bands Results!</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2PbSLWL72ug/WJo3yZv-PJI/AAAAAAAAGPo/XRomqUxpmVgO9QIhPg_0OqjW6DeGeqb_ACLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2PbSLWL72ug/WJo3yZv-PJI/AAAAAAAAGPo/XRomqUxpmVgO9QIhPg_0OqjW6DeGeqb_ACLcB/s320/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;As is often the case, <b><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-blog-topics-do-you-avoid-botb-iwsg.html" target="_blank">my latest Battle of the Bands</a></b>&nbsp;was not easy for me to prognosticate the outcome. &nbsp;However because of the more contemporary more mainstream sound I figured the win would go to the 1970's group Dogwood. &nbsp;Initially that was the group I was favoring for my own vote, but as usual as the week progressed my vote wavered back and forth between the two choices. &nbsp;After all I usually pick out two versions that I especially enjoy. &nbsp;In the end though I decided to go with the traditional Southern Gospel sound of the Blackwood Gospel Quartet despite that strange video they had put together. &nbsp;Based on the audio only I thought they captured the spirit of the song best.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;From the outset of voting, Dogwood took a rapid lead and it looked like it would be a massive win for them. &nbsp;Then in the final quarter, like the Superbowl champion Patriots, BGQ raced forward as they captured most of the final votes. &nbsp;Still it was not enough for a win as Dogwood maintained the lead by a mere two points. &nbsp;What a contest it was! &nbsp;I thank you all for voting on this song that I thought might be a turn-off to most, but things didn't turn out too badly at all.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Final Vote Tally</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Blackwood Gospel Quartet &nbsp; &nbsp; 11 votes</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dogwood &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 13 votes</span></b><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b>Holy&nbsp;<span style="background-color: #fcfaf3; color: #333333;">Naamgenoot!</span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fcfaf3; color: #333333; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fcfaf3; color: #333333; font-size: 15px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As I alluded to in my BOTB post, one of the featured groups, Dogwood, was not to be confused by a very different Christian punk metal band also called "Dogwood". &nbsp; &nbsp;This latter band which hails from the San Diego area has been around since 1993 and continues to be active. &nbsp;The band has ten albums behind them as well as contributions to a number of compilation albums. &nbsp;For the sake of contrast I'm offering a few of their songs for your listening pleasure--or perhaps I might call it curiosity since you might not care for their style. &nbsp;I find them to be kind of interesting and it's good to hear their message attached to music that might appeal to a younger crowd. &nbsp;See what you think...</span></span><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dogwood &nbsp;"Feel the Burn" &nbsp;(1999)</span></b><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aBpcId_ASP0" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dogwood &nbsp;"Building a Better Me" &nbsp;(2000)</span></b><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E0fvISSsxKE" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dogwood &nbsp;"Never Die" &nbsp;(1998)</span></b><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fz8m3j0Gtgg" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next Battle of the Bands Coming Soon!</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Another <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> match will appear on my blog on Wednesday February 15th. &nbsp;This Battle will be related to a post which will precede it next Monday the 13th--a post which may raise ire (so what else is new?) or have some of you nodding your heads in agreement. &nbsp;As you might have guessed it will be another post in my&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px; font-style: italic;"><b><span style="color: blue;">&nbsp;</span></b></span><span style="color: blue; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp;</span>. &nbsp; I mean really, there are still many ridiculous voices yammering on about the President of the United States so I might as well keep debunking that nonsense. &nbsp; I probably won't continue this much longer, though on the other hand, if the antis keep up their fight then maybe I'll keep pushing back. &nbsp; After all, what else do I have to blog about?<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;What else would you like me to talk about on this blog? &nbsp; Do the controversy posts turn you off? &nbsp; &nbsp;Would you rather I talk about writing or some such subject?</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-18128621514488701632017-02-06T02:00:00.002-08:002017-02-06T02:00:02.660-08:00In Defense of Abortion and a Better Tomorrow<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 515px;"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" valign="top" width="458"><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">No woman can call herself &nbsp;free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself &nbsp;free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother. &nbsp; ---</span></i></b>Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood)<br /><br /></td><td align="right" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" valign="top" width="140"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">“Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race.”</span><span style="font-family: &quot;merriweather&quot; , &quot;georgia&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;</span></i></b></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;merriweather&quot; , &quot;georgia&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;Margaret Sanger</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;So <span style="font-family: inherit;">enough of the President Trump nonsense. &nbsp;It's time to discard the foolishness of conservative values and face the world of tomorrow--the brave new world of progressive thinking and moral reconstruction. &nbsp;As I see women marching for their rights, I stand in solidarity with them. &nbsp;The past is dead and needs to be forgotten. &nbsp;The future belongs to those who are willing to accept radical change. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Planned parenting and abortion will pave the way to a better tomorrow. &nbsp;In a tumultuous world that is overflowing with human detritus filled with hate, disagreement, and degradation; as well as an excess of population taking up space and consuming the resources of our beautiful Earth, perhaps it's time to reevaluate why we are all here and who should remain to make this world the Eden that it was meant to be.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;There are far too many people who wander aimlessly through their lives or the masses who seem to merely exist as little more than a burden upon those who support that vast majority of a basically useless populace. &nbsp;The world and those who drive socioeconomic structure cannot continue without eventually reaching the critical mass of a world conflagration that destroys everything. &nbsp;A new movement of Darwinian Purification must be undertaken in order to save humanity if humanity is indeed worth saving. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Abortion is the first logical step in the purification of the human race. &nbsp;Currently, the primary arguments for abortion are to prevent unwanted children from coming into the world either because of economic reasons, health or well-being of the mother, some fetal problem that would lead to a defective birth product or mere inconvenience, &nbsp;Perhaps we should begin to see most pregnancies as unwanted and unnecessary except for only in cases where the most perfect of the species would be brought into the world. &nbsp; Selective breeding should be the aim of future generations.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;However, abortion should be the one small step to advance humankind into the better tomorrow. &nbsp; Unneeded unproductive humans should also be eliminated. &nbsp;Any persons who are in any state of dependency in order to survive should be allowed to die or be exterminated. &nbsp; This would include all who are disabled, sub-level intelligence, subsisting on welfare, institutionalized, or any other non-contributory segments of society. &nbsp; Vast areas of populations in the world should be eliminated by arranged warfare subsidized by dominant governments or other means of organized extermination. &nbsp; Whatever peoples who are determined to be unnecessary masses of resource consumers detrimental to the environment and economic well-being should be brought into control.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As this process of population control continues, a focus should be directed toward eliminating the elderly. &nbsp;Upon reaching a determined age such as 35, each person should be monitored according to their health and ability of self-sustenance. &nbsp;When health or economic conditions dictate, these persons should be culled from the population pool except in cases where there is a special factor of contributory reasons to keep them alive. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;These measures suggested in the above treatise might seem like extreme radical ideas to some who are stuck in old ways of thinking, but this is not a time for outmoded belief systems. &nbsp;Tearing down the establishment is a good thing for the future even though it may not seem to benefit many of us living now. &nbsp;But, after all, the future does not belong to us. &nbsp; It does not even necessarily belong to all of the unborn children yet to be conceived. &nbsp;Babies have no say in the future either. &nbsp;</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."</span></i></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">- George Orwell</span><br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." </span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">- Isaiah 5:20</span></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Do you think the world is overpopulated? &nbsp; What do you think is the best answer for a better future on Earth? &nbsp; Were you reading between the lines?</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-91774509766901793542017-02-01T02:00:00.048-08:002017-02-01T02:00:13.692-08:00What Blog Topics Do You Avoid? (#BOTB) (#IWSG)<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">&nbsp;If you want a blog post that will lure in more readers then write about blogging. &nbsp; This has always seemed to work for me. &nbsp;The topic is an easy one for other bloggers to comment on for fairly obvious reasons. &nbsp;Since titles are the first draw to a post, mentioning the word "blog" or some derivative of that word is a good way to start. &nbsp;On the other hand, certain words in a title might scare off readers or make them hesitant to read any further.</span></i></b></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPhAn_QfA2E/WJESF93o93I/AAAAAAAAGPQ/4HTAFBLqBaQ5CuJVSfEc2v9BzdqfYwX9QCLcB/s1600/Insecure%2BWriters%2BSupport%2BGroup%2BBadge%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPhAn_QfA2E/WJESF93o93I/AAAAAAAAGPQ/4HTAFBLqBaQ5CuJVSfEc2v9BzdqfYwX9QCLcB/s200/Insecure%2BWriters%2BSupport%2BGroup%2BBadge%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <i>This current post is a continuation of my post for the </i><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Insecure Writer's Support Group</span></b><i> which can be found</i><b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/01/if-youve-got-something-to-say-should.html" target="_blank"> here</a></b><i>. &nbsp; To summarize, in that post I discussed the topic of reading and writing content that I find offensive. &nbsp; In the following I provide a specific example of a word (or more precisely a name) that some might find offensive or something they might want to avoid if they saw it in the title of a blog post, book, or what have you. &nbsp; I've incorporated this word/name/theme into my </i><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><i> offering for February 1st.</i><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vFh-v_KTZjc/WIvAoc1oM8I/AAAAAAAAGNo/jOWz-BGeRIMFw-A6Y6IfAtwTeKBHstATQCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vFh-v_KTZjc/WIvAoc1oM8I/AAAAAAAAGNo/jOWz-BGeRIMFw-A6Y6IfAtwTeKBHstATQCLcB/s200/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp;</span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Battle of the Bands</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">is</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">the blogging event started by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://farawayeyes1.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #b03300; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Far Away Series</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;now hosted by</span><u style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;"><i>&nbsp;</i><b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th. &nbsp; The premise is simple: &nbsp;Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. &nbsp;Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.</span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Jesus Is Coming Soon</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; "Jesus is coming soon" is a controversial statement that a lot of people would prefer not to hear, while others might be excited to hear this. &nbsp;It's a statement that can stir anger, fear, debate, or an icy cold shoulder. &nbsp;Some people upon seeing this as a blog title or a book title or a title of anything might avoid reading it. &nbsp; Even though "Jesus Is Coming Soon" is the name of the song I am using in Battle, I thought it best not to run off readers at the onset which is why I used a title that would have a bigger draw. &nbsp; I may have lost some readers as they progressed through the post, but I hope you'll approach the following with an open mind since it is an oft recorded song and one that I happen to like. &nbsp;Aside from the subject matter, I'm sure more than a few of you will not like the style of music since it is rather an acquired taste for those who have not been around the culture where songs of this nature are common. &nbsp;Hope you stay with me and we'll see how this goes.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The song "Jesus Is Coming Soon" that I'm featuring today was written by R.E. Winsett, songwriter/publisher from Tennessee, in 1942. &nbsp;From what I've found, the song was apparently not recorded until the latter 1960's and achieved its greatest fame after appearing on the 1969 Oak Ridge Boys album<b><i> It's Happening</i></b>. &nbsp;This album won "Album of the Year" in 1969 at the Dove Awards and the song was named "Song of the Year" as well. &nbsp;In 2002, "Jesus Is Coming Soon" &nbsp;and Winsett were inducted into the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame. &nbsp;Over the years the song has been recorded by numerous artists.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1MVdej7mTG0/WI6nEFUa4lI/AAAAAAAAGO8/UQ8PgZ5o9johWYFa77_L9TLJbaL5i-MmACLcB/s1600/IMG_1811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1MVdej7mTG0/WI6nEFUa4lI/AAAAAAAAGO8/UQ8PgZ5o9johWYFa77_L9TLJbaL5i-MmACLcB/s1600/IMG_1811.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 3 Oak Ridge Boys vinyl albums that I bought circa 1970<br />&nbsp;and still own and enjoy (photo by Betty)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Prior to moving to Tennessee I had never heard any Southern Gospel music to my knowledge. &nbsp;It's country music with a Christian slant to it. &nbsp;Often accompanied with bluegrass or country style backing, the singing involves intricate harmonizing with a "twangy" vocal style as some are fond of saying. &nbsp;Initially country music was a big turn off to me, but then after my family's move to Tennessee I gained more exposure to country music as well as Southern Gospel. &nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;During my high school and college years while still living with my parents, I'd watch an early morning television program that showcased videos of Southern Gospel artists singing their songs. &nbsp;As my ears became more acclimated to the music I also began to appreciate it more. &nbsp;The Oak Ridge Boys especially stood out for me with songs like "Jesus Is Coming Soon", "I Know", "He Did It All for Me", and "I Wish We'd All Been Ready". &nbsp; Eventually I bought three albums by the Oaks which I still have in my vinyl collection (pictured above). &nbsp; Since that time I've also bought some CD's of their Southern Gospel music.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The history of the Oak Ridge Boys goes back to 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee when they were known as Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers. &nbsp;After becoming regular performers in Oak Ridge where they were popular with the employees of the nuclear research facility, they eventually changed their name to the Oak Ridge Quartet.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This group went through a number of personnel changes through the fifties until Wally Fowler sold the rights to the group name to a group member, Smitty Gatlin, who eventually updated the name to Oak Ridge Boys in 1961. &nbsp;The group recorded a number of albums and continued to go through other personnel changes. &nbsp;In the late sixties they updated their stage appearance with a more moddish rock and roll look and added covers of pop/rock hits that had positive messages alongside their gospel tunes.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The evolution of the group continued until they were signed by the Columbia label and then later by ABC Records. &nbsp;In 1977 they released their first all country album and after that they begin hitting the charts with the mainstays like "Elvira" and became country music superstars. &nbsp;This is how most people think of this group though they have returned to their gospel roots to record Christian albums along with the more popular country albums<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I'm definitely partial to the Southern Gospel that first drew me to them. &nbsp;The other stuff is fine, but the Gospel songs touch me the most. &nbsp;Well, actually I've never listened to much of their other music other than what gets played on the radio. &nbsp;As for me and my house, give me that old time religion! &nbsp; Here's an early live performance of their award winning "Jesus Is Coming Soon"--please don't vote on this as I've offered it here for perspective comparison.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Oak Ridge Boys "Jesus Is Coming Soon" (@1970?)</span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">For reference only!! &nbsp;Please don't vote on this version!!</span></b><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TrbfQwbudug" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>Here are your voting candidates:</b></span><br /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This was probably my toughest Battle that I've compiled yet. &nbsp;The first choices that I really wanted to use showed up on Polsy as not being available in all countries. &nbsp;As I searched through many more it seemed that very few versions of this song were available in all countries. &nbsp;Eventually I started finding many many more versions that <i>were </i>available. &nbsp; After much consideration of a number of good versions, I finally narrowed my contest down to the following two choices:</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Blackwood Gospel Quartet &nbsp;"Jesus Is Coming Soon"&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">( 2009)</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;This version is done in a traditional style, but the video is downright strange--one of the odder music videos that I've come across. &nbsp;Not sure what's going on with this other than I guess these guys have a sense of humor. &nbsp;Inappropriate considering the song topic? &nbsp;I'll let you decide. &nbsp;I'm also a bit confused about how this group relates to any other group as from everything that I could find they seem to be a contemporary offshoot of the old Blackwood Brothers Quartet, but the group as portrayed in this video seems to have possibly disbanded and regrouped with new members. &nbsp; If anyone knows then feel free to fill us in. &nbsp;It's a highly competent version of the song no matter what the case.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9bdegkPJsfQ" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dogwood "Jesus Is Coming Soon" &nbsp;(1976)</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Not to be confused with the Christian punk/metal group that came about in 1993, this Dogwood was a folk/rock group that recorded and performed during the mid to late 1970's. &nbsp;The group was founded by Steve Chapman (not to be confused with multi-faceted Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman) and his wife Annie. &nbsp; Their version of "Jesus Is Coming Soon" provides a more contemporary feel a la the Seekers and other such groups. &nbsp; The band name Dogwood relates to the traditional Christian legend that the Dogwood tree was used for the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. <br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ENuJPfF3PzY" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Time To Vote!</span></b><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe nuanced to those who don't listen closely, these versions provide different musical takes on the same song. &nbsp;Which version do you like the best? &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #545454;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:</span></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br style="line-height: 20.79px;" /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;<b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;‘</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>YOUR</u>&nbsp;<u>DAILY</u>&nbsp;<u>DOSE</u></a></b></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">’&nbsp;</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;'</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://mikespainwrites.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>MIKE'S</u>&nbsp;<u>RAMBLINGS</u>'</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://curiousasacathy.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">'Curious as a Cathy'</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><u><br /></u></span></span><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://thesoundofonehandtyping.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sound of One Hand Typing</a></b></u><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://thedogladysden.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Doglady's Den&nbsp;</a></b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="https://angelsbark.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Angel's Bark&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.cherdoontheflipside.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Cherdo on the Flipside&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.jinglejanglejungle.net/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jingle, Jangle, Jungle</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span></span><br /><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://jeffreyascott.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">J. A. Scott</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Winner Announced on&nbsp;Wednesday February 8th</span></b><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <span style="font-family: inherit;">Since voting will be open throughout the weekend, everyone should have adequate opportunity to vote. I've got a zinger of a post planned for Monday. &nbsp; It will be sure to offend some as I get back into my political musings presenting a slant that might come unexpectedly to some of you. &nbsp;I just want to try something different as I look at political controversy from a different perspective.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; But by all means do come back on Wednesday February 8th to see who won the above Battle along with some additional comments about the topics that I brought up with this post.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </span><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp; Do you think you might have avoided this post if I had used the song title as my blog title? &nbsp;What is it about religion that you feel causes many people to avoid reading about the topic? &nbsp; Is there any particular style of Christian music that you especially enjoy?</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-90221537525298867362017-01-30T02:00:00.000-08:002017-01-30T07:50:28.546-08:00If You've Got Something to Say, Should You Say It? (#IWSG)<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0v6QDvnjPJQ/WI6g57nisVI/AAAAAAAAGOo/VfCLjhPlC38jnXkcabDonl9kflSujOb6gCLcB/s1600/IMG_1809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0v6QDvnjPJQ/WI6g57nisVI/AAAAAAAAGOo/VfCLjhPlC38jnXkcabDonl9kflSujOb6gCLcB/s400/IMG_1809.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Should I have said it? &nbsp;(photo by Betty)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;If you really thought that I wouldn't be posting on my birthday then maybe you didn't get <i>your</i> wish when you blew out your last birthday cake candles. &nbsp;For some of you, my blog posts might be like the proverbial bad nickel (it used to be a penny, but, you know, inflation and all). &nbsp; Hard to keep a blowhard blogger quiet when there's always something to say even if it is my birthday. &nbsp; And if you're wondering about my age then I'll just say it's a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palindromic_number" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Palindromic number">palindromic number</a> that is one numeral shy of being the favorite number of those who don't particularly like the Christian ideology.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And that is the lead-in for the topic of not only my next <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Battle of the Bands</a></span></b> post coming on Wednesday, but also my topic for my February edition of...<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Insecure Writer's Support Group</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mflKyn7gebo/WI6Fw2G-pZI/AAAAAAAAGOY/DN_XfB1ueLMM-5-u7VH2AxTwkzcJe5c9QCLcB/s1600/Insecure%2BWriters%2BSupport%2BGroup%2BBadge%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mflKyn7gebo/WI6Fw2G-pZI/AAAAAAAAGOY/DN_XfB1ueLMM-5-u7VH2AxTwkzcJe5c9QCLcB/s200/Insecure%2BWriters%2BSupport%2BGroup%2BBadge%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><i style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's<a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;">&nbsp;</a><a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;">Insecure Writer's Support Group</a>--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;">Alex's Blog</a>.&nbsp;</i><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;This month I'll address the same question that others of you will be discussing along with some expanded thoughts:<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?</span></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> About the same time I became a more serious reader back in the mid-sixties when I was in middle school, I also began to experiment more with writing. &nbsp;As the years of schooling progressed, more writing was required in many of the classes I took and more reading was required as well. &nbsp;The curriculum required the reading and study of certain classics and we were encouraged to read according to our interests. &nbsp;Book reports, essay writing, and research for required projects entailed reading and more writing, none of which bothered me much since I enjoyed doing both. &nbsp; For me, reading good writing makes me want to write, maybe something as good as what I've read, or maybe just write whatever fulfills me the most written in the best way I can manage writing it.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Certainly, reading is a means of escape for me, however I want to read things that I would like to have written. &nbsp;Fantasy as well as fantastical science fiction is not where my writing interests lie any longer so therefore I don't read much in those genres. &nbsp;Most of my fiction writing throughout the years has been feet-on-the-ground types of stories to which I can relate. &nbsp;More often than not, the reading that inspires me most is in non-fiction genres. &nbsp;My reading experiences now will be escapes into the realities that others have experienced which in turn adds to my own life experience. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Good fiction can also do this for me, but I want to believe what I read while at the same time to not be distracted by such nonsense as explicitly written sex scenes or profuse profanity. &nbsp;Sure, those things are part of real life experience, but rarely does elaborating on any of this actually enhance the value of a story being told. &nbsp;This is not what I would write and likewise not something I care to read any more than I'd want to read intensely accurate descriptions of any bodily functions or extended passages of small talk that goes far beyond character development or whatever literary device is being attempted.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Call me a prude or whatever, unnecessary description or dialog of a prurient nature is offensively distracting to me. &nbsp;If I'm going to be offended then I want to be offended with ideas that rouse my mind to work in higher levels of reasoning and counterargument. &nbsp;Light reading has its place for any of us, but profanity for me is not lighthearted fun or escapism. &nbsp; The vilest and most frightening characters in literature scare us more with their intellect than their stupidity and their baseness. &nbsp;Reading my favorite authors like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannery_O%27Connor" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Flannery O'Connor">Flannery O'Connor</a> or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Cormac McCarthy">Cormac McCarthy</a> has introduced me to some of the creepiest folks around and they spoke nary a profane word. &nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Writing profanity or explicit sex scenes is not something with which I feel comfortable and this attitude goes hand in hand with my reading. &nbsp;If I'm out to offend people--and this is not something that I necessarily strive to do--then I can write about topical political themes that upset readers or discuss religious and ideological concepts that can absolutely rile those who bitterly reject such things. Of late, I've apparently been doing this as I see certain of my posts with a decline in the number of comments. I do have a consolation in more thoughtful comments and some lengthier ongoing discussion so there is a trade off in that respect. &nbsp; &nbsp;Should I ever consider writing fiction along these thematic lines? &nbsp; I have, but then also nothing I have written has been published nor have I tried to get them published--at least not since the short stories that I submitted to publications in my college days many years ago which all got rejected. &nbsp;Must have been at least partly something I said.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Truth is that just like I don't particularly read content that offends or distracts me to no good purpose, certain readers may not want to read many of the things I want to say. &nbsp;I know my writing does have an audience, but it also will have its detractors. &nbsp;The question arises of how can I get a point across effectively if I'm only preaching to the choir while arguing with the rear ends of horses as they run away from me.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Okay, so I posted this</span><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> Insecure Writer's Support Group</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> post a couple days early. &nbsp;It's my birthday and it's my blog so I can kind of do what I want. &nbsp;Besides, I didn't want my next post on Wednesday to be overly long because it probably will be so anyway. &nbsp;I'll continue in a sense with this current post as I present a </span><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> song that will be so offensive to some that I won't even name it in my post's title like I normally would. &nbsp;After all, a lot of people these days are mighty touchy--irrationally touchy even. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;If you want to hear more about what I'm talking about then be sure to come back for Wednesday's post. &nbsp; And if not, I hope you at least come back to listen with an open mind to a song with a style that some of you probably won't like much and about a topic that might be a turn off to others. &nbsp;After a lot of my recent posts the song was just something that came to my mind so I felt like maybe I should say it.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Besides bad writing, what are some things that will make you less likely to finish a book that you've started reading? &nbsp; &nbsp;Can you think of any superior quality up-lifting or mind enriching literature that relies heavily on profanity or explicit sex scenes? &nbsp; How old do you think I am based on my clue provided in the opening statement?</span></i></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; 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display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Q of the Week: What Books Inform Your Daily Life?</a></li></ul></div>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-37418740264064127212017-01-25T02:00:00.000-08:002017-01-25T02:00:05.870-08:00Why Do I Still Blog?<br /><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Evaluation is a part of the process of growth as well as abandonment. &nbsp;It's a good idea to step back now and then to figure out why you're doing something and if the way you're currently doing it is still relevant. &nbsp;Today I consider why I still blog.</span></i></b><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Behind_it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: Relevant photograph." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="350" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Behind_it.jpg/350px-Behind_it.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">&nbsp;Relevant photograph. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Behind_it.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;No, I'm not considering stopping blogging--not yet. &nbsp;I still have too many <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Battle of the Bands </a></span></b>posts in the blog bank waiting to be played. &nbsp;For now I'm going to put a hold on the Trump stuff or any other controversial opinion stuff. &nbsp; I had a dilly scheduled for today that would have likely riled a few more folks, but maybe for now I best keep quiet. &nbsp;Friday was going to be another topic that probably wouldn't have upset many folks, but maybe a few would have some disagreement. &nbsp;I'll save that topic for later too if I do it at all.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For now I just need to take a big breath and take it easy. &nbsp;Do some chores around the house or watch TV. &nbsp; Maybe even start reading a new book. &nbsp;Anything but blogging. &nbsp;Maybe read some of your blog posts, but not post any of my own. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Oh yeah, big deal--I'll be back on Monday, or at least on Wednesday when I post for <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Battle of the Bands</a></span></b> with maybe a word in for the <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html" target="_blank">Insecure Writer's Support Group</a></span></b>. &nbsp;And since Monday the 30th will be my birthday, maybe I just take the day off from blogging.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Why do I still blog? &nbsp; Because I can and because I can just do what I want. &nbsp;There's not really any screwing up on my blog. &nbsp;No one's going to fire me, though I guess in theory Blogger could shut down my blog or something, but I don't guess I ever do anything that would warrant that. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; One thing that I can see as I evaluate things is that the ways I approached blogging when I first started nearly eight years ago, as well as the motivations I've had over those years, have changed to a great extent. &nbsp;How I blog will probably continue to change and same with what I blog. &nbsp;Some things will stay the same sometimes and change at other times.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;But seriously, why do I still blog?<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> &nbsp;Do you ever reevaluate your blogging? &nbsp;Right now in your blogging life do you see blogging as a habit, a duty, a means of expression, a pleasant past time or what? &nbsp; &nbsp;What has been inspiring you of late?</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b>Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com76tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-61943398535538345062017-01-23T02:00:00.008-08:002017-01-23T14:28:18.682-08:00The Train Is On Schedule (#BOTB Results)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The thing about gloomy days is that they eventually clear up. &nbsp; Sunshine and blue skies return and happy days do come back again. &nbsp;The train keeps a-rolling until it finally reaches its destination. &nbsp;As for me, though the ride sometimes gets tedious, mostly I enjoy my journey and I'm not ready for it to end anytime soon.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Memorial_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: The Lincoln Memorial is a national me..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="212" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Lincoln_Memorial_1.JPG/350px-Lincoln_Memorial_1.JPG" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Lincoln Memorial is a national memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. The memorial was designed by architect Henry Bacon and dedicated in 1923. The statue of Lincoln was carved of white marble by Daniel Chester French and completed in 1922. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Memorial_1.JPG" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">For the Good Times</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Last week I was feeling kind of down in a stagnated sort of way. &nbsp;The cool and rainy weather here in Los Angeles didn't help my mood much. &nbsp; Likewise, writing my posts for my<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif; font-style: italic;"><b><span style="color: blue;">&nbsp;</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a></span>&nbsp;contributed to a more somber contemplative mood. &nbsp; I've had some serious topics and the readership drastically declined on my post&nbsp;<span style="color: #e16a12; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">Does Trump's Muslim Ban Make Sense?</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-decoration: none;">,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">which might have been due to nature of the topic (maybe too scary or sensitive to some?) or maybe it was an overall decline in readership across the blogosphere.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I do know that I had quite a number of hits, but not the normal ratio of actual comments. As is often said, never discuss politics or religion and this topic really broke those rules. The subject of Islam is very important, yet most people seem to want to avoid this discussion. I think that's why we have the problems about this in the world that we have. You're still free to go back to comment on that post, but today I want to move a little further on down the track.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Thursday morning I was particularly feeling down, but then when afternoon came there was something that really lifted me up. I happened to tune into the </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Make America Great Inaugural Concert</i></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, an event that I had no idea was scheduled until I flipped on the television at lunchtime to see that this event would be starting soon. I kept the television on and I'm so glad I did.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The assortment of military bands was rousing and stirred a sense of patriotism within me. When </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Moore" style="font-family: inherit;">Sam Moore</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (he of the great soul duo </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_%26_Dave" style="font-family: inherit;">Sam and Dave</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, now 82 years old) lit into his version of "America the Beautiful" with a choir backing him, my eyes watered and something inside of me swelled with pride for my country. Great acts followed including the Frontmen of Country, Lee Greenwood, 3 Doors Down, the Piano Guys, and a rocking performance by Toby Keith. After that concert any thoughts of gloom were behind me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Later that night I watched a documentary about the band Chicago who was one of my featured groups in the </span><b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> that I'll be announcing the winner of shortly. Somehow I thought that I'd stopped keeping track of Chicago after their second album and then watching the documentary I realized how much great music they'd put out over the years and that actually I do have some of their other albums on cassette tape. Seeing their story in this documentary shed new light on this great band which eventually found its earned place in the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame" style="font-family: inherit;">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Throughout Friday I was on a high with the Presidential Inauguration and all of the accompanying events. It was raining like crazy throughout the day where I live so it made it ideal for just sitting on the couch all day covered in blankets and watching television. Donald J Trump is now officially President of the United States and I and plenty of other people are happy about that. Others are not and I'll have a few more things to say about that in upcoming posts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Over the past weeks of posting I've lost 22 followers I guess and I would probably have lost more if more of those "following" the blog actually were reading my posts. And you know what--I don't particularly care. People who stop following you on a blog, or Facebook, or Twitter, or wherever are insincere intolerant people who are not worth having as followers. The people I like to call friends are those who accept me even if we don't agree and who are willing to have civil exchanges without being rude. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Tell other people the truth about what you think and you can find out a lot about the integrity of those people in how they respond.</span><br />&nbsp;.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Battle of the Bands Results</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fYr1q7Gdq_M/WIEDkiUFl7I/AAAAAAAAGNU/b_6x3bRBvrISmVaYGXboT9PRCkpm0peegCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fYr1q7Gdq_M/WIEDkiUFl7I/AAAAAAAAGNU/b_6x3bRBvrISmVaYGXboT9PRCkpm0peegCLcB/s320/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;My Battle featuring versions of "<a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/01/take-a-train-botb.html" target="_blank">Take the A Train</a>" by the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Delta_Rhythm_Boys" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Delta Rhythm Boys">Delta Rhythm Boys</a> and Chicago was almost unfair in my view. &nbsp;I'd have rather just called my vote a tie because I liked both of them equally. Actually I was hoping the final tally would have been such that I could have cast my vote to make the outcome a tie, but alas this did not happen. &nbsp;But it came close, so I'll cast a vote for Chicago to make it closer to a tie. <br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Final Vote Tally</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Delta Rhythm Boys &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;14</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Chicago &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 12</b></span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next Battle on Wednesday February 1st</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I'll have some more posts before the next Battle--and there are going to be a few more posts concerning some issues about the election. &nbsp;I have so much to discuss and I want to say it even if some folks don't want to hear it. &nbsp; But I guess it's about as good as talking about anything else. &nbsp;I suppose...<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; My next <b><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> is one that is partially&nbsp;shaded by elements of what I've been talking about in some recent posts and what has been on my mind not just recently, but for a long long time. &nbsp; Hope you'll at least check out that Battle to come which is among many things that are or might be coming soon. &nbsp; And that's my hint for the next song.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"> &nbsp;Did you happen to see the Inauguration Concert on Thursday or any of the events on Friday? &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Did anyone reading this participate in the protests on Saturday? &nbsp; Were you among those who visited my previous post on Islam and did not comment and if so, why?</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;"><h4 class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles</h4><ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0;"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://wtvr.com/2017/01/19/lee-greenwood-and-other-inauguration-performers-respond-to-backlash/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/376965466_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://wtvr.com/2017/01/19/lee-greenwood-and-other-inauguration-performers-respond-to-backlash/" style="background-image: none; 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font-size: large;">Please vote on <a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/01/take-a-train-botb.html" target="_blank">my current <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b></a> if you have not yet done so. &nbsp;Then continue with today's post if you dare...</span><br /><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wailing_Wall_by_Gustav_Bauernfeind.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, by Gustav Bauernfeind..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="453" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Wailing_Wall_by_Gustav_Bauernfeind.png/350px-Wailing_Wall_by_Gustav_Bauernfeind.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, by Gustav Bauernfeind (19th century). (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wailing_Wall_by_Gustav_Bauernfeind.png" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"></span>Warning: &nbsp;This Post Gets Extreme!</b></span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The post that follows is a continuation of </span><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/01/take-a-train-botb.html" target="_blank">Is Donald Trump Islamophobic?</a></i></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">--visit that post for the full set-up for my current post. &nbsp;However to briefly summarize, I would maintain that nothing that Donald Trump said during his campaign would deem him to be Islamophobic in any way and that furthermore the term "Islamophobia" is an absurd derogatory label that the left and others assign to those who disagree with Islam.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Also I would like to emphatically state that in no way do I condone any mistreatment of Muslims or their property for what they believe. &nbsp;They are free to believe as they wish. &nbsp;By the same token, I and others are free to have and state our opinions about Islam.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As promised in my previous post of my</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-style: italic;"><b><span style="color: blue;">&nbsp;</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;I am going to explain why I believe that&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">one of the most brilliant things that I think Donald Trump said during his campaign for president was</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: #111111;">“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on,”</span><span style="color: #111111;">&nbsp;</span></i></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: #111111;"><br /></span></i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why Brilliant?</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Most Americans know little to nothing about Islam. &nbsp;In fact it seems apparent that most of the non-Islam world knows much about this religion and they seem more than willing to accept great numbers of Muslim "refugees" into their countries with the expectation that they will all assimilate just fine into their cultures. &nbsp;Many in fact do and tend to live side by side without too many problems--on the surface of things that is.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Most Muslims living in the United States present little threat, but they are also very much a minority. &nbsp;In areas where their numbers are higher the problems sometimes become greater. &nbsp; The Council on Arab-Islamic Relations has become a somewhat radicalized advocate for Muslims making demands on communities, employers, schools, and other places to provide more accommodations for them rather than assimilating. &nbsp;Okay, I can understand this to some extent, but that is a beginning of something that could have more ominous future repercussions. &nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Much on this is well documented and can be found quickly through internet searches. Since I want to keep this post as short as I can I won't offer specific examples here, but perhaps in some future posts I can delve more deeply into the issues. &nbsp;However I will make reference to the numerous problems that have arisen in Europe with the rising numbers of Muslim immigrants. &nbsp; You've undoubtedly heard accounts in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and many other countries. &nbsp;The clash of cultures has become an issue of great concern throughout the world. &nbsp;Why?</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">There is a History</span></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The root of the problem is within the belief system. &nbsp; After the appearance of the Muhammadan belief in the seventh century, the movement spread quickly and often by violent conquest and forced conversions. &nbsp;A stated objective of the followers of Islam early on included a conquest and conversion of Europe. &nbsp;Through the Moorish invasion they were successful to some extent until Europeans regained control. &nbsp;The Crusades were a campaign to wrest control of the Holy Lands from the Islamic conquerors. &nbsp; There has been an ugly history between Christian and Muslim nations for centuries.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Many Americans are not aware that the first international conflict that confronted the newly founded United States was with Islamic terrorists in the Barbary Wars from 1801 to 1815. &nbsp; You may know this not as a war, but as attacks by the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_pirates" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Barbary pirates">Barbary pirates</a>. &nbsp; These were not pirates like we typically think of, but they were Islamist aggressors who attacked our merchant vessels, enslaving sailors, forcing them into conversion to Islam, or killing them. &nbsp;The line in the "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marines%27_Hymn" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Marines' Hymn">Marine Hymn</a>" that references "to the shores of Tripoli" is in regard to that particular conflict.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Our country has had various confrontations with Islamic aggressors over the the centuries, but it has reached the most serious proportions in recent decades. &nbsp;The United States has spent trillions of dollars fighting in Islamic countries and I think the issue that Donald Trump's question raises is why are we doing this? &nbsp; Oil? &nbsp;Our national security? &nbsp;Building democracies? &nbsp; What the hell is going on and why do we insist on interfering?</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Islamic extremists have become a threat to the United States and other countries, but haven't we brought a lot of this on ourselves by our interventions? &nbsp; The biggest threat from Islamic terrorist groups is probably to Muslims. &nbsp; There is so much disagreement and infighting among them that it's probably very unwise to get involved. &nbsp; Perhaps they need to sort this out among themselves and then the rest of the world needs to decide where things go after that.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Even certain reformers within Islam such as Egypt's President&nbsp;</span>Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have said that Islam has an internal problem. &nbsp; &nbsp;The United States nor any other non-Muslim country has little business in deciding the affairs of the Islamic nations unless those nations are a direct threat to us. &nbsp;Right now with Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and so many other hotbeds of contention we see Sunnis and Shiites fighting for control. &nbsp;We shouldn't be arming any of them or taking sides if we are not Muslim. &nbsp; Syria's Assad is an Alawite whose government has protected Christians and yet our government wants to oust him from the presidency even though there had been a relatively stable government there for years.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Let's face it, the Middle East is a mess and much of the world where Islam is in control is of a questionable nature in context with the rest of the world. &nbsp; With all of the Muslim nations that are available, why should Muslim refugees want to go to the non-Muslim nations? &nbsp;Once again this becomes part of the "what the hell is going on" question. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; When you get down to the heart of it all, Islam and Christianity and probably any other belief system are incompatible. &nbsp; Islam and Christianity are in direct opposition to each other when you delve into the beliefs of the two. &nbsp;To a Muslim, any one who isn't a believer of Islam is an infidel, lesser than they and deserving of death if they will not convert or subject to special taxes or other punitive measures. &nbsp;This may not be something that is necessarily made much of when they are in the minority, but nevertheless it is at the very core of the belief.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; If one is a follower of Jesus Christ and adheres to the words that Jesus spoke then there is, in the end, no tolerance for Islam since Jesus is the only way to the Father. &nbsp;The Christian should love the Muslim with hopes to reach them with the truth of the Gospel, but can a true Christian accept the Koran and its teaching? &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The common solution is to live and let live. &nbsp;Don't talk about it or if we do talk about it then accept each other's beliefs in some way--whichever way works. &nbsp; But in reality, if one is a true believer, does any way but One Way work? &nbsp; That is a problem that cultures living together must confront and ultimately can they?<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;If a Holy War such as what the groups like ISIS are striving to achieve actually came to pass, then would it be wise to have large numbers of non-western-conformed Muslims among us? &nbsp; Even Muslims who have been raised in our country: What happens when they become radicalized? &nbsp; Islam is planting a seed that can sprout with a vengeance when nurtured with extremist teaching. &nbsp;We've seen it happen.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Call to Figure It All Out</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hatred is not a good solution. &nbsp;But realistic thinking has to come into play. &nbsp;We must become better informed and discuss these issues among those with whom we agree as well as those on the other side. &nbsp;The governments of Muslim nations need to understand what divides them and what unites them as well as what divides and unites all of us. &nbsp; One world government and one world religion is an ominous solution that might be proposed by some and we must beware. &nbsp;This will likely be coming soon and what do you think that would entail?<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donald Trump's simplistic call to figure out "what the hell is going on" is in reality very complex when taken in view of the world and all of its systems of beliefs. &nbsp;Of course we may be seeing that "Holy War" coming sooner than many of us have hoped for if Trump's plan to move the United States embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. &nbsp; From a historical perspective I agree with this move. Bibically speaking I think it's an outstanding move since I am 100% pro-Israel. &nbsp;And right there I'm in dire opposition with many Muslims. &nbsp; If we do have a Holy War then we should not be harboring great numbers of Muslim refugees in the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, or any other non-Muslim country.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Perhaps my thinking is going to an apocalyptic extreme, but as a Christian I believe what I believe. &nbsp;It's there in the Bible (and not in the Koran or to my knowledge any other Islamic text). &nbsp;You can read it for yourself. &nbsp;Or you can dispute it as nonsense, fantasy, myth, or whatever. &nbsp; However I will leave you with this to think about: &nbsp; The situation with Israel and Jerusalem was foretold three thousand years ago. &nbsp;A prophecy that old should hold some credence even for those who don't believe it. &nbsp; I guess we'll see and the way things are shaping up we may be seeing soon.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> &nbsp; Do you think the prophecies about the Jews, Israel, and Jerusalem are more than coincidence? &nbsp; Why do you think Muhammad based his belief system on the same story as recounted by the Judeo-Christian tradition? &nbsp; Do you think it would make more sense for the Muslim refugees to relocate in other Muslim countries if safe zone cannot be established in the countries from where they are coming?</i></span></b><br /><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-85633989826443881412017-01-15T02:00:00.023-08:002017-01-15T02:00:05.855-08:00Take the A Train (BOTB)<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; My fascination with trains goes back to my childhood in the Fifties. &nbsp;My grandfather had worked for the railroad for a while and often talked to me about trains. &nbsp; The electric train set that my parents got me for Christmas in 1957 became a yearly tradition as the layout was set up around the Christmas tree. &nbsp; Each year my parents added new trains and accessories to that layout. &nbsp;If there had been enough room in our house, I would have loved to have kept my trains in operation throughout the year. &nbsp; I loved trains then and I remain transfixed by trains.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Olympian_circa_1927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Postcard of the &quot;New Olympian&quot; passe..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="216" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/The_Olympian_circa_1927.JPG/350px-The_Olympian_circa_1927.JPG" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Postcard of the "New Olympian" passenger train. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Olympian_circa_1927.JPG" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;When the metaphorical motto about "getting on the Trump train" came into use, it was something that I easily related to. &nbsp; The campaign was a wild ride, but a well organized ride with more people getting on board at each station stop. &nbsp;With the inauguration before us at the end of this week the real train ride begins. &nbsp;There's still time for more of us to get on board. &nbsp;I'm hoping for a pleasant ride over the next four years. &nbsp;I'm sure the opposition will continue to try to obstruct the progress of the journey, but this is a powerful train that is not likely to be easily deterred. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Still, many of you are not ready or at all interested on hoping aboard the Trump Train. &nbsp; So let's forget about that train for a while and ride a different train to a different place. &nbsp; Let's take the A Train down to Harlem...<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Battle of the Bands</span></b><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O9MIBsdufMw/WG_ZcotsS1I/AAAAAAAAGMs/LDIYlXS1h9QUKUOxKDxH3q02JBe09pAMQCLcB/s1600/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O9MIBsdufMw/WG_ZcotsS1I/AAAAAAAAGMs/LDIYlXS1h9QUKUOxKDxH3q02JBe09pAMQCLcB/s200/BATTLE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BBANDS%2521%2B%2528BOTB%2BTop%2BPhoto%2529.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Battle of the Bands</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">is</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">the blogging event started by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://farawayeyes1.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #b03300; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Far Away Series</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;now hosted by</span><u style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;"><i>&nbsp;</i><b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th. &nbsp; The premise is simple: &nbsp;Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. &nbsp;Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.</span><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_the_%22A%22_Train" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Take the &quot;A&quot; Train">Take the A Train</a></span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This is one of the signature tunes of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://musicbrainz.org/artist/c01557ad-d41e-4316-a285-605769e2ab3b.html" rel="musicbrainz" target="_blank" title="Duke Ellington &amp; His Orchestra">Duke Ellington Orchestra</a>. &nbsp;"Take the A Train" was composed by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Strayhorn" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Billy Strayhorn">Billy Strayhorn</a> and Duke's son <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercer_Ellington" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Mercer Ellington">Mercer Ellington</a> in order to circumvent high ASCAP broadcasting royalty fees. &nbsp;The title is a reference to taking the new A train rather than the D train as the best way get to Harlem and Sugar Hill from Brooklyn. A popular account says that the title was inspired by instructions that Duke gave to Strayhorn in order to get to his house.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Strayhorn claimed to have written lyrics for the song, but the first recorded vocal version had lyrics composed by (or for) <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Delta_Rhythm_Boys" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Delta Rhythm Boys">The Delta Rhythm Boys</a>, whose version I'm using as the first offering in my second Band Battle of 2017. &nbsp; For reference purposes, I've offered for your listening pleasure a 1943 version of Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performing the song in the film <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036306/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Reveille with Beverly">Reveille with Beverly</a></span></b>.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Don't Vote on this version, please!!! &nbsp; For reference only...</span></b><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cb2w2m1JmCY" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here are the versions to vote on...</span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Delta Rhythm Boys &nbsp;"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG9htI6yzSs" target="_blank">Take the A Train</a>" &nbsp;(1942?)</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I love this video! &nbsp;This version of "A Train" is a step back in time. &nbsp;Great harmonies done with style, "The A Train" doesn't get much better than this. &nbsp;Seeing as I can't hop on a time machine I'm happy to let this video take me back &nbsp; These guys are the real deal. &nbsp;What do you think?<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KG9htI6yzSs" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Chicago &nbsp;"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAQ8k8BD9Tw" target="_blank">Take the A Train</a>" (1995)</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; On <b><i>Night and Day</i></b>, their acclaimed album collection of big band standards, Chicago reached back into the past with updated recordings of classic jazz tunes. Chicago pays tribute to the big band sound while pushing into the realm of psychedelia as it goes into territory the "A Train" never went before. &nbsp;See if you think this is as cool as I think it is.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vAQ8k8BD9Tw" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Time To Vote!</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The song versions in this Battle were recorded over 50 years apart providing very different musical takes on the same song. &nbsp;Which version do you like the best? &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #545454;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:</span></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br style="line-height: 20.79px;" /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;<b><a href="http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;‘</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>YOUR</u>&nbsp;<u>DAILY</u>&nbsp;<u>DOSE</u></a></b></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">’&nbsp;</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;'</span><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://mikespainwrites.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>MIKE'S</u>&nbsp;<u>RAMBLINGS</u>'</a></b></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://curiousasacathy.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">'Curious as a Cathy'</a></b></u><br /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><u><br /></u></span></span><u style="color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="http://thesoundofonehandtyping.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sound of One Hand Typing</a></b></u><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://thedogladysden.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Doglady's Den&nbsp;</a></b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="https://angelsbark.wordpress.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Angel's Bark&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.cherdoontheflipside.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Cherdo on the Flipside&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://www.jinglejanglejungle.net/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jingle, Jangle, Jungle</a>&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b style="line-height: 20.79px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span></span><br /><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://jeffreyascott.blogspot.com/" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">J. A. Scott</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</b><br /><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 20.79px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;tahoma&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;freesans&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Winner Announced on Monday January 23rd</span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> There will be another couple of posts in my <a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html">President Trump Acclimation Series</a> in the upcoming week. They will continue to be harsh as have been the preceding two entries, though those posts generated some excellent discussion. My wish is not to condemn anyone or any group, but to inform and raise what I think are some important points that are often ignored by most people. Then on January 23rd it will be back to my more important concern, Battle of the Bands. At that time we'll see what you readers have opined about the two song versions to be voted on in the above post. Please vote!</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> &nbsp; Do you like trains? &nbsp; Have you ever taken a train trip or do you commute via train? &nbsp;Would you like to see a resurgence in affordable efficient passenger train travel? &nbsp;</span></i></b></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; 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display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Overnight train barrels off tracks in India while passengers sleep, killing at least 115</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1298594/at-least-44-dead-103-injured-as-trains-collide-in-iran" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/376090829_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1298594/at-least-44-dead-103-injured-as-trains-collide-in-iran" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; 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&nbsp; <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>&nbsp; &nbsp;If someone doesn't agree with an agenda they might be tagged with the label of a "phobia" in order to discredit their mental health and portray them as a not very reliable loon. &nbsp;This is a tactic typically used by the left and seems to easily take hold by a gullible society, a propagandist media, and the disingenuous agents of academia. &nbsp;False labeling that sounds clinical on the surface is nothing more than a dishonest ruse to promote leftist thinking and destroy those who disagree.</i></b></span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Islamophobia and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophobia" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Xenophobia">Xenophobia</a> and Donald Trump</span></b><br /><i><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;">A number of terms with the suffix&nbsp;</span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-phobia" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" title="-phobia">-phobia</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;">&nbsp;are used non-clinically...</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;">Such terms are not phobias. They are derogatory terms for negative&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attitude_(psychology)" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" title="Attitude (psychology)">attitudes</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;">&nbsp;towards certain categories of people or other things, used in an invalid&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogy" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" title="Analogy">analogy</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;">&nbsp;with the medical usage of the term. These terms were coined with the purpose of shedding a negative light on the people within these opposing groups, by suggesting that everyone within has an irrational fear towards the objects of the terms. Usually these kinds of "phobias" are described as fear, dislike, disapproval,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prejudice" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" title="Prejudice">prejudice</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;">,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatred" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" title="Hatred">hatred</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;">,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" title="Discrimination">discrimination</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;">, or hostility towards the object of the "phobia".</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobia#cite_note-47" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">[47]</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</sup></span></i><br /><sup class="reference" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Wikipedia</b></span></sup><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Now to continue with another installment of my&nbsp;<span style="color: #545454; font-family: times, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-style: italic;"><b><span style="color: blue;">&nbsp;</span></b></span><b style="color: #545454; font-family: times, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a></span></b>.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In this post we come to the final entries in what I've been referring to as "the litany of labels" that have continued to be assigned to Donald Trump and his supporters--xenophobic and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamophobia" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Islamophobia">Islamophobic</a>. &nbsp; The first of these is a legitimate term in psychology which has been misused by proponents of the Trump bashing movement. &nbsp;In truth there is no actual phobia at play in anything that Trump has been saying.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Building a wall and addressing the issues of illegal immigration are matters of law enforcement and have nothing to do with race or any fear of foreigners. &nbsp;Even though some <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Illegal immigration">undocumented workers</a> and others illegally in the U.S. might contribute to the tax coffers, there is no denying that the illegal immigrants and migrants of refugee status place a burden on the already overly encumbered American taxpayer. Beyond the financial aspects, which in some cases can be argued from a positive standpoint as much as a negative, there are still important issues of national security and stability of the nation. &nbsp;I won't get into depth on this extensive subject other than to point out that this is not an issue of xenophobia.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; However the deceptive accusation of "Islamophobia" might be not well understood by many. &nbsp;After all we have been repeatedly reminded that Islam is "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_of_Peace" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Religion of Peace">the religion of peace</a>" and terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Now before I continue, as an aside and to reiterate the sentiments I expressed in <b><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2017/01/an-agenda-to-gaily-slander-those-who.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a></b>, we should not harass or hurt those with whom we disagree. &nbsp;What I am saying in my post does not in any way condone verbally or physically attacking Muslims or vandalizing their property. They are entitled to believe as they wish as long as it doesn't interfere with what you and I wish to believe. &nbsp;Likewise I think that President-elect Trump would offer this same consideration.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Most Muslims are just plain folks like you or I. &nbsp;They want to work in their jobs, aspire for comfortable lives, and raise their families in peace without threat from their neighbors. &nbsp;The typical Muslim has been raised in their faith and most are likely moderate believers just like a good many of people who think of themselves as Christians. &nbsp;Probably the majority of Muslims in the United States have been westernized and do not isolate themselves from the rest of us with any religious garb or ostentatious prayer routines. &nbsp;Of course this is my guess and I can not actually verify this statement, but I think I'm probably correct. &nbsp;In all likelihood, if you had a Muslim neighbor you might never even know their religion unless they told you. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I can't say that I've had many long ongoing close relationships with any Muslims. &nbsp;A couple of them live in my neighborhood and though we are congenial when we encounter each other (which is rare), we don't have any close relations. &nbsp;But that is true with all of my neighbors--I don't socialize with any of them and that's just the way my wife and I are. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Once there was a beautiful young Muslim woman who was part of a study team I led at the University of Phoenix where I received my degree in 2007. &nbsp;This team consisted of three men--a Mormon, a Roman Catholic, and an atheist--and this one Muslim lady. We all got along very well and worked together to produce an excellent presentation for our class project. &nbsp; The lady was extremely nice, and though originally from Iran, she was very westernized and moderate in her practice of Islam. &nbsp;We had some interesting uncontentious discussions about our different religions when we weren't focused on working on our project.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I have nothing against Muslims on a one on one basis and would not desire to be in conflict with a Muslim any more than I want to be in conflict with anyone. &nbsp;I've always tried to be a peacemaker as well as a peaceful person. &nbsp;I like to listen to reason and take a rational approach to anything that I don't know much about in order to learn more.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;From the things Donald Trump said during the campaign I think he sounds like he takes a similar approach to other people. &nbsp; More than once Trump stated that he had good relationships with many Muslims and admired many of their accomplishments. &nbsp; His concern was always stated to be radical Islamic terrorism. &nbsp;To me this is a totally rational statement and has nothing to do with so-called "Islamophobia". &nbsp; <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Now, some will say that the phobia part comes from Trump's declaration of calling for a ban on Muslims coming to the U.S. from primarily Islamic countries. &nbsp;The "Muslim Ban" is how this came to be called. &nbsp; &nbsp;If you'll recall this ban was proposed immediately after the massacre in San Bernardino, California by two Muslims at a work-related Christmas party. &nbsp;The ban was offered as a security measure to prevent potential terrorists from coming to this country.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Not Islamophobia in my estimation, but wisdom. &nbsp; One of the most brilliant things that I think Donald Trump said during his campaign for president was&nbsp;<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: #111111;">“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on,”</span><span style="color: #111111;">&nbsp;</span></i></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: #111111;"><br /></span></i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111;"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</i>Why do I say "brilliant"? &nbsp; I'll tell you in the next part of my&nbsp;</span></span><span style="color: #545454; font-family: times, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: italic;"><b><span style="color: blue;">&nbsp;</span></b></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: times, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a>. &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This upcoming post just might be the most inflammatory of all of the posts in my series. &nbsp;You can decide for yourselves.&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; That next part will come next week--Wednesday maybe, since Friday is Inauguration Day, and I'm aiming for another post on that day. &nbsp; Of course this Sunday January 15th will be my special <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Battle of the Bands</span></b> Inauguration Day post so I might be stepping on that post by having another so soon after, but I'll put a BOTB reminder on any subsequent posts I might do that week.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Please do stop by on Sunday or shortly thereafter to vote on the BOTB post. &nbsp; I've got one heck of a classic song in store and I don't want anyone to miss that train before it leaves the station.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">&nbsp; Does using "phobia" as a derogatory reference annoy you? &nbsp; Do you think it's appropriate to use clinical terminology to describe things you might not like or agree with? &nbsp; Have you ever disliked someone for what they were rather than who they were?</span></i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-23588559601775814432017-01-11T02:00:00.000-08:002017-01-11T02:00:21.838-08:00An Agenda to Gaily Slander Those Who Disagree<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> If you aren't willing to stand up for what you believe in, you might lose your right to believe it. &nbsp;A vocal opposition will drown out the voice crying in the wilderness if you allow that to happen.</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></i></b><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><b><span style="color: blue;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; And so continues my series of posts that I've called the&nbsp;</span></b></span><b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-would-you-like-to-talk-about.html" style="color: #b03300; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">President Trump Acclimation Series</a><span style="font-style: italic;">&nbsp;where I clarify and try to correct some of the issues that have arisen in the minds of some who have questioned why I voted for Trump. &nbsp; &nbsp;My</span></span></b></span><i style="color: blue; font-family: times, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif;"><b>&nbsp;reason for doing this series is that I'm annoyed with the continuous reciting of the litany of labels that come from the anti-Trump crowd--racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, and so on.&nbsp;</b></i><br /><i style="color: blue; font-family: times, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif;"><b><br /></b></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rainbow_flag.svg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="A variant of the rainbow flag, symbolizing the..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="184" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Rainbow_flag.svg/350px-Rainbow_flag.svg.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A variant of the rainbow flag, symbolizing the gay rights movement in the United States. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rainbow_flag.svg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><i style="color: blue; font-family: times, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b></b></i><br /><i style="color: blue; font-family: times, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b></b></i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is Donald Trump a Homophobe?</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; At no time during the campaign did I hear any anti-gay comments from Donald Trump. &nbsp;The continual outcries declaring that he displayed "homophobic" sentiments are false. &nbsp; Some make the claim that Trump's selection of Mike Pence demonstrated an anti-<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="LGBT">LBGTQ</a> attitude. &nbsp; Throughout the campaign I heard Trump assure voters that he would stand against any persecution of the gay community and support the laws as they stand. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Say what you will, there was little discussion of LBGTQ issues in Trump's campaign in any one way or another. &nbsp;It was not an issue so far as I am aware so the "homophobic" label is just another lie that was spewed by leftist media and the Trump opposition and the label continues to be falsely thrown at Donald Trump.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Now To Step Into Dangerous Territory...</span></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Let me begin by saying that I do not think that anyone should be bullied, persecuted, or ostracized for what they want to believe. &nbsp;What I am about to say in this post actually puts me in this very position, but that's fine with me. &nbsp;I've already set myself up for condemnation by declaring my support for Donald Trump so what else can happen? &nbsp; Plenty I suppose, including having this blog deleted or at the very least losing more followers. &nbsp; We live in a highly intolerant society and this intolerance seems to be more aimed at Christians and Conservatives more than any other group. &nbsp;Say what you will about this, but I believe this to be true.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The clear fact is that there are some, Christians as well as others, who believe that homosexuality and the other sexual inclinations are wrong. &nbsp;This is true especially among those who strongly adhere to what they believe that the Bible clearly states. &nbsp;In our time there are some more free thinking types who might consider themselves Christians who have reinterpreted what they read in the Bible or merely dismiss what the Bible says about homosexuality and other sexual sin. &nbsp;In the context of our society we are all free (so far) to choose how we believe. &nbsp;However in the end God will decide what to do about all of this. &nbsp; As a Bible believing follower of Jesus Christ I accept the literal teaching of the Bible and do not accept interpretations that conform to what society desires or what individuals decide for themselves.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I realize that this is not a popular perspective with many people and abhorrent to the left. &nbsp;I will stand by my belief and defend anyone else who believes as I do. &nbsp;But at the same time I will not discriminate toward those who believe otherwise. &nbsp;Having spent many years in the entertainment industry, I was associated with many gays as co-workers and clientele. &nbsp;Most of them were nice folks who were highly talented. &nbsp;Since many of my cast members in the shows I managed were homosexual, I had lengthy associations and developed friendships with many of them. &nbsp;We got along well together and accepted each other for who we were. &nbsp;However, I never approved of their lifestyles and that aspect of their lives was something I avoided.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Our society seems to insist that the gay or whatever lifestyle should not only be accepted by all of us, but it should also be promoted and celebrated. &nbsp;Some of us feel that we have the right to disagree and often must suffer negative consequences for our beliefs. &nbsp;Businesses that don't wish to participate in a gay agenda are often boycotted or worse. &nbsp;Individuals who speak out against what they see as sinful behavior might be taunted for what they believe and in some cases ruined.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The "phobia" label is often used to sully the reputations of good people who see things in a different way than what popular culture is trying to promote. &nbsp;Is that right? &nbsp; I don't believe it is anymore right than the persecution of anyone for how they see things. &nbsp;And yet that seems to be the direction that much of our society is taking. &nbsp; Hatred for anyone is wrong, but it is not the exclusive attitude of any one side. &nbsp;Sure, we might abhor a behavior or despise a belief system, but if we start hating others then no lessons are learned and no true peace is gained. <br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This is as far as I'll go with this topic for now as I've strayed from the issue of Trump and likely set myself up as a bad guy in some eyes. &nbsp; I have no control over what some of you might think of me beyond my just keeping quiet about what I believe. &nbsp; If you don't like what I've said here then you just dump me or you can feel free to state your case in the comments. &nbsp;Remember though that I've been civil in this post and if you assault me with abuse then you are solidifying the case I've made here.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">&nbsp;Did you ever hear Donald Trump say anything that you would consider "homophobic"? &nbsp; &nbsp;Should people be allowed to maintain unpopular beliefs without facing abusively negative reactions from others? &nbsp; &nbsp;Do you feel the Bible is always right, is it a malleable document that can be interpreted to fit what we want, or is it of little relevance in our time?</span></i></b><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com55
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