'Cry Me a River' - Trump's Sob Story

Good Day World!

Time for a pacifer.

Why would anyone vote for a racist demagogue that cries every time things don't go his way?

Donald Trump's current sob story has to do with the GOP's delegate system. He doesn't like the way it's set up and claims it's "rigged" and "corrupt." 

If Trump had bothered to do his homework before soiling his diaper, or hire someone to do it for him, he would have understood the whole system and wouldn't be blubbering about it now.

It's no mystery. Trump however, doesn't like rules that he didn't make up himself. So to change the narrative, and keep it dumbed down for his core followers, he's crying foul.

Why not? He's the only man I've ever seen in the public eye that can lie without blinking an eye! Then he doubles down on the lie. By the time the lie is exposed, he moves on taking his loyal Trumpetts with him down the Yellow Brick Road.

It's amusing watching a billionaire who is use to getting his own way all the time, creating chaos within the Republican party and then telling the leadership he's going to unite them.

His experience as a reality star, via the Apprentice, has earned him TV fans who are following their hero wherever he goes.

The emperor has no clothes, but the faithful don't care.

The author of the book "Primary Politics" Elaine Camarck, explains how the modern nominating process works. When asked about Trump's accusations she didn't mince any words;

"Trump's out of his f***ing mind. Every single presidential candidate except for him knows what this system is. It’s not corrupt. It’s the system by which the parties pick their nominee. Parties are protected under the First Amendment’s freedom of assembly. No American is forced to participate."

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Seeking Dreamland: The Joy of Sleeping

(Illustration by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin - Hermitage, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8494653)

Good Day World!

Dreaming about a full night's sleep. Even a good nap. What a pleasure that can not be bought! 

No amount of money will induce Morpheus to come to you until he's ready.

Earnest Hemingway once said, "I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"

Homer said; "There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep."

Some wits have cures for people who have trouble sleeping. For example W.C.Fields claimed; "The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep."

Sometimes sleep comes unbidden, when exhaustion takes it's toll. Take the story of the FedEx ground worker who found himself in mid flight after an unexpected nap:

Airplane Stowaway Turns Out to be FedEx Worker Who Fell Asleep

We need to sleep. It's as important as breathing for a well rounded life.

What Happens to Your Body When You're Sleep Deprived?

 Thomas Dekker summed up the importance of sleep nicely:

"Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together."

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Great News for Conservatives, Republicans, and Libertarians! Sort of...

Good Day World!

Have I got great news for America's Conservatives/Republians and Libertarians!

(Vit Jedlicka, self-declared president of Liberland, fourth from left, poses with flag and supporters of the Liberland idea Serbia, on May 1, 2015.AP)

You all better sit down for this one. How'd you like to live in a place where there are no mandatory taxes? I'm about to help you realize your dream!

Welcome to Liberland: The Tax-Free Start-Up State Between Croatia and Serbia.

The founders of Liberland aim to create a state where "the economy and the government are separated" and people can live without government interference, Liberland's self-proclaimed president Vit Jedlicka told NBC News recently.

The idea is to introduce voluntary taxes and crowdfunding for government projects — all under the motto "To Live and Let Live."

Sounds great eh? One little problem...

While this free-market enclave may seem like a libertarian utopia to some, neither Jedlicka nor the 400,000 people who have registered for citizenship on the country's official Facebook page can actually travel to their own turf.

Bottom line.

I guess that die-hard Copnservatives, Republicans, and Libertarians will just have to put up with things as they currently are here in America, or at least until Liberland becames a reality.

No worry. We've managed thus far. 

Time for me to walk on down the road...

I'm guilty of anthropomorphizing animals - Are You?

Good Day World!

I'm guilty!

I treat animals like they were humans. Animal lovers are like that...yeah they are. 

In my defense, it's not uncommon to anthropomorphize animals and ascribe their behavior to human emotions.

Take the above photo for example: CLAIM: A photograph shows a female wolf protecting a male's throat during a fight.

ORIGIN:A photograph purportedly showing a female wolf "pretending" to be scared so that she could protect a male wolf's throat during a fight started recirculating on the internet after it was posted to the web site Reddit in April 2016. While the photograph is real, the caption often associated with it is incorrect.

All three wolves in the photograph are male, and the "female wolf" in the image wasn't trying to protect the male wolf's throat. According to Cameron Feaster (a wolf specialist), this photograph was simply taken at the moment one wolf backed away and accidentally bumped into another. (Via Snopes.com)

I have to admit, I thought the idea of a female wolf protecting her mate was super cool and believable. But there you have it; I'm one of those people that tend to treat animals like humans.

Sometimes I go overboard in my beliefs about animals, but reality usually kicks in, and I discover the rest of the story! 

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Skateboard Memories: Step Aside for the Big Kahuna!

Good Day World!

My first skateboard (1957) was red, and had metal wheels. 

The Roller Derby #10 Skateboard was narrow and often unpredictable.

Like a puppy, my feet were too big for my body and when the early sixties rolled around I was looking for a bigger platform for my gunboats (Dad called them that and predicted I'd be tall).

That's when I made my own skateboard. I modeled it after a surfing manufacturer in Southern California Hobie, who started turning out skateboards that resembled small surfboards.

Hobart Alter began making skateboards in 1962 and by 1964 he teamed up with the Vita Pakt juice company to create Hobie Skateboards. Alter went on to sponsor the Hobie Super Surfer skateboard team. (Wikipedia)

I made my board in wood shop as a school project. I recall talking my teacher into it. It was red with a yellow stripe down the middle. I bought some of the popular clay wheels at the time made by a manufactuer called Chicago.

No one knows who made the first skate/surfboard. The story goes that California surfers got bored when there were flat waves and took the sport to the pavement via modified skateboards.

By 1964 the first skateboard magazine, The Quarterly Skateboarder (wished I'd have saved that collection of just four issues!) came out.

Publisher John Severson wrote an editorial suggesting that skateboarders were pioneers in a new sport. I liked the idea of being a pioneer. 

But hard times hit shortly thereafter, as bad press dogged skateboards with stories of terrible accidents and what a public nuisance they were. 

They made a comeback in the early 1970's, and as you know, they're still popular today. 

They've almost evolved in the 21st century. Hoverboards were all the rage last Fall, that is until their lithium batteries suddenly ignited and started fires.

So, it's back to the pavement for dedicated borders. As much as I'd like to ride on one today, it's just not possible with my bad knees. I'll stick with my memories.

Time for me to walk on down the road....

Greeting Each Day Like A Long Lost Friend

                                    Good Day World!

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." 

Purveyors of positivity love to use this phrase to motivate people. It's a great sound byte. You can set out on a journey with that sentiment.

Or, not.

I prefer to greet each day like a long lost friend. A continued challenge from which I emerge daily, still kicking at 65 years-old. 

I try to stay serene each 24-hour span. Alert, but relaxed. Happy and hopeful. Humble and compassionate. Blissfully occuping the hours, but focused on the moment.

Reality can challenge serenity. We all know that. People die every day. The homeless and hungry wander the world waiting for death or salvation.

The first day of my life was November 7th, 1950. Not today.

I cannot let my past trail behind me like an orphan. My experiences have formed me, filling this earthly vessel with the essense of who I am.

I would deny this if I claimed each day was my first. I guess it's just a matter of perspective. Thanks for reading this simple essay.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Presidential campaign rhetoric is 'building a wall' between students in schools

A Catholic bishop in Indiana denounced the Andrean High School students who waved a picture of Donald Trump and shouted “Build a wall!” at their opponents from a largely Hispanic school in nearby Hammond, Feb. 26, 2016. (Photo: Jonathan Miano/The Times via AP) 

                                  Good Day World!

The presidential elections started out bad, then got worse.

One hate-infused promise spewed from the mouth of Donald Trump - "I'm going to build a wall between Mexico and the USA" - is now causing chaos in classrooms across the country.

The Republican party is in shambles trying to deal with the Trump train. The fallout is hitting classrooms like a meteor shower.

Traditionally, previous presidential elections were teachable moments for third, fourth, and fifth grade civic lessons. Not this one.

Teachers are afraid to even talk about the presidential campaign with their students for fear of losing control or getting an email from a parent accusing them of talking politics. 

How ironic is that?

Teachers say that it's the scathing rhetoric that worries them. 
According to a new report from the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project, the primaries are having a negative effect on students.

Recent reports of Indiana high schoolers chanting “Build a wall!” during a basketball game against a largely Hispanic team, or third graders in Virginia warning their “immigrant” classmates that they’ll be sent home when Trump is elected, are the kind of things traceable to the hate rhetoric rolling off of Trump's (and Cruz to a less degree) tongue.

While the report finds that “children of color, in particular, are being deeply traumatized,” other students appear to be “emboldened by the divisive, often juvenile rhetoric” heard on the campaign trail. 

More than a third of teachers reported hearing an increase in anti-Muslim or anti-immigrant comments, and more than half say their students have become increasingly unable to engage in civil political discourse.

Never has there been a more devisive presidential primary than this one. If Trump becomes the GOP nominee the fissues that he's caused thus far in our society will become ravines.

Worse yet, if Trump is elected president, we can expect a regime that will destroy the very foundation of Democracy and everything this country stands for.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Stairway To Court: Led Zeppelin Trial May Change Rock 'n Roll History!

Good Day World!

One of the most successful rock songs of all time now has to stand the test of time in court.

At issue?

A lawsuit was brought in 2014, 43 years after Stairway To Heaven" was released (1969), on behalf of the late Randy California, a guitarist (and composer of "Taurus") for the group Spirit.

A judge ruled last week that a jury must decide whether the British rockers ripped off the opening licks of "Taurus," which was recorded by Spirit.

The trial is slated to get underway on May 10th. The case is Skidmore v.Led Zeppelin, 15-cv-03462, U.S. District Court, Central istrict of california (Los Angeles)

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Kobe scores 60 points and the winning game shot to exit a winner!

Good Day World!

It was tough watching Kobe Bryant play his last game for the Los Angeles Lakers tonight but...

Kobe scored 60 points and led the Lakers to a win over the Utah Jazz for the 1st time in the season. He made the winning shot to exit a winner!)

I've been a Laker fan for over a half century and had the honor of watching legendary players like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Bob McAdoo, Magic Johnson, Karrem Abdul Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Kurt Rambis, James Worthy, Gail Goodrich, Shaquille O'Neil, Eddie Jones, Bryon Scott, and...

now Kobe Bryant.

I've always considered him an exceptional player, but I didn't always like Kobe the man. 

He wasn't a player I would have approached for an autograph; unlike Kurt Rambis who gave me one during the Laker's preseason workouts at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California.

It was only at the end of his career - the last three years specifically - that Kobe started showing signs he was not such a bad guy afterall.

Age will do that. The Black Mamba got reflective as injuries sidelined him the last three seasons. 

I expect to see Kobe in the Basketball Hall of Fame. He has a lock on it. After tonight's game against the Utah Jazz, Kobe will have a lock on becoming a legend in his own time!

Time for me to walk on down the road...

My Ghost Story: Believe It, Or Not

Good Day World!

After 65 years, I've learned not to write off stories about the supernatural. Our world is full of mysteries.

I first discovered this when I was six-years-old.

One day while playing in my bedroom a man suddenly appeared. One moment nothing. The next he was four-feet away and looking at me solemnly.

Surprisingly, I was not afraid. I was more puzzled than anything and wondered why he was dressed so funny. I think I said "hi," or something to that effect with no results.

Now your probably thinking, "Oh he just had a vivid imagination and thought he saw something." 

Fair enough. I did have a vivid imagination. I won't deny that. But here's some food for thought;

When I saw my Mother shortly after seeing the ghost I told her about him. My mother was a healthy skeptic but agreed to try and draw the man if I would describe him to her.

I would like to note that my mother - who passed away four years ago - was a very talented person who could play the piano like a pro, and was a very good artist.

We sat down at the kitchen table and I began describing the man I saw. After just a few minutes she stopped and looked at me strangely.

I could tell something was troubling her, but she wanted me to go on with my description. She probed every detail of his clothing, face, ect., sometimes asking me to repeat what I said.

As I talked she was sketching with a charcoal pencil onto a blank sheet of paper. A portrait began to develope. The man's hat, his jacket, his boots and sword. A dark bearded face, creased with wrinkles, was soon looking back at me from the sketch.

When I finished my narrative, after noting his uniform was gray, my Mother sat there, tapping the pencil in a mindless rhythm for several moments.

"What was on the man's belt buckle?" she asked one more time.

"Letters," I repeated. "CSA." I did know my ABC's.

She finally let her guard down and admitted she was astonished. I was in first grade and my class certainly hadn't learned anything about the Civil War yet.

Maybe on TV you wonder? We didn't have one. This was 1956. We had a radio, which I never listened to. Music wasn't one of my interests.

When my father came home from work he looked at the drawing my Mother made and shook his head in wonder.

"How is that possible?" he asked her.

Mom didn't have an answer to that. I felt like I did something wrong the way they were talking about the man, and how could I have made up a story like that?

The incident/sighting has slipped into my past. Like a ghost returning to a nameless void after trying to make contact with a six-year old boy.

The drawing my mother made that day was lost in numerous moves over the decades. I remember she went back and colored it in with gray pencil, and kept it with a stack of favorite watercolors she did.

I'm not asking you to believe anything. It was one of the strangest incidents in my life and I'll always wonder why that Confederate Cavalry officer (my Dad was a Civil War buff and came to that conclusion) appeared to me.

One more thing...NO, Dad didn't have any illustrated books on the Civil War laying around the house.

Time for me to walk on down the road...