Midweek Muse Continues To Inspire

Top of the day to you fellow citizens of the world!
It's another day to be creative and still take time to smell the flowers. I sent in another As It Stands column to the Times-Standard yesterday - A Race for the Future and one for the Past. The editor now has a choice of what to run for the next month! Of course I can't just stop writing. There's still the McKinleyville Press. Yesterday's As It Stands in there was titled: No Mooning in McKinleyville. Next week's column is on Tree-shrews who can out booze any human! I think readers will get a laugh from that one.
Then there's my New (as yet untitled) Book that is steaming along like a locomotive rolling through a landscape of words and pages!
There's unlimited potential out there right now, and not just for me. If you choose to, you can keep me company. Life's way too short not to take advantage of every hour you are awake.
I start every morning with s short prayer thanking God for the day and committing myself to missions - no matter how big or small - I tackle them all.

A Famous Quote

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
- Albert Schweitzer

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HERE'S A THOUGHT

All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once they grow up." -Pablo Picasso

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DID YOU KNOW?

That a grizzly bear can run as fast as a horse?

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Words Of Warning

"The squeaking wheel doesn't always get the grease. Sometimes it gets replaced!"

-Vic Gold

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The Power of Love and Humor

"Among those that I love and admire I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh."
-WH Auden

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What's Next for As It Stands?

A good day to you who are taking the time to view this blog.
Here's some of the subjects coming up in future As It Stands columns:

1) Presidential libraries, Charities, and Corruption

2) Prosthetic Ears, Thieves, and Payback

3) A race for the Future and one for the Past

I'm not sure what the T-S editor will run this coming Sunday. So stay tuned.

I'm sending out positive vibes today to my friend Glenn. We all need a boost now and then. If you want to make some comments on this blog just email me at:
richstan1@suddenlink.net
I really have had trouble figuring out how to get a traditional blog going where readers can input daily. Plus, I have to admit that monitoring something like that, and risking spam attacks, doesn't sound so good to me. So instead, I offer my email address for reader comments.
I was going to put ads on this blog but the more I think about it the less it sounds like a good idea. Too commercial. At first the idea of so-called desk top publishing seemed alright. But the more I pondered it the less appealing it became. So you don't have to worry about any stupid ads in this blog.
My mission today is to work on my new book. It continues to flow like a steady river and the words splash across the screen like Salmon mating!

HERE'S A THOUGHT

"To achieve the impossible dream try going to sleep."

-Joan Klempner
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Confucius Say...

"To be wrong is nothing unless you continue to remember it."

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SOMETHING FUNNY

A 94-year-old man was arrested in a vice sweep for soliciting a hooker. This is what happens when Medicare covers Viagra!"

-David Letterman
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Another idiot Bush Quote

"And one thing we want during this war on terror is for people to feel like their lives are moving on. That they're able to make a living and send their kids to college and put more money on the table."
-Jan.16, 2007
-in an interview with Jim Lehrer

Happy Maniac Monday Readers!

This just in....I've received four emails regarding yesterday's As It Stands column on, "A President With PTSD?" Three liked the column and the fourth went ballistic on me and demanded I "recant" my column!
Interestingly enough the person was a Republican who didn't believe his nominee for the White House could have PTSD. Apparently he thinks McCain is exempt from what affects other human beings who are tortured for years.
I really wish my column was more accesible in the Online version of The Times-Standard. Only readers with subscriptions can see it, which I fear narrows down the potential audience. I guess there's a lesson to be learned here. Nothing in life is perfect.
Today I plan on picking up where I left off on my new book. I'm also going to make some stew - which should be easy as we have a crock pot. I just have to throw all the makings in and...hopefully a good tasting stew!

HERE'S A THOUGHT

Long term goals keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures.

Famous Quote of The Day

"Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry."

A Funny Look at World News

Barrack Obama recently gave a speech in Germany and 200,000 people attended. There were so many Germans shouting that France surrendered just in case!

As It Stands Debut II

It was nice to see the Online edition with my column, but I have mixed feelings about reader access to it right now. Let me explain.
When you Google up the Times-Standard you get a front page that is only partly updated with the day's content. For example, if you wanted to read my column today you wouldn't see it under Opinion. The content in that area is nearly all past postings. However, if you subscribe to the Times-Standard Online Edition (their E-Edition) you'll be able to actually read the entire current newspaper. Opinion and all.
My problem is that I feel like many readers aren't going to be able to find me Online. Of course, I have no say on how things are done with the T-S. They've managed to get by without my advise for a long time.
It's just kinda ironic that the Eureka Reporter's Online edition is always updated and free to anyone who Googles the publication. I say that because the reputation they have as right-wing conservative platform still offers the public equal free access to the publication.
Maybe things will change.Who knows? Right now I'm going with the flow. I really have no complaints. I've already heard good things about today's column from my veteran activist buddy Carl Young who has emailed it out to people he knows.

FOR THE RECORD
You can Google my past columns in the Eureka Reporter by checking out their archives and putting in "As it Stands" with their search engine. Enjoy!

COMMENTS ABOUT THIS BLOG CAN BE SENT TO:
richstan1@suddenlink.net

Back again with some thoughts

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with success."

-H.D.Thoreau

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Another Idiot Bush Quote

"I'm the master of low expectations."

aboard Air Force One
06/04/2003

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Reminder From God

"Forget all sense of failure and shortcomings, all the painful jolts, just trust Me, love Me, call upon Me."
-Two Listeners

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HERE"S A THOUGHT

"How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct."

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OR TWO
"A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends."

-Baltasar Gracian
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Confucius Say....

"The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue."

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As It Stands debuts in Times-Standard

Well readers the switch has come and As It Stands takes a new journey now within the pages of the 150 year-old Times-Standard. What an honor.
My photo may scare some people away as I'm not exactly Mr. Hollywood, but once they start reading I think they'll enjoy the content. Or not. maybe they'll disagree with it, which is fine of course. Debate is healthy and I don't expect readers to always agree with me.
I just state the case and let my readers chew it over and see if it's palatable or not. That's the nature of any opinion column.
I did notice that the Times-Standard Online edition isn't updated this morning and I do wonder if - and when - it will be. Traditionally when As It Stands hits the web world it travels with the speed of light.
Shirley and I had a nice day and evening with our granddaughter Carissa. Mom and Dad will be picking her up in a couple of hours. She's so smart at 16 months-old! Her facial expressions can melt your heart. Her curiousness with the world around her is catching and you find yourself looking at the world through her innocent eyes.

The Weekend Has Arrived

I'm looking forward to another day as I sip my coffee. Shirley and I are getting Carissa, our granddaughter today while Mom and Dad go play.
I started a new book yesterday. I don't even know what's going to happen. I just started writing and this story line is slowly emerging. It's amazing. I wish I could explain how smoothly the words are flowing into images and action. The main character is a 16-year-old boy named Dylan. The story opens up with Dylan hiding under a wooden porch as a group of murderers discuss their thrill kills!
Tomorrow is the big day for my column - As It Stands. It'll be premiering in the Times-Standard with - A President With PTSD? The editor selected this one to start with from the three columns I gave her. I'm really looking forward to the responses.
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HERE'S A THOUGHT....

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."
-Albert Einstein
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SOMEONE TOLD ME...

To alway be aware of any helpful item that weighs less than it's operating manual!

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The Emails Just Keep Coming!

A good day to you and may it bring you unexpected good fortune.
I continue to receive emails from Satanists who are upset that I wrote about them. They prefer to carry on behind the scenes and don't like it when someone exposes them to public scrutiny. The sheer volume of emails really surprises me. Once again I have exposed a nerve in America. That's my mission. I want people to be aware of things that go on around them, even if it means writing about cult types.
I'm still not sure which of the three columns I turned in to The Times-Standard will run this coming Sunday. I like leaving that decision up to the editor as I feel she has the public's pulse and timing is important.
I've decided to start a new book today. Instead of a sequel to the one I finished last year - PTSD Diary - I've decided to go off in a new (and slowly forming) direction. The inspiration for this came out of nowhere. My Muse is leading me into a new adventure where my words will construct a story, much like a carpenter building a house. I don't need an outline - like I was taught to use in school - because the words come tumbling out unbidden and somehow they form (with time) into a complete story. That's the way PTSD Diary was written. Inspiration.
I've learned not to struggle against this method. Instead I go with the flow.
Onward and Upward.
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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

"You can't cross a sea by merely staring into the water."

- Rabindranath Tagore

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Another idiot Bush Quote

"I understand there's a suspicion that we - we're too security conscience."

Washington DC
April 14, 2005

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REMINDER FROM GOD

"Love and laughter, not a sorrowful resignation mark real acceptance of MY will."

- Two Listeners

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Einstein Once Said....

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."

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QUOTE FOR TODAY

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you."
-MAX DePree

Reminders from GOD

Face the day's problems with Me - and seek my help and guidance - as to what you can do.
-from the TWO LISTENERS

CONFUCIOUS SAY...

"Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be a failure.

Here's a Thought

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe."
- ANATOLE FRANCE

A Good Place To Be

Good morning blog buddies!
It's another beautiful day and I'm ready to play the merry game of life. I hope you are too, because there's an awful lot to do!
My most recent As It Stands column - A President with PTSD? has been submitted for publishing. I'm not sure which column the editor is going to lead off this Sunday as my premier one with the Times-Standard. I suspect this one, however, will be controversial. I wonder out loud if McCain has PTSD.
I've already been on the phone with my veteran activist and dahlia-lover friend Carl Young. We generally work out all the problems in the world in our morning conversations so that we're both free to enjoy the rest of the day!
I'm looking into writing a column about the latest news on cell phones - They may cause Cancer!
The head of a prominent cancer institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and Staff: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. This warning comes from Dr. Ronald B. Herbeman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center.
Herbeman based his alarm on early unpublished data and suggested that brain tumors could be the result of long-term use of exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
I'll be researching this topic with an eye towards a column.

Today's NEWS ALERT

The ground is shaking in Asia as a 6.8 earthquake rocks the main Japanese island of Honshu!
Pray for the people!

A Day for Reflection

My wife Shirley and our
grandaughter Carrisa. 2008

It amazes me how fast things can change in your life.
It was just three years ago when I was buried in my bunker of misery - PTSD getting the better of me - and I saw few reasons to be happy.
Now I'm in the happiest time of my life and I feel like I'm part of the human race again.
My ability to write has re-surfaced from the quagmire of my isolation and insecurity. The words now fly, like a flock of Herons, across the skyline of my word processor. Everything is a little brighter. My mission now is to free the words from the captivity of my imagination and to let them run rampant across my columns like a herd of buffalo.
I feel real good about the move to The Times-Standard as they are a 150 year-old newspaper that is widely read here in Humboldt County.
I hope I can meet their expectations.
I want them to know I appreciate their adding me to their staff of writers, and that I'll give them my best efforts.

LITERARY QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"What is character but the determination of incident? What is the illustration of character?"
Par Lagerkvist (Swedish Writer)

RELATIONSHIPS & HUMOR

"Behind every successful man is a surprised woman."
Maryon Pearson

Its Official Folks!

My As It Stands column has been moved to to Times-Standard and will appear in their Sunday Opinion Page this weekend on July 27, 2008!

The editor will be doing a promo on me this week introducing me to their readers.
I'm pleased with the contract we signed, the money offered, and the potential it has for growth.
Times-Standard is owned by MediaNews Inc. a big newspaper chain.

It's one more small step to national syndication. My challenge is to continue turning out columns that educate, entertain, and stimulate people to reply to them with their comments via emails or letters-to-the editor.

Onward and Upward...

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

It's good to be alive.
My last column continues to rack up the Online hits at The Eureka Reporter. Over 4200 at last count.
I've also received numerous emails. I make it a point to answer them all. Good or bad, with "Thanks for your input," and some comments. I think that's only right and everyone seems to appreciate it.
Today I'm working on a column about Pain At The Pump.
So far I've gathered several sources of information and will continue to research it today - with the goal of finishing it today.
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There's a lot going on in the world today of interest.
Some headlines;
Batman Star Allegedly Assaults own Mom

Salmonella Found in Jalapeno Peppers

Obama Arrives in Jordan

Wachovia loses $8.86 billion, Slashes Jobs

Fannie, Freddie Bailout May Have $25 million Tag

QUOTE FOR THE DAY
"I write whenever it suits me. During a creative period I write every day; a novel should not be interrupted."

Francois Mauriac
(French Writer)

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BUSH QUOTES
"For NASA space is still a high priority."

G.W. Bush Sept.5,1993
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WHO's BABY IS THAT?

A single, blond, pregnant girl goes to the grocery store. A couple that she knows notices she's pregnant. The lady asks, "Who's baby is that?"
The blond says, "Well I don't know for sure. They are going to take bloods tests, but I think it's mine."

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SOME THINKS TO THINK ABOUT

"Does the reverse side also have a reverse side?"

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A Satanic Surge results from Column

Back again.
I have been deluged with emails from so-called Satantists and the Online version of the Eureka Reporter where it appeared - has gathered over 3000 hits in 24 hours! Looks like I touched another nerve central in America.
That, of course, is my goal. To make people think about things. To entertain them and to educate them them. To challenge them and to make them laugh.
Sometimes - like this case of the Satanic surge - I get lots of hate mail. That's fine. One has to expect that. It's only part of the game.
I have a mission to write. That's what I do. That's who I am. A writer.
I love words and their ability to make us dream and think critically on paper for all to see. They are my personal vanguard to the world as I sit behind my word processor and pour out my soul daily.

CHANGE COMING SOON
Sometime this week I expect to be announcing a change in publications for my column
AS IT STANDS.
Stay tuned. It's a step up.

STILL WORKING ON ADS
Google wanted a domain name that I own so I got one - davesblogcentral.com
It'll be another day or two before this link is available but when it is I should be able to get ads and start that process. This is my experiment in Desk Top Publishing and I don't expect to get rich from it.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"But truly, I have wept too much.
The Dawns are heartbreaking.
Every moon is atrocious and every sun is bitter."

Arthur Rimbaud
(French Poet)

HERE'S A THOUGHT

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?"

BATMAN BREAKS BOX OFFICE RECORDS with $155.3 Million weekend
I can remember reading comics with my brother-in-law/and one of my best friends in the world-Tom Holloway-back in the sixties.
We use to spend hours talking about who Batman could beat up among the other DC characters. We always agreed SuperMan was the top dog. Then Marvel Comics came along and we starting falling for SpiderMan, The Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, Thor-God of Thunder,The Hulk, X-Men, and the whole Marvel line of good guys and bad guys. Those were heady days.
Now, to see these comics come alive on the Big Screen - and be a box office hit - is still a wonderful feeling! Sort of a blast from the past!

AS IT STANDS NEWS

Coming soon....Presidential Libraries and Corruption, and
Prosthetics, Thieves, and Payback

The Satanic Community is Upset With Me!

I got an early morning email today from a witch who was very upset about my article in The Eureka Reporter today. (See link - The Eureka Reporter under Opinion)
My column has already pulled over 1200 readers Online after just being published 8 hours ago.
It is the most read thing in the entire issue today. Not bad.

I'm waiting to get my Google ads here soon. They said it takes a day or two. This site is still under some construction, but is coming along. Note slide show (on bottom) and Links.
I want to encourage everyone who has my site here to visit it each day - as I will have something to say.... and share!
Plus I'll make more money on the amount of hits I get when the ads are in place when you visit me! No use being shy eh?

OBSERVATION OF THE DAY: "He who binds to himself a joy does the winged life destroy;
But, he who kisses the joy as it flies lives in eternity's sun rise."
William Blake
(English Poet)

Right now I'm living my dreams by pursuing my passion for writing, which in the last two years, has risen from my personal ashes of PTSD and come back to me like an old friend.
I've always written things on my own ever since I first learned how to put a sentence together with another. My delight with words grows again from that garden of my imagination, and lightness shines forth were not so long ago darkness dwelled.

OBAMA IN EUROPE RIGHT NOW
.Barack Obama's appearance at the "Victory Garden" in Berlin's Tiergarten park is expected to draw hugh crows and is being likened to Jogn F. Kennedy's celebrated "Ich bin ein Berliner" performance of 1963.
Germany's leaders however, are hesitant to show Obama any love yet because their not so sure he's going to be the next president of the United States. It's interesting to see this world reaction to Obama. I think many see him as a way for good change in this country. I have to agree that he represents change and that McCain is more of the same - which has been devastating on our economy and how the world has been viewing us.

QUESTION
How many laptops, on average, do US travelers lose each week?
(Try 10,278 - the next question is who ends up with these laptops?)

It's time to go now. There are things to see and do and the day doesn't hold enough hours to do them all!
Peace be with you all!

As It Stands

This blog is a showcase for my newspaper column which has run, off-and-on, for 30 years.
It currently runs in a daily on Sundays in The Eureka Reporter (they have an Online edition too), and in a weekly in the town I live in, The McKinleyville Press.

I am a medically retired newspaper editor and publisher, combat Vietnam/Cambodian veteran (1970), chief dish-washer in my wife and I's empty nest, critic of the Bush Administration, critic of all politicians, wanna be comedian, believer in the power of positive thinking, rabid Laker fan and longtime fan of the Dodgers, owner of a Pug and a Jug (you'll have to look this breed up!), onetime carpet and linoleum saleman, Marvel Comic fan since the sixties, one-time security guard for Pinkerton where I checked cars out in a gated community where John Wayne use to live with then-wife Pilar, once upon a time good chess player, and overall curious guy!