What Was Your Most Embarrassing Moment?

Let's all just get real and admit we've had humiliating and embarrassing moments in our lives where we wished we were invisible.

I read an article about the parents of one ten-year-old girl who must have wished they were invisible at a Red Lobster Restuarant. Their daughter decided she felt bad for all the lobsters in the tank, took a chair and smashed the tank to free them. Mission accomplished. 

The parents were told not to ever come back again. I'm surprised they weren't sued. 

Can you imagine how embarrassed they must have been tiptoeing around live lobsters on the way out of that restaurant?

Moving on...

One of my favorite embarrassing stories involves my darling wife of 48 years, Shirley. She and two of her friends were driving back to northern California (Eureka) from San Francisco a decade ago when they all needed to stop for a potty break.

They found a shopping center right off the 5 Freeway and went into a store to use their facilities. On the way back to the car, after leisurely stopping and checking items out they were in the parking lot when one of the ladies started laughing...

"You have a toilet paper tail Shirley," she shrieked with laughter while pointing at her bum. My thoroughly humiliated wife will never get to forget that incident because of those two friends... and me!

All right. It's my turn.

Once upon a time I was a sleepwalker (six years old) and it often put me in awkward circumstances. But none were more embarrassing than the night I peed on my birthday cake!

Allow me to explain. My parents and Aunt and Uncle were sitting around the kitchen table and drinking beer long after I went to bed. 

At one point I walked past them and went straight for the refrigerator. Before anyone could react, I opened it, dropped my shorts and sprayed the contents within - which included the remnants of my birthday cake.

My father guided me back (I was still asleep) to my bedroom. From that day on it became family lore. The good news is I'm no longer embarrassed.

The fact is I've had lots of embarrassing moments during my seven decades. I'm strangely proud of them and chalk them up to lessons in life. 

Memories...

--- the time I was at a college journalism awards banquet and took a fork full of baked potato with Horseradish on it (spoiler - I hate Horseradish) and was in the process of spewing it up on the table when my name was called out for writing the best Sports story of the year. Needless to say, all eyes were on me.

--- my first date with Shirley when I took her to a fancy restaurant in Hollywood and was trying to act suave and worldly and almost led her into a janitor's closet instead of the dining room!

--- in high school I went on a surfing double date with a girl in one of my classes along with my sister and her boyfriend (who had a station wagon). I'm not going to bore you with how the date came about. Instead, I'll cut right to the chase...

I was not a surfer. Nor had I ever tried to surf. My sister's boyfriend was a surfer (who lucky for me had an extra surfboard) and said he could teach me how. The bottom line is I wanted to impress my bikini clad date.

As usual, my 16-year-old hubris didn't allow for me to consider that I might look like an ass out in those breakers. 

In record time I wiped out. Again. And again, until the last time when my nose collided under pressure with the tip of the board. Blood spurted out instantly. As I looked out toward the beach, I saw my sister and the girl I wanted to impress laughing they're asses off!

Did I mention it was first and last time she went on a date with me?

Listen.

Try remembering your most embarrassing moments and you may be surprised at your attitude toward them now. The very least that will happen is you'll smile.

As it stands, I believe that we all need to be humiliated at times just to stay real.

Searching for Laughter in a Grim World

It's harder than ever to laugh about something during these grim times of social unrest and increasing climate disasters. That's a given.

The Search for Laughter

Reader's Digest features a monthly section titled, "Laughter is the best medicine." Start your search for humor there.

Experts say that laughter is a great form of stress relief... and that's no joke. It's not going to cure all ailments, but recent research shows the positive things laughter does offer.

A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. 

Here's a few examples: (Source - Mayo Clinic)

* It stimulates many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released from your brain.

* It activates and relives your stress response. A good hearty laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The payoff leaves you feeling relaxed.

* It soothes tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Are you afraid you lost your sense of humor or never really had an easy time laughing? Don't worry about it!

Humor can be learned

You can keep humor on your horizon by watching funny TV shows, movies, and reading books and magazines devoted to humor. There're many other ways like going to humorous web sites to get a good chuckle.

I've found that sharing my humorous situations with others quickly strips away my tensions. When you laugh at yourself people are likely to laugh with you. 

A great example would be comedic legend Rodney Dangerfield. I dare you to listen to one of his routines and not laugh so hard you get short of breath!

Okay. It's time to turn the corners of your mouth up into a smile... and then laugh! Even if it feels forced. How do you feel afterwards? Are your muscles less tense? Do you feel more relaxed or even buoyant?

As it stands, it's a wonder that our brains have a built-in stress relief system.

Since When Did We Find Ourselves Having to Defend Reality?

I want to blame Kellyanne Conway for coming up with the alternate reality bullshit that the Republican Party currently embraces.

It's probably not fair because others have used denial of reality as a platform to power. Remember the McCarthy years when he had every American looking for Russian spies under kitchen tables?

Denial of reality, not just in politics, extends to climate deniers who won't admit mankind has turned our environment into a cesspool despite the mounds of evidence proving it. Fact is we've polluted the land and the air we breathe for well over a century. That's reality.

Millions of Americans believe whatever Trump tells them because they're not interested in reality and facts. The cocoon they live in media wise is a protective shield against reality.

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"Don't let someone else's reality become your reality." -Les Brown

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One of my favorite quotes about reality comes from John Lennon, "Reality leaves a lot to the imagination."

I read an article a while back that claims our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, they don't joke and cannot tell the difference between reality and an imagined thought or image.

The part about the inability to tell the difference between reality and imagined thoughts and images, particularly reminds me of Trump's minions. It's scary because it's all of our reality today with a president actively trying to overthrow the government.

Lies are an insult to reality but are used by extremist lawmakers every day in their ultimate quest for power. Evidence is denied in the fact-free world of Trumpist Republicans.

The net result is sane people will still be able to tell the sky is blue and the grass is green regardless of how much ruckus the anti-reality idiots make in our society.  

As it stands, it's a sad fact that we must defend reality and the country.

Confessions of a Basketball Junkie: Escape to Hoop Land

I was introduced to basketball in elementary school during recesses where just shooting the ball was a challenge. There were no rules. Everyone was out for themselves, and it was literally a free-for-all.

Then one year, I think it was my sixth, the school started having free throw contests and handing out 1st through 3rd ribbons which instantly became a status symbol at our school.

When I made 9 out of 10 free throws and won 1st Place, I knew that I'd be playing in the NBA someday. Flash forward... I didn't and never even came close. But I digress.

I didn't play basketball for my high school team. However, I played countless pickup games with friends at available outside basketball courts. My best friend Larry and I played a lot of 2 on 2 pickup games with total strangers.

Once, after dropping LSD (this is a true story), we played a pickup game in an inside basketball court open to the public in La Mirada, California. Our opponents (which we discovered part way into the competition) were off duty cops. They came out like two honey badgers clawing at the ball with a scary intensity which was magnified by tripping on LSD.

Afterwards we agreed that we won at least one game out of the half dozen we played. I think the reason the cops didn't bust us (have you ever seen anyone high on LSD? It's OBVIOUS) is that we provided them with good competition... and laughs. They sure smiled a lot.

Just before I got out of the Army in 1971, I played with the 5th Army 101st MPs, at Ft. MacArthur, California. 

The only other organized team I played with was in 1972 with a city league team (when I worked at Ford Motor Company) in Cleveland, Ohio. At six-feet, two-inches, I was the shortest guy on the team and the only white boy. I think they considered me a good luck mascot.

Fast forward through the decades as my body slowed down from countless pickup games, injuries, and other age related (can you say arthritis?) causes.

I was 67-years old (I'm going on 72) when I took my last shot (a ten-foot jumper) in my last pickup game at the Medford, Oregon YMCA.

What gets me through after being unable to actually play the game I love is I've been a LA Lakers fan for over 60 years. They still take me to a good place in Hoop Land... stirring old memories with the sheer exhilaration and appreciation for the game.

Welcome to America: Living in a Schizophrenic Society

You've probably noticed.

Nothing is clear cut today. 

Reality has been warped by people living in alternate universes where the earth is flat and Jewish space lasers are a thing.

The barriers that once existed between truth and lies has been torn down by extremists seeking to turn our republic into a totalitarian state. (See the Big Lie)

Some Americans are as happy as clams because they're wealthy and are part of the exclusive ruling cast.

Being human (some might argue that description) these elite millionaires and billionaires are always looking to amass more power. Politics has been a lucrative path for them to pursue and poison.

This special rich segment of our society is schizophrenic in their actions. They flip from Philanthropy to Piracy without blinking an eye while attending church.

The commoners (the majority of Americans) are divided into descending financial classes of moderate incomes to the lowest levels of poverty. Politics has also paralyzed common voters along ideological lines like never before.

When I see people living on fixed and lower incomes donate their much-needed money to political con men from Trump to telephone scams it sickens me. 

It's a form of schizophrenic behavior that really needs more studies done (along with recommendations on how to correct it).

There is no American Dream in 2022. The idea that this country is a safe melting pot for people from around the world, has been thoroughly trashed and disproved throughout our history. 

Immigration has been a cauldron of suspicion and hate since we opened our borders after becoming a nation.

Right and wrong have become abstract concepts instead of a firm reality. We are living in a schizophrenic society that proclaims to be the epiphany of democracy. 

As it stands, it doesn't feel that way.

Cannabis Capitalism and the Black Market are Draining Oregon's Water Supplies During Drought

Photo - Oregon resident Jim Belushi talks about the new season of his Cannabis "Reality" show.

As a resident of Oregon, I've watched with dismay as big cannabis companies and groups grow record amounts of marijuana that are contributing to the decline of water in Southern Oregon... which for the record is designated as a drought zone.  

The last couple of years major cannabis corporations have descended upon Oregon like locusts. 

Many "Oregonians" who were legally producing pot couldn't keep up with the massive, organized competition from the Big Marijuana companies who were undercutting them on prices.

Not only has this legal organized marijuana mafia driven jobs away from local Oregonians but they've also re-energized an organized Black Market causing major problems for our environment.

To be clear.

We have this massive water usage by corporate pot farms and recently inspired illegal farmers (most with Mexican cartel connections). 

Illegal grows have returned with a vengeance after a brief two-year hiatus and they're using water (and contaminating it with chemicals) from rivers and streams in state and national forests. It's water desperately needed in this parched land with more wildfires annually.

It's become a no-win situation. I suppose someone could argue the price for cannabis has gone down lately, with pounds going for hundreds of dollars instead of thousands of dollars.

Someone could also argue that with our new climate reality and increasing need for water with rivers, lakes and dams drying up at historic rates the state is in for some real shit in the near future if something doesn't change.

The problem is I think it's too late to turn back the green market's ambitions for Oregon. The companies are too well funded, and we have a dwindling supply of water.

Another thing that makes me mad is watching my favorite plant play a major part in the unfolding drama of fires, a drought, and capitalism gone crazy.

As it stands, this tired old hippie remembers the glory days of Humboldt communes that grew their own cannabis and the emergence of a legendary strain called - Granddaddy Perp.

'The Handmaid's Tale' Was Based on this Active Secret Christain Sect That Amy Coney Barrett Belongs To

Hula had a hit on their hands when they first released "The Handmaid's Tale" on April 26, 2017. 

The fifth season is set to premier on September 14th.

There's a back story to the Emmy Award winning series by Canadian author Margaret Atwood that's not commonly connected to the hit. It should be.

The plot features a dystopian future following a Second American Civil War where a theonomic, totalitarian society subjects fertile women, called "Handmaids," to child-bearing slavery. 

Does this plot sound far-fetched to you? It isn't and I'll tell you why.

Trump supporters and lawmakers are currently involved in taking away a women's right to her own body. When the right-wing leaning Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade women across America were disenfranchised. 

When Amy Coney Barrett was elevated to the Supreme Court, she brought along her membership in a secretive faith group that believes women's obedience and subservience to men is a key teaching.

The People of Praise was founded 50 years ago by Kevin Ranaghan and its central theme "headship" and the "roles of men and women" continues today. Former members of People of Praise, many of whom are critical of the group's dominance over member's lives, have described the group as calling for complete obedience of women to their husbands. 

Back to Barrett.

During her confirmation Barrett outright lied about challenging Roe v Wade as a precedent, suggesting she'd leave it alone. No surprise. She didn't.

That's because she's part of an overall attempt to reshape our country into a totalitarian state solely ruled by men. Yes, she is a traitor to women and a liar. She's never addressed how the reversal of Roe might affect a woman's life.

Barrett is a sounding-board echoing the People of Praise culture in which she was raised and chosen to remain part of, which emphasizes the importance of childbirth, pregnancy and the abandonment of autonomy and privacy it supposedly entails, as a core part of what it means to be a woman.

An interesting footnote to all of this is the group is not rooted in Catholic tradition (as some have speculated), but rather Kevin Ranaghan's involvement in the 1970s National Men's Shepards Conference, which was co-sponsored by Protestant leaders who believed that men were ordained by God to lead.

One thing is very clear, there's a war against women in America and they need to fight back by voting in the midterms.

He was Reviled for Resisting the Draft: They Stripped Him of His Title, But Not His Legacy

This is a story of one man standing up for his beliefs during a time of terrible strife when the nation was being torn asunder because of the Vietnam conflict.

He was born Cassius Clay on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. Later, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali in accordance with his newly adopted religion - Islam.

He was also arguably the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. When he chose to be a conscientious objector against the Vietnam draft, public sentiment - already high - turned against him and he was arguably the most hated man in America and received many death threats.

At the trial on June 20, 1967, the jury found Ali guilty after only 21 minutes of deliberation of the criminal offense of violating the Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. 

After a Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, the case was reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971. On June 28, 1972, the Supreme Court in Clay v United States overturned Ali's conviction by a unanimous 8-0 decision.

The rest is history. Ali is recognized as "The Greatest" professional boxer of all time. He's also known for his work as an activist for equal rights for African Americans.

A lot of people aren't aware that Ali suffered from dyslexia all of his life and had trouble learning. He once quipped, "I'm the Greatest! Not the Smartest!"

A lot of people asked me what I thought about Ali dodging the draft after I returned from Vietnam and Cambodia (1970). I'm sure they expected me to respond like a war hawk, but I chose the way of the dove saying I agreed with Ali's stance. It was his right as an American.

It's never easy to stand up for one's beliefs, especially when you suffer negative consequences for your decision. But it's worth it.

Ali was so revered that his hometown Louisville renamed their airport The Louisville Mohammad Ali International Airport.

Not bad for a man who was once called the "most hated man" in America.

As it stands, when Ali died on June 2, 2016, the world mourned his loss.

Is There a Limit to Extremism in America?

I really want to know. At what point do we quit going after one another in our society like feral beasts?

Being polarized on ideologies is one thing - the hateful rhetoric and violence that now accompanies running for and holding public offices is another. It's scary.

Today, Oklahoma Republican Scott Esk is in a primary runoff for a state house seat. He's the same guy who's notorious for suggesting gay people should be executed by stoning.

Esk's vile rhetoric is now officially part and parcel of the Republican agenda for America. Hate anyone that disagrees with them or is different.

The source of this new level of extremism is the former president and biggest con man in American history... Trump.

But we know all of this right?

So, does that mean we're doomed as a united nation? Cursed? Without hope?

Listen...

We're one step away from gladiatorial combat in specially built arenas to slack our growing bloodlust. Starting with sacrificing prisoners for the new blood games and then moving on to the losers of public elections, the days of rage are here.

National elections are no longer as safe as they once were. Which is to say voter suppression leveled by Trump supporters has suddenly become the thing to do.

Will we reach a limit some day and say, "enough is enough?" 

Perhaps, if Trump is held accountable for his treason and does jail time along with his cronies. 

If voters start holding the election deniers and liars accountable there's a chance, we can turn the negative energy around and infuse positive energy back into our society.

As it stands, the choice is clear; we won't lose our liberties as long as we resist extremism and realize it has to be dealt with today and not tomorrow.

Protest Art is Liberty's Ally

It's almost impossible to establish a history for protest art because many variations can be found throughout the world since the dawn of time.

Many cases of protest art can be found in the early 1900s, like Picasso's Guernica in 1937. The photo above show's a recently discovered Picasso piece titled, "The Eye of the Serpent" which mocked Hitler.

The thing about protest art is that it's an important tool to form consciousness, create social networks, and its cost-effective.

It's the common man's way of communicating powerful messages.

Protest art is not limited to signs, banners, posters, paintings, and other printed materials. It can also include performance art, site-specific installations, graffiti, and the media. 

In addition, protest art can be ongoing or community oriented. For example, the Read Opera the Charter of the Forest. The site is updated every two weeks and has a following of activists. It rejects the manipulative practices of art-for-profit and takes as a given that culture is a right, not a privilege.

I remember the street protests in the 60s and 70s over the nation's involvement with Vietnam.

I was in the Army and went to Vietnam and Cambodia. I was not gung ho. I hated it there and when I got out of the Army in 1971, I joined other ex-Vietnam vets in protesting that senseless war.

If you're interested here's a link to the largest collection (over 85 thousand posters) of post-World War social posters in the United States and the second largest in the world.

As it stands, protest art is liberty's ally.

Hooray for the Underdog!

I've always been fascinated by underdogs.  And I'm not alone.

Everyone loves underdogs.

Some of my favorite underdog stories are in sports. There's a certain magic watching a plucky underdog who somehow, someway, reaches the pinnacle of their sport. Upstart teams that knock off champions really get my adrenaline going.

Here's 3 Sport examples

** When the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series oddsmakers moaned. The mighty Yankees had won 10 of the last 12 pennants and were huge favorites. Just to add a little more salt to the defeat the Pirates Bill Mazeroski hit one of the most famous home runs in baseball history with his bottom of the ninth, game-winning homer to take the championship.

** Remember Iron Mike Tyson? I bet you don't remember the name of the 42-1 underdog that beat him in 1990. Buster Douglas pulled off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history by knocking out Terrible Mike.

** Who can forget the first football championship to be billed as a "Super Bowl" where a decided underdog won? The powerful NFL Baltimore Colts were 18-point favorites over the lowly AFL New York Jets who famously "guaranteed" they'd win. They did and the rest is history.

Miscellaneous Underdogs

** How about David and Goliath? A great example of a victorious little guy.

** One of my favorite underdogs is Susan Boyle who suffered from Asperger Syndrome. She looked frumpy and eccentric when she first appeared on the TV show "Britain's Got Talent" in April 2009. 

And then she began to sing.

Wow! She got a standing ovation and never looked back while she went on to a successful singing career, selling nearly 20 million records worldwide.

** A divorced mom with three kids, Erin Brockovich, became a household name when she took on the Pacific Gas & Electric and held them accountable for deliberately contaminating the drinking water in Hinkley, California. 

PG&E settled the case for a record $333 million in 1996. Four years later Julie Roberts played Brockovich in the Oscar-winning movie that bears her name.

What is it About Underdogs That Attracts Us?

For starters, the more we identify and internalize the gravity of a story, the more we root for it.

Marketers learned a long time ago that by tying their brand to an underdog story will increase the consumers desire to purchase a product and influence brand loyalty.

The thing about underdog stories is they have a universal appeal, reliably driving feelings of empathy. They tap into the qualities we like best about ourselves and find admirable in others.

The underdog story is deeply rooted in the American dream. Economically or socially "moving up" in the world is paramount in the context of American culture. It's not just where you wind up, but how far you've climbed to get there.

As it stands, hooray for the underdog!

Testing...Testing: What's Your Score in Life?

I hated tests in high school and college. 

I still break out with hives at the thought that I might not pass a test.

Let's test the waters and look at some challenges circulating in our society that are actually fun...

The Personality Test

 Categories

*The Prude Test

*The Honesty Test

* The Social Chameleon Test

*The Clueless Test

*The Trust Test

After taking all of these tests you'll find out if you're a humble optimist or a competitive egomaniac. Go here to take each test.

I found a great website that's full of free fun tests you can take. Here's just a few examples:

** Find out what your Psychological Age is

** True Love Test

** Left/Right Brain Test

Moving on...nothing new under the sun

We can blame the first standardized tests on China. They go back nearly 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty in 1st-century China.

In the early 19th century, the standardized test was imported to Europe from Chinese colonies held by the British Empire. They eventually made their way to the United States where they've since become a fixture in our education system.

Maximum Strength & Strength Endurance Tests:

Tests aren't just for measuring our intellect. We should also test our bodies to see what terrible shape we're in... and then do something about it.

Go here to get physical.

Am I testing your patience on the subject?

Are you wondering why you stopped by?

Do tests harsh your high?

As it stands, I would like to thank you for stopping by. Arrivederci!

The Fickle Finger of Fate: Some People's Luck is Off the Charts!

Imagine you're a passenger in a plane whose pilots are both sleeping while cruising at 37,000 feet. Not a pretty picture. Could such a thing even happen?

The answer is yes.

Two pilots fell asleep and missed their landing at a flight from Dudan to Ethiopia on August 15th. The ground crew was having trouble making contact as the plane soared past its destination. If not for an alarm that went off as the plane continued to go in the wrong direction everybody on board would have died a fiery death.

As it turned out the pilots woke and turned the plane around back to its original destination.

For everyone aboard it was a remarkably lucky ending. 

Talk about lucky...

One couple in Pennsylvania really defied the odds when they discovered a rare purple pearl in one of their clams.

            Photo courtesy of Scott Overland

The quahog clam they found is listed as exceptionally rare according to the International Gem Society. Its estimated value is around $16,000. Get this, they almost sent it back because the clam had a bell-pepper garnish which the couple had asked the restaurant to leave off. But they didn't, and the rest is one for the lucky files.

Despite staggering odds

I'd be remiss not to mention the lone winner of the July 27 Mega Millions $1.28 billion prize who's living somewhere in Illinois with the third largest lottery prize in American history.

As a sports card collector I was green with envy when I heard about a man from Tennessee who went into his aunt's attic and discovered baseball cards from the 50s and 60s. They turned out to be worth over a million dollars!

It's hard to get any luckier than this...

Bill Morgan was declared clinically dead in 1999 after his body reacted poorly to medication. Twelve days later, he came out of his coma in seeming perfect health.

But that's not all.

Afterwards, he proposed to his girlfriend, and won a $23,000 car thanks to a scratch-off ticket. For good measure he then won $350,000 from a second scratch-off ticket.

Finally, how the fickle finger of fate... 

touched me once while serving as a combat engineer in Vietnam (1970). One of my duties was to sweep for mines. One particularly hot and humid afternoon I wasn't as alert as I should have been when my sergeant suddenly shouted FREEZE!

I did. He was pointing at my right boot. There was a slight indentation in the ground and metal gleamed in the intense sun. I had stepped on a mine! Warm piss slid down my leg as I waited for an explosion that thankfully never came.

My sergeant probed around it carefully as the rest of the squad got off the road and tried to make themselves small. The tanks backed up.

Long story short; it was an anti-tank pressure mine and I wasn't heavy enough to set it off. When I stepped off of it, I exhaled deeply and realized I was one lucky guy.

So, that's about enough luck for today.

As it stands, you can't seek luck, it has to find you.

Feeling Out of It? Here's What's Trending

          I'm glad you could make it today. 

Here's some trendy stuff that's a landscape snapshot of what's currently popular in America.

** Barkitecture is hitting the mainstream. Pet parents are building out cozy corners of their space (or even separate rooms) for their furry companions. See for yourself and Google "Luxury cat rooms" or check Pinterest for "Dog beds made from furniture).

** The latest evolution for women's bras, the Cuup has gotten a lot of attention from women for its direct-to-consumer lingerie line. They offer cup sizes from A to H and band sizes from 30 to 38. Get 'em while their hot!

** Rihanna appeared in public wearing giant boots (I think they're called nosebleed platforms) on her way to a popular New York restaurant last night.

** Under crazy science a group of scientists have decided to resurrect an animal that's been extinct for 100 years - the Tasmanian tiger. Why? Who the hell knows? Who cares?

** Moon Parties - Everyone is grooving to the moon nowadays. We're getting ready to send another rocket to the moon, and moon-themed parties are trendy according to Pinterest.

** Lab grown diamond rings are popular. Actually, just about anything grown in labs is popular. 

** Multiversal madness - Alternate realities are a big thing (just ask Kellyanne Conway or Trump) and parallel worlds have kicked-ass in the mainstream cinema circuit this year. My favorite thus far is Doctor Strange: in the Multiverse of Madness.

In Politics 

** If you're a Republican the trendy thing to do is kiss Trump's ass and ring.

** If you're a Democrat the trendy thing to do is save our democracy and protect the republic from domestic terrorists.

** The current trend for GOP lawmakers is to attack the FBI and the Department of Justice because they served a legal search warrant on Trump's lair at Mar-a-Lago.

Trending around my house

** Our polydactyl cat Ernie has been chasing our other cat Tom every time he heads for the door lately - for no apparent reason other than he can be an asshole!

** I've been in a good place for a while now and am delighted to see the viewership of this blog has been growing daily this month. Thank you for stopping by. If this is you first time, please give it another try.

As it stands, A plus tard (hint, it's French)

When Lightning Strikes!

It's said you are four times more likely to get a perfect score on your SAT than getting struck by lightning and dying.

The National Weather Service reassuringly reports that there are roughly 40 million lightning bolts touching down every year across America and the odds of being struck are one in a million.

Not bad. Unless you're the one percenter.

The most recent report of lightning strikes killing someone was in Washington DC earlier this month. Four people were standing underneath a tree in Lafayette Park on August 4th when they were struck by six bolts within half a second!

Three people died and the survivor, Amber Escudero-Kontostathis, suffers with nerve damage from her waist down leaving her with no feeling in her legs.

Amber's case was unique because doctors told her they had never seen a patient survive what she endured.

Like the old saying goes, "If it's not your time to go, you'll know."  

Last year two states - Texas and Florida - had the highest count of lightning strikes. You might want to avoid them to improve your chances of never being struck by a bolt of lightning.

If you want to learn more about lightning strikes, go here.

Quotes About Lightning

** "When lightning strikes at sea, why don't all the fish die?" - Anthony Doerr

** "Every dark cloud has a silver lining, but lightning kills hundreds of people on the planet each year who try to find out." - E.L. Kersten

** "Lightning hides the color of night." - Munia Khan

Final Thoughts

When my wife and three boys and I lived in 29 Palms, California we all enjoyed watching the lightning shows that were spectacular at times. They were common in the high desert and most people had the presence of mind not to be running around during one of those shows.

Like the first human who saw lightning, we are still thrilled and terrified by the display of raw energy and power from the skies. 

As it stands, thanks for stopping by, and I'll be looking for you tomorrow.

Let's Talk About Dealing With 'The Other' in Our Lives

At one time or another we've all had to deal with situations in our lives where we were told that "the others" are to be feared.

Some examples

** Many Caucasians fear others with dark skin. 

** Some religions instruct their flock to fear any other religious teachings than theirs, declaring all of the other church's believers' heretics and sinners destined for hell. 

** In almost all cases the other side of an argument or political ideology is demonized as a matter of course.

** The very idea of being outside the societal norm makes some individuals the other because they don't conform with the majority's viewpoint of what's acceptable. 

** In war the other side is unmistakably the enemy. They are to be feared and killed upon contact. No ambiguity there.

3 Ways of Dealing with the other 

I've discovered various ways of handling situations involving the other side of anything. You may employ the same techniques already, but if not read on...

1. Don't argue with an idiot about anything. MAGA world inhabitants live in an alternate universe and will attack outsiders.

2. Attempt to keep respect for another view (even if you think their wrong) when discussing issues. Listen to the other side before reacting to it.

3. Be calm while stating your side to an issue. Bulging eyes and a red face seldom promotes compromise and understanding of your point of view.

Moving on...

Guess what? There was a movie made in 1972 called The Other. It was a psychological thriller directed by Robert Mulligan. 

I suppose a 2001 movie titled The Others qualifies too. It starred Nicole Kidman and was about a woman who lives in her darkened old family house with her two photosensitive children and becomes convinced the house is haunted.

Had enough for today?

I'll wrap it up with an invitation to visit again tomorrow. Auf Wiedersehen!

Should There Be an Age Limit for Politicians and Judges?

Lately folks have been talking about President Joe Biden being too old (he's 80 years old) to run for a second term in the Oval Office.

The chatter in the corridors of Congress is the party should be looking for new blood.

Rumors continue to swirl around the country that Trump is running for re-election in 2024. He's 76 years old. Not exactly a spring chicken.

Then I read that Italian cinema icon Gina Lollobrigida is running for a Senate seat in her country's elections next month. By the way, she's 95 years old!

All of which leads me to ask if we should put age limitations on politicians and judges? I've got to watch out here that it doesn't appear like I'm espousing age discrimination (full disclosure I'm going on 72 in November).

I'm honestly wondering just when a person's thought process starts getting murky. Does it automatically happen when we turn 65? Is it safe to say people's mental acuity slips after entering their 70s?

As far as judges go

I strongly feel that judges (especially Supreme Court justices) should retire when they turn 80 years old. Logic says that their mental agility and memories dim - some at a faster rate than others - after achieving that milestone.

As far as politicians go

Wouldn't it be nice if Congress was no longer a retirement home for old politicians?

After considerable thought I think the retirement age for Congressional politicians should be 60 years old. 

According to the Congressional Research Service, the current average age of senators is 64.3 years - the oldest in history. Last year West Virginia's Robert Byrd died at 92 after funneling an estimated $10 billion to his constituents during his 51 years in the Senate.

Another option to having a senior center for lawmakers in the Senate is term limits. A person could only serve for three terms and then they would have to move on with their lives.

Quotes about Age

** "My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She is ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the heck she is!" -Ellen DeGeneres

** "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." -Mark Twain

**"As you get older, you don't get wiser. You get irritable." - Doris Lessing

Final thoughts

What do you think about putting age limits on politicians and judges? Is it a crazy idea? Should I just be quiet and find someone to play a game of checkers with?

As it Stands, don't be shy, drop on by, anytime.

Oh Baby! Where Did You Get That Name?

Remember when rock star Frank Zappa named his oldest daughter Moon Unit? 

Her siblings were named Dweezil and Diva Muffin.

What kind of parent would do that to a kid?

The answer is a lot of parents give their offspring unusual names... just because. 

Elon Musk and Grimes raised plenty of eyebrows when they named their first child (a boy) X AE A-Xii (known as X). To top that they named their next child (a girl) Exa Dark.

One of the wackiest names I've seen recently is Hellzel. The mother liked the name Hazel while the father was a biker and wanted to work in the Hells Angels. The result was Hellzel.

Only in the 70s... a Wisconsin baby was born with the name Marijuana. The now teacher and mom told reporters that she has never touched cannabis.

How about Fifi Trixibelle? She was named after Bob Geldof's aunt Fifa, with Trixibelle because his wife Paula Yates wanted a "Belle" in the family.

One of my favorite names is Kal-El because it's Superman's Kryptonian birth name. It doesn't take Sherlock Holms to guess that the parents were big fans of Superman.

Here's a name that was listed in the top 1,000 for boys' names in 1999... Semaj. It's simply James written backwards. 

Back in 1884 there were at least five male babies registered in the U.S. named Man. I can't imagine the challenges these boys ran into during their lives.

If you think naming a kid Almond is nuts, it's worth noting it was actually a common name in the late 19th Century. Experts say it was a variation of the popular name Almund, itself a contraction of Adalmund.

Look at the name Sylvester Stallone chose for his eldest son... Sage Moonblood! What else would you expect the star of Rambo and Rocky to pick?

How crazy is this? During the pandemic one set of parents named their twins Covid and Corona!

A lot of parents in the 1990s thought that the start of the alphabet - ABCDE - made a great name. There were more than 300 people (mostly girls for some reason) bearing the name by the start of the 2000s.

Finally, my wife and I wanted to name our second son Sundance, but our family thought we were crazy and would stigmatize the poor child for the rest of his life. We finally relented and named him Elijah and settled with Sundance as his middle name.

I hope you enjoy reading this post. As it Stands, I'll meet you here again tomorrow.