“Deep in the Heart of Texas”

Hi everyone...I’ve just not been in the mindset to write much lately...however...I couldn’t resist this opportunity today... to say a little word or two about the
Texas Rangers Historical Victory last night.... over the New York Yankees in Arlington, Tx...
On a scale of 1 to 10...this was off the scale for Texans.... I also couldn’t help but get tears in my eyes...watching Nolan Ryan accept the American League championship trophy, as president of the Team... after they reached the World Series...for the first time in their Baseball Franchise history.......
For Texas, as a whole... and for the residents of the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex (psst...I lived in Dallas for 6yrs)..........and for anyone in the world anywhere....who loves Texas... this was a banner or red letter day for them... and I think in their hearts...it rose up to the equivalent level of a Dallas Cowboy Super Bowl victory.....

Those who witnessed the event.. surely witnessed it with pride...and with that pride...came a tinge of redemption value...that these precious moments hold for Texans on which they thrive (there is always a little taint in their hearts about JFK in Dallas)...for history has been cruel to them......but the sweetness that they must feel in this moment has to come as a great relief... and I’m sure that they could just cry their eyes out today, as well, out of joy and gratefulness...no matter what the result in the World Series...whether it be the Phillies or the Giants...They made it to the Big Dance of America’s Pastime...!!!

They were not alone in sharing this joy. You see.... for many New York Met fans, like myself... we too... probably shed a tear with them...having grown up remembering the 1969 “Miracle” Mets, and the role, a wild throwing, young and fiery 22 year old, Nolan Ryan, played in their incredible unexpected success... that magical year.......long before he threw for over 5,000 strikeouts....en route to his enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of fame in Cooperstown, NY....

Now...of course.... if the Horned Frogs of TCU...in Ft Worth... should ever win the College football National championship...it would be absolute bedlam in the Streets...
“Deep in the heart of Texas”.... rayray

A Different kind of Never Never land.....

Many of us have grown up listening to and appreciating fairy tales......
One of my favorites... originates in the 1904.. J.M. Barrie classic tale of
Peter Pan. The boy...who won’t grow up....and travels to the Utopian
world of NeverNever land... the place in the fairy tale.

Recently, however, I have realized that many people actually live there:
that....this is not a make believe place in a fairy tale, but a very real
place ...and I am not referring to the...Late Michael Jackson’s California
compound.
Actually...all of us live there... to a certain degree, but perhaps... we
don’t realize it. We live there every time we say a sentence or something
that begins with the words....“I would never”....and we all do it...

Sometimes we verbalize it and other times we just think it to
ourselves..for many of us...this represents a boundary we won’t
cross or a moral value we must live by or a chance we won’t take..or a
new thought direction we won’t consider..
God Forbid...changing a political party...or attending a tea party...oh..that’s Alice in Wonderland.. on magic pills............

It’s a belief structure that internally guides us, sometimes unconsciously
and when we utter it...we are actually demonstrating that we do,in fact,
live, at times, in NeverNever land.....but where is it leading?...Do we really ever examine its root cause or challenge it...or even ask our self why we believe this or that?..

I was reminded of this reality recently... while out on a date with a
woman from NJ, who spends a lot of time in South Florida.
As we got to talking, she started to tell me the things she would never do...it almost became a laundry list...

She said...
I would never...go out with someone who isn’t Jewish.
I would never go out with someone Latino
I would never date someone Black.
I would never date someone who has a cat”
.....and this continued for a few more choice reasons...

I sat back and I began to realize that.... I could never be with her... or even date her again....(see..I said it too...shame on me)......... Because she has way too many Never’s in her life.....imagine if I had asked her if she wanted to have sex with me on the first date?.. Probably never happen...

It’s serious and it’s an epidemic in so many facets of our life...that
sometimes we have to take stock in what we are actually saying never
to.... and maybe take a pause to consider the positive aspects in
actually reconsidering our positions...in so many areas...whether it be
in relationships, or business...or our political beliefs...or wherever our
own nevers are leading us.....or have led us...

Oh....and... I figured out ....the best way out of NeverNever land!!!...
All you have to do is to click your heels together and say....
I would.....3 times.....rayray

Brother... can u spare a dime?

I don’t know about you....but I have always had a rough time saying no to a beggar on the street, asking for some spare change....still do....
I can remember at times in my life feeling indignant...and other times feeling a sense of pity....to other times...feeling frightened by having someone, uncleanly approach me...on the street...to other times in my own life searching for a dime myself...even if it was between pay periods...
I suppose there is a deep rooted belief that exists...that being penniless equals being dirty...and to avoid people “like that”.

Times are tough for many, right now...and shortly... will be getting worse...normal people are falling on hard times...people everywhere will soon become displaced.

If you are fortunate enough to have done well financially, then you will be more insulated, to a large degree... to what is about to unfold in our country...cohabitation will become common, children will be seeking shelter from their aging parents.. families will be living together in larger numbers.....street life will become more commonplace...and the beggar, the one we may have avoided at all cost, in the past.....will soon start to resemble a person we know.

The Great Depression...triggered by the collapse of the financial markets in 1929.....affected many ordinary lives...and led to a free fall into unemployment....hunger and poverty......yet our collective memories sometimes fall short of the reality...of the “2nd coming” of a great depression...which is upon us....the markers are lighting up... like when they look at the early stages of cancer..

I don’t know what will be....or what I can do personally...to help others in need.....but I do know.....that this is not the time to judge harshly those deeply affected by these economic times...and to call on our elected leaders to put people as our top priority...jobs and people.....

Sometimes the written word from the past can allow us to see more clearly what is before us today....old words ...new meanings...here is a famous song from the Great Depression......


"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" lyrics by Yip Harburg, music by Jay Gorney (1931)

They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob,
When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead,
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?

Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!

Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!

Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?

....rayray

I loved Snow days...didn’t you?

I am sure.... that many of us would attest to the fact, if you grew up in a northern winter Snow State...that one of your most ecstatic memories....was when you heard on your Radio... that your School District was Closed..... Due to a winter snow storm...You had a SNOW DAY.....!!!

Man...That was like music to your ears...we could get to do all the things you wanted to do... in the snow....without going to school!!!...that meant sledding, skating...skiing maybe...not me... but also...snowball fights...making money by digging people out of snow drifts...etc..
It was a day to PLAY....no responsibilities, no one could drive.....as long as there was heat and hot chocolate...life was good!!

What occurred to me...now that I live in Florida...is that I miss that...!! I miss those, gifts of nature.....spontaneous day off.

However, I have gotten a reprieve.....as I sat here about an hour or so ago...and I felt a little brownout...and heard a pop in the neighborhood.
It was a Comcast Transformer that had blown...and everything in our Entire Zip code was offline..,...no internet , no cable , no digital phone....guess what...I HAD AN INTERNET DAY OFF!!!... and...it felt as good as a SNOW DAY....

Of course.....once I got over the shock that I would have no email, no Facebook....no communication over the internet...everything had come to a halt... technologically speaking....
.
NOW what do you do when you have an INTERNET DAY OFF?..
Well...we should play just like we did when we were kids......go shopping, do the things we would ordinarily not be able to do because the internet is down.....visit friends.. go walking. .swim...drive around town... just like the weekend...this is awesome...!!!

Imagine... if Business did the same?.... if you are employed....you should get a message to your cell phone that the Internet is down... and you don’t have to report to work!!!..... It will become a new item in your benefit package....that you are entitled to several paid “Internet is down” days off...

So...go make the most of it...while the internet is down and enjoy it....it will be coming back online soon....too soon.

Oh btw... I could equally enjoy a CELL PHONE day off....but no way....could I handle a TEXTING DAY OFF....that would just cripple me......

If that happens....I’ll need a real vacation......rayray

The Art of Rejection

I was thinking... that it’s just as easy for a guy... to ask out a gorgeous women on a date than a homely looking one.... it’s the answer we fear hearing... that holds us back from asking the question. Homely... might say yes and the gorgeous one might say no....lol.....we seldom think that homely... will say no... and the gorgeous one might say yes...so because of this dilemma ...we don’t ask either one.....out of fear.

Imagine how we might feel if both said no...or... both said.... it’s a definite maybe...we just hung ourselves out on a clothes line to dry....lol..

The truth is...for me.....that rejection...... is nothing more than a brick wall that we built up so sturdy in front of us... for most of our lives....never realizing that.. it was really as light as a feather. ....easily whisked out of our way...if we chose to....in stride...
We seldom understand that rejection...doesn’t have to be taken so personally...and to realize that it’s simply our individual preferences.... that influence our inquisitive nature about someone we meet or would like to meet or would like to engage in conversation ..and.. we should not take it as a personal affront... when the person ignores, rejects or looks at us rather oddly....

For example... the other day.....I was on line, at the side checkout line at Walgreens, near the cosmetics area....when this very attractive middle aged woman... was on line in front of me...
She was laden with giant clunky jewelry and bracelets on each arm up to her elbows...including multiple rings on every finger and toe... and numerous chains hanging from her neck.. As he reached into her pocket to take out her charge card, she sounded like a ten piece marching band...
I paused... before I spoke...and said to her...excuse me....Airport security must be a bear...? to...which she replied... “I don’t fly”.....but if I’m lying in the street...my children will know that it’s me”To which I replied...I bet they like “heavy metal.. too”.
She sighed...turned her back to me and walked out......

This was just a humorous example of the Art of rejection...

Sometimes, what holds us back from engaging others in the world, might be the answer or reaction to our behavior ......which may remind us of other rejections we have store-housed in our brain....and it inhibits us from our natural inquisitiveness and our desire to approach people who interest us.....even if it’s just in that moment.. that they interest us...which should be enough.........

If all that holds us back... is in the answer we may hear...then the distress must center upon some pre conceived beliefs that are consciously or subconsciously in play....that wrangle us inside...and inhibit us...in our daily lives...
For me...that is..... the Athlete in me....says ...just go ahead and try...and then practice it....and for me.... that’s the best advice that I give myself...just go out and say or do something, and not worry about the answer or the consequence of the question or behavior...and have fun with it...without fear of the rejection... besides...it’s not you anyway.... that they are rejecting...it’s their own little inhibitor inside...which may be at work as well...
We are all affected by fear/Art of rejection...because we all want to be accepted by others...it is somehow built into our nature as humans to be social animals...that social/sexual trait ... I believe that it’s that trait which separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.....acceptance feels good and we learned that rejection feels bad.
I suspect that Males are very sensitive to rejection...not that women aren’t...but the sexuality leverage that females have over males is innate for a female... for them...they learn from a very early age to do the rejecting....but don’t like to be rejected either and probably don’t really like to abuse the power they have.... but they use it readily...especially if they don’t feel safe or if they get the wrong vibe..... rejecting...is the ultimate escape plan...always queued up behind the scenes...
Interestingly...I don’t really believe it takes females where they need to go anyway...but they do become expert rejecters.....on some psychic level it’s the ultimate equalizer of strength over a man. But just as we come to believe that being rejected feels bad, rejecting also doesn’t feel good either...even though it may appear that way.....
So the women walking out of Walgreens...may pause at some point in her life and say to herself..... “I must say...that guy was pretty funny at the checkout counter”....and perhaps can laugh it off too...but the moment had been lost...but maybe it could become.... a good lighten up reminder.... in her future...

The moral of the story here is.....maybe to lighten up period......have more fun...worry less about rejection...it is what it is...and....should not be taken personally....and in that lies the first lesson.....in the art of handling rejection....rayray

Flexibility...never bends you too far out of shape

One of my favorite Cartoon characters growing up was Gumby....
I loved that he could twist and be twisted into different shape but always returned to his natural state...it somehow taught me to be flexible in my approach to others...especially because of all the differences that exist between people..
And I think this is particularly true when it comes to relationships.....and while many people look for commonalities....they aren’t always the measure of what will make a relationship work.......
Some people say that you have to be on the same page....

I don’t think that 2 people will ever be entirely on the “same page”....that’s impossible... all relationships are extremely challenging because of this fact.

So what it tells me.....is that it’s crucially important to be more accepting of our differences ....than always focusing on our commonalities ...that’s the easy part...for example....

How hard is it..... when u both like watching the Dolphins... on Sunday?

Not very...in my opinion......but after the final whistle blows....we have to be much more flexible in areas of disagreement and core philosophies...which reflect deep tendencies and beliefs...which are so different in all of us..

If we are noticing....Our life continuously reveals the beliefs.... we have come to believe about ourselves... which may not really be us...but only reflect.....what we have come to believe reflects us at a moment in time..

It can be startling when all of a sudden we may not think a particular way any more... and a new self has emerged...that may not sit well with our “companion, spouse, partner, lover, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend..etc........and causes conflict in the core relationship...
Sometimes we can’t control the pace and timing or these internal revelations....large, medium or small....
How about the immediate reactions we feel...which cuts a new relationship short....Haven’t we all had 5 minute dates? Or not even returned an initial email from someone who shows interest in us.. online.?

So at the heart of it...it takes a lot of bending and being flexible to these.... sometimes small ...and sometimes large.... shifts in thinking, which can deeply disturb the root structure which has kept the relationship going.

And not underestimate the value of flexibility.... and not being afraid of changing yourself too... as we recognize it in ourselves.....and feeling safe in expressing it and speaking honestly to each other.... ALWAYS....regardless of the consequences...

Some people hit this wall early and for some... it hits late....it’s inevitable......

People say you have to be strong...... I see it a little differently....
Perhaps we have to be a little less strong and very flexible Just like GUMBY ...and become much more flexible as time goes by...or we are just headed into a wall... in all our relationships....rayray

It doesn’t take much to make someone feel like a million bucks

When I think about respect... R E S P E C T....I just don’t think it gets much more basic than that...because respect...or giving someone your respect..... gets down to such a one on one.... gut level interaction...cut and dry...... that you either truly believe that others deserve to be respected as human beings and it becomes a way you live with others... or... you really don’t believe that others...or some others.... deserve it... so why give it?......

Anyone who couldn’t even give someone some basic level of respect... and feels justified in doing so...or....that they could care less....then.....what has happened..... is that a judgment has been made that they are above you... and you don’t deserve to be respected because you are below them.....or.... that they are just smarter and know better...
This is so typical of behavior in a society that separates themselves by class...the higher the class status the more respect that is given....and vice versa....imagine that...yet if you stripped a person down naked, you know...it’s possible that class...could not necessarily be distinguishable ....but I’m certain they would find a way to tell you, while naked, that they are better than you...

I suppose that there are different levels of respect...depending on the circumstance......but it’s all related...to accepting that others are as important... as you think you are...and have equal worth... and that all experience is equal.

Fundamental respect... simply acknowledges someone’s existence in the world... recognizing that they, like you, are alive...and have as much right to be, as you do..... race, color, shape, size, gender/orientation become irrelevant..... As if we were blind...

If we can’t even get past this one, we are so deep rooted in bigoted beliefs, which is simply....the lowest form of human ignorance.... that... it would probably take a personal or major human catastrophe to reset and/or.... to straighten out this thinking...

Right after the attack on the World Trade Center, on 9/11/01, when those buildings collapsed and the incinerated air covered people in soot and ash, and death... Making them resemble ghosts.... and... we saw first hand... the horror that befell our countrymen and women.... we were instantly galvanized and humbled.... by the futility of our human condition that sometimes...our life.... is out of our control...

That shock brought us together....it was more of a shock wave to realign each other to the reality that separation no longer made sense and we included each other...what happened on that fateful day forced us to afford each other.... fundamental respect.

9/11/01... Though desperately tragic... united our country....much like how the attack on Pearl Harbor woke us up from a deep slumber...collectively realizing... that engaging in a World War was the only way out. The time had finally come to have a singular purpose... and focus our resources, hearts and minds on a goal to save our existence, as we knew it.....and we did it...we executed our plan.

It carried us to great heights...It was an honor to be a soldier, a warrior....The military had meaning...and the United States entered into a “golden age”.....millions of babies were born. The country built itself up from the inside out....life was good and people were more balanced with each other... We respected each other on very human levels...

In time, of course, life after tragedy or significant change.... returns us to normalcy......
Many souls were indelibly impacted by the 9/11 catastrophe and it has caused positive change in their outlook...
Others.......however.... resumed where they left off, as if nothing had changed...and just settled back into old beliefs... the lessons learned and the sense of world community have worn off considerably...and quite rapidly....in the blink of an eye....

In just nine years since 9/11...commonality and momentum, as a nation, has been lost... Military spending and fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continue at monumental levels never seen before in human history and are sucking the country dry of hope and its resources.... .... and sadly.... it has polarized us, as a nation.

Natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina has had a devastating impact on New Orleans and its residents, the Tsunami in Indonesia, and recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile are physical signs that the earth itself is venting.... the entire Pacific rim continues to shift the ground under our feet. People feel their life is set on sand...right now...in every respect....we are unsettled...

On a personal level....many people have had their world turned upside down ... unemployment is extreme....with the specter of job recovery highly remote....houses and cars have been lost or mortgage obligations have put individuals severely under water.....the financial crisis...has undermined our confidence in our institutions...our collective financial stability has been further split between the haves and have not’s. Bailout out has been for banks and insurance companies, but not for people....

I have never been much of a sailor, but I always thought that bailing out a boat was to avoid it sinking... It’s a temporary fix...you still gotta fix the boat??... yet.... we present a bailout as progress and as a solution..

All this has done... is to further confuse people and has gotten the rich richer and the poor poorer and going down faster.... however... the ultimate disrespect...comes...when we start blaming the unfortunate for their circumstance.....and basically say “fuck them”. Let them die.

Meanwhile, the United States, itself, pushes us deeper and deeper into incurring trillions of dollars of debt. Corporations have become wealthy while people are dying a slow death... The Parents have erred... and yet.... we spank the child...we are headed for a role reversal.....

These signs, since 9/11, do not bode well.....and are perilously pushing us closer to violence in the streets...that will make the civil rights movements of the 60’s, look like child’s play.

What do we teach our children about American and World history? How soon we forget... that our country was born out of revolution.
We are heading for the greatest class struggle ever seen and it’s not confined to our borders now.... It has become a world crisis.

“Those who do not remember the past will be condemned to repeat it”... loosely quoted by George Santayana.

These words are as true now as they have ever been...this is the ultimate undoing of society...when we no longer respect each human alive.....and forsake them in the name of progress and the accumulation of wealth and power.

House, Car and Family on $65 a week?

I had lunch with my Mom yesterday to celebrate my birthday. Her treat!!
She took me out to a fabulous Chinese buffet...near the Beach in Sunny Isles, Florida...and we were chitter chattering between trips back and forth to the buffet tables...chocolate fountain and all....and then....we got to talking.
We got to talking, about my plans next weekend to meet with some of my oldest friends whose families had also purchased homes on Long Island about the same time as our family did in the early 1950’s.
My Father was a Brooklyn kid, and a returning Soldier... who married an English girl, who became his “War Bride”...and by 1954, with 2 growing children..my brother and me.... they left the boroughs of NY.. for a life in suburban Long Island, still pocketed with tomato and potato farms...
My father was an appliance Salesman...who worked for VIM’s...As you might imagine the appliance business was very strong.... and a necessity for the emerging housing communities on Long Island...he managed the store and earned $65 per week.
My mother was a stay at home mom. She proceeded to tell me, that they also purchased their newly built 3 bedroom/2 bath Split level house for $17,500... they put a few thousand down...and took out a 30 year 4% fixed mortgage....plus we had a new car, a Nash, and a family of 4 to feed...my younger brother was not born yet...

I sat in utter amazement that they could accomplish all of that... on $65 dollars a week of income?
She told me that once a month, my dad would get a little excess income from being the store manager...and that they were also able to save after all the expenses were paid.
They were a part of a newly emerging middle class. No credit, little to no debt and money in the bank. It was the “best of times” as she put it...
I started to think about, what in the world has gone wrong...in just 50 years?
We have millions of people who are struggling, unemployed and within a short period of time... will basically run out of money and exhaust all resources....those older Americans’ who have lost their jobs....people in their 60’s... will be taking social security at an early age 62, just to have a source of income.....putting more pressure on a pressurized system.
Many younger Americans will lose their houses...not educate their children..and conceivably could be destitute in short shrift...
I am not talking about irresponsible people...I’m talking about normal hard working people... who have also embraced the American Dream of home ownership, education and living a Middle class life style...
We are on the brink of the “worst of times”...and getting worse..

What is most troubling...is that years of Administrations, both republican and democrat have slowly distanced themselves from the lives and everyday Americans’....and effectively have become the chosen few. While the issues that face people, have been politically abandoned for the sake of the wealthy.
The middle class is evaporating, like the moisture on a black towel...that dries on a sunny day... it is happening very fast...they are overcome with debt, have no resources left and there are no job prospects in sight.....possibly... for years to come......
All that the past 30 years of Reaganomics has done is to widen the gap between the rich and the poor...and frankly they don’t give a shit...things are good for them...

The suburban middle class life which.... my Mother and Father worked so hard to achieve.. Has basically been lost over 2 generations...
This is the heart of the problem... history has taught us that... when there is no middle class, and all that exists... is rich and poor...that that society is destined for, violence and potentially revolutionary behavior and failure.

I just don’t know what to say or do....it’s beyond my comprehension...just the same as living on $65 a week was.... in the 1950’s..
So as my mom, reached into her pocket to pay for the buffet, drinks and a tip....I thought to myself... Damn that was a week’s pay in 1950!!
But she always has something in Reserve....or she wouldn’t do it..

Thanks mom!!...love always...rayray

Don’t be fresh!!

I believe that everything that ever was...has already been thought of before…… simply finding a new way to say it….. is what gives it a fresh voice….fresh meaning….. and. .who among us doesn’t love the taste of something fresh..like... fresh fruit?
One fresh idea can quench a lot of thirst…..the next time you eat a cold juicy grape….try not to smile...
Get fresh with the next person you meet...and you’ll see them smile too....If you get fresh with them....they might even get fresh with you...
When I was younger...fresh.... got you a smack in the mouth...and it wasn’t a kiss...now...I’m enjoying getting fresh with everyone I meet....of course...I’m being silly.....or am I?

Today.....I see that many people are very thirsty for hope and inspiration...real thirsty....like they themselves have been wandering in the desert for 40 years, their throats have become very dry and parched........wishing they could just reach that magical oasis ahead....where they could feel that satisfying first cold gulp....which could wash away years of pain and soothe us from head to toe... the well is drying up...and all they see ahead are mirages.... “the cup has not runneth over.”

All deserts have aquifers...it’s the surface on which we live that is dry...unfortunately... the water, to sustain us, lies much deeper...

We are our own desert and we are our own oasis...we are the cause of the drought and the rainmaker too.... maybe, up until now, we have been unwilling to dig deeper within ourselves...to tap into that well spring.... our reservoir...... our heart is our reservoir...it’s deeper than any well that man has ever dug, nor ever will...when we are willing to dig deeper into our own selves....and unclog that which blocks our path...we will re-discover that bountiful aquifer that has always been within us......but the real beauty is.... that once we drink from that deeper well we will find that this tap will flow so freely to the surface, like a uncapped oil well(i wrote this before the BP Oil spill..lol), or a geyser in Yellowstone.....that our thirst is less noticeable now... because we are happier..

Our heart will always guide us which is right and which is left...choices will clarify quickly, decisions become precise and unscathed by ill thoughts that have continually crept into our head and deadened our heart..

Our own newly retrenched aqueducts...can now flow from the heart and nourish the head...
That which we could never before conceive of will become real to us....possibilities abound...our true self can emerge and our path can be lit up like the runway lights of an airport... at night. When you combine truth with energy... our true purpose will be revealed to us and our compass reset....

However... the final discovery and triumph comes when we realize that there is such abundance... that we must share it with others...because that bounty... was never meant for us alone.

“Flew into Miami Beach, BOAC”

Last night..PBS...celebrated and presented the GERSHWIN lifetime achievement award in song writing.....to .. Sir Paul McCartney,...in the East wing of the White house, before the President and many honored guests...
Back in April I had the opportunity to see Paul Live in concert in Miami....and I wrote a piece about it...and I figure the timing is right to put it up on the Blog...so here it is..... rayray

That verse was taken from the Beatles tune. “Back in the USSR”.
I recently attended the Paul McCartney concert in Miami, part of a 5 stop “America’s” tour which includ Phoenix, LA, Miami, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City.

A new friend of mine and her young daughter, went together to see the show. While on the way I mentioned to JB, the young lady, that the Beatles music took the world by storm in the early 1960’s, when I was about her age, and that their first live performance ever, in the United States, just also happened to be in Miami Beach, live on Television on The ED SULLIVAN show... in 1964 nearly 46 years ago.

Back then, television was in its infancy, to a large degree, and was broadcasted live. Ed Sullivan’s variety show was wildly popular across America. In fact, this was a major way that many American families first began to experience cultural events featuring world famous acts and actors...yet experienced them from the comfort of their own living room. If you had a television, and Ed Sullivan came on, the entire family would gather around it every week. It was a family event each week.

But that night, was very significant, for any Baby Boomer. We remember it, as if it were yesterday. It was as significant an event for us, from an indelible memory standpoint... as much as the horror of the attack on Pearl Harbor for our parents, or the Kennedy Assassination, or September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, which will forever be etched in our children’s memory.

This event, of course, was peaceful, not violent or shocking.. But... joyous and so memorable for Parent and child...It was unifying...
We wanted to show off the Beatles to our parents, like a child wants to show off a new holiday toy. We embraced the Beatles as ours. And as a statement to our parents of what we wanted as kids...love and peace and music.

We wondered whether our parents could relate to the Beatles and embrace them as we did...especially with their long hair, pointed boots and dressed in all black...The Beatles spoke to us and we listened...just as we wanted our parents to listen to us....I think they did...of course they did...
My mom, I’m sure could sing or hum the tune to “Michelle” or “Eleanor Rigby”...in the snap of a finger.

I thought it was notable, and to my pleasant surprise, while on Stage... Paul, made mention of the Ed Sullivan show and coming home to Miami Beach, in recognition of its significance to them and to America and to every person in that audience that saw it live back then in 1964......we were unified in that moment...their success and our lives were forever intertwined... and I really appreciated that he took a moment before the performance got too far underway, in a sense, to sanctify that moment. It certainly didn’t go unnoticed by this writer.

In those 46 years in between visits to Miami, we have all been through a lot...Cold wars, hot wars, good times, bad times...and through it all... there was the Beatles... of course we lost...John Lennon, to an assassin and George Harrison, to illness.... and Ed Sullivan...the father of the Variety show... and the P. T. Barnum of his time. Paul took time from the show to mention those 3 during the course of the evening. It was a magical evening.

We left that stadium humming “Hey Jude” and I was so grateful to witness his return to Miami Beach, sort of where it all began for all of us........

Attached is a list of songs that I put into my phone that evening. I think I missed a few..
Paul McCartney concert April 3rd, 2010

Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club band
Helter Skelter
Yesterday
Get Back
Lady Madonna
Day Tripper
Hey Jude
Live and let Die
Let it be
Give Peace a Chance
A day in the life
Paperback Writer
Sing the changes
Back in the USSR
Ob-la- di Ob- la- da
Band on the Run
You
Feel the Thunder
Where my love goes
Eleanor Rigby
What the use of worrying
Ho Hey Ho....Ho hey ho...Mrs Vandebuilt
Everybody gonna dance
Here today
Blackbird
Two of us
I’m looking through you
My love does it good
Let Em in
Jimi Hendrix tune


For us to remember.........Ray, Nancy, Jenna-Brooke, Judiann

If I were Blind...

How about a little change of pace?...here's a poem I wrote... as the backdrop for my book by the same name....rayray


If I were blind
And couldn’t see
I wonder how the world
Would be

We’d have to lend
A special ear
To every sound
Loud and clear

Every touch
Magnified
Every smell
Categorized

The color green
What does it mean?
We would learn a life
Never seen

Only felt
Only smelt
Only heard
Every word

But the truth, in fact
of being blind
Has little to do
With seeing fine

It’s all about beliefs
You see
That clouds our vision
Dramatically

We have our role
And keep it tight
Never open
No insight

That’s the blindness
Of which I speak
It’s reciprocal
Is what I seek

Clear in purpose
Opened wide
Be forgiving
From inside

Accept that life
Is just about
Breathing in
And breathing out

Enjoy each moment
While it lasts
Because before you know it
It’s in the past.

The unemployment Stimulus package

In the aftermath of the Senate vote...60/40 for the unemployment extension.. I would like to say....Bravo.... to the supporters who withstood...the strong filibuster...no doubt.....that this democratic option was certainly exercised to its fullest extent ....however.... the underlying philosophy... by the opposition still remains troubling to me....

Because it has become a philosophy of confusion...and the solution is found in separating issues... so people can clearly understand...better perhaps....or for worse...but either way...as long as the core facts are made apparent to most Americans....

There is so much confusion....that I thought I would just capture a few thoughts...that came to me yesterday....in an emotional way...and ...I needed to calm down a little....to write effectively...although sometimes just getting the thought out is all that is needed...even.. when things seem so obvious....but I think some of these thoughts are worth mentioning again...

1.Unemployment is a benefit that these workers qualified for. It is not a hand out... nor charity. It is the equivalent of less than minimum wage...

2.Unless you earned it you don’t get it...those collecting the benefit were all good wage earners that lost their jobs.

3.Employers pay Payroll tax...to the State... for this possibility/potentiality... and...That is why it’s there... like insurance for losing a job.. it is not a freebee...it is the cost of having a business in America and hiring employees to help a business grow.. which adds to the good and services that comprise our national economy....this extends to workers compensation costs for when employees are injured on a job. Should we castigate a disabled employee..for collecting on workers comp?

4. Here’s some food for thought.......When you give an hungry person or a family... $300 dollars...what do you think he/she will do with the money?.... if you answered ..eat....then you are right...so the money is not going to buy crack cocaine or speed or alcohol...it is going to go to the essentials that a family needs to survive...

5.So when we re-circulate this $12,000,000,000 (that’s 12 Billion dollars) of funds back to the workers who earned the right to that money...what happens to that money?...if you answered... its spent....you are right again!!!...the money is put back into the economy in the form or all kinds of consumer purchasing....

6. In fact.. if they stopped paying these qualified benefits to those 30,000,000 (thirty million) or so unemployed Americans...the economy would continue to tank even further..

7.This is the perfect example of biting ones own nose to spite one’s face...

8.the Hard-line approach taken by the filibustering Senators...was not only morally misguided...but proved that they did not see the connection at all... to the increase in spending activity...which will stimulate the economy...estimated to be $1.60 of economic growth for every $1.00 dollar of unemployment.....so....on the 12 billion spent.... it adds nearly 20,000,000,000..(nearly 20 billion real spending activity and economic growth into the economy....rayray

Election day...... in July?..

You might find it rather odd that I would say that it’s Election Day in July... tomorrow.........
We normally think of that occurring in November... on the 2nd Tuesday. But this year its different...This year Election Day is tomorrow...7/20/10.
This is the day that the Senate is supposed to vote on the Unemployment extension bill...
There will be more eyes focused on the Senate in Our nation’s Capital... in Washington DC...than anywhere else in the country...Tomorrow the Senate is under the looking glass... exposed and vulnerable.

Tomorrow the Senators, who oppose this bill, might as well pack their bags and hit the road.... if this doesn’t pass, maybe not tomorrow, but as soon as their incumbent seat becomes available.

They will be gone...for their failure to have the guts... to face the fact... that they failed the American Worker....and callously...and stubbornly and ..with malice....blamed the American worker for its failure to prioritize the issues that have crippled our country and blamed it on lazy American workers..who are unemployed and desperately need these funds to survive and feed their family...it borders on treason.. in the name of fiscal accounting.....and... its entirely possible that the damage has already been done...
The Republican senators.. who acted as a bloc...to filibuster all attempts to come to a decent solution...mocked the American worker by their inaction....and yet they want to retake their powerful seats and drive this country forward...Are they kidding?
Tomorrow is truth or consequences.....

Truth...because they must recognize that people, the American people come first, not political party...and consequences... are that they will be removed from their esteemed place in the Senate...one by one.

They never conceived that they were playing with fire. That’s how arrogant they have become.....and now on the fortnight of history...they could salvage their situation...or they will get burnt beyond recognition...

I have hope that they have the clarity... to come to their collective senses and for once ...do the right thing and extend the benefits.... and possibly... finally...feel connected to the collective sigh of relief that will emanate from every town... in every city.... by every family... and by every person... who has been under the extreme pressures that comes from a lack of money in this crazy world we live in.....rayray

"Can you visualize the problem?

Sometimes numbers can be very deceiving....and particularly hard to understand.... Here’s an example that really hits HOME.

It is estimated that 1,000,000 homes will be foreclosed upon this year...and the scope of that problem is very difficult to understand...so I thought I would put this into a different perspective in order to more clearly visualize what this means...
If the average lot size of a foreclosed home... is 100 ft wide... that equals 100,000,000 feet... (one hundred million feet)

1 mile = 5,280 feet...therefore....if these foreclosed houses were lined up side to side...the length would be approximately 19,000 miles.......

That’s the same as... New York to San Francisco...back and forth
7 times........rayray

"You're Fired".. George started it...

I just got the news over the internet.....that George Steinbrenner died today...If you’re a Yankee fan...whether you liked him or not, you’ll pay your respects...Probably... Yankee hats will be worn all over the City this week...kind of like... a Jewish shiva....tear the black rim a little......
However, if you’re not a Yankee fan...like from Boston...or...anywhere else...the tenor may not be as respectful...

Most people will remember him as a tyrannical owner...who spent wildly in an effort to win at all salary cost...and then... when he did...he would stick it back in your face...and shuffle the deck before the new season...like clockwork...
So many marquis players and managers have come through his corporate suite...and some... went out ...with the original words uttered.......long before “The Donald” popularized the expression...YOU’RE FIRED!!.....

He was the Original Sports Mafia Boss, who ruled with an iron fist...but always attracted and kept the great players around, and paid them well... of course.....and.... deep down.... he knew how good they were...but would never outwardly let on to that... or that he cared.
That seemed like his M.O. ...so...the great players would want to always prove to the boss.... how good they were....and that’s how he always got the most out of them...and the championships speak for themselves.

Interestingly.... he always wanted the Late Billy Martin around...and with all of Billy's repeated firings.....he seemed to give Billy numerous chances to redeem himself and repent....George was one of Billy’s 12 steps...lol...ultimately Billy died, and in a strange sort of way...he probably missed him...as..we will miss George.

Undoubtedly...we are bound to see another monument in Center field...and....in spite of it all...and any ill feelings we may have.... about his style of management.......he deserves to be there...forever enshrined at Yankee Stadium....rayray

Labron decides on Miami..... "Sobe" it......

I do feel a little sense of sympathy for Cleveland this morning...now that Lebron’s die is cast........He was their favorite son....he grew up there....they had him for 7 years professionally...He put the Cavs...on the NBA map... they loved him, enjoyed him, it gave Cleveland and its fan base... something to be real proud of...as the economy of that region has been driving young people out of the Midwest...the hallowed Midwest...Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit etc....these are hard working cities...whose people embody the American spirit...and who helped build the heart of this country...Pity... that they just don’t seem to get the respect nor recognition they deserve... Labron represented that respect they so desperately desire.

So...This was a big blow to them last nite...when he uttered the words...South Beach....we call it Sobe.
The glitter and glitz it represents, runs against the Midwesterners grain..which is why so many Midwestern retirees..opt for the west coast of Florida..in places like Ft. Myers,Sarasota, Tampa, and St Pete... rather than the East coast of Florida... and...this aspect will sting for a long time.

But their upsetness is not because of his decision to make changes...that any 25 year old would make when he decides that its time to leave home...and forge a new life...none of us could blame a young , single, successful, wealthy professional to move on and experience all that life has to offer...

The real hurt is more out of selfishness and loss of hope than anything else...they wished he would cling onto them as they had to him... It was a typical dependency reaction...and now they will have to go through a withdrawal of sorts...just like an addict must experience.. in order to break free of an addiction. perhaps even, the grief steps....

He is only one man in the world, who ultimately, like anyone else, stands alone and makes choices in his own best interest, for the betterment of himself and his family...

The people in Miami are very fickle sports fans and don’t need a hero.
We just love the excitement and having fun.... we already have Shula, and Marino, Wade and the Hurricanes (in the good yrs)...and Miami Beach....

Labron will add a lot of spice to this town...but not define it......and I promise you...that his bachelor’s pad will be second to none...and let’s face it....playing 81 games at home in the Winter wont hurt too much either... btw.....better get your tickets now...they wont last long......rayray

Knock Knock...who’s there?...Orange....Orange who?

I am so happy that the Dutch are in the World Cup final game this Sunday vs.Spain... I just love that sea of Orange....
They have popularized an already popular color...and as Americans.... so many things we love are orange...I am still trying to figure out how the Netherlands got associated with Orange...it’s even in their National Anthem....Were they vitamin C deficient?
I am going to google it....(google has become a verb) and get back to you on that.. ok...I’m back on that...

The answer: Orange is the color of the Dutch Royal Family. The lineage of the current dynasty -- the House of Oranje-Nassau -- dates back to Willem van Oranje (William of Orange). But while the color orange has royal roots in the Netherlands, today it symbolizes a broader pride in the country and in being Dutch.

But....here are some of the more popular things we associate with the color orange.... off the top of my head...I’m certain there are more......

A Clockwork Orange....I still don’t understand the movie
The Syracuse Orangemen- great university and b ball and lacrosse teams
Orange Crush...a great popular soda of mine...growing up
Orange Crush...the Great Denver Bronco defense...back when.. And their fans...
O.J. Simpson...sorry...I couldn’t help it...

Pumpkins and Halloween and Candy Corn.....my favorite holiday...

Orange Juice.. Tropicana...expensive ...but great marketing...
The Orange Bowl... stadium....classic games...Miami and Nebraska
Tennessee Volunteers..
The old Tampa Bay Buccaneers...it was a joke...really
Bob’s Barricades.... that s.o.b... must be filthy rich by now
Orange cones...I was a soccer dad....I had a ton of them
Orange sprinkles...very tasty....
Humorette...great ice cream treat...
Florida....full of them... the Sunshine State
Duck a l’orange...expensive..but tasty
Orange beef..great Chinese cuisine..hot as hell
Orange Sunshine...don’t ask mom....please (LSD)
Orange sherbet....and sorbet...oh la la
Some Nasty school zone crossing guards...
Carrots....still hanging with peas...Forest and Jenny
Carrot top....what happened to him?
Redheads....they are really orange heads/carrot tops...still makes my knees weak
Felons jailwear....just an observation....no personal experience..yet

Come to think of it....If you have anything orange in your wardrobe...you are either...someone looking for attention or you are a freak of sorts...or you are rooting for the Dutch on Sunday....enjoy the game

Oh... here’s the first verse..from the Dutch National Anthem. they may want to skip... mentioning Spain on Sunday....lol

William of Nassau, scion
Of a Dutch and ancient line,
I dedicate undying
Faith to this land of mine.
A prince I am, undaunted,
Of Orange, ever free,
To the king of Spain I've granted
A lifelong loyalty (only if they win)
....rayray

Boy..... Talk about getting your wireless crossed....

Even Alexander Graham Bell would probably be stunned...... how crossed.... his wires have gotten.... if he were to reemerge in this 21st century..... and try to make a phone call.
If you kind of scratch your head... and don’t quite understand any of the following terms/technology below..... then... welcome to the Club... of... I hope it works, but I have no idea exactly what has happened.

Skype, wireless router, VOIP, Cable, digital phone, cellular technology, how to use a phone card, satellite communication,
Bandwidth, DSL, texting, sexting, iPod, iPad, Blackberry, instant message, chat function. HD, HDMI, login, logon...... Dr. Evil.... just checking to see if you’re reading.

What started out as 2 cups on a string, has evolved into such an array of communication possibilities, that even Ma Bell would be saying wtf
(What the fuck)

So.....Here’s a quick telecommunications history lesson for Dummies.....Including myself....btw...(by the way)

Once upon a time there was a Telephone company...they put up big brown wood poles with wires suspended from pole to pole and connected the United States.... one town at a time.. The wires carried information.... The Poles got ugly, and the splinters... from those damn things could kill a horse...so they buried the wires...The Telephone company owned the wires they put in the ground. They even crossed the ocean with the wires so the immigrant Americans could phone home.

If you got stuck...you probably called Mable, the operator, and asked for help....she even knew your name...1 ringydingy, 2 ringy dingies...

Then... the TV (television) got invented...and we watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show...we plugged the TV into the electric outlet for power...another set of wires owned by the Electric company... I think they shared the same trenches...but I’m not sure....

About this time... computers were being invented to help us process information at higher speeds...and the military and government were using the computer networks to pass information from computer to computer...this was later known as the Internet...

Then a new set of entrepreneurs wanted to increase the variety of shows that could be produced and make them available for a subscription fee...
This was Cable TV... they needed the same wires...so they leased them from the Telephone Company. Then Fiber optics came along which carried information at a much higher speed...I think the speed is Warp II... into the trenches they go...

So they buried these new wires together in Bands...and now the telephone, cable and electrical company were safely in the flower bed together.

Oh..i forgot Marconi...he was involved with wireless communication.

Are you confused yet...?

So Satellites came into the picture to bounce these wireless signals around the globe.
New telephone companies emerged who could use these wireless devices..to make calls too....so a new gazillion dollar business emerged..
Cellular Telephones... they used those really big towers they put on Uncle Joes Farm....

Let me summarize....telephone> TV> Cable> Internet> wireless Cell phones > computers....

All of the above got connected and interconnected and the company with the most money basically controls the world...
That’s Comcast!!!.

So there you have it.. ..and... wasn’t that easy to understand?

Oh.... pardon me... I have to go....My computer is ringing....rayray

"A Generation lost in Space"

Back in 1971, nearly 40 years ago, Don Mclean, an American song writer, wrote a classic Ballad/song…called... American Pie…I am not sure about other ballads he wrote, but during that summer, it seemed like that was the only song on the Radio….it talked about life in general…and the day "The Music died”…referring to the Tragic plane crash, in 1959, that ended the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper…it stunned a generation… …particularly the generation of young Americans, who grew up in the 50’s rock era, with Dick Clark and the American Bandstand phenomena… which ushered in the 1960’s…

They were rock and roll idols whose influence touched an entire generation …a golden age, an idyllic time… the first generation, of many American families...the children of immigrants, born of soldiers, who first discovered sex, love and music and great enjoyable times…the 1971 song came off the heels of the flower children who had migrated to San Francisco, the heart of the countercultural movement of the 60’s…desperately searching for answers for a new way to live a life…. and was sandwiched between the anti war effort, Watergate, and the fall to disgrace of Richard Nixon and finally…. the end to the Vietnam war...
It was an incredibly turbulent time. After the deaths of JFK, RFK, and MLK, we began to lose sight of these noble ideals … many of which, died on the vine… and were lost on these courageous souls who quietly slipped into mainstream society, to become the future of business, law, trades, politics and occupied all the professions imaginable.... to help them build a family, a future and the hope for a fulfilled life…..who became known as... the baby boomers.
The refrain, below…which….for anyone older than 50, has become indelibly imprinted in their mind…. maybe more so…. than even some Beatles songs….and goes like this…..

"We started singing,
bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
thisll be the day that I die".

Interestingly enough….….what has always stuck out for me …were these other words…..

Oh, and there we were.. all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again

40 years later…many of these 60 million American baby boomers, who embraced this ballad... are today’s parents and grandparents….and these words have become hauntingly real again for many….
We indeed, have again become a generation Lost in space with a distinct feeling that there is no time left to start over……

For many of these souls, life has become greatly unfulfilled, with personal connections to others deeply fractured and very distant, the divorce rate is at an all-time high……the ideals attached to the 60’s have become largely abandoned…and age has crept up and immobilized many people…
Those who have achieved financial success, have learned that the accumulation of wealth alone… has not been the savior of a happy life nor become the monument by which success is measured.….

And... For those who have depleted their assets, or have fallen on tough times…as many are experiencing... as I write this piece..…. the specter of a good retirement has also become a mirage, an illusion…
There is very little trust in our systems and empowerment seems like something we read about in self help book, heard at some corporate meeting…. or was discussed on Oprah…somewhere along the way.

Many of the ideals and beliefs in the things we thought we wanted at the beginning of that golden age, have somehow been lost in our current lives and we just don’t know what to do…there is a empty feeling that we are missing something.. And…. that unfinished business remains… Sadly… some feel incapable of acquiring the skills necessary to make changes and that there life span feels shortened.

The Age of Aquarius, that spiritual awakening, with a nameplate we had hoped to fashion on our breasts, has become a flop, has little meaning, and has been minimized by society in general….as a pipe dream.

Many have grasped at the golden ring on the merry-go-round…and have largely....come up empty handed…..many of the core beliefs have failed us…

The good news is….that the answers to what we seek today are as achievable now…. As the dreams we envisioned then....

A generation lost…simply, means that we have lost our bearings...our GPS system is still there… but it got rusted shut...just like the Tin man… …until Dorothy happened along with the oil can….The tin man had all he needed to succeed….especially...as we have come to learn.... because he had a heart…
Heart… is what we have lost…the heart is our north star….all the guidance we need is within us….Just as the mariners used the stars to navigate to a new world safely…we have to go back to what makes us human…to use our mind but follow our heart...rayray

Independence Day 2010, or is it "In Depends today"

I remember the Bi-Centennial celebration on July 4th 1976.. as if it were just the other day........I was living in NY/Long Island... There were ships of all nations docked into NY Harbor, fireworks galore, feasts, barbecue’s and there was extreme pride... in what we had accomplished as a Country... in the 200 years since the original 13 colonies, signed their Declaration of Independence, proclaiming that there comes a time in Human history, when you must break the bonds of tyranny....... Establishing the underpinnings...of their own United States of America.... a land of immigrant souls, slaves and Native Americans.
The basic tenets of our newly formed society were to create a place on earth to live a decent life...but with intention of laying foundations for a government... committed... to the common welfare and well being of every American.

Over the course of time however, the common welfare, has become so diluted. The word has been thinned out by judgment...that people in need... have been de-valued, are blamed for their circumstance and labeled as worthless leeches.

Evidence of this... resides in the word we now commonly recognize as “welfare” in our American vocabulary. We have flipped flopped its true meaning to become indicative... of people who are poverty stricken and on the “dole” (an old British word), and dependent on a government handout.
What once was a noble ideal, that there is a greater good... and to have compassion for our brethren...is now the folly of Senators, whose only commitment is to their own greater good...achieve their own political ambitions and feast on their own fortune, while they idly watch their brethren fry.....

I’m sure that over this weekend National holiday... there will be a host of Congressional bbq’s in and around Washington DC... where they will be sipping mint juleps and eating fancy food....
I hope that they can take a moment... as the pass by the BBQ pit.... pause and realize that there are fellow Americans who are hungry and frying out there, just like the wiener they are about to consume....rayray

"When the cupboard is bare...morality won't matter"

Desperate people... with no resources... will take desperate actions...and... as humans, there are some basics... which we all need...in order to survive....Food, water, shelter and money.But when money runs out.... and when people can’t afford those essentials...there won’t be many choices left.
When the cupboard is bare, you might as well toss morality out the window. It won’t matter one iota. Law... as we know it... will be suspended.
This is the environment we have created in our country and we are getting dangerously close to a brink of some very serious situations.

You can look at the Great depression and more recently, at the city of New Orleans... just after Hurricane Katrina.... to see that it doesn’t take long for any human being to do what is necessary to survive...including resorting to theft and violence.
When people are left on rooftops, hungry, thirsty, sick, cold and broke...What would you expect?

Here’s a look from Americas rooftop as a much fiercer, mega tsunami approaches....
20-30 Million unemployed Americans... many millions of them will be running out of unemployment benefits shortly.
Cities and States will be cutting back on government funded “Medicaid” type benefits for its beneficiaries.
Cities and States will be doing massive layoffs as they cut back on non-essential and some essential services, including fire and police and teachers.
Our esteemed 100 person Senate, the hallmark of our American Democracy... is divided along political platforms and filibustering all attempts to help continue these crucial flows of funds, while they politically position themselves for re-elections...

Their intent is clear. That is.. to solidify the positions of the rich and powerful in our country...and let everyone else wither and die...
However....What they are underestimating is that they are playing with fire...and they just don’t see it...They are ignoring the potential consequence of these decisions.
I am afraid to even utter it, but I see theft, violence and urban warfare becoming commonplace...with our country becoming its own battleground. Humans will do whatever it takes to survive; morality will be disregarded in short shrift.

Not surprisingly... I predict... that much of this violent reaction will be directed at the wealthier Americans. The gap has gotten so wide between the haves and have not’s. It is estimated that less that 1% of People have more than 90% of the rest combined!
In the depression, bank robbery was commonplace...and many Bonnie and Clyde’s... popped up all over the country.
Don’t be surprised now...we may see some new folk hero’s emerge...Robinhood’s in every town.

If things continue as they are.... people with money will not be safe...no matter who they are or where they live.
Personal, armed security guards and attack dogs will become the new house guests...Don’t carry cash.
Electronic hacking into bank accounts will continue to rise as technological theft becomes commonplace as well.
Kidnapping of children and the elderly may become targets.
Gated communities will not offer protection.
When you combine all of this with diminishing police protection from municipalities strapped for cash...this is not a pretty picture.

While the rich and powerful can manipulate the military and the government...there is power in numbers that even the powerful can’t withstand....

I wish that all of this was just the fodder for a Stephen King novel, but it’s not ...it’s what happens when you put a human being under this type of stress ...when the cupboard is bare and morality doesn’t matter anymore....rayray

For the love of Country and the "Beautiful game"

For those of you... who happened to be watching the miraculous “extra time” victory this past Wednesday... by Our United States Men’s National Soccer team, which kept them alive in the World cup...and if.. you had tears in your eyes for the first time ever watching a Soccer game, then guess what...... you felt that same vibration that’s runs so deep in other countries around the world...who love the “beautiful game” as it is called.. You were infected...

This wasn’t The Lakers, or The Saints, or The RedSox....that represent a particular city or state, this was OUR Team representing OUR country.

That overwhelming feeling of joy that welled up in your throat and came to your eyes...... and may have overcome you... probably came from a place deep inside of you that had been lost or buried for so long, as we have gotten so entrenched in our personal lives, that we forgot how to feel that joy and release of pure emotion that comes from a Healthy spirit of nationalism ... which has been lost over the years because of economic, political and environmental strife or from a loss of faith in the direction you may feel our country has taken..
This was a moment to forget all the trash and enjoy the gift our Team gave us.....It was one of those cleansing moments....when we were at peace...and Soccer was the vessel to get us there.

President Clinton, who has become an ambassador for bringing the World Cup back to The US, in either 2018 or 2022, was so overwhelmed with joy that he couldn’t leave the Team locker room for 45 minutes after the game.... and had to drink hot lemon tea, just to recapture his voice.
I couldn’t return a text message nor answer a phone for an hour..
It was a special moment for me, and rivaled the feeling that many of us had... 30 years ago...when OUR USA hockey team, performed the Miracle on ice, against the Russians... at the Lake Placid Olympics, in 1980.

Saturday’s game against Ghana, promises to be more of the same...
How fitting... that this African nation, which has had so many deep roots to our National history, should be our opponent... and stand in our way.....rayray

Ego-senatorism..

Good morning....I’m taking a breather from my excitement of the World Cup, as the United States Team prepares to play a crucial match later this morning against Algeria, in their quest to advance into the next stage of the tournament, so I could continue to comment, on the issue of our United States Senate and their doggedness, to put obstacles in the way of temporarily resolving the unemployment extensions. I just can’t let this issue go.....because I believe it’s more important than oil spills, drilling and even World Cups......and I hope the issue at hand will attach to each dissenting Senator.... like a pit bull around their ankles. Did I read right?..that now they are considering Drug Testing as part of the bill? Wow...how egotistical....now that they also believe that these 20-30 million unemployed lazy fucks are drug addicts to?
Gee..... I wonder what we would find if we drug tested the Senate and the House of Representatives? These underlying beliefs... that they are better and smarter than the rest is becoming more obvious everyday....I wrote a piece a couple of months ago...and it seems more relevant today.... than it did when I wrote it....rayray


Ego and the Solar System

Some 2,300 years ago.... a Greek philosopher/ Scholar, named Aristarchus... theorized that... the Sun was actually at the center of the Solar system.... His theory was called Heliocentrism...from the Greek... Helios... or Sun and.... kentros...center....

While this seems so obvious to us now... and is what we and our children have learned in school, as a proven fact of nature.... this truth now, was only a theory then... and it took nearly 2000 years for it to be proven mathematically and to be accepted... Copernicus, Keppler and Galileo helped provide this proof....

But...During those 2000 years...in between... it was believed and widely accepted as truth..... That the Earth was the center of the Solar system... this was known as Geocentrism... again...from the Greek..Geo...for...Earth

So.... for 2,000 years...we firmly believed that the Solar System revolved around us... on Earth. We built personal belief and religions structures which supported this... and we built systems to explain how things worked. But in my view, the largest consequence of all of this... was to foster a belief.. just how special we must be, as earthlings... to be at the center of it all.

As I look at the word, Geocentric, the GEO...pops out at me as EGO....This is very interesting to me.. I see this word... as Egocentric... ego...for self... or self center.

So... just as societies took a geocentric view....that the earth was at the center of the Solar System... by extension on a personal level.. I believe we developed an egocentric view... where we also believe that we are at the center of our own universe...

The egocentric view...sees the self as... so self important.... that the world revolves around them...that their life is somehow so much more special than anyone else’s...that others just don’t know better...and....that they are smarter than the rest... and that the world is there to serve them..

This is a serious flaw in the human character and is built on the same misinformed theory that persisted for 2,000 years that the earth was at the center of the Solar system.
Just as we adopted a world view... which was later proven to be erroneous...self-centeredness is equally erroneous...
Will it take us another 2000 years to realize that egocentrism is equally flawed?Sadly....one can dissect this same philosophy and apply it at any level you wish.....Ego-racism, Ego-statehood, Ego-country, ego-religion, ego-political party. It’s all the same......

Whenever we have a belief that places ourselves at the center of any universe....you choose.... and on any level, we are fighting nature and missing the essence of life....that we are all equal....and represent only a small piece of a very large puzzle...
I don’t say this.... to demean or minimize the awesomeness of the individual, because I do believe that we as individuals are immeasurably important...and it is our life to live... and it’s all we have...
However, when we are able to look ourselves in the mirror and see ourselves in the proper perspective within our own solar system.... we should tip our hat to Aristarchus, letting him know...that the 2000 year wait... for enlightenment was not in vain

"Let them eat cake"

It appears... that the latest June 2010 unemployment statistics indicate... that new unemployment claims, across the country, have continued to rise....obviously.... more individuals and families will be rapidly feeling the affects of losing an income....This unemployment trend is not going away... and stemming it’s tide....has to become as much of a National priority, as dealing with the affects of the Gulf Oil Spill.

While this spill is quite serious...and...unfortunately... will probably add more unemployment claims in the near future ....right now....... Someone who could lose their home, car, or have enough food on the table to feed their family... won’t give a rat’s ass about BP or the Gulf of Mexico.

Meanwhile... yesterday, our Senate continued to take aim at those currently affected, by rejecting legislation, geared to extending those unemployment benefits...while we deal with our country’s “over spending”...
So...I don’t see much change in attitude in our United States Senate. We continue to bean count... But, I believe that, underneath it all, lies an attitude which seeks to lay blame on “those lazy fucks” who are scamming the system and gives them a disincentive...to work.....so I thought I would repost my piece. “Let them eat cake”...rayray

Arrogance...and unemployment... “let them eat cake”

Lately, I have been troubled by recent events taking place in the United States Senate, by senators, who are purposefully delaying the passage of, much needed, continuation of unemployment benefits...While they haggle over where it fits on the balance sheet of this nation... Have we become bean counters? Is that what this is all about; having a perfect United States balance sheet? Our country’s balance sheet is not one to write home about..

If Senator Bunning’s house was ablaze, would he want a debate down at the fire house, that we haven’t accounted for the water, needed to put out the flames ?...
Or, what about if Senator Alexander needed an emergency appendectomy, would he want the hospital to consult the accounting department while he lay dying on the table?

While these Senators may not think the loss of unemployment benefits, constitutes an emergency, because their life is secure financially, for many Americans this week has been an absolute emergency week from hell... with significant stress and uncertainty...and fear for their family’s livelihood...or their own.

Are they so completely out of touch with the principles that make our country great?....It is a democracy for the people...

And.. while accounting is vital to a fiscally sound America...it isn’t the bottom line.... that counts right now....we have to extend ourselves further..., to our citizens who need it most...not corporations nor countries..We should be supporting the unemployed while we reconcile the balance sheet, instead of withholding the funds until we reconcile...
That is simply as arrogant.... as the Old expression from the pre-revolutionary French...and associated ...with Marie Antoinette....“Let them eat cake....or in French.. “qu’ils sont mangent le brioche”
The French people were poverty stricken and hungry for their staple food...... bread ...so how could they possibly afford cake? ..or... brioche.. The aristocracy was callous and completely out of touch with the people...and it ultimately became there undoing...through revolution, shortly after our own......American revolution.....

This is not an accounting issue at all; it smells of the same arrogance....

Arrogance comes from Latin ...by definition:
An attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions....

It’s also very Arrogant..
Exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner

Both of these Senators have become intoxicated with their own self importance...Imagine that...one man can hold up an entire process in our Country....look at me... Atlas holding up the world.....Their arrogance will not be forgotten at the polls either...We will remember you, Senators’....you are the ones who chose arrogance over decency...

If they were really in the trenches with the average American they would easily see that not only is it morally, proper to release these emergency funds, but to take stock and completely re-focus our entire efforts to support job creation and put our own people back to work. And get on with rebuilding our own country...and restore our own confidence in our own elected leadership..

Leadership should have nothing to do with arrogance, or power... but everything to do with greater understanding and being able to effectively get results....
Leaders are in touch with issues; regarding people...leaders can see the bigger picture...
Leaders don’t allow power to influence decisions, but duty...
Leaders don’t consider themselves superior to others; they believe that they are equals, who embody the greater good for all, not just for their own glory...

Our leadership bailed out major institutions, banks and financial companies, while we fight wars in far away places..One day AIG is closing its doors, the next year they are realizing billion dollar profits from sales of its entities....

It's time to put our money where are people are..

And if they insist of placing these funds... on the balance sheet...then put it in... Amongst one of.... the thousand other footnotes..... on our United States balance sheet...


*** label it...... for us.....

“You want the Man in charge.... or the Women who knows what’s going on?”

It appears that the Women did very well in yesterday’s primary elections around the country. Take note of this shift in the wind....

Since my Internet signal was so weak this morning... I couldn’t get much deeper into it....in order to get into any names or specifics from the news reports. However, instead, I went offline to write some initial impressions, which came to me in the shower.....Somehow...when warm water hits me in the head... it tends to clarify things for me.

Perhaps the time has come to seriously listen to the Female perspective on the issues that affect our country, at this most crucial time in our history...the female voice has, for the most part been played down, while most decisions continue to be made in our society by men in charge.

In my opinion, the timing couldn’t be better......we are drowning in debt as a nation, confidence in our incumbents are strained, at best.....our teachers will be losing jobs all over the country... our children are at risk professionally.. as many have acquired college degrees... with no place to go...Unemployment is on the rise and could go off the scale.... oil is spilling into our oceans...regional military conflicts are sucking capital out of our country with no end in sight.. We have very little hard industry left within our shores. This status quo is dangerously unacceptable...and most of the decisions in our recent history as a nation...have been made by men in charge.

I have a feeling that, as a society, we have grossly devalued the balancing affect that females have on situations. Where male instincts appear to want to fight and dominate, the female instinct is to nurture, and provide more equilibrium in families, schools, communities...so why not at the highest levels of civil service and Government?

In the limited reading I have done about Matriarchal societies in history...it became clear to me, that community decisions were driven by equality...and balance... and not based on female domination.

Yesterday’s showing in these primaries by Women... bodes well for us all, even though we may not see it just yet....give it some time...we have waited this long....to start to see the shift.... Change is what we need at this juncture...and it’s high time we took our medicine...like mom always told us...

"Ah Ha" moments

During these past few days on "Facebook"..I've noticed many of my rediscovered friends have become grandparents..or will shortly... so a month ago or so ago I wrote a piece which may ring true ....enjoy the ride...


One of the more gratifying moments I think we all have in life... are... what I refer to ...as .. “Ah ha!!” moments....
So... I started to wonder.... first about ...what it is...and then ...what is it about an... “ah ha” moment..... that separates it from other moments which...while inspiring to us in other ways.... don’t seem to rise up to that level..... one which resonates so deeply within us.... that it can literally stop us in our tracks...and give us such clarity ... that it’s indescribable.....
They seem to come to us at different points in our life... and... when they do become apparent, it always takes us by surprise, since it was never planned....a rare moment...where.... all of a sudden something makes sense, it seems to make things fit together....and while we look at it...and think we knew it all along...its just never really fit the same....some describe this as an epiphany or a revelation..
“epiphany”..... From... Greek/Latin/Anglo Saxon... “To show itself”... and... revelation.... from Anglo/English/ French... “To reveal”....

While the definitions are varied...they all point to a... sudden realization of a larger meaning of something.... that a greater reality has been revealed to us ...some describe this as a... magical moment.

They are unpredictable...and the spacing of these moments, somehow, are mysteriously built in to the fabric of what we are as humans... We can’t anticipate when they will occur nor can we think our way into having them happen...it can not be forced nor made to happen because you believe it will...

But I have noticed that... as we grow.... they generally come to us in moments when we are wide open and are able to let go of beliefs we once may have thought....
“Ah-ha!” moments are meant to free us from ourselves... free us from the beliefs we have held and embraced for a long time...which have helped us cope with life.

The exhilaration/shock we feel when this happens... in that momentary extraordinary discovery we experience....are evidence that we have freed ourselves from the bondage of the beliefs we once held ...that we are no longer captors and a new, forever changed, self has emerged... with a much higher level of understanding.

Normally... “Ah- ha” moments.... have little to do...with neither... material things we acquire nor the success we achieve...but point us in a direction of understanding our true purpose and where we fit in a larger scheme of things. They are life connectors....connecting the dots.

I had such a moment, yesterday, when my family.... or a good part of it met for a dinner... at my mother’s home....to celebrate my brother and my nieces visiting from out of town..... all of us being together...and my son’s imminent move in April... to Colorado...

My mother... had prepared for my son, an incredible family photo album to take with him on his journey.
as we... the three of us.... me, my son, and my mother ....3 generations... ages 27, 57, 87 ... thumbed through the pages...My son turned to me and said... “Look at you...dad...you were so young”... at that very moment I was viewing a picture of my mother...and thinking silently.... “Look a you mom...you were so young”... perhaps she was looking at her own mother too...and thinking the same?

It was a sudden overwhelming magical moment... when the child sees the parent as a child and in that instant... all the pain, and sorrow and joy that happened in our family.... just melted away into forgiveness and a realization that life is a connected circle.... and that we have an indelible purpose for each other...
To be open wide, love that we just are, and not be a slave to our harmful selfish thoughts that divide us, but to recognize and find ways that will bind us...with glue so strong that nothing can possibly break that bond...

They hit the beach.....for us..

If you are into 6's and history... Today is a banner day!!..Today is June 6th..6/6...and it was 66 years ago today..that the Allied forces landed on Normandy Beach in the North of France.. to begin the invasion ....which ultimately liberated Europe and the World at large...in WWII..

Just so it doesn't go unmentioned, I want to recognize those brave souls that gave up their lives on that fateful day...while most of them would probably have preferred a day of sun and fun at the beach, with.... family, friends and a cold beer....duty beyond life was put before them..and they chose to forge forward and pay the ultimate price..

We talk about the rubber hitting the road.......for them... it was where the ocean met the land.....so tonite ..I plan on going to the beach ... feel the unending motion of the sea...and privately thank those courageous soldiers...peace..rayray

"The Brain is a terrible thing to download"

48 hour ago.... I joined “Facebook”....anyone who reads this has obviously had their first 48 hour initiation... already ...so this is really old hat to you..... I am certain that anything I say has already been said before....about.... that unique first 48 hours...and what it’s like....
....so indulge me for a moment...with my own initial impressions...and although they are mine ...they are also yours too....

Nobody prepared me...or told me what to expect....no one told me what would happen.....so...I registered, sat back and wondered.....What is going to happen here?

Within minutes my brain started to download...people, places, and things started to emerge...pictures unseen, perspectives never imagined.
Details so fine...and with HDTV clarity.....I was awed with the depth of my own recollections....Where had they been?....Why have these details remained so deeply disguised, put away...in a place we didn’t even know existed?...the storage unit for these minute details in our connected lives were being revealed with speed and accuracy and wonder.... and with help...all of you...perhaps for the first time...we have the collective perspectives to make sense of this....

I realized that all of us have played a part... of what we are as a whole..
We can’t always see the meaning of things while they happen...and these 48 hours reminded me that...it’s less a matter of time passing...as much as meaning being revealed.....
We are indelibly etched into each other...and the extent of which is never really known...and neither is the impact of continued influence between all of us...which probably will continue to make this experience so rich...

I feel like the new kid on the block who just has to lay back and first learn the do’s and don’ts....however...I have always been a quick study.....and I am pleased to tell you that the first download has been successful...rayray

"Cyber Friend"

Divorce and broken relationships have put a ton of people, of all ages, back into the world of dating..When you combine this.... with the speed of life in general..and the obsessive use of the internet..it's no wonder that Dating sites and chat rooms... have become a dominant force in meeting others...interestingly... connections are being made....and in some cases..you may get to know someone virtually.... without ever meeting..so I wrote this poem....in honor of this phenomenon.

To my unseen friend

In the Cyber age or so it seems,
A new kind of friend has been born
Made of fonts and dreams

We probe each other
Through written words
Maybe a photo
But a voice not heard

We struggle to phrase the thought just right
Perhaps they will understand our sight

Can we connect?
Without seeing the face
Or the scent of hair
Or the body shape

Without the phone
Without the date
Never seen….seal our fate?

But there is hope
In all of this
You can find it in red icon lips
A pretty rose and a smiley face
Because you give me words of grace

Where thoughts are soft
and sculpted smooth
a loving hand
That aims to soothe

So I say to you my unseen friend
Thank you.. and if you can comprehend
That I can love you
Just like this
And let’s seal it with an Icon KISS


Written by rayray... 8/30/09

"Patience"

This morning I witnessed a woman on line at the post office,
getting frustrated.... that... as she got to the front of the line, one of
postal clerks was about to take his 15 minute break. She was quite
perturbed...Why couldn’t he just delay his break?... after all,
she had waited....she was next...and... She wanted to be served. She
was also ranting about the automated self serve device which
would not function, as she wanted it too... so... she got stuck having
to get on line in the first place....she was not happy...and... she was
trying to make everybody else unhappy along with her.... the lines
on her face were straining.... “How dare he take his break now?”
The other 2 clerks watched, spoke and were unmoved, calm and
were quite professional....and... Their energy prevailed....and...she
waited.....
I, of course, was next in line behind her...yet... it would probably
never occur to her how selfish she was being... because... it
would have been perfectly fine, in her mind, unconsciously, to
have the clerk take his break, when I reached the top of the
line.......so it could be pinned on me, instead of her...and
incidentally.... there were people behind me....and more people
pulling into the parking lot....and so on and so forth..
People without patience generally don’t understand what patience
is...it can be very confusing.
Patience has nothing to do with waiting...nor time, but
it is an understanding... that there is a order of things which always
has connectivity to others simultaneously...... it’s about blending in
to a natural flow......awaiting your turn...so to say ...letting it
happen...
Much like what happens, on the entrance ramp... when you merge
your car onto the interstate....that lane is long and it is there... to
help you blend into traffic...get up to speed....your actions are
independent, yet are not isolated and what we do is always
connected to others...as we accommodate, so to do others
accommodate us....we are but one connector in a circulation of
events on such a grand scale.. That we can hardly imagine.....
There is no question that collisions in life will always occur,
because of the proximity to others around us....and the individual
level of stress....we feel...just like the women on line...perhaps she
was an extreme example...
A more common example of impatience occurs in everyday
conversations...where people overbear in conversations never
allowing for the other person, or persons, when in a group
conversation, to have their say...
When we become internally aware of this natural flow,
conversations take on such greater value... the inclusion of others
into the natural cycle in a conversation... is far more
meaningful to them than even the content of the ideas they
were trying to convey...It is the openness to inclusion... that unifies and connects us.
Inclusion recognizes that we all are of equal value as
humans.....when the opposite occurs...we dispel each other... as no
greater.... than animals in the pasture.
Patience.... teaches us... to include others.....where impatience
teaches us the opposite....