tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-328384022024-03-18T09:36:19.168-06:00Family and Friends blogP M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.comBlogger1277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-74551775097672836412024-03-14T09:06:00.002-06:002024-03-14T09:07:46.439-06:00Hanging in there.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCAmUXGeFDGOPp40e8zaEOuxPuImb4RdggOhwCgYYyTqi2yyHOYcB0BashooQqIcr3ozX96AXDC2r5TeZsOhDwEa6ib9WneiPKql7i1GOUW4B_KPVTeJeUDrOBXNBoU4MrhMUDsp4WP486dxNiFBAHvAhVRm7WearJd55Pj933LgYFJbvJjseyg/s1275/rose%20bush%20050115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1275" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCAmUXGeFDGOPp40e8zaEOuxPuImb4RdggOhwCgYYyTqi2yyHOYcB0BashooQqIcr3ozX96AXDC2r5TeZsOhDwEa6ib9WneiPKql7i1GOUW4B_KPVTeJeUDrOBXNBoU4MrhMUDsp4WP486dxNiFBAHvAhVRm7WearJd55Pj933LgYFJbvJjseyg/s320/rose%20bush%20050115.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I've had ten of the forty radiation treatments. So far, I've had few ill effects (knock on wood). Some loose stools and one night of the runs is about it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I've started on the regimen of Zytiga and Prednisone without any loss of energy or other side effects mentioned. I'll be on this for a year of more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I had my first chemo injection yesterday and will have them every three months for from a year to three.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I'm hanging in there for now. </span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-39656266999614168172024-02-29T20:59:00.002-07:002024-02-29T20:59:58.945-07:00The Road to Wellness<p> <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">First radiation treatment today. Monday, I saw the medical oncologist. He'll be overseeing my hormone therapy. I've started on two pills every day and an injection starting on the 13th every three weeks. The injections are for three years. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The side effects of radiation treatment is tiredness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The side effects of hormone therapy are hot flashes, high blood pressure, weight gain, fatigue, lowering muscle and adding fat add on cardiovascular disease and mood changes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Talk about cured but dying from the cure!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I Keep thinking back over the doctor I had for five years. He managed my diabetes but didn't do a physical or prostate exam. Then the last three years was during covid, and I only contacted him by phone for year and the other was with my new doctor that did the blood test that led to this.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I'm trying to keep a positive mental attitude, but with such a gloomy forecast it's not going to be easy. </span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-66275752478961178602024-02-22T20:02:00.001-07:002024-02-22T20:04:00.024-07:00Fight of my life.<p> <span style="font-size: x-large;">February 29, I have my first radiation treatment. Five days a week for eight weeks. The information packet says the main side effect is tiredness. Usual doctor sugar coating what's going to happen. Fatigue is what will happen. Barely able to get out of bed while going though it and possibly for months afterward. At my age it takes time to heal.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Then hormone treatment. Estrogen and Androgen injections to kill testosterone. It seems T is what the cancer feeds on. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">I know I'm not alone in this fight. My wife is with me and will be driving me to and from the treatments and when I get as week as a newborn puppy tend to my needs. Married 45 years we've been there and done that many times. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">I also know from past trauma that the Holy Spirit will be my comforter. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Jesus didn't promise us paradise on Earth. He said He must go so the Holy Spirit could come and be a guide, advocate, and comforter.</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">I went through a divorce which ended my dream of being a missionary. It was a very painful experience, but the Holy Spirit saw me through my pain and depression. I wasn't alone He was there.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">I picked up the pieces, remarried and considered my classroom a mission field, no to preach, but to teach them to read and write, to understand history and to do research which, if they learned would stand them in good stead in their lives.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"> I've experienced the loss of my parents and my younger sister. He gave me solace in all the pain.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">I know He will be by my side through all of this. I'm walking through the <i>valley of the shadow of death</i>, and I know He will comfort me through it.</span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-47158677053791725072024-02-14T09:23:00.001-07:002024-02-14T09:23:53.560-07:00NYC's Biggest Secret<p> </p><p class="center"><span style="font-size: medium;">Republicans Just Laid Bare One
Of New York City’s Biggest Secrets<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="center"><span style="font-size: medium;">And you know what? It’s about
damn time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="center"><span style="font-size: medium;">By Ossiana Tepfenhart<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">A couple months ago, I got a
phone call from my friend Eli*. Eli is extremely housing insecure and does
walking deliveries for a living. After eight years of sleeping on couches and
in the street, he finally got his Section 8. He lives with his brother, Jason.*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Too bad SNAP doesn’t pay
enough for food on a regular basis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Ossiana, is it alright if me
and Jason come by?” he asked. “I haven’t had much food lately. I’m really
hungry and I feel like if I don’t get serious food, I’ll faint.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The answer, of course, was a
resounding yes. We cooked him and his brother a turkey dinner, had them spend
the night, and then let them raid our pantry. Then, we wrapped up the rest of
the turkey and sent them on their way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">That dinner was a sight most
people will never see. You see, Eli, Jason, my husband, and I all were homeless
at one point. And yes, all of us squatted in New York City. So, we all get it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lately, I’ve been watching
the Migrant Crisis unfold. And it was one of the most telling things I’ve ever
seen in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">For those not in the know,
the Migrant Crisis is a GOP-fueled crisis where they bus migrants to New York
City.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Republicans do this
allegedly to prove a point that we need to secure the border. In reality, the
GOP recently turned down border security bills. It’s a song and dance to upset
blue states and flex their power.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, I digress.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Migrant Crisis is a real
crisis. Over 100,000 migrants have arrived in New York City over the past year.
This led to a multitude of emergency shelters, over $14.5 billion in spending
for food and shelter, and a full overhaul of the schools.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Most of these people are
trying to seek asylum, but the truth is that they don’t have much of a chance
and the system is backlogged. Asylum is not for economic reasons. It’s for
political persecution that has to be noticeable and proven.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Many of the working poor in
New York City are livid about this — and rightfully so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s not that New Yorkers
don’t want migrants here. It’s that the Migrant Crisis put on a huge show about
New York’s “humanitarian” side while proving that they had the means to shelter
the homeless people in the city.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The hypocrisy is laid bare
for all to see.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prior to the crisis, there
were 100,000 homeless people in New York City. Many of them were rejected for
permanent shelter, denied food, and denied medical care that could have helped
them get back on their feet. How do I know? My friends and I lived it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We were told to “get a job,”
despite no one wanting to hire a homeless person. The shelters themselves have
about 100,000 homeless people sleeping in them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Many people don’t want to
sleep there because they are SO DANGEROUS. People rape you and steal your shit
there. It’s happened to my late friend several times until he decided he
preferred sleeping in the subways. Meanwhile, migrants often get their own individual
rooms in hotels. What the fuck.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Schools have shut down to
house them, hotels were converted into shelters, and many permanent buildings
are now being planned for them. So, what the NYC government is telling me with
this is that they could have done this all along for the homeless that desperately
wanted safe shelter. They just chose not to.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Migrants are getting free
daycare while New Yorkers have to pay for it. Fucking really? Even daycare?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">New Yorkers who are working
poor that struggle to keep a roof over their head with rising rents get to
watch people who are not even from here get discounted rents, freebies, and job
placement. The average rent in Manhattan is around $4,000. That’s not tenable
for two people earning $50,000 each — and that’s very bad. NYCHA is backlogged
and reasonable rents are done by a lottery that can take years to get.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s really, really bad in
New York for the average person. There are tons of apartments that are sitting
vacant because landlords don’t want to rent them out at a reasonable price —
thousands, even.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-size: large;">My friends who are in New
York right now? They want to leave because they are fed up with getting slums
for $3,000 a month and I can’t blame them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Legally speaking, New York is
bound to shelter migrants due to the 1981 “right to shelter” mandate, but that
doesn’t explain the double standard.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">New York is legally bound to
shelter people who apply for shelter in the city, period. I get that. And I
also get that these people are fleeing bad situations in their home countries.
I also understand that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">But why is it that this
city’s stupid-ass politicians are so okay with an increasingly cramped and
stressed-out middle class? Why is it that people who were born here have to
struggle to find SAFE shelter? Why is it so hard to find affordable healthcare?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">More importantly, if New York
really cared about the housing crisis, why the fuck does the city not stop
developers and landlords from charging these ridiculous prices? They could.
They absolutely could do that if they cared.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">They don’t care. They haven’t
cared for fucking decades.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">As long as New Yorkers are
willing to pay taxes and pay exorbitant amounts for apartment living, they will
ignore the elephant in the room because these fucks profit off it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the longest time, New
York was able to quietly ignore that double-standard. The politicians could
quietly scuttle all the complaints of locals under the rug as long as they did
the “we care” song and dance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Migrant Crisis? Yep, it’s
forcing them to put their money where their mouths are. And Eric Adams is
facing a world of shit because it’s time to pay the Pied Piper.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Newark is a prime example of
a city that is working hard to remain affordable.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">High-key, I love Newark’s
politics. When I lived there, Newark was a lot more dangerous. Today, the city
has turned around and despite that, the area still remains one of the most
affordable in New Jersey.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Newark is currently giving
working-class families homes for $1 as long as they agree to fix up the homes
and live in them. The city also has one of the best-run social services net
I’ve personally seen in a city that size.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is one of the only
cities where my friends can afford to live and still do their artwork. It’s
also one of the only cities that seems to welcome working-class people and
immigrants with open arms.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Newark is an example of what
New York City used to be. Is it perfect? Nope, but I can tell you from personal
experience that Newark is a lot more poverty-friendly and a lot more capable of
upward mobility than the Big Apple ever will be again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It used to be possible to go
to New York with $20 and a dream, and somehow make it into an apartment. You
can’t do that anymore. People are furious at New York’s housing crisis and the
double standards they’re seeing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">This will reach a breaking
point soon and I’m not beat for it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">There. I said it. New York
City earned the veritable shitstorm it’s dealing with because it gave into
every fucking whim of end-stage capitalism. There will be a point where you
won’t find people willing to work minimum wage jobs in the city because it will
make no sense to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I mean, why work if you can’t
pay the bills that way? Why work if the chance at having a roof over your head
is a big fat zero? You might as well enjoy the permanent vacation or go to a
place that’s not as fucking awful to you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">While I would still never
vote for the party that took women’s rights away, I absolutely know of people
in the Big Apple who switched political parties over this shit. And you know
what? The political machine of New York has no one to blame but themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-41045707848743760292024-02-02T23:04:00.000-07:002024-02-02T23:04:45.004-07:00Treatment<p> <span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Met with oncologist today. I have a PET scan on Wednesday, the following Monday I start radiation. Five days a week for eight weeks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Then hormone treatment. Prognosis is good that the cancer has not spread, and this will take care of it. </span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-12741453240710680872024-01-27T00:46:00.002-07:002024-01-27T01:01:22.375-07:00Bad News<p> <span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">Well, the MRI said I had cancer. The biopsy said I had cancer in all 13 spots taken. I'm now going to have a PET scan, then to an oncologist for radiation, hormone treatment and chemo.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">My father had prostate cancer and they did surgery. Today they have better treatments and that won't be necessary.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">On a good note, I got my tax W-whatever and I earned $23.12 last year. Almost all of it from the UK for:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1MEbABscTJweDLEMBq6rsA18Rk5WdyWyDkx8MVhdviSgqr_psCY-8Hy2RZy7co6MN0nvPmWUYuNHQJIj2NlU81Z-B-YE_oqvF7MBItQTHkG6HIP3yUSLhdNF5rCUygyasp0BaySLw7ZTstWpv8QWuwOSloc6JwZsRSC4V3VduQDtSgHM-WpcVA/s500/51K9Y+2UKNL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1MEbABscTJweDLEMBq6rsA18Rk5WdyWyDkx8MVhdviSgqr_psCY-8Hy2RZy7co6MN0nvPmWUYuNHQJIj2NlU81Z-B-YE_oqvF7MBItQTHkG6HIP3yUSLhdNF5rCUygyasp0BaySLw7ZTstWpv8QWuwOSloc6JwZsRSC4V3VduQDtSgHM-WpcVA/s320/51K9Y+2UKNL.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">So far sold one of them to the UK this month.</span><p></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-44673219375392586052024-01-12T10:03:00.003-07:002024-01-12T10:13:00.788-07:00Vintage Science Fiction Month<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBply8vkAygLdda8IpXEKRCswrHkPv1ADsMqlDBJMCiAwzZUKn_bzr_CZ5jhicgfs71NphiHB6_m1qYtN4fQ8W77RgjPq3NuDo7vt8bG2nxKH1TLplbk6kiNof145aWHt9CzgieCMz_18aoInMZyuE5wtqMaRcoPy94RyBwmuzOtN_X6hKU7XtYA/s350/Foundation.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="239" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBply8vkAygLdda8IpXEKRCswrHkPv1ADsMqlDBJMCiAwzZUKn_bzr_CZ5jhicgfs71NphiHB6_m1qYtN4fQ8W77RgjPq3NuDo7vt8bG2nxKH1TLplbk6kiNof145aWHt9CzgieCMz_18aoInMZyuE5wtqMaRcoPy94RyBwmuzOtN_X6hKU7XtYA/w274-h400/Foundation.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://ruinedchapel.com/2024/01/12/vintage-science-fiction-month-book-review-childhoods-end-by-arthur-c-clarke-1953/">Berthold Gambrel</a> reminded me that this is Vintage Science-Fiction month. He chose <i>Childhoods End</i> by Arthur C. Clark. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">I thought about it and came up with Isaac Asimov's <i>Foundation Trilogy.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">They were originally written as a series of short stories in science fiction magazines from 1940-52.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">What Asimov created in these stories was what he called Psychohistory. The combination of psychology, mathematics and history to predict the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">It is from these stories I truly understood the purpose of history. It's not just stories about people who died centuries or millennia earlier. History is our Chrystal ball to understand the future. Think of your credit history, life insurance actuarial tables and driving history. How empires rise and fall, political systems change from monarchy to dictatorships to democracy to republics. You can predict the cycles. It's not that history is forgotten it's that each generation thinks they are coming up with something new and better than what their parents and grandparents had. Hegel's Dialectic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">In <i>Foundation</i> Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire resulting in a dark age that will last 30,000 years. Then a second empire will emerge. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">The first four short stories were compiled and put in book form in 1951. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Foundation and Empire</i> was released in 1952 and <i>Second Foundation </i>came out in 1953. Later Asimov would write prequels</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> and sequels to the series.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">Selden proposes a plan that will shorten the dark age from 30 thousand to just one thousand.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">A foundation is created, and plans are put in place to follow the teaching of Seldon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">The first foundation is set up on a small solar system far from the center of the Galactic Empire. This solar system would then start reconquering what was lost. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> Seldon predicts certain phases of the collapse and how to mitigate the damage. He makes videos that at certain times of crises he tells his followers how to handle the crisis.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> In <i>Foundation and Empire,</i> a</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ll is going as planned until something strange happens. A man conquers the galaxy by psychic</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> powers that makes everyone like him.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">When the foundation meets to see Seldon's prediction his video mentions a possible civil war. The man referred to as "The Mule," is an aberration. There is no further planned future for them from Seldon anymore.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">When the Mule dies things go crazy, but the First Foundation clings to the hope that Seldon prophesied there was a second foundation on the other side of the galaxy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">The third book is about the search for this mysterious second foundation and it has an ironic ending.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">The whole trilogy is a retelling of the fall of Rome, and the dark ages that followed. The foundation solar system is good old England. I liked the Mule as he inserts Charlemagne into the story. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">While the Galactic Empire is slowly falling apart it encounters the first foundation and the general in command of the forces of the Empire can't understand how this pimple of a solar system keeps beating his forces. He's referring to the Byzantine Empire and Belisarius, but when I was reading it and then gave it to my father, we both likened it to Vietnam.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-large;">It's still a great read.</span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-37690212927894368072024-01-09T21:44:00.005-07:002024-01-09T21:46:30.466-07:00WC010924: Celebrity I'd like to meet.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYy8RtFt0VBVRAeThvZVbAk4SxNmjDsT-Gg2_zidWAjDXl-oUay5cPnH1c75cM6rgnJCscLBKhAWfvRm1A1cGMkZw2v_xO1sL-XrbzJeyPzGFieL1feI5O9D50fDj7QosYovbFCiBS5e5-c3ujHU4JpPD9gZZxJHRNKY-tB1MDrdEUcFrIe6EMA/s1084/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="1084" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYy8RtFt0VBVRAeThvZVbAk4SxNmjDsT-Gg2_zidWAjDXl-oUay5cPnH1c75cM6rgnJCscLBKhAWfvRm1A1cGMkZw2v_xO1sL-XrbzJeyPzGFieL1feI5O9D50fDj7QosYovbFCiBS5e5-c3ujHU4JpPD9gZZxJHRNKY-tB1MDrdEUcFrIe6EMA/w640-h196/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0buRMjd7qKviVMmUlSzyOh779t_t1aX54QdAjYbDj6iVU1hxT0VCr5Q7P5NgDii6IKq91qjxiHXSn0l0ELEYqHgCf_oApMgZfEI-wQCQq6f1me7kHZlTlQw_hTCrjciQgq7tol6KG35QN1gJ57ipgY9NCu5qEN_GjEPNBBIFyDmrqs0rVgYdHCg/s981/Linda%20Ronstadt.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="981" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0buRMjd7qKviVMmUlSzyOh779t_t1aX54QdAjYbDj6iVU1hxT0VCr5Q7P5NgDii6IKq91qjxiHXSn0l0ELEYqHgCf_oApMgZfEI-wQCQq6f1me7kHZlTlQw_hTCrjciQgq7tol6KG35QN1gJ57ipgY9NCu5qEN_GjEPNBBIFyDmrqs0rVgYdHCg/w300-h400/Linda%20Ronstadt.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Today's challenge is the celebrity I'd like to meet.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Hands down Linda Ronstadt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Halloween 1979, first year of marriage and didn't have two nickels to rub together. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Linda came to town for a concert, and I was ready to sell blood or rob a bank to buy a ticket. Wife had more sense and kept me in check.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Newspaper had pictures of her performance and she came out in a skeleton suit singing <i>Heat Wave</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Sweet Linda, I have her rock albums and CD's, her Trio albums with Dolly Parton and Emily Lou Harris, and her big band CD's. On Spotify I can listen to her to my heart's content. Read her book <i>Simple Dreams</i>.</span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-3919350167381929992024-01-02T00:37:00.002-07:002024-01-03T09:24:47.831-07:00WC010324: Hobbies I used to enjoy.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iQpMcCtcdYpu707UNJ3_UZQ9qkAJgeXk4A4eNN9tvlgnFiXNajwbHCscjqWWrUU82VfGaaClps7YFpqz7q5K-g2Sp9IDilhMVNf7hRE0a6MP2ylxfqQYppBSm5UixSHA9X2myIdF2qHREfROMaFWrENvt2_PRYL9jQNc5V3DWmG2KZzM01cGtw/s2048/WWBC_ListGraphic_2024-2048x1974.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1974" data-original-width="2048" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iQpMcCtcdYpu707UNJ3_UZQ9qkAJgeXk4A4eNN9tvlgnFiXNajwbHCscjqWWrUU82VfGaaClps7YFpqz7q5K-g2Sp9IDilhMVNf7hRE0a6MP2ylxfqQYppBSm5UixSHA9X2myIdF2qHREfROMaFWrENvt2_PRYL9jQNc5V3DWmG2KZzM01cGtw/w640-h616/WWBC_ListGraphic_2024-2048x1974.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Starting the new year off for the Wednesday Challenge. Hobbies I used to enjoy.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Model airplanes and cars. It was fun gluing the pieces together and painting them. The last one I did, was in high school, 1971. AFJROTC we all brought an airplane, and they were hung from the drop ceiling of the room. I did the Concorde SST. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Collecting and reading comic books. Mom would give my brother and me two quarters and we would go to the Rexall drug store a few blocks away and that would buy us 4 comic books. Good for a couple of weeks until the new ones came out. We had original Fantastic Four, X-Men, The Hulk, Spider Man, Silver Surfer and others. Our closet was crammed full of them. We were millionaires until Mom threw them all away.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Paint by numbers. Something Mom got us to keep us busy during the cold months. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">4. Writing poetry. I was rather moody growing up and I would write poetry. I never showed them to anyone as they were more my way of journaling my feelings. The last serious poem I wrote was going through my first wife's near fatal illness and then divorce. I've been sneaking that poem into a science fiction story for the last thirty years. It's still a work in progress, but it's getting there. This is the poem; the story is about a planet invaded by space travelers and in a hundred years totally destroyed. This was one of my ways of dealing with a deep depression.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">BTW I am looking for some beta readers on this story in any are interested.</span></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Buzi<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">I shiver huddled in a
lonely cave.</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">I shout, I rant, I
rave.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">The game of life has
been played.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Though I don’t know how
I strayed.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">The ache within my
chest<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Will give me no
peaceful rest.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Oh Buzi</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Oh Buzi</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">OHHHH BBUUUUUUZZZZZIII!</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">(silence)</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">I hurt.</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">I am Niqmiepu of the
tiller Grails.</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">We tilled the soil with
the ivory in our tails.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">We sowed the ground in
a single pass.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Now all around me is
not a single blade of grass.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Hunters from the sky came
to kill,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">and we didn’t know why.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">They traded with the
Prails.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">And allied with the
Drails.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">They slaughtered us,
Grails.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">It was the ivory they
sought,</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Too late we vainly
fought.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">With all the farmers
killed<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">None of the land was
tilled.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">As fallow our soil does
lie.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">The Prails and Drails
now die.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Finally, there was only
Ishme.</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">and me.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">We hurriedly fled.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Our feet sorely bled.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">We rested by a tree.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">There was no one we
could see.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Ishme, my wife was
hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">And her face was
covered in dirt.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">We holed up in this
cave.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Where for water we
began to crave.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">She grew thin as a
rail.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">And as white as her
tail.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">While in a fever I
perspired<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Ishme’s breath
gradually expired.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Panting on her side she
did lie.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Slowly I watched her
die.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">I buried her with dust
and tears.</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">She was the last of my
peers.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Come sweet death.</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Take my lonely breath.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">My race is lost.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">At tremendous cost<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">My tail I kept.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">My eyes have wept.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">For those who died<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">And for those who tried<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">To save my race<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Now there is no place.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">For us to live<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">And no love for me to
give.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Come sweet death.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Take my lonely breath.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><br /><p></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-40501247362510733082023-12-19T12:53:00.001-07:002023-12-19T12:57:26.093-07:00O Holy Night<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dqg0CF4QWpdUV2h3UPByOmvw0Pil62D12Y5RKEH6w3DcnUCjrEJdxZPs5YEJ3uI9ye_V6PEEM-O81xwdVpytpEKGGy1mGU69eWeCzDCfqBFqY97OEZd9QdPaLp_5KEzn3Ca0YROgTuLdz8Yehj14ru-4qNOfPEn81TRh-cxFnXMvQbfpzEmsyg/s480/Crawford.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dqg0CF4QWpdUV2h3UPByOmvw0Pil62D12Y5RKEH6w3DcnUCjrEJdxZPs5YEJ3uI9ye_V6PEEM-O81xwdVpytpEKGGy1mGU69eWeCzDCfqBFqY97OEZd9QdPaLp_5KEzn3Ca0YROgTuLdz8Yehj14ru-4qNOfPEn81TRh-cxFnXMvQbfpzEmsyg/s320/Crawford.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Picture of Michael Crawford singing <i>O Holy Night</i> in <i>The Lost Christmas Eve </i>with Trans-Siberian Orchestra 1993.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">My all-time favorite Christmas Carol is <i>O Holy Night</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I grew up listening to Christmas songs on a console stereo the size of a small piano. It had turntable, record changer so you could stack five or six albums at a time and AM/FM radio. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Dad would load it up and during the evenings or on Sunday morning we'd listen to Christian Music before leaving for church. During the holidays we'd listen to Christmas Carols. With grandparents who owned a record store, and for a time after he mustered out of the marines, Dad worked there. Mom grew up working in the store. We had lots of records 45's and LP's.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Of all the Christmas songs, not all are Carols, <i>Frosty the Snowman</i> is a winter song, <i>O Holy Night</i> is by far my favorite. <i>What Child is This</i> comes a close second. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">George Beverly Shay and Tennessee Earnie Ford were my favorite singers for a long long time. A lot of women like Karen Carpenter, Anne Murray, Kathy Lee Gifford, Barbra Streisand and others sing it on albums we listen to, but they don't have the deep resonance that the male voice lends to the song, in my not so humble opinion.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">That is until we watched on PBS a Christmas presentation of <i>The Lost Christmas Eve</i>. Ozzie Davis narrated the story, and a number of performers sang songs. then Michale Crawford sang <i>O Holy Night</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Bear with me here, my wife is a huge Barbra Streisand fan. We got her duets album where she sang <i>Music of the Night</i> with Michael Crawford. When he hit the highest note in that song I was totally amazed at how pure and effortless it was. Wow! So, I'd heard him sing before and knew just how good he was.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">That didn't prepare me for his performance on <i>O Holy Night</i>. I preferred it sung by a base voice, he's a tenor. He left me in slack jaw amazement. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">For twenty years I tried to see that show again, and it never came back on, or I missed it. I tried with I-tunes and Amazon music, nada.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I'm now on Spotify and he has an amazing Christmas album with <i>O Holy Night</i>. I tried the U-tube videos of his performance online and they are unavailable, best I could do was a picture.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I also tried to sing along with him. He starts at a low base and rises to the rafters. I just finished a cantata with fairly high notes for bases so I thought I might stay up with him. I did until he went for the rafters on the last few notes. I had to cheat and go falsetto. Somehow sounding like a chipmunk doesn't do the song credit. He is amazing.</span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-18709187150201257422023-12-16T20:37:00.005-07:002023-12-16T20:43:41.921-07:00Father of Oceanography<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="font-size: x-large;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLVD5a8ez58WNex5IGZFtDQaXtvrSgrcdaNFwIPCKGmBhy8ZVJS__WJ4soBipQ3ev7haTnZczVN8Frwx8aFXWaXPmkXqAglBawmX1E8vyGypVwhiaH7z71bJ55h2UoldN3G0vcpQXDxLA2XI3ZLfqD4gHem2QNo7EWneigTvs-dyO_49eijs0dQ/s800/ff70a12b73d9b73c96fbd8f09045577e.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="530" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLVD5a8ez58WNex5IGZFtDQaXtvrSgrcdaNFwIPCKGmBhy8ZVJS__WJ4soBipQ3ev7haTnZczVN8Frwx8aFXWaXPmkXqAglBawmX1E8vyGypVwhiaH7z71bJ55h2UoldN3G0vcpQXDxLA2XI3ZLfqD4gHem2QNo7EWneigTvs-dyO_49eijs0dQ/w424-h640/ff70a12b73d9b73c96fbd8f09045577e.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Statue of Matthew Fontaine Maury. Those holding up the globe represent all those who perished on the seas before the Sailing charts were produced under Maury's command of the National Observatory. Maury is seated in civilian dress, his right hand on the Bible, his left hand on sailing charts he produced. The inscription underneath reads: Pathfinder of the Seas.</i></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: large;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">Article by Patrick Prescott</span></span></p>Anne the Vegan posted an article about why the Confederate statues were taken down in Richmond, Va. She mentioned that they all looked alike glorifying Generals like Lee, Jackson and others. All on horses in full uniform. She has good arguments for why this was necessary, and I don't disagree up to a point. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> I responded that the Mayor of Richmond removed a statue of former confederate, who was not a General, was not erected in the 1950's by the daughters of the Confederacy, not on a horse and though a Naval Commander his statue was not in uniform. The statue was erected in 1929 funded by his grandchildren.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">In her reply, Anne the Vegan agreed with my concerns.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">On July 2, 2020, the mayor
of Richmond ordered the removal of a statue of Maury erected in 1929 on
Richmond's Monument Avenue. <b>The mayor used his emergency powers to bypass a
state-mandated review process</b>, calling the statue a "severe, immediate
and growing threat to public safety."</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">(Wikipedia)</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Matthew Fontain Maury was a scientist. He never owned a slave. He was given command of the National Observatory in District of Columbia where he started compiling over a hundred years of ships logs from all Naval ships that were molding and gathering dust using them to start compiling all the data, they contained to create sailing charts. In 1848 when the first charts were released not to just U.S. Naval ships, but all sailing ships for free, if those ships merchant and military if they would fill out the forms that came with them and return them to the Observatory to keep the charts current.</span></p><p><br /></p><p class="center"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">These are the accomplishments of Matthew Fontaine Maury. </span></p><p class="center"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">1.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Father of Oceanography.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">2. Father of Meteorology.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">3. Father of Physical Geography.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">4. Compiled the first comprehensive study of the ocean currents, wind, weather,
temperature, animal and plant life, depths; the Gulf Stream; the effects of
currents on weather.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">5. Created the first scientifically detailed charts of all the world’s
oceans and wind currents used by all military and merchant shipping from their introduction
in 1848.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">6. His study of the Atlantic Ocean’s depth made the telegraph cable
connecting the United States with Europe possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">7. In the 1830’s his articles in magazines criticizing certain problems
in the Navy led to Congress to create the Naval Academy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">8. He published the Physical Geography of the Sea (1855). A textbook
translated into numerous languages and used by most navies of the world in the
19th century. It was used at Annapolis until the 1920’s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">9. By 1858 Maury had anywhere from 137,500 to 186,000 (the numbers
varied by source) vessels from most maritime countries gathering data to record
weather. This created the largest fleet to act in concert in history. It was the
first time the United States led in a branch of science.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">10. He revolutionized naval
defenses by perfecting floating mines and electric torpedo still in use today.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Why would a statue of a man with these accomplishments be a <o:p></o:p></span><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">"severe, immediate and growing threat to public safety?"</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">This prompted me to write a fictionalized novel, there are plenty of biographies one more is not needed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmExbKL4ZpvPQxG5XTV9OK7LW69vNR6IdUaTh00fNmeN9Hnnp5TLG35iXaMLPJ2q6QKyXA1EJs1pzLwJundzV6UhB4AONvThU5zW-9o08y6aIrNLZynGMxt4ly4RE_nRJRlwz91YITWRsOu8CV42SFQ7wYnuONnUGO4oo2av5eVkI4GnPLRBsJg/s346/41gl88W-y9L._SY346_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="217" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmExbKL4ZpvPQxG5XTV9OK7LW69vNR6IdUaTh00fNmeN9Hnnp5TLG35iXaMLPJ2q6QKyXA1EJs1pzLwJundzV6UhB4AONvThU5zW-9o08y6aIrNLZynGMxt4ly4RE_nRJRlwz91YITWRsOu8CV42SFQ7wYnuONnUGO4oo2av5eVkI4GnPLRBsJg/s320/41gl88W-y9L._SY346_.jpg" width="201" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em class="zt" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #242424; font-family: source-serif-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.06px; text-align: start;">Patrick Prescott is a retired public-school teacher and author of: Optimus: Praetorian Guard, I Maury: The Life and Times of a Rebel, Human Sacrifices, The Fan Plan Tribology, Three Medieval Battles and others in e-books and paperbacks on Amazon.com.</em></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-63846223182696808192023-12-14T10:15:00.000-07:002023-12-14T10:15:12.067-07:00WC:121423 A day late<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1jkm4e_pm3_JNYfuWCl7Bh-y2qBWscrKqqpbLgsylU1Jg0pdMo13WZwj0o9V7UJkxyZJiXmnFND8VCmn7CrTfSBQJDkKx04Ny2I8RjTFYtd_S6M31FsIfBoyS5iRgwfrbLMIFO5x_0eRt2tn78X3sAbr5ziyTOS8SzKFqUHb7R0snqLAa-hv7w/s1084/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="1084" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1jkm4e_pm3_JNYfuWCl7Bh-y2qBWscrKqqpbLgsylU1Jg0pdMo13WZwj0o9V7UJkxyZJiXmnFND8VCmn7CrTfSBQJDkKx04Ny2I8RjTFYtd_S6M31FsIfBoyS5iRgwfrbLMIFO5x_0eRt2tn78X3sAbr5ziyTOS8SzKFqUHb7R0snqLAa-hv7w/w640-h196/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Sorry, this is a day late. The question is: Gifts for people who are hard to shop for.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">With my grandchildren, they live in another city, and we don't see them very often and don't have a clue. We give gift cards. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: xx-large;">Same for my son. About all we know of our eldest grandson is that he's in the Marines and stationed in Japan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: xx-large;">My daughter lives with us and it's giving her a spending limit as we go to Hobby Lobby. She is a crafty person that makes jewelry, crochets, knits, and does plastic canvas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">For my wife we set a spending limit and then go to the mall, and she buys what she wants, and I do the same.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-52604722846260899022023-12-13T11:26:00.006-07:002023-12-13T11:33:29.316-07:00Three Good Things....<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnJTN4m-EWHbkhcwBqaBF1dMnlt_t2Iigb6CbX2Jy__SsZC_osmRIUXhME2Y0vLkATZMw4qhiYAKr9-Wwzew2-VfmfIAtvdZ6gHX5fSYuOei9MfLhLh3hOls2xtvKLSVhrhHJVJtsrk-fYccsJG8wL6cj_O9ck0wYGD7CSE01LjyuE0P35eVjVw/s705/Jan_tomb.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnJTN4m-EWHbkhcwBqaBF1dMnlt_t2Iigb6CbX2Jy__SsZC_osmRIUXhME2Y0vLkATZMw4qhiYAKr9-Wwzew2-VfmfIAtvdZ6gHX5fSYuOei9MfLhLh3hOls2xtvKLSVhrhHJVJtsrk-fYccsJG8wL6cj_O9ck0wYGD7CSE01LjyuE0P35eVjVw/w170-h400/Jan_tomb.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><p class="center"><span style="font-size: large;">Three Good Things That Came from The Reign of Bad King John<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p>Patrick Prescott</span></p><p class="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p>History has a tendency to focus on the positive results of
rulers. Usually conquests, peace and prosperity, founding a dynasty and so on. In
some instances, history is made by failure.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">In English history one of the most ruinous monarchs was King
John. No need to affix a numeral, there’s only been one and as far as the English
are concerned that was one too many. For centuries they’ve wished that Eleanor
of Aquitaine had a headache that night.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">There is not much positive that can be said for this king. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->He abducted his wife, who was on her way to be
married to a powerful noble. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->He killed his nephew, Arthur, son of his deceased
older brother (the rightful heir). Crowning himself king. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->In response most of the nobles of Normandy,
Brittany, and other parts of the Angevine Empire turned their allegiance to the
King of France and in lightning speed all but the Aquitaine was lost. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Pope excommunicated John for the murder of
Arthur placing all his lands under an interdict so they could not take the Holy
Sacrament or give confession.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->By becoming king, his moniker was changed from <i>Lackland</i>
to <i>Soft sword</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p><span> </span></o:p><span>John naturally wanted to reclaim what he lost and that would
take money. With most of his tax base gone John was forced to raise taxes on
the island.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->After much abuse the nobles revolted. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->He died with a French army ravaging his lands
aided by his rebellious nobles. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->He left an infant son which would cause future civil
wars. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> His son, </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Henry III was known as the Weathercock King.
Whoever had him in possession ruled in his name.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> John was a</span></span></span> rather pathetic ruler. He failed at everything
he tried.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-size: large;">Let’s look now at the positives that came from the reign Bad
King John.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><u style="font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;">He unified the crown with the Island</u><span style="font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;">. </span><span style="font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">John
is the first Norman king to be buried in England. From William I to Richard I,
even his mother Eleanor all are buried in France. From this time on the monarch
is truly the king of England.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>John created the English Navy</u>. He wanted
to retake the land he lost and started building a navy needed to transport
troops across the channel. <i>Rule Britania, Britania
rules the waves</i> was started by John Soft Sword. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>The Magna Charta</u>. The nobles made John sign
a document placing the king under the rule of law. It specified what rights the
nobles had under feudal law the most important being trial by a jury of peers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Magna Charta
didn’t have much impact on English law until Charles I was executed, and the
English Bill of Rights was enacted, but both were based on the Magna Charta’s
premise that the monarch was </span></span><i style="font-size: x-large; text-indent: 0in;">under the law</i><span style="font-size: large; text-indent: 0in;"><i> not </i></span><i style="font-size: x-large; text-indent: 0in;">is the law</i><span style="font-size: x-large; text-indent: 0in;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was the
Magna Charta and the English Bill of Rights that gave the justification for the
American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><i style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Patrick
Prescott is a retired public-school teacher and author of: Optimus: Praetorian
Guard, I Maury: The Life and Times of a Rebel, Human Sacrifices, The Fan Plan
Tribology, Three Medieval Battles and others in e-books and paperbacks on
Amazon.com.</span></i></p><br /><p></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-75182414804610878582023-12-08T22:21:00.003-07:002023-12-09T11:00:29.551-07:00Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0fnBru7wh099OFFpbR251E1UmWYyKl72JGRy-HZZD1tfJrXQQvlGKRmyMsEvtaB7sGjt5GaD6kgz6IDJseN-7R2MlGaGfpGHJgIlfOo6gT4PmB7o68Hx_CoVQ9YPZkpY2qIgSPfSf_59iQwLSto1CAPNM6vLprHsboDZ7nSx-q9IKWfSooMWKA/s445/Asimov%20shakespeare.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0fnBru7wh099OFFpbR251E1UmWYyKl72JGRy-HZZD1tfJrXQQvlGKRmyMsEvtaB7sGjt5GaD6kgz6IDJseN-7R2MlGaGfpGHJgIlfOo6gT4PmB7o68Hx_CoVQ9YPZkpY2qIgSPfSf_59iQwLSto1CAPNM6vLprHsboDZ7nSx-q9IKWfSooMWKA/s320/Asimov%20shakespeare.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p class="center"><span style="font-size: medium;">Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="center"><span style="font-size: medium;">Patrick Prescott<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Since brevity is the sole of wit, therefore I will be
brief. </i>From the play Hamlet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am a huge Shakespeare buff and a huge Isaac Asimov fan. If
I went any further, I’d be writing a dissertation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I asked the librarian at the library I frequent if they had
any books by Isaac Asimov. The library branch didn’t have any, but the kind
lady said she could order some and have it delivered in a couple of days. She
read me a list. What caught my attention was <i>Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare</i>.
I could kill two birds with one stone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It came in and I had three weeks before it had to be turned
in. I checked it out on Nov. 17 this year and had to renew the check out twice.
I just finished it. Not due back till Dec. 26.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Combined It’s 1,460 pages, with maps and genealogy tables. I’m
a voracious reader, but my eyesight lends itself better to an e-reader where I
can set the font. A book with a font of around 8 requires I use strong reading glasses
and my eyes tire quickly. If I’m reading fiction I tend to skim and scan over descriptions
of flora and fauna, internal debates, etc. and cut to the chase. You don’t do
that with non-fiction Isaac Asimov. Every word has meaning. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The book covers all 38 plays and two narrative poems. It was
published in 1970 as two volumes. Volume one comprised the Greek, Roman and
Italian plays. Volume Two the English plays. The book that came in was both volumes
in one book.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Asimov limits himself to explaining to the modern reader
what the Elizabethan and Jacobin audiences would already know. At least the
well-educated aristocracy and royalty would know them. The <i>groundlings </i>or
common people might not understand all of it, but he put in comedy and action
to keep them satisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Today classical education (humanities) has been vilified.
Today’s high school graduates don’t have a clue about who Jimmy Clanton was
singing about in his song, <i>Venus in Blue Jeans</i> in the 1950’s.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Greek, Roman
and Italian plays both Greek and Roman gods and goddesses were characters like
the play <i>Venus and Adonis.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here I’d like to do a sample of how Asimov enlightens the
reader,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">“Adonis is
the Greek version of a Semitic vegetation god… the type of myth of which Venus
and Adonis is representative…reflects the birth of agriculture.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">“The
Sumerians, about 2000B.C. represented the agricultural cycle with a god,
Dumu-zi, who died and was resurrected; a life-and-death…celebrated each year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">“The
Semitic Babylonian’s name for the vegetation god was Tammuz…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">“As the
Greeks and Semites gained more and more in the way of cultural interchange, the
Tammuz version entered Greek mythology directly. Tammus became Adonis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">“The name shift
is no mystery… The semitic term for ‘Lord” is ‘Adonai’ it was “Adonai” that was
adopted by the Greeks. They added a final <i>s</i>… making it ‘Adonis.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Asimov goes to
great length to explain the Classical gods. They were more or less the same
gods, but different names and nicknames. Zeus (Greek) Jupiter (Roman) Jove (nickname).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A complete primer
in not only Greek and Roman mythology, but eastern and German as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Asimov also references the sources Shakespeare used. It
might be another play he borrowed the plot from and improved on it or wrote it
on demand by a wealthy patron. The historical plays Asimov cited the Bard’s
source, such as Geoffrey of Monmouth’s <i>Historia Regum Britanniae (story of
the British Kings)</i>, Plutarch’s <i>Lives</i> for <i>Julius Caesar</i> and <i>Anthony
and Cleopatra. </i>The Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus for his History of
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in AD1200. For English history he refers to William
Camden’s <i>History of the British Isles</i>, 1586 and Raphael Holinshed’s <i>Chronicles
of England, Scotland and Ireland </i>1577.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Macbeth, he wrote to
please King James IV of Scotland and James I of England. It celebrated the King’s
Scottish ancestry, and his fascination with witches.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the plays <i>Henry IV part one</i> and <i>Henry IV part
two</i>, Shakespeare inserted a fictitious character named Falstaff. He was the
comic relief and carousing buddy of young Prince Hal. Before he could write <i>Henry V, legend</i> has it that Queen Elizabeth
enjoyed the character and wanted Shakespeare to write another play on him. He
wrote the <i>Merry Wives of Windsor</i> before <i>Henry V</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of Shakespeare’s benefactor and close friend was Thomas
Beaufort, Duke of Exeter. The man led a rebellion against Elizabeth and was
executed. This had a direct impact on Shakespeare’s opinion on war and palace
intrigue. He walked a fine line of keeping both Elizabeth and James happy, but
still sneaking in his thoughts. Falstaff’s soliloquy in Henry IV part one is an
example:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Falstaff feigns death during the battle. After Prince Hal
kills Hot Spur and the fighting leaves. He stabs the dead body so he can claim
the prize and then says to the audience. <i>“What is valor? It is air. Tis
discretion the better part of valor be.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Shakespeare covers the Hundred Years War from Richard II to
Richard III nine plays. We have the same problem today with historical movies
in that that people and time don’t match reality. Asimov fills in the gaps when
the play has people on stage who haven’t been born yet or are dead or in another
country. He gives a graduate level course on all that’s happening in France and
England for the whole 15<sup>th</sup> century. It was heaven to read it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I don’t expect anyone to rush to the nearest library and ask
to borrow a copy, alas that’s the only place you may or may not find it. Amazon
does have a copy for $164. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">For me I gained insight and appreciation for Shakespeare that
I didn’t have before, no matter how much I love watching the movies and going to
a play if one is available. Isaac Asimov in you’re one of those thousands of
witnesses that surround us I want to thank you for this endeavor on your part.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm finished on Asimov so you can stop reading if you want. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The one thing that made me able to understand Shakespeare and enjoy his plays in 9th grade is I was raised in church when the King James Version of the Bible was about the only one available for protestants. Later the Revised Standard and American Standard came out, and in the 60's, 70's up to today all kinds of different interpretations are available.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thee, thou, ye and other anachronisms I grew up understanding. Some preachers even preached using them. I prefer the New American Standard Version as it's the closest to a pure translation, for easy reading I enjoy <i>The Message</i>, but it's not for serious study.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I discovered while at Seminary in one class we had a list for the semester of all the scripture verses we would be tested on, and they were to be memorized. There was no way I could memorize out of NASV. KJV was purposely written in pre-printing press language or poetically. By the time of King James the common language became more prose than poetry. People actually used to talk like that so they could remember what was said, especially when the town crier read the latest laws or taxes, which they only read aloud once, and the people were required to obey them. </span></p><br /><p></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-34171152094343865942023-12-01T10:11:00.003-07:002023-12-01T10:40:26.214-07:00Ten Years a Diabetic<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgd0d92jQHybHmRjsHdkWHI_aHiH3tcTNM6BxIc7LBAUYWwAN0NDPha0ZOavsr6_7e6j6iGatL7SmtglZ46X5BKL-Nfz2X0g9jtLA56i76A440ycZScnjQlaAWfKZhHWtDiEghgAm6pRsYod0Cppau_y0FhLRzpl-_Mm0E55ya7g__YeTpHyQ0CA/s870/ozempic-semaglutide-injection-3ml-pen.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="109" data-original-width="870" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgd0d92jQHybHmRjsHdkWHI_aHiH3tcTNM6BxIc7LBAUYWwAN0NDPha0ZOavsr6_7e6j6iGatL7SmtglZ46X5BKL-Nfz2X0g9jtLA56i76A440ycZScnjQlaAWfKZhHWtDiEghgAm6pRsYod0Cppau_y0FhLRzpl-_Mm0E55ya7g__YeTpHyQ0CA/w400-h50/ozempic-semaglutide-injection-3ml-pen.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I was diagnosed with diabetes ten years ago. I started going through the ritual every day of testing my blood three times a day when waking and two hours after a meal. I'm also taking pills for controlling blood sugar, but it's a disease that is gradual. Five years in, I started on insulin. I gradually got up to 120mg a day, why my weight went up so high. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Then daily injections of Victosa, which helped some. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">TV started advertising Ozempic. It's only once a week injection and supposed to help lose weight. I had to wait two years before Medicare would cover it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I weighed 275 lbs. when I started taking Ozempic. In three months, I was down to 235. It was like having a mild case of motion sickness. My stomach was queasy all the time. I could skip breakfast. Anything fatty turned my stomach. Bacon, sausage, pulled pork I grew nauseous at the smell. Chicken, turkey, hamburger in a small amount was okay. Once I went from eating lunch at noon and didn't eat again until the next day at noon. The longest I've ever fasted.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Then my body adjusted. I could get by with a couple of slices of bacon and patty sausage, but still not pulled pork, and I used to love a good barbecue pulled pork sandwich.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My blood sugar skyrocketed the first six months because he had me stop taking Lantus. He had me go back on Lantus for only 30mg a day. Blood sugar leveled off, so I was usually around 130 to 160 in the morning.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My weight went back to between 245 and 255 but most of the time was 250. This is why Ozempic is not a weight loss drug. It helps with your weight until the body adjusts to it. Then it doesn't work for that. It does help keep blood sugar down.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My doctor suggested Rybelsus. It's a daily pill, and he said it was the pill form of Ozempic. Hey not having to remember to take an injection sounded good. The major drawback of Rybelsus is you have to wait 30 minutes after taking it before being able to eat or drink. It worked for three months for my blood sugar but didn't help with my weight. I got up to 260. Then I needed to increase insulin to 50 mg.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">For two years Ozempic has made national news. Even though the drug states it's not for obesity, doctors have been prescribing it for overweight patients. I read that they're still working on Ozempic in pill form and that Rybelsus is not as affective. The doctor lied.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I got a new doctor and I asked to go back on Ozempic, this past August. He complied and it took until September before I could get any. A three-month supply. My weight went down again and I'm not eating as much, and my blood sugar has decreased. I was taking 50mg of Lantus a night and finding that in the morning I was around 110 to 120, then it started to drop to under a 100 and one morning it was 69. I had to take glucose tablets to get me to the kitchen for some orange juice.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I cut down to 30mg of Lantus and things have balanced out. If my blood sugar is over 230 at bedtime, I'll take 50mg if it's under that I take 30. I can regulate it this way. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When I was down to my last pen, I ordered a refill. The local pharmacy didn't know if they could get it. It took three weeks to get the first three-month supply and they might not get any for a month or more. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I hate having to go to Express Scripts mail order, but I thought they would be able to get it. I ordered it and they e-mailed back they didn't have it in stock and to transfer the prescription elsewhere, then charged me 23 cents to deny my request.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I had to get the doctor to transfer the prescription back to my local pharmacy and just as I was about to run out and forced to go back to Rybelsus (still have some left-over from before) They got one pen. Three pens are $120 on my insurance. Getting one pen was 45. Great getting it one month at a time runs up the cost from 120 to 135, if I can get it. I've got one week on this pen and the pharmacy still doesn't know when they'll get another one.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">To add insult to injury the news has reported that not only are primary care doctors prescribing Ozempic for obesity, but so are psychiatrists. Yesterday I read that plastic surgeons are prescribing it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I'm waiting for insurance companies to cry out for cutting the time for a drug to go from prescription to over the counter like they did for Prilosec and Claritin. Fat chance (pun intended,)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">BTW, I did get my doctor to prescribe the Freestyle blood testing sensors. I got 16 weeks of sensors for free, only had to buy the reader for 87 bucks. It was great. I could check my blood sugar any time, like right before I am deciding what to eat and knowing what I can get away with or go for the salad.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When it came time to reorder the sensors cost $495. There's a "donut hole" in Medicare. Back to sticking my fingers again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-2980945397103925592023-11-29T10:48:00.004-07:002023-11-29T10:59:00.302-07:00WC112923: Hate or like True Crime and Why.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMksO73ubFkfjEV75zCJpQWtwaPKWVN2i8DFaRS2o628XouDvqIy6FItb71hUfew6VF53boZXPA2fQ5tl5sW4mnlQYArL77H2Ojm4073k85eB0b3fjD3bo8vC3CFbpl4c3Mkq147djUzebgCrrfQk_O8R8TYEH-lqGhEq0-RLIKM8JhPswxMExw/s1084/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="1084" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMksO73ubFkfjEV75zCJpQWtwaPKWVN2i8DFaRS2o628XouDvqIy6FItb71hUfew6VF53boZXPA2fQ5tl5sW4mnlQYArL77H2Ojm4073k85eB0b3fjD3bo8vC3CFbpl4c3Mkq147djUzebgCrrfQk_O8R8TYEH-lqGhEq0-RLIKM8JhPswxMExw/w640-h196/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpPgb6VIi80h-UWKlz6nqfp9sEK3SNnvAYHdUaITxXwDerMKaVYxpYeeymCVFfsDAE1lSrL1C5q8R9u262T9LIfoQq-eWiEsq8b8wyoMWBiM_bSea_YbYbigEh-_RnNelsGkoUxXrMlt_Vxqd_60nbKddPSnZ8iVXnD6A30ig-Rnyi_YeYhX-Qw/s218/Helter%20Skelter.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpPgb6VIi80h-UWKlz6nqfp9sEK3SNnvAYHdUaITxXwDerMKaVYxpYeeymCVFfsDAE1lSrL1C5q8R9u262T9LIfoQq-eWiEsq8b8wyoMWBiM_bSea_YbYbigEh-_RnNelsGkoUxXrMlt_Vxqd_60nbKddPSnZ8iVXnD6A30ig-Rnyi_YeYhX-Qw/w241-h320/Helter%20Skelter.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>Today's Wednesday challenge is if I like or hate true crime stories.<p></p><p>I've only read one true crime story. Helter Skelter, by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry.</p><p>I read it while in college and it gave me lifelong insights into the legal system.</p><p>Bugliosi was the lead prosecutor against Charles Manson. He recounts the police investigation, how the old-time cops didn't think they needed to preserve evidence and bungled a lot of it.</p><p>After years of watching CSI and NCIS the general public has a pretty good idea of the importance of gathering all the evidence they can find and basing their findings off of what they have.</p><p>Back in this time scientific evidence was in its infancy. Silly since it had been in novel form since Edgar Allen Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue and all the Sherlock Holme books and movies.</p><p>What I learned from the book and has still stayed with me fifty years since reading it was:</p><p>1. The importance of obtaining evidence, chain of possession, and keeping it safe.</p><p>2. Analysis of the evidence. They didn't have DNA at that time, but fingerprints and blood type gave clues. I remember that a boy found the gun and after watching a number of TV shows and movies knew not to touch the gun and picked it up with a stick. When he gave it to the police officer, he grabbed it with his hands on the barrel ruining anything they might have gotten from it. They knew the killers drove away from the Polanski home and which way they went. They knew they took off their clothes and threw them out of the car. They reenacted doing this and then found the clothes. </p><p>3. Reconstructing the crime scene by using the evidence.</p><p>4. Building a hypothesis of what happened. </p><p>5.Canvasing the area and interviewing all who knew them and who might have wanted to harm the victims. This led to the house the Polanski's lived in having been owned by Doris Day's son, and when she visited her son there saw Charles Manson and he gave her the creeps. Her son turned Manson down on recording Manson's music, giving him motive. </p><p>6. Jail house snitches. None of the evidence at the scene pointed directly to any of the Manson Family. The same with the Labianca's. It was the women of the family while in jail on other charges that broke the case open.</p><p>7. The most important part of prosecuting Manson was to psychoanalyze him. What was his motive. Without motive, no case. Once the case was handed over to Bugliosi he had to analyze the evidence and when it pointed to Manson then getting into Manson's head and understanding what and why he was always in prison and what happened when he got out. Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption focuses on inmates becoming "institutionalized." Manson whenever he was released, committed an even worse federal crime so he would get right back in.</p><p>8. The importance in understanding the evidence and finding motive took psychology. That criminology and psychology go hand in hand in establishing proof for conviction.</p><p>9. The pitfalls of the trial. The different tactics the defense attorney used to try and get his clients acquitted.</p><p>10. While teaching both psychology and high school law this book and showing the documentary based on it opened up my students' eyes. It made me a better teacher.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have never felt compelled to read or watch any true crime books or shows since. I'm content with fictional ones.</p><p><br /></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-39191139813872090822023-11-27T16:43:00.004-07:002023-11-27T16:49:46.082-07:00The Importance of the Book of Hebrews <p> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Patrick Prescott</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The Importance of the Book of Hebrews</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Scripture taken from:</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">I've read articles on Medium attacking evangelicals for their hypocrisy on the insistence of forcing the law of Moses and Leviticus even Deuteronomy on the masses while skipping over other parts of Mosaic law. Yes, they are hypocrites just as Jesus called the pharisees hypocrites. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">They do seem to find loopholes as all legalese assholes do. How they justify not following Levitical dietary laws,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><i>"We can eat pork because in the book of Acts Peter was given a vision of all kinds of unclean animals and food and told to eat. When he refused the voice said, 'Whatever God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." Ch 10:15'".</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Peter didn't start eating pork, he went to someone considered unholy and unclean. A gentile, one Cornelius a Roman Centurian.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Now if that's a loophole to eat pork and shrimp and lobster, why don't they apply it to humans like Peter did with Cornelius. Doesn't that apply to all people even those who are different with alternative lifestyles? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Evangelicals are today's Judaizers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">I've concluded that those who call themselves Christians, but insist we follow Levitical law are what Paul fought against, those he called Judaizers. The one's insisting gentiles who become believers must be</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">circumcised</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"> and follow dietary laws. Only the ones today dropped circumcision and dietary laws and pick and choose which laws we have to obey and those we can ignore.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">They also equate their faith as part of national origin. Christian Nationalism and just like with Israel if we violate these laws God will wreak havoc on us for our sins.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Jesus didn't come to save Israel. It was conquered and the Jews dispersed. He didn't come to destroy Rome. His followers converted so many to His name that the great empire was won over.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Judaizers still believe in the God of Sainai not the God of Zion. The book of Hebrews explains this. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The Importance of Hebrews </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Martin Luther once said, "Who wrote Hebrews? Only God knows."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Whoever wrote it the book should be read by all and some of its passages should be memorized as faithfully as John 3:16.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The book opens in Ch 1 vs 1: that God "spoke long ago in the prophets... in <i>His</i> Son..."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">It then describes <i>His</i> Son's <i>(Jesus)</i> birth, how all the angles worship him, that in vs 10: "Thou Lord, IN THE BEGINNING DIDST LAY THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH... SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE THINE ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR THY FEET"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Ch 2 goes on with what Jesus's mission was, how he was made lower than the angels and it was God's plan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">It is chapter 3 that's important. Jesus is our high priest under the order of Melchizedek. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The priesthood of Aaron is the Old Covenant or contract between God and Israel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The priesthood of Melchizedek is the new covenant between God and everyone, not just one people or nation. God changed the worship from offering sacrifice for the remission of sin in the Temple; to Jesus being the sacrifice and all who believe are forgiven, mercy is not needed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Under the priesthood of Aaron and the Temple, on the day of atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to offer a sacrifice on the altar under the solid gold "Mercy Seat" where on that day and time God would sit on the seat and give mercy to the whole nation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">With Jesus as our sacrifice there is no Holy of Holies or mercy seat. The Holy Spirit of God indwells us individually, and we each become the Temple of God. We are forgiven of our sins, there is no need for a mercy seat. It has nothing to do with your nationality or the country where you live.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">This is the difference between obedience to the law and temple sacrifice to Jesus being our sacrifice and forgiveness of our sins by the blood of Christ.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><b>A better Covenant</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Ch. 8 vs 6 "but now He has obtained a more excellent ministry by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Vs 7 begins quoting Jerimiah 31:31-34 where God promises the prophet that there shall be a new covenant.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Ch 9 explains the difference between the old tabernacle (temple) and the new tabernacle with Christ as high priest.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">In vs 16 he requotes Jeremiah 31:33: </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">"I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND UPON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"> "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>Vs 18 sums it up, "Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><i>I tend to include a qualifying word here, not biblical, "there is no longer any NEED </i>of<i> offering for sin.</i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">VSS 26-39 gives the Hebrews, their choice. The priesthood of Aaron and the laws of Moses or the priesthood of Melchizedek and the sacrifice of Jesus. Judgement will come to those who reject Jesus.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Judaizers may call themselves Christian and claim to worship Jesus, but their belief is based on the Priesthood of Aaron and not Jesus as our high priest next to his Father and that we are now with the Holy Spirit our own "priesthood of the believer."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">In chapter 11 the author leaves from the differences of priesthoods and talks about faith.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Worshiping in the temple wasn't about faith it was about obedience. The laws of Moses where about judgement and consequences only giving mercy upon offering sacrifice.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Chapter 11: starts with a definition of faith: "1. Now faith is the assurance of <i>things</i> hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2. For by it the men of old gained approval."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Kierkegaard, explained this as a "Leap of Faith." It's not blind faith, but a reasonable faith. Notice the word "assurance." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The rest of the chapter is a roll call of the great men and women of faith. Some of the notables are Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, etc. Then he mentions those who were persecuted for their faith.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The climax of this list of those who lived by faith, not just obedience or because they had to because of the law comes in Ch. 12:1</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Notice that because we are believers we are not without sin. We are to lay aside sin because it entangles us, but it's still a part of us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">We aren't to wait for Jesus to come again, instead we have a race to run with endurance, it's not a sprint. That race if to grow in the Lord and share with others about him for the rest of our lives.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Notice to "share" is not to coerce or force others to believe like you or to conform to your ideas about how they should live.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Verses 4 through 13 discipline is mentioned. Discipline is not punishment. Today we might call it training. A successful football or basketball team must train for the sport and have the discipline to wait for the snap to be made or to control temper so as not to get a penalty. As a long-distance runner I trained long and hard covering many miles a day. At first a coach watched to make sure I didn't cut the course, but when I went to high school the coach told us what he wanted, and we went out on our own. If I cut the course the only one, I was harming was myself. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">When I attended a Baptist college there were lots of rules and regulations with varying penalties up to and including expulsion. When I graduated and went to Seminary. There were no rules like that. As I was told, "If you need rules, you need to rethink why you're here." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Verses 14-17 advises believers to, "pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without no one will see the Lord."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Stop and think about this for a spell. Where is the peace when Christian's demand laws making it a crime for a woman to control her own body?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Are they pursuing peace when they pass laws making it a crime to love and marry someone of a different religion, color, lifestyle or mode of dress? Where is the Lord in that? Is this what Judaizers consider to be sanctification?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Vs 15 "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">If a church will not allow someone to worship with them because of the alternate lifestyle or color or culture or any other condition imaginable where is the "grace of God?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Vs 16 "that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Have the Judaizers sold their birthright for claiming an immoral, godless person to be God's chosen? Voting for him for president. Leaders gathering around him in the Oval Office anointing him with oil, and even forming a mob to attack the Capital building and wanted to hang the Vice President?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><b>Sainai versus Zion</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">It is here from verse 18-24, that it is plain the difference between Aaron and Melchizedek, Moses and Jesus, Believers and Judaizers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">18. "For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched <i>(physical mountain)</i> and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind... 21. And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR AND TREMBLING."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">22. "But you have come to Mount Zion <i>(spiritual mountain)</i> and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels. 23. to the general assembly and the church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits or righteous men made perfect."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>This is the new covenant. We live under grace. We live with the Holy Spirit to guide us. We worship a risen savior sitting at the right hand of God and there is a great cloud of witnesses with him watching down on us. Many of them our loved ones.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>The Judaizers still worship the God of Sainai. They think serving God is to make everyone their servant living according to their laws and claiming it in the name of the Lord. The God of Sainai is a God of fear and not understanding how He changed. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>They are waiting for a King who has already come.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>For a kingdom they are already in.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>To become what they already are. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>For and age that has already come.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>For victory that's already won.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span>The God of Zion is a God of love. The commandment of Jesus was to Love God, Love your neighbor as yourself. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span> </span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-39137916024121192312023-11-20T11:19:00.006-07:002023-11-20T12:02:22.375-07:00The Book of Romans and Hebrews<p> </p><a name="_Hlk151367401"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a name="_Hlk151367401"></a>The Books of Romans and Hebrews</span></div><p class="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Introduction</span></span></p><p class="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Patrick Prescott</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I’m a retired
history/English public middle school and high school teacher. I’m not a
biblical scholar. I was a lifelong Baptist, growing up in the church and
have studied the Bible in Sunday School from childhood up today where I still
attend a bible study class and teach one on Tuesdays. Only now in a Methodist
church.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span>Having lived
through the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention by the moral mafia that the SBC left me not me them. Their trying to control all believers into
hating all who are different and the strict conformity of the Ten Commandments
and other Levitical laws, cherry picked while discarding others that has
destroyed the message of loving thy neighbor into hating the neighbor who is
different.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Methodist church
I attend is an affirming church, we practice inclusion. On the wall of the
sanctuary is a large rainbow. We allow worship to all regardless of race,
creed, culture, or lifestyle. We have a float for the Gay Pride parade every year and a booth at the pavilion. We actively reach out in love to our neighbors. The former pastor who began the church as inclusion has a brother who is living with a man. Our current woman pastor has a sister living with a woman. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Many in the congregation have loved ones who live an alternate lifestyle and sill love them and affirm them as human beings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">For the past few
years, the United Methodists have been splitting over this issue of affirming
and inclusion. It seems a number of bishops are women and now openly in
same sex relationships. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">There is a Book of Discipline, that is thicker than the Bible, and it forbids women pastors and homosexuality, but a previous convention voted to not uphold both of those prohibitions allowing women in the pulpit and leadership positions. A coming convention is expected to delete those prohibitions. The fireworks will surely ignite the skies over that city.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I teach a bible
study class on Tuesday mornings, and it is comprised of a few men around my age
some a few years younger most are older only one is not retired.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In my bible study
class, some of the members are certified lay ministers or working on becoming
one. <i>I’ve looked into going through the training for CLM, but I’m too
Baptist to wholeheartedly believe the liturgy that is handed down from the Church
of England and copied from the Catholic Church</i>. <i>My beliefs are still those
of the</i> 1963 Baptist Faith and Message<i>, though the moral mafia changed it to
fit their agenda once they had control of the convention.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">We’ve had much
discussion the past year over the division affecting the United Methodists
concerning the division over alternate lifestyles. <i>I find using the alphabet
soup for all the different groups distracting, so I’m lumping them all together
as alternate lifestyles. I mean no offense</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The basis of our church choosing inclusion and affirmation of those with a different lifestyle as
members of our congregation is Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 5:43, Luke 10.29, and Galatians
5:14. Summed up, Love God, love your neighbor as yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">John 3:16-17<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reads, whoever or KJV “whosoever” believes
will have everlasting life, and then in verse 17 says, “For God did not send
His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved
through Him.” (NASV)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Doesn’t “whosoever”
mean everyone? Even those with an alternate lifestyle? Doesn't it also mean that Jesus didn't come to condemn them for what they are, but to save them too?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In our group, we
call ourselves “The Wild Bunch,” About as wild as a toothless and declawed tabby,
but we like the name. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk151367401;">What we are all
agreed on is that the biggest difference between those who are choosing to stay
United Methodists and those</span> leaving is we accept everyone with love as
Jesus commanded us. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>We include them in our worship,
they exclude. We love, they condemn. </span><span>We choose to forgive them as we have been forgiven our sins.
They say they hate the sin, but love the sinner, but that’s impossible if you
won’t include them as sinners the same as those churches include the angry
(same as murder) and lust (same as adultery). They want to pick and choose which
sin is okay and which isn’t.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">They use the Ten Commandments as a hammer
and the book of Leviticus an anvil to bully anyone who doesn’t think and act
like them rejecting them within their fellowship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">There is one member of our group who loves to point out the
fallacy of their reasoning. He cites all the laws in Leviticus that we don’t
follow and then asks why don’t we follow them if we have to follow the others? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here are my thoughts on those questions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">There are two books in the New Testament that explain the difference between the Old Covenant or contract and the New Covenant or contract: Romans and Hebrews. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dan Fowler has a post in Backyard Church from August 2023: <u>Romans
Explained</u>, that is enlightening. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">His explanation concerns “Prosopopeia” A debate style where you give one
side’s view and then argue how it is wrong and your view is the right one. The whole book is written in this style, so don't go quoting one passage and say it's what God said, without putting it into context. It's written debate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Example in Romans Ch. 1 Paul lists the sins of the gentiles quite
detailed on their immorality, then in Ch. 2 he lists how the Jews don’t measure
up to God’s standard. He condemns both gentiles and Jews as not worthy of salvation. The moral mafia somehow forgets Ch. 2. Maybe because it refutes their insistence, we follow Mosaic law and want to impose it on the whole country. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In Ch. 3 Paul refutes this argument <b>vs 23 for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His
Grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus</b>;…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Guess what everything Paul said about the sins of Gentiles
and Jews is forgiven (justified) through God’s grace.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Later in Romans Paul elaborates on <b>justification</b> of
faith and that there is now <b>no condemnation</b>. If the moral mafia would
stop cherry picking what they like concerning the vices of Greeks and Romans
and actually read the message of Paul’s writing the world would be a much
happier place.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">There is not much more for me to say about Romans that Dan
Fowler hasn’t already said. This brings me to the importance of the Book of
Hebrews.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">That will be in my second installment.</span><o:p></o:p></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-61041283639312728272023-11-16T10:25:00.001-07:002023-11-16T10:43:47.685-07:00Books by Veterans<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJOTBL3d4G1bQlJIf5_WkFLH5uxBeXqOWeYo64vuYMtiRzXh4wNJCG0doMg8Iv54cWYTJDtibDWVJ8KeIRSdENkoU3wi-78nM55LMXj-DouYgGy9s4ek8KRtn6ruJnPREKjpolXO2F44YpL8LTgN3MLpIOzXDyEfv57J5tW00Pj5L7I2-BXIPnA/s346/man1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="228" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJOTBL3d4G1bQlJIf5_WkFLH5uxBeXqOWeYo64vuYMtiRzXh4wNJCG0doMg8Iv54cWYTJDtibDWVJ8KeIRSdENkoU3wi-78nM55LMXj-DouYgGy9s4ek8KRtn6ruJnPREKjpolXO2F44YpL8LTgN3MLpIOzXDyEfv57J5tW00Pj5L7I2-BXIPnA/w264-h400/man1.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">It's a bit late, but I'm responding to <a href="https://ruinedchapel.com/2023/11/10/books-by-veterans/">Berthold Gambrel's </a>blog post for Veteran's Day about reading books by veterans. I thought I'd post some books by veterans that are good reads.</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A Biography of Douglas MacArthur. Fascinating reading.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The movie MacArthur (1977) starring Gregory Peck, starts with the fall of Bataan, but follows the biography from there.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One tidbit I loved. His father was General Arthur MacArthur a civil war hero. While in New Orleans after the war, he was charged with cleaning up the graft and corruption there. While investigating he was approached by some locals and offered a vast sum of money, a mansion and the use of the most expensive hooker in town. He sent in his report and asked to be transferred to another post stating, "They're getting close to my price." </span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3HdzXBO8LJrJIBw1eelIwzir3o5HhFv1ZMK20gPoHN8EaruRtt0Gv8BKE-JUFdNFQpTdO0X8vkwuy5xuofhN2QWGIoLJpg5TSg0lLWa_IL6MhsScu-lFpUfrBcQSjPAtg6ye4gDx0gEtpRVqziFDlIpYa_4O0t33hZ7l2kbtnnTpr2-V2NBOMA/s466/Goodbye%20Darkness.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3HdzXBO8LJrJIBw1eelIwzir3o5HhFv1ZMK20gPoHN8EaruRtt0Gv8BKE-JUFdNFQpTdO0X8vkwuy5xuofhN2QWGIoLJpg5TSg0lLWa_IL6MhsScu-lFpUfrBcQSjPAtg6ye4gDx0gEtpRVqziFDlIpYa_4O0t33hZ7l2kbtnnTpr2-V2NBOMA/s320/Goodbye%20Darkness.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="text-align: left;">Manchester also wrote Goodbye, Darkness. His memoire of going back to the islands where he fought in WWII years afterwards. He revisited the sights, could see the remains of ships sunk, and noticed that the U. S. forgot about them, and the Japanese had put up memorials to their fallen. </span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdvyi1dfJLdc492K5KFiW_EcjWONUSG5bbbC13QHO6nuqmVbo7HwHrDJUHSnolhyphenhyphenVe54dvNviVc6-Xt6dbWQrVcuoqOPlkWZDnEPbsE4KaoeRpPGznyUjWd2RHkVPoeL0UGRQ-0FQ46N67FkvLMb63ylbb2dGPeyL0oua9XE-Vr0Cw90zPxm6Ow/s346/kr.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="217" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdvyi1dfJLdc492K5KFiW_EcjWONUSG5bbbC13QHO6nuqmVbo7HwHrDJUHSnolhyphenhyphenVe54dvNviVc6-Xt6dbWQrVcuoqOPlkWZDnEPbsE4KaoeRpPGznyUjWd2RHkVPoeL0UGRQ-0FQ46N67FkvLMb63ylbb2dGPeyL0oua9XE-Vr0Cw90zPxm6Ow/s320/kr.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">Clavell was a POW during WWII, and this is his memoire only fictionalized. It was turned into a black and white movie starring George Seagal as the King Rat. This embarked him on his writing career which includes Tai Pan, Shogun, Noble House and others. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Years later Steven Spielberg did a blockbuster movie, <i>Empire of the Sun</i>. John Malkovich's role is strait plagiarism from King Rat. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrv4wFFA79M17-aJGx7m7LV68-xWjrEygkUvzfb6y1R4slwo4jc2QzLBPhT9JMdtOY_G4ZdTz0UV8okIRYPRAMGxJZBZwRik1-21w8yObWiQensyx0mDwbKrZjIulPTg4AS1Vvr7rNaElPydpjnkoBFRKsDhcauzSXW7xa-GcTSH1iqPohIh1Jw/s595/Tales.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="397" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrv4wFFA79M17-aJGx7m7LV68-xWjrEygkUvzfb6y1R4slwo4jc2QzLBPhT9JMdtOY_G4ZdTz0UV8okIRYPRAMGxJZBZwRik1-21w8yObWiQensyx0mDwbKrZjIulPTg4AS1Vvr7rNaElPydpjnkoBFRKsDhcauzSXW7xa-GcTSH1iqPohIh1Jw/s320/Tales.webp" width="214" /></a> This was Michener's memoire of fighting in WWII. Amazing how many great novelists were veterans. It was turned into a musical play and the movie had an unknown actor as part of the choir: Sean Connery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In another of his books he mentioned that in New Guinea, he went through a small, dusty and grimy village named Bali Hai. He liked the name and put it in his book which was then turned into a beautiful song. </div></span><span style="font-size: large;">I once tried to read all of Michener's books. I gave up. I'd still be reading them and not get them all read after fifty years.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIwD-GyyJ5ttb40-YrO87xvxvCgooqmB8Qn-z7H1K6O2FJ09LKerDLMEr3LlwOGKJ3DSZS9PuaL2pBXVJRR2eQawRzMG35rdlJf19Dvs5MtGRfGRUUXv3iH81ulWd0SLZgmi_TmXi6xgyudclRHYXk9yeyIf6dsgeMAxzCvIsmHT2LmHnsWJMVQ/s500/Hobbit.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIwD-GyyJ5ttb40-YrO87xvxvCgooqmB8Qn-z7H1K6O2FJ09LKerDLMEr3LlwOGKJ3DSZS9PuaL2pBXVJRR2eQawRzMG35rdlJf19Dvs5MtGRfGRUUXv3iH81ulWd0SLZgmi_TmXi6xgyudclRHYXk9yeyIf6dsgeMAxzCvIsmHT2LmHnsWJMVQ/s320/Hobbit.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tolkien was a veteran of WWI. It may be apocryphal, but the story is he was bet a certain amount of money that he couldn't write a story with the word "hobbit" in it. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Like many of his fellow veterans of the trenches he was a part of the "Lost Generation," Those who lost all ideals concerning war. In the Hobbit <i>the Battle of 5 Armies </i>over Smog's treasure is a prime example of his disdain for warfare.</span></p></div>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-8408774344251397692023-11-14T14:02:00.007-07:002023-11-14T14:24:12.081-07:00WC111523 Criticize your favorite book, show or movie.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQknSXRwUwAVOMFrc9BKG7dg6HCuP5JfiNWIFHa8TafkYZSIGCre5zPS5c8TSFEaBTjUreAUDNrOM8U_BENqhBjXoaVEcDog2-9vSDXNeGfua5poiDdeIwYfo-Bv5P6xxle1aPH-akcBsXsvX9bQu9gev50S_IHvVQB32RUR1rfDgvZJKLivCxBw/s1084/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="1084" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQknSXRwUwAVOMFrc9BKG7dg6HCuP5JfiNWIFHa8TafkYZSIGCre5zPS5c8TSFEaBTjUreAUDNrOM8U_BENqhBjXoaVEcDog2-9vSDXNeGfua5poiDdeIwYfo-Bv5P6xxle1aPH-akcBsXsvX9bQu9gev50S_IHvVQB32RUR1rfDgvZJKLivCxBw/w640-h196/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCECCuH8gUCE3ge3m8auRtk0f95oy8WWkBUyEIh7zJKLyzuA0Rr4kQlQHbN9gB3ORiaaduDQ-9l4EITwV1viiUubUF4cG360S0ePZRb5j5-weZvSXeGcPpT2l9_-avlkLPXcIhBW4-8aBJQJUjfkXa5i9-ZtqoElkoYL9ZqAtZdNmYsxd8K-wlw/s500/far%20pavilions.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCECCuH8gUCE3ge3m8auRtk0f95oy8WWkBUyEIh7zJKLyzuA0Rr4kQlQHbN9gB3ORiaaduDQ-9l4EITwV1viiUubUF4cG360S0ePZRb5j5-weZvSXeGcPpT2l9_-avlkLPXcIhBW4-8aBJQJUjfkXa5i9-ZtqoElkoYL9ZqAtZdNmYsxd8K-wlw/s320/far%20pavilions.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Criticize your favorite book, show or movie.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">I have read The Far Pavilions numerous times. I read it over a summer when in college. Used it for a book report in World Literature. Read it again while getting a divorce and out of work. When I started teaching 7th and 8th grade, I told the story (you don't look away from kids at this age). I told it to my World History classes when covering India during the Raj. It's a marvelous book. The mini-series with Ben Cross and Amy Irving mangled the story beyond recognition.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Before the critique let me give you the story line.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Book one: Hillary Ashton Pelham-Martin is born in India. His father is an explorer charting the northern part of India. His mother miscalculates when she would deliver him as his father planned on being in a British canton when the time comes. She gives birth in a tent during a dust storm and dies of child bed fever. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Ashton is given to a native woman who's lost her child to nurse, and she becomes his <i>Ayah</i>, (nanny).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">They continue traveling but come down with Cholera. Only Sita and Ashton survive as she knows to not drink the water. She dresses him as a native and they travel south to the nearest cantonment. They get there just as the Sepoy mutiny breaks out and all Englishmen are being massacred.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Sita takes him back to the north to a small kingdom at the base of the Himalayas. Northern tribes in India have lighter skinned people than southern India. The mountains are called the Far Pavilions. She finds employment as a seamstress, and they get a hovel to live and survive.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Book Two: Sita and Ashok, his native name, are getting by. She kept all the papers from the caravan that document who Ashton is and buries them in the dirt floor of their home. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The Rajah of Gulkote where they live outside the castle is celebrating the birth of a son and there is a parade with a feast prepared for the villagers. Ashok and Sita are watching when the parade comes by, and the Rajah's eldest son's horse rises up and is about to throw him. Ashok, who is working in stables, calms the horse and saves the young heir's life.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Sita and Ashok are brought into the palace, Sita becomes the ayah of a baby daughter of the Rajah, Anjuli, and Ashok becomes Lalji's playmate. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The new son of the Rajah's is from a different mother, and she is wanting to get rid of Lalji so her son will be next in line for the throne.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Sita becomes a mother to Anjuli, who is ignored whose mother is dead, and she means nothing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Ashton and Anjuli become close, and they find a place in the palace overlooking the walls and look at the mountains. They dream of leaving the palace and finding a valley where they can build a home, raise sheep and goats and live in peace.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Ashok thwarts a number of attempts on Lalji's life over the next few years. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Word comes to Ashok that those trying to kill Lalji are going to kill him as he's in the way. Friends in the palace help Sita and Ashok escape from the palace and they flee Gulkote.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Book Three: Sita and Ash start traveling south to find an English Cantonment. Sita gets ill and she gives him all the papers proving who his father is before she dies.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">He travels to an English Cantonment; gives them the papers and is sent back to England to be reunited with his family. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">To cut this short he is a fish out of water in England. He makes it through his schooling and enters military service headed back to England to fight for the Raj. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Young Ashton Pelham-Martin has something that is very valuable to the regiment. He speaks the language as a native and can blend in as a native.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">He's given an assignment to escort a wedding party for two brides from one kingdom to another. He finds that one of the brides is Anjuli. He falls in love with Anjuli, delivers them to the other Rajah, sees they're married and leaves.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Then he finds out a year later that the Rajah, who was old, dies and the two Rani's he delivered will be Suttee, burned alive on the funeral pyre.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">He goes back to save them but is only able to save Anjuli.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">They get married, but the regiment is given orders to go to Afghanistan to establish a diplomatic mission.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">In Afghanistan Ash is used as a native in Kabul, to let the mission know what's happening.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The mission is attacked and killed to the last man, but he survives as they think he's a native. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Ash and Anjuli go to find their valley in the Far Pavilions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">This is a very involved story. It has a great love story, extended history of India, social and economic dynamics, and religious factions between Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs, and Christians.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Now the critique: When I first read the story and even most of the other times, I could read it word for word and devoured every page.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">I bought a copy on Kindle. It had been quite a while since I'd read it and was looking forward to it again. I'd also become a writer and was surprised at how many errors were in it. Misspelled words, run-on sentences, that I'd never noticed. This was published in the 1920's or 30's. All copies available today are from 1978, and <b>they didn't edit it</b>? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Most of all though, it was the lengthy descriptions of the countryside. Pages and pages of flora and fauna, describing the mountains, valleys, plateaus, clothing etc.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">I found myself skipping over this stuff. I do that a lot now. Maybe I've lost the ability to appreciate long descriptions in my old age. The first time reading it I learned about the Indian subcontinent, and it was new and exciting. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;">I still consider this to be my all-time favorite novel. </span></div></div>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-1631477361843169692023-11-08T16:16:00.002-07:002023-11-08T16:16:30.464-07:00WC 110823: Something you believed, but found out it wasn't true.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGx7QS0_hNErQzZqD1tABC5v3K9fWcs9nTTi8jfrrtUXUBi02YjLAxUN93f26STPcsM4pw4auV3J_SwL5IHgsXnPk-lzZmXYlnD3p8Yj7PIseODkMyH87Qa-NNlAd0BQwspvhf_WQsQbJZrcaxzEL4S1Oqso8ILL8gxfzI8p1OTZB_aj3MUpQWZQ/s1084/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="1084" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGx7QS0_hNErQzZqD1tABC5v3K9fWcs9nTTi8jfrrtUXUBi02YjLAxUN93f26STPcsM4pw4auV3J_SwL5IHgsXnPk-lzZmXYlnD3p8Yj7PIseODkMyH87Qa-NNlAd0BQwspvhf_WQsQbJZrcaxzEL4S1Oqso8ILL8gxfzI8p1OTZB_aj3MUpQWZQ/w640-h196/WednesdayBloggingChallenge-copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">This week's challenge is something you once believed but found out wasn't true.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">Let's see, there was a time I thought I made a mistake and found out I wrong.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">Seriously, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">1. I once believed that God created the universe in six literal days. <span style="color: red;">Then I grew up</span>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">2. I believed Rapture Theology was how the world would end. <span style="color: red;">Then one question changed my mind.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">3. I didn't believe in the theory of evolution. <span style="color: red;">Now I do.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">4. I believed I'd never get a divorce. <span style="color: red;">Then I was</span>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">5. I believed that a college education was a way out of poverty. <span style="color: red;">Today college loans make indentured servants.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">6. I believed that the United States would never condone torture and the president of the United States would call it a "No brainer." <span style="color: red;">It took away everything this country stands for and flushed it down the toilet.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">7. I believed in the checks and balances designed in our constitution as our protection from tyranny. <span style="color: red;">The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade has declared all women as wards of the state, and they have no free will over their own bodies</span>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">8. I believed that The Orange Toad could never do what he has done and said for the past eight years and still be leading in the polls for President. <span style="color: red;">I was wrong.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">9. I believed that my children would have a better future than we did growing up. <span style="color: red;">With global warming will any of us have a future past 2050?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">10. I believed that racism and sexism and religious wars were over. <span style="color: red;">I was naive. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">11. I still believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. <span style="color: red;">The God of Zion, not the god of Sinai (Hebrews 12). Jesus whose commandments are to Love God, and our neighbor as ourselves. The Holy Spirit who gives comfort in our times of need.</span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-48990992114512566332023-11-01T10:02:00.002-06:002023-11-01T10:06:44.575-06:00Double Dose of Wednesday Challenge<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv927wd5K4LXZ0VuGmwyJmbVtYsSerjh_MDEdMl0gaQ1mAM5EilQeWirOBb0LMIwuns4rINonqZe_m2DvFD2qbvPETpqQftFoGd2ZMx-m7CrgP12eC2XoJTGhJ74kHE2VsQsqH0t_CE8qotr-21fXmlFsgJNMt2-W1FESmxBOB53cAdv0PLaUFA/s639/WWBC_ListGraphic_2023-2048x1974.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="639" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv927wd5K4LXZ0VuGmwyJmbVtYsSerjh_MDEdMl0gaQ1mAM5EilQeWirOBb0LMIwuns4rINonqZe_m2DvFD2qbvPETpqQftFoGd2ZMx-m7CrgP12eC2XoJTGhJ74kHE2VsQsqH0t_CE8qotr-21fXmlFsgJNMt2-W1FESmxBOB53cAdv0PLaUFA/w640-h616/WWBC_ListGraphic_2023-2048x1974.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Last week the challenge was to create a holiday. I drew a blank. I enjoyed the others who thought up a new holiday, but it wasn't until Friday the inspiration hit. So here goes:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">A Sadie Hawkins Day. (For those scratching their heads, this is where the boy's line up and the girls chase after them and when the boy is tagged, and they get married. From the comics Lil' Abner.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Here's my take: In each town or city all boys known as "incels" or involuntary celibate still living in their mother's basement at 25; line up and wait for the gun to sound.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">All women aged 25 who are still virgins waiting to get married; line up a hundred yards behind the men and at the sound of the gun they start chasing the men. When they tag one, she then escorts her fiancé to a waiting minister or priest who then performs the ceremony.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">The woman has the right to an annulment in the first six months for any reason. The man must wait for six months if he wants a divorce.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Now today's challenge: When I was in college, I was compared to John Denver, this was when I first started wearing glasses. I could sing along with Annie's Song and sound like him as well. Others said I reminded them of Spock on Star Trek. I do not have pointed ears! </span></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-89351654114975498042023-10-20T10:44:00.001-06:002023-10-20T10:44:52.717-06:00Imagine Nightmare (First post on Medium.com)<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Imagine Nightmare<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the most popular of all John Lennin’s songs, <i>Imagine</i>
has endured because of it’s beautiful melody and wishful thinking. We all dream
of living in peace and harmony, usually in time of war which we are facing in
both Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">There is a saying, “Be careful what you wish (dream), for.
You just might get it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Let’s take to the logical conclusion what these words say
and mean.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">1. Imagine there’s no heaven<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">It’s easy if you try<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">No hell below us<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Above us, only sky<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Imagine all the people<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Livin’ for today<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Ah…</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I don’t have to imagine if there’s no heaven or hell. It’s
call atheism or agnosticism. The concept of <i>Livin’ for today</i>, is the
philosophy of “Life’s tough and then you die.” The philosophy of “The one with
most of the toys before they die wins.” All criminals are “Livin’ for today.”
Can you spell N-a-r-c-i-s-s-i-s-m. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">God or no god what’s needed to live in harmony and the “Golden
Rule,” is empathy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The most important ingredient in love is to <b>care</b>
about someone as much or more than yourself. You can love your neighbor as
yourself whether you love of God or not. It’s a way of life not just “Livin’
for today.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">2. Imagine there’s no countries<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">It isn’t hard to do<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Nothing to kill or die for<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">And no religion, too<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Imagine all the people<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Livin’ life in peace<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">You… <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">This isn’t a dream, it’s a nightmare. It ignores the entire
experience of human beings on this planet. From hunter/gatherers, to herding to
farming and creating civilizations those who don’t have will kill or steal to
get what others do have. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Someone or deliberative body always has to make laws or you have
blood feuds like the Montagues and Capulets from <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> where
the prince steps in to lay down the law for the peace of the city.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Nothing it kill or die for… Imagine all the people living
in peace</i>? Infantile wishful thinking. Without laws you have anarchy. This
appeals to nihilists who want to burn everything down just to glory in the
glow. Kind of reminds you of our current congress. Isn’t this the worst nightmare
for our democracy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">3. Imagine no possessions<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">I wonder if you can<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">No need for greed or hunger<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">A brotherhood of man<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Imagine all the people<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Sharing all the world<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">You…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">No possessions, I don’t have to imagine that. I see it on
our streets everyday as the homeless beg for money so they can eat. They have
possessions, but they’re in shopping carts or scattered around where they camp.
<i>Sharing the world</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">How well did Communism work out for the Soviet Union and
even today in China? That’s the philosophy of share and share alike. It wasn’t
a good dream then or even today.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Chorus:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">You may say I’m a dreamer<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">But I’m not the only one<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">I hope someday you’ll join us<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">And the world will be as one<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m sorry all you fans of this song; this would not be a
world I would want to live in as it would resemble more Mad Max than paradise
on Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Imagine Lyrics<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Songwriter(s): John Lennon, Yoko Ono<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Producer(s): John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Released :11 October 1971 (US)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-38557260375492580232023-10-19T12:11:00.005-06:002023-10-19T14:02:55.256-06:00Review of The Fall of the House of Usher<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvmGd-zA9_ktpOeufk33HRg5XO1bcjlHzAEtLbuURqDAkI0XQqCX8zN4M_3w9PrXCEeG18NzQeAK5pnCk-ICVohW1godfj1lSDNTXZQ4Awq6baf24_T1WWfMh7bNWF4zZlb24y7MHNrutfb9ppBwUOFE4DowUqyIn79viK8-PCpysm5qNVuECqA/s326/Netflix_Fall_of_House_of_Usher_series.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvmGd-zA9_ktpOeufk33HRg5XO1bcjlHzAEtLbuURqDAkI0XQqCX8zN4M_3w9PrXCEeG18NzQeAK5pnCk-ICVohW1godfj1lSDNTXZQ4Awq6baf24_T1WWfMh7bNWF4zZlb24y7MHNrutfb9ppBwUOFE4DowUqyIn79viK8-PCpysm5qNVuECqA/s320/Netflix_Fall_of_House_of_Usher_series.png" width="216" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I started reading Edgar Allen Poe in 7th grade. Always loved his stories, not all horror. He invented the deductive detective story, Dupin was the prototype for Sherlock Holmes. Like his poems too.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In college I was assigned to write a term paper on "The Gothicism in Edgar Allen Poe's writings." I reread all of his stories from years earlier and found deeper meaning in them. The one story I never read was <i>Fall of the House of Usher</i>. Not sure why, saved it for last before writing the paper and finding someone to type it up for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Picture this. It's a midnight on a Saturday. Cross-Country was over and I had a free weekend. Roommate went home for the weekend. I'm all alone in my room, it's raining and windy outside, occasional lighting and thunder loud enough to rattles windows and make the dorm shudder. usual for late November in Plainview, TX. I'm in bed and start reading the story. Thirty minutes later I get dressed and run like hell to the SUB to watch TV. </span><span style="font-size: medium;">It was even scarier than having to watch and listen to Porter Wagner.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Jump an eon and Netflix comes out with a mini-series with the same title. Naturally I'm curious and with lots of time on my hands and with wife and daughter out of the house most of the week I'm finally able to watch what I want to watch on TV. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Preface here: <a href="https://ruinedchapel.com/2023/10/14/movie-review-the-others-2001/">Berthold</a> Gambrel posted on his blog the 2001 movie <i>The Others</i>. A movie I watched at the time and liked. I don't like mad slasher and blood and gore gross out movies. Horror is a genre I avoid as there is more to life and being scared. Berthold mentioned that this was a ghost movie with suspense without the nasty stuff. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>This series is in the same mold</b>. There are a number of quick shock moments, shots showing the damage done to the dead without watching it actually happen. From time to time, they haunt Roderick, reminded me of <i>An American Werewolf in London</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Nothing more gruesome than a CSI or NCIS.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">To the plot. A federal prosecutor, C. Auguste Dupin (from the story <i>Murders in the Rue Morgue </i>played by Carl Lumly) goes to a decrepit house ready to implode. He meets Roderick Usher to hear his confession. Roderick is played by Bruce Greenwood. (JFK in <i>13 Days</i>.) Gothicism permeates the meeting, there are creaking sounds, it's dark and gloomy all the light is on the two men. In the previous two weeks Roderick has buried all six of his children. There are none left. He starts his confession which leads to the telling of the story of his rise and now fall.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The first episode introduces all the family. They are on trial, and the key witness is dead. The prosecutor informs the judge that he has a key witness that he will not name for fear of his life, but that he is inside the Usher family and will come forward.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This causes all the family to get together and start blaming each other as the informant. We're now introduced to the family.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There's a flashback to Roderick as a young man with wife, Anabel (Anabel Lee), as he's working at Fortunato Phamaceutical, for his legitimate half-brother and being cheated by him for an idea he brought to him for the miracle pain killer that doesn't cause addiction.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You see him and his twin at a bar meeting the woman, Verna (anagram of raven) who tells them she can give them their hearts desire. Verna appears in all episodes either in human form or raven. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back to the confession Roderick starts talking about his mother (Anabeth Gish) and the life he and his twin sister (Mary McDonell) lived growing up. It's inferred that they are the children of her boss that lives not far from them where she is his secretary.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The mother gets sick, and they run to her boss for help, and they are refused. She dies and they bury her. She rises from the makeshift casket on a dark and stormy night and goes to her boss and kills him with a kiss. The title of the first episode is "On a Midnight Dreary," the first line of the poem <i>The Raven</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Each episode is about the death of the six children all titled after a Poe short story playing out their demise. In order are the 2. Mask of the Red Death 3. Murder in the Rue Morgue 4. The Black Cat 5. The Tell Tale Heart 6. Gold Bug 7. The Pit and the Pendulum. 8. The Raven.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The series starts with the beginning of the poem and ends with the poem.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's not until the last episode you see the flashback with Verna and the twins as they're told they can have their hearts desire, but the price is they will bury their children.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Enough of the plot. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The acting is superb. Top notch for everyone. Cinematography is spot on. Pacing is perfect. Musical score sets the tone and mood that gives you goosebumps, without feeling like you need to puke.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When the house crashes and buries the House of Usher it is the ultimate climax.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a nice twist at the end.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">I started teaching middle school English in 1981. I found the textbooks no longer had any Poe stories in them. I got a classroom set of Poe stories trying to interest the boys, girls were willing readers, boys were reluctant mostly because the stories weren't written for them. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">I had to explain every other word. In the fifteen years since I was their age the vocabulary of 7th grade dropped like a stone down a very dark well.</span></i></p><p><br /></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32838402.post-77627915810762921342023-10-18T00:11:00.003-06:002023-10-18T00:11:37.807-06:00WC101823: Favorite Scary Monster<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlE4CvPYeonB3IUtZnOufrsm-RHKCHAjYGYV_P2xCoQ-mbI8gNpKYVhP3pKcIfoPC2qKTjUzn00CszTmog9kYAdPWNIRatAU_r-eMHlyQKy82Wb_8O4huCkgfLQxybp-HRXkt2jLkAZ8OrxzBooFKAET3uAby6etw1Fcgf0_tyO5kNtNgiwHhyphenhypheng/s639/WWBC_ListGraphic_2023-2048x1974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="639" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlE4CvPYeonB3IUtZnOufrsm-RHKCHAjYGYV_P2xCoQ-mbI8gNpKYVhP3pKcIfoPC2qKTjUzn00CszTmog9kYAdPWNIRatAU_r-eMHlyQKy82Wb_8O4huCkgfLQxybp-HRXkt2jLkAZ8OrxzBooFKAET3uAby6etw1Fcgf0_tyO5kNtNgiwHhyphenhypheng/w640-h616/WWBC_ListGraphic_2023-2048x1974.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">What is my favorite monster?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">I've always been partial to vampires. Grew up with Boris Karloff, and many incarnations of Dracula. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee's, many movies were nice, but not that scary. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKKc55SzClvefHblf1haTkrNBHMXeJRIvdxhZACbxlpstbq93-dRsf1Zpb3Hp3xQT_Pu3idjxfZqHvY5OoY5VB5E6ett0DAVeFdmMP93jQViTxtrYkcpJqLlCTnDypMqmKs7-fk9LHFdJi_A6Klfm50hIJeca8_p6SGz362AKkMa9XkYPMN24gQ/s329/Dracula_ver2_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKKc55SzClvefHblf1haTkrNBHMXeJRIvdxhZACbxlpstbq93-dRsf1Zpb3Hp3xQT_Pu3idjxfZqHvY5OoY5VB5E6ett0DAVeFdmMP93jQViTxtrYkcpJqLlCTnDypMqmKs7-fk9LHFdJi_A6Klfm50hIJeca8_p6SGz362AKkMa9XkYPMN24gQ/s320/Dracula_ver2_poster.jpg" width="214" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />I like the 1979 version with Frank Langella as Dracula. He personified Dracula to me. The Gary Oldman version was okay but was too weird at first.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Then I started reading Anne Rice and her vampires, then witches and mummy other books. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sUFUYFc6zKvLsmSqCka59LtI5AAwa3_zJlGy6bZBVpgRdqvkzya8TGqO8EY6MUgLSAoifcpWT5NVm8YXkdbfCG3GTpE9F8Q3Qg56S5k7h7xcBKfkcIqd7gwwscoG8aNJNshXAus3erxAS8tM8nX0k1ZmzrRH1QAHBREPrvjT2PdrogpGJMfXxQ/s325/InterviewwithaVampireMoviePoste.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sUFUYFc6zKvLsmSqCka59LtI5AAwa3_zJlGy6bZBVpgRdqvkzya8TGqO8EY6MUgLSAoifcpWT5NVm8YXkdbfCG3GTpE9F8Q3Qg56S5k7h7xcBKfkcIqd7gwwscoG8aNJNshXAus3erxAS8tM8nX0k1ZmzrRH1QAHBREPrvjT2PdrogpGJMfXxQ/s320/InterviewwithaVampireMoviePoste.JPG" width="217" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />Still Lestat was the consummate vampire. She broke away from the Bram Stoker rigid restrictions on vampires. Making them even scarier.</span><p></p><p><br /></p>P M Prescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12973205373056561583noreply@blogger.com10