Over the years of reading books, I’ve kept excerpts from some that amused me or interested me Here is a brief sampling of a few of the excerpts I saved. More to follow: All My Friends by George Burns. In the book, Burns related the story about the man and woman who were driving to a masquerade party. He was dressed like a bull and she as a cow. The car broke down and they were walking across a pasture…
Last night I was fascinated to watch, on television, bidding on a car which set a thirty six year record for the most money ever paid for an auctioned car at the Scottsdale, Arizona Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction. The bidding for the 1966 Cobra began high and rapidly climbed to $1 million. As other bidders dropped out only two bidders competed against each other. One was seated close behind the other and as the numbers grew in size, the…
I’ve posted before about Mr. Bush’s inept selections to important government positions (12/29/06, 12/23/06 & 12/06/06). He has shown a pattern of appointing the wrong people to the job he appoints them to. This wouldn’t be so bad if they were inconsequential political appointments, but too often they are very significant government positions. We have the example of his appointment of Lurita Alexis Doan, a Virginia businesswoman, who was his selection in April of 2006 as Administrator of the General…
Last night I watched a replay of a l951 black and white TV show, Life is Worth Living, featuring Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. In 1951 the Archdiocese of New York had decided to use television to promote a Christian message and selected Sheen to do the broadcast. The broadcast featured Bishop Sheen, standing the whole time, all alone, talking for thirty five minutes about a Christian view of life. It was a weekly televison show, before a live audience on…
Neuro-Linguistic Programing – NLP – has been a very helpful teaching in my life since discovering it years ago. It involves proven concepts about how we think and react, our attitudes and how we see things internally that impact our actions as well as our thoughts. One of the principles is expressed in the phrase "the map is not the territory." What we think is our reality irrespective of the actual facts. We experience our personal reality no matter what…
Justice Scalia, I’d like you to meet James Waller. Why am I introducing you? Well, in light of your opinion in Kansas v Marsh (548 U.S. 2006 5-4 opinion) and your claims about the rarity of innocent people convicted of crime I thought you would like to meet Mr. Waller – an innocent man convicted of a crime he did not commit. In Marsh, once again, you use sarcasm to sustain your views.You label those concerned about innocent people convicted…
"The relatively modest investment of about $16 Million between 1998 and 2004 to select political organizations has been remarkably effective at manufacturing uncertainty" Report by the Union of Concerned Scientists commenting about Exxon Mobil’s expenditure of millions in order to manipulate public opinion about global warming to create confusion.
For a long time I have admired Dorothy Day as a modern day saint. She was a normal human being who made moral mistakes during her life yet came to a point where she was able to devote her life to her religious principles. For me, love of God has been a lot easier then the second commandment of love of neighbor. Love of God allows me to have a telephone booth relationship with God. I go in the booth,…
I received a Radio Spirits® catalog and had fun looking through it at the many old time radio broadcasts I used to listen to. People of my generation did not grow up watching television. There was no television to watch. Instead, we had the public library and the radio to listen to. I can remember radio broadcasts where I was totally absorbed in listening to Westerns, comedy, suspense and stories about action hero’s. Books were another wonderful source of entertainment….
Underhanded dirty tricks to punish or intimidate one’s political enemies is nothing new in politics. Richard Nixon had his "dirty tricks" squad including people like Charles Colson & Gordon Liddy. Lyndon Johnson had his Bobby Baker and political administrations over time have had their "junk yard dogs’ – aides who leaked damaging information to press about an opponent or who made public attacks on a political opponent, leaving the politician free to disavow any connection. The Bush administration has used…
