To Quote or Not to Quote
June 2, 2009
“By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote.” Quotation and Originality 1876 Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American poet and essayist
Should we express our own thoughts in our own words? Or should we delight in repeating the sentiments of others? Disraeli, Johnson, Behan, Churchill, Wilde, and Emerson all voice their opinions in quotes on quotes. Even the book of Proverbs stakes out a position.
* “The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotation.” Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) British politician and statesman
* “Classical quotation is the parole of literary men all over the world.” Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, critic
* “A quotation in a speech, article or book is like a rifle in the hands of an infantryman. It speaks with authority.” Brendan Francis Behan (1923-1964) Irish author and poet
* “It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.” Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, soldier, and author
* “Every quotation contributes something to the stability or enlargement of the language.” Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, critic
* “Next to the originator of a good sentence is the first quoter of it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American poet and essayist
The American Melting Pot Myth
May 29, 2009
Most myths have some element of truth in them. The ‘melting pot’ that media of all sorts (which includes our propaganda in law and education) tell us became America, is another of the half-truths or superficial observations which deserves a little study if we are to accept the deeper potential meaning in it. John Hope Franklin of Duke University is a respected Black scholar who says some powerful words after pointing out the kind of thing that media managers or manipulators galore have said about the open-minded American with no reason to bring prejudices to this new and exciting land of opportunity. I would point out that it was not so new and historians like himself have participated in a cover-up but let us see what this man has to say about the ‘melting pot’.
People do not generally like to find out that they have ‘bastards’ in their family tree and the woodpiles of America created a lot of ‘bastards’. My father used to tell us about the Virginia legislature and legislation proposed that would make anyone with any black blood not able to sit and participate in it. This was the early 1950s not the 1850s. One legislator did the research that most Americans will not even do about their own family. He did not get more than half way through exposing every member of the legislature for their mulatto blood when the others were all in an uproar and clamoring that he must b silenced.
The Saga of Puffed Wheat Anderson, A Minnesota Legend
May 27, 2009
I have no idea how old I was when I first learned about the famed Minnesota scientist and inventor Alex P. Anderson, AKA Puffed Wheat Anderson. My Dad told me about him when I was eating a bowl of cereal, you know, the one that’s shot from guns. Or doesn’t Quaker use that line any more? They sure did when I was growing up. I’d hear it a dozen times in a half hour when I used to listen to Sgt. Preston of the Mounties as a six-years-old. I naturally wondered if he was a relative. He wasn’t, but I couldn’t imagine how shooting rice or wheat out of a cannon could make them puff up.
I thought of that again as I was shopping in Byerly’s, a local grocery store, and happened to pass by the cereal section. I decided I wanted to find out how it was done so when I got home, I immediately looked up Anderson in Google. I wasn’t prepared for the fascinating story surrounding his life and accomplishments. Or the Quaker company’s marketing history, for that matter.
Saturn: Your Challenge to Become An Expert
May 24, 2009
The true meaning of Saturn is that he is the teacher of the deeper lessons of life. Therefore, what he demands is that you learn your life lessons so well that you will never forget them. If you do learn these lessons well, you will become an expert and can teach others what these valuable lessons mean.
If you know nothing about astrology, these words may sound strange. In this case, it may help you to realize that the planets are reflected in our unconscious as archetypes. This is what the great psychiatrist, Carl Jung, discovered. This means that the actual planets in the heavens are living inside of you as specific energies. These magnetic energies flow through the chakras of your body and are expressed through your specific desires and attitudes. (I have given a more accurate term for this process which I call “Planetary Psychology.”)
I recommend that you embrace the demands of Saturn. This brings us to a question:
What are the particular demands that Saturn places upon you?
Garnet is Januarys Birthstone
May 19, 2009
If you’re still young enough to remember your birthday, you probably also remember the special birthstone assigned to it. But at your age, we bet you don’t really know the SIGNIFICANCE of your birthstone and what power the ancients felt would be bestowed about you by wearing it.
January’s birthstone: Garnet Garnet Powers: Facilitates night vision, ensures success Alternative Birthstone: Emerald
Garnet is the birthstone for the month of January and the traditional anniversary gemstone for the second year of marriage. Archaeologists have found primitive garnet jewelry among the graves of lake dwellers which dates the use of this popular gemstone to the Bronze age. Today they are mined in Brazil, India, Madagascar, India, Siberia, Africa, Sri Lanka, and the United States.
Not all garnets are of gem quality. “Raw” garnets make a very effective abrasive and used commercially for grinding and polishing. Believe it or not, garnet-coated sandpaper is popular for industrial use.
Color Me Beautiful Garnets are extremely diverse and offer enough variety in appearance (and color) to suit every taste. Although you may think of garnet as a red gem, the truth is that the garnet family of gemstones comes in a broad spectrum of colors, except blue.
Marilyn Monroe and Mary Jo Kopechne
May 16, 2009
I doubt Marilyn Monroe was anything but a confused star-struck drug-using individual with some gifts and talents that the Kennedy boys enjoyed. But she may have been so obsessed with them that she would have threatened to tell some of what she knew and she did have the attention of the people and media. There was a general lack of knowledge about the nature of JFK’s drug use and sexual shenanigans even after his death. It would not surprise me if this was managed and agreed to, or asked for by the Kennedy clan. They still value their image even though Old Joe has been exposed on Arts & Entertainment. Maybe Maria Shriver and Arnold will make a run for the Presidency. It is important to note that Mary Jo Kopechne figures into the issue in a big way however. Maybe she intended to leak a lot more about the Kennedy clan.
"Smathers also betrayed JFK over Marilyn Monroe. According to Sarah Churchill’s recently published book, The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe (2004), it was Smathers who first leaked the story to the press about the affair. The story first appeared in an article by Dorothy Kilgallen the day before Monroe died (Kilgallen was herself to die in similar circumstances as Monroe on 8th November, 1965).
She Wrote the Book on Fakin It
May 13, 2009
She brought the guitar into vogue. She created the first “fake” books designed for regular folks who didn’t want to or were unable to invest the time and effort to master the guitar. Who was she?
Catherina Josepha Pelzer was born in 1821 in Mulheim, on the Rhine. She was the daughter of Ferdinand Pelzer, a leading German guitarist during the early part of the 19th Century. Ferdinand began tutoring his daughter when she was quite young - a task made easier by the fact that young Catherina was quite the musical prodigy. She made her London concert debut at the age of seven. Soon after, her family moved from Germany to England where she received much critical acclaim and gained fame as a performer. Her concerts and recitals inspired people all over to pick up the guitar. Catherina later became much sought after as a guitar teacher, instructing the likes of the Princesses Louise and Beatrice, among others. In 1854 Catherina Pelzer married a renowned flautist and composer, and took the name by which she is more commonly remembered - Madame Sidney Pratten.
Bohemian Grove
May 9, 2009
"Bohemian Grove is ‘the greatest men’s party on Earth’, according to once-regular attendee Herbert Hoover. A secret little getaway for America’s male upper crust, the 2-week long annual retreat in Monte Rio, California, has all the luxuries you’d expect of an elitist clique: outdoor plays, an orchestra, delicious food and beverages, public urination, streaking, and human sacrifices, to name a few. Nestled in beautiful redwood forests, every Republican president since Coolidge has partaken in the gala, as well as a host of other huge names in business and politics. {Many of the discussions in the two week festival end up becoming the tenets upon which the bureaucracy and media begin to act.}
Little is known about its origins. The Bohemian Club was founded, according to its PR people, in 1872 by “five newspapermen, a Shakespearean actor, a vintner and a local merchant” from San Francisco. The male bonding funfest at the Grove itself began in 1879, near the Russian River. It wasn’t long before this yearly custom became an annual tradition which has continued for over 120 years. Members enjoy opera, literature, and music." (1)
Michael Jacksons Latest Album Has Flopped
May 6, 2009
One month after being cleared of sex assault charges, Michael Jackson’s latest album, The Essential Michael Jackson, has flopped. In the first week of its release only 8000 copies were sold. At this pace it will take nearly one hundred years to equal his most popular album, Thriller, which has sold 40 million copies. Jackson may have been cleared of all charges, but his fans aren’t buying his product. Is this a portent of things to come? Let’s look at some of the reasons why Michael Jackson may be long “past peak” when it comes to entertaining in the US.
The Michael Jackson Trial got the attention of Americans in the first half of 2005 as the drama was played out nightly on cable news shows. Indeed, it seemed as if CNN and Fox News were battling to be the first one to bring the latest and greatest information to viewers. Finally, in June, the verdict was in: not guilty. The Jackson legal team breathed a sigh of relief and pundits predicted that Jackson would recover over the next year.
The Western Cowboy
May 2, 2009
In the State of Texas the Western Cowboy can be found home on the range. But can you really find a true western cowboy in the state of Texas? At one time you could find real cowboys in Texas but that time was over one hundred years ago.
Up until the end of the war between the north and the south you could find western cowboys still roaming the range. However the end of this conflict brought many changes to the open range.
The railway was completed to areas of the country that previously did not have a good system of transport. Cities were rebuilt and new cities sprung up around the country. The hard feelings between the north and the south never really disappeared totally. Even today in some parts of the country there are people who still harbor a dislike from the north or the south.
In the later part of the 1860s a new invention devastated the open range. A new type of wire with barbs attached started showing up all over the United States of America. The introduction of this wire began a new type of war in some states. It was known as the range wars.
