tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56101358629548075252024-03-05T05:31:55.285-08:00Natural Selections::Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-24765592303318742032012-12-19T08:00:00.002-08:002012-12-19T08:00:30.083-08:00A Mental Challenge <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: bold;">When tragedy strikes our country or abroad we deal with it in many personal ways. Some aspire anger,others sorrow,grief or tears. Fill in the blank here of how you react to the news of school shootings or massacres in movie theaters. Many people seek their comfort from misery in God. The mass majority of people I know will utter prayers,and declare that God is in control even though we don't understand his ways in times like these. As many believers seek solace in a higher power for comfort,Us non-believers cope in a much different way. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: bold;">As a non-believer sometimes I grow tired and often get frustrated over the overwhelming approach that people seek prayer for comfort. "Putting everything in God's hands" is not a valid reasoning for trying to understand the why and how tragedy strikes in our world. To me its a failure to reason honestly about the nature and understanding of the world. It almost seems to the non-believer like the situation is being ignored all together,even though I know that's not the case it sure seems that way. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: bold;">As an atheist I can tell you that based on the people that surround me from day to day and those of whom I interact with on a daily basis via Facebook makes one feel very alone in the world. My view vs hundreds of believer's views. And so I make it a point to challenge the mind of the believer. In a haste of rushing out the door I quipped the following status update on Friday evening that started a firestorm.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>"God this and God that...and Praise Jesus for survivors! This not intended to be insulting but merely factual when I suggest that believers are mentally challenged....."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Now that's far enough. This status was spawned from the outcry of the terrible school shooting this week that left some 20 school children dead. Most of everyone's status was referencing this shooting and most were turning to higher power and prayer. So I lashed out... Hastily. And unfortunately my statement can easily be interpreted as I think believers are mentally retarded. This is a mistake on my part and my apologies are being declared here.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My intentions were not in any way to insult of belittle the believer. My intentions were,as with all, anti-belief status or posts meant to cause believers to think. And consider a non-believer's approach to coping with such madness as witness in CT.<br /><br />My posts are always meant to challenge the believer to understand what its like to be the non believer. I'm issuing a mental challenge. It is,after all, mentally challenging to understand anyone's point of view that can conflict your on personal beliefs not just with religion but with any subject matter. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Lesson learned...think before you speak(or type) and not rely on anger to voice haste opinions. This should apply to all.</b></span><br />
Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-57921802959572183752012-01-23T12:43:00.000-08:002012-01-23T12:43:53.377-08:00Happy New Year! What's Happening?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbK7sdM4L5AwHlzbZFP9FpfSKXOpQO9kdxtk3vI8jE3n_cFuUytMBJkVTvLxg_uPxUfDuVC9KBm9YqFYtEJig39UwfMDdh1HS-3M90JltDC1WqU5kSYJ87ptNFPtSZdRiazGnnApTFWan/s1600/Happy-New-Year-Every-One.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbK7sdM4L5AwHlzbZFP9FpfSKXOpQO9kdxtk3vI8jE3n_cFuUytMBJkVTvLxg_uPxUfDuVC9KBm9YqFYtEJig39UwfMDdh1HS-3M90JltDC1WqU5kSYJ87ptNFPtSZdRiazGnnApTFWan/s1600/Happy-New-Year-Every-One.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Elaine Benes: You know I got happy new yeared today?!!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Jerry Seinfeld: I once got happy new yeared in March!!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Happy 2012 everyone. I have been taking a breather from a weekly blog but will continue to write from time to time. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is enjoying the beginning of 2012 as much as I am. January is a pretty busy month for me. The last two years I have been spending a week in Amsterdam this time of year but this year I went and played a GLTA event in Miami, FL. I was seeded 10th and upset the #7 seed to make it to the quarterfinals where I ended up losing to the #1 seed and eventual champion. It was a good run and I felt good going into the match but I refused to move my feet and my body was feeling lazy from the previous day of 3 total matches. I feel as if I'm getting too old to do both singles and doubles in these events. Might just try the singles draw only to try to win some hardware this year. Next up is Fort Lauderdale in February. </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Australian Open is in full swing as well. It's been tough to watch this year . I have no cable and find myself being unable to stay up all night to watch the action. Ironic seeing how I work at night. Good thing for live radio feeds while I'm at work. Go Federer!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Ive taken on a lottery pool at work as well. This keeps me on my toes. Deacade$ of Dollar$ with 14 other coworkers. We plan on striking it rich this year. Maybe I'll buy a new car with my winnings.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>That's whats been happening on my side of town. The Super Bowl is set. The Aussie Open finals are this coming weekend. My tennis is in full swing on the weekends. I've made my doctors appointments recently. (I'm overdue a skin check and physical). Ive booked my flights to Mexico and Fort Lauderdale. I celebrated Oliver's 12th birthday this month,and this weekend my newphew turns 4! Boom! Busy 2012 so far....bring on the next 11 months.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>PS, Just heard a rumor that the Roanoke P&DC is safe from losing jobs til at least January 2013. So I guess I can start to finish unpacking at my apartment. and a possible buyout is in the works by March...stay tuned...</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-67086410899790391572011-12-24T08:08:00.000-08:002011-12-24T08:08:28.336-08:00Keeping the X in Xmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckNFkiyp-TbbmyfCZ1tHZBkhYlvrPsRawJLIt_t4-bk3IvYcXT1tRDzATB9CRda8-RwZGDbR6QcitLYsbsQJd6uGmMpv3b6FlJGH7nxzVww0bXqCh-fAoa09q2g8-eVTseh4zGxda8iXg/s1600/christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckNFkiyp-TbbmyfCZ1tHZBkhYlvrPsRawJLIt_t4-bk3IvYcXT1tRDzATB9CRda8-RwZGDbR6QcitLYsbsQJd6uGmMpv3b6FlJGH7nxzVww0bXqCh-fAoa09q2g8-eVTseh4zGxda8iXg/s320/christmas.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Six of the seven above mentioned just offended the "Keep Christ in Christmas"crowd. You familiar with this crowd? The "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" crowd? The "How dare you eliminate my savior from "our" holiday" crowd? They pretty easy to spot....anyone who list a Facebook status as Merry CHRISTmas! Is feeling the social pressure of understanding that Xmas is a holiday for ALL to celebrate,with or without recognizing that a supernatural baby was born of a virgin on who knows what date (The actual birth date of the Christian savior is not known).</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>These are the same Christians that incorporate Pagan rituals into their religious rituals as well. You'll find it hard pressed to find a "Keep Christ in Christmas" rep that does not have a Xmas tree in his or her home,and of course adhere to other secular rituals during the holiday season. How many people down at the local baptist church does not play the Santa game for religious reasons? You never hear a secularist campaigning for the end of Xmas trees or Santa rituals from the Christian home. But reverse this and notice how easily the "Jesus is the reason for the season crowd" is offended by a denotation of Xmas. It's like a personal attack on their religion. and We are treated as though we just rejected the Jesus Lord and Savior and just booked a first class direct ticket to hell fire.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b> I personally don't have issues with saying Merry Christmas. If I know you celebrate Christmas in a Jesus kind of way or even in a secular fashion you'll get a Merry Christmas from me. Its only when I address a large group of people that I'll announce a "Happy Holiday's" I just so happen to know a large diverse group of people and I like to include ALL in that greeting. It's not like anyone is purposefully trying to offend anyone by "excluding" Jesus. It's merely an acknowledgement that during the Holiday season there are multiple ways for people in this world to celebrate. The "Keep Christ in CHRISTmas"crowd sometimes fails to notice this world they live in is extremely big and full of diversity. Its easy not to notice or even acknowledge when this crowd is used to surrounding themselves by people that only think and believe as they do. Once you block out the rest of the world...and view them as nothing more than lost souls and sinners it becomes a little more clear why the "How dare you eliminate my savior" crowd gets offended.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Their total lack of understanding that, well, Jesus may be "THE" reason for the season. (even though I would submit that even Christians;at the very least really don't believe this either considering the Pagan rituals they subscribe to. It would be more fair to suggest a more suitable motto like : Jesus is A (one of many) reason for the season.)</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>So as for me...I'm keeping the X in Xmas and I'm wishing everyone a happy and joyous holiday season. Season's greetings to one and all..Yes..even to you dear Muslims and Hindu's...and Buddhists...and atheists....and secularists....and Jews...and Christians :)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>One of my favorite aspects of the holiday season is how everyone you meet tends to be a little more polite, more friendly, more willing to help their fellow man. It is indeed a certain type of (for lack of better word) spirit that fills the air. And I don't care how you celebrate the holiday season you'll have no trouble in agreeing with the idea that this world would be a much better place if the spirit of Xmas lingered for 12 months of the year. You don't need a Jesus type figure in the world to figure that out.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Happy Holiday's everyone!! </b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP9jInxWeytv5VUYhQdA5OVVSG1oA_EZplRXqV95v7fgRHvqbZtzHu1gL_7m7NVHMycj-54ubJtdu2lRWC6_8VLLL6JWA4ldk4uuQCIvIxu3DmqxjPy80f_ARJYxUv5SDzdBkqOKCygRX/s1600/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP9jInxWeytv5VUYhQdA5OVVSG1oA_EZplRXqV95v7fgRHvqbZtzHu1gL_7m7NVHMycj-54ubJtdu2lRWC6_8VLLL6JWA4ldk4uuQCIvIxu3DmqxjPy80f_ARJYxUv5SDzdBkqOKCygRX/s320/blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> Well, a year of blogging has come and gone. I set out to post an entry a week for the last 52 weeks and I have just about raced across the finish line. This entry and my next will be a completed task and goal that I set forth in 2011.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I was having breakfast with my dad a little over a year ago and the conversation we had that morning was a helpful tool in determining what my blog set out to do. He explained to me this idea and fantasy he had about writing about his life,a memoir if you will, because he understood personally that no one knew him very well. He is such a quiet and private man...so private in fact that I dare say even his three sons doesn't know him very well. He isn't exactly the kind of guy that opens up and communicates very well either. I know this because he has passed on those genes to me. Anyone who has ever dated me knows I don't speak my mind when I should. It's a suppressed feelings gene and the Weaver's have it!</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So, That lead me to take action and create a blog to create some openness between I and the people that know me best. I saw that I was living the same life as my dad and that I do not always speak what I feel. So a blog was born. My opinions and ideas are shared to all those that care enough to read. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I would like to thank everyone that has read an entry or two in the past year. Some of you have read every one of the entries and to that I say ...you're the best! Thanks!</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>All the thumb's up,comments, and concerns were greatly appreciated. To date I have 5505 total hits for the 50 current entries....and counting.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I will continue to blog in 2012 but at a more random schedule. I still have a lot to say and open up to and I didn't get to approach every subject that I set out to comment on. I hope every one has a great holiday season and a Happy 2012!</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-74641716174011378672011-12-12T05:57:00.000-08:002011-12-12T05:57:10.682-08:00Poor College Football Fans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDWVdouacKC1uPdJ-Btxl-1fl3hs1SYboJLE7wwleDu1VAuJLApkrByT2o73U0hMXKqeuQw2EiDxqbpI-ZghdnviCgZg-QogLLjop0NDbPHW1ryfDkMcmJkScQCJKtIANWh72HRLibj2X/s1600/boycott-college-football-bcs-300x268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDWVdouacKC1uPdJ-Btxl-1fl3hs1SYboJLE7wwleDu1VAuJLApkrByT2o73U0hMXKqeuQw2EiDxqbpI-ZghdnviCgZg-QogLLjop0NDbPHW1ryfDkMcmJkScQCJKtIANWh72HRLibj2X/s1600/boycott-college-football-bcs-300x268.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Well, another college football regular season has come to a close. I would love to be able to tell you that 2011 was an exciting and thrilling season but I never watched a single minute of any of the games. What's the point knowing the end game is always a disaster. By end game of course I'm referring to the travesties that await at the end of the season. A final time of booting up the BCS computers to see which two teams finally qualified for the BCS Championship Game. Everyone knows the story. A complex computer formula for determining the final 2 colleges. The formula has to do with a few polls,added in with a win/loss record...perhaps influenced by a touch of strength of schedule...and who's got the prettiest cheerleaders I think is a factor...after all that is determined then you divide all those results by the square root of average attendance. Top two teams plays for the title. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The bottom line is pretty simple. Once your favorite college team suffers its first loss of the season....Their season just ended. So it could be said that the NCAA college football playoffs starts in week one of the season. Its a shame that college football is so popular. Fans don't seem to mind the lack of a playoff system and no one seems to be allergic to all that wool the BCS has used to cover the eyes of the fans. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>It just doesn't seem right to me. College water polo is settled through a final NCAA tournament. Until college football adopts a playoff system,I'm officially boycotting the game. Enjoy the 6 week break before the "big game" fans. Seems to me that is plenty of time to have a top 10 playoff system. Keep your user friendly ranking system intact and use it for this playoff system. If there is a controversy...and there will be a controversy....at the very least let it be between the 9th-12th ranked teams. Leave the finger pointing and blame out of the top 3 or 4 ranked schools.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Every year fans piss and moan about this team and that team not be worthy of going to their respected bowl games. VA Tech caught a lot flack for being assigned the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans this year. A playoff system would most definitely be the best way to prove the VA Tech Hokies are not deserving of this. They lose in the first round and only have themselves to blame.... they win...well off to the next round. I won't waste any time bashing VA Tech or and other college ...like I said I don't keep up with college football. I don't want to upset any Hokie fans out there...I understand Beamer walks on water. I get it. Go Hokies!!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>I wonder what life would be like being a father? I spent some time this week day dreaming on the idea that I had a son or daughter running around this world and contemplated how much my life would have changed as a result. I wonder how or what approach I would use to raise such a being into adulthood. It is at the very least an 18 year commitment. I know that the days of sleeping in would be gone. I'm quite sure I would have to buy all their meals. Less tennis to be played.Eventually trying to figure out Algebra all over again. I've never considered being a parent to be a very enticing job description. I'm pretty sure its very rewarding but I wouldn't know if I were up to the task. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>One of the problems facing society is a result of natural selection. It's pretty simple really and there is nothing that can be done about it. Its a given in the world you were born into. The simple fact is: If you can get laid...you can become a parent. This by the way, is not a good thing. There are plenty...PLENTY of unfit parents in this world. Anyone who has googled images of child abuse will see true evil in this world. Some parents aren't fit enough to even supply the bare basics to their children. At times this is at no fault of their on. They refuse to use birth control and out come the babies. Unfit parents can barely manage their own lives and it complicates life more to try and supply children with proper shelter,food and clothes. Its a harsh reality we live in. Sad.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>If I Were a Daddy::</u></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>If I became a dad my child would learn about the realities of the world as soon as he/she became old enough to understand them. My child would know at a very early age that he/she has it much better than millions of children in the world,and that understanding how lucky we have it and consider helping those that have less. I think that's a very good first lesson in sharing. I would want a child that finds it more fulfilling to go pick an angel off the angel tree at the mall during the holiday season rather than haul ass to Santa's lap to selfishly start naming off a list of 20 different wants for his elves to consider. In fact, I wouldn't play the Santa game at all..My child would know from a very early age there is no Santa that makes dreams come true. The Santa game is just awful. Lying to your kids about a fictional character that shows up once a year,delivering gifts to kids that's been good. Nonsense. How do parents react to their children when they lie to them? Usually punishment of some form. Double standard really. Society lies to their kids about Santa,tooth fairies,Easter bunnies,etc. How about the magic of reality? Nothing rewarding about that? Might as well tell your children that we are here on earth because Adam and Eve are responsible for populating this entire planet...or depending on your fictional beliefs Noah's family considering they were the only survivors of the Great Flood. Oh, What a sec. That's another thing people lie to their children about.... But to quote the great George Costanza "It's not a lie, if you believe it!"</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>My child would understand and (hopefully) accept evolution. And also ( I apologize in advance) be the kid at school telling your kids the wonderful truths of the world. Science and math would be of the utmost importance living under my roof. Education couldn't be emphasized enough. Yes dear society,what I'm saying to you is...My child would be taught how to think,not what to think. I guess that means presenting both sides to the arguments. But that's nothing to worry about knowing that critical thinking and reason wins the day. Just look to the evidence right?!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>I have in the past considered donating sperm to have a little Weaver running around out there. I don't think that would be a lot of fun knowing I couldn't have a hand in raising him/her. Then again I'm not so convinced raising a son/daughter would be fun. Who knows....</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sam Harris is an author,neuroscientist,and co-founder and CEO of Project Reason. He has a Bachelor of Arts of philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He is a proponent of scientific skepticism and is the author of <i>"The End of Faith"</i>(2004),<i>"Letter to a Christian Nation"</i>(2006),<i>"The Moral Landscape"</i>(2010),and"<i>Lying"</i> (2011). He has written numerous articles concerning the criticism of religion for the <i>Huffington Post,Los Angeles Times,The Washington Post,The New York Times,Newsweek,</i>as well as scientific journals such as <i>Nature.</i></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Many of the blog posts that I have written are concerning my disbelief in the supernatural. More so the disbelief in religions and gods. I will admit that most of the ideas are not original or new to anyone but by all means I have made every effort to reference and quote when necessary. I have also added my personal experiences into my blogs as well as my on ideas. Sam Harris is by far my favorite influence and I love to quote him as much as possible. He,among many other free thinkers have really shifted my way of thinking in the last several years and I wanted to give an collage of quotes this week to highlight some of my favorite Sam Harris quotations. Some of which may have been used to previous blog entries but is worth re-reading. I have yet to hear a more rational,reasonable,articulate,well-mannered voice in the world of atheism. If you have the time he is well worth a youtube adventure.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"All of our scriptures were written by people who, by virtue of their placement in history had less access to scientific knowledge and to what is now basic common sense than any person in this room. In fact, there's not a person in this room,who's ever MET a person,who's world view is as narrow as the world view of Abraham,Moses,Jesus or Muhammad. These people knew nothing...next to nothing of the facts that are now reverent to us in the 21st century. They knew nothing about the origins of life,the relationship between the mind and brain.They didn't know that mental illness was even a category of human suffering. They knew nothing about DNA,or viruses,or computation,or electricity.None of this is in scripture.They had no idea why people got sick and died.Unless you saw someone stabbed with a spear...you had no idea why they died."</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Our situation is this:most of the people in this world believe that the Creator of the Universe has written a book.We have the misfortune of having many such books on hand,each making an exclusive claim as to its infallibility."----<i>The End of Faith</i></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Science is not in principle committed to the idea that there is no afterlife or the mind is identical to the brain. Or that materialism is true. Science is completely open to whatever in fact is true. And if its true that conscienceness is being run like software on the brain and by virtue of ectoplasum or something else we don't understand can be disociated from the brain at death. That would be part of our growing scientific understanding of the world if we could discover it.There are ways we could in fact discover that if it were true.,the problem is there are very good reasons to think that it is not true. And we know this now from now 150 years of neurology where you damage areas of the brain,and faculties are lost and its not that everyone with brain damage has their soul perfectly intact...they just can't get the words out. Everything about your mind can be damaged by damaging the brain. You can cease to recognize faces,you can cease to know the names of animals but you still know the names of tools.The fragmentation in the way in which our mind is parcellated at the level of the brain is not at all intuitive and there is a lot known about it,but what we are being asked to consider is: You damage one part of the brain and the mind and subjectivity is lost,you damage another and yet more is lost...and yet if you damage the whole thing at death! We can rise off the brain...with all our faculties intact recognizing grandma and speaking English!"---debating the afterlife</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Religion as we speak of it. Islam, Christianity,Judaism is based on the claim that God dictates certain books. He doesn't code software,He doesn't produce films,He doesn't score symphonies...He is an author. And this claim has achieved credibility because these books are deemed so profound they could not have possibly been written by human authors. Please consider for a moment how differently we treat scientific claims,texts and discoveries."</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">"Consider: every devout Muslim has the same reasons for being a Muslim that you have for being a Christian. And yet you do not find their reasons compelling.The Koran repeatedly declares that it is the perfect word of the creator of the universe. Muslims believe this as fully as you believe the Bible's account of itself.There is a vast literature describing the life of Muhammad that,from the point of view of Islam,proves that he was the most recent Prophet of God. Muhammad also assured his followers that Jesus was NOT divine. (Koran 5:71-75;19:30-38) and that anyone who believes otherwise will spend eternity in Hell.Muslims are certain that Muhammad's opinion on this subject,as on all others,is infallible.</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;"> Why don't you lose any sleep over whether to convert to Islam?Can you prove that Allah is not the one,true God? Can you prove that the archangel Gabriel did not visit Muhammad in his cave? Of course not.But you need not prove any of these things to reject the beliefs of Muslims as absurd. The burden is upon them to prove that their beliefs about God and Muhammad are valid. They have not done this.They can not do this. Muslims are simply not making claims about reality that can be corroborated. This is perfectly apparent to anyone who has not anesthetized himself with the dogma of Islam.</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;"> The truth is,you know exactly what it is like to be an atheist with the respect of the beliefs of Muslims. Isn't it obvious that Muslims are fooling themselves? Isn't it obvious that anyone who thinks that the Koran is the perfect word of the creator of the universe has not read the book critically? Isn't it obvious that the doctrine of Islam represents a near-perfect barrier to honest inquiry? Yes, these things are obvious. Understand that the way you view Islam is precisely the way devout Muslims view Christianity.And it is the way I view all religions." ---<i>Letter to a Christian Nation</i></span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>luck: n. 1.a force that brings good fortune or adversity. The events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual. 2.Favoring chance.</i></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My life is full of blessings. And for this I am very lucky. During this time of year everyone is taking personal inventory of everything in their lives that they are thankful for. I too am thankful for everyone that blesses my life. Blessings can be defined as nothing more than a smile on someone's face when you're having an off day. Someone buys you a cup of coffee,or just being thoughtful enough to hold the door open for you when entering a building. Many times over in my life people have blessed me continuously. I am truly blessed. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The problem for me is I absolutely hate using the word(s) Bless(ed)(ing). This word comes with a lot of baggage and implications. I for one have refrained from its usage over the years. There seems to be religious implications by using this word(s) 99.6% of the time once used. The religious among us has "hi-jacked" this word for their heavenly justification that blessings come from above. I realize this is not always the case but the word(s) have become synonymous with God's goodness. Let's pause here and reflect on the term "hi-jacking":</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>It seems to me that the religious crowd have adopted the word bless as a direct and divine cause. Ok...I'm cool with that. You can have it. I'm quite sure the bible mentions blessed many times over. A simple definition of the word takes on a completely different meaning once the word is "hi-jacked". Take for example the word gay. The homosexual community has completely re-defined this word to a completely different meaning than its original definition. 99.6% of everyone that uses the term gay is referring to homosexuals.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>gay: adj. 1.happily excited.Keenly alive and exuberant:having or inducing high spirits. 2.homosexual;of,relating to,or used by homosexuals.</i></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Somewhere along the way the homosexual community "hi-jacked" the word gay to re-define themselves. You rarely ever hear anyone refer to their happiness as being gay<i>. </i>Only on the <u>Flintstone's</u> cartoon do we ever hear "We'll have a gay ole timeeeee!" at the end of the theme song. Therefore the heterosexual community has discontinued the use of the word gay when describing their happiness. </span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Just as I, the non-believer in deities, have discontinued the usage of the word blessed as so no one will mistake or confuse me for being religious. But this wasn't always the case.</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I was living out my early to mid-twenties and still proclaiming how blessed I was from God. As my twenties came to a close I started to wonder with plenty of confusion why God would continue to bless a man that is full of skepticism,doubt,uncertainty, and disbelief. I mean....Consider this: There are people sitting in his house of worship on any given Sunday that are far more less fortunate than I am. And yet I receive more blessings than they.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Consider: The church I grew up in. The entire congregation was on the same sheet of music as far as our religious beliefs. We sang the same hymns,prayed the same prayers,heard the same sermons,etc. And yet there were families in that church (...and yours too) that were more "blessed" than others. A family on welfare...a middle class family...and an extremely rich family. The entire economic spectrum was represented in that congregation and yet God was showing favoritism when issuing out blessings. Someone explain this! Was one family out praying the other? </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Dr Sam Harris....you have the floor:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> "This kind of faith,is really the perfection of narcissism....</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"God loves me,don't ya know? He cured me of my eczema.He makes me feel so good while singing in church. And just when we had given up hope,He found a banker who was willing to reduce my mother's mortgage"... </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Given all that this God of yours does not accomplish in the lives of others.Given the misery that is being imposed on some helpless child at this instant...This kind of faith is obscene. To think in this way is to fail to reason honestly or to care sufficiently about the suffering of other human beings"</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The message should be crystal clear. Your blessings do NOT come from above. Considering this world you live in if full of suffering and human misery at any given moment. You would think this would give Christians pause before they add fuel to the arrogant fire that drives the belief that God wants them to be completely blessed. Take a moment this Thanksgiving to realize your blessings are purely by chance. Luck. Consider yourself lucky that you have what you have. Whether its a little or a lot. And perhaps take a little time to bless others. Without human blessings...We'd have no blessings at all!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Have a gay Thanksgiving everyone! :)</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkwxdycY_Z8HUMm2dn1CKfxibqh8n72B6aOqlM-XXMJtb_AEkkvsgkVQ88Yt5hdPxCI8-rlV8-fmqFjeM2MrO514GNVQT_9vRPU75bvVbhLQLPpDQolPaYKctWl4HmPTG6xG74WLD6FMz/s1600/bumper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkwxdycY_Z8HUMm2dn1CKfxibqh8n72B6aOqlM-XXMJtb_AEkkvsgkVQ88Yt5hdPxCI8-rlV8-fmqFjeM2MrO514GNVQT_9vRPU75bvVbhLQLPpDQolPaYKctWl4HmPTG6xG74WLD6FMz/s320/bumper.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Evolution Happens whether you Like it or Not"<br />
"Ron Paul 2012"</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My ex-boyfriend Tyler had a little too much to drink last night. Somehow he made his way over to my place( I won't disclose he was drinking and driving). In his lack of judgement and impairment he decided it would be funny to slap a "Ron Paul 2012" bumper sticker on my car! Grrrrrr!</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Now, his current boyfriend is a huge supporter of Ronny and my brother wants him as prez as well. I get it. I like Ron Paul, he makes more sense than the other complete idiots that are running for the GOP presidential nomination for 2012. I just think he hangs out with the wrong crowd. Drop that republican from your name Ronny and we have a deal.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>This year's grab bag of GOP presidential hopefuls are a piece of work. Watch their debates and one wonders if there is any education standards represented at all. They are complete history and science deniers. I know our Constitution states that there are no religious tests to hold a public office in the good ole USA but c'mon! How about a educational test to qualify because these GOP clowns running for president act like...and sound like...they never opened a text book there entire lives. All of them do,however, sound like the graduated the top of their class in Sunday school. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Bachmann denying the advanages of HPV vaccines,and praying the gay away. Newt Gingrich thinks that stem cells floating in a petri dish have souls and that destroying these cells is killing children.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Listen to Rick Santorum speak. You'd think he wants his country back to the days of the Old Testament.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>How many evolution deniers are there? They still denying global warming being a fact.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> Rick Perry wants to eliminate the Dept. of Education. That sounds about right. Everything he's ever learned and needed to know came in church. This country needs a standard of learning and educational requirements to hold its highest office. But since the GOP's base are science deniers as well, you might as well cater to their ignorance.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Bachmann's,Palin's,Bush's,Santorum's,Cain's,Perry's of the world think that its quite possible for Jesus to return from the clouds like some damn super hero sometime within their administrations. It seems to me this would drain their motivation to improve the way of life for all Americans while we sit here waiting on Jesus to show us all his magical powers. I could never vote republican for their "Christ"-ie ways and complete disregard for science and education in this country. Investing in proper education on our children is investing in this country's future but all they seem to care about are faith based policies on pro-choice,abstinence,terrorism,and creationism. They think Jesus is republican and anyone like Bush is an honorary 13th disciple for the next 4-8 years.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>But sadly for this country,as Sam Harris points out:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> "You can't possibly get elected if you don't believe in the God of Abraham.....if you openly doubt that one of our books was written by the Creator of the Universe...that's the end of your political career"</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"The God that our neighbors believe in, is essentially an invisible person. He is a creator deity who created the universe to have a relationship with one species of primate. Lucky us! And he's got galaxy upon galaxy to attend to,but He is especially concerned with what we do. And he is Especially concerned about what we do while naked! He almost certainly disapproves of homosexuality......Can you believe in this god ...on bad evidence? Which is to say on faith...And if you can you will win an eternal life of happiness after you die</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>And its precisely this sort of god this sort of scheme that you must believe in if you're going to have any kind of future in politics in this country. No matter what your gifts, You could be an unprecedented genius.You could look like George Clooney. You could have a billion dollars.You could have the social skills of Oprah,and you are going no where in politics in this country unless you believe in that sort of god."</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Given this much reason and rational thinking....I'm writing in Sam Harris for Prez!</b></span><br />
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</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-61778450252293437102011-11-06T11:18:00.000-08:002011-11-06T11:18:47.939-08:00Mee Maw Ruby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs562egVey5yjKh-pOfNMVutpTPmnd1O149eNJd4roOtdypSf46SETfHFHHaeOMEy_5S77TAv4Wgum7eOYFgASjIoA4h8q9OuQeJR00nvgStday32Qhh7IdwCd7iXBzswSW0fItsrtUD6z/s1600/sweet+rubes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs562egVey5yjKh-pOfNMVutpTPmnd1O149eNJd4roOtdypSf46SETfHFHHaeOMEy_5S77TAv4Wgum7eOYFgASjIoA4h8q9OuQeJR00nvgStday32Qhh7IdwCd7iXBzswSW0fItsrtUD6z/s320/sweet+rubes.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My friend Tyler and I took a road trip to "the country" one afternoon. Back to my hometown in Bassett,VA. I was taking him to meet my grandma Ruby. I was interested in showing him a part of my family's history and heritage by letting him explore the house and the land that my mother grew up in and a place I used to hang out when I was younger. My grandpa and grandma Cockram were for the most part farmers. Gardens on every side of there house growing just about any fruit or vegetable one could think of. I grew up seeing cows,chickens,and yes,even honey bees. My grandparents "made"everything from the farm. Eggs,butter,honey,apple cider,"preserves". It was a regular Food Lion (a local grocery store chain) around there. Trips to the farmer's market every weekend was a must considering the volume of food they produced. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> Production on the farm slowed down once my grandpa Noel died in 1994. Well, sorta....My Mee Maw Ruby was a worker. A very hard worker. It was all she ever known in her life. She belonged to a typical country family who saw it necessary to quit school at a very early age to tend to siblings and farm land. These days people like grandma simply don't exist. Work like my grandma performed her entire life is discarded and deemed too hard for the American way of life....so we give the work to Mexicans.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My friend Tyler and I was sitting around grandma's kitchen table carrying a conversation about the old days. Grandma showed Tyler some old family photos and was talking about life when she was our age. All the sudden she asked Tyler if he wanted some apples to take home with him to Roanoke. Of course he did! At this point I'm expecting grandma to open the refrigerator door and grab some apples...or perhaps open the cupboard to fetch some. No....She grabs a bag and instructs Tyler to follow her...walked outside her back porch and proceeded to the nearest apple tree. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> "Hold this" grandma says. Handing Tyler the bag. She climbed that apple tree what seemed like 2 stories and proceeded to throw apples down to Tyler in that bag. It was though she went to work. She stepped into her office! Working on a Sunday. Overtime...you name it. It was funny to think maybe it should be Ty or I in that tree...Geesh Grandma was in her mid to late 70's! Doing what she did best and wouldn't take no for an answer. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Grandma Ruby was solid...like a rock. Climbing rooftops to clean gutters,mowing yards,fetching fire wood and of course climbing apple or cherry trees til the last few years of her life. Once cancer came knocking at her door it forced her to slow down. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Once she went to war on a band of Japanese hornets. Lured them in a well lit back porch in the dark of night. Her back porch was enclosed. She trapped them in...closed the door behind her and started swatting away her problems...one hornet at a time. No military fatigues required. Tough as nails Mee maw Rubes!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Cancer has a way of softening even the hardest body...the super heroes we have become mere mortals when cancer is in their path. She fought it and fought it...never wanting anyone to know she was suffering a losing battle....she had her ups..her downs...her good days...and her bad...She wore it all with a smile! A very tough smile!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Grandma would have been 85 last Monday....her one year death anniversary is Nov 8,2011 and of course its a time to reflect and think of sweet mee maw :)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>R.I.P. Ruby Cockram </b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-62622668175120570752011-10-31T05:50:00.000-07:002011-10-31T05:50:53.480-07:00Handwriting my Blogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvPci6a3G3Pa_i8P4C4hm6ViaFedllyxJIKsg3yQtJIx76xOljm-gyl53DYteu-wjUDbbQGFCLpFKPs11wi94Xb7THUfSe97r2oMgTv-I454SGeDzRoxS8wOdpPKhm-wCIlZR_EeXxDaH/s1600/halloween+img+gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvPci6a3G3Pa_i8P4C4hm6ViaFedllyxJIKsg3yQtJIx76xOljm-gyl53DYteu-wjUDbbQGFCLpFKPs11wi94Xb7THUfSe97r2oMgTv-I454SGeDzRoxS8wOdpPKhm-wCIlZR_EeXxDaH/s320/halloween+img+gallery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b> This week I'm taking the time to hand write a few letters for National Mail a Hand Written Letter Day on November 1st. Thus this blog is taken a short recess this week so I may concentrate on writing a few letters to friends and family. I hope that each and everyone reading this will take the time to write a friend a hand written note or letter just to let them know you are thinking of them. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>See y'all next week!</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Happy Halloween everyone....</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-35303650319526425692011-10-23T10:33:00.000-07:002011-10-23T10:33:48.081-07:00The Walmart Complex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO2q88YonWX68E0FcN791w7zm_iUWjl45x8Jv0Jqzn5SsrS222wKIhXqU0Ko9xHaqts5UTAb6fpSXaI9hrJuwhNILITea0rf7TcHhX-dhlHRTTJr06lEX2qU0CEjBv-ufOLJgsYNKLV0e/s1600/JayWalking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO2q88YonWX68E0FcN791w7zm_iUWjl45x8Jv0Jqzn5SsrS222wKIhXqU0Ko9xHaqts5UTAb6fpSXaI9hrJuwhNILITea0rf7TcHhX-dhlHRTTJr06lEX2qU0CEjBv-ufOLJgsYNKLV0e/s1600/JayWalking.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I was reading the paper a couple weeks ago when I stumbled upon a story about a couple driving along and as they started to drive through an underpass they encountered a jaywalker,who was merely just strolling along like she owned the road and had every business being out in the middle of harms way. The couple,perhaps frighten by the sudden sight of a woman lolly gagging through the street, blared their car horn at her as to alert her of the danger of oncoming traffic. Well the jaywalker actually took offense at this and proceeded to cuss out the couple driving. As the woman in the car drove by the jaywalker bitching a mile a minute,she found it curious that the jaywalker wasn't concerned for her life. Or even making a solid attempt to move out harms way. The jaywalker's biggest complaint was....as she yelled out to the couple driving by....</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> "Can't you see I'm on the phone!!"</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Apparently the loud horn being echoed in an underpass makes it even harder to yak to friends on a cell phone as you conflict traffic patterns.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> I was driving home from Vinton one evening this past week and a couple attempted to step out in the middle of the road to cross the street. Now to their defense there was no crosswalk for them to use seeing how I was using local roads or "back roads" as I refer to them (Besides...all roads leading out of Vinton are "back roads" right!?!?)</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>This couple had to second guess their timing once they saw me quickly approaching and the took a quick step back onto the curb. As I passed by them and looked their way. The shot me a death glare like I had some nerve driving on the road they wanted to cross.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Ladies and Gentlemen, The behaviors and attitudes I just described above is due to a phenomenon I refer to as... The Walmart Complex. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Anyone who has ever driven through a main entrance of a Walmart,Target,or Kroger can tell you that pedestrians have the right of way. I,myself have darted out of these stores and without even looking for oncoming traffic just stroll through the parking lot knowing I have the right of way. The trouble is, this carefree crossing the street has carried over into the real world of jaywalking. Attitudes intact! </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I see this all the time when driving downtown. People stepping out in front of you knowing that they do not have the right of way. Staring and daring you to do something about it. Jaywalkers are suffering through the Walmart Complex and someone's going to end up in the hospital as a result. Hopefully not the driver when he/she is just merely in the right place at the right time. I like to put scares into jaywalkers..I hit the gas! Give them something to think about. If they give me the attitude and my car window is down...."This is not Walmart pal! You don't have the right of way...."</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I'm under no obligation to stop. Guess the only reason I would is I'm not interested in serving time for involuntary manslaughter. But, in worse case scenario; As I'm serving my time...I wonder: Will I be losing any sleep over taking someone out whose suffering from the Walmart Complex?</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-71116683518218532062011-10-16T13:10:00.000-07:002011-10-16T13:10:29.077-07:00A Voice Said to Be He<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKi9S2GHKJEisi-qDeS-_FJEHnbfy-m0OKJG6ksKTctF6MZREA0WYtnOsZoHTqGvghMsvfVJX9FDndvjc8ZEkCGq9kkEk0qGK_2cVRx7bpvHjb4-NPbZVHl-fYH4orJUVkNypcjJkwuYh/s1600/Voice-of-God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKi9S2GHKJEisi-qDeS-_FJEHnbfy-m0OKJG6ksKTctF6MZREA0WYtnOsZoHTqGvghMsvfVJX9FDndvjc8ZEkCGq9kkEk0qGK_2cVRx7bpvHjb4-NPbZVHl-fYH4orJUVkNypcjJkwuYh/s320/Voice-of-God.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b> "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...And God said,Let there be light: and there was light." -Genesis 1:1&3</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>"And God said unto Noah,The end of all flesh is come before me;for the earth is filled with violence through them and behold I will destroy them with the earth." -Genesis 6:13</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b> "And the Lord said unto Moses,Lo,I come unto thee in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with thee,and believe thee forever..." -Genesis 19:9</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>"And God said (unto Abraham), take now thy son,thine only son Isaac,whom thou lovest,and get thee into the land of Moriah;and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>-Genesis 22:2</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>God said this and God said that. The Bible is riddled with quote after quote from the Almighty. In "biblical days" God was as common a voice as any modern day news anchor. God was around every street corner and directing traffic in the world that He created. Every story you read in the Old Testament was pretty much dictated by the voice from above. As a kid growing up in Sunday school class every week I couldn't help wonder...Why would a voice heard so often in the Holy Bible be so silent in the year 1983. If God is so animated and interactive with his humanoid creations in "biblical days" why then, can't I "see" Him or hear him in more modern times. This was my thinking as an eight year old.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>I'm not sure how old I was when I figured out there is no actual voice of God,but it has taken me even longer in life to make this bold claim:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Ladies and gentlemen, God has never said jack shit! No one who has ever walked the face of this earth,including but not limited to,all those "characters" in the bible, has ever heard the actual voice of God.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Let's rephrase that so there be no misunderstanding: </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>God has never spoken to anyone that's ever walked the face of this earth. EVER. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>NO ONE:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Not Adam nor Eve,Noah,Moses,Abraham,Wesley Smith,the Pope,Jerry Falwell,Bin Laden,Andrea Yates,Matthew,Mark,Luke or John,David Koresh,Jim Jones,nor Mother Teresa. NO ONE!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Mankind has been shoving words down God's throat for thousands of years. God said this and God said that, God spoke to me...,God speaks...,God has lead me to do this or that. All these claims are false. To anyone that would like to dispute this claim I would submit to you that you should thankful for there not being an actual voice of God. The bible is littered with "stories" with so much killing and barbarism and completely wiping out entire cities of "corrupt" people which, you have to assume included the innocent lives of women,children,and unborn fetus'. It should tame one's mind that this is merely men doing these acts of violence in the name of God or perhaps claiming that God commanded this violence. Once you realize there is no voice descending down from heaven and instructing a mere man in commandments and violence;Its actually a big sigh of relief.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>I guess the big draw back in admitting this lack of voice over from heaven is not knowing where your morals or goodness towards man comes from. I'll refrain from mentioning the evolutionary process of man has spawned acts of kindness towards others. This is another blog entry in itself. Your morals does not come from a reading of the bible. Period. Stay tuned for this entry coming soon.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>I saw an interview with Bill Maher on the Conan O'Brien show once when Maher was promoting his movie "Religulous" and he made a comment on the voice of God. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b> "God,I mean why? If He's all powerful,why does He always tell his important stuff to one prophet,alone? He always takes some guy up on a mountain,or out in the woods where nobodies around. Why don't He just stop the world and go "Hey! Hi everybody! Its God! And the correct religion issssss...Shinto!"</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>This is hitting the nail on the head. Moses was asked to climb Mt Sinai alone. Wesley Smith had a conversation with God alone in the woods. No one was around to witness the voice of God when Abraham was being instructed to sacrifice his only son to show loyalty. The same can be said for Andrea Yates when God told her to drown her 5 children in that bathtub. Anyone who has ever claimed to have heard a voice of God should be treated as needing lots of medication. They are borderline insane once they act violently from the voices they hear. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Most Christians thinks its wonderful when they hear such testimony that God is calling someone into the ministry or as a missionary. The trouble is God has never spoken to anyone. Their claim that God instructs them is false. I hear a voice inside my head every day. Its called my conscience. And my "voice" says there is no God. I guess to the believer that's the voice of Satan. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>So let's approach this divine voice with extreme caution. Rational and reasonable people understand that once someone makes bold claims (as our world's religious leaders so often do)about hearing a voice from the heavens its a free for all. The sky's the limit. You can make any claim you want and make it believable by simply telling your followers you're under divine instruction. But sadly since there are no gods talking to us. That claim is made by man. And man has spawned so much lunacy in the name of an imaginary voice.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:::</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Top Ten Guests I'd Want at My Cocktail Party</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Mary Carillo</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Roger Federer</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Sam Harris</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Richard Dawkins</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Martina Navratilova</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Larry David</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Wanda Sykes</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Ellen DeGeneres</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Elton John</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Mark Wade</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Top Ten Food Items I'd Want Served As My Last Meal</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Garden salad with 1000 island</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. White bean chicken chili with cheese</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Dinner rolls from Red Lobster</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Filet Mignon (medium well)</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Mashed potatoes with chives</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Steamed broccoli </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Cheesecake</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Vanilla ice cream</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Vodka</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Mountain Dew!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Top Ten People the World Could Have Lived Without.</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Kim Jong Il</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Queen Mary I</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Joesph Stalin</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Osama Bin Laden</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Timothy McVay</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Jim Jones</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Pol Pot</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Ruhollah Khomeini</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Attila the Hun</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Adolf Hitler</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Top Ten Places I Want to Visit Before I Die</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Hawaii</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Australia</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Toronto</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Berlin</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. London</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. South Africa</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Prague</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Bangkok</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Tokyo</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Rio De Janeiro</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Top Ten Favorite Activities</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Volleyball</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Poker</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Travel</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Video games</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Internet</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. <censored></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Eating</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Sleeping</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Tennis</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Sex</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Top Ten Musts to Be Surrounded By on My Death Bed</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>(if applicable)</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Family</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Pet(s)</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Laptop</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Smartphone</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. TV</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Music source</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Alcohol</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Water</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Meds</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Scented candles</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Top Ten Things I'd Rather Not Be Doing</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Shave</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Cut </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>finger/toe nails</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Work</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Pay Taxes/Bills</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Nursing a cold</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Cleaning</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Reading</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Talk on Phone</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Walk in the rain</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Deal with snow</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;"><u>Top Ten Favorite TV Shows </u></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">10. Golden Girls</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">9. Saturday Night Live</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">8. Cheers</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">7. Night Court</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">6. Cleveland Show</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">5. A-Team</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">4. Will and Grace</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">3. Family Guy</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">2. Seinfeld</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">1. Curb Your Enthusiasm</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;"><u>Top Ten Favorite Video Games</u></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Dante's Inferno</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Mario Kart</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Wii Sports</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Ice Hockey</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. RC Pro AM</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. God of War Series</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Ratchet and Clank Series</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. MegaMan Series</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Tiger Woods PGA10</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1.Mario Brothers Series</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;"><u>Top Ten Most Visited Websites</u></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">10. Yahoo</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">9. eBay</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">8. Tennis</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">7. Overstock</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">6. USPS</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">5. VA Lottery</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">4. RPEFCU</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">3. Blogger</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">2. Google</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">1. Facebook</span></b></span><br />
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</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-22823777871455946452011-10-02T09:17:00.000-07:002011-10-02T09:17:18.059-07:00National Mail a Hand Written Letter Day (Nov 1, 2011)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeirBz3O4jD9yeJVlib5OgqsGWK5CH3iQiDRjWbXWj6bU5gTaG7zLA0JA-cBqNbBOhq6BnvfdIcCDkDhWhb2zNYJFV0OKqqorPn2SQuWyP5Mk_Zaq58rOCHVQF6Gn9d6ZXvEj4gAC48WLs/s1600/letter-writing.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeirBz3O4jD9yeJVlib5OgqsGWK5CH3iQiDRjWbXWj6bU5gTaG7zLA0JA-cBqNbBOhq6BnvfdIcCDkDhWhb2zNYJFV0OKqqorPn2SQuWyP5Mk_Zaq58rOCHVQF6Gn9d6ZXvEj4gAC48WLs/s320/letter-writing.gif" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Almost 14 days ago I dropped my phone at work and it completely stopped working. Living without a dial tone and text messages has been quite a chore. Imagine! No iPhone means no hand held email,youTube,Facebook,sports scores,Angry Birds,Words with Friends,texts,calendar,alarms, you name. My convenient pocket guide to life is gone. I jokingly made a reference on facebook this week about anyone needing to reach me should write me a letter and sure enough in my mailbox this week was a hand written letter from my youngest brother. It instantly put me in a reflective nostalgic mood. It felt totally 1980's to receive this. It has literally been years since I had seen this form of communication addressed to me. I thanked him the best way I know how. Through Facebook of course. I joked "If only I had a pen and paper...I'd write you back!"</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Consider this: There is a generation among us that has never seen an envelope in a mail box with their name on it. We live in an age of texts,emails,facebook,tweets,etcs... Sitting down and actually writing letters to friends or even family...those days are gone.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>It's weird to think that there are twentysomethings out there that has never felt what its like to even experience what a nice hand written letter will do for the "soul" ....assuming souls exist,....but you know what I mean.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>This gave me an idea. I'm declaring a National Mail a Hand Written Letter Day for Tuesday, November 1,2011. Your goal should be to write to someone who has never had this experience to receive one. I'm not talking about a greeting card, I'm referring to a pen and a sheet of paper...complete with stamps and addresses. Our demographic to reach should be someone 24 or younger. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>I will spread the word with a more modern means of communication. Facebook. I will be creating a "National Mail a Hand Written Letter Day" page and making it public for all to attend. Hey, if a page getting started to campaign for Betty White to host Saturday Night Live could achieve success, why not this?!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>I'm off to buy a book of stamps....Peace</b></span><br />
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</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-85776344266940391682011-09-25T08:54:00.000-07:002011-09-25T08:59:37.050-07:00My Plan for the USPS (Suggestions and Opinions)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.apwu.org/issues-uspsfinances/SAPS-logo-2-w=240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Save America's Postal Service" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.apwu.org/issues-uspsfinances/SAPS-logo-2-w=240.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Tuesday,September 27th, the area Roanoke postal worker unions are planning a "Save the Postal Service Rally" in downtown Roanoke. We will be meeting on Franklin Road between Williamson and Jefferson. Various concerns ranging from plant closures to 5 day delivery and local postal employees would like the general public to be aware of what seems like endless politics locally and even nationally during the USPS' most dramatic hour of need.</b></span><br />
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</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So I have a plan to save the USPS. It may not be popular preaching from a union point of view but its the USPS we trying to save not necessarily jobs within the post office.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> If you're a coworker of mine or any other random USPS employee and you:</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A)Don't own a computer</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>B)Run from technology</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>C) Do not know what terms Google,eBay, or Window's 7 is.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>D) Do not use email</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>and....</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> you are well past the eligibility requirements to retire....you should be forced to retire from the USPS as it progresses aggressively towards the future. I use the term progress aggressively because the USPS has a LOT of catching up to do in the 21st century. So unless you are willing to learn and understand,not to mention embrace technology in the business sector of your job. Please...enjoy retirement! Save me a spot down at Shady Oaks. I'll catch up with you in 2035. We'll talk about the old times....</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Let's pause for a moment to give the reader a great example of how the USPS suffers from modern business practices through the use of technology. I was hired by the USPS to work in the Roanoke P&DC in March of 1997. Shortly thereafter I began training to begin qualification to operate certain mail processing machinery (flat sorters and parcel sorters). Now, if you're on the outside looking in,i.e. not employed by the USPS,brace yourself. My training was being done on an Apple IIe computer! Yes! That's not a typo! Families have internet in their homes by 1997 and there I was being trained on one of the first ever personal desk top computers. </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Several weeks ago the company Lockheed and Martin did some modifications on a parcel sorting machine in Roanoke,VA and we had a meeting to discuss the new improved modernization's of the machine. A rep from Lockheed and Martin explained to us that the circuit boards removed from the machine were so old that they were no longer even made. He cited it was as if you went into Best Buy and asked where they sold the 8-track players. And that is a great parallel to where the USPS is today from a technological stand point. We are still dabbling in 8-track players while ALL our customers are looking for digital music services.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>In other words. We are a failing service.We are no longer needed. So why then would the USPS be so reluctant to change and modernize its efforts to keep up with the competition and demands to modern delivery services? Simple:</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>We simply never needed to. Our volume of mail was so high that it was like fixing something that wasn't broken. A well oiled machine that needed no maintenance. Let the good times roll. The USPS offers a universal service and its standards of delivery was about to meet its ultimate enemy. The World Wide Web. When you are the tortoise in a race full of hares eventually your slow reluctance to keep up with the modern weapons of "warfare" (in our case,declining delivery volumes) Will catch up with you with rapid pace. Technology is extremely and rapidly ever changing. And so does the way our company conducts its business. The USPS has,in a lot of ways,failed to keep up. We (the USPS) are a sleeping giant. We reign supreme in total volume when compared to our competitors. Its time to awaken the sleeping giant. Here's how....</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Our outlook: First and foremost its time we say goodbye to letter mail. The internet has crushed away the need to send letters,bills,bill payments and greeting cards. Its time to embrace the fact that these letters and more importantly the revenue in which we receive from these letters is gone. And its not coming back. End of story.Every year we lose millions and millions more letters than the previous year. This trend will continue. That's a fact! You,the USPS employee, should not in any way be shocked to hear that even your coworkers never buy stamps anymore. Its just that convenient to use the internet for paying bills and sending eCards. Now,even though its true that our bulk business letter volume is up and thus the revenue is up in that department the fact of the matter is first class letter volume and revenue is the absolute life blood of our plus or minus in profitability.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Plan: After we throw a going away party to our first class letters we need to start looking for ways to generate a new life blood in order to survive. I suggest a huge emphasis on parcels. Our two major competitors (UPS and FedEx) seems to thrive on their business plans and rely solely on parcel delivery for their life blood. So why shouldn't we? Companies such as J-Crew,Amazon.com,Home Shopping Network,QVC, etc. should be our best friend. Companies mentioned here and the thousands more that ship their products is who we should be working for. Making an ever trusting commitment to deliver their goods. Offer incentives,discounts,service standards.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Consider:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Every flat rate box being shipped at 10.95 is the equivalent of almost 25 first class letter stamps. Priority shipping rates is the new wave of the USPS future. We should have business minded employees that go from shipper to shipper and recruit their business. Make them offers they can't refuse.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Roanoke P&DC has 12 letter sorting machines and yet only has one parcel sorting machine. I think employees of the USPS should envision a day where that ratio is reversed. In every surviving plant we have. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>There is a generation of 20 somethings right now that will never set foot inside a post office. They simply don't have to. Even if they are customers of ours they still use their computers to print postage and pay bills. And of course we come to them to meet their shipping needs. Its time to acknowledge this. Ask a 20 something where the nearest post office is and watch them pull out their smart phone a to look it up on google maps. But even this generation and the next shops online. What company will tap into the shipping needs of the thousands of online retailers? Hopefully the USPS. </b></span></div>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-43656359136338540872011-09-18T09:02:00.000-07:002011-09-18T09:02:52.086-07:00No ME in USPS<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>This week the USPS made major headlines across the country. A study is currently being implemented in 400 of the 500 total processing plants nationwide for complete closure. I so happen to work in one of the "targeted" plants. The Roanoke P&DC is just one of the 250 possible closures that will be taking affect in the future. So, of the 400 being studied,roughly around 150 will be spared (for now;Plus or minus a plant or two). Keep your fingers crossed that we employees in Roanoke will be off the chopping block. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Personally speaking this news doesn't really cause me that much stress. I am in a unique position where my employer does not have the power to lay me off (yet). We are protected by unions and are guaranteed a job with a no lay off clause in our contracts. Thus, If the Roanoke P&DC were to in fact close its doors, my job will simply be moved to a processing plant that will be appointed to absorb our mail volume. This will either be Richmond,VA or most likely Greensboro,NC. The USPS will basically say. "We're moving your job to Greensboro and if you want it, I suggest you report there on this given date." </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Again, although is this a huge inconvenience to me (seeing how I JUST moved to a new apartment a month ago), I will simply accept my new assignment and move to where my job takes me. Simple. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I guess the problem lies insomuch that this is not all about me. Many of my coworkers way of life will be completely uprooted. One might suggest destroyed. I work with 300+ other people. And its simply not that simple for everyone to just drop their way of life here and relocate some 80 miles away. My personal postal family circle will be broken many times over. Some will retire,quit,or (attempt) to commute to new location. All this is much easier said than done. I have known my postal family for almost 15 years now. I work with some outstanding people. To think they will no longer be a coworker due to attrition is sad and troubling to me. It's no exaggeration to suggest that my postal family has had the good fortune to watch me grow up. ( I started in Roanoke as a young 21 year old).</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So even though I feel very little stress over an uncertain future for my job, I do feel my coworker's stress and sadness. Not to mention grief. I hope we all stay optimistic and hold our breath as we hope (and as some will do....pray) that our plant will be spared. We work for a company that loses billions of dollars annually,and I understand from a business perspective that major changes must take place in order for the USPS to survive. I think the USPS is finally coming to a realization that it operates in a stone age way of doing business. They are trying to sell 8 track players to customers that listen to digital music. We had a meeting in our plant this week and in the room in which the meeting took place I was scanning around the room and observed that of the 70-80 coworkers present.....I was the youngest guy in the room. I'm 36. And the USPS is finally starting to acknowledge that there is a generation that's coming up behind mine that will NEVER set foot inside a post office. They wont have to. Our services are no longer needed unless you're shipping packages. And with billions of letters lost.... It stands to reason that the jobs will be lost as well. Its business. And its understandable. But by closing plant after plant and office after office....Wouldn't that drain the motivation for current and potential future customers? It's quite a conundrum. It's the USPS!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Stay tuned.... <fingers crossed for Roanoke VA,24022 :)></b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-62971513898210139292011-09-11T10:31:00.000-07:002011-09-11T10:31:24.585-07:00September 11,2001<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn2HpvRLSZeeN7rINwSxQVse92N2VgTckjqBTDYJEW5jQQjsXJdOsof3XS_F25KLoXl0VpgQKVTUZH7hR8yyddjv-Oo7L3b2hdXXQpGBY3GU4DlGBooPChySVNbSXKTtxaJziXV4UIZhyphenhyphen/s1600/sept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn2HpvRLSZeeN7rINwSxQVse92N2VgTckjqBTDYJEW5jQQjsXJdOsof3XS_F25KLoXl0VpgQKVTUZH7hR8yyddjv-Oo7L3b2hdXXQpGBY3GU4DlGBooPChySVNbSXKTtxaJziXV4UIZhyphenhyphen/s320/sept.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>When I arrived home from work at 7:00am on September 11,2001 I did something I never do once I walked through my door. I cut on my TV. For some reason or another I wanted to watch the morning news as I sat down to check emails and surf the web. By the end of the day the history in which I just witnessed would forever change our lives.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> This week the entire country has been reflecting on the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I too have been in a very reflective mood. I have spent many hours over the last ten years watching footage of that fateful day from clips and tributes on youtube and TV,but this week I wanted to take a look at the aspects of all the conspiracy theories that are floating around. I've never explored the angles of everyone that feels that 9/11 was contributed as an inside job or at least our government had prior knowledge. I can't say that I'm completely convinced that a conspiracy was involved. But I have had my eyes opened to many of the facts about that day that just simply doesn't add up. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Some facts that doesn't make sense:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>- According to the 9/11 Commission Report, none of the 4 flight recorders (black boxes) were ever recovered.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> ~Black boxes have been recovered in our most deepest oceans and you can't find them among the Ground Zero ruble? </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> ~Bone fragments the size of finger nails were used in the identifying of victims but yet two flight recorders went missing? (I don't think so)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>-World Trade 7 building collapses at 5:30pm on Sept. 11th despite not being damaged by the Twin Towers or being hit by a plane.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> ~So for the first time in history a steel structured building collapses from suffering through an office fire. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> ~ The conspiracy theorist believes both Twin Towers and building 7 were controlled demolitions </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> Some even more bizarre theories include that the Israeli Central </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Intelligence Agency was behind the attacks and the hijackers were already in control of AA flight 11 before the plane ever left the run way. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Anyone can investigate these theories through film and video all available online. I'm not subscribing to every belief out there but its curious to how an event of this magnitude and scale could have all been orchestrated from the caves of Afghanistan. And despite the questions that will never be answered concerning September 11,2001 the mood will remain the same. Grief. Grief for the victims and the families that must live on through this terrible event in our world's history.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>I hope you take the time today to remember..... </b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-2691120954086123622011-09-04T10:16:00.000-07:002011-09-04T10:16:33.276-07:00Cable Be Gone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ43Jo4G_UhH8wXkNjfAf8KehIxHMO_NlcCEHohh3u4eaVMYktK1FtyqbkKD41R3USkje_ZOVwLFl0kP4-nD2SInifXC-uPfRNtfJVQIeE4MNXnDaQDYaUFB1NVVJYRcQXVmTGKwRGNUDC/s1600/cablebegone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>I lived the first twenty one years of my life without cable TV. Yes, my poor deprived childhood! Go to my old neighborhood and you'll notice that even to this day. September 2011, there are no cable lines that run through the community.It's not as though my parents were cheap or had the desire.... cable wasn't even an option for those poor folks that lived down on the county line. I </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>suppose when you live in such a rural area you should consider yourself lucky to have running water and electricity. No cable probably explains why I grew up playing games and sports. Of course having two brothers around helps that greatly as well. Our outlets were sports and fighting each other since there was nothing on TV. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> The day I moved to Roanoke,VA all that changed. Cable! I was in heaven....well...heaven as far as I understood it at the time. The plan was to only leave my apartment when it was time to go to work. MTV,VH1,CNN,ESPN,ESPN2,Comedy Central....the list was too big to recall. A total step up from back in the day of channel 7,10,and 13. Plus a very fuzzy Fox network. I would come home from work in the late 90's and do nothing but watch TV. Take a nap, watch more TV and head off to work again. and repeat the process countless times. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> Over the course of time (headed on 15 years) I have slowly gotten away from watching my beloved cable-vision. These days my TV generates a very small percentage of my electric bill. I recently said this week that the only time I need cable these days is 8 weeks a year when the four tennis majors are in full swing. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b> The US Open started on Monday and I have yet to watch a match on TV. Why!? Well....Last week I moved to a new apartment and I decided to give up the world of cable (an experiment). Paying over 1200.00 a year for an eight week sports package is a little extreme wouldn't you say? Cable has run its course (for now) and I will return back to my roots and live a life without what seems like hundreds of channel options. Oh,fret not for me, my options online and Netflix and Hulu should keep me busy enough for the next few years. So long cable...Hello freedom!</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-35963331749635405852011-08-28T08:09:00.000-07:002011-08-28T08:09:36.770-07:00A Public Apology<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Dear Wai-Kwok, </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> We met almost 7 years ago and never in my wildest imaginings did I ever think we would get as far as we did. I will be the first to admit that I struggled to put a lot of stock into us. Investing in our future together was something that was a very slow process indeed. For some reason I always had a sense of a temporary status in everything we did. I didn't think we would ever make it out of our long distance status. Once you moved to Roanoke I never thought you would be willing to stay very long and I knew you would never convince me to move north. Of course both these predictions were proven false. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> Earlier this year, you and I had a very long talk one night on the way home from Winston Salem. We learned so much about each other that night,it left me thinking...Why did it take over 6 years to finally get to know that side of you and for you to understand my way of thinking and policies on life. It was as though we were starting anew. And there for a while it was a new beginning. As we shared in confidence about our openness and expressed our ideas and views it became clear that I was discovering a new you,and you discovering a new me. It felt great,liberating and relief to finally let each other understand different points of view.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> I guess in hindsight I was letting you into my heart because I knew there was a storm cloud brewing in the distant future. As we came into new light about how we managed our relationship I knew it was becoming clear that the unavoidable was about to happen.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> Somewhere along the way I had been driving a wedge between you and I. And I have to confess it was such a gradual process that the end result was absolutely blindsiding. Before I knew what was happening the damage was irreversible. My frail attempt to correct the damage was a fruitless task. I was in way over my head and was doomed to fail us. You are </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>devastated and crushed...and are absolutely furious with me at this time....and I deserve every emotion you offer me. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> One thing is missing though. Despite all the carnage I've caused you and the suffering you experience now. I have somehow managed to never offer you an apology for everything I've done. Believe me I have wanted to....and of course I have needed to, but the words to express during this time have never been able to slip off my tongue. My mind can hoard many thoughts and emotions but yet my body won't allow them out,and as a result that causes you more pain. I don't know how I can put into words the necessary actions I should take at this time. All I can say is...Simply....I'm sorry. I truly am...</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> You sent me a picture of you recently standing in front of your mirror with a smile that was just for show. You putting on your happy face when knowing very well what you were doing was crying on the inside. I saw right through it and it made me cry as well. My only thought was how big of a fool I am,because seeing you standing there makes one realize that everything I ever needed in life was standing in front of that mirror. It's not like I am leaving in an unhappy situation. It's not like I'm leaving because I don't love you. No! It's quite the opposite. You know my situation and you know that I feel like those levels of love and happiness have been elevated beyond my control. Levels that I never knew possible. Levels that I didn't actively seek or premeditate to find. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> You told me in San Francisco back in May that you never wanted to stand in my way of me being truly happy. And I know that an effort was made (albeit weak) to curb myself off my new found emotions for someone else. My biggest drive in that effort was to prevent you from being hurt. System failure! </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> But I want to hold you to your words. And I want you to understand that my love for you has never changed. And it never will. It may be hard to understand some of this letter for now. But I think over time you will understand I have the opportunity to experience life the way you have experienced it with me. I'm just very sorry I was unable to return some of the emotions you offered me. Thank you for being you...and for understanding...and caring.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> I look forward to the day we can continue a sturdy friendship and be able to catch up on life. A life we were able to share for almost 7 years. I know,despite the emotions you feel right now, you feel the same way.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>With love,</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Michael </b></span><br />
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</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-91705697508984573322011-08-21T08:36:00.000-07:002011-08-21T08:36:02.088-07:0020 Years of Tennis Living<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7sVW5S-IJVz8_fdqrGkKRbOqug_fMUGj0SrcukiIy72Ess_2bBP8Q8AKmFG1mGcoBkwILiuGmV6mV1dZjA35k6PSS6amOomFhOkRDZD_DVf997DIc2jhpelLVNNWXjrCz6cjvhW8F9cu/s1600/169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7sVW5S-IJVz8_fdqrGkKRbOqug_fMUGj0SrcukiIy72Ess_2bBP8Q8AKmFG1mGcoBkwILiuGmV6mV1dZjA35k6PSS6amOomFhOkRDZD_DVf997DIc2jhpelLVNNWXjrCz6cjvhW8F9cu/s400/169.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 years of Tennis magazine</td></tr>
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</b></span></div></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>This summer marks my 20th year as a tennis player. My cousin introduced me to the sport in the summer of 1991,which was a great, inexpensive way to spend my weekends during my summer break from high school. Every Friday and Saturday night during that summer were make shift round robin tennis tourneys with my two cousins and my two brothers. Each player would compete against another in a 4 game set and a tally of total games won throughout pool play determined semifinalists. One of us wasn't making the cut and I was always determined to not let it be me. Long hours spent teaching myself the game and all my bad habits have lingered for the last 20 years :)</b></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIoVdUTWPrTT6xBTkv2UnkwFaH5N8ickpsKWK6XBldE9coeeyAMU9fbbriWgrph-MDs_nCTX7ALNLPynnKOQ0ZXEEg221oa4amgJcH3I3ZHWyQPOm6BidfQDijuTvlWQUGBsv9xLjGCgb/s1600/tennisMartina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIoVdUTWPrTT6xBTkv2UnkwFaH5N8ickpsKWK6XBldE9coeeyAMU9fbbriWgrph-MDs_nCTX7ALNLPynnKOQ0ZXEEg221oa4amgJcH3I3ZHWyQPOm6BidfQDijuTvlWQUGBsv9xLjGCgb/s400/tennisMartina.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martina Navratilova. Charleston SC 2004</td></tr>
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</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I was cleaning out a closet this week and stumbled upon my 20 years of Tennis magazine. This put me in a reflective mood. 20 great years of memories both on and off the courts. Travelling to tournaments to watch and of course these days to play.</b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfHxek9zH2ciFQR-wGmMWzZOt13jr9Nl2sNMX6coOjIzH6nqitpLUCUJ_Fo36YOaGrfck7JD82zioJd2W3Tuliwo1j-7OV09Qzxln00B4WcdYIqLMPSxAsJsx2-GknZwMQ_gKNFsK7OcD/s1600/tennisBJK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfHxek9zH2ciFQR-wGmMWzZOt13jr9Nl2sNMX6coOjIzH6nqitpLUCUJ_Fo36YOaGrfck7JD82zioJd2W3Tuliwo1j-7OV09Qzxln00B4WcdYIqLMPSxAsJsx2-GknZwMQ_gKNFsK7OcD/s400/tennisBJK.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billie Jean King, Raleigh NC 1999</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPs1-V7sFziRMQrvLIzqsjTvKmmF_sBhoXmz7SKFKwwk_QUwNcm8N837ZJiDzQ3QwybFCQL_JcB-aM3lNWFerpdLHTpdbZ6ueJNfCPH59DdnFOhyb5AakGUR1_NdwPdxcbGi5x7gMsWta/s1600/tennisSeles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPs1-V7sFziRMQrvLIzqsjTvKmmF_sBhoXmz7SKFKwwk_QUwNcm8N837ZJiDzQ3QwybFCQL_JcB-aM3lNWFerpdLHTpdbZ6ueJNfCPH59DdnFOhyb5AakGUR1_NdwPdxcbGi5x7gMsWta/s400/tennisSeles.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monica Seles,Raleigh NC 1999</td></tr>
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</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I compete on the GLTA tour three or four times a year and that's a great way to compete. I've been on the tour for four years now. My two favorite activities combined....tennis and travel. Atlanta,Orlando,Raleigh,Washington DC,Amsterdam,New York....and many more to come.</b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNpa-AGn5A0lnPA3UU7Up0WiQ8TLBZPy_h3v06obnvw8upINIn6Uc8bAV7OUsGXk_gQuTbdnOKS2Z5qMxmBUqYGybiTaWgljhmJLXeva33sXuDVRhePypIrJCEJ476SVcdle4X_DmXwUC/s1600/tennisArmstrong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNpa-AGn5A0lnPA3UU7Up0WiQ8TLBZPy_h3v06obnvw8upINIn6Uc8bAV7OUsGXk_gQuTbdnOKS2Z5qMxmBUqYGybiTaWgljhmJLXeva33sXuDVRhePypIrJCEJ476SVcdle4X_DmXwUC/s400/tennisArmstrong.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing a doubles match on Louis Armstrong at the BJKNTC, New York City;2009</td></tr>
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</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I have gotten away from summer tennis over the past couple years. Partly due to pursuing other interests. I tend to play more tennis during the fall and winter. 5 to 6 hours a week indoors. Indoor tennis is by far more relaxing. No wind,heat,sun or rain. Controlled conditions are perfect. I need all the help I can get. </b></span></div></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3N5ylTp8vvDEma6gt3TKzjSitcQdqFFoLMMynYOukSF_qYwW2TuoesZ-owQx3saQtG5lUAsNkAvmx2jwUomCXnz7Y5dyciFcpYwZNiiCWSZqiRP7UxEDVc6H3EIKEuYhlRh7B34PLlnY/s1600/tennisserve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3N5ylTp8vvDEma6gt3TKzjSitcQdqFFoLMMynYOukSF_qYwW2TuoesZ-owQx3saQtG5lUAsNkAvmx2jwUomCXnz7Y5dyciFcpYwZNiiCWSZqiRP7UxEDVc6H3EIKEuYhlRh7B34PLlnY/s640/tennisserve.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big serve! </td></tr>
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</b></span></div>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-80389912125130094262011-08-14T08:11:00.000-07:002011-08-14T08:11:43.020-07:00Fly Like an Eagle<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwrpojYRCOZneKSgYGEFilpn9Ot7XsBJJeeSnidCwJ9OlLoqrqvQla9O7K3y219IRxbxs0vWA6QJqeCZTTwPmngEwZVCdXxw6ckgZ2m4oZfmlH2tDGq0qafqIygU9xaR1_b3KBB_7WzKm/s1600/Eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwrpojYRCOZneKSgYGEFilpn9Ot7XsBJJeeSnidCwJ9OlLoqrqvQla9O7K3y219IRxbxs0vWA6QJqeCZTTwPmngEwZVCdXxw6ckgZ2m4oZfmlH2tDGq0qafqIygU9xaR1_b3KBB_7WzKm/s320/Eagle.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> In the past couple of weeks I have been doing some routine pampering and maintenance to my car. Oil change,tire rotation,state inspection,wash,wax,and vacuum. My annual "car appreciation month". Yes it's true. It seems that I'm so lazy about this that my car is lucky to be washed and waxed more than once a year,and I drive it very short distances these days that it only require two to three oil changes a year. It seems my 12 month state inspection always get pushed to a 14-16 month as well. Yes, it seems much neglect and laziness is applied to my car,and yet my car has really stood the test of time. I may treat it like dirt and of course let it wear dirt but my 1998 Eagle Talon has never let me down. A true friend indeed.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> Eagle was purchased in late 1997 as a gift to myself as congratulatory for acquiring my new job with the USPS and a recent move from my hometown of Bassett,VA to my new home and new life in Roanoke,VA. Very few objects I've owned has lasted longer than Eagle. I drove that bad boy right off the lot and it never bothered me that I payed the sticker price and was probably nickled and dimed more than I should have. Talk about young,dumb,and full of....well you know.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> I paid Eagle off in five years and I have enjoyed a car payment free life ever since. Almost 15 years old and still kicking like a 4 year old. Oh sure, it shows its age. I have some minor issues with my sunroof (at least it doesn't leak) and a slight oil leak that has not really been that much a burden til recently as I've had to start adding quarts of oil in between oil changes. This is in part due to the length of time it takes me to actually change oil since It rarely gets large amounts of mileage in any given road trip. Last week my car hit 129,000 miles. Very low considering the age.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> Eagle and I have traveled all over together.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Atlanta,GA</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Washington,DC</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Nashville,TN</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Charleston,SC</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Savannah,GA</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Edgewater,NJ</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Atlantic City,NJ</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Baltimore,MD</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Raleigh,NC</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>....and many more places....It seems to like to travel more than I. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> Every now and then my eyes will start to drift to all the new car dealers as I pass their lots. I wonder how long I will be able to avoid the temptation to trade Eagle in. I start to think how great Eagle has been to me and I just don't have what it takes to "get rid" of her. I'm pretty sure Eagle and I will be together until she rots away. Last year I even treated her to a bumper sticker. "Evolution happens whether you like it or not!" with a picture of Mr Darwin himself. Thanks for helping me spread the word Eagle :) </b></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I have been approached several times about selling Eagle,but she is just too good of a reliable friend to part ways. I'm sure the day will come in which I must say good bye to my car. All good things must come to an end. But until then.....I'm going out for a joy ride.</span></b><br />
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</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-78850845569767823782011-08-07T09:34:00.000-07:002011-08-07T09:34:23.756-07:0025 Words to Live By<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpcKcw39lubY4UZG9YuR2FvpkNkUO_OnqiJMnPoNiIJjBVmnZ2EK4YoGfKEe9_ZZHaInkoDnzbSzTJ7BZy_N_n54B3BMq5zZnazCISSm8W4FwefiQ5hrfvHotpnoz7e1TaGyzPVQfpHTE/s1600/rules_to_live_life_by.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpcKcw39lubY4UZG9YuR2FvpkNkUO_OnqiJMnPoNiIJjBVmnZ2EK4YoGfKEe9_ZZHaInkoDnzbSzTJ7BZy_N_n54B3BMq5zZnazCISSm8W4FwefiQ5hrfvHotpnoz7e1TaGyzPVQfpHTE/s320/rules_to_live_life_by.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>This week I'm plucking 25 words out of our dictionary that everyone should try to apply to their lives,including myself.Mere words and yet so much thinking and understanding should go into them. Sum them all up and reach for a better mental way of life. In no particular order.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Think</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Educate</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Patience</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Love</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Floss</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Diet</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Understand</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Care</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Strive</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10.Exercise</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>11.Read</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>12.Sleep</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>13.Smile</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>14.Music</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>15.Chocolate</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>16.Laugh</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>17.Respect</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>18.Politeness </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>19.Sex</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>20.Pets</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>21.Kindness</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>22.Goals</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>23.Relax</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>24.Share</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>25.Art</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Try to be guilty to as many as these as possible. Have a great week everyone :)</b></span><br />
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</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-37536159875424724902011-07-31T11:59:00.000-07:002011-07-31T11:59:54.496-07:00God's Magic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SACjzskPtDq6c3f_D4aZv4sIKCn-TA98Qx4uq0Nftj2PVCCbVPEM8ZieA7vZeF90uoxmehCIBBOxWmvH5QV4xDm3x1CPNYQVd35EMbsHcaNA0c-4OyROCevB-Gv1a3EHcgrLMMPg681m/s1600/king_james_bible7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SACjzskPtDq6c3f_D4aZv4sIKCn-TA98Qx4uq0Nftj2PVCCbVPEM8ZieA7vZeF90uoxmehCIBBOxWmvH5QV4xDm3x1CPNYQVd35EMbsHcaNA0c-4OyROCevB-Gv1a3EHcgrLMMPg681m/s1600/king_james_bible7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Last week I wrote and compared the fictional works of the Harry Potter book series and the similar fictional aspects of the Holy Bible. I would like to continue that this week by exploiting the magic tricks that "God" uses in the entire Bible book series. Of course the Holy Bible consists of 66 total books and there are plenty of unrealistic occurrences throughout. A talking snake,Jonah living in a fish for three days,Moses parting the Red Sea,Elijah being whisked away to heaven courtesy a whirl wind,raising the dead,Noah's ark,virgin birth,Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by raining hell fires and some lady being turned into a pillar of salt as punishment for watching the city burn,and Rumpelstiltskin the gold straw spinning imp. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>OK, so maybe the Rumpelstiltskin story wasn't biblical, but one wonders if it were nestled somewhere in the Bible whether it would be defended as truth by millions of Bible believing Christians. Fairy tales are fairy tales,regardless where they are published,whether that be in children's story books or in holy books.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>In modern Christianity,progressive Christians have no problems accepting these bible stories as nothing more than metaphors, or fables with a life's lesson attached. To the progressive: The one burning question remains. In the Bible, where do the fairy tales end? Where does the poetic metaphors and myths end and the truth begins? At what point should I start to believe the Bible? </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>It seems to me that once the Bible was concluded in its writing and publication the super natural events of the world came to an all the sudden stop. Why don't we see these unrealistic events happening in modern times? Including but not even limited to hearing the actual voice of God. If you are a believer I would like to remind you that you live in a natural world....not a super natural world. This world acts in such a way that you would expect it to act as if its only being ran by natural laws.</b></span><br />
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</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610135862954807525.post-17528741934112054272011-07-24T10:33:00.000-07:002011-07-24T10:33:24.296-07:00Harry Potter;Based on a True Story<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghV0Vz45V1qe_DeKM8jTc-vSYMFFwblTcfQ68ADOrh3qcbjU3MDeADFIl_nSY-Fr45gwnoJ3wMX65YJylxqoadvjtTR15BmIFuY39QIhTh4RSJx_kEOitIJKkkEK5T-2lLYf8-eZFsSluv/s1600/harry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghV0Vz45V1qe_DeKM8jTc-vSYMFFwblTcfQ68ADOrh3qcbjU3MDeADFIl_nSY-Fr45gwnoJ3wMX65YJylxqoadvjtTR15BmIFuY39QIhTh4RSJx_kEOitIJKkkEK5T-2lLYf8-eZFsSluv/s1600/harry.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Last weekend I started a Harry Potter marathon. Anyone who knows me will tell you how remarkable a statement this is. I am not a movie person. To get me inside a movie theater involves a lot of kicking and screaming. Even though I will admit they are at times....some what enjoyable. So far I've seen the first three. Harry has thus far found a sorcerer's stone,a chamber of secrets,and help an escape prisoner clear his name in Hogwartville...or something like that. Its kept my interest enough to continue this weekend. In store is a half blooded prince and some type of goblet of fire. I dunno. After those two I think I still have 3 more to go,including the newest release in theaters now. I'm sure I will handle the "excitement" with ease. I'm so thrilled about it that I made it a blog entry. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> One thought I have as watching this series is the absurdity of the ultra right-winged,neo-con,religious nut jobs that refuse to let their children read these books or watch these films on the ground that it's satanism or "of the devil" as I have heard it referred to. It's interesting that there have actually been book burning events to rid the world of this great evil of ours. I have to laugh. Even though,now that I think of it, If Harry Potter would have been around in the early to mid 80's, He would have been banned by the church that I grew up in. For the same reason as all movies,rock and roll music, and shorts wearing were banned. Wild times. This may be why I am not conditioned to walk into movie theaters. When I was growing up, I wasn't allowed to go. I was 18 when I walked into a movie theater for the first time. "<i>Alein III"</i> Never saw the first two but I didn't care. My friends invited me to go, it was a major rebellion and I went. I'm sitting there watching this alien film and was wondering when is Satan bursting through this movie screen and stealing my soul for all eternity. Actually you sit there and think. What the hell? You mean Jesus does not approve of this? Why? Because the popcorn is unhealthy? Because someone on the big screen might say the word "fuck" and Jesus will take offense? Jesus never heard of that word back in the first century.....</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I think the neo-con that refuses to let their children explore the imaginations and explorations of Harry Potter does so defensively. It's quite possible that the parents are a bit scared that their children will be able to correlate the make believe and fantasy aspects of both Harry Potter and the Bible. The first book of the Bible introduces the reader to a talking snake as does the first book on Potter. Of course the neo-con religious believes in the talking snake in at least one of those books. I'll let you figure out which one.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> I mean what's more believable? A talking snake in the Bible or in H.Potter? How can the believer refuse the belief in the three headed dog in H.P. but openly believe in a guy living in the belly of a fish for three days (Jonah). The believer dismisses the idea one can fly around on a broom and yet still believe its possible to round up every species known to man put them on an ark,store enough food for 40 days, watch it rain and flood the earth,and then somehow convince all those species to have sex and procreate and replenish the earth after the great flood.....The believer (rightfully) dismisses the belief in waving a magic wand saying a fictitious word and casting spells and yet will still believe in a guy named Moses "waving his wand" and parting the Red Sea.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I think it starts to become clear. I've heard it said and say it myself. You can NOT prove the existence of God by anything the Bible says. That's like me trying to prove to you that Harry Potter is real based on the 7 books written about him. I believe it was Richard Dawkins that pointed out (If I'm mistaken,my apologies)::</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"...and really, the only difference between Harry Potter and the Bible.....Harry Potter is modern fiction and the Bible is ancient fiction."</b></span><br />
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</b></span>Kashmiraclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02196758741637721793noreply@blogger.com1