Musings of the Chronologically Challenged™ Fourth Generation

 

Southern Heritage?
Looks like while most of my Southern brothers and sisters were learning Southern Pride and Hospitality, some Southerners were learning Southern Hate. McGehee has this to say. I was unfamiliar with the "Southern Identity Movement" but Google furnished a few links. Here's one. One was all I could take. Eric Rudolph is one sick puppy. Fox News said "Pockets of western North Carolina have had a reputation as a haven for right-wing extremists." Yeah. Very. Deep. Pockets.


Attention Da Goddess
Now this is funny!!!


posted by HCL at 11:10 AM

 

A STORY OF TWO WOLVES *
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight
is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

{* Author Unknown }



posted by HCL at 6:29 PM

 
Final Roll Call
This will give you pause and be thankful for our men who served us and gave their all. Click here: The Final Roll Call This site is reportedly getting 2.5 million downloads a day, so if at first the graphics are slow, please return when traffic has slowed.
posted by HCL at 6:24 PM

 
Television Show for Cats Set to Debut
Sara, Elizabeth, and Anna can hardly wait! Thanks to Uncle Possum for the link. Just in case Acidman
or Chuck Myguts (who is still on his fishing trip) miss this important announcement on Possum Man's blog, it's linked here for their benefit. (Yeah, right. Like they read Indigo instead of Possum Country!)





posted by HCL at 7:58 PM

 

WELCOME TO NC
Folks - This takes the cake. And a North Carolina Pig Pickin' cake, at that!!!

So you're a feminist?...Isn't that cute
Mike S. Adams
May 27, 2003

Dear UNC-Wilmington Board of Trustees:

It has recently come to my attention that a feminist student at UNCW has taken offense to a sticker on my office door which reads "So you're a feminist . . . Isn't that cute." I found this out after obtaining a copy of a letter her father wrote to you, the Board of Trustees. I could comment at some length on the obvious hypocrisy of this student's decision to ask her father to defend feminism for her, but I won't. Let me get straight to the point: I did not put that sticker on my office door.

Read it all here - thanks to Misha.

Bruce is in NC Too
Church Has 'Bruce Almighty' Phone Number
May 28, 10:39 AM (ET)
SANFORD, N.C. (AP) - When people here dial the telephone number shown in the movie "Bruce Almighty," they know they're going to hear Bruce's voice. No, not the movie character portrayed by Jim Carrey, but the Rev. Bruce MacInnes, pastor of Turner's Chapel Church.

In the film, Carrey stars as a mortal who receives the powers of God. The character of God tries to reach Carrey's character by repeatedly leaving a phone number on his pager, but instead of the usual 555 prefix used by most television shows and films, God's exchange is 776.

MacInnes said he noticed nine calls had been made to the church when he checked the answering machine last Sunday morning, but only one caller left a message. "They were all hang-ups except one who said something about God and laughed," he said, noting he was curious, but not especially concerned.

A neighbor told MacInnes her daughter had seen the movie and instantly recognized the church's phone number, he said, providing the first clue about the number's sudden popularity. The neighbor's daughter's boyfriend called the number, he said, and seemed quite surprised to hear "Bruce" answer.

While most of the callers say nothing, MacInnes is hopeful the message will provide an opportunity for someone.

"I had another call (Tuesday) from a man who asked to talk to God. I told him if he was serious I would be happy to talk with him about God. I said if he wasn't serious he could just hang up. He hung up," MacInnes said.

Two Florida families with the same telephone number have been experiencing the same situation. One Florida woman, Dawn Jenkins, says she has been receiving 20 phone calls an hour on her cell phone from people asking for God and hanging up. Several similar phone tales have occurred in South Carolina, Arkansas and Colorado. A spokeswoman for Universal Studios, which produced the film, told the Rocky Mountain News in Colorado that the number was picked because it doesn't exist in Buffalo, N.Y., the movie's setting.








posted by HCL at 12:57 PM

 


To Whom It May Concern (you know who you are!)

ALCOHOL WARNINGS
Due to increasing products liability litigation, American liquor manufacturers have accepted the FDA's suggestion that the following warning labels be placed immediately on all varieties of alcohol containers:

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a klutz.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to telephone them at four in the morning.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you have mystical Kung Fu powers, resulting in you getting your ass kicked.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to roll over in the morning and see something really scary.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe you are invisible or worse bulletproof.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause a disturbance in the time-space continuum, whereby gaps of time may seem to literally disappear.
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause pregnancy.
WARNING: the consumption of alcohol may Mack you tink you can tipe real gode.


posted by HCL at 11:10 AM

 

'Splain This Double-dog-dare-you!

Truisms from Gregus
++How come we choose from just two people for president and 50 for Miss America?
++Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.
++Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make them all yourself.
++One of the quickest ways for a young man to fail in life is to work so hard the boss will think he's after his job.
++A backyard barbecue draws two things....flies and relatives.


posted by HCL at 11:01 AM

 
Addendum to Memorial Day
In Troops' Final Words, Faith and Grace
Wartime Deaths Give Meaning to Each Syllable in What Became Last Letters Home

Final Words - read these words, then forward link to a war-protester, if you know one.

posted by HCL at 10:46 AM

 
Equal Time
Following the Kerry-Bash last Friday, it's only right that I bring this to your attention - if for no other reason than to assure you that one group is just as nasty as the other.
My dear Liberal friends from the West have supplied me with this latest Bush-Bash. It's a good springboard for discussion, but only confirms my belief that neither Libs nor Cons are to be totally believed when in certain modes. Check out Related Links at the end of this piece for more debatable input.


Truisms from Gregus
++Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.
++No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a car.
++There are no new sins....the old ones just get more publicity.
++There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4AM. It could be a right number.
++Think about this..... No one ever says "It's only a game" when their team is winning.




posted by HCL at 3:34 PM

 
Words in My Mouth
Good golly, Chuck! Don't you think I can get into enough trouble right by myself, without you putting words in my mouth? Sheeeeeeeeeeesh! But thanks for the link - and have a great fishing trip.



posted by HCL at 8:46 AM

 
Lighten Up!!
Received the following email from a WW2 vet this morning. "Smitty", as he likes to be called, is well into his 80s now, but still a ball of fire and still truly believes everything contained in this writing. Here's Smitty's 'take' on senior citizenship.

Senior citizens are constantly being criticized for every conceivable deficiency of the modern world, real or imaginary. We take responsibility for all we have done and do not blame others.

HOWEVER, upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT the senior citizens who took:

The melody out of music,
The pride out of appearance,
The courtesy out of driving,
The romance out of love,
The commitment out of marriage,
The responsibility out of parenthood,
The togetherness out of the family,
The learning out of education,
The service out of patriotism,
The Golden Rule from rulers,
The nativity scene out of cities,
The civility out of behavior,
The refinement out of language,
The dedication out of employment,
The prudence out of spending,
The ambition out of achievement, or,
God out of government and school.

And we certainly are NOT the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others!!

And we do understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country.

Does anyone under the age of 50 know the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner?

What about the last verse of My Country 'tis of Thee?
"Our father's God to thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's Holy light.
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King."

Just watch the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts as they stand at attention with their hands over their hearts! That's what we're about.

YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN!

I'm the life of the party...... even if it lasts until 8 p.m.
I'm very good at opening childproof caps... with a hammer.
I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going.
I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up.
I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a thing you're saying.
I'm very good at telling stories; over and over and over and over...
I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not nearly as cute as mine.
I'm so cared for -- long term care, eye care, private care, dental care.

I'm not really grouchy. I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, lawyers, loud music, unruly kids, Toyota commercials, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, barking dogs, politicians and a few other things I can't seem to remember right now.

I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere.

I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg.

I'm having trouble remembering simple words like.......

I'm beginning to realizing that aging is not for wimps.

I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days, and when did they let kids become policemen?

I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150?

And, how can my kids be older than I feel sometimes?

I'm a walking storeroom of facts..... I've just lost the key to the storeroom door.

Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life!

Now, if I could only remember who sent this to me, I wouldn't send it back to them, but I would send it to many more!

Have I already sent this to you???????

If so, I'll try not to do it again (for a while.)



posted by HCL at 8:35 AM

 
MEMORIAL DAY

Wishing you beautiful weather for the Memorial Day Weekend. Enjoy the picnics, the ball games, the barbeques, and your families. And sometime during the weekend, take a minute to link here for a reminder of how the freedom you are enjoying was earned.

posted by HCL at 12:14 AM

 
Dear Indigo:
There are a lot of folks who can't understand how we came to have an oil shortage here in the USA. Well, there's a very simple answer. Nobody bothered to check the oil. We just didn't know we were getting low. The reason for this is purely geographical. All the oil is in Alaska, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, etc.
All the dipsticks are in Washington, DC.

Judi, Beaufort, NC


posted by HCL at 8:57 PM

 

Equal Time for Canines
Besides Anna, Elizabeth, and Sara, the felines I refer to occasionally, KJ (who calls Emperor Misha Uncle Misha) lives here with me. I'm not an "either/or" person. Both cats and dogs are wonderful housemates and companions. When the following email came in, it reminded me that my admiration for my canine partner had been neglected lately. Ergo:

Notice to People Who Visit My Home
1. My dog lives here. You don't.
2. If you don't want dog hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
3. Yes, she has some disgusting habits. So do I and so do you. What's your point?
4. Of course she smells like a dog.
5. It's her nature to sniff your crotch. Please feel free to sniff hers.
6. I like her a lot better than I like many people.
7. To you she's a dog. To me she's an adopted child who is short, hairy, walks on all fours, and doesn't speak clearly. I have no problem with any of these things.
8. Dogs are different than kids. They eat less; don't ask for money all the time; are easier to train; act like they like you; usually come when called; never drive your car; don't hang out with drug-using friends; don't smoke or drink; don't want the latest fashions; don't wear your clothes; don't need a gazillion dollars for college; and if they get pregnant, you can sell the puppies.
9. Yes, she barks --- that is her job.
10. The same applies to my cats, except they will ignore you -- until you fall asleep.

~~~ from John, New Jersey



Who is Michael Benge?
I don't know either. Maybe just a fig newton of someone's imagination. Or maybe a RNC employee. Anyhow, this came to me in email, undated, but seems to be from a while ago. No citation. And while there's nothing positive here for Sen. Kerry, the DNC has plenty on their web page, if you want to read kudos.

John Kerry's war record:
As Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, considers a bid for the White House, Americans should know a few things about him that he might prefer go unmentioned? and I don't mean his $75 haircuts.

When Mr. Kerry pontificated at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day, a group of veterans turned their backs on him and walked away. They remembered Mr. Kerry as the anti-war activist who testified before Congress during the war, accusing veterans of being war criminals.

The dust jacket of Mr. Kerry's pro-Hanoi book, "The New Soldier," features a photograph of his ragged band of radicals mocking the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, which depicts the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, with an upside-down American flag. Retired Gen. George S. Patton III charged that Mr. Kerry's actions as an anti-war activist had "given aid and comfort to the enemy," as had the actions of Ramsey Clark and Jane Fonda.

Also, Mr. Kerry lied when he threw what he claimed were his war medals over the White House fence; he later admitted they weren't his. Now they are displayed on his office wall. Long after he changed sides in congressional hearings, Mr. Kerry lobbied for renewed trade relations with Hanoi. At the same time, his cousin C. Stewart Forbes, chief executive for Colliers International, assisted in brokering a $905 million deal to develop a deep-sea port at Vung Tau, Vietnam; an odd coincidence.

As noted in the Inside Politics column of Nov. 14 (Nation), historian Douglas Brinkley is writing Mr. Kerry's biography. Hopefully, he'll include the senator's latest ignominious feat: preventing the Vietnam Human Rights Act (HR2833) from coming to a vote in the Senate, claiming human rights would deteriorate as a result. His actions sent a clear signal to Hanoi that Congress cares little about the human rights for which so many Americans fought and died.

The State Department ranked Vietnam among the 10 regimes worldwide least tolerant of religious freedom. Recently, 354 churches of the Montagnards, a Christian ethnic minority, were forcibly disbanded, and by mid-October, more than 50 Christian pastors and elders had been arrested in Dak Lak province alone.

On Oct. 29, the secret police executed three Montagnards by lethal injection simply for protesting religious repression. The communists are conducting a pogrom against the Montagnards, forcing Christians to drink a mixture of goat's blood and alcohol and renounce Christianity. Thousands have been killed or imprisoned or have just "disappeared." The Montagnards lost one-half of their adult male population fighting for the United States, and without them, there might be thousands more American names on that somber black granite wall at the Vietnam memorial.

As Mr. Kerry contemplates a run for the presidency, people must remember that he has fought harder for Hanoi as an anti-war activist and a senator than he did against the Vietnamese communists while serving in the Navy in Vietnam.

MICHAEL BENGE
Foreign Service officer and former Vietnam POW (1968 to 1973)
Washington, DC


Truisms from Gregus
++A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
++Anyone who thinks old age is golden must not have had a very exciting youth.
++How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teen-ager who wants to stay out all night?
++Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.
++Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?












posted by HCL at 10:46 AM

 
Rogue Thursday
No time again today for much of a blog. Some of you may be happy to learn that I am in the midst of a "correspondence course" which teaches how to handle a blog! I know. Way past due. Now, if I can only get through Chapter One - - - - (I'm not kidding here!)

Here's some "food" for thought and then, back to school.

For those of you who watch what you eat... Here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting Medical studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Americans.

3. The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Americans

4. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

posted by HCL at 3:58 PM

 
Letterman's Top Ten Signs Ari Fleischer Doesn't Care Anymore

10. Will only take questions from "Kung Fu" magazine

9. Qualifies each statement with, "...but that might be the gin talking"

8. Gives monosyllabic answers to press questions, then goes back to his Gameboy

7. Doesn't try to hide the fact that he's accepted a position with Al-Qaeda

6. Last few briefings have been from the V.I.P. room of D.C. area gentlemen's club

5. Spends entire press conference arguing why "Ruben should beat Clay"

4. Discloses Cheney's location -- a K.F.C. in Baltimore

3. Challenges Rumsfeld to a Texas steel cage rasslin' match

2. Keeps hitting on Helen Thomas

1. Refers to Bush as "President Bonehead"



posted by HCL at 12:10 PM

 
* SEVEN DEADLY SINS *

Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge without character,
Commerce without morality,
Science without humanity,
Worship without sacrifice, and
Politics without principle.

~~ Mahatma Gandhi


Archives
Here today; gone tomorrow. Gone today. Back tomorrow? Who knows? Blogger must be in menopause.


Real Rogues
I checked here for Acidman and Chuck Myguts, but oddly enough (!) they had no records! Interesting site to visit, tho. And timely too. This updated May 15.





posted by HCL at 10:45 AM

 
What's a Billion?
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective in one of its releases:

A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate Washington spends it.


What's Your Birthday?
Do not link here if you were born after 1959 - 'cause you probably won't get it.


You Know You Are a Bad Cook When...

- You use the smoke alarm as a cooking timer.

- You consider it a culinary success if the Pop-Tart stays in one piece.

- Your dog goes to the neighbors' to eat.

- Your family buys Alka Seltzer and Pepto Bismal in bulk.

- When you barbecue, two of your kids hold water guns and the third stands ready by the phone with 911 on speed-dial.

- Your family automatically heads for the dinner table every time they hear a fire truck siren.

- The E.P.A. insists that all your garbage cans be marked with biohazard symbols.

- Your microwave display reads "TILT!"

- Your two best recipes are meat loaf and apple pie, but your dinner guests can't tell which is which.

- Your pie filling bubbles over and eats the enamel off the bottom of the oven.

- You've used three boxes of scouring pads and a bottle of Drano and a crowbar, and that macaroni and cheese still won't let go of the pan.

- Pest control companies keep pestering you for your recipes.

- You make tuna noodle surprise and the surprise is that it glows in the dark and melts the silverware.

- Your family prays AFTER they eat!

from Judi, Beaufort, NC





posted by HCL at 9:32 AM

 
Missed from Yesterday
Thanks goodness I surfed around today for what I missed over the weekend, or I would not have seen this Rachel Lucas link to Bill Whittle's "Magic". Rachel said "Bill Whittle has done it again, dear readers." and he surely did. Go read "Magic" here. Lengthy - but such an impact! (Note to Self: Check Rogue List for Whittle; last post was April 27.)

Deja vu Mother's Day
Yet another Mother's Day present was delivered today. An absolutely gorgeous tropical fish! Neon Metallic blue, with gold stripes and a big fan tail. Fellow smokers, eat your hearts out, because this little darlin' has a cigarette lighter that pops out of his tail!!! I LOVE IT!






posted by HCL at 7:09 PM

 

Today was going pretty good for a Monday until I found the following:. (from Fox's PC Patrol )

Southern Discomfort
The Robert E. Lee Council of the Boy Scouts of America (search) in Richmond, Va., voted this weekend to change its name later this year for reasons that should by now be obvious to all, reports the Freelance-Star.

Scout Executive Robert Tuggle said the decision “has nothing to do with the character of Robert E. Lee of people’s opinions of him” but is instead an effort to make the council more inclusive and sensitive to potential members who may be offended by the memory of Robert E. Lee (search).

The council has some 20,000 members in the Richmond area.

Sheets. That's Much Better
Managers at a Radisson hotel in Virginia covered two paintings in the lobby because they contained images of Civil War battles with the Stars and Bars and might offend attendees of a judicial conference there, reports The Daily Press.

The Radisson Fort Magruder Hotel and Conference Center in James City, Va., which is named for a nearby Confederate fort and is decorated in a Civil War theme, agreed to hide the images at the request of a group of judges and court officials from Washington, D.C.

They covered the paintings of battle scenes containing images of the Confederate battle flag with sheets for the duration of the conference.

"As part of the contract, we asked that there wouldn't be any Confederate-flag images in the main area," said Leah H. Gurowitz, a spokesperson for the District of Columbia Courts.

posted by HCL at 3:49 PM

 
IN-BOX
Letter to Senator Byrd from Retired USN Cdr McIntyre

Senator Byrd,

As a retired Naval Officer, with two Gulf carrier deployments under my belt, I find your criticism of President Bush's visit to the Lincoln offensive in the extreme! This is the first time that the Commander-in-Chief took time out of his busy wartime schedule to pay a visit to thank those who served in a the line of fire, in way that was both dramatic and meaningful to those on the carrier. Perhaps if LBJ got off his fat ass to do something similar, our troops' morale in Vietnam might not have been so low.

As a Naval officer, I am extremely sensitive to styles of leadership. That is, after all, our stock in trade. And it was not lost on me that the President spent about thirty seconds shaking hands with the Admiral, CO, and CAG (If you don't know these abbreviations just look them up in your Funk & Wagnalls!). He then spent the next forty-five minutes putting himself at the disposal of the people who make that ship work, the yellow shirts, the green shirts, the purple shirts, the chiefs, the sailors. If you don't know the significance of those colored shirts, look it up in your Blue Jacket's Manual. Not dressed out in formal uniform (I understand at Bush's request), but in their greasy, smelly, sweaty working uniforms... working a flight deck is hot, hard work. And yet he, in his flight suit, put himself at their disposal, this was their moment for 19 or 20 something year old kids a few years out of high school, to get a picture of themselves with the President of the United States, his arm draped around their shoulder. That is a moment that those kids never dreamed would ever happen to them, maybe not even when they knew he was coming aboard. Surely, he would see the brass, not the troops. But it was the troops to whom he gave his time...and it was the most natural moment in the world. You might have thought it was a family reunion, and in a way, it was... Bush is one of them, the common man, and while he is still the most powerful man on the planet right now, he hasn't lost his touch for them.

Was it a political moment? What moment of a president's life is NOT a political moment? Was it grand standing, to come in to an OK pass to a 4 wire, a bit high in close, correcting, left of centerline? Well, hell, he didn't fly the approach anyway, though I understand from the pilots who flew him that he did a pretty good job at formation flying, tucked in close for a lead change. You can always tell a fighter pilot, you just can't tell him very much. And apparently after thirty years, it all comes back, with a little coaching, I am sure. Frankly, I would have liked to see him come aboard in an FA-18, but the Secret Service vetoed that, and Bush accepted their judgment... again, a mark of a good leader.

If you had spent some time in the service, instead of the Klan, you might understand the significance of that moment to all the men and women aboard the Lincoln, and indeed to all the men and women in the service who shared that moment vicariously. But you chose the bedsheet instead of the uniform, and so you don't.

I am half-tempted to move to West Virginia just so I could vote against you in your next election.

Lewis F. McIntyre
CDR, USN (Ret)
14095 Burnt Store Rd
Hughesville, MD 20637
301-274-0975



posted by HCL at 10:58 PM

 
Village People Revival?
Too good not to share - and today, not tomorrow, as planned. Go here and have speakers on.
posted by HCL at 11:39 AM

 
Zandergate

Perhaps we owe Zander a debt of gratitude for proving that Anne Frank was right. Look at his Guest Map and think of the people from around the world who showed caring and concern for a stranger. The compassionate gestures extended to him were more meaningful than the bruised feelings or hurt pride he left in his wake. I'm betting I feel a lot better about humankind tonight than he does.
posted by HCL at 10:13 PM

 
What's Important to You?

A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening.

Suddenly, the Native American said, "I hear a cricket."

His friend said, "What? You must be crazy. You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!"

"No, I'm sure of it," the Native American replied, "I heard a cricket."

The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed.

"That's incredible," said his friend. "You must have super-human ears!"

"No," answered the Native American. "My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you're listening for."

"But that can't be," said the friend. "I could never hear a cricket in this noise."

"Yes, it's true," came the reply. "It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs.

"See what I mean?" asked the Native American. "It all depends on what's important to you."

~~~ Author Unknown


Today in History
Here's an interesting site (to me). I just found it yesterday and intended to post then, but it wound up in my Round Tuit. If you go there. take a look at yesterday's entry about the Wizard of Oz. Today's doesn't do much for me, but then, I was always partial to Munchkins.


posted by HCL at 9:11 AM

 
Happy Birthday, Mrs. du Toit!

Not in Remission
On April 3 , I posted Acute Blogitis. (Check archives, if you give a hoot.) I regret to report that I still suffer from this malady, as an effective therapy has not yet been found.

The April 3 blog, mainly a P&M mini-rant about what I didn't know how to do, listed some "tweaks" (yeah, right!) that Indigo Insights needed. Well, I'm here to tell you that yes, I know the tweaks are still needed. If the next person who calls any of the following to my attention would like to take the time to tell me how to accomplish the corrections, I'll be as happy as a pig in slops to follow your instructions.

Needed Tweaks
~~ change header back to Indigo Insights (two words instead of one)
~~ get blogroll back up
~~ get email addy back up
~~ get Comments back up

OK, then. (to plagiarize SKB)

posted by HCL at 6:43 PM

 
Rogues Among Us
In February 2002, this blog was "born" under the ministrations of Dr. Chuck Myguts, the attending obstetrician, aka Blog Daddy. My purpose, goal, and hope was to get some musings online for the perusal of relatives and friends with whom I wanted to keep in touch. At the time, I knew nothing about Blog World (what is a blog?) and didn't even realize what I wrote was made public!

Well, if nothing else, I'm a realist. Over the past year, it has become painfully obvious to me that Indigo Insights to blog world is analogous to a washboard on laundry day. In other words, a superfluous dinosaur. There are no delusions of grandeur here. Indigo Insights is not even minor league. Not even a waterboy in a minor league. Indigo just twaddles along, being as innocuous as possible, giving some opinions here and there (usually mild, compared to most weblogs), but mainly linking my favorites for the enjoyment and edification of those who may not otherwise find them. And there are many in this category among the aforementioned friends and relatives.

OK. So all that's a given. I admit it. But a "Rogue"?

I was enjoying reading Jay Solo's weblog last night and went at it like the Bunny - just kept going and going. Really exploring the links and taking time to catch up on the archives. Way, way down in the left gutter, Indigo Insights caught my eye under the heading Rogue Blogs That Don't Indicate Recent Updates. Not complaining, mind you, because I was in good company - four lines above Kim du Toit, as a matter of fact. This piqued my curiosity enough that I thought I would do an "Update" myself. I visited all 35 sites listed under Rogue Blogs That Don't Indicate Recent Updates and counted only 8 that had not been published this very week. So come on, Jay. Give us a break. Maybe we were just having a bad week the last time YOU did an update on the Rogues. OK, Jay. I'm just a harmless ol' granny, poking some fun at you. But remember, Kim du Toit is the guy with the guns!!! heh


posted by HCL at 4:22 PM

 

Women in Combat?
Dean Esmay stirred up a real hornet’s nest with that Mother’s Day question. Only females could respond to this: “Do you think women belong in direct combat duty roles in the armed forces? Should there be any limits at all?” If you missed it, go catch up. This could be a very interesting ongoing topic for a while.

The arguments given by women against women in combat in Dean's comments (i.e., female body bags, rape, torture, pregnancy, “nurturers” shouldn’t be combatants, male soldiers would be jeopardized by their “instinct” to protect women, etc., etc., plus other such b.s.) seemed to be gut responses emanating from backward mind-sets. Some of the archaiac opinions given seemed more like what chauvinistic males would post, rather than 21st century women.

I put my two cents worth of comments in at Dean Esmay’s site as follows: “My reservations concerning women in combat is not to protect women. They can take care of themselves. They do have physical limitations, however, that could make it difficult, if not impossible, to bring a wounded buddy off the battlefield. Side-by-side ground fighting would not be a good idea, IMO. Anything else, they could do as well or better than their male counterparts. Semper Fi!"

Allow me to ‘splain further. The only point I intended to make in the way of a negative response was addressed to the strength issue. I live among Marines – male and female. They really are The Few, The Proud. About the only combat situation I can think of wherein a female Marine may be unequal to a male Marine would be getting a wounded comrade out of a battle zone. In other words, physical strength. If her wounded buddy happened to outweigh her by 100 pounds, that could be a problem. Actually, I have heard male Marines voice that issue as their only reservation too. If wounded, they want to be confident that the soldier next to them can get them out of a fire zone. I did not make that clear in my comment post and wanted to clarify. Some of the male responders explained the physical strength concern much better than I did.


Follow-up blogs from Da Goddess and Cut on the Bias differ some in their opinions, but they both raise arguments that I am sympathetic to. The comments on both these sites are well-stated too. Men commenters were welcomed to post and had some interesting input.

I want to say unequivocally that I strongly believe in the equality of women in any endeavor or profession they choose. Yes, muscle mass and breasts are differences, but as stated in a previous blog, I burned my bra during the Korean War.




posted by HCL at 9:53 AM

 

Feline Freeway Alert
Was thinking of Trailer Park Girl today, wondering how she’s doing with her new adventures into Pussydom, and decided I’d send her a kitty-mail. In searching for a good one, I came across several that are really fantastic for feline aficionados. National Cat Week isn’t until June, but I can’t wait. Some are these are just too cute to sit on. Some of my otherwise favorite bloggers who are not receptive to cat lore may leave now. (You know who you are. I know who you are. So no need to leave vituperative comments some place.) Those who may enjoy the following Mother of All >^..^< Pussyfootins, read on and link.

>^..^< For very entertaining Cat Codes, go here.

>^..^< Cat Haiku
You never feed me.
Perhaps I'll sleep on your face.
That will sure show you.

You must scratch me there!
Yes, above my tail!
Behold, elevator butt.

The rule for today
Touch my tail, I shred your hand.
New rule tomorrow.

In deep sleep hear sound
cat vomit hairball somewhere
will find in morning.

Grace personified.
I leap into the window.
I meant to do that.

Blur of motion, then -
silence, me, a paper bag.
What is so funny?

You're always typing.
Well, let's see you ignore my
sitting on your hands.

My small cardboard box.
You cannot see me if I
can just hide my head.

Terrible battle.
I fought for hours. Come and see!
What's a "term paper?"

Small brave carnivores
Kill pine cones and mosquitoes
Fear vacuum cleaner

I want to be close
to you. Can I fit my head
inside your armpit?

Wanna go outside.
Oh, crap! Help! I got outside!
Let me back inside!

Oh no! Big One
has been trapped by newspaper!
Cat to the rescue!

Humans are so strange.
Mine lies still in bed, then screams.
My claws are not that sharp.

Cats meow out of angst
"Thumbs! If only we had thumbs!
We could break so much!"

The Big Ones snore now
Every room is dark and cold
Time for "Cup Hockey"

We're almost equals
I purr to show I love you
Want to smell my butt?

>^..^< Real Kool Kitty Rap here. (speakers necessary)

>^..^< The Cat
A man who absolutely hated his wife's cat decided to get rid of him one day by driving him 20 blocks from his home and leaving him at the park.... As he was getting home, the cat was walking up the driveway....

The next day, he decided to drive the cat 40 blocks away and the same thing again... Driving back up his driveway, there was the cat!

He kept taking the cat further and further and the darn cat would always beat him home.

At last, he decided to drive a few miles away, turn right, then left, past the bridge, then right again, and another right until he reached what he thought was a safe distance from his home and left the cat there....

Hours later, the man calls home to his wife: "Jen, is the cat there?"
"Yes", the wife answers..."why do you ask?"
Frustrated, the man answered: "Put that son of a bitch on the phone. I'm lost and need directions!"

>^..^< Here’s where you can find Basic Rules for Cats Running A House with musical accompaniment. Stuff like this is hard to find, ya’ll.

Congratulations to all who made it down the entire Feline Freeway!











posted by HCL at 6:15 PM

 
REALLY Boring Blogging
The recent lack of blogging that six of you noticed (!) was due to the total disarray and discombobulation of my abode. Two weeks of house upside down has just about driven the critters and me up the freshly painted walls. Thank goodness the rest of you kept on blogging! At least I could stay in the loop, even though I’ve been too scattered to concentrate and type.

The dichotomy of Ed Asner and Pat Buchanan represents everything I can’t stand. I’m too liberal to relate to Buchanan and too conservative to agree with almost anything Asner says. Any “testing”, “polling”, “quizzing”, etc, always labels me “centrist”. In other words, too liberal for my conservative associates, and too conservative for my liberal pals. Sort of like a political pariah. I’m in for chastisement, even criticism, however I come down on any given issue. Wish you could see my face to know how concerned I am. NOT! . Blog World is the greatest source of information I’ve ever found. I rely on diverse opinions to assist me in forming my own. Ergo, I try not to miss Misha and Bubba – or as I think of them, the North and South Poles!

Finally got The Grouchy Old Cripple In Atlanta added to my so-called blogroll. Don’t know why that one gave me so much grief, but every time I thought it was going to be o.k., it wasn’t. Anyhow, I think the link is working now, so I’m inviting my little clique to go take a look. GOCIA (aka Denny) and I have some things in common. He’s grouchy. He’s cripple. But he don’t know Jack about OLD!!! heh

Chuck Myguts has come up with a new contest. So far I’m zero for 2. But like I said in his comments -- never mind – go here and see for yourself.

The Beat Goes On at Gut Rumbles. For those who don’t understand his “beat”, do yourself a favor and stay away!!! I, of course, wouldn’t miss Acidman and want him to go ahead and retire so he can start blogging earlier in the day!

Zander is on a much-deserved vacation, but is trying to stay in touch. Anyhow, just be careful what you say about him because he’s lurking every day! Have fun, Zan!

Francesca of Yorkie fame has also been marked absent some days this past week. But at least she left us on Wednesday with one of her thought-provoking essays in that inimitable style of hers. She always puts things so well.

And this probably won’t work for me either – but just in case – here it comes again.

redneckin
Possumblog
South Knox Bubba
Yorkieblog
Zander World
Da Goddess
Gut Rumbles
Compleat Redneck
Gone South
Cut on the Bias
Kevin McGehee Zone
Rottweiler Man
Blogs of War
Rachel Lucas
Neal Boortz
Right Wing News
Best of the Web
Grouchy Old Cripple

I KNEW IT!!!!! Oh Well. Will try again later.






posted by HCL at 4:46 PM

 
Dedicated to Trailer Park Jenny
In honor of Jenny's venture into Pussydom, consider the following from the >^..^< Pussyfootin' file:

"Cats Are In Charge"
"As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat." --Ellen Perry Berkeley
"One cat just leads to another."--Ernest Hemingway
"Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later."--Mary Bly
"Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia." --Joseph Wood Krutch
"People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life." --Faith Resnick
"There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats." --Anonymous
"I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior." --Hippolyte Taine
"No heaven will not ever Heaven be; Unless my cats are there to welcome me." --Unknown
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." --Albert Schweitzer
"The cat has too much spirit to have no heart." --Ernest Menaul
"Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God." --Unknown
"Time spent with cats is never wasted." --Colette
"Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they have many other fine qualities as well." --Missy Dizick
"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats." --Colonial American proverb
"Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want." -Joseph Wood Krutch










posted by HCL at 8:37 PM

 

Language Police Attack The Name, "Squaw"
"This word is one of the earliest borrowed into the English language from the native languages of North America," he told me the other day. "It was actually first attested in 1622 in writings that come out of the Plymouth colony of Massachusetts. . . . It was understood to be the Indian word, in the local Indian language, for woman, and it was always used that way for all the early historical period."

Wonder if anyone else (besides some Native Americans) didn't know this? Amazing what a little research will clear up.



posted by HCL at 7:55 PM

 
Two Different Takes from Media Research

Take One
On the May 6 World News Tonight, Jennings intoned: "The President's visit to the Abraham Lincoln was, among other things, a powerful photo opportunity and two leading Democrats are now criticizing it. California Congressman Henry Waxman is asking government auditors to figure out how much the trip cost the taxpayers and West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd said on the Senate floor today it was an 'affront to the Americans killed or injured in Iraq for the President to exploit the trappings of war for the momentary spectacle of a speech.'"

Wednesday morning on NBC's Today, in one of a series of unchallenging questions to Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham, Katie Couric asked him whether he agreed with Byrd's attack.

Take Two
A fresh round of zingers on Tuesday's Tonight Show from Dennis Miller, the actor/comedian who has honed a shtick around praising President Bush and mocking leftist anti-war protesters. Amongst Miller's cracks on the May 6 Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC: "If Clinton had only attacked terrorism as much as he attacks George Bush we wouldn't be in this problem."

On anti-Bush protesters and how well the war went: "What's so touching is the way we fight the war right until the moment our business is taken care of and then we turn on a dime and we immediately start taking care of people. It's like a shock and aw shucks campaign.

"But on the home front the war protesters won't ever give it up to Bush, they just hate Bush and they're never going to give it up to him. First it was the war itself and then the war plan, then the war financing, then the UN, then the second UN, then they started whining about the looting and the museum and where are the weapons of mass destruction.

-- On anti-Bush Democrats: "The Democrats continue to snipe at Bush. You know Teddy Kennedy and Tom Daschle pick more nits than a father and son spider monkey
team who know they're being followed by a National Geographic film crew."

-- On whether finding weapons of mass destruction matters: "Liberals should not overplay this weapons of mass destruction card, because you want me to tell you the truth? Most of us are not going to care if they don't find these weapons of mass destruction. It's enough for a lot of us to see those kids smiling on that street again."

Other Recent Millerisms:

-- April 22. When liberal author/professor Michael Eric Dyson complained on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday night about how President Bush went to war in a crusade of Christianity over Islam as evidenced by how Bush "bows his head to God and prays to God," actor/comedian Dennis Miller fired back with an anti-Clinton quip: "At least he's not bowing his head to watch..."
http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2003/cyb20030422.asp#5

-- April 11. On Thursday's Today Show, actor/comedian Dennis Miller touted that "I'm like Bush, I see the world more like checkers than chess." He also delivered a series of anti-French zingers: "See to me we move the furniture, the French come in later and put the doilies on top of it..."
http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2003/cyb20030411.asp#5


posted by HCL at 2:27 PM

 
Mi Bloggers Preferido

redneckin
Possumblog
South Knox Bubba
Yorkieblog
Zander World
Da Goddess
Gut Rumbles
Compleat Redneck
Gone South
Cut on the Bias
Kevin McGehee Zone
Rottweiler Man
Blogs of War
Rachel Lucas
Neal Boortz
Right Wing News
Best of the Web
Grouchy Old Cripple







posted by HCL at 9:51 PM

 
Not All Heroes Are Human
James Crane worked on the 101st of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. He is blind so he has a golden retriever named Daisy. After the plane hit 20 stories below, James knew that he was doomed, so he let Daisy go, out of an act of love. She darted away into the darkened hallway. Choking on the fumes of the jet fuel and the smoke James was just waiting to die. About 30 minutes later, Daisy comes back along with James' boss, who Daisy just happened to pick up on floor 112.

On her first run of the building, she leads James, James' boss, and about 300 more people out of the doomed building. But she wasn't through yet, she knew there were others who were trapped. So, highly against James' wishes, she ran back in the building.

On her second run, she saved 392 lives. Again she went back in. During this run, the building collapses. James hears about this and falls on his knees into tears. Against all known odds, Daisy makes it out alive, but this time she is carried by a firefighter. "She led us right to the people, before she got injured" the fireman explained.

Her final run saved another 273 lives. She suffered acute smoke inhalation, severe burns on all four paws, and a broken leg, but she saved 967 lives. The next week, Mayor Guilaini rewards Daisy with the Canine medal of Honor of New York. Daisy is the first civilian canine to win such an honor.

I hope you enjoyed that story. I thought it was terrific.
Dianne, Swansboro, NC

posted by HCL at 9:07 PM

 

Thought-provoking posting over at Misha's regarding racism. Take time for the Comments, which are most illuminating.

Hopefully Deroy Murdock is not Rupert's son. That would, of course, destroy any credibility this article may have.

posted by HCL at 6:47 PM

 

Many Americans give till it hurts. For far too many New Englanders, it apparently hurts to give. Why? Kevin McGehee opines here.

posted by HCL at 4:58 PM

 
Ohhhhhhh. That's why!
On the first day God created the cow. God said, "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years." The cow said, "That's a pretty tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty years and I'll give back the other forty." And God agreed.

On the second day, God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give back the other ten." So God agreed.

On the third day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people; do monkey tricks; make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty year life span." Monkey said, "How boring, monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?" And God agreed again (sigh).

On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, have sex, enjoy yourself. Do nothing, just enjoy, enjoy. I'll give you twenty years." Man said, "What? Only twenty years? No way man. Tell you what I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back, and the ten the dog gave back and the ten the monkey gave back. That makes eighty, okay?" And God said, "Okay. "You've got a deal."

And that is why for the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, have sex, enjoy, and do nothing. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family; for the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain our grandchildren and for the last ten years we sit in front of the house and bark at everybody.

Life has now been explained.


posted by HCL at 4:06 PM

 


Yummy
Compleat Redneck and Ms Gore are about to get up the nerve to try to make some fried fruit pies like grandma used to make. Go for it, kids. They're really easy and quite delicious, as you know. Be sure to put a little pat of butter inside each one. Peach is my favorite.


posted by HCL at 8:44 AM

 
Hooray for the Generationally Challenged!
Dilatory thanks to MommaBear for the April 30 link. I guess Martha Stewart would say us old broads sticking together is a "good thing". I'm flattered, MB.


posted by HCL at 7:17 PM

 
"Stupid", "Ignorant", "Moronic"
Who's Smarter? I've received this piece, written by Cindy Osborne, as email a few times over the last couple of weeks. I wanted to post it, but length was prohibitive. Everyone has heard about it by now; however, if you'd like to read it in its entirety, go here. It's a good read, really.


posted by HCL at 5:20 PM

 
Especially for the ladies who find Peter Jennings swoon-bait on his evening news program for ABC, and even bristle if a criticism of his biased news is alluded to, here are a few excerpts from today's MRC Alert. Discount the suave, James Bond aura and this is what is left of Peter Jennings. At least to those of us who are not enamored of him. Two examples.

Herrrrrrrrrrrrrre's Peter
After running multiple stories about the "failure" of U.S. troops to prevent the looting of Iraq's national museum, with ABC's Peter Jennings going so far as to charge that "the U.S. did not act according to international law to prevent it," on Thursday's World News Tonight Jennings read a short item about how "the looting at the national museum may not have been as extensive as some people first reported" and "it turns out that many pieces were removed before the war." Those "some people" would be Peter Jennings' own World News Tonight, though he didn't remind his viewers, as well as other ABC News programs.

Being a TV news anchor means never having to say you're sorry.

A N D - -

Having kept quiet for 14 years, a former ABC News correspondent has gone public for the first time with allegations that network anchorman Peter Jennings manipulated news scripts during the 1980s in order to praise the Marxist-backed Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

Fourteen years ago, Peter Jennings forced then-ABC News reporter Peter Collins to insert into a story language which cast in a positive light the communist Sandinista thugs of Nicaragua, praising their efforts to create "an unselfish society" and successes in "land reform" and reducing infant mortality, Collins this week told Marc Morano of the MRC's CNSNews.com.

The quote in question was featured in the August 7, 1989 edition of the MRC's Notable Quotables. On the July 19 World NewsTonight, Collins reported: "The Sandinistas brought with them Marxist ideas about spreading wealth and creating a new, unselfish society. And in the first few years, they did manage to reduce illiteracy, the infant death rate and launched the biggest land reform in Central America. But the Reagan Administration saw the Sandinistas as a threat and forced them into a war with the U.S.-backed Contras."

"[Jennings] was unhappy with my coverage because I tried to tell both sides of the story," he added.

In an exclusive interview with CNSNews.com , Collins alleged that Jennings personally dictated changes in a Collins television script in order to praise the Sandinista government for its "new, unselfish society," for successfully reducing illiteracy and "launch[ing] the biggest land reform in Central America."

Asked why he believed Jennings wanted his script changed to reflect a more positive spin about the Sandinista government, Collins was unequivocal. "Because I presume that Peter Jennings felt that the Sandinista regime, which was a communist regime -- no questions about it -- were mere benign agrarian reformers...[Jennings] was a believer, was and is," Collins explained....

Collins is speaking publicly about his years at ABC and CNN for the first time because he has walked away from the news business and no longer desires to work in the industry.


posted by HCL at 5:10 PM