Guy Mitchell - Singing The Blues (Live!)

"Singing the Blues," it takes you back ...It was my pick up song on dark days, I loved the rhythm, and danced around the house to get out of the "blahs"                             

Byron Janis

Byron Janis  Interesting life, genius, pianist, married to Maria Cooper the daughter of Gary Cooper, who is also an artist.  He mentions his interest in the paranormal in the book.

String Theory, oragami and inflating universe

Last night as I viewed a program on Oragami, I could not help but think that God is the master at that.  It is breath taking what can be developed from a piece of paper.

Click here: Times Higher Education - Origami and string - the universe explained

MailVu makes video email easy, business apps on the way

MailVu makes video email easy, business apps on the way
I like the looks of this new company MailVu, lets see what happens

phone that converts to laptop

http://www.jacktimes.com/technology/mobile/the-motorola-atrix-a-phone-that-turns-into-a-laptop-when-docked.html

Concours D'elegance: Amelia Island

Isotta-Fraschini: The Noble Pride of Italy (Ballantine's Illustrated History of the Car, Marque Book No. 3)If you plan a trip to Florida this winter in March, a great place to see antique cars, and loads of people you might know, is the show at Amelia Island.   The hotels fill up fast, but there are many condos that also are available for the weekend.

The Ritz Hotel on the ocean is the site of the show.  There is an auction of antique cars right on the grounds.  The weather can be warm or chilly, one never knows, so check the advance weather before packing.

If you know and follow Ayn Rand, even if you don't agree with her, you could enlighten yourself to Rudolf Steiner, who was first to promote the individual, as most important to society.

 To me it is critical as we head to a society that wants to make everyone equal, ( impossible to do, by the way) at the cost of individuality. Remember the cowboy and Indian movies we all loved when we were young and still love ...I know many look for the Western movies on T.V. Why? We all love the individual hero who steps up to the plate!



The individual is born free, with certain unalienable rights to make decisions and create. Through the creations of individuals we came to form states and societies that have moral value. It is then up to us to live up to those moral values, within our ethical individualism. Many of our problems come from societal groups, not from particular individuals, and realization of this is a way to begin to solve problems.

Unfortunately, we are being overcome by those who view societal equality more important than individual rights. One has to come to the view of ethical individualism to understand that we will be a better society if we allow people to be free to create. After all, freedom ,at the birth of our nation made us the greatest country in the world. We are losing that lead, as we constrain ourselves with legislation, laws, bills, and all kinds of regulatory practices, that discourage business, and the ability to take our creations to the market, as people did in the 1950's and earlier.

You can not even get a fair trial in many of our states, it is incomprehensible, that you can sign a contract, and have it ignored by a judge, or not sign any contract, and have the judge ignore the fact that you do not have a contract, orally or in writing.  There are some court cases going on for as much as 20 years, with an argument that has no basis in any contract. Can you imagine that? Just see the case that keeps popping up on Facebook as one example, of what one small  business man can be up against.

Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Losing Game - Official Music Video

 It is a shame what she is suffering, but what lovely arrangement and voice.

The Nature of Technology

Today there was an article in the Huffington Post, by an author who was  wishing to slow down technology.  It reminded me of a book I was reading about the nature of technology.  I think that the person who wrote the article of course, wrote it from a selfish point of view.  As he states, anyone that buys a new phone or other technical item, does not want to see the  item updated within months, however, the pace of technology is that fast, I believe it is about 8-9 months.

The nature of technology is interesting, because it affects our history , our culture, our future and predictions of our future.  As a consumer, you have to think, do I need this now, or should I wait 8-9 months for a better version.  Remember the new innovations can help our economy climb out of this recession!

Right now the i-pad war is on, with new "i-pads" slated to begin hitting the market from other companies to compete with the Apple i-pad.  The Playpad, will  tie your cell phone by blue tooth, so you do not need to have a modem assigned to the cell phone and the playpad, you will be able to have one modem.  This is a big improvement, and then, what I am waiting for ,is to take my Direct tv with me, rather than have a separate system in each location, such as a cottage at the beach and your main home, etc.   The dreams are coming true, all the time.  In studies of consciousness, we form our own worlds, could this be the hard proof?

Sustainable Love - Tara Parker-Pope on Happy Marriages - NYTimes.com

Sustainable Love - Tara Parker-Pope on Happy Marriages - NYTimes.com

Here is an excellent article in the New York Times, Sunday January 2, 2011

Inflated: How money and Debt built the American Dream

We have some complex problems to solve and directions to give to our elected officials, This is 

an interesting book that attempts to cover a broad complex subject.  I am particularly interested in his  thoughts concerning,the fact that  running a major war requires the need to raise debt.  Debt in turn contributes to deficit spending, driving the underlying rate of inflation that steadily saps the puchasing power of the dollar.

Am I wrong in thinking this is true?
Anytime there is a war with the United States, the defeated country, gets all kinds of rebuilding at our cost.  Look at the devastated cities in Europe and Japan, and how we rebuilt them after the war.  Look at what is happening in Iraq.  We are nation builders for all, but ourselves.  Why?  Why are our cities neglected?  Our Army can go and protect the citizens of the countries in the middle east, but only our National Guard can protect us on the borders?  I have lots of questions, and maybe not all the right answers, what about you?

It appears that we do not put our nation first.  Am I wrong in this thinking, is this push still necessary in the Middle East, at the cost of prosperity to our nation?

The Web of Life, Fritjof Capra

The Web of Life  should help you to think out the big picture we have to bear in mind as we analyze our problems, our special stresses of today's economic times.  How did this economic tragedy come to the world?

In trying to understand this complex world we live in, we have to learn to grasp patterns, rather than break problems down to the tiny parts.  Everything is interconnected and one influences another.   A number of people are discussing this on the internet, beginning with Inside Job.

  If you are going to watch Inside Job, by Charles Ferguson, you have to keep in mind that need to discern patterns as we try to improve our world.   

There are a million questions about the influence of, unions, media, political back slapping, bills written by lobbyists, increasing legislation, instead of reviewing and changing old legislation, etc, lack of term limits in elected jobs and appointed jobs, including Judges, and members of local boards, etc.  Where are the problems collecting and why, what can we do to break up the old way of thinking?

Santo & Johnny - Sleep Walk '68

Rod Stewart for New Year's Eve

Rod Stewart and New Year's Eve, go get it and listen with the one you love.  The old songs have lots of charm, they are more romantic than the new ones.

Fall of Giants

This is the first in a promised trilogy.  The reveiws look great.  One complaint was that the characters were too contrived, because they move the story.  But, if the book is an all night burner, so what if two brothers meet again in Russia , by chance?  I think it looks like a great read.  Take a look at the reviews and make your own decision.

 Wow!  If you love the ocean, find it interesting to learn about the sea and what causes the disasters, and how we can predict them, you might want to take a look at this book. 

The Baghdad Battery

The Mysterious Baghdad Battery




Posted:



The Baghdad Battery, also known as the Parthian Battery, is a curious artifact that was discovered near Baghdad, Iraq.   It is suspected that this type or battery allowed work to be done inside the pyramids, where total darkness rules.  How else could the carving be done in the darkness, darker than the darkest night?

poetry The Rhythm of the Rhyme

Poems of old held such beauty

The Rhythm of the Rhyme                                       

There is nothing sweeter than a rhyme
with rhythm and meter.

Take Gunga Din, a rollicking song
lilting, lilting, you along.

The Ancient Mariner's, "glittering eye"
chilling us as the ice goes rolling by.                            

And, The Raven's, " gently rapping, rapping, at my chamber door."

Hear the music, hear the rhythm
the lilting words, the lively rhythm,
they bring, they bring,  
a picture to my mind.

Sea Fever, is fun to read
truly, you see and feel the sea.
Read these lines and you'll concede.

"And the wheels kick and the wind's song
and the white sail's shaking.
And a gray mist, in the sea's face
and a grey dawn breaking."

Barbara, memories, of my dearest friend

              Barbara

A friend made in the springtime of life
is a treasure forever, in gladness and strife.
Going through the teenage years, sharing secrets, shedding tears.
"Mom, can I sleep at Barbara's tonight?  I promise, we'll sleep before midnight."

"Don't you smoke?  It;s glamourous you know,
 take a puff and put out your hand, in
a marvelous stroke, like Bette Davis.
She's my favorite actress you know."

Time went on and we both married young
both forgetting the dreams of which we had sung.
Our visions changed when our babies came,
our dreams were no longer of actresses and fame.

Then off to college we both went,
but, for Barbara, it just wasn't meant.  In my arms,
we both cried in fear!  At 26 , her end was near.

"I'm too tired to fight anymore, I want to die,
to end the pain, all of these experiments
have been in vain."

Then , she was gone...to the other side, and
my heart cried!

It's 26 years since Barbara's been gone,
and thoughts of her, still leave me alone and forlorn.

By:
Madlyn Pizzeri Fafard, for my friend Barbara Volpicelli Pederzoli, who lives in my heart forever, as I near the end of the second quarter century without her.

The Illusion of Free Markets

I see comments from so many young people about how to vote, these people can not possibly understand the market, where do they get the information that makes them so positive about what to do, how to vote..??? Guess where it comes from.  Here is a book that begins to explain the convoluted rules, regulations, and complications of markets.

 Even adults, who are not business oriented, or who have no idea of the regulations and problems of a business....and those that have little knowledge of what happens in an economy or what happens to a business, as a result of over regulation, unfair regulation etc., etc., need help, including me.   I would like to suggest that if anyone is really interested in taking sides, on how to approach and solve the problems of the free market, and our economy that they read a book like this.  There are so many hidden variables, like planning boards who have no idea of how to plan, tax authorities who up taxes on your property when the values go down, ( maybe you understand that one)
and governments that do not lay off in the departments where the volume has diminished, because they are friends with the employees, etc....and of course remember your friend Joe, he is retiring in 3 years, so you need to raise his rank or position so he retires at the highest salary....it goes on and on....

 Teachers who are unionized and working with the union mantra, spreading it to our children,  yep, that is where they understand how to vote at 16 years old.....!!!!( thanks to which President, bet you do not know which President paid the unions back by letting them unionize the government, teachers, transportation ,etc...)
Is it a free country, when the teachers are unionized, how can it be?

  If you have any idea of how the Mafia operated , think about it, and think about what a legalized Mafia would be doing, acting like, etc.   Right now the sitting President, as one of his first actions, removed the legislation in March aprox 9 weeks in office, that required the Unions to report their income and expenses, as all non profits are suppose to do....Why would he have done that?

Continue to be hoodwinked....or really think about it, and learn.  It is complicated, but there are some simple things you can think about.  Should convicts vote?  Should people who do not pay taxes vote?  Think about it, what is fair?  Would you pay someone who lived next door because they voted for you to pay them ?  It is simple, but.....complicated, my own idea is to reduce all questions to a personal level.  It is easier to come to conclusions.

Welfare as we know it has to change.  People will object, but it is not set up to nurture the children.  Just watch Lock Up on Tv and you will see and hear the results of our welfare system.  Prisoners are multiplying too fast.  I have thoughts on how to improve our system, maybe you do too!