Thursday, July 31, 2008

X-Files:I want to believe

If you liked the X Files, you’ll like this movie. It’s a continuation of the story. The characters have continued to live in their universe. We find out what they’ve been up to with a few hints within conversations. David Duchovny and Gilliam Anderson are easy on the eyes and believable in their characters.

In the 1970s, many people were open to different ideas. There were societies and organizations that researched, promoted, educated and believed that there was more to life than the 3D dissection oriented scientific or blind faith. Put to the task of explaining the previously unexplainable were people not unlike Fox Mulder and Dana Skully. People who were on both sides of the argument but not so set in their own beliefs as to disregard the evidence of the other side. Sometimes manifesting in a psychic being a proven a fraud; Other times manifesting in the acceptance that there was simple no way to explain what happened.

Some of the brave researchers and activists that come to mind are R Buckminster Fuller, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, Raymond Moody, Hans Holzer, Betty & Barney Hill. These people stood up to ridicule and told their experience.

Paranormal Psychology, as a field of study does not produce the type of evidence many scientists suggested it should, which resulted in funding cuts. One could respond with a question: how is it that when medical researchers who fail to produce their evidence, treatment or “cure” still get funded?

We know that when a person dies, 21 Grams of weight leaves the body. Is this the weight of the soul or spirit? Why do we, as a society, not wish to learn more about this and other related questions? There were large number of those who ventured into this area in the 1970s, not unlike a similar period in the 1920s, as well as, the late 19th century. It would be nice to have a renaissance of open minded folks who would want to believe.

Links
http://www.parapsychology.org/
http://www.elisabethkublerross.com/
http://www.lifeafterlife.com/
http://www.bfi.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Holzer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Hill

Friday, July 18, 2008

Family First

In the best interest of important priorities, Kate will return to blog after a short break.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

It's About The Economy, Stupid!

By middle age, one would think that you might understand the happenings in life better. But I find myself not understanding more people in more ways...

Case in point: Economy

Economy is the movement of money from one person to another. It is conceivable that with just a few wealthy people within a town, the town’s economy would thrive by circulating the money and thrive if there were some clever people able to bring more money into the town to circulate more at a faster rate. For this to happen, everyone needs to understand their function in that economy.

There are bakers, and butchers. There are nurse and doctors. There are gardeners and merchants. There are teachers and mechanics. There are postal workers and street cleaners. There are repair men, paper delivery people, artists, manufacturers, computer programmers, inventors, gas station attendant, hat check or coat check attendants, restroom attendants, door men, elevator attendants, store clerks, chefs, tailors, people that get paid to do any number of jobs and services… necessary for the humanity of a civilized world.

Everyone that works in the town employs other people in the town. In fact, for a good thriving economy, the more people each and every person can employ to do the smallest of tasks, through business, the better the economy. Imagine the possibilities!

Take my neighbor… Please… He’s a lawyer, a professional, well, at one time that was considered a profession, with status. But this guy, who is an example of his generation and the problem with society today, is that he does everything himself. He hates to pay anyone for anything he can do half as well.

Handy as he may consider his attempts at home maintenance and repair, his house is not the jewel on the street. In fact, he does most things less than adequate. But he does it himself and he’s happy with the shabby look, I suppose, because he didn’t pay anyone else to do it. He fails to add to the economy. He doesn’t pay gardeners, landscape architects, fence builders, painters, car mechanics, OH NO! He makes regular runs to the liquor store and shovels landscaping rocks for hours on end. I heard he wonder why his business is so slow… and why people have started filling out legal documents themselves…. He was serious.

And his wife…she works outside the home. Of course she does. Instead of being an example of morality to the community, instead of volunteering her time, she slaves in an office for someone else who obviously doesn’t pay her very much because this lawyer’s little wife, cleans her own house, washes her own car, helps her husband paint decks. They often eat at Mc Donald’s, Taco Bell or order Pizza Delivery. No nice restaurants for this working woman of the 21st century married to a lawyer, no shopping sprees… she lives a lower working class life style and calls herself liberated.

And their child… it’s all about day care, baby!

These aren’t the only folks that have personally shared their ability to do everything for themselves.

The Periodontist stained his deck. The dentist repaired some flooring. The Marketing Director of a Major corporation can be seen every week cutting his own yard. The Bank President was seen changing the oil in his car. The Million Dollar Sales Person who irons her own clothes. The Teacher-of-the-Year cuts her own children’s hair. The Computer Programmer builds bed frames for his kid’s bedrooms. The Doctor of Science painted his office at work!

Every time, I see what should be an upper middle class professional laboring away… I wonder why they went to college when they really wanted to be working class?

They do it all themselves. They wonder why sales are down… few people can afford their services.

Everyone has gone to the do-it-yourself method of everything. And the economy… well… you know…

Friday, July 4, 2008

July 4th

The beauty of a good pyrotechnic show is a sight for young and old a like.

Fireworks or Pyrotechnics were developed by the Chinese as a natural growth from their invention of gunpowder. These master Pyrotechnicians were honored with respect and a good living for entertaining the people and the elite alike. Everyone loves a good show.

As of the 2007 Guinness World Records recorded the largest Catherine Wheel was lit in the UK on 30 October 1999, it was 85 feet in diameter.

The largest Display was in Portugal on 31 December 2006 with 66,326 fireworks exploded in the evening.

The longest Waterfall display was in Japan on 24 August 2003 with a display called “Niagara Falls” measuring 10,255 feet.

Halloween is the time to see great firework shows in Ireland and Canada, not to mention the great firework shows at all the Disney Entertainment Parks around the world. Disney consistently creates exciting shows over Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.

In the United States, it’s a common, if not required, tradition to spend some money for international relations on the Chinese imported fireworks and shoot them off in a show of patriotism. Some cities spend a large budget on fireworks, private clubs and individuals can procure vast numbers of explosive devices in the celebration of the Declaration of Independence dated July 4th 1776. There will be quite a show in America's night sky from July 3rd through the 6th.

But the best fireworks show in the world cost $17.04, happened on my driveway, because it made my kids smile.