Tuesday, May 5

Listening to Books

When I was in High School or College/University, I did not like reading...  mainly because I had to read very slow in order to mentally conceptualize what I was reading...  there needed to be intense focus which at that time did not have the discipline to perform and still don't unless I absolutely have to and then I postpone it as long as I can.

In the 1990's, I was spending two hours a day in the car going back and forth to work and decided I would listen to music at first but later decided to listen to self-help books from Audible.com which I copied to my computer then transferred to an IPOD... listening to earphones...  then I learned how to connect the IPOD to the car's speakers with better quality.

INTERESTINGLY, I discovered that not only did I enjoy listening to books but that my retention increased while listening as well...   Immediately, I regretted the fact that I had not been able to listen to books in high school and college/university because I would have been a much better student.
Mornings are always better when one is being served Espresso...  whether it be Turkish, Greek, or Italian...  Espresso is the coffee of the enlightened...

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Antoni Gaudí  (25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalan architect known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism.  Gaudí's works have a highly individualized, one-of-a-kind style. Most are located in Barcelona, including his main work, the church of the Sagrada Família.

Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion.  He considered every detail of his creations and integrated into his architecture such crafts as ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He also introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís which used waste ceramic pieces.

Under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Modern movement which was reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work transcended mainstream Modernism, culminating in an organic style inspired by natural forms. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and molding the details as he conceived them.  Source: Wikipedia

EXAMPLES OF GAUDI ARCHITECTURE










Monday, May 4

POWER CORRUPTS


Where Are We Going From Here?




I know that one is not supposed to answer a question with a question but, "Can we get there from here?"  And if we do not know where we are going, we cannot get anywhere other than putting one foot in front of the other one and keep doing that until we get somewhere...  but, even that seems like a stupid thing to do, especially from a logical point-of-view.  It would appear that my ARTICLE Title Question needs a tad more clarification...

This is a good example of how fast the mind moves relative to how fast the hand type because what I was thinking when I thought up the ARTICLE Title Question was where are we, as a nation, going relative to going back-to-work while the Pandemic is still AT LARGE.


First of all, it really does make sense, and I mean logical sense, to open up our economy slowly with the understanding of 25% then 50% then 75% and finally 100%.  But, as was pointed out to me from a restaurant owner, if his restaurant is opened with 25% capacity, he still has to employ almost as many people as when his restaurant is opened 100% so he would be losing money and quite possibly file for bankruptcy...  in other words, 25% would hurt worse than 0%...  BUT, this is not the case for everyone.  So, where are we going as a nation?



  • Do we open National Parks?
  • Do we open Public and Private Beaches?
  • Do we open up Baseball Stadiums?
  • Do we open up Restaurants?
  • Do we open up Movie Theaters?
  • Do we open up Schools?
  • Do we open up Airline Travel?
  • Do we open up Cruise Ships?
  • Do we open up Hotels and Motels?

AND...  would the 25% then the 50% then the 75% then the 100% work for everyone?

Telemarketers

I would put Telemarketers in the same disgusting category that I would put Used Car Salesmen and Lawyers even though you cannot see them face-to-face...  they are still horrible in that they try to sell you something that you don't need, typically do not take "no" for an answer, and have an accent so harsh that you cannot understand them.

In the past, I would answer all these calls by saying, "Duke County Sheriff's Department, how can I help you?"  They would always hang up.  Sometimes, I would ask "to whom would you like to speak?"  And, when they pronounced by name incorrectly, I would say "I am not talking with anyone who cannot pronounced my name correctly...  goodbye," or I would say "He is dead...  would you like to contribute to his burial fund?"

But, sometimes I would listen to their explanations and pretend to be interested...  but, would end up being on the phone with them for 20-30 minutes and if you did not buy something they would call back.  I just did not want to take the time anymore to "toy" with them.

Since we have "Caller ID" as part of our phone/internet/cable package, my wife and I decided that from now on we would just not answer the telephone if the number was from someone we did not recognize.  It took a while but now we only have about 3 or 4 calls a day instead of 15-20.

DID CHINA RELEASE COVID-19 INTENTIONALLY?

SPECULATION at best...  but I believe that over time the world will discover that China intentionally released the virus in the hopes that the rest of the world would have their economies damaged if not destroyed like their economy had suffered...

That would make the CHINESE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT liable for all our global deaths caused by this Pandemic...

Hard to believe that a something like this could happen in 2020...


WORLDWIDE
3,500,000  cases
239,000 DEATHS

UNITED STATES
1,190,000 cases
68,551 DEATHS

BADASS USAF JETS







The Civil Air Patrol is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and occupations. Wikipedia












PERCEPTION









Sunday, May 3

WHAT DO I THINK?

IN THEORY, I am the only one in this universe, world, state, city, community that gives a rat's ass about what I think...  but, that still does not stop me from presenting my opinion...

The DEMOCRATS and pretty much the entire MAINSTREAM MEDIA thought Brett Kavanaugh (Republican) was guilty of sexual assault Dr. Ford (Democrat) presented her testimony to the press and then again to Congress regarding Kavanaugh's nomination to be a Supreme Court Justice...  despite the fact that Dr. Ford told no one about the incident at the time it happened, could not remember exactly where it happened but she knew it was at a party, but could not remember how she got there or how she got home...  and despite the fact that it was over 20 years ago, Dr. Ford was certain that it was Kavanaugh.

TODAY, there a accusation against Joe Biden (Democrat) from another Democrat that she was also assaulted by Joe Biden, and this time she told her mother and several friends and Larry King was contacted for advice on how to proceed since she was talking about a man that was in the US Congress.

BUT, the DEMOCRATS believe Joe Biden this time!!!

This is a perfect example of DOUBLE STANDARDS...

Today's Leading Stories Online

The stories below are an indication of what Americans have become...  we should be very proud of ourselves...
  1. Biden accuser Tara Reade tells Fox News that treatment of Anita Hill forced her to stay quiet
  2. NoKo hostel to be shut in victory for US, Otto Warmbier’s family
  3. Boater blocked from flying Trump flag answers back
  4. Michigan Gov. Whitmer slams protesters who showed up armed at state’s Capitol
  5. Porch pirates disguised as nurses, wearing scrubs, steal packages
  6. California man arrested 3 times in a day, given citations - and let go
  7. City amends coronavirus mask order following physical confrontations
  8. McDonald's unveils social distancing-inspired redesign
  9. Costco crowd in pandemic turns rowdy, cops called
  10. California planning commissioner ousted after saying coronavirus can cull herd


Sunday Mornings

I recall/remember (it really makes no difference really) when married and living in NC that Sunday Mornings would be reserved for non-interrupted watching of CBS SUNDAY MORNING with Charles Kuralt who also was the journalist for ON THE ROAD segments that aired on the evening news when Walter Cronkite was the anchor.

An asideThose types of reporters, journalist, news anchors are no longer with us unfortunately...

While watching CBS SUNDAY MORNING, I always had a cup of black coffee in my hand or sitting on a table beside the chair in which I was sitting and during the commercials, if I needed to, I would go to the coffee pot for a refill.  I do not remember any of the shows that aired however, I do remember that the KEY was LISTENING to the VOICE of Charles Kuralt...


HAPPINESS

Happiness is an illusive concept at best...  and while many people think that they have happiness, they actually do not...  because happiness is being in that state-of-mind, where the person WANTS for NOTHING...  and, those who I know who claim that they have found happiness, do not have it because there are THINGS that they still desire...  oftentimes, we CONFUSE being happy with HAPPINESS

I am happy that I received my stimulus check, but I still do not have happiness!

Personally, I believe that as you age and get older that you move towards happiness but there are very few, especially Americans who actually have or have found happiness.

Rather sad, but TRUE...