This is a blog that asks questions like , "What was the best thing before sliced bread?"
There are many things in the world that I've witnessed, thought about, read about, talked about, even imagined. Nowadays, I cannot deny a feeling that I'm in a world I just don't understand.
Take the following, for example:
"Larceny" is described in one dictionary reference as "a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another." Sounds simple enough, right?
It was an offence (note the spelling) in Common Law, and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the Common Law of England into their own law. Ironically, it was abolished in England, Wales, Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland.
It remains an offence in the United States and New South Wales, Australia involving "the taking and carrying away" (asportation) of Personal Property. The distance involved did not matter.
The taking away may be either direct or indirect; that is, accomplished by the criminal himself or an innocent agent. (just for the heck of it, let's think "lobbyist" here). and may require that a judge recuse him or herself (step aside) from adjudication of the matter.
"Bribery", on the other hand, is a "form of corruption", and an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime.
The bottom line is that "political campaign contributions" are considered acts of "bribery" in some countries, while in the United States, they are considered "legal" .
A politician here need not recuse himself regarding any legislation if a timely campaign contribution (money or gift) just happens to be from a company or entity who might profit from that favorable piece of legislation as determined by the committee that this particular politician "heads up."
You may find yourself asking , "How can that be? - Who would legislate something like this?"
You might also have been taking way too much of the cough medicine your doctor prescribed for that cold you are battling. Therefore, let us take advantage of your confusion.
While raising these Monty Python like issues you may find yourself seeking clarity and are asking , "Wait a minute - Bribery is a form of corruption and larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another? Then what is campaign financing?"
Not to worry. Let us explain with the use of some great reference sources. First of all, "campaign financing" is a little like "duck typing".
Better grab the cough medicine and hit the record button as you read this aloud!
Per Wikipedia, "In computer programming with object-oriented programming languages, "duck typing" is a style of dynamic typing in which an objects 'current set of methods and properties' determine the valid semantics, rather than the inheritance from a particular class or implementation of a specific interface." (It's that red button on your remote.)
The name of the concept referred to as the "'duck test" is that attributed to a guy named Riley, who obviously HAS to be Irish.
You see, in duck typing one is concerned just with those aspects of an object that are "used", rather than with the "type" of the object itself. (Who wouldn't understand that?)
Wikipedia continues, " For example, in a non-duck typed language, one can create a function that takes an object of type "Duck" and calls that object's walk and quack methods."
The reference adds, "If the object does not have the methods that are called then the function signals a run-time error. It is this action of any object having the correct walk and quack methods being accepted by the function that evokes the quotation and hence, the name of this form of typing."
Per James Whitcomb Riley, the alleged author of the quotation, it reads: "When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck."
"Duck typing would appear to be like campaign contributions then, as, like duck typing , it is aided by habitually not testing for the type of arguments in method and function bodies, relying on documentation, (clear coding) and testing to ensure correct use." (I love Logic! )
Okay, you got it now? Do you finally understand why todays campaign financing rules do not qualify as either "Larceny"' or "Bribery?"
In the words of recently departed actor, Robert Culp, "Why, of course you do!" But, in your weakened condition you might just want to rely on Riley's interpretation as a guide and inspiration.
Really, it's much better than sliced bread.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
ANGER MANAGEMENT
In a recent e-mail, friend and fellow blogger, Harry (http://www.harry2335.blogspot.com)/
sent me a cartoon with the same title as this blog. It pictured an older couple who looked to be sitting on a park bench conversing.
The man says to his wife, "Whenever I get mad at you, you never seem to get upset. How do you manage to control your temper?'
His wife replied, "I just go and clean the toilet", at which point the husband asks,"How does that help?'
Her reply was. "I use your toothbrush."
Oh, if only it could be that simple.
Many, if not most, of us could use some anger management. I share Harry's fascination with the Letter's To The Editor column. It was interesting to read this morning's USA Today and to see the reaction to the saga of the flight attendent who may have taken his last "free" air ride.
Then again, it was on a JetBlue flight so it's possible that like for everything else, they charge their flight personnel for air travel. Regardless, the opinions of readers about the flight attendant situation today, as well as those last Friday, seemed to differ greatly.
Some denounced the attendants actions as a lack of self-restraint. Others used the forum to make reference to unruly passengers they have encountered and offered sympathy. But, the one whose opinion rang a bell with me was the writer who quoted "a crusty old boss" who advised him about emotions in business: "If it feels good - don't do it."
Those might be wise words for all of us. After falling on my sword a few times, I learned to stow an angry memo in my top drawer for a day or so before deciding it's fate. I grew older - not wiser - and am long gone from the "boss world." I regret not keeping the tradition alive in both my written and verbal communications.
As noted philosopher Eminen once rapped, "Words are weapons" -(and angry words are the AK-47's of the world).
In a "downloadable" sermon by James Merritt, written for any cleric who may have "writers block" or just can't figure out how to reconfigure an older message, he describes "World's Most Dangerous Weapon", thusly:
"Concealed as a sniper, quick as a bullet and deadly as a gun - it is the three inch animal who lives in a pool of saliva behind an ivory cage of teeth - (and is known as): the tongue."
With a writing style like that I can well imagine a future career for Merritt as a fiction writer specializing in the current fascination with vampires. However, he is right-on.
My wife Phyl often relates to me the speech a woman gave in a therapy group that included abuse victims. She said, "I have been beaten, raped, attacked etc., but the scars on my body healed much faster than those in my heart."
Much has been written and spoken about the decision to build a mosque and Islamic center near Ground Zero. The President has been in the news recently due to what some Republicans see as a flop on his position regarding this development; after his revised comment this past weekend.
While awaiting the fate of the towels in the dryer I was reading from another Presidential speech:
"The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace - - -Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country - - - and, they need to be treated with respect. - - those who feel they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America."
I also read this reaction to the mosque today by a former and apparently aspiring politician:
"Building this structure on the edge of the battlefield created by Islamists is not a celebration of religious pluralism and mutual tolerance; it is a political statement of shocking arrogance and hypocrisy. - - - For radical Islamists, the mosque would become an icon of triumph, encouraging them in their challenge to our civilization."
The Good Rev. Merritt offers this in support of his sermon topic:"He who guards his lips guards his soul, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin" (Proverbs 13.3).
Oh, the would be politician above? That was Former Republican House speaker, Newt Gingrich.
And, did I fail to mention that the President making the speech I quoted was not Barack Obama, but George W. Bush; 6 days after the terrorist attack of 9/11?
It's been a while since I've quoted religious leaders from the Bible as opposed to the many blogs I've written immortalizing "allegedly" God fearing politicians in our midst. Despite that I'll end this blog with the following:
"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a
tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion
is worthless." (James 1:26)
Change your toothbrush frequently.
sent me a cartoon with the same title as this blog. It pictured an older couple who looked to be sitting on a park bench conversing.
The man says to his wife, "Whenever I get mad at you, you never seem to get upset. How do you manage to control your temper?'
His wife replied, "I just go and clean the toilet", at which point the husband asks,"How does that help?'
Her reply was. "I use your toothbrush."
Oh, if only it could be that simple.
Many, if not most, of us could use some anger management. I share Harry's fascination with the Letter's To The Editor column. It was interesting to read this morning's USA Today and to see the reaction to the saga of the flight attendent who may have taken his last "free" air ride.
Then again, it was on a JetBlue flight so it's possible that like for everything else, they charge their flight personnel for air travel. Regardless, the opinions of readers about the flight attendant situation today, as well as those last Friday, seemed to differ greatly.
Some denounced the attendants actions as a lack of self-restraint. Others used the forum to make reference to unruly passengers they have encountered and offered sympathy. But, the one whose opinion rang a bell with me was the writer who quoted "a crusty old boss" who advised him about emotions in business: "If it feels good - don't do it."
Those might be wise words for all of us. After falling on my sword a few times, I learned to stow an angry memo in my top drawer for a day or so before deciding it's fate. I grew older - not wiser - and am long gone from the "boss world." I regret not keeping the tradition alive in both my written and verbal communications.
As noted philosopher Eminen once rapped, "Words are weapons" -(and angry words are the AK-47's of the world).
In a "downloadable" sermon by James Merritt, written for any cleric who may have "writers block" or just can't figure out how to reconfigure an older message, he describes "World's Most Dangerous Weapon", thusly:
"Concealed as a sniper, quick as a bullet and deadly as a gun - it is the three inch animal who lives in a pool of saliva behind an ivory cage of teeth - (and is known as): the tongue."
With a writing style like that I can well imagine a future career for Merritt as a fiction writer specializing in the current fascination with vampires. However, he is right-on.
My wife Phyl often relates to me the speech a woman gave in a therapy group that included abuse victims. She said, "I have been beaten, raped, attacked etc., but the scars on my body healed much faster than those in my heart."
Much has been written and spoken about the decision to build a mosque and Islamic center near Ground Zero. The President has been in the news recently due to what some Republicans see as a flop on his position regarding this development; after his revised comment this past weekend.
While awaiting the fate of the towels in the dryer I was reading from another Presidential speech:
"The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace - - -Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country - - - and, they need to be treated with respect. - - those who feel they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America."
I also read this reaction to the mosque today by a former and apparently aspiring politician:
"Building this structure on the edge of the battlefield created by Islamists is not a celebration of religious pluralism and mutual tolerance; it is a political statement of shocking arrogance and hypocrisy. - - - For radical Islamists, the mosque would become an icon of triumph, encouraging them in their challenge to our civilization."
The Good Rev. Merritt offers this in support of his sermon topic:"He who guards his lips guards his soul, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin" (Proverbs 13.3).
Oh, the would be politician above? That was Former Republican House speaker, Newt Gingrich.
And, did I fail to mention that the President making the speech I quoted was not Barack Obama, but George W. Bush; 6 days after the terrorist attack of 9/11?
It's been a while since I've quoted religious leaders from the Bible as opposed to the many blogs I've written immortalizing "allegedly" God fearing politicians in our midst. Despite that I'll end this blog with the following:
"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a
tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion
is worthless." (James 1:26)
Change your toothbrush frequently.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
THE EARLY RETURNS
Writing the last blog about the healing powers of Religion was not easy for me. I yanked the first published post hoping nobody had seen it. It took four more revisions to finish it.
One reader beat me to the punch and had read the post before I pulled it. He encouraged me to resubmit the post while acknowledging the difficulty of the subject.
He did so by translating Danish philosopher, theologian, and psychologist Soren Kierkegaard (a blessing in itself) and supported his position by including a a photo by Martin Stranka, a renowned photographer whose photographs are said to "exist in that space between dreams and waking, those split seconds when a person has a foot in both worlds."
The reader apparently spent his time in college actually studying while I struggled with determining why there is an expiration date on sour cream.
His translation - that humans can feel something deeply but cannot translate those feelings into words - was right on the mark for me.
Religion is a tough subject for many including those who teach it, as confirmed by a letter to the editor of USA Today from a Rabbi from Tennessee . He suggested the reverend, Oliver Thomas , still hadn't answered his question, "Why Religion?", the subject of my revised blog.
Now, in all fairness, neither Thomas nor the Rabbi had much space within which they could expound on their differing philosophies. The Rabbi did appear to be a little more critical than Thomas who had suggested that the clergy: "Keep your eye on the ball. It's not so much about this doctrine or that, Mass or The Lord's Supper or even Ramadan or Yom Kippur."
The Rabbi seemed more offended by this recommendation than had Chevy Chase advised him to "be the ball." Not sure the good cleric would buy that philosophy regarding the "powers of the universe" either. And, that's okay. It brought a response. He got involved.
While one could easily have come away from this Tennessean's Letter to the Editor with the feeling that he had confused Oliver Thomas with Oliver Hardy, at some point he might have confused him with Thomas Hardy too.
The Rabbi was upset. This last sentence should not be confused with the Harry Kemelman mystery, "The Rabbi Slept In." - while not necessarily a bad idea. He appeared to be upset with Thomas's conclusion : "Religion makes it easier to be decent because religion pushes us to be better human beings."
In his rebuttal the Rabbi attempts to refute this by dwelling on the mistakes of religious leaders who obviously did not become a better person. Apparently he missed Rabinnical school when the topic of the day was faulty syllogisms.
There is no reason to suggest that the synagogue over which the Tennessean Rabbi pontificates is being robbed of spiritual guidance. He may be an excellent teacher - but, that is not the focus of the column Thomas wrote. He was suggesting that there may be a need for leaders/teachers in many of our houses of worship to rearrange their priorities and honor the posit of man's search for meaning.
It is this position, which both Thomas and I embrace, that suggests the result could be a drastic improvement in our ethical values and less reliance on the meaningless defense mechanism, "Well, everybody else is doing it!"
The Rabbi not only didn't appear to "be the ball", he seemed to have missed it completely.
There were only two letters and the second was from a man from Texas, who claimed to be an atheist and who believed that "religious myths are an invention of those seeking power and wealth."
He refutes Thomas's theory by reference to his "wife's" cat, "It doesn't have any religion and never gives it a thought. The cat knows why she's here; she eats, sleeps, chases little things that jump and seems very content."
One can see why he may be reluctant to refer to the animal as "our cat", while still admiring his communication skills with animals - if not people.
Not sure which of the two respondees appeared to be the more threatened.
Me? I'm going to go talk to our Chihuahua. "Keep them cards and letters coming in. "
One reader beat me to the punch and had read the post before I pulled it. He encouraged me to resubmit the post while acknowledging the difficulty of the subject.
He did so by translating Danish philosopher, theologian, and psychologist Soren Kierkegaard (a blessing in itself) and supported his position by including a a photo by Martin Stranka, a renowned photographer whose photographs are said to "exist in that space between dreams and waking, those split seconds when a person has a foot in both worlds."
The reader apparently spent his time in college actually studying while I struggled with determining why there is an expiration date on sour cream.
His translation - that humans can feel something deeply but cannot translate those feelings into words - was right on the mark for me.
Religion is a tough subject for many including those who teach it, as confirmed by a letter to the editor of USA Today from a Rabbi from Tennessee . He suggested the reverend, Oliver Thomas , still hadn't answered his question, "Why Religion?", the subject of my revised blog.
Now, in all fairness, neither Thomas nor the Rabbi had much space within which they could expound on their differing philosophies. The Rabbi did appear to be a little more critical than Thomas who had suggested that the clergy: "Keep your eye on the ball. It's not so much about this doctrine or that, Mass or The Lord's Supper or even Ramadan or Yom Kippur."
The Rabbi seemed more offended by this recommendation than had Chevy Chase advised him to "be the ball." Not sure the good cleric would buy that philosophy regarding the "powers of the universe" either. And, that's okay. It brought a response. He got involved.
While one could easily have come away from this Tennessean's Letter to the Editor with the feeling that he had confused Oliver Thomas with Oliver Hardy, at some point he might have confused him with Thomas Hardy too.
The Rabbi was upset. This last sentence should not be confused with the Harry Kemelman mystery, "The Rabbi Slept In." - while not necessarily a bad idea. He appeared to be upset with Thomas's conclusion : "Religion makes it easier to be decent because religion pushes us to be better human beings."
In his rebuttal the Rabbi attempts to refute this by dwelling on the mistakes of religious leaders who obviously did not become a better person. Apparently he missed Rabinnical school when the topic of the day was faulty syllogisms.
There is no reason to suggest that the synagogue over which the Tennessean Rabbi pontificates is being robbed of spiritual guidance. He may be an excellent teacher - but, that is not the focus of the column Thomas wrote. He was suggesting that there may be a need for leaders/teachers in many of our houses of worship to rearrange their priorities and honor the posit of man's search for meaning.
It is this position, which both Thomas and I embrace, that suggests the result could be a drastic improvement in our ethical values and less reliance on the meaningless defense mechanism, "Well, everybody else is doing it!"
The Rabbi not only didn't appear to "be the ball", he seemed to have missed it completely.
There were only two letters and the second was from a man from Texas, who claimed to be an atheist and who believed that "religious myths are an invention of those seeking power and wealth."
He refutes Thomas's theory by reference to his "wife's" cat, "It doesn't have any religion and never gives it a thought. The cat knows why she's here; she eats, sleeps, chases little things that jump and seems very content."
One can see why he may be reluctant to refer to the animal as "our cat", while still admiring his communication skills with animals - if not people.
Not sure which of the two respondees appeared to be the more threatened.
Me? I'm going to go talk to our Chihuahua. "Keep them cards and letters coming in. "
Monday, August 9, 2010
"PRAISE THE LORD - AND PASS THE AMMUNITION"
In the Monday' s USA Today, I read "The Forum" and a column by Oliver Thomas, the author of "10 Things Your Minister Wants To Tell You (But Can't Because He Needs The Job). It was entitled"Q: Why religion?"
My first reaction is, "Here we go. More from the fundamentalists. I was wrong.
It probably wouldn't have even found itself buried away in the "self-help" section at Borders..
For some time now, I've been concerned about a possible correlation between an increasing distaste for organized religion and an even greater decline and fall of our Ethics.
As I approach the end of my tenure on earth, the progression that bothers me more is the latter as opposed to the former.
One possibility for the order of concern is that the time spent with organized religion has convinced me that my belief in God may be a gateway toward a secure future. At some point in my life "organized religion" was a life-saver. I embraced it for the very same reason Thomas was citing: Religion makes us want to live.
Another reason for the result of my priortizing is the many workshops I gave on the subject of business ethics. In addition I was priviledged to co-edit/write a national column on the subject.
The materials used in editing/writing were the many thoughful replies received to an ethical question the column posed the previous month.
Quite a few of the responses were more reactionary than thoughtful. In hindsight, reciting the letters in their entirety without editing might have provided the audience with a more tasteful dessert with whatever meal they had just consumed before I got up to speak
Let's face it. The subject of Ethics wasn't any more popular back then than it is now. In some cases it was like talking to people who wished to regain their youth before they discovered that meant they would have to retake Algebra..
Back to the column and my reaction. No, I'm not some Evangelist, but, religion is a highly personal subject for me. I'm a rather infrequent churchgoer now. Like others, I have come up with more reasons for not attending church than Mark Twain did in arguing why we really don't want to go to heaven.
During the 80's my church involvement became quite prolific. It came at a time when there was a strong need for that "surrogate family" to which Oliver Thomas refers as a byproduct. It was a time for me to watch and join a movement of congregation members who not only praised the Lord - but "passed the ammunition". It was more than a Kiwanis meeting.
The focus seemed to be that of "doing the right thing", something else I'm reluctant to discuss in depth as I've fallen way short at times. However, talking about the healing that comes from pursuing a sense of self/ via the workings of a church is something aI would embrace every day.. Like sky-diving- it's not for everyone.
Thomas writes about successful survivors of concentration camps: "It was those who found meaning in their lives - - shared their meager rations with others and went about encouraging their fellow prisoners."
He did not call it religion nor did he ever once use the term "Kum-baya".
One conclusion was that while people need to find a meaning in life - that meaning wasn't necessarily religious. He stated the "meaning" referred to was something not amenable to the scientific method of analyzation. He suggested it came from addressing three questions:
Why am I here?
What does it all mean?
How should we then live?'
Each time I watch a Sunday political show or hear/read political commentary I sub-consciously ask myself one or all of those questions
Answering just one is a lifetime accomplishment. One assumes if you can master all three you're probably ready for "The Rapture".
Thomas was not selling Religion. He wrote of indecent souls as well as indecent congregations.
To me, he seemed to be saying that whether we were observing the Moral Majority, the white collar criminals on Wall Street or the lobbyists on K-street, it was within ourselves as to how we wished to live OUR life and establish OUR legacy.
As a graduate student finishing my Practicum I worked as a church counselor. Those who have fears that they couldn't attend church because they did not feel worthy enough did not understand the battles church members were facing that were not unlike their own.
The difference may have been that those churched attendees recognized how churches often perform the function of a surrogate family. They decided to attend the "tryouts" while determining if going to church was the right fit.
Per Thomas: "Religion makes it easier to be decent - to maintain the positive core values, mutual accountability, and constant striving for self-improvement to become a better person."
He writes:"The community church approach often provides strength in a time of need and offers a lifepath for those who want to leave this place in better shape than when they found it."
He is also paraphrasing something I first learned and then spoke of often in my counseling: "You can't help others very much until you learn to help yourself. It's not unlike the instruction the flight attendant gives parents as to the priority of installing oxygen masks."
How helpful this concept might have been for family members attempting to provide homecare of their Alzheimer relatives.
Thomas mildly rebukes the clergy for failing to keep their eye on the ball while evangelizing about "The Last Supper", "Ramadam" or "Yom Kippur". He recommends a focus on purpose, meaning, and helping folks who wake up and say, "Do I really want to get up this morning?"
"People need a reason to live. Religion often helps find that answer". It was fascinating to me that in stating this he quoted Nietzsche: "If one can answer the 'why' of life, he can cope with almost any 'how".
Is Religion the answer to us finding ourself and practicing good ethics? I don't know, but, it is remembered how when watching people practice their faith as opposed to just preaching it, the unspoken message started to creep into my life - and later my blogs.
If and when YOU are ready - the "ammunition" is already there - and I'm surely not talking about the blogs.
My first reaction is, "Here we go. More from the fundamentalists. I was wrong.
It probably wouldn't have even found itself buried away in the "self-help" section at Borders..
For some time now, I've been concerned about a possible correlation between an increasing distaste for organized religion and an even greater decline and fall of our Ethics.
As I approach the end of my tenure on earth, the progression that bothers me more is the latter as opposed to the former.
One possibility for the order of concern is that the time spent with organized religion has convinced me that my belief in God may be a gateway toward a secure future. At some point in my life "organized religion" was a life-saver. I embraced it for the very same reason Thomas was citing: Religion makes us want to live.
Another reason for the result of my priortizing is the many workshops I gave on the subject of business ethics. In addition I was priviledged to co-edit/write a national column on the subject.
The materials used in editing/writing were the many thoughful replies received to an ethical question the column posed the previous month.
Quite a few of the responses were more reactionary than thoughtful. In hindsight, reciting the letters in their entirety without editing might have provided the audience with a more tasteful dessert with whatever meal they had just consumed before I got up to speak
Let's face it. The subject of Ethics wasn't any more popular back then than it is now. In some cases it was like talking to people who wished to regain their youth before they discovered that meant they would have to retake Algebra..
Back to the column and my reaction. No, I'm not some Evangelist, but, religion is a highly personal subject for me. I'm a rather infrequent churchgoer now. Like others, I have come up with more reasons for not attending church than Mark Twain did in arguing why we really don't want to go to heaven.
During the 80's my church involvement became quite prolific. It came at a time when there was a strong need for that "surrogate family" to which Oliver Thomas refers as a byproduct. It was a time for me to watch and join a movement of congregation members who not only praised the Lord - but "passed the ammunition". It was more than a Kiwanis meeting.
The focus seemed to be that of "doing the right thing", something else I'm reluctant to discuss in depth as I've fallen way short at times. However, talking about the healing that comes from pursuing a sense of self/ via the workings of a church is something aI would embrace every day.. Like sky-diving- it's not for everyone.
Thomas writes about successful survivors of concentration camps: "It was those who found meaning in their lives - - shared their meager rations with others and went about encouraging their fellow prisoners."
He did not call it religion nor did he ever once use the term "Kum-baya".
One conclusion was that while people need to find a meaning in life - that meaning wasn't necessarily religious. He stated the "meaning" referred to was something not amenable to the scientific method of analyzation. He suggested it came from addressing three questions:
Why am I here?
What does it all mean?
How should we then live?'
Each time I watch a Sunday political show or hear/read political commentary I sub-consciously ask myself one or all of those questions
Answering just one is a lifetime accomplishment. One assumes if you can master all three you're probably ready for "The Rapture".
Thomas was not selling Religion. He wrote of indecent souls as well as indecent congregations.
To me, he seemed to be saying that whether we were observing the Moral Majority, the white collar criminals on Wall Street or the lobbyists on K-street, it was within ourselves as to how we wished to live OUR life and establish OUR legacy.
As a graduate student finishing my Practicum I worked as a church counselor. Those who have fears that they couldn't attend church because they did not feel worthy enough did not understand the battles church members were facing that were not unlike their own.
The difference may have been that those churched attendees recognized how churches often perform the function of a surrogate family. They decided to attend the "tryouts" while determining if going to church was the right fit.
Per Thomas: "Religion makes it easier to be decent - to maintain the positive core values, mutual accountability, and constant striving for self-improvement to become a better person."
He writes:"The community church approach often provides strength in a time of need and offers a lifepath for those who want to leave this place in better shape than when they found it."
He is also paraphrasing something I first learned and then spoke of often in my counseling: "You can't help others very much until you learn to help yourself. It's not unlike the instruction the flight attendant gives parents as to the priority of installing oxygen masks."
How helpful this concept might have been for family members attempting to provide homecare of their Alzheimer relatives.
Thomas mildly rebukes the clergy for failing to keep their eye on the ball while evangelizing about "The Last Supper", "Ramadam" or "Yom Kippur". He recommends a focus on purpose, meaning, and helping folks who wake up and say, "Do I really want to get up this morning?"
"People need a reason to live. Religion often helps find that answer". It was fascinating to me that in stating this he quoted Nietzsche: "If one can answer the 'why' of life, he can cope with almost any 'how".
Is Religion the answer to us finding ourself and practicing good ethics? I don't know, but, it is remembered how when watching people practice their faith as opposed to just preaching it, the unspoken message started to creep into my life - and later my blogs.
If and when YOU are ready - the "ammunition" is already there - and I'm surely not talking about the blogs.
Monday, August 2, 2010
JUST JOKING AROUND
Lindsay Lohan was released from jail after spending 13 days of her 90 day jail sentence.
Apparently , the tougher punishment was meted out because of the adverse publicity over her admitting to using drugs the first time and then serving 87 minutes jail time.
Supposedly the cruel and inhuman punishment of the 13 days in the pokey was followed by the judge's order that she go straight to a 90 day rehabilitation facility. The early release was due to her "good behavior"and crowded prison conditions.
Had a friend once who was doing drugs and served a 3 year sentence where his mother visited him each weekend and occasionally he got to see his new baby.
Lindsay, better get your act together. They're obviously cracking down. Just a word of caution: "If you don't pay your exorcist - you get repossessed."
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Was reading about the Russian Spy Ring and was reminded of the year 1985 being designated as "The Year Of The Spy"
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Recently was advised by a friend of the importance of enjoying life and taking a few chances. One example of the significance of failing to do so was her question: "Did they ever determine the number of passengers on The Titanic who skipped dessert at dinner?"
Another E-mail just received was a "repeat - worth repeating":
The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Italians drink a lot of wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Germans drink a lot of beer, eat a lot of sausages & fats - and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
Conclusion: Eat and drink what you want. Speaking English is apparently what kills you!
Maybe those illegal immigrants in our country are on to something.
Remember: practice safe eating- always use condiments.
----------------------
Another E-mail sent to me informs that there is an oriental doctor out there who preaches this philosophy on the subject of good physical health:
"Your heart only good for so many beats, and that's it. Don't waste on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up heart not make you live longer, it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap."
When asked if swimming was good for your figure he replied, "If swimming good for your figure - explain whale to me!"
Just how much money do we owe China?
[please don't go getting all politically correct on me if you still remember "a Paddy wagon"}
--------------------------------------------
A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office, "Is it true, she wanted to know, "that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so", responded the doctor.
There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied, "I'm wondering then, just how serious is my condition, because this prescription is marked 'no refills"?
THE OLDER WE GET, THE FEWER THINGS SEEM WORTH WAITING IN LINE FOR.
--------------------------------------------------
Is it true that when two egotists meet it's an I for an I?
Happy Monday! Enjoy!
Apparently , the tougher punishment was meted out because of the adverse publicity over her admitting to using drugs the first time and then serving 87 minutes jail time.
Supposedly the cruel and inhuman punishment of the 13 days in the pokey was followed by the judge's order that she go straight to a 90 day rehabilitation facility. The early release was due to her "good behavior"and crowded prison conditions.
Had a friend once who was doing drugs and served a 3 year sentence where his mother visited him each weekend and occasionally he got to see his new baby.
Lindsay, better get your act together. They're obviously cracking down. Just a word of caution: "If you don't pay your exorcist - you get repossessed."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Was reading about the Russian Spy Ring and was reminded of the year 1985 being designated as "The Year Of The Spy"
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Recently was advised by a friend of the importance of enjoying life and taking a few chances. One example of the significance of failing to do so was her question: "Did they ever determine the number of passengers on The Titanic who skipped dessert at dinner?"
Another E-mail just received was a "repeat - worth repeating":
The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Italians drink a lot of wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Germans drink a lot of beer, eat a lot of sausages & fats - and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
Conclusion: Eat and drink what you want. Speaking English is apparently what kills you!
Maybe those illegal immigrants in our country are on to something.
Remember: practice safe eating- always use condiments.
----------------------
Another E-mail sent to me informs that there is an oriental doctor out there who preaches this philosophy on the subject of good physical health:
"Your heart only good for so many beats, and that's it. Don't waste on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up heart not make you live longer, it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap."
When asked if swimming was good for your figure he replied, "If swimming good for your figure - explain whale to me!"
Just how much money do we owe China?
[please don't go getting all politically correct on me if you still remember "a Paddy wagon"}
--------------------------------------------
A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office, "Is it true, she wanted to know, "that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so", responded the doctor.
There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied, "I'm wondering then, just how serious is my condition, because this prescription is marked 'no refills"?
THE OLDER WE GET, THE FEWER THINGS SEEM WORTH WAITING IN LINE FOR.
--------------------------------------------------
Is it true that when two egotists meet it's an I for an I?
Happy Monday! Enjoy!
Monday, July 26, 2010
'". . . . .and believe nothing of what you hear."
Recent news reports address problems we're having in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. It seems website "WikeLeaks", (based upon 90,000 massive "leaked" documents) advises us and other countries that the Pakistani "spy service" is in cahoots with the bad guys.
This is a little like hearing Lindsay Lohan is back in trouble. Regardless, let's forget the office pools as to how many hours of the 90 day sentence Lohan will complete, and try to spend a few minutes in today's blog on the Pakistan/Afghanistan debacle.
First, how in the name of God do you as a government manage to leak 90,000 records of events and intelligence reports? Makes you sort of fear the privacy of the IRS and the Social Security Administration more than that of Facebook, doesn't it?
Second, realize we continue to treat the diverse cultures of countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan like they are Texas & Oklahoma. Only if we find out the latter two are taping each other's Spring football practices should this be allowed to continue.
The immediate response to the news release from various bloggers was that it's only a handful of folks in Pakistan that have their fingers in the cash drawers. They must be related to "Dr. T. "
Others agree that we do not - never have - and never will understand the philosophy of the inhabitants in each country. They suggest in Afhganistan we learned nothing from Russias'10 year vain attempt at winning there. To those who might doubt their wisdom they have the gall to bring up Vietnam and our won /loss statistics over there.
The government's response to the leak? {"How dare they?}"They made no effort to contact us about these documents", said National Security Adviser James Jones.
You go James - deflection and denial have worked for so many recently.
Now, the "second" disclosure in recent media reporting concerns Mexico. This is the country that has stringent immigration laws - about sneaking into their country - not ours.
Now, Mexico has other problems. Guards and officials at a prison in Northern Mexico allegedly let inmates out, lent them guns and sent them off in official vehicles to carry out drug-related killings. These include the massacre of 17 people last week in a party held in Torreon and 16 other deaths in two bars in the same town.
According to witnesses, the prison inmates were allowed to leave -with the authorization of the prison director - to carry out instructions for revenge attacks using official vehicles and weapons. They then returned to their cells.
Finding that the bullets recovered match casings from 4 assault rifles assigned to the prison ,the Mexican authorities took immediate action. The director of the prison and three other officials were placed under a form of house arrest - pending further investigation.
Now, as a overlay to this story it was mentioned that the Mexican authorities allegedly have a 2% conviction rate resulting in prison sentences. It's hard to understand why the miscreants would object to a little jail time - which apparently includes take-out privileges.
Here's this writer's problem . Before doing my Jonathan Swift thing I need to make it clear as to my conviction that untoward death by any means, including friendly fire, is a chilling thought.
While remaining a patriot, my heart goes out to the victims, family, and friends of any and all who have lost their lives as a result of the two wars in which we have recently been involved. My sympathies also lie with the many, many innocent victims in the two aforementioned occupied countries, plus those in Mexico who have suffered as the result of drug gang violence.
Having said this, what comes next requires a little suspension of disbelief.
The wars in which we are involved overseas have cost many lives and a tremendous amount of money that would be better spent elsewhere. We have a worse "on the road" record than the Pittsburgh Pirates.
We appear to have learned nothing from our past mistakes and are painfully unaware that we do not travel well to distant destinations. Still, we need to acknowledge that our "war room" fanatics become almost anti-social when they do not have a war to fight.
We're recommending that the sane solution is to confine our battles to places closer to home until we are confident we understand not only the culture but the terrain. Our best option appears to be: call it a "tie game'' overseas, pull out our troops, and deploy them to Mexico
Think about it. We could still keep the killing machine up to snuff & address the immigration issue. Why not employ the intelligence of the illegal immigrants currently residing with us to assist us in strategizing a victory against the drug lords based upon their personal knowledge of the country and it's culture.They could become our paid advisors without all that nasty Halliburton stuff.
Our troop's families would also benefit. Loving parents who are rightfully concerned about the welfare of their service members could follow this "New war against drugs" on local TV channels who are shooting actual footage of the developing war.
Tollhouse cookies could be sent down to Mexico through open border gates with little concern over spoilage. Needed conjugal visits could be arranged and thus reduce the divorce rates and the number of "Dear John" letters.
Children's refrigerator drawings would not have to suffer delivery problems at the hands of our inept postal service. UPS could drop them off as they pass through Tijuana.
Arizona tourism would once again thrive now the folks in the rest of the country who have family members involved in the fight finally understand just how close Arizona is to Mexico.
Prescient travel promoters would be quick to arrange packages to visit Cancun and throw in side trips to include battle viewing posts in the more elevated cities. Beats those pesky hills in Gettysburg for the folks in the 1800's.
Troop R & R could become a cottage industry and much more pleasureable than our troops spending their days off watching native kids play soccer with heaven knows what for a ball.
Re-enlistment quotas will be a snap. We'll continue our history of post-war occupation advisors for the next 20 years. Our militia prone folks will be reuping for nothing more than a sombrero, a spanish-english dictionary, two gun belts, a white suit and a case of Corona.
The drug trade routes into our country are costing us one heckuva lot of money not to mention editorial ink. There are many benefits to fighting in Mexico vs places we can't even pronounce. We understand this culture. We watched Dezi Arnaz and The Cisco Kid.
.
The new strategy of the Mexican drug lords to use car bombs and IED's against the Mexican police would be putty in the hands of our drone coordinators - Been there - done that!
Generals could hail a flight on Southwest at noon - incur no baggage fees- and still be in Washington in time to attend the lobbyists cocktail parties on K-street that evening.
We should be in and out of Mexico in 6 months tops according to one ex-Bush official. If McCain re-enlists, we "cut" that to 8 months
.
What immigration problem? We win the war - rebuild the country using Mexican laborers - annex the country - give the police force GI benefits- get rid of those expensive border gates and guards and we're all one happy family. Those former immigrants who chose to could work in Arizona during the week and take a bus home to their loved ones on the weekend. It's a "win/win!" The Lakers , Mavericks, Suns, & Clippers would play exhibition games in Juarez.
There could be a downside, but, if the hawks and defense contractors are upset over the short military involvement, they could now invade Venezuela using the lessons learned from a hispanic culture. They would make mincemeat out of Chavez and his threat to cut off our 35% oil dependency if we don't stop working with Columbia.It's a great country for rebuilding purposes.
Pakistan could resume fighting India instead of us and Afghanistan could go back to growing poppies more efficiently using the agricultural skills we taught them.
Reasonable solution ? Of course not! But, maybe a victory for Lilliputian logic.
Is what we're doing now making any more sense? How long are you willing to allow egomaniacal politicians, nutso military leaders and avaricious defense contractors steal your tax money & give a billion dollars to Pakistan while your kids can't get a decent lunch in their school cafeteria?
One caveat: don't forget the title of this blog.
This is a little like hearing Lindsay Lohan is back in trouble. Regardless, let's forget the office pools as to how many hours of the 90 day sentence Lohan will complete, and try to spend a few minutes in today's blog on the Pakistan/Afghanistan debacle.
First, how in the name of God do you as a government manage to leak 90,000 records of events and intelligence reports? Makes you sort of fear the privacy of the IRS and the Social Security Administration more than that of Facebook, doesn't it?
Second, realize we continue to treat the diverse cultures of countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan like they are Texas & Oklahoma. Only if we find out the latter two are taping each other's Spring football practices should this be allowed to continue.
The immediate response to the news release from various bloggers was that it's only a handful of folks in Pakistan that have their fingers in the cash drawers. They must be related to "Dr. T. "
Others agree that we do not - never have - and never will understand the philosophy of the inhabitants in each country. They suggest in Afhganistan we learned nothing from Russias'10 year vain attempt at winning there. To those who might doubt their wisdom they have the gall to bring up Vietnam and our won /loss statistics over there.
The government's response to the leak? {"How dare they?}"They made no effort to contact us about these documents", said National Security Adviser James Jones.
You go James - deflection and denial have worked for so many recently.
Now, the "second" disclosure in recent media reporting concerns Mexico. This is the country that has stringent immigration laws - about sneaking into their country - not ours.
Now, Mexico has other problems. Guards and officials at a prison in Northern Mexico allegedly let inmates out, lent them guns and sent them off in official vehicles to carry out drug-related killings. These include the massacre of 17 people last week in a party held in Torreon and 16 other deaths in two bars in the same town.
According to witnesses, the prison inmates were allowed to leave -with the authorization of the prison director - to carry out instructions for revenge attacks using official vehicles and weapons. They then returned to their cells.
Finding that the bullets recovered match casings from 4 assault rifles assigned to the prison ,the Mexican authorities took immediate action. The director of the prison and three other officials were placed under a form of house arrest - pending further investigation.
Now, as a overlay to this story it was mentioned that the Mexican authorities allegedly have a 2% conviction rate resulting in prison sentences. It's hard to understand why the miscreants would object to a little jail time - which apparently includes take-out privileges.
Here's this writer's problem . Before doing my Jonathan Swift thing I need to make it clear as to my conviction that untoward death by any means, including friendly fire, is a chilling thought.
While remaining a patriot, my heart goes out to the victims, family, and friends of any and all who have lost their lives as a result of the two wars in which we have recently been involved. My sympathies also lie with the many, many innocent victims in the two aforementioned occupied countries, plus those in Mexico who have suffered as the result of drug gang violence.
Having said this, what comes next requires a little suspension of disbelief.
The wars in which we are involved overseas have cost many lives and a tremendous amount of money that would be better spent elsewhere. We have a worse "on the road" record than the Pittsburgh Pirates.
We appear to have learned nothing from our past mistakes and are painfully unaware that we do not travel well to distant destinations. Still, we need to acknowledge that our "war room" fanatics become almost anti-social when they do not have a war to fight.
We're recommending that the sane solution is to confine our battles to places closer to home until we are confident we understand not only the culture but the terrain. Our best option appears to be: call it a "tie game'' overseas, pull out our troops, and deploy them to Mexico
Think about it. We could still keep the killing machine up to snuff & address the immigration issue. Why not employ the intelligence of the illegal immigrants currently residing with us to assist us in strategizing a victory against the drug lords based upon their personal knowledge of the country and it's culture.They could become our paid advisors without all that nasty Halliburton stuff.
Our troop's families would also benefit. Loving parents who are rightfully concerned about the welfare of their service members could follow this "New war against drugs" on local TV channels who are shooting actual footage of the developing war.
Tollhouse cookies could be sent down to Mexico through open border gates with little concern over spoilage. Needed conjugal visits could be arranged and thus reduce the divorce rates and the number of "Dear John" letters.
Children's refrigerator drawings would not have to suffer delivery problems at the hands of our inept postal service. UPS could drop them off as they pass through Tijuana.
Arizona tourism would once again thrive now the folks in the rest of the country who have family members involved in the fight finally understand just how close Arizona is to Mexico.
Prescient travel promoters would be quick to arrange packages to visit Cancun and throw in side trips to include battle viewing posts in the more elevated cities. Beats those pesky hills in Gettysburg for the folks in the 1800's.
Troop R & R could become a cottage industry and much more pleasureable than our troops spending their days off watching native kids play soccer with heaven knows what for a ball.
Re-enlistment quotas will be a snap. We'll continue our history of post-war occupation advisors for the next 20 years. Our militia prone folks will be reuping for nothing more than a sombrero, a spanish-english dictionary, two gun belts, a white suit and a case of Corona.
The drug trade routes into our country are costing us one heckuva lot of money not to mention editorial ink. There are many benefits to fighting in Mexico vs places we can't even pronounce. We understand this culture. We watched Dezi Arnaz and The Cisco Kid.
.
The new strategy of the Mexican drug lords to use car bombs and IED's against the Mexican police would be putty in the hands of our drone coordinators - Been there - done that!
Generals could hail a flight on Southwest at noon - incur no baggage fees- and still be in Washington in time to attend the lobbyists cocktail parties on K-street that evening.
We should be in and out of Mexico in 6 months tops according to one ex-Bush official. If McCain re-enlists, we "cut" that to 8 months
.
What immigration problem? We win the war - rebuild the country using Mexican laborers - annex the country - give the police force GI benefits- get rid of those expensive border gates and guards and we're all one happy family. Those former immigrants who chose to could work in Arizona during the week and take a bus home to their loved ones on the weekend. It's a "win/win!" The Lakers , Mavericks, Suns, & Clippers would play exhibition games in Juarez.
There could be a downside, but, if the hawks and defense contractors are upset over the short military involvement, they could now invade Venezuela using the lessons learned from a hispanic culture. They would make mincemeat out of Chavez and his threat to cut off our 35% oil dependency if we don't stop working with Columbia.It's a great country for rebuilding purposes.
Pakistan could resume fighting India instead of us and Afghanistan could go back to growing poppies more efficiently using the agricultural skills we taught them.
Reasonable solution ? Of course not! But, maybe a victory for Lilliputian logic.
Is what we're doing now making any more sense? How long are you willing to allow egomaniacal politicians, nutso military leaders and avaricious defense contractors steal your tax money & give a billion dollars to Pakistan while your kids can't get a decent lunch in their school cafeteria?
One caveat: don't forget the title of this blog.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Soothing The Savage Beast
Sitting in my new office - living the life of a retiree - I'm listening via the computer to some jazz music sort of recommended to me by my brother Tom, more than a few years ago. His lead has caused me to expand my CD collection, my mind, and my recommendations to others.
Over time it has been this bloggers experience that the right kind of music can do just what the title above suggests. We'll save any arguments as to the spelling of the last word for another time.
Music can also affect ("you say effect and I say affect") the emotional level of the listener in another way. While some Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovsky At Teatime) can be a walk by a bubbling brook, hearing some of his more strident compositions can be anything but soothing. 1812 Overture? ("If I hear those blinkety blank cannons & bells one more time I'm going to scream!", Mom said. She seldom swore.)
There are times that folks surely have chosen to switch to Mozart, Bach, or perhaps one of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, etc., for the purpose of mood elevation. Neither of my piano trained parents seemed to have the affinity for classical music that I did.
Perhaps music teacher Hazel Goretsky's introduction of Edvard Grieg & Peer Gynt to us in grade school, as well as classmate (and fellow sextetter) Dave Bullock's prodigy like rendition of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff, did the trick for me.
Nothing quite like listening to Morning Mood from Peer Gynt, as I am now..
Most of my jazz interests came from the late 50's and early 60's: Brubeck, Jamal, Garner, Getz, Hodges, Sharon, Evans, Broadbent, Desmond, MJQ, Shearing, Ellis Marsalis, Flanagan, McPartland, Previn, Guaraldi, & Mancini among others.
Recent additions are Beegie Adair, Ruby Braff, Trio 94, Benoit, Botti, Herb Harris & a great pianist listened to often at the Harrisburg Hilton, Steve Rudolph. While Steve has his own unique inventive style every once in a while Bill Evans sneaks in under the Baby Grand lid. Lot's of S.R. and B.E. in my collection.
Favorite vocalists are Sinatra, Nat & Natalie Cole, Christy, Torme, Sassy, Bennett, Barbra, Jack Jones, Krall, Steve & Eydie, Mathis, Perry, Bing, Rosie, N. Wilson, Carmen, Dinah W., Buddy Greco, Peggy Lee, Deano & Sammy, Johnny Hartman & Arthur Prysock.
Some of these guys have suffered a very poor cover at various Karaoke bars as a result of the imitation attempts by yours truly.
My first public performance was in grade school and later when singing in a sextet at Forest Hills Junior High School - three guys and three gals. People still swear the highest voice was my boy soprano. I was slow to enter puberty.
Later harmony highlights were singing with the gang in someone's car as we were returning from playing a basketball game - "in some place out of God's knowledge". Guess who had to do the high part?
This led to a burgeoning group vocal collection that included Four Freshmen, Four Lads, Four Aces, Hilltoppers, Ames Bros, Mills Brothers, Carpenters, Hi-Los, Singers Unlimited, First Call, and Manhattan Transfer.
Singing in a car, school, church, or bar has always been an enjoyable trip for me. Church music directors have been super to a guy who has been singing for almost 70 years but never took the time to learn how to read music.
One favorite, Vicki Webber, was kind enough to allow me to learn a Christmas Cantata by ear via borrowed tapes after I moved away from Pittsburgh. Ever the purist, she obtained my executed promise I would appear at at least one of the final rehearsals before we performed it.
Around the later period in my church performances my first tenor was struggling with my cigarette habit . Solos became a challenge in order to keep from relying on my falsetto leanings.
However, it never failed that regardless of how much I struggled with the high notes in rehearsals at home and church, my prayers on performance night miraculously allowed me to reach the elusive note I sought.
My Dad, considered himself a "Beer Drinking Lutheran" but, favored a drink allegedly made from potatoes. It was dad from whom I inherited my tenor range, and who always encouraged me thusly, "Barry, God gave you a good voice. It's your responsibility to use it."
Maybe on those church performance nights it wasn't just God serving as my overseer. Dad had passed from this world before I entered my "busy season" and might have been pushing me even then.
One of my favorite jazz cuts is from a album by The Trio 1994 . Pianist Derek Smith plays an impromptu version of the spiritual "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" while Tonight Show drummer Bobby Rosengarden, and bassist Milt Hinton, jump on for the ride.
If I can find it, I just might hum along.
I'm sure brother Tom would recommend it as well.
Over time it has been this bloggers experience that the right kind of music can do just what the title above suggests. We'll save any arguments as to the spelling of the last word for another time.
Music can also affect ("you say effect and I say affect") the emotional level of the listener in another way. While some Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovsky At Teatime) can be a walk by a bubbling brook, hearing some of his more strident compositions can be anything but soothing. 1812 Overture? ("If I hear those blinkety blank cannons & bells one more time I'm going to scream!", Mom said. She seldom swore.)
There are times that folks surely have chosen to switch to Mozart, Bach, or perhaps one of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, etc., for the purpose of mood elevation. Neither of my piano trained parents seemed to have the affinity for classical music that I did.
Perhaps music teacher Hazel Goretsky's introduction of Edvard Grieg & Peer Gynt to us in grade school, as well as classmate (and fellow sextetter) Dave Bullock's prodigy like rendition of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff, did the trick for me.
Nothing quite like listening to Morning Mood from Peer Gynt, as I am now..
Most of my jazz interests came from the late 50's and early 60's: Brubeck, Jamal, Garner, Getz, Hodges, Sharon, Evans, Broadbent, Desmond, MJQ, Shearing, Ellis Marsalis, Flanagan, McPartland, Previn, Guaraldi, & Mancini among others.
Recent additions are Beegie Adair, Ruby Braff, Trio 94, Benoit, Botti, Herb Harris & a great pianist listened to often at the Harrisburg Hilton, Steve Rudolph. While Steve has his own unique inventive style every once in a while Bill Evans sneaks in under the Baby Grand lid. Lot's of S.R. and B.E. in my collection.
Favorite vocalists are Sinatra, Nat & Natalie Cole, Christy, Torme, Sassy, Bennett, Barbra, Jack Jones, Krall, Steve & Eydie, Mathis, Perry, Bing, Rosie, N. Wilson, Carmen, Dinah W., Buddy Greco, Peggy Lee, Deano & Sammy, Johnny Hartman & Arthur Prysock.
Some of these guys have suffered a very poor cover at various Karaoke bars as a result of the imitation attempts by yours truly.
My first public performance was in grade school and later when singing in a sextet at Forest Hills Junior High School - three guys and three gals. People still swear the highest voice was my boy soprano. I was slow to enter puberty.
Later harmony highlights were singing with the gang in someone's car as we were returning from playing a basketball game - "in some place out of God's knowledge". Guess who had to do the high part?
This led to a burgeoning group vocal collection that included Four Freshmen, Four Lads, Four Aces, Hilltoppers, Ames Bros, Mills Brothers, Carpenters, Hi-Los, Singers Unlimited, First Call, and Manhattan Transfer.
Singing in a car, school, church, or bar has always been an enjoyable trip for me. Church music directors have been super to a guy who has been singing for almost 70 years but never took the time to learn how to read music.
One favorite, Vicki Webber, was kind enough to allow me to learn a Christmas Cantata by ear via borrowed tapes after I moved away from Pittsburgh. Ever the purist, she obtained my executed promise I would appear at at least one of the final rehearsals before we performed it.
Around the later period in my church performances my first tenor was struggling with my cigarette habit . Solos became a challenge in order to keep from relying on my falsetto leanings.
However, it never failed that regardless of how much I struggled with the high notes in rehearsals at home and church, my prayers on performance night miraculously allowed me to reach the elusive note I sought.
My Dad, considered himself a "Beer Drinking Lutheran" but, favored a drink allegedly made from potatoes. It was dad from whom I inherited my tenor range, and who always encouraged me thusly, "Barry, God gave you a good voice. It's your responsibility to use it."
Maybe on those church performance nights it wasn't just God serving as my overseer. Dad had passed from this world before I entered my "busy season" and might have been pushing me even then.
One of my favorite jazz cuts is from a album by The Trio 1994 . Pianist Derek Smith plays an impromptu version of the spiritual "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" while Tonight Show drummer Bobby Rosengarden, and bassist Milt Hinton, jump on for the ride.
If I can find it, I just might hum along.
I'm sure brother Tom would recommend it as well.
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