I was up early this morning before the sun had even edged over the horizon. Why I couldn’t sleep finally came to me. It was an important day. It’s not just a National Holiday, this is Clint Eastwood’s 80th Birthday!
Do you feel lucky, PUNK!
To many people he is “Dirty Harry” with the really big gun; the magnum. He always represented that unstoppable force. Cool and calculating, never striking until he has his target clearly in his sights. Clint could freeze you like a deer in the headlights with that cold hard stare of his. Cowboys and Cops are his stock and trade and have become the stuff of Hollywood legend.
For me he will remain the ageless Rowdy Yates of Rawhide fame. I didn’t quite understand what a ramrod was supposed to be, but if he was “the ramrod of this outfit” that’s what I wanted to be. Punching cattle or bad guys, it made little difference to Rowdy. And he was pretty handy with the ladies, too.
Get those cattle out of the street!
Thanks for all the memories, Clint! Here’s to your 80th! And may you have 80 more just as good.
Enjoy the videoooooo!
- Bucky has left the building!
“We can’t all be heroes, because somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by.” – Will Rogers 1879 – 1935
There are many who cannot be thanked in person. It is for that reason we honor their memory on this the last Sunday of May. We remember the fallen heroes who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. May 30th was originally called “Decoration Day” to honor the Civil War dead in 1868. It was made an official holiday in 1971 and has been known as Memorial Day since that time.
I recall the times I would tag along with Dad as he made the rounds of the other Vets at the American Legion Post. There were always the raucous sounds and glad handing as each new member joined the group of graying men. There would be moments more solemn as one after another those who lost thier lives in battle are remembered. There’s Joe’s brother lost at Iwo Jima, someone else’s cousin or uncle who fell on Omaha Beach. Soon they are joined by Al, the Pruple Heart reciepient. He doesn’t extend his hand in friendship. He has none, as everyone already knows, he left them in the fight in North Africa. He wears the battle scars as lifetime souvenirs of war. You could see from their faces that those lost comrades would live in these men’s hearts and minds until they drew their last breath; most of them have by this bright Sring day in 2010.
So, while you enjoy a backyard get together with family or head out to a National Park, don’t forget to take a moment to show appreciation for the sacrifices made by others to pay the cost of our freedom. It is a cost that remains high but must continually be paid if democracy and freedom are to remain our way of life. This is my way of saying thank you, I will never forget.
I’d like to introduce a new writer to our group. He is Percy V. Daswitty – you can call him Pete – and no that isn’t his picture. He actually isn’t that good looking. I will provide you his short bio in a later post. Without further ado, here’s Percy!
- Hugh Betcha
Things have certainly changed on Sesame Street. Damned economy!
“Elmo not looking so tickled about the current economy.”
We are all aware of the presence of the homeless population nationwide; especially here in Tucson where the numbers have risen quite dramatically over the past several years. There is almost no place in town where a homeless individual cannot be seen. Amongst the flow of traffic, the activity of the storefronts and shopping malls, and at the parks and other recreational areas are seen the plight of these struggling people. Either trudging along with their gear, frequenting the soup kitchens and local shelters, sleeping, or just languishing at the bus stops without the means or intent of boarding to simply stay out of the heat and pass the time.
This is a very tragic and miserably draining existence. Yet it seems that the only attention given to them by the city, county, and the media is superficial at best. They compile and report the statistics, and cover the attendance of the shelters and holiday dinners. But no meaningful efforts are made to offer them real moral support or to bolster their sense of self-esteem and worth. True, there are employment and housing programs available, but they are limited and there are too few of them. Furthermore, successful participants in these programs need some initial motivation. Too many are predisposed to fail either by rejection or by ingrained habits.
Therefore I have taken it upon myself to suggest the implementation of some incentives to provide these souls with a sense of dignity:
1) A reloadable debit card that would be inserted into a slot at automatic coin-sorting machines at any supermarket. That way they can proudly ask for “cash back” at the register.
2) Sell beer at the dollar stores along with the toilet paper and cookies that have become staples. Sales would be phenomenal. They couldn’t keep it on the shelves and the lines would be endless. Talk about great product placement!
3) Allow campsites to become townships where they could enact laws and vote in local elections. A place to be a real “Mover and Shaker” instead of having a bowel movement under a tree.
These are but only three of the many possible incentives to reintegrate these men and women into society and providing the acceptance that is due. They are ambitious programs that will take much concerted effort and time, but they can be achieved with the support of citizens and government. Someone like Gabrielle Giffords would have a great influence. I wouldn’t kick her out of camp for spilling a sack lunch!
- Percy V. Daswitty
Note: Of course, this little article is strictly satire and was never intended to be serious or defamatory. In “Wikipedia” there is included in the definition of satire that “The most light-hearted satire always leaves an after-taste.” I am not a clueless or insensitive outsider looking in. There is tremendous depression out there, and I know more than you think. Until next time.
We all need companionship in our lives; the special someone that completes and makes us whole. The quest for love can be a long or short journey. It should begin with looking inside ourselves.
Success is based upon our self-image and how we perceive the world outside ourselves. If we are busy cutting ourselves down and fail to appreciate the qualities we have to offer others, then we won’t consider ourselves worthy of the love and attention we seek.
This can determine how we view the world and whether or not we can see the inner qualities that others have to share. It’s an attitude really. If you expect the worst you often get it. Holding a mental image that is positive will return a more favorable outcome. This doesn’t mean we should become narcissistic. No one is perfect, so don’t even go there. But we can find love inspite of our flaws. We can also determine to take realistic steps to improve ourselves and be on a path of change and growth. More will be gained from living everyday if we are always learning and growing.
If you don’t have someone special in your life right now you can invest your time in taking stock of yourself and learning to love yourself and the world around you. It will make a huge diference in how others see you. It will build confidence and make you more interesting and attractive so you will be ready when that right person comes along.
If you are in a relationship at this time you still may want to reexamine yourself and find ways to improve it’s quality and strengthen the bond between you. Maintaining the health of your love life is important in the long term.
It is Wednesday and that means the work week is half over. Take your partner out to for dinner tonight to a familiar setting or some place new. Add some zest to both your lives and see what happens.
Hugh loves you, Baby!
- Hugh Betcha
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.
- Friedrich Nietzsche
When I stopped by Hugh’s place to visit with my little brother, I didn’t see this tree on the way out. My truck is a bit big and hard to see around. “Where’d that tree come from?” was my first thought. Then I thought it was one of Hugh’s efforts to improve the property.
Was that tree already like that?
“Was this already down?” I didn’t even feel a thing. Hugh, of course, gets all excited the way he does. He has never forgiven me for all the times I would invite my friends over to kick the shit out of his snow forts after he had spent the day building them. Growing up in Illinois was great. Those were the good old days. He should be glad we didn’t kick the shit out of him. Little brothers just don’t know how to be grateful.
Too bad about that Aloe Vera
To make a long story short he accusd me of being senile and I told him to build a bridge and get over it.
I hope you will accept my apology!
How many ways can I say “I’m sorry.” I’m outta here!
- Joe Mama
It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.
P. G. Wodehouse
I remember Ray Stevens from songs like “Ahab the Arab” and “Everything is beautiful”. Looks like he’s still at it. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did. Perhaps it is time for a little humor to be added to the mix. There has been enough vitriol and plenty of street protests and demonstrations over our stand on illegal immigration. Time for a real change. I say, let laughter guide our way.
It is interesting that Americans are reviled as villains throughout the world. I wonder how many of our citizens are cooling their heels in foreign jails and prisons while they are dealt with for their transgressions in those other nations. We can all use a dose of tolerance.
Hugh loves ya, Baby!
-Hugh Betcha
I have seen great intolerance shown in support of tolerance. Samuel Taylor Coleridge
This morning was a thoughful one. As I tended to tasks out among the cactus I was approached by a hummingbird in flight. He was out for an early breakfast no doubt. I stood still and he appeared not to notice me even as he came within two feet of me. Thoughts of the wonder and abundance of nature filled my teeny brain as I watched in awe.
I was reminded, as I am each year about this time, that the more I learn, the more I realize how little I actually know; how little any of us can know. The total knowledge of mankind is less than a water droplet in the ocean of universal knowledge. There is wisdom and knowledge that do not even exist to our unevolved minds that may one day be revealed.
Each year, as summer approaches, I take inventory and make assessments about my progress toward personal growth. Why now? Instead of the calendar year, I tend to coincide my introspective periods with the approaching anniversary of my birth. In addition to issues of health and finance I review what I’ve learned about myself and the world around me. Most of it has to do with the influence by internal and external forces on the way we perceive and create reality inside our heads.
The majority of what composes Existence (I use a capital E to express the totality of creation) is beyond the scope of our feeble faculties to perceive. Like sounds only a dog can hear, there is much that we fail to see. The rest is distorted by our limited ability to assimilate all the data that bombards us. So, in the end it is filtered by our brains and influenced by our personal bias to the point that the remainder is little more than illusion.
I realize that the next book I read from the library or the next science or history documentary I view is unlikely to provide a supreme answer to the meaning of life, but, then again, each step along the path is a step toward progress and perhaps makes life a little meaningful. If it makes us more understanding and tolerant of others, then that is an accomplishment. If it makes us more compassionate to the needs of the less fortunate, then it has taught us to grow within. If it makes us more aware of life’s opportunities then it has proved worthwhile.
Use each day as an opportunity to learn and to grow. Make it a point to review your day and appreciate the process. Sequential recollection practiced daily will not only improve memory it will enhance the value of each day’s lessons. Take the time to observe, analyze and to comprehend the magic and mystery that is you. Make life a voyage of self discovery. Bon Voyage!
- Hugh Betcha
“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
Heaven help us! It’s all some sort of nightmare! Not really, I just felt like saying that. It reminds me of one of those memorable lines from a bad science-fiction movie of the 50s.
Now that the drama is out of the way let’s talk about summer. If you aren’t planning to boycott Arizona you may want to visit some of our amazing attractions like the Grand Canyon. That is one of the parks that will remain open, Kartchner Caverns is another. Many of our State Parks will close down due to budget constraints.
If you travel by car you’ll need to learn to hold it in while driving across Arizona. Many of our rest stops will also be closed. Hard times, hard times! So come and visit us and bring lots of money, we need it here. There are many things to see and do in the “Copper State.” We look forward to seeing you, and your MONEY!
If you live in Arizona then you should do as I plan to do; make yourself a fun-filled Staycation here at home. Spend those devalued greenbacks in Arizona. And while your at it, I have some old stuff I don’t need anymore for sale on Craig’s List, take a look.
How often do we ask, “what if?” I would think that at some level we ask ourselves this question everyday; probably more than once. Weighing in at a mere two letters and one syllable in length this deceptively simple word conveys infinite power and responsibility. “If” proposes a speculative outcome by assuming conditions that may or may not exist, in fact.
One online source defines it this way: a conjunction used to indicate the circumstances that would have to exist in order for an event to happen. “If only, if not for…” We can plague ourselves with “if.” “If” can challenge and inspire us, or it can deceive us with seeming impossibility. By applying our imagination – “If” can free us from “Pavlovian slavery” to our primitive preconditioning. This allows us to see new possibilities in the world around us and to learn better ways to live our lives.
In decision making “if” can allow us to assess a variety of strategies by applying hypothetical situations. “If” becomes the fulcrum upon which we weigh the risk of our proposed ventures. Of course we cannot always foretell all the pitfalls, but we can playout diiferent scenarios as would a chessmaster and, therefore, avoid certain risks.
We sometimes use “if” to beat ourselves or others over the head. “If you had done what I asked..” or “If I was only smarter or stronger.” Doubt causes us to second guess ourselves when the outcome of our decisions fails to match our expectations.
In hopelessness or regret “If” can express our sentiments over the things we did or did not do. What if I had married _________? Or taken that job in ____________? What if I hadn’t made this bad choice or that one (choosing the “pretty” car over the economical car)?
As we can see then, “if” can lift us high into the clouds of our imagination and seek no limits or it can be our “Albatross” and in the end leave us bitter in remorse.
What are the “What ifs” that are most important to you? Leave a comment or email me.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!
“Off with their heads!” That famous exclaimation is courtesy of the Queen of Hearts. And it ties in nicely with the story of Orville Richardson from Burlington, Iowa. Corn Country!
The Associated Press story that appeared last week chronicles the plight of this 81 year-old Iowan who passed away more than a year ago. It seems he had a signed contract with Alcor Life Extension Foundation to remove his head for cryonic suspension.
Now, I believe in a few things that some of you might think are a bit far out. But I don’t believe that in the near or distant future they are going to reanimate a corpse. It makes for a great movie plot. I sure as heck don’t think they will ever reanimate a “head what ain’t got no body.”
There have been cases of animals being frozen and thawed out for experimentation, but here the animals were alive at the time of freezing. This I can accept as a reality. How about you?
It seems after Orville paid Alcor his $53,500, his siblings advised him that they would have no part of it. They buried him despite his wishes. Well, when Alcor learned of this several months later – his brother, David, had asked for a refund. Oops – they took the family to court. Wouldn’t this have made a great episode for “Judge Judy?”
After initially being denied, Alcor won on appeal and the family was ordered to exhume the body and comply with the directives of the deceased. The Foundation will now have a head that has been embalmed and interred for over a year. According to Alcor the process should begin within minutes of the last heart beat. I think that ship has sailed.
So what is the interest in pursuing the process? You got me! Money? Notoriety? They acheived the latter awhile back with the acquisition of the final remains of Hall of Famer, Ted Willaims. His slender physique once earned him the moniker of “the Splendid Splinter.” He will like now be remembered as the “Perpetual Popsicle.” In Williams’ situation it was the son who wanted his remains frozen. Others close to him claimed he would never have wanted such a thing. I personally believe that he would have found it to be a waste of time. You can never be sure how a person is going to feel as they approach death. So, who know what old Ted wanted?
I know what I want. I want to come back as a Nēnē – also known as Hawaiian Goose – so I can enjoy the beauty of the Islands. According to the Death Clock it won’t be until July of 2044.
Until then, keep you powder dry and enjoy the video.
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