Monday, April 30, 2018
My April 2018 Running Report
In April I ran for 45 total miles, missing six days with 3.2 miles being my longest single run...pretty low numbers. I passed up on racing opportunities and, well, the reason is clear: I physically did not feel well enough. In mid-month I suffered from a slight back strain and had to take some time off from the activity. I'd like to increase my running in May, but I'll just have to take things one day at a time. Also, the extra overtime I'm getting on my job has cut into the time of day that I would normally be out there hitting the road. After work at the gym may be my best option to train and stay in shape. I think there's a 5K race on May 18...maybe I'll work up to it...
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Looking Back on 1968
After working a little more than my full shift at my workplace, I came home and naturally sat down to relax and watch one of my favorite TV channels: C-Span. It was showing a recap of the tumultuous year of 1968 when assassinations, war, the election, and all the protests were going on. I was there in the middle of it all...no, I wasn't in any of the news stories, I was just an eleven year old kid, going on twelve, and trying to get through my relatively insignificant little life...
The first half of 1968 had me in the sixth grade, a "senior" at my Nova Elementary School in Davie. The second half I was a lowly seventh grader across the field at Nova High. Now here's the kicker: when we were supposedly younger and less mature, we didn't lord our seniority over the lower grades...but in Nova High, the upperclassman were extremely hierarchical about their position and imagined superiority. Doubtless this "reverse-maturity" had a great deal to do with adolescence and the need in some primitive, mammalian-brain-dominated classmates to establish some kind of pecking order. Nevertheless, it was disconcerting for me in August of that year to meet up with kids just a class ahead of me whom I knew back in Nova Elementary and who suddenly didn't recognize me...or pretended not do...
If there was one theme that dominated my life back in 1968 and gave the year a personal stamp, it was my peculiar hobby of AM radio DX-ng, that is, listening to distant stations on the radio. This would occur during the nighttime when picking up stations hundreds and even thousands of miles away was possible...I would regularly listen from my south Floridian home in Hollywood to stations like WBT/Charlotte, NC, WABC/New York, WBZ/Boston, WSM/Nashville, TN, and TransWorld Radio from Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. I would tune in on frequencies that were essentially a jumbled mess of sounds and strain my ears to pick out anything coherent among the noise...it was definitely a training period for me in both learning to listen and cultivating patience. During the second half of 1968 I discovered that the second-year American Basketball Association had a franchise in Miami called the Floridians...I closely followed their games on Miami's low power AM station WOCN/1450...that was perhaps my most memorable sports season, especially when you couple it with the Miami Dolphin's 1968 season under coach George Wilson: they went 5-8-1 that year but had most of the players they would be using to later go to three Super Bowls, win two, and go undefeated in 1972...
1968 was the year of the long song, which AM radio had previously steadfastly avoided. Hey Jude, MacArthur Park, Time Will Come Today, Those Were the Days, and Sky Pilot, to name some of the more prominent, got a lot of airtime...I know, because I'd be trying to get a station's ID and had to wait until the damned song was finally over! It was also the year that The Prisoner, one of my all-time favorite television series, began its 17-episode run on CBS. So no, I wasn't at all caught up with the turmoil and war and politics the way it is being presented on retrospective documentaries...no, I was caught up with my own life...
The first half of 1968 had me in the sixth grade, a "senior" at my Nova Elementary School in Davie. The second half I was a lowly seventh grader across the field at Nova High. Now here's the kicker: when we were supposedly younger and less mature, we didn't lord our seniority over the lower grades...but in Nova High, the upperclassman were extremely hierarchical about their position and imagined superiority. Doubtless this "reverse-maturity" had a great deal to do with adolescence and the need in some primitive, mammalian-brain-dominated classmates to establish some kind of pecking order. Nevertheless, it was disconcerting for me in August of that year to meet up with kids just a class ahead of me whom I knew back in Nova Elementary and who suddenly didn't recognize me...or pretended not do...
If there was one theme that dominated my life back in 1968 and gave the year a personal stamp, it was my peculiar hobby of AM radio DX-ng, that is, listening to distant stations on the radio. This would occur during the nighttime when picking up stations hundreds and even thousands of miles away was possible...I would regularly listen from my south Floridian home in Hollywood to stations like WBT/Charlotte, NC, WABC/New York, WBZ/Boston, WSM/Nashville, TN, and TransWorld Radio from Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. I would tune in on frequencies that were essentially a jumbled mess of sounds and strain my ears to pick out anything coherent among the noise...it was definitely a training period for me in both learning to listen and cultivating patience. During the second half of 1968 I discovered that the second-year American Basketball Association had a franchise in Miami called the Floridians...I closely followed their games on Miami's low power AM station WOCN/1450...that was perhaps my most memorable sports season, especially when you couple it with the Miami Dolphin's 1968 season under coach George Wilson: they went 5-8-1 that year but had most of the players they would be using to later go to three Super Bowls, win two, and go undefeated in 1972...
1968 was the year of the long song, which AM radio had previously steadfastly avoided. Hey Jude, MacArthur Park, Time Will Come Today, Those Were the Days, and Sky Pilot, to name some of the more prominent, got a lot of airtime...I know, because I'd be trying to get a station's ID and had to wait until the damned song was finally over! It was also the year that The Prisoner, one of my all-time favorite television series, began its 17-episode run on CBS. So no, I wasn't at all caught up with the turmoil and war and politics the way it is being presented on retrospective documentaries...no, I was caught up with my own life...
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Just Finished Reading The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine
The Absolute Value of Mike is a short 2011 teen-level novel by Kathryn Erskine. Mike, a 14-year old challenged by anything mathematical, happens to have as his widowed father a renowned mathematician who has great plans for his son's future in engineering...too bad Mike doesn't in any way want to be an engineer! Dad one day tells Mike that he will be going to teach a few weeks in Romania, and that Mike will be staying with Aunt Moo and Uncle Poppy out in a small Pennsylvania town where Poppy is developing an artesian screw. Mike doesn't know this aunt and uncle of his father and knows that such an engineering project is designed to enable him to go to a science-based special school that he wants to avoid...so the summer stay-over appeals very little to him. When he arrives there, he finds the situation completely unlike what he had expected...and through the various crises affecting those living there he discovers his own special talents and calling...
Erskine injected a lot of humor into her story, which Mike tells in the first person. Her protagonist, although just a kid, seems to be the only one around who is capable of thinking clearly...in a curious way this causes him at times to descend into angry fits at different people whose self-absorption and grief have allowed them to renege on their responsibilities to each other and to themselves. The town's big project is to raise enough money in a short time for one of its residents to be able to adopt Misha, a Romanian orphan...and Mike finds himself unwillingly put in charge of it all. But before anything can be done, he needs to do some major work helping folks repair their broken lives and stop deceiving themselves...until one of them reveals to Mike that he is also living a broken life of self-deception...
It got a little frustrating reading about a young adolescent acting more mature and reasonable than the adults surrounding him, but I get the fact that the target audience for this book is someone around Mike's age. It's very easy reading, and I enjoyed seeing things from the perspective of this kid...I certainly wasn't anywhere nearly as rationale or lucid when I was that age. And there are some good lessons to be learned from his experiences: The Absolute Value of Mike is a worthwhile way to spend some reading time, regardless of your age...
Erskine injected a lot of humor into her story, which Mike tells in the first person. Her protagonist, although just a kid, seems to be the only one around who is capable of thinking clearly...in a curious way this causes him at times to descend into angry fits at different people whose self-absorption and grief have allowed them to renege on their responsibilities to each other and to themselves. The town's big project is to raise enough money in a short time for one of its residents to be able to adopt Misha, a Romanian orphan...and Mike finds himself unwillingly put in charge of it all. But before anything can be done, he needs to do some major work helping folks repair their broken lives and stop deceiving themselves...until one of them reveals to Mike that he is also living a broken life of self-deception...
It got a little frustrating reading about a young adolescent acting more mature and reasonable than the adults surrounding him, but I get the fact that the target audience for this book is someone around Mike's age. It's very easy reading, and I enjoyed seeing things from the perspective of this kid...I certainly wasn't anywhere nearly as rationale or lucid when I was that age. And there are some good lessons to be learned from his experiences: The Absolute Value of Mike is a worthwhile way to spend some reading time, regardless of your age...
Friday, April 27, 2018
Quote of the Week...from Mark Twain
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. ---Mark Twain.
I think one of the biggest problems people have when undertaking ambitious projects in their lives are others around them who berate their goals and drive. What's worse, when the inevitable struggles that accompany the beginning and forging of a major endeavor arise, the reaction from others can be equally negative. I have had projects and goals in the past and a few with which I am currently engaged, but past experience has taught me to keep them close to the vest and not openly share with others outside my supportive family what I am trying to accomplish. That's enough about Twain's "small people", but what about his "really great"?
I believe with all of my heart that people who have achieved greatness in different areas can play a very important role in helping those pursuing significant, related goals in their lives...the only problem for me is that almost all of the ones who seemed to display any interest in sharing that greatness have been authors and speakers from books, television, and radio. This "from a distance" encouraging and motivating can only go so far...after all, they haven't a clue about who I am or my own abilities and values, seeing that we've never met. Sad to say, the people I have encountered over the years who by any calculation would be considered "great", when around me, have seemed more intent on establishing their superiority over me on the social hierarchy totem pole than imparting any sense that I, too, could follow their example. I have heard stories from people who have led very successful careers, and almost without exception they point to one or more people in their past who instilled confidence and hope that they had what it takes to excel in their own right. Of course, my wonderful family encourages me out of love and I appreciate that...but what I'm talking about here is what Twain is talking about...successful people outside the family who can reach out to others: Twain says they do reach out...a few others say a few of them helped in their lives...and I say I'll believe it when I see it and I ain't seen it yet. This void for me has been especially remarkable considering the great number of "teachers" I went through in elementary, junior, and senior high school, any of whom could have made a big difference in my life but none chose to. The NEA can have their self-promoting commercials: I have my own clear memories to the contrary...
I think one of the biggest problems people have when undertaking ambitious projects in their lives are others around them who berate their goals and drive. What's worse, when the inevitable struggles that accompany the beginning and forging of a major endeavor arise, the reaction from others can be equally negative. I have had projects and goals in the past and a few with which I am currently engaged, but past experience has taught me to keep them close to the vest and not openly share with others outside my supportive family what I am trying to accomplish. That's enough about Twain's "small people", but what about his "really great"?
I believe with all of my heart that people who have achieved greatness in different areas can play a very important role in helping those pursuing significant, related goals in their lives...the only problem for me is that almost all of the ones who seemed to display any interest in sharing that greatness have been authors and speakers from books, television, and radio. This "from a distance" encouraging and motivating can only go so far...after all, they haven't a clue about who I am or my own abilities and values, seeing that we've never met. Sad to say, the people I have encountered over the years who by any calculation would be considered "great", when around me, have seemed more intent on establishing their superiority over me on the social hierarchy totem pole than imparting any sense that I, too, could follow their example. I have heard stories from people who have led very successful careers, and almost without exception they point to one or more people in their past who instilled confidence and hope that they had what it takes to excel in their own right. Of course, my wonderful family encourages me out of love and I appreciate that...but what I'm talking about here is what Twain is talking about...successful people outside the family who can reach out to others: Twain says they do reach out...a few others say a few of them helped in their lives...and I say I'll believe it when I see it and I ain't seen it yet. This void for me has been especially remarkable considering the great number of "teachers" I went through in elementary, junior, and senior high school, any of whom could have made a big difference in my life but none chose to. The NEA can have their self-promoting commercials: I have my own clear memories to the contrary...
Thursday, April 26, 2018
4/22 Sermon on Daniel, Pt. 3
At the Family Church here in Gainesville, senior pastor Philip Griffin continued his series on the Old Testament book of Daniel, this message titled Standing When All Others Bow and focusing on Daniel Chapter 3, which you can click on and read through Bible Gateway.
King Nebuchadnezzar has decided to build a ninety-foot tall, nine-foot wide golden idol...possibly of himself...and has commanded all of his officials to fall down and worship it...or else suffer death in a fiery furnace. Daniel's faithful Jewish friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse, though, and when word of this reaches the prideful Babylonian king, he is enraged. His anger further intensifies when he hears them say that their God would rescue them from the flames...but even if he didn't they still would not worship the idol. As it turns out, God does rescue them while in the furnace and nothing of theirs...including their clothing...is burnt. The king repents and appoints them to high posts of authority...
Pastor Philip used this story to discuss the idea of holding to one's faith in God and remaining standing when all others bow, listing three important elements: there is pressure to reform, faith has a price, and suffering contains a promise. It is often easy to bend one's principles in small things and belittle their significance...everybody's doing it, no one will know, and so on goes the rationalizing. Philip also brought up the point that Nebuchadnezzar was a pluralist in religious matters: you could worship your own God...but you'd better worship his as well. We don't worship giant golden idols in our day, but we have our own idols we put beside the real God: money, power, pleasure, sex, to mention a few of them...so maybe we're not as different from the king of Babylon as we would like to imagine ourselves. The price of faith is the willingness to suffer for it to the glory of God and the building of his kingdom...and that price has often been death...one estimate that our pastor revealed was that 70 million Christians since Jesus have paid that price for their faithfulness. But as Philip pointed out, suffering by faith is not only inevitable, but it contains the promises that our character will be purified through it and that God joins us in our suffering. And he concluded the message by stressing that we need to let God, not ourselves, be the one in charge of advancing our success while we refuse to bow down to our culture's idols...and that we are to make Christ first in our hearts, in our day, in our consideration, and in our finances. Whew, that's a lot of wisdom to digest...thank you, Philip!
You can watch Pastor Philip's message online through YouTube...just click on the following link: [TFC Videos]. The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street, meets for its services Sunday mornings at 9 and 10:30. They have the weekly message, praise and worship music, friendly people, prayer, learning...and free coffee and refreshments. Daniel Part 4 will be the message this Sunday...
King Nebuchadnezzar has decided to build a ninety-foot tall, nine-foot wide golden idol...possibly of himself...and has commanded all of his officials to fall down and worship it...or else suffer death in a fiery furnace. Daniel's faithful Jewish friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse, though, and when word of this reaches the prideful Babylonian king, he is enraged. His anger further intensifies when he hears them say that their God would rescue them from the flames...but even if he didn't they still would not worship the idol. As it turns out, God does rescue them while in the furnace and nothing of theirs...including their clothing...is burnt. The king repents and appoints them to high posts of authority...
Pastor Philip used this story to discuss the idea of holding to one's faith in God and remaining standing when all others bow, listing three important elements: there is pressure to reform, faith has a price, and suffering contains a promise. It is often easy to bend one's principles in small things and belittle their significance...everybody's doing it, no one will know, and so on goes the rationalizing. Philip also brought up the point that Nebuchadnezzar was a pluralist in religious matters: you could worship your own God...but you'd better worship his as well. We don't worship giant golden idols in our day, but we have our own idols we put beside the real God: money, power, pleasure, sex, to mention a few of them...so maybe we're not as different from the king of Babylon as we would like to imagine ourselves. The price of faith is the willingness to suffer for it to the glory of God and the building of his kingdom...and that price has often been death...one estimate that our pastor revealed was that 70 million Christians since Jesus have paid that price for their faithfulness. But as Philip pointed out, suffering by faith is not only inevitable, but it contains the promises that our character will be purified through it and that God joins us in our suffering. And he concluded the message by stressing that we need to let God, not ourselves, be the one in charge of advancing our success while we refuse to bow down to our culture's idols...and that we are to make Christ first in our hearts, in our day, in our consideration, and in our finances. Whew, that's a lot of wisdom to digest...thank you, Philip!
You can watch Pastor Philip's message online through YouTube...just click on the following link: [TFC Videos]. The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street, meets for its services Sunday mornings at 9 and 10:30. They have the weekly message, praise and worship music, friendly people, prayer, learning...and free coffee and refreshments. Daniel Part 4 will be the message this Sunday...
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Wednesday's Short Story: Hop-Frog by Edgar Allan Poe
I recently checked out a book of short stories by American horror and mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe. Included among the tales, featuring Masque of the Red Death, the Pit and the Pendulum, the Tell-Tale Heart, and the Raven, is Hop-Frog, originally published in 1849, the year of the author's mysterious premature death at age 40. His stories are full of murderous characters concocting different creative schemes of enacting revenge against their enemies: Hop-Frog is no exception. Set in a kingdom run by a tyrant with his councilors, Hop-Frog is the court jester, a dwarf with a defect causing his walk to resemble that of a toad or frog...hence the name. A young dwarf woman, Trippeta, has also been brought to the court and the two become friends. One day the king decides to play a cruel joke on Hop-Frog, who is well-known to not be able to drink alcohol without quickly becoming intoxicated. In the presence of the abetting councilors, he forces the jester to down drink after drink. When Trippeta steps up and implores the king to stop, he hits her and throws a drink in her face. Hop-Frog immediately sobers up and suggests to the evil king a practical joke that he and his councilors can play on the unsuspecting crowd in the upcoming masquerade party: they will all be dressed up as orangutans and will frighten the party-goers as they charge toward them. Of course, this is an Edgar Allan Poe story and we all know that Hop-Frog has something vengeful in mind, not at all good fun as the king and his cohorts believe...
Poe's stories display an intensity of horror for which I've found no match, not even in today's literary world overflowing with horror writers. Hop-Frog fits this pattern, although I originally began reading it thinking okay, here's a story placed in a fairy tale setting that isn't about some twisted soul committed a ghastly revenge murder on an unsuspecting victim. Oh well, the author obviously had issues of his own to deal with, and apparently this kind of writing worked for him. Upon reading Hop-Frog, I discovered that Poe wrote it with a fellow writer in mind (along with her literary friends) whom he had accused of spreading scurrilous gossip about him regarding another woman. I don't particularly care for the writing of Edgar Allan Poe, but I may go over some of his other, more famous stories just because he is a historical figure in American literature...and then return the book...
Poe's stories display an intensity of horror for which I've found no match, not even in today's literary world overflowing with horror writers. Hop-Frog fits this pattern, although I originally began reading it thinking okay, here's a story placed in a fairy tale setting that isn't about some twisted soul committed a ghastly revenge murder on an unsuspecting victim. Oh well, the author obviously had issues of his own to deal with, and apparently this kind of writing worked for him. Upon reading Hop-Frog, I discovered that Poe wrote it with a fellow writer in mind (along with her literary friends) whom he had accused of spreading scurrilous gossip about him regarding another woman. I don't particularly care for the writing of Edgar Allan Poe, but I may go over some of his other, more famous stories just because he is a historical figure in American literature...and then return the book...
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Tuesday's List: My Top Three Favorite Songs of Various Musical Artists, Pt. 3
And so I continue with my ongoing weekly list of three personal favorite songs from different musical acts over the span of their careers. This week I'm creeping a little closer to the present, but still stuck in the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s for the most part...although some of the songs listed may belong outside that range. And a reminder: this is not my critique of these acts' greatest songs, rather a listing of those that made the greatest positive impact on me. Check it out...you probably have your own favorites of some of these artists...
MANFRED MANN
1 RUNNER (Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
2 BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
3 MIGHTY QUINN
JIMMY BUFFET
1 CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE
2 COME MONDAY
3 VOLCANO
THE ALLMAN BROTHERS
1 RAMBLIN' MAN
2 WHIPPING POST
3 JESSICA
BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE
1 YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET
2 LOOKIN' OUT FOR #1
3 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS
THE GRATEFUL DEAD
1 TRUCKIN'
2 SHAKEDOWN STREET
3 TOUCH OF GREY
MICHAEL JACKSON
1 MAN IN THE MIRROR
2 ROCK WITH YOU
3 BEAT IT
MEN AT WORK
1 BE GOOD JOHNNY
2 IT'S A MISTAKE
3 WHO CAN IT BE NOW
GENESIS
1 HOME BY THE SEA
2 ABACAB
3 TURN IT ON AGAIN
PETER GABRIEL
1 SHOCK THE MONKEY
2 BIG TIME
3 SLEDGEHAMMER
DURAN DURAN
1 SAVE A PRAYER
2 HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
3 NEW MOON ON MONDAY
BLONDIE
1 RAPTURE
2 ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
3 HEART OF GLASS
STING
1 ALL THIS TIME
2 FIELDS OF GOLD
3 IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY SET THEM FREE
PRINCE
1 RASPBERRY BERET
2 KISS
3 LET'S GO CRAZY
U2
1 I WILL FOLLOW
2 BULLET THE BLUE SKY
2 DESIRE
HALL AND OATES
1 I CAN'T GO FOR THAT
2 PRIVATE EYES
3 KISS ON MY LIST
BOZ SKAGGS
1 LIDO SHUFFLE
2 BREAKDOWN DEAD AHEAD
3 LOWDOWN
PAT BENATAR
1 PROMISES IN THE DARK
2 LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD
3 HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
ROBERT PLANT
1 TALL COOL ONE
2 BURNING DOWN ONE SIDE
3 BIG LOG
CHRISTOPHER CROSS
1 SAILING
2 RIDE LIKE THE WIND
3 ARTHUR'S THEME
THE BANGLES
1 ETERNAL FLAME
2 WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET
3 GOING DOWN TO LIVERPOOL
THE GO-GOS
1 HEAD OVER HEELS
2 VACATION
3 OUR LIPS ARE SEALED
INXS
1 NOT ENOUGH TIME
2 THE ONE THING
3 SUICIDE BLONDE
JETHRO TULL
1 LIVING IN THE PAST
2 THICK AS A BRICK
3 LOCOMOTIVE BREATH
TALKING HEADS
1 ROAD TO NOWHERE
2 ONCE IN A LIFETIME
3 WARNING SIGN
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
1 I WON'T BACK DOWN
2 JAMMIN' ME
3 DON'T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE
MADONNA
1 RAY OF LIGHT
2 LIVE TO TELL
3 MUSIC
SUPERTRAMP
1 TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME
2 BREAKFAST IN AMERICA
3 GIVE A LITTLE BIT
PETE TOWNSEND
1 FACE DANCES, PT. 2
2 ROUGH BOYS
3 LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR
ERIC CLAPTON
1 LAYLA (as Derek and the Dominoes)
2 LAY DOWN SALLY
3 TEARS IN HEAVEN
HELEN REDDY
1 I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM
2 PEACEFUL
3 LEAVE ME ALONE (RUBY RED DRESS)
KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND
1 I'M YOUR BOOGIE MAN
2 GET DOWN TONIGHT
3 KEEP IT COMIN' LOVE
HEART
1 CRAZY ON YOU
2 THESE DREAMS
3 ALONE
ABBA
1 SOS
2 DANCING QUEEN
3 TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
FOREIGNER
1 I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
2 JUKE BOX HERO
3 URGENT
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
1 TUNNEL OF LOVE
2 STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA
3 GLORY DAYS
THE FIXX
1 SAVED BY ZERO
2 ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER
3 STAND OR FALL
DIRE STRAITS
1 SKATEAWAY
2 SULTANS OF SWING
3 HEAVY FUEL
CYNDI LAUPER
1 TIME AFTER TIME
2 GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN
3 ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT
AEROSMITH
1 DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY
2 BACK IN THE SADDLE
3 LIVIN' ON THE EDGE
MANFRED MANN
1 RUNNER (Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
2 BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
3 MIGHTY QUINN
JIMMY BUFFET
1 CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE
2 COME MONDAY
3 VOLCANO
THE ALLMAN BROTHERS
1 RAMBLIN' MAN
2 WHIPPING POST
3 JESSICA
BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE
1 YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET
2 LOOKIN' OUT FOR #1
3 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS
THE GRATEFUL DEAD
1 TRUCKIN'
2 SHAKEDOWN STREET
3 TOUCH OF GREY
MICHAEL JACKSON
1 MAN IN THE MIRROR
2 ROCK WITH YOU
3 BEAT IT
MEN AT WORK
1 BE GOOD JOHNNY
2 IT'S A MISTAKE
3 WHO CAN IT BE NOW
GENESIS
1 HOME BY THE SEA
2 ABACAB
3 TURN IT ON AGAIN
PETER GABRIEL
1 SHOCK THE MONKEY
2 BIG TIME
3 SLEDGEHAMMER
DURAN DURAN
1 SAVE A PRAYER
2 HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
3 NEW MOON ON MONDAY
BLONDIE
1 RAPTURE
2 ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
3 HEART OF GLASS
STING
1 ALL THIS TIME
2 FIELDS OF GOLD
3 IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY SET THEM FREE
PRINCE
1 RASPBERRY BERET
2 KISS
3 LET'S GO CRAZY
U2
1 I WILL FOLLOW
2 BULLET THE BLUE SKY
2 DESIRE
HALL AND OATES
1 I CAN'T GO FOR THAT
2 PRIVATE EYES
3 KISS ON MY LIST
BOZ SKAGGS
1 LIDO SHUFFLE
2 BREAKDOWN DEAD AHEAD
3 LOWDOWN
PAT BENATAR
1 PROMISES IN THE DARK
2 LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD
3 HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
ROBERT PLANT
1 TALL COOL ONE
2 BURNING DOWN ONE SIDE
3 BIG LOG
CHRISTOPHER CROSS
1 SAILING
2 RIDE LIKE THE WIND
3 ARTHUR'S THEME
THE BANGLES
1 ETERNAL FLAME
2 WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET
3 GOING DOWN TO LIVERPOOL
THE GO-GOS
1 HEAD OVER HEELS
2 VACATION
3 OUR LIPS ARE SEALED
INXS
1 NOT ENOUGH TIME
2 THE ONE THING
3 SUICIDE BLONDE
JETHRO TULL
1 LIVING IN THE PAST
2 THICK AS A BRICK
3 LOCOMOTIVE BREATH
TALKING HEADS
1 ROAD TO NOWHERE
2 ONCE IN A LIFETIME
3 WARNING SIGN
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
1 I WON'T BACK DOWN
2 JAMMIN' ME
3 DON'T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE
MADONNA
1 RAY OF LIGHT
2 LIVE TO TELL
3 MUSIC
SUPERTRAMP
1 TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME
2 BREAKFAST IN AMERICA
3 GIVE A LITTLE BIT
PETE TOWNSEND
1 FACE DANCES, PT. 2
2 ROUGH BOYS
3 LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR
ERIC CLAPTON
1 LAYLA (as Derek and the Dominoes)
2 LAY DOWN SALLY
3 TEARS IN HEAVEN
HELEN REDDY
1 I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM
2 PEACEFUL
3 LEAVE ME ALONE (RUBY RED DRESS)
KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND
1 I'M YOUR BOOGIE MAN
2 GET DOWN TONIGHT
3 KEEP IT COMIN' LOVE
HEART
1 CRAZY ON YOU
2 THESE DREAMS
3 ALONE
ABBA
1 SOS
2 DANCING QUEEN
3 TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
FOREIGNER
1 I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
2 JUKE BOX HERO
3 URGENT
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
1 TUNNEL OF LOVE
2 STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA
3 GLORY DAYS
THE FIXX
1 SAVED BY ZERO
2 ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER
3 STAND OR FALL
DIRE STRAITS
1 SKATEAWAY
2 SULTANS OF SWING
3 HEAVY FUEL
CYNDI LAUPER
1 TIME AFTER TIME
2 GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN
3 ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT
AEROSMITH
1 DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY
2 BACK IN THE SADDLE
3 LIVIN' ON THE EDGE
Monday, April 23, 2018
Just Finished Reading God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert
It hasn't been the most pleasant reading voyage I've experienced, but with God Emperor of Dune I have now finished with four of Frank Herbert's six-volume Dune science fiction series...at least the books he wrote by himself, that is. Here again is my reviewer's dilemma: to summarize what happens in this book without giving away its ending isn't enough to avoid plot spoilers: after all, the beginning of God Emperor of Dune, along with its main protagonist (which I'm afraid I already did on Friday), cannot be revealed else I give away the previous book's ending! And so I guess it will be for the last two Dune books as well...instead I'll do what I've seen Isaac Asimov do in many of his previews for different science fiction short stories in his anthology series: I'll discuss some aspects of Herbert's story while veering as much as I can away from its plot...
There is a lot of philosophy expressed in God Emperor of Dune...much more so than in the previous books, which also delved heavily into metaphysics. The problem with this is that the one doing most of the philosophizing is a godlike character armed with the complete life memories of thousands upon thousands of others and who has the ability to chart...in detail...alternative future paths of reality, thousands of years into the future, based on actions that he can take in his lifetime. His unique circumstances make it hard to model my thinking after his, but from time to time he comes up with some significant ideas that many can apply to their lives...but few often do. One of these is the notion that the beginning of learning is the recognition that I am ignorant...how often do we prideful humans mask our lack of knowledge about a particular area in order to save face or resist a possible challenge to our entrenched worldview? Yet if my car's engine light goes on and I don't know the cause, I will take it to the mechanic...an implicit admission on my part that I don't possess the knowledge to fix it. In like manner, I don't understand climatology on the level that advanced scientists in the field do, so I rely on their expertise when they overwhelmingly claim that the earth is overheating at a rapid rate due to manmade carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. In the case of the car, my learning is based on the effective path I need to take to get it fixed, knowing that I do not possess the resources myself to get it done...with the climate, I can also depend on the scientific community's resources through their research in at least understanding some rudimentary principles that fortify their positions on the subject and then take positive measures in my own life to help contribute to a solution. In both cases, it is my admission that others are more adept and knowledgeable in an area than myself that spurs me on to constructive actions and learning how to solve problems from my particular position...
Ironically, there are also areas in life that I've discovered it's a good idea to pretend that I know what I'm doing when I really don't. In these instances I engage in the practice of "winging it", that is, immersing myself in the activity and stumbling around until I pick up enough knowledge and ability to become effective at it. But still, while I may have initially concealed my ignorance in these cases to other people, in my own mind I never deceived myself into believing I was capable from the start...sometimes you just have to get down in the middle of something and struggle around a bit while being prepared to look a little foolish for a while...
There is a lot of philosophy expressed in God Emperor of Dune...much more so than in the previous books, which also delved heavily into metaphysics. The problem with this is that the one doing most of the philosophizing is a godlike character armed with the complete life memories of thousands upon thousands of others and who has the ability to chart...in detail...alternative future paths of reality, thousands of years into the future, based on actions that he can take in his lifetime. His unique circumstances make it hard to model my thinking after his, but from time to time he comes up with some significant ideas that many can apply to their lives...but few often do. One of these is the notion that the beginning of learning is the recognition that I am ignorant...how often do we prideful humans mask our lack of knowledge about a particular area in order to save face or resist a possible challenge to our entrenched worldview? Yet if my car's engine light goes on and I don't know the cause, I will take it to the mechanic...an implicit admission on my part that I don't possess the knowledge to fix it. In like manner, I don't understand climatology on the level that advanced scientists in the field do, so I rely on their expertise when they overwhelmingly claim that the earth is overheating at a rapid rate due to manmade carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. In the case of the car, my learning is based on the effective path I need to take to get it fixed, knowing that I do not possess the resources myself to get it done...with the climate, I can also depend on the scientific community's resources through their research in at least understanding some rudimentary principles that fortify their positions on the subject and then take positive measures in my own life to help contribute to a solution. In both cases, it is my admission that others are more adept and knowledgeable in an area than myself that spurs me on to constructive actions and learning how to solve problems from my particular position...
Ironically, there are also areas in life that I've discovered it's a good idea to pretend that I know what I'm doing when I really don't. In these instances I engage in the practice of "winging it", that is, immersing myself in the activity and stumbling around until I pick up enough knowledge and ability to become effective at it. But still, while I may have initially concealed my ignorance in these cases to other people, in my own mind I never deceived myself into believing I was capable from the start...sometimes you just have to get down in the middle of something and struggle around a bit while being prepared to look a little foolish for a while...
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Visit to Santa Fe College Planetarium Yesterday
I've been a number of times in the past to the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College in northwestern Gainesville, but it had been a while since my last visit. I asked my son Will if he'd like to go, too, and we saw their Saturday afternoon show featuring a tour from planet to planet in our Solar System...appropriately to the different movements of Gustav Holst's symphonic work The Planets. Planetarium director James Albury was still there hosting the event with his good humor and enthusiasm...you might know him as a cohost on the weekly five-minute PBS series Star Gazers...originally titled Star Hustler (I imagine that P.C. dictated the change). It was Albury himself who created this presentation, originally as a fundraiser for some students at Buchholz, a local high school. I was impressed with the graphics and information given, but I wondered whether others in the audience were understanding it all or receiving the entertainment value for which they came. After all, we're not talking about adrenaline-pumping high action and suspense on the level of Star Wars. And maybe the rather dimmed colorization of the planets didn't exactly help, either. Still, I liked the program and learned a few things...
Starting from Mercury and going outward from the Sun, skipping over Earth, and ending at Neptune, the presentation provided various interesting facts about the planets and some of their moons as well. As for the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (the latter two also referred to as "ice giants"), the orbits of their chief moons were shown as lit-up curves, creating striking visual effects. I also noticed that all of the moons of Uranus were named after characters from English literature, apparently a tribute to William Herschel, the English astronomer who discovered the seventh planet. And with each planet, there was a short description of its own named movement from Holst's masterpiece: Mars is perhaps the most famous, but my favorite by far is that of Neptune...
This planetarium has other shows as well, but it's taking a week or two off between school terms before resuming. Besides The Planets, yesterday's lineup included an imaginary thrill ride journey through the solar system (which I've seen before but has since been enhanced), Child of the Universe (a traditional favorite created by Jack Horkheimer in 1972), and a light show presentation accompanied by the music of Led Zeppelin. Yes, I said Led Zeppelin, believe it or not...
Starting from Mercury and going outward from the Sun, skipping over Earth, and ending at Neptune, the presentation provided various interesting facts about the planets and some of their moons as well. As for the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (the latter two also referred to as "ice giants"), the orbits of their chief moons were shown as lit-up curves, creating striking visual effects. I also noticed that all of the moons of Uranus were named after characters from English literature, apparently a tribute to William Herschel, the English astronomer who discovered the seventh planet. And with each planet, there was a short description of its own named movement from Holst's masterpiece: Mars is perhaps the most famous, but my favorite by far is that of Neptune...
This planetarium has other shows as well, but it's taking a week or two off between school terms before resuming. Besides The Planets, yesterday's lineup included an imaginary thrill ride journey through the solar system (which I've seen before but has since been enhanced), Child of the Universe (a traditional favorite created by Jack Horkheimer in 1972), and a light show presentation accompanied by the music of Led Zeppelin. Yes, I said Led Zeppelin, believe it or not...
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Who Will Run for President in 2020?
Is late April of 2018 too early to start speculating about the upcoming presidential election in 2020? Well, the successful candidates for their party's nomination to the high office have in recent years announced their candidacies during the first half of the preceding year...this means that early next year will be the focus for this. Naturally, when one of the parties has an incumbent president who can seek reelection, its number of candidates tends to be low. We don't know at this time whether Donald Trump will seek reelection, but for the sake of this article let's assume that he does. Then you would probably see some disaffected Republicans challenge him early on...I'm thinking of senators Jeff Flake of Arizona or Bob Corker of Tennessee, both of whom have traded public criticisms with the president and are not running for reelection to their Senate seats. And should Trump not run...well, expect another 15+ number of aspirants to enter the fray. The Democratic side is more interesting...
Here are a few names being mentioned as possible candidates: former vice-president Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Tim Kaine, and Kirsten Gillibrand...the last seven are all sitting U.S. senators. I'm fine with all but the last one...I resent how Gillibrand would repeatedly call on others to resign immediately after any sexual harassment allegation was made against them, especially in the case of Al Franken, her Senate colleague. Will Hillary Clinton try to make another run? Who knows, but I hope she doesn't. Of the list, I would like to see Biden get the nomination...but he keeps talking about how important his family is to him. Excuse me, but don't all these other potential candidates have families, too? And by the way, having a family didn't get in the way of him serving thirty-six years in the Senate and eight more as vice-president. If Biden doesn't run, then my second choice would be Amy Klobuchar, one of my favorite senators who can speak straight to the relevant points of an argument without insulting the other side...something increasingly rare these days...
There are others who have talked about running, notably Dallas Mavericks basketball owner Mark Cuban on the Republican side and recording star Kanye West (who knows which side). Should I take these two seriously? Well, in the era of Trump, you can't write anybody off anymore, the bar has been lowered so much. And I'm sure that there will be some new figures throwing their hats into the ring and making it all the more interesting. As long as the Democratic Party comes together at the end behind their nominee and the "voters" actually bother to get off their butts this time around and go vote (and not waste it on a fringe party candidate), I'm fine with a multitude of candidates from their ranks. But that Republican field in 2015-16 was a bit ridiculous (in number, at least), wasn't it?
Here are a few names being mentioned as possible candidates: former vice-president Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Tim Kaine, and Kirsten Gillibrand...the last seven are all sitting U.S. senators. I'm fine with all but the last one...I resent how Gillibrand would repeatedly call on others to resign immediately after any sexual harassment allegation was made against them, especially in the case of Al Franken, her Senate colleague. Will Hillary Clinton try to make another run? Who knows, but I hope she doesn't. Of the list, I would like to see Biden get the nomination...but he keeps talking about how important his family is to him. Excuse me, but don't all these other potential candidates have families, too? And by the way, having a family didn't get in the way of him serving thirty-six years in the Senate and eight more as vice-president. If Biden doesn't run, then my second choice would be Amy Klobuchar, one of my favorite senators who can speak straight to the relevant points of an argument without insulting the other side...something increasingly rare these days...
There are others who have talked about running, notably Dallas Mavericks basketball owner Mark Cuban on the Republican side and recording star Kanye West (who knows which side). Should I take these two seriously? Well, in the era of Trump, you can't write anybody off anymore, the bar has been lowered so much. And I'm sure that there will be some new figures throwing their hats into the ring and making it all the more interesting. As long as the Democratic Party comes together at the end behind their nominee and the "voters" actually bother to get off their butts this time around and go vote (and not waste it on a fringe party candidate), I'm fine with a multitude of candidates from their ranks. But that Republican field in 2015-16 was a bit ridiculous (in number, at least), wasn't it?
Friday, April 20, 2018
Quote of the Week...from Frank Herbert
Never attempt to reason with people who know that they are right. ---Frank Herbert.
Frank Herbert is the author of the Dune science fiction series, and the above quote comes from the main character of Leto II in the fourth book, God Emperor of Dune. It can get to be a little tricky attributing a quote of an author's character to him or her...maybe the expressed idea runs contrary to what they personally believe. I just felt a little funny listing a nonexistent Leto II as the quote's originator, and it seemed to be a pretty good one anyway...so why not give the esteemed author credit for this one?
I "kind of" agree with the above quote...it can seem pointless to convince someone that their point of view needs correction, or at least some broadening, when they are convinced it is the absolute truth. In fact, whenever I hear people casually tossing around the word "truth" to buttress what they say or write, I come away from it thinking that they will automatically regard anything I say to the contrary as delusional or a lie. But not all people who strongly believe something are impossibly resistant to persuasion: this is more about how they think than what they think...
I am not one of the many people around me who have a black-or-white way of mentally processing their world where everything and everybody they experience gets sorted into good or bad categories with no room for nuance and grey areas. I especially see them come out about politics, where their side...whichever one it is...can do no wrong while the other side is the epitome of evil. It is this group of folks that I would apply Herbert's (or Leto's) quote to and avoid any fruitless attempt to reason with them...they are long-gone lost, as far as I am concerned, and any agreement with them on a particular point or issue is purely coincidental...
Frank Herbert is the author of the Dune science fiction series, and the above quote comes from the main character of Leto II in the fourth book, God Emperor of Dune. It can get to be a little tricky attributing a quote of an author's character to him or her...maybe the expressed idea runs contrary to what they personally believe. I just felt a little funny listing a nonexistent Leto II as the quote's originator, and it seemed to be a pretty good one anyway...so why not give the esteemed author credit for this one?
I "kind of" agree with the above quote...it can seem pointless to convince someone that their point of view needs correction, or at least some broadening, when they are convinced it is the absolute truth. In fact, whenever I hear people casually tossing around the word "truth" to buttress what they say or write, I come away from it thinking that they will automatically regard anything I say to the contrary as delusional or a lie. But not all people who strongly believe something are impossibly resistant to persuasion: this is more about how they think than what they think...
I am not one of the many people around me who have a black-or-white way of mentally processing their world where everything and everybody they experience gets sorted into good or bad categories with no room for nuance and grey areas. I especially see them come out about politics, where their side...whichever one it is...can do no wrong while the other side is the epitome of evil. It is this group of folks that I would apply Herbert's (or Leto's) quote to and avoid any fruitless attempt to reason with them...they are long-gone lost, as far as I am concerned, and any agreement with them on a particular point or issue is purely coincidental...
Thursday, April 19, 2018
4/15 Sermon on Daniel, Part 2
At Gainesville's Family Church last Sunday, senior pastor Philip Griffin continued his message series on the Old Testament book of Daniel, titled Counter Culture. This sermon focused on Chapter 2, which you can read via Bible Gateway by clicking on the link. From it comes a question: how do we live in two kingdoms at once?
Daniel has been taken from Judah to Babylon, where he is undergoing training to be assimilated into the Babylonian Empire. Yet although he is supportive of those within this strange and ungodly kingdom and dutifully performs his responsibilities, he holds to his faith in God and the laws that govern it. One day King Nebuchadnezzar demands not only an interpretation of a disturbing dream he has had, but also the dream itself...no one can accomplish this. But Daniel prays to God and the answer is revealed for him...resulting in him being promoted second-in-authority over Babylon...
Pastor Philip poses a question that pertains to us in our age as well as to Daniel in his: how do we live in two kingdoms (or governments)? He then states two ways: we have to seek the peace and prosperity of the earthly kingdom we find ourselves in, and we need to know that all earthly kingdoms have crumbling foundations. In Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, a succession of powerful kingdoms come and go...they are all built on fragile foundations of clay. Only God's kingdom will persevere. So we see a duality of existence here, where as believers in Christ we are in essence exiles in this material world. We are to pursue the well-being of others, shining Christ's light for others to follow. We neither assimilate into our worldly culture nor isolate ourselves, instead engaging in it as spiritual exiles to the glory of God and the building of his kingdom...
You can watch this message through the church's YouTube video website...just click on the following link: [TFC Videos]. The Family Church, located at 2022 SW 122nd Street, holds its Sunday morning services at 9 and 10:30, providing the weekly sermon along with praise and worship music that is always changing from week to week, prayer, fellowship, and opportunities for learning and discipleship. The story of Daniel continues this Sunday...
Daniel has been taken from Judah to Babylon, where he is undergoing training to be assimilated into the Babylonian Empire. Yet although he is supportive of those within this strange and ungodly kingdom and dutifully performs his responsibilities, he holds to his faith in God and the laws that govern it. One day King Nebuchadnezzar demands not only an interpretation of a disturbing dream he has had, but also the dream itself...no one can accomplish this. But Daniel prays to God and the answer is revealed for him...resulting in him being promoted second-in-authority over Babylon...
Pastor Philip poses a question that pertains to us in our age as well as to Daniel in his: how do we live in two kingdoms (or governments)? He then states two ways: we have to seek the peace and prosperity of the earthly kingdom we find ourselves in, and we need to know that all earthly kingdoms have crumbling foundations. In Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, a succession of powerful kingdoms come and go...they are all built on fragile foundations of clay. Only God's kingdom will persevere. So we see a duality of existence here, where as believers in Christ we are in essence exiles in this material world. We are to pursue the well-being of others, shining Christ's light for others to follow. We neither assimilate into our worldly culture nor isolate ourselves, instead engaging in it as spiritual exiles to the glory of God and the building of his kingdom...
You can watch this message through the church's YouTube video website...just click on the following link: [TFC Videos]. The Family Church, located at 2022 SW 122nd Street, holds its Sunday morning services at 9 and 10:30, providing the weekly sermon along with praise and worship music that is always changing from week to week, prayer, fellowship, and opportunities for learning and discipleship. The story of Daniel continues this Sunday...
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Weekly Short Story: Light of Other Days by Bob Shaw
Bob Shaw first published his short story Light of Other Days in 1966...it appeared the following year in the paperback anthology World's Best Science Fiction 1967 (edited by Donald Wollheim & Terry Carr, Ace Books). Shaw, who lived in Northern Ireland and wrote at times for a Scottish sci-fi pulp magazine, chose northern Scotland in the future as the setting for this story...it's not quite clear at the start whether or not it is of an apocalyptic nature. But no, something else is afoot as a young, quarreling couple are driving down the road, enjoying the beautiful scenery...and sizing up the plates of slow glass standing in different places that are taking it all in. Yes, I said "slow glass"...
Slow glass is a fictional creation of the author...yet it has a very intriguing quality and the way he explains it makes it all seem feasible. You see, the glass's peculiar molecular structure causes the passage of light though it to slow down drastically, rendering the glass capable of reproducing whatever it visually captures over a span of time: the thicker and higher quality the glass, the more faithful the picture and more lengthy the time. The uses? People can transport whatever scenes they want back to their humdrum, ugly homes, workplaces, or just about anywhere and use the glass as a "window" into a more beautiful world...so the folks out there in Scotland are selling slow glass that captures their own beautiful countryside. Our couple find a man who is selling some high-quality glass...a look inside his home window reveals a young woman (his wife?) and her baby. But there's something not quite right about her as the story progresses...
In 1966, although computers were already well-established albeit much more primitive than today's which pervade our civilized world, Bob Shaw envisioned an analog way to copy super-real imagery in motion and transport it to distant locations...as well as making it an economic commodity that people at large could purchase according to their own preferences and purchasing ability. I like the idea of using such "slow glass" as windows to give the impression of being in a different place, but nowadays digital technology could accomplish the same ends, couldn't it? So then why am I not hearing of companies marketing the same product and getting rich off it? Customers could have digitally-enabled windows installed around their homes, with each window creating the effect of viewing the outdoors at the appropriately different vantage point...but that view would be of a different location to the residents' liking. Maybe today they'd select Times Square...tomorrow the foothills of Mount Everest. Wouldn't you be interested in something like that?
I was pleasantly surprised at Shaw's well-crafted tale...it's only about eight pages long, too...quite an accomplishment to fit so much significant stuff in it while developing the characters and supplying the surprise ending...
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Tuesday's List: My Top Three Songs of Various Musical Artists, Pt. 2
My list of my personal top three favorite songs from various acts continues this week in a very rough chronological order...I'm now listing acts generally identified with the 1970s, although many of the songs are from later on. Now I don't claim any sort of artistic discernment...you can read the highbrow reviews from sources like Rolling Stone or Spin if you are so inclined. No, the following tunes just happened to resonate with me...often in connection with events going on in my life during their peak popularity. And, sure, I'm leaving off names...can't include everyone! Still, the list continues next Tuesday...
PAUL MCCARTNEY (solo & with Wings)
1 EVERY NIGHT
2 TOO MANY PEOPLE
3 LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID
GEORGE HARRISON (solo)
1 BALLAD OF SIR FRANKIE CRISP (LET IT ROLL)
2 YOU
3 WHAT IS LIFE
JOHN LENNON (solo)
1 NUMBER NINE DREAM
2 WORKING CLASS HERO
3 WATCHING THE WHEELS
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
1 A LITTLE MORE LOVE
2 HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW
3 MAGIC
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
1 FREE BIRD
2 GIMME THREE STEPS
3 WHAT'S YOUR NAME
THE EAGLES
1 THE NEW KID IN TOWN
2 PEACEFUL EASY FEELING
3 ONE OF THESE NIGHTS
JACKSON BROWNE
1 THAT GIRL COULD SING
2 LAWYERS IN LOVE
3 DOCTOR MY EYES
THREE DOG NIGHT
1 ONE MAN BAND
2 THE FAMILY OF MAN
3 ELI'S COMING
SEALS AND CROFTS
1 HUMMINGBIRD
2 EAST OF GINGER TREES
3 THE KING OF NOTHING
STYX
1 TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS
2 MR. ROBOTO
3 COME SAIL AWAY
PAUL SIMON
1 BOY IN THE BUBBLE
2 DUNCAN
3 LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK
ELTON JOHN
1 FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND/LOVE LIES BLEEDING
2 TINY DANCER
3 CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT
BILLY JOEL
1 PRESSURE
2 SCENES FROM AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT
3 ANGRY YOUNG MAN
JIM CROCE
1 TIME IN A BOTTLE
2 I'LL HAVE TO SAY I LOVE YOU IN A SONG
3 I GOT A NAME
CARLY SIMON
1 YOU'RE SO VAIN
2 MOCKINGBIRD
3 NOBODY DOES IT BETTER
AMERICA
1 LONELY PEOPLE
2 DON'T CROSS THE RIVER
3 ONLY IN YOUR HEART
STEELY DAN
1 HEY NINETEEN
2 REELIN' IN THE YEARS
3 ANY MAJOR DUDE WILL TELL YOU
GERRY RAFFERTY
1 GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME
2 BAKER STREET
3 STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU (with Stealer's Wheel)
DIANA ROSS
1 LOVE HANGOVER
2 AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
3 TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING
THE CARPENTERS
1 GOODBYE TO LOVE
2 TOP OF THE WORLD
3 CALLING OCCUPANTS OF INTERPLANETARY CRAFT
AL STEWART
1 ONE STAGE BEFORE
2 ON THE BORDER
3 TIME PASSAGES
WAR
1 CISCO KID
2 LOW RIDER
3 SPILL THE WINE
ARETHA FRANKLIN
1 RESPECT
2 I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING FOR ME (with George Michael)
3 UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME
QUEEN
1 ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
2 BICYCLE RACE
3 KILLER QUEEN
BILLY PRESTON
1 WILL IT GO ROUND IN CIRCLES
2 OUTA SPACE
3 NOTHING FROM NOTHING
DON MCCLEAN
1 VINCENT
2 CASTLES IN THE AIR
3 DREIDEL
DONNA SUMMER
1 LAST DANCE
2 I FEEL LOVE
3 ON THE RADIO
THE CARS
1 TOUCH AND GO
2 BYE BYE LOVE
3 DRIVE
KANSAS
1 SONG FOR AMERICA
2 POINT OF KNOW RETURN
3 DUST IN THE WIND
CAT STEVENS
1 FATHER AND SON
2 OH VERY YOUNG
3 SITTING
FLEETWOOD MAC
1 LANDSLIDE
2 NEVER GOING BACK AGAIN
3 GYPSY
ROD STEWART
1 INFATUATION
2 DOWNTOWN TRAIN
3 YOUNG TURKS
DOOBIE BROTHERS
1 BLACK WATER
2 WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES
3 IT KEEPS YOU RUNNIN'
BOB SEGER
1 WE'VE GOT TONIGHT
2 STRUT
3 RAMBLIN' GAMBLIN' MAN
NEIL YOUNG
1 ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD
2 BIG TIME
3 WONDERIN'
STEVE MILLER BAND
1 SHANGRI-LA
2 FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
3 LIVING IN THE U.S.A.
ROBERTA FLACK
1 KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG
2 WHERE IS THE LOVE (with Donny Hathaway)
3 THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE
THE SPINNERS
1 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
2 I'M COMING HOME
3 GHETTO CHILD
PAUL MCCARTNEY (solo & with Wings)
1 EVERY NIGHT
2 TOO MANY PEOPLE
3 LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID
GEORGE HARRISON (solo)
1 BALLAD OF SIR FRANKIE CRISP (LET IT ROLL)
2 YOU
3 WHAT IS LIFE
JOHN LENNON (solo)
1 NUMBER NINE DREAM
2 WORKING CLASS HERO
3 WATCHING THE WHEELS
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
1 A LITTLE MORE LOVE
2 HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW
3 MAGIC
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
1 FREE BIRD
2 GIMME THREE STEPS
3 WHAT'S YOUR NAME
THE EAGLES
1 THE NEW KID IN TOWN
2 PEACEFUL EASY FEELING
3 ONE OF THESE NIGHTS
JACKSON BROWNE
1 THAT GIRL COULD SING
2 LAWYERS IN LOVE
3 DOCTOR MY EYES
THREE DOG NIGHT
1 ONE MAN BAND
2 THE FAMILY OF MAN
3 ELI'S COMING
SEALS AND CROFTS
1 HUMMINGBIRD
2 EAST OF GINGER TREES
3 THE KING OF NOTHING
STYX
1 TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS
2 MR. ROBOTO
3 COME SAIL AWAY
PAUL SIMON
1 BOY IN THE BUBBLE
2 DUNCAN
3 LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK
ELTON JOHN
1 FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND/LOVE LIES BLEEDING
2 TINY DANCER
3 CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT
BILLY JOEL
1 PRESSURE
2 SCENES FROM AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT
3 ANGRY YOUNG MAN
JIM CROCE
1 TIME IN A BOTTLE
2 I'LL HAVE TO SAY I LOVE YOU IN A SONG
3 I GOT A NAME
CARLY SIMON
1 YOU'RE SO VAIN
2 MOCKINGBIRD
3 NOBODY DOES IT BETTER
AMERICA
1 LONELY PEOPLE
2 DON'T CROSS THE RIVER
3 ONLY IN YOUR HEART
STEELY DAN
1 HEY NINETEEN
2 REELIN' IN THE YEARS
3 ANY MAJOR DUDE WILL TELL YOU
GERRY RAFFERTY
1 GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME
2 BAKER STREET
3 STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU (with Stealer's Wheel)
DIANA ROSS
1 LOVE HANGOVER
2 AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
3 TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING
THE CARPENTERS
1 GOODBYE TO LOVE
2 TOP OF THE WORLD
3 CALLING OCCUPANTS OF INTERPLANETARY CRAFT
AL STEWART
1 ONE STAGE BEFORE
2 ON THE BORDER
3 TIME PASSAGES
WAR
1 CISCO KID
2 LOW RIDER
3 SPILL THE WINE
ARETHA FRANKLIN
1 RESPECT
2 I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING FOR ME (with George Michael)
3 UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME
QUEEN
1 ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
2 BICYCLE RACE
3 KILLER QUEEN
BILLY PRESTON
1 WILL IT GO ROUND IN CIRCLES
2 OUTA SPACE
3 NOTHING FROM NOTHING
DON MCCLEAN
1 VINCENT
2 CASTLES IN THE AIR
3 DREIDEL
DONNA SUMMER
1 LAST DANCE
2 I FEEL LOVE
3 ON THE RADIO
THE CARS
1 TOUCH AND GO
2 BYE BYE LOVE
3 DRIVE
KANSAS
1 SONG FOR AMERICA
2 POINT OF KNOW RETURN
3 DUST IN THE WIND
CAT STEVENS
1 FATHER AND SON
2 OH VERY YOUNG
3 SITTING
FLEETWOOD MAC
1 LANDSLIDE
2 NEVER GOING BACK AGAIN
3 GYPSY
ROD STEWART
1 INFATUATION
2 DOWNTOWN TRAIN
3 YOUNG TURKS
DOOBIE BROTHERS
1 BLACK WATER
2 WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES
3 IT KEEPS YOU RUNNIN'
BOB SEGER
1 WE'VE GOT TONIGHT
2 STRUT
3 RAMBLIN' GAMBLIN' MAN
NEIL YOUNG
1 ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD
2 BIG TIME
3 WONDERIN'
STEVE MILLER BAND
1 SHANGRI-LA
2 FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
3 LIVING IN THE U.S.A.
ROBERTA FLACK
1 KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG
2 WHERE IS THE LOVE (with Donny Hathaway)
3 THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE
THE SPINNERS
1 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
2 I'M COMING HOME
3 GHETTO CHILD
Monday, April 16, 2018
War of Words Between Trump and Comey
I find a perverse sort of ironic justice in that former Federal Bureau of Investigations director James Comey, who in 2016 was so concerned that Hillary Clinton would be elected president due to an omission on his part, got canned last year as a part of the winner, Donald Trump's, efforts to obstruct investigations into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign's possible role in it. In my opinion, it was Comey's announcement just ten days before the election that other emails involving Clinton were under investigation, not WikiLeaks or "fake" Facebook news, that destroyed the campaign momentum that she had built into a double-digit lead following her impressive performances in the presidential debates. I find it more than a little frustrating now that Democrats seem to be backing Comey now that's he's on their "side" and slamming Trump...he recently compared him to a Mafia boss. The president responded by calling him a weak and untruthful slime ball...too bad they didn't have this exchange ten days before the election!
I was watching one of the TV news and talk channels the other day and a Republican brought up an interesting point. When James Comey was making a public spectacle of himself in 2016 discussing whether Hillary Clinton would be prosecuted for her alleged email improprieties, he was violating his own organization's policies: the FBI is there to investigate, not prosecute...that is the Justice Department's job. He should have kept his mouth shut about the ongoing investigations...instead he decided to play God and pulled his infamous October surprise about Hillary's email investigation being reopened, an investigation which ended up going nowhere. But by the time he announced this it was too late, too close to the election, and her campaign was greatly weakened...
So now James Comey has his tell-all book out and he's definitely against Donald Trump. I have no argument with him on that, but he also expressed in it regret that Hillary Clinton was angry at him for his publicity stunt on October 28...as if he still believes that he did the right thing by grossly interfering in the election! Personality-wise, I think both Trump and Comey have severe ego issues and are attention-addicted narcissists, seeing themselves as basically above reproach on anything...but although the president scares me with his tendency toward authoritarianism, I am thoroughly sick and disgusted with the former FBI director's pious and self-righteous attitude. And no, I'm not going to buy his crappy book...
I was watching one of the TV news and talk channels the other day and a Republican brought up an interesting point. When James Comey was making a public spectacle of himself in 2016 discussing whether Hillary Clinton would be prosecuted for her alleged email improprieties, he was violating his own organization's policies: the FBI is there to investigate, not prosecute...that is the Justice Department's job. He should have kept his mouth shut about the ongoing investigations...instead he decided to play God and pulled his infamous October surprise about Hillary's email investigation being reopened, an investigation which ended up going nowhere. But by the time he announced this it was too late, too close to the election, and her campaign was greatly weakened...
So now James Comey has his tell-all book out and he's definitely against Donald Trump. I have no argument with him on that, but he also expressed in it regret that Hillary Clinton was angry at him for his publicity stunt on October 28...as if he still believes that he did the right thing by grossly interfering in the election! Personality-wise, I think both Trump and Comey have severe ego issues and are attention-addicted narcissists, seeing themselves as basically above reproach on anything...but although the president scares me with his tendency toward authoritarianism, I am thoroughly sick and disgusted with the former FBI director's pious and self-righteous attitude. And no, I'm not going to buy his crappy book...
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Finishing Week-Long Break from Work
I've had a vacation break from my job this past week...it was a pleasant temporary interruption of my weekly routine. But I also like my work, and look forward to getting back to it tomorrow...wonder what's changed around my workplace? In any event, I'll find out soon enough, I guess...
One thing that being off for a few days has impressed upon me is that I don't get outside enough like I used to...working weekdays often from noon and on into the night and being in the house mornings doesn't give me much of an opportunity to enjoy the sun and daytime. I think I'll be changing that in the future, though with brief daily morning neighborhood runs alternating with bicycling (I just dusted off my dilapidated old bike, filled the tires, and oiled it). Oh, and looking around me, I think a little yard work is also in order..
On a completely different note, the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association regular seasons have ended...with hockey the playoffs have already begun and I've been watching them. I don't see the point anymore paying much attention to the regular season...the coaches often sit out star players and sometimes the worst teams deliberately "tank" in order to be awarded with better draft prospects...I think this is despicable. But in the playoffs they have to go all out and scratch for every win they can get, else they're eliminated. In hockey, I naturally want the semi-local Tampa Bay Lightning to win and in basketball I'm once again pulling for the San Antonio Spurs...as well as the good ol' Miami Heat with Dywane Wade happily back on the squad (they have a tendency to win championships with him on board, go figure). Since the Spurs face daunting Golden State and the Heat will have to play the surging Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, I'm afraid the prospects for these teams aren't very good...but at least the Lightning shouldn't have any problem with New Jersey. Now please excuse me while I finish my vacation...
One thing that being off for a few days has impressed upon me is that I don't get outside enough like I used to...working weekdays often from noon and on into the night and being in the house mornings doesn't give me much of an opportunity to enjoy the sun and daytime. I think I'll be changing that in the future, though with brief daily morning neighborhood runs alternating with bicycling (I just dusted off my dilapidated old bike, filled the tires, and oiled it). Oh, and looking around me, I think a little yard work is also in order..
On a completely different note, the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association regular seasons have ended...with hockey the playoffs have already begun and I've been watching them. I don't see the point anymore paying much attention to the regular season...the coaches often sit out star players and sometimes the worst teams deliberately "tank" in order to be awarded with better draft prospects...I think this is despicable. But in the playoffs they have to go all out and scratch for every win they can get, else they're eliminated. In hockey, I naturally want the semi-local Tampa Bay Lightning to win and in basketball I'm once again pulling for the San Antonio Spurs...as well as the good ol' Miami Heat with Dywane Wade happily back on the squad (they have a tendency to win championships with him on board, go figure). Since the Spurs face daunting Golden State and the Heat will have to play the surging Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, I'm afraid the prospects for these teams aren't very good...but at least the Lightning shouldn't have any problem with New Jersey. Now please excuse me while I finish my vacation...
Friday, April 13, 2018
Quote of the Week...from Emil Zatopek
If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.
---Emil Zatopek
Emil Zatopek was a famous distance runner from Czechoslovakia who won the Olympic gold medals in 1952 for the 5,000 meter, 10,000 meter, and marathon (26.2 miles) races. He was a talented athlete who probably worked harder at his sport than any others of his era, with a harsh, self-imposed training regimen. But I didn't select him for those reasons...it is the quote's meaning that I'd like to discuss here...
I've run a mile many times...and I've managed to finished two marathons, one public and one while training on my own. Back in February 2010 I ran my first-ever half marathon race here in Gainesville and began to set my sights on the marathon event. I trained hard the rest of the year and by the time fall arrived I was regularly going out on runs for fifteen miles or more. When I hit the twenty-mile mark toward the end of the year, I knew that a marathon run was attainable...which I accomplished the afternoon of January 15, 2011 (actually I ran about 27 miles). But I soon came to the conclusion that, at least for myself, this distance took up too much of my time with training and that it made me too injury-prone...I subsequently would only train for half-marathons, which I have run over the past eight years...
The point to all this is that while Zatopek's quote sounds like an either-or, strictly binary proposition, in truth you can experience a markedly different life and run some pretty impressive distances without letting it overshadow everything else you're doing in your life. And, quite frankly, if you've participated in some of these marathon races, you'll find that in many of them the course is doubled over in places so that you're just repeating much of the same terrain...that's no fun! I'm glad I downsized from trying to do marathons and my body appreciates it as well...a half-marathon is a good, solid long-distance event as are 10Ks (6.2 miles) and 15Ks (9.3 miles). As a matter of fact, as I find myself mysteriously getting older each year, I'm finding those last two more fun to run in. But having said all this, I also recognize that each of us is different and some have come to consider the marathon as the crowning event of their running aspirations. And, of course, if you're not into running, none of this applies except as an analogy to other areas with which you are engaged. The main thing is to avoid automatically buying into how others define your interest: that's something you...and only you...get to do...
---Emil Zatopek
Emil Zatopek was a famous distance runner from Czechoslovakia who won the Olympic gold medals in 1952 for the 5,000 meter, 10,000 meter, and marathon (26.2 miles) races. He was a talented athlete who probably worked harder at his sport than any others of his era, with a harsh, self-imposed training regimen. But I didn't select him for those reasons...it is the quote's meaning that I'd like to discuss here...
I've run a mile many times...and I've managed to finished two marathons, one public and one while training on my own. Back in February 2010 I ran my first-ever half marathon race here in Gainesville and began to set my sights on the marathon event. I trained hard the rest of the year and by the time fall arrived I was regularly going out on runs for fifteen miles or more. When I hit the twenty-mile mark toward the end of the year, I knew that a marathon run was attainable...which I accomplished the afternoon of January 15, 2011 (actually I ran about 27 miles). But I soon came to the conclusion that, at least for myself, this distance took up too much of my time with training and that it made me too injury-prone...I subsequently would only train for half-marathons, which I have run over the past eight years...
The point to all this is that while Zatopek's quote sounds like an either-or, strictly binary proposition, in truth you can experience a markedly different life and run some pretty impressive distances without letting it overshadow everything else you're doing in your life. And, quite frankly, if you've participated in some of these marathon races, you'll find that in many of them the course is doubled over in places so that you're just repeating much of the same terrain...that's no fun! I'm glad I downsized from trying to do marathons and my body appreciates it as well...a half-marathon is a good, solid long-distance event as are 10Ks (6.2 miles) and 15Ks (9.3 miles). As a matter of fact, as I find myself mysteriously getting older each year, I'm finding those last two more fun to run in. But having said all this, I also recognize that each of us is different and some have come to consider the marathon as the crowning event of their running aspirations. And, of course, if you're not into running, none of this applies except as an analogy to other areas with which you are engaged. The main thing is to avoid automatically buying into how others define your interest: that's something you...and only you...get to do...
Thursday, April 12, 2018
4/8 Sermon on Book of Daniel, Pt. 1
At the Family Church here in Gainesville, Florida, senior pastor Philip Griffin began a new sermon series, Counter Culture, going through the Bible's Old Testament book of Daniel. Last Sunday was the first installment, titled How to Live Out Conviction in a Culture of Conformity, and focused on the passage Daniel 1:1-21...click on it to read it via Bible Gateway...
As Daniel opens, the setting is the Babylonian conquest of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar and the taking of its best and brightest young people back to Babylon for training and assimilation into that country's society. Daniel, along with his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, is among them. They are renamed according to the Babylonian religion and reeducated. But when offered Babylonian food that violates their own dietary laws, Daniel draws the line and insists on a strict regimen of vegetables and water...
So how can people live out their convictions in a culture of conformity? Using Daniel's experiences in Babylon as a model, Pastor Philip gave five steps: (1) no matter how bad it gets, know that God has not forgotten you, (2) choose your battles...if everything is a bad, nothing will be won, (3) purpose in your heart to trust and obey God, (4) don't treat people as enemies, and (5) live to bring glory to God. Since neither learning about other cultures nor being renamed are violations of scripture, Daniel conformed in these with the dominant society...but chose for his battle the food they would be eating since, as I mentioned before, it would involve breaking dietary laws. Philip pointed out that they wouldn't sit at the King's table and partake of the food because it was regarded as a sacrifice to idols, sitting there implied acceptance of Nebuchadnezzar's oppression, and they had entered into a time of fasting. Yet Daniel did not treat his Babylonian captors as enemies...and we should avoid this temptation in our own circumstances to either assimilate into the world's system or isolate from it, as our pastor stressed. Instead, using salt as a metaphor for our proper role, we should engage and be the salt of the world (Matthew 5:13), a salt which preserves and purifies...
You can watch this message through the church's YouTube video website...click on the following link: [TFC Video]. Located at 2022 SW 122nd Street, the Family Church holds its weekly services on Sunday morning at 9 and 10:30. Besides the sermon there is praise and worship music, prayer, refreshments in the hospitality room, and opportunities for fellowship and discipleship. Daniel will continue next Sunday...
As Daniel opens, the setting is the Babylonian conquest of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar and the taking of its best and brightest young people back to Babylon for training and assimilation into that country's society. Daniel, along with his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, is among them. They are renamed according to the Babylonian religion and reeducated. But when offered Babylonian food that violates their own dietary laws, Daniel draws the line and insists on a strict regimen of vegetables and water...
So how can people live out their convictions in a culture of conformity? Using Daniel's experiences in Babylon as a model, Pastor Philip gave five steps: (1) no matter how bad it gets, know that God has not forgotten you, (2) choose your battles...if everything is a bad, nothing will be won, (3) purpose in your heart to trust and obey God, (4) don't treat people as enemies, and (5) live to bring glory to God. Since neither learning about other cultures nor being renamed are violations of scripture, Daniel conformed in these with the dominant society...but chose for his battle the food they would be eating since, as I mentioned before, it would involve breaking dietary laws. Philip pointed out that they wouldn't sit at the King's table and partake of the food because it was regarded as a sacrifice to idols, sitting there implied acceptance of Nebuchadnezzar's oppression, and they had entered into a time of fasting. Yet Daniel did not treat his Babylonian captors as enemies...and we should avoid this temptation in our own circumstances to either assimilate into the world's system or isolate from it, as our pastor stressed. Instead, using salt as a metaphor for our proper role, we should engage and be the salt of the world (Matthew 5:13), a salt which preserves and purifies...
You can watch this message through the church's YouTube video website...click on the following link: [TFC Video]. Located at 2022 SW 122nd Street, the Family Church holds its weekly services on Sunday morning at 9 and 10:30. Besides the sermon there is praise and worship music, prayer, refreshments in the hospitality room, and opportunities for fellowship and discipleship. Daniel will continue next Sunday...
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Weekly Short Story: Adjustment Team by Philip K. Dick
I've become accustomed, when reading renowned twentieth century science fiction writer Philip K. Dick's short stories, to experiencing reality-bending moments when what we think should be the normal world around us turns out to be something entirely different. Adjustment Team, first published in 1954 and appearing in the collection Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick (Pantheon Books), is a prime example. Ed Fletcher thinks he is getting out of bed, enjoying an excellent breakfast prepared by his wife Ruth, and going to yet another ordinary day at his downtown office job...but we know better, of course. After all, Ed's office building lies within the sector that is to be "adjusted"...and he'd better get there in time because he's part of it all. The Clerk tells the Summoner (Ed's dog) to summon (by barking) the car that will take his "master" to work earlier than usual that day...but the canine foolishly sleeps past the allotted time and Ed is very late for work...causing disruption of the whole plan. And no, I don't expect you to know what the heck I'm talking about...
The Clerks and Summoners...as well as the Watchers, Adjusters, and the Old Man...are all part of a reality creating-and-changing organization with their own agenda for the world. When Ed steps past the invisible threshold between his normal world and the sector being "adjusted"...well, you have to read through it to get the full vicarious experience as a reader. I will say this much, though: it is his initial experience going to the office that morning that won the story over for me as well as creating an awfully scary scenario that would exceed the terror of any nightmare I might have...
There was a 2011 movie starring Matt Damon called The Adjustment Bureau that adopted some pertinent elements of Dick's story but transformed it into something very different. I've read that there was a legal battle going on between Philip K. Dick's estate and those from the film for royalty payments...I've yet to see this movie and, quite frankly have no intention of doing so anytime in the near future. But the short story is a good one and, in spite of that scary part, also has quite a lot of humor...
The Clerks and Summoners...as well as the Watchers, Adjusters, and the Old Man...are all part of a reality creating-and-changing organization with their own agenda for the world. When Ed steps past the invisible threshold between his normal world and the sector being "adjusted"...well, you have to read through it to get the full vicarious experience as a reader. I will say this much, though: it is his initial experience going to the office that morning that won the story over for me as well as creating an awfully scary scenario that would exceed the terror of any nightmare I might have...
There was a 2011 movie starring Matt Damon called The Adjustment Bureau that adopted some pertinent elements of Dick's story but transformed it into something very different. I've read that there was a legal battle going on between Philip K. Dick's estate and those from the film for royalty payments...I've yet to see this movie and, quite frankly have no intention of doing so anytime in the near future. But the short story is a good one and, in spite of that scary part, also has quite a lot of humor...
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Tuesday's List: My Top Three Songs of Various Musical Acts, Pt. 1
I thought I'd scan my memory of different musical acts I've enjoyed over the span of my listening lifetime and came up with a list of my favorites from some of them. Now I've already put out some pretty long lists of personal favorite songs from acts like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Doors, the Who, Yes, the Moody Blues, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, the Monkees, Electric Light Orchestra, etc...maybe on a future date I'll place links to those lists on this blog..or you can find them for yourself by using the search engine provided in the upper left corner within the blog page. For today, I'm listing my favorites from other artists...it's not a comprehensive list and I plan to come up with more later on...
Well, here's the list...for this one I stuck to acts (I like) with origins going back to the 1960s or earlier. How many of these songs do you recognize?
THE ANIMALS
1 Sky Pilot
2 It's My Life
3 We Gotta Get Out of This Place
ROY ORBISON
1 Crying
2 Oh, Pretty Woman
3 End of the Line (with Traveling Wilburys)
FATS DOMINO
1 I'm Walkin'
2 Blueberry Hill
3 Blue Monday
HERMAN'S HERMITS
1 No Milk Today
2 I'm Into Something Good
3 Listen People
THE BEACH BOYS
1 God Only Knows
2 I Get Around
3 When I Grow Up to Be a Man
THE SUPREMES
1 Up the Ladder to the Roof
2 Where Did Our Love Go
3 Reflections
THE EVERLY BROTHERS
1 Let It Be Me
2 Cathy's Clown
3 All I Have to Do is Dream
BOB DYLAN
1 Tangled Up in Blue
2 Hurricane
3 Knockin' on Heaven's Door
GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS
1 Ferry Cross the Mersey
2 Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
3 How Do You Do It
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
1 America
2 Scarborough Fair
3 Fakin' It
STEVIE WONDER
1 Living for the City
2 You Are the Sunshine of My Life
3 Uptight (Everything's Alright)
THE HOLLIES
1 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
2 Stop Stop Stop
3 Carrie Anne
THE TEMPTATIONS
1 Papa Was a Rolling Stone
2 I Can't Get Next to You
3 Ball of Confusion
CHICAGO
1 Dialogue
2 Make Me Smile
3 Questions 67 & 68
THE GUESS WHO
1 No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature
2 Hang On to Your Life
3 Rain Dance
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
1 Born on the Bayou
2 Lodi
3 Suzie Q
JAN AND DEAN
1 Dead Man's Curve
2 The Little Old Lady from Pasadena
3 Surf City
JOHNNY CASH
1 Come Along and Ride This Train
2 I Walk the Line
3 What is Truth
MARVIN GAYE
1 What's Going On
2 Inner City Blues
3 Mercy Mercy Me
DIONNE WARWICK
1 Reach Out for Me
2 Alfie
3 Do You Know the Way to San Jose
PETULA CLARK
1 Don't Sleep in the Subway
2 I Know a Place
3 Downtown
THE DAVE CLARK FIVE
1 Bits and Pieces
2 Over and Over
3 Any Way You Want It
THE ASSOCIATION
1 Never My Love
2 Cherish
3 Along Comes Mary
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
1 What Have I Done to Deserve This (with Pet Shop Boys)
2 I Only Want to Be With You
3 Wishin' and Hopin'
NANCY SINATRA
1 You Only Live Twice
2 Some Velvet Morning (with Lee Hazlewood)
3 Jackson (with Lee Hazlewood)
THE BYRDS
1 Eight Miles High
2 So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star
3 Turn! Turn! Turn!
THE KINKS
1 Tired of Waiting for You
2 All Day and All of the Night
3 A Well-Respected Man
GLEN CAMPBELL
1 Wichita Lineman
2 Try a Little Kindness
3 Dreams of the Everyday Housewife
THE RASCALS
1 You Better Run
2 People Got to Be Free
3 How Can I Be Sure
THE JACKSON FIVE
1 The Love You Save
2 Maybe Tomorrow
3 I Want You Back
THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL
1 Summer in the City
2 Nashville Cats
3 Rain on the Roof
JIMI HENDRIX
1 All Along the Watchtower
2 The Wind Cries Mary
3 Hey Joe
NEIL DIAMOND
1 Forever in Blue Jeans
2 America
3 Longfellow Serenade
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH, and/or YOUNG
1 Our House
2 Carry On
3 Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
THE BEE GEES
1 Holiday
2 Lonely Days
3 Craise Finton Kirk Royal Academy of Arts
SLY & THE FAMILY STONE
1 Runnin' Away
2 Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
3 Hot Fun in the Summertime
Well, here's the list...for this one I stuck to acts (I like) with origins going back to the 1960s or earlier. How many of these songs do you recognize?
THE ANIMALS
1 Sky Pilot
2 It's My Life
3 We Gotta Get Out of This Place
ROY ORBISON
1 Crying
2 Oh, Pretty Woman
3 End of the Line (with Traveling Wilburys)
FATS DOMINO
1 I'm Walkin'
2 Blueberry Hill
3 Blue Monday
HERMAN'S HERMITS
1 No Milk Today
2 I'm Into Something Good
3 Listen People
THE BEACH BOYS
1 God Only Knows
2 I Get Around
3 When I Grow Up to Be a Man
THE SUPREMES
1 Up the Ladder to the Roof
2 Where Did Our Love Go
3 Reflections
THE EVERLY BROTHERS
1 Let It Be Me
2 Cathy's Clown
3 All I Have to Do is Dream
BOB DYLAN
1 Tangled Up in Blue
2 Hurricane
3 Knockin' on Heaven's Door
GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS
1 Ferry Cross the Mersey
2 Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
3 How Do You Do It
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
1 America
2 Scarborough Fair
3 Fakin' It
STEVIE WONDER
1 Living for the City
2 You Are the Sunshine of My Life
3 Uptight (Everything's Alright)
THE HOLLIES
1 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
2 Stop Stop Stop
3 Carrie Anne
THE TEMPTATIONS
1 Papa Was a Rolling Stone
2 I Can't Get Next to You
3 Ball of Confusion
CHICAGO
1 Dialogue
2 Make Me Smile
3 Questions 67 & 68
THE GUESS WHO
1 No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature
2 Hang On to Your Life
3 Rain Dance
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
1 Born on the Bayou
2 Lodi
3 Suzie Q
JAN AND DEAN
1 Dead Man's Curve
2 The Little Old Lady from Pasadena
3 Surf City
JOHNNY CASH
1 Come Along and Ride This Train
2 I Walk the Line
3 What is Truth
MARVIN GAYE
1 What's Going On
2 Inner City Blues
3 Mercy Mercy Me
DIONNE WARWICK
1 Reach Out for Me
2 Alfie
3 Do You Know the Way to San Jose
PETULA CLARK
1 Don't Sleep in the Subway
2 I Know a Place
3 Downtown
THE DAVE CLARK FIVE
1 Bits and Pieces
2 Over and Over
3 Any Way You Want It
THE ASSOCIATION
1 Never My Love
2 Cherish
3 Along Comes Mary
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
1 What Have I Done to Deserve This (with Pet Shop Boys)
2 I Only Want to Be With You
3 Wishin' and Hopin'
NANCY SINATRA
1 You Only Live Twice
2 Some Velvet Morning (with Lee Hazlewood)
3 Jackson (with Lee Hazlewood)
THE BYRDS
1 Eight Miles High
2 So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star
3 Turn! Turn! Turn!
THE KINKS
1 Tired of Waiting for You
2 All Day and All of the Night
3 A Well-Respected Man
GLEN CAMPBELL
1 Wichita Lineman
2 Try a Little Kindness
3 Dreams of the Everyday Housewife
THE RASCALS
1 You Better Run
2 People Got to Be Free
3 How Can I Be Sure
THE JACKSON FIVE
1 The Love You Save
2 Maybe Tomorrow
3 I Want You Back
THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL
1 Summer in the City
2 Nashville Cats
3 Rain on the Roof
JIMI HENDRIX
1 All Along the Watchtower
2 The Wind Cries Mary
3 Hey Joe
NEIL DIAMOND
1 Forever in Blue Jeans
2 America
3 Longfellow Serenade
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH, and/or YOUNG
1 Our House
2 Carry On
3 Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
THE BEE GEES
1 Holiday
2 Lonely Days
3 Craise Finton Kirk Royal Academy of Arts
SLY & THE FAMILY STONE
1 Runnin' Away
2 Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
3 Hot Fun in the Summertime
Monday, April 9, 2018
Just Finished Reading Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
Children of Dune is the third book of the science fiction Dune series by Frank Herbert, first published in 1976. It continues the saga of the Atreides family of planetary rulers as they try to avert a future containing human extinction. The planet Dune, also called Arrakis, is once again the story's main setting as Paul Atreides' two children, the girl Ghanima and the boy Leto, have the same gift (or curse depending on how one views it) of possessing the collective memories of all their ancestors...just like Paul's sister Alia. How the siblings differ from their aunt in handling this situation, which each of them had even before birth, determines the flow of this often difficult-to-follow tale...
It can be a bit tricky trying to review a book that is down the line in a series...even describing the beginning events, characters, and setting can give away the intended suspenseful endings of the previous volumes. I may have already provided some information that someone who has started the Dune series doesn't need to know at this juncture...but I did mention at the beginning that Children of Dune is the third book, didn't I? Still, I will go no further with specifics...and believe me, there are an incredible amount of them packed into this book...
One element of the Dune series that bears discussion is the fictional spice melange, a highly addictive substance that can produce visions...sometimes prescient...in its users as well as extend life spans and provide other benefits. The giant worms on Arrakis are the universe's only source of melange, and it is crucial to those engaging in interstellar travel. That Arrakis has a monopoly on it makes it the focus of interstellar intrigues and wars, a clear analogy to nations on Earth that possess a superabundance of oil. Also, Herbert though his character Leto lays down the supposition that autocracy based on a structure of nobility is the natural result of the progression of society...not exactly the kind of thing we want to hear in our world that touts democracy as an ideal, albeit one which is often very elusive...
I've already begun reading the next book in the series, titled God Emperor of Dune. I admit that this is not by any stretch one of my favorite book series, one of the reasons being the author's tendency to go off on long ramblings of a dubious metaphysical nature. One of the problems is that he makes all kinds of statements about the nature of time, but injects prescience (the ability to foresee the future) into it all, creating a paradox unless the one seeing "ahead" has a choice between alternate futures. But by doing this, Frank Hebert...maybe unwittingly...lifted an idea put forth earlier by Philip K. Dick in his 1955 short story Captive Market. Well, I'm still plodding along...if I can get through Thomas Pynchon's overly tedious and confounding Gravity's Rainbow, I suppose I can get through the Dune series as well...
It can be a bit tricky trying to review a book that is down the line in a series...even describing the beginning events, characters, and setting can give away the intended suspenseful endings of the previous volumes. I may have already provided some information that someone who has started the Dune series doesn't need to know at this juncture...but I did mention at the beginning that Children of Dune is the third book, didn't I? Still, I will go no further with specifics...and believe me, there are an incredible amount of them packed into this book...
One element of the Dune series that bears discussion is the fictional spice melange, a highly addictive substance that can produce visions...sometimes prescient...in its users as well as extend life spans and provide other benefits. The giant worms on Arrakis are the universe's only source of melange, and it is crucial to those engaging in interstellar travel. That Arrakis has a monopoly on it makes it the focus of interstellar intrigues and wars, a clear analogy to nations on Earth that possess a superabundance of oil. Also, Herbert though his character Leto lays down the supposition that autocracy based on a structure of nobility is the natural result of the progression of society...not exactly the kind of thing we want to hear in our world that touts democracy as an ideal, albeit one which is often very elusive...
I've already begun reading the next book in the series, titled God Emperor of Dune. I admit that this is not by any stretch one of my favorite book series, one of the reasons being the author's tendency to go off on long ramblings of a dubious metaphysical nature. One of the problems is that he makes all kinds of statements about the nature of time, but injects prescience (the ability to foresee the future) into it all, creating a paradox unless the one seeing "ahead" has a choice between alternate futures. But by doing this, Frank Hebert...maybe unwittingly...lifted an idea put forth earlier by Philip K. Dick in his 1955 short story Captive Market. Well, I'm still plodding along...if I can get through Thomas Pynchon's overly tedious and confounding Gravity's Rainbow, I suppose I can get through the Dune series as well...
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Interesting C-Span Discussion on 1968 Politics
Earlier today on one of the C-Span channels they were showing a very interesting program about politics in the tumultuous year of 1968. It was a discussion consisting of author Michael A. Cohen of the book American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division, Robert F. Kennedy's daughter Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who served as lt. governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003, and the C-Span moderator. Townsend was sixteen when her father declared his candidacy for president on March 16, 1968 and had a special perspective on the events and personalities involved during this period. For me, I was eleven years old and this was the first presidential campaign I was aware of. When the New Hampshire Primary results came in and Minnesota Senator Eugnene McCarthy made a surprisingly strong showing against incumbent president Lyndon Johnson, my mother was overjoyed...she'd heard McCarthy on TV and was impressed by his boldness, especially against Vietnam. So being essentially ignorant of the world of politics at the time, I essentially latched on to her feelings and, like her, was put out when Kennedy announced he was also running just a short time later. On March 31, Johnson announced he would not run for reelection and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey soon entered the race soon afterwards. This big scramble involving McCarthy, Kennedy, Johnson, and Humphrey in the span of three weeks or so came about almost solely from the Vietnam War stalemate and the backlash of negative public opinion following the Tet Offensive by the Communists that had been going on for a few weeks. Johnson dedicated the rest of his presidency to unsuccessfully seeking a peace deal to the conflict, something that he believed the Nixon campaign sabotaged just before the general election when an agreement seemed assured...the American involvement in the war would drag on four more years...
I enjoyed the C-Span program and especially liked the rapport between the moderator, Townsend, and Cohen as they discussed the personalities, politics, and motivations of the candidates...especially the relationship between Robert Kennedy and President Johnson and a comparison of the personalities of Kennedy (more personal and emotional) and McCarthy (more standoffish and intellectual). I found it all very intriguing and all the more so because I was there at the time paying attention to these events. The bitter irony about Johnson's exit from seeking reelection is that back then the party nominees were basically chosen from state conventions...run by party insiders...and few delegates were picked from the relatively few primaries. Had Johnson stayed in, he no doubt would have won his party's nomination over either McCarthy or Kennedy. After all, after Humphrey entered the race, he did not campaign nor did he enter any of the primaries...it makes that big California victory by Kennedy over McCarthy even more of a tragedy: RFK was assassinated immediately following his victory speech on June 6, but Humphrey already had enough delegates to secure the nomination on the first ballot...to paraphrase our current president, it was all rigged...
If you want to watch this excellent program, click on the following link: [link-to-video]...it should lead you to it...
I enjoyed the C-Span program and especially liked the rapport between the moderator, Townsend, and Cohen as they discussed the personalities, politics, and motivations of the candidates...especially the relationship between Robert Kennedy and President Johnson and a comparison of the personalities of Kennedy (more personal and emotional) and McCarthy (more standoffish and intellectual). I found it all very intriguing and all the more so because I was there at the time paying attention to these events. The bitter irony about Johnson's exit from seeking reelection is that back then the party nominees were basically chosen from state conventions...run by party insiders...and few delegates were picked from the relatively few primaries. Had Johnson stayed in, he no doubt would have won his party's nomination over either McCarthy or Kennedy. After all, after Humphrey entered the race, he did not campaign nor did he enter any of the primaries...it makes that big California victory by Kennedy over McCarthy even more of a tragedy: RFK was assassinated immediately following his victory speech on June 6, but Humphrey already had enough delegates to secure the nomination on the first ballot...to paraphrase our current president, it was all rigged...
If you want to watch this excellent program, click on the following link: [link-to-video]...it should lead you to it...
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Just Finished Reading The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
I had just finished reading Clifford Simak's 1952 science fiction novel City, which initially gave no indication that it would made a big deal about dogs, and picked up Dean Koontz's 2007 horror/suspense novel The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz...guess what, it's all about dogs, too! Only with Koontz's story, it's about golden retrievers in particular. Amy Redwing, a young woman with a secret past, has devoted her life to caring for abandoned or abused golden retrievers. Brian McCarthy, her love interest, has his own past...including a sadistic ex-girlfriend with custody of their mentally handicapped daughter Hope. Amy and Brian are the clear-cut "good guys". On the "bad" side are two of the most evil people I have ever read about...and there have been some pretty awful ones. There is a lot of killing and torturing...both physical and psychological...in this novel, and I think the author went way overboard in depicting how Hope (who her mother calls "Piggy") is mistreated. But have no fear, folks, for the noble golden retrievers...led by the seemingly angelic Nickie...have come to save the day...
The Darkest Evening of the Year, on one hand, is a feel-good story about dogs and how we should treat them better. But little children are also vulnerable, and they should be treated better than they often are. The problem I had with Koontz's novel, though, is that his characterizations of the protagonists Amy and Brian seemed too shallow while he dwelled deeply on the thought processes of the evil Vanessa, her boyfriend, and the completely amoral hit man they hired. On one hand the author is saying to be good to dogs and kids...on the other, he's giving a primer on how to develop for oneself a philosophy of pure evil. So no, I didn't care for this book...but then again, you might beg to differ: why not try it out and give your own impressions?
The Darkest Evening of the Year, on one hand, is a feel-good story about dogs and how we should treat them better. But little children are also vulnerable, and they should be treated better than they often are. The problem I had with Koontz's novel, though, is that his characterizations of the protagonists Amy and Brian seemed too shallow while he dwelled deeply on the thought processes of the evil Vanessa, her boyfriend, and the completely amoral hit man they hired. On one hand the author is saying to be good to dogs and kids...on the other, he's giving a primer on how to develop for oneself a philosophy of pure evil. So no, I didn't care for this book...but then again, you might beg to differ: why not try it out and give your own impressions?
Friday, April 6, 2018
Quote of the Week...from Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
---Martin Luther King, Jr.
The day before yesterday was the fiftieth anniversary of a terrible tragedy: the assassination of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. While he was alive Dr. King was continually in the midst of issues such as desegregating the South, opposing the Vietnam War, and standing up for workers' rights. While he was speaking on behalf of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee early that Thursday evening, he was shot to death...I was an eleven-year kid sitting around in the living room with my family watching Bewitched on TV when the news broke in. While King was deemed a controversial figure by many during his life, after death his legacy has only strengthened over the years...he wrote and said many, many wise things, and the above quote applies especially in todays' world...
Few things rub me the wrong way than people who only want their own limited worldview validated to them, avoid any challenges to it, and scorn the challengers...I see this repeatedly happening on television news channels as well as on the floor of the U.S. Senate. On issue after issue I see advocates for both sides talking past each other and deliberately ignoring the opposing points of view...they seem to be promoting the notion that sincere ignorance of the big picture is a virtue that prevents confusion on the part of the adherent. After all, it's harder to bring in monetary contributions, mobilize voting drives and organize protest demonstrations if you're open to the other guy's take on things...better to just "stick to your guns" and be immovable, right? To me...and most probably Martin Luther King, Jr., had he still been around (at age 89) to witness the sorry state of today's political climate...that's pure conscientious stupidity. And yes, it is dangerous because people are increasingly and intentionally closing themselves off to one another and building their own walls dividing our society into opposing camps, with each side increasingly viewing the other as enemies. I find this pretty interesting considering how the Internet has made instant, far-reaching communication available for nearly all of us...it's as if there is some kind of negative reaction to this going on that promotes ignorance and stupidity as tools to keep a sense of identity intact...maybe Dr. King couldn't have known this would have happened, who could back in the sixties...
---Martin Luther King, Jr.
The day before yesterday was the fiftieth anniversary of a terrible tragedy: the assassination of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. While he was alive Dr. King was continually in the midst of issues such as desegregating the South, opposing the Vietnam War, and standing up for workers' rights. While he was speaking on behalf of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee early that Thursday evening, he was shot to death...I was an eleven-year kid sitting around in the living room with my family watching Bewitched on TV when the news broke in. While King was deemed a controversial figure by many during his life, after death his legacy has only strengthened over the years...he wrote and said many, many wise things, and the above quote applies especially in todays' world...
Few things rub me the wrong way than people who only want their own limited worldview validated to them, avoid any challenges to it, and scorn the challengers...I see this repeatedly happening on television news channels as well as on the floor of the U.S. Senate. On issue after issue I see advocates for both sides talking past each other and deliberately ignoring the opposing points of view...they seem to be promoting the notion that sincere ignorance of the big picture is a virtue that prevents confusion on the part of the adherent. After all, it's harder to bring in monetary contributions, mobilize voting drives and organize protest demonstrations if you're open to the other guy's take on things...better to just "stick to your guns" and be immovable, right? To me...and most probably Martin Luther King, Jr., had he still been around (at age 89) to witness the sorry state of today's political climate...that's pure conscientious stupidity. And yes, it is dangerous because people are increasingly and intentionally closing themselves off to one another and building their own walls dividing our society into opposing camps, with each side increasingly viewing the other as enemies. I find this pretty interesting considering how the Internet has made instant, far-reaching communication available for nearly all of us...it's as if there is some kind of negative reaction to this going on that promotes ignorance and stupidity as tools to keep a sense of identity intact...maybe Dr. King couldn't have known this would have happened, who could back in the sixties...
Thursday, April 5, 2018
4/1 Sermon: Jesus in His Own Words, Part 2
This past Easter Sunday at The Family Church here in Gainesville, our senior pastor Philip Griffin delivered the second part of his series Jesus in His Own Words with the message titled I Am the Way. The Biblical passage of focus, which you can read through Bible Gateway by clicking on it, is John 14:1-9 ...
Jesus is speaking with his disciples, and he assures them that although he will be going away, he will be working to prepare a place for them. Unaware...or maybe in denial...that he is referring to his own impending death as well as their eventual deaths, they question him about his statement. What follows in verse 6 is one of the seminal verses in Christianity: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." As Pastor Philip outlined, Jesus tells his disciples to trust in him, follow him, and know him. Trust, for Jesus gives the peace that the world cannot provide through his presence in our lives...but first we must step out in faith. Follow...Jesus is not just a teacher or philosopher: either you're all in with him or you're not in at all...no fence-sitting here. And, Philip concluded, know: to know Jesus is not to just cognitively know him, but to relationally know him...to know Jesus is to know the Father...
You can view this sermon through the church's YouTube video website...just click on the following link: [TFC Videos]. The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street (Parker Road) at the western end of Gainesville...accessible via Newberry Road, SW 24th Avenue, or Archer Road...holds its Sunday morning services at 9 and 10:30. Besides the excellent message, there is praise and worship music, a prayer ministry, and opportunities not just for discipleship and learning, but also to meet some down-to-earth, friendly folks. Wonder what the message will be next week...
Jesus is speaking with his disciples, and he assures them that although he will be going away, he will be working to prepare a place for them. Unaware...or maybe in denial...that he is referring to his own impending death as well as their eventual deaths, they question him about his statement. What follows in verse 6 is one of the seminal verses in Christianity: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." As Pastor Philip outlined, Jesus tells his disciples to trust in him, follow him, and know him. Trust, for Jesus gives the peace that the world cannot provide through his presence in our lives...but first we must step out in faith. Follow...Jesus is not just a teacher or philosopher: either you're all in with him or you're not in at all...no fence-sitting here. And, Philip concluded, know: to know Jesus is not to just cognitively know him, but to relationally know him...to know Jesus is to know the Father...
You can view this sermon through the church's YouTube video website...just click on the following link: [TFC Videos]. The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street (Parker Road) at the western end of Gainesville...accessible via Newberry Road, SW 24th Avenue, or Archer Road...holds its Sunday morning services at 9 and 10:30. Besides the excellent message, there is praise and worship music, a prayer ministry, and opportunities not just for discipleship and learning, but also to meet some down-to-earth, friendly folks. Wonder what the message will be next week...
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Weekly Short Story: Obits by Stephen King
Obits is another entry by Stephen King in his 2016 collection of short stories titled The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. In it an aspiring young writer, Michael Anderson, uncertain about his own abilities and prospects, gets hired as an obituary writer for an off-beat on-line magazine after he sends them a draft of a prank, scathing obituary he wrote about a recently deceased celebrity. His nasty obit columns continue...except now he's being paid for them and they quickly become the magazine's most popular item. Rejected by his boss after asking for a pay raise, he angrily writes an imaginary obituary about her and then throws it away...only to discover a few hours later that she actually died. It soon becomes clear to him...as well as to a colleague with whom he is infatuated...that he has the "gift" of being able to cause others' deaths by writing their obituaries. And the story goes on from there...
What captured my interest the most about Obits was the way King showed how Anderson...and his colleague...both became increasingly seduced by the power that he had with his obituaries. The full ramifications of all this came out in the end, though...but Anderson would never be the same again. This story won some kind of award and I can understand why: not necessarily for its horror or suspense value, but more for its examination of how people can get themselves psychologically dependent...to the point of obsession...on very unhealthful and even dangerous things, especially when the element of power comes into play. Get the book (I recommend the public library) and read it!
What captured my interest the most about Obits was the way King showed how Anderson...and his colleague...both became increasingly seduced by the power that he had with his obituaries. The full ramifications of all this came out in the end, though...but Anderson would never be the same again. This story won some kind of award and I can understand why: not necessarily for its horror or suspense value, but more for its examination of how people can get themselves psychologically dependent...to the point of obsession...on very unhealthful and even dangerous things, especially when the element of power comes into play. Get the book (I recommend the public library) and read it!
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Tuesday's List: DVDs I Own
After reading Tim Federle's touching novel The Great American Whatever, with protagonist teenager Quinn's infectious enthusiasm for old movies, I got to thinking about all the different movies I've watched...an all-time personal list of my own favorites is in the works. In the meantime, I thought I'd open up the cabinet beneath my television containing the assorted DVDs that have piled up over the years. Most are of movies, and some are of TV series...why don't I just list a few of my favorites, and this way give a sense of where I'm at when it comes to movies and television....
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
THE POLAR EXPRESS
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
FACTOTUM
THE GODFATHER
HARRY POTTER (all eight movies)
LORD OF THE RINGS (three-movie set, extended version)
MATRIX
MATRIX RELOADED
MATRIX REVOLUTIONS
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE
AIRPLANE!
INCEPTION
PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (first three seasons)
BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD (volume three)
THE TWILIGHT ZONE (selected episodes)
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (early episodes)
THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (early episodes)
CASABLANCA
MEMORIES (a Japanese animation movie)
THE PRODUCERS (original movie)
Of course, I don't need to "own" a movie or TV episode in order to watch it...sometimes Netflix or Amazon Prime is showing it, sometimes it's on TV somewhere, and almost always I can check it out from my local public library system. The television series I would most like to add to my collection is the original Winnie the Pooh cartoon series. As for The Godfather, I'm glad I have the original movie DVD but would prefer a set comprising both Parts I and II that is an extended version showing the so-called "TV" presentation that included many more scenes and went in chronological order. I also have a few old VHS movies, including Forrest Gump and many of the old classic Disney cartoon flicks...I need to hook up a VHS player to watch them, though...
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
THE POLAR EXPRESS
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
FACTOTUM
THE GODFATHER
HARRY POTTER (all eight movies)
LORD OF THE RINGS (three-movie set, extended version)
MATRIX
MATRIX RELOADED
MATRIX REVOLUTIONS
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE
AIRPLANE!
INCEPTION
PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (first three seasons)
BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD (volume three)
THE TWILIGHT ZONE (selected episodes)
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (early episodes)
THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (early episodes)
CASABLANCA
MEMORIES (a Japanese animation movie)
THE PRODUCERS (original movie)
Of course, I don't need to "own" a movie or TV episode in order to watch it...sometimes Netflix or Amazon Prime is showing it, sometimes it's on TV somewhere, and almost always I can check it out from my local public library system. The television series I would most like to add to my collection is the original Winnie the Pooh cartoon series. As for The Godfather, I'm glad I have the original movie DVD but would prefer a set comprising both Parts I and II that is an extended version showing the so-called "TV" presentation that included many more scenes and went in chronological order. I also have a few old VHS movies, including Forrest Gump and many of the old classic Disney cartoon flicks...I need to hook up a VHS player to watch them, though...
Monday, April 2, 2018
Just Finished Reading The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle
The Great American Whatever is a 2016 realistic, non-dystopian (for a change) young adult novel written by Tim Federle. Set in the present time in Pittsburgh, sixteen year old Quinn Roberts has quite a few issues in his life to deal with: the loss the previous December of his beloved sister Annabeth in a car wreck, his father having earlier abandoned them, his mother retiring to living on the couch, his own sexual orientation and when to "come out", and his deep-seated desire to become a successful screenwriter. Quinn has shut off his cellphone and hasn't gone back to school since the accident...it takes his lifelong close friend Geoff to spur him on to reenter the world of the living, but it's going to take a while. Written in the first person by Quinn, the story is very endearing and sweet, and the personalities of the characters are revealed through their dialogue and Quinn's introspective insights. He is an avid movie buff and keeps lists of his favorites, as well as things like the "top ten greatest lines"...kind of reminds me of myself in this regard. And yes, the title gets explained toward the book's end...
In commentary following The Great American Whatever, Tim Federle revealed that, like Quinn, he is gay and wanted to write a story from that perspective of a teenager having to deal with his identity as well as the social climate and reaction to LBGTQ+ issues...there seems to be much more support nowadays than in decades past, but the bullies are still there, sad to say. I've heard he has written some other novels as well...this was a good story and I'll probably end up reading another of his sometime in the "great future whatever"...
In commentary following The Great American Whatever, Tim Federle revealed that, like Quinn, he is gay and wanted to write a story from that perspective of a teenager having to deal with his identity as well as the social climate and reaction to LBGTQ+ issues...there seems to be much more support nowadays than in decades past, but the bullies are still there, sad to say. I've heard he has written some other novels as well...this was a good story and I'll probably end up reading another of his sometime in the "great future whatever"...
Sunday, April 1, 2018
NCAA Men's Basketball Tourney Down to Final Game
Well, the NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament has reached the final game...after starting with 68 teams just a few days ago. Although the three Florida teams are all gone, each of them...Florida, Miami, and Florida State...were competitive in their losses, nothing to be ashamed of. The Hurricanes, I’m sure, were very disappointed being knocked out in the first round by severe underdog Loyola of Chicago, but they should take solace in losing to a team that made it all the way to the Final Four before losing to Michigan. The injury-hampered Gators played gamely against a much-improved Texas Tech in the second round and the Seminoles should have beaten Michigan in their Elite Eight game but had some serious problems with their shooting in the second half. In the end, tomorrow night will feature Villanova against Michigan in the championship game. Although I don’t particularly care for either team, I’m gratified that neither of them are among the 20 teams cited by the FBI for possible player-payment violations. Will I watch the game? No way...I’m working!
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