Category: writers

Is #Melania #Trump a Liar? @realdonaldtrump #RNCRockAnthems

Is Melania Trump a liar?

It would seem on the surface that Melania Plagiarized 50 words of her 1400 word speech.

The liberal-leaning press is having a heyday with this, the idea being to smear Trump and to put him on defense thus controlling the narrative. If Hillary, or her staff, can do anything to take some of the wind out of the sails of the Republican National Convention, they will do it.

Most of the press is liberal leaning, for reasons only they know.

Did Melania lie?

She said she wrote most of the speech with little help as possible.

I would tend to believe that she did indeed write a speech.

I would also tend to think that once she wrote it, the speechwriters took it, and re-wrote it. English is not her first language and even though she is fluent in five different languages, writing a speech that will resonate with the American public is best left to those that do it for a living.

The fifty words she is accused of plagiarizing out of the 1400 word speech are relatively common sentiments or phrases said by different people over the years, including the writers of “my little pony.”

Here is the error.

It is easy to check online if what you are claiming as yours was plagiarized from somewhere else. As a writer, I often check what I write against it, just to make certain that I did not write something that I may have heard somewhere in the past. The Trump Campaign should have done that!

In short, she is not running as an elected anything. There are so many more plusses with her and her husband than the “other person who’s name I will not mention,” That I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Some of my friends will find this as fodder for many heated posts, and reasons why a corrupt, morally bankrupt, self-serving psychopath should be elected Vs Trump… “Vote how you like, right now it is still a free country…..”

-Best

Pioneer deceleration problem, My take. #space #time

In 1992, we launched Pioneer 10, which is leaving the solar system. As it reaches further away from the sun, it has begun to decelerate.

Scientists believe to have discovered the solution. They are proposing that particles leaving the spacecraft as heat are pushing against the forward momentum of the craft slowing it.

“I beg to differ.”

Using the good old formula F=MA, that simply does not seem to add up.

I read about this anomaly years ago and have noodled the issue for, well years.

Time is not a constant.

We here on earth think of time as purely a linear progression that we measure with clocks, watches, and calendars.

For years we have all seen the model of the solar system on a green grid with the sun, planets and other bodies all warping the fabric of space as they “fall” in their respective orbits.

Picture the solar system not on a horizontal plane but inside a bubble. Maybe it is an oblong bubble and not a perfect sphere but a bubble never the less.

Now picture the other things inside that solar system in their respective bubbles, each creating a bubble that is respective of its mass.

That bubble is warped space. Its intensity of warpage is directly proportional to the amount of gravity.

When we see these huge storms on the sun that go on for days, or the Magellanic Clouds that seem to be frozen in time, this is our first clue that time is not a constant.

If we could build a craft that could tolerate the heat of the sun and orbit it much closer to the sun, I also suspect that the storms on the sun would happen at an accelerated rate. That craft would be in a different “local time.”

1dbd_flux_capacitor_car_charger — Pick this handy little gadget up at Think Geek!

Much like traveling through the country we pass time zones and date zones. If you hopped in your faster than lightspeed spaceship with your version of the flux capacitor and left to see the Horsehead Nebula, when you got there, it would not be there.

Leaving your “local time” heading outside of the solar system would put you into another time zone. Instead of being based on some ancient 60 seconds to the minute, the next “bubble might be 75 seconds to the minute.”

Traveling between the Bubbles in that area of empty space, where gravity does not play a role might very well find you traversing the distance in “no time,” as there is nothing there to create the bubble!

Pioneer 10 and 11 are slowing because they are reaching the end of this bubble and entering into another local time. Once outside the bubble of the Milky Way, I suspect it will speed up significantly.

Where the demarcation point of that bubble is, is truly a mystery.

This postulation can be proved or disproved with a simple test.

As the spacecraft get further away, does the bit rate of the telemetry change at all, even in the slightest?

The bit rate should not change with distance, only time!

I am a science fiction writer. I don’t pretend to understand the books of math that these scientists do. Because I don’t constrain my thought process to what I can find a formula for, I can think outside the box.

The postulations no matter how preposterous they may seem to the scientific community, I claim them as mine and hold that copyright.

They may very well find themselves in one of my next novels which is possibly the only place that they belong.

-Best

Open letter to Bill O’Reilly @oreillyfactor @Bill_O_Reilly on #Harambe, did Magilla (Harambe) have to die?

The other night on the O’Reilly show, Bill called those of us who question the shooting of this animal (Crazy.)

Firstly, I called Harambe, Magilla for a reason. There are a number of us Baby Boomers, who might think of this creature with fondness. Years ago there was a cartoon about a lovable gorilla named Magilla. Magilla would constantly cause his owner, Mr. Peabody angst. We, in fact, have this as our “context” of what and who this creature was which might cause us to become mawkish over this creature.

We might also remember with fondness the work of Dian Fossey or Jane Goodall. We might be aware of the work of Francine or “Penny” Patterson and her work with KOKO who one could have a conversation with through signing, using its own language of GSL (Gorilla sign language.)

Then Bill we see small snippets on the news of an animal that appears to be helping the child up after a terrific fall, and find out that Harambe was shot for looking out for the child.

The problem Bill; we did not appreciate the vulgarian nature of the creature as we did not see the video of the child dragged through the water by its leg until we watched your show.

Once again journalism at its finest looks to incite public outcry, I suspect for ratings by biasing the story.

I would submit to you Bill; it is not us who are crazy. It is we the public that are deceived under the guise of reporting a story. In truth, they appear to be practicing “Yellow Journalism.”

In this, I agree with Trump; some media are sleaze. It would appear that they might do anything for ratings without regard for the end result.

By the way Mr. Trump, you might want to get some thicker skin for the job you are applying for.

Just my two Cents…

-Best

The Ivory Tower of liberalism yet again shines like a beacon on a hill.

Richard Dreyfuss @RichardDreyfuss shows us just how out of touch Hollywood types are by his latest twitter diatribe.

“Trump supporters are struggling, and those supporters of notoriety are whores.” Paraphrased but pretty close.

Don’t you find it amazing that those that are the most vocal about doing away with our second amendment are those who have armed body guards to protect them?
Isn’t it amazing that those who claim to know the “real Americans” live inside a liberal bubble of propaganda, Hollywood elites, and other closed minded folks?

Richard; loved you in the movies but you don’t know me! You don’t know the struggling whores who work two jobs to make ends meet. You have no clue what it is like to struggle just to make the house payment, electricity bill and manage some sort of groceries to do it all again next week and then the next.

Yes, Richard, we are all whores as we sell our time and our bodies for money so we can go from one day to the next. The others who don’t work, they too struggle as well as they certainly don’t get enough to make ends meet from the rest of us that do work. With millions on food stamps and millions more coming across the border it is only a matter of time when there is no more porridge left to give out.

Of course, you, Hollywood Ivory Tower types don’t know anything about that do you? Maybe we should just all eat Cake!

_blog_wp-content_uploads_2008_04_dreyfuss-encinitas-i.jpg — 1.5Million dollar estate of R. Dreyfuss

Trump supporters don’t like the idea of a Political elite class who cannot tell the truth if she wanted to. The Clinton Dynasty is long overdue to ride off into the sunset of history.

download (2).jpg — Belongs to the dead broke HRD

Keep doing what you do best, regurgitate lines written by people that know more than you, and emote!

The crap that comes from Hollywood is part of the problem in this country.

Between the violent music and violent movies, we have a host of dysfunctional people that use what they see through media as a guide on a way to live.

111004103034-rushkoff-occupy-wall-street-story-top-572x321.jpg — The Useful idiots return.

Throughout history, people have watched something on the silver screen or the idiot box and replicated some action or idea that was ill advised.

Now we have millionaires who don’t live on a budget trying to advise us that progressive values are what we should be voting for while not paying attention to how bad off California actually is.

If these kids paying for these high priced college educations were actually learning anything they would recognize this as a bad thing.

These same rocket scientists see this is their savior…

These policies that they espouse will be the total destruction of their state much like it is in Vennizueyla today or Greece was last summer and still is!

Socialism is not taught in America… They are in economic collapse!

Even if you have money, you can’t buy what is not available.

No Richard, we are not struggling or whores, what we are is damned tired of elites such as yourself calling us whores or miscreants or idiots. We get it because we live it!

When Trump becomes the next President, and you decide like so many of your ilk that you cannot live in this country any longer, please don’t let the door hit you in the Ass! In addition, please convince the rest of your kind to follow you. The land is cheap in Venezuela right now, but you might want to pack your own toilette paper, as they do not have any!

My two cents…

-Best

Original Article

Richard Dreyfuss Goes Off on ‘Small-Dicked’ Donald Trump and Celebrity ‘Whores’ Who Support Him

My Two Cents #Cowardice and #Bullying

Cowardice is certainly not a topic I write about often, but it seemed appropriate given the times that we live.

Following social media reminded me just how misguided some people are. Launching vicious attacks on “public figures” under some pseudo name.

Those actions my friends are gutless cowardice. That gesture Does nothing to heal this country. In fact, it further exemplifies just how fallen we as people are.

We do this with our driving as well, as we are autonomous in our cars. We think nothing of cutting people off or driving carelessly. We can hide behind our sunglasses and know that we can escape those that we piss off. We use our horns as weapons to berate those that don’t drive aggressively enough to suit us. We use our vehicle as a weapon slowing everyone else down riding in the left lane because we have taken on the role as “road nazi.”

It is all wrong folks.

It is not your job to force others to comply with your version of how to drive.

The horn is not a cattle prod!

The horn is to warn of imminent danger IE you have drifted out of your lane “wake the hell up!”

When in line at the bank or movie theater or grocery store we are much more polite. Why? Because the person or people that you piss off might take you to task.

That is how you should be while driving or on social media, pretend like those that you are talking with are sitting next to you. Healthy debates are one thing, four letter name calling is juvenile, cowardice and flat out being a bully!

Don’t you find it interesting that millennials are driving this whole narrative about not bullying but in fact on social media are the worst perpetrators of it?

Maybe there is a disconnect in the terminology. Maybe they have not figured out what being a bully is?

Possibly they are bullied in “real life” so sitting in their mother’s basement in their underwear calling others names under the pseudo name “Morbius, or Death Eater” is their way of dealing with their real life.

“I can bully this person as long as nobody knows that it is me.”

Is that why geeky people escape into role playing games where they can suddenly “be someone?”

Are the bullies behind the wheel or the keyboard the bullied in “real life.”

Read the stuff on twitter or feedback on some of these forums. If you espouse an opinion such as on this piece, and someone takes some objection to it, heaven help you.

You cannot control the actions of others.

What you can do is lead by example.

State your case in a manner that would lead others to follow your example. Ignore those that are helplessly lost in their world of four-letter words, and ethnic diatribes.

Ignored behavior goes away.
Leading by example teaches.
What is it that you wish to teach?

I for one want to leave this world a little better than I found it. That should be the goal of everyone.

We can do that in our day to day discourse with fellow travelers on this road of life.

To my geeky friends out there, take heart, the meek shale inherit the earth. In this life, I have found that the geeks also make the money and control those jocks who stole your lunch money! If this is you, stop pushing this agenda down the road. Those that bully you today will grow up “mature” and those that cower in the basement will either learn to deal or become twisted internally spending lots of money on therapists or doing something stupid as in Sandy Hook or Aurora.

is it nice.jpg — I would add…act…Before you “act…take an action, Think!

The bullying must stop at all levels, and we can start with our day to day discourse online. Everyone alive has some “shit” that they are dealing with. Cut them some slack!

The Millennials have the right idea. If they can arrest the bullying and learn that we all have talents either with physical prowess or with intellectual prowess it would be a much better place. If I were a jock, I would befriend the geeks as assistance with calculus from them would go far. A symbiotic relationship between the strong and the meek is nature’s way if you study it at all.

My two Cents

-Best
© All rights reserved 2016

#Trump and things that go bump in the night. @RealDonaldTrump @medvedshow @hughhewitt @DennisPrager @glennbeck @theblaze

One of the simplest occupations in the world must be “radio talk show host.”

I often have the radio on when I am working at things that require less intellect and more mechanical aptitude. The Trump phenomenon is nothing more than ratings for every talking head to pontificate about.

Not shocking are the talking heads on liberal leaning sites who extol the virtues of Hillary Clinton, and how wonderful she is. I wish I were making that up…. I swear Rachel Maddow is more in love with Hillary than Bill.

Trump on the other hand is no media darling. There is not one outlet that has anything good to say about him. Today I heard one talking head repeating things that some supposed butler that Trump had once said. This talking head was rather vitriolic with his callers regarding Trump. As if, his opinion trumps theirs (pun intended). Oh wait he has a radio show so his must be more germane, more salient more accurate than his stupid listeners do.

How smug they must feel spewing out their “intelligence,” casting perls to the swine.

How is the view from your ivory tower boys? Are you going to toss down some cake to the peons, the little people whose only voice is their vote!

If you people do not think you are doing this, I challenge you to listen to yourselves.

Let me ask the talking heads this, have you read Trumps books? Does it mean nothing to you that this man took $1 million and turned it into $10 Billion while our president has spent more money in 7 years, than all of the presidents that came before him combined have?

I firmly believe that Trump is the ultimate tactician. I think what he does and what he says is more deliberate than one might think. His 2 billion in free airtime is either genius, or a rather stupid media hoping that it will bring ratings.

Do you think we can really afford four more years of Obama via Hillary? That is what it will be if she is elected and, you people are giving them ample ammunition.

Cruz is a politician and a Lawyer and comes off as Smarmy. Sorry Ted, that is how you come off. If nobody has the guts to tell you the truth, I do.

Rubio did as well… I do think that his exit speech was praiseworthy, and I really appreciated the HairforceOne line. Rubio has a sense of humor. I look for him to reappear one day, much wiser and more experienced.

Kasich is a politician and says what he thinks will resonate.

Bernie is a lovable old white person, ex hippy who has limited math skills, and not much of a grasp on reality. If I were not so well informed; I might vote for the man… He talks a good story and he makes you feel good.

Hillary is an oxymoron, an enigma…she is in fact the supreme example of “establishment.” Hillary is self-serving and at her advanced age, one has to wonder “why?” Never mind the fact that she should be wearing an orange jumpsuit, and sitting behind bars; why Hillary? Why spend your last years here on this earth in a job that sucks the life out of you? I am reminded of the Dark Crystal, with the big scary bird like things that sucked the life out of the Gelflings. The office of President is the granddaddy of life sucking entities. Is power that much of an aphrodisiac?

Trump perhaps is the biggest enigma of them all. Here is a person who by his own words turned $one million into $ten billion. Here is a person who has by his own words “ an easy life.”

I do think that he might have an issue with prevarication. It would appear that exaggerating the story for entertainment sake, is part of the fabric of Donald Trump.

As politicians go however; he should fit right in as I have yet to see one that does not have an issue with the truth. They will tell you what you want to hear for your vote, and then forget about you.

All of the stump speeches will have some story with an emotional hook, they will be about as sincere as you are when you tell the police officer that just gave you a ticket to, have a nice day.

There will be much more social engineering between now and November. As it always seems to be, at the end of the day, Americans will have to hold their noses and vote for the lesser of two evils.

The “conservative” talk show hosts will have much more fodder to stir up the folks over, and we will go on. MSNBC and to a lesser extent CNN will be bringing you stories nightly on one of two things. They will be either How great Hillary is, or how lame and incompetent the “republican” person is. That is what they do. Fox on the other hand is the Ying to their Yang. I am beginning to see that Fox too has an agenda that appears self-serving.

The issues however, will probably not be addressed, by any administration.

Nobody is going to round up 12 million illegal aliens.

Someone might build a wall but Mexico will not likely pay for it.

More companies will leave the United States, leaving fewer and fewer jobs for the people here.

All of the candidates are painting the issues with broad-brush strokes hoping that the American people do not care enough to examine the facts of what they are saying. If Jessie Waters is correct, many are clueless and simply going with the wind.

Ted says he will abolish the IRS… Then what Ted? Who is going to collect the Taxes? Do you know how many people you will be putting out of work?

He is going to tear to shreds the Iran deal… Really…maybe you should read it first.. Maybe you can tear it up all you want but in the end, their copy will be just as binding as the pile of scraps on the oval office floor.

Ted is going to repeal Obama Care… Do you think you can just stop a speeding train that is heading downhill with sheer will?

They are great sound bites Ted… Some of us have a brain.

Kasich has said nothing that I can remember that he will do. He does lead one to believe that when god was creating the earth, he was there telling him how to do it.

Trump has tangible assets that he has built.

Does he have skeletons in his closet, probably?

Is he a worse candidate than anyone on the democratic side? No…

Immigration

I do think that they all have it wrong. If someone were to think outside the box, they would build a bridge to Mexico. My take on this is simple… Help them fix whatever is wrong in their country so they can compete effectively in “free trade.” We don’t have Canadians rushing our borders by the tens of thousands; why? Canada embraces laws and capitalism, and even though they are more socialistic than we are, they still have an economy that works for them.

There must be a way to help Mexico get to a state that Americans want to go there or at the very least the Mexicans want to stay there. We have 12 million illegal aliens because their country needs help. Building a big beautiful wall with a big beautiful door is not really the answer now, is it?

Do you realize how far 10 Billion dollars would go to assist the Mexican people to gain control of their country, making it a nice place to live, work and visit!

Mr. Trump, How…how are you going to Make America Great Again? How are you going to “bring the jobs back? Some details rather than platitudes would really be nice. That is what I think are some of your largest detractors and critics. The devil is in the details and I for one would like some.

Not my Monkeys, not my Circus but maybe it is time to speak up.

-Best

The sophisticated waltz of the #query letter. #LiteraryAgent

Having read countless blogs on the subject of the “perfect query letter,” I have concluded that something is very wrong or broken in this process.

The process is this:

Research the agents.
Who considers your type of manuscript?
Research their track record.
Are they large or small?

Small agencies have less time to read every query. They then cherry pick, out of the 10’s of thousands of wannabees. There is no shortage of writers.

Large agents do the same, however; because there are more of them, they may see more letters.

Keep notes of all of the agents that you queried, you do not want to bother them with duplication and, if they sent you a form letter or even worse ignored you, that is good to know too.

Remember that some of the best authors out there are facing the same task, the same rejections, etc. because agents are so swamped with queries that they do not have time to do this properly.

When I do a direct marketing campaign for my business…my real livelihood…I have about a 2% return. Every hundred postcards usually net two customers.

Query letters are probably even more subjective. It is more important that you know who the agent is and how they deal with letters. Whom have they helped in the past? What is there rate of taking on new authors?

My no bullshit approach would be, “Would you like to make a lot of money, look at my damned manuscript!”

They do not play that game, like a princess they want to be, wooed. Money does not seem to be a factor in the selection process. Think foreplay on steroids, complete with all of the best manners when you are on a date for the first time.

“My novel will make you misty with anticipation of the next paragraph!”

When Mr. Covington came into the room with his shirt half torn, Sheila knew it was only a matter of time before she would feel the brunt of his hunger. The passion, which raged inside, tipped the boiling point, and was about to spill over!

Depending upon your agent, they will either reject it or become hot, thirsting for more… Is this what people read? Can I market it? What did Sheila do to get Mr. Covington so stirred up? What does he look like? What is his hunger? I must know more….Or not….

My dream is this….

When the novel sells over a million copies, I want to take the time to send a copy to all of the agents that have ignored me or…sent me a form letter… Is that petty? Maybe…. If I do have to self-publish the first novel, I will make “E.L. James a verb, much like google it!”

Keep at it my friends; the spoils go to the one who never gives up. As always, feel free to write. I love hearing from fellow writers.

-Best

We are but Pawns on the chessboard of life. @oann

Today’s news regarding the slide of oil prices brings back the memories of the volatile world in which we live and just how much of it centers around our lack of energy independence.

Still fresh in my mind are the long lines at the gas pumps of the “world coming to an end” oil shortage of 1973.

Much like the world ending “Global Warming Hoax,” I do not trust any of them. (with good reason…they lie!)

If you really want to know what it means…follow the money… Who gets rich if we stop using coal, or we all use sunshine and unicorn magic instead of fossil fuel? If Al gets to sell you his carbon credits that he already has printed, who gets the money for them, and what do they do with that money?

Many of my readers are too young to remember or know about the oil shortage hoax, so for those of you that were not driving in the 70’s here is the deal.

In 1972 Gas was about .50 a gallon. $5 dollars would fill my car…The price per barrel of crude was $14.00. Minimum wage was $1.85. I made minimum wage for a while until I went to work flipping burgers making $2.10. “I was of course in school; this was popcorn, gas and movie money.”

All of the sudden there was this “Energy Crisis!” We had gas lines and limited supplies. According to Carter, we were going dry and in a few years’ time, there would be no more gas…ever!

There were oil tankers crashing into each other as well as running in to under water obstructions spilling millions of gallons of oil into the ocean. The shipping lanes, which they had navigated safely for years prior and years since; all of the sudden became more dangerous…?

My contention is that those ships were sitting off shore waiting for orders to make their delivery and ran into things because they were in places that they should not have been.

As Americans went from paying .50 cents a gallon and allowed to purchase all the gas that they wanted, that changed overnight. Suddenly it was mandated as to how much and when we could purchase gas. No more than 10 gallons on odd or even days depending upon your license plate, and of course, the price jumped. Like sheep, we fell in line because our leader was someone we could trust, and if he told us this, we would do it.

President Carter responded to the crises thusly…. This is part of his speech…

“The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out.… World oil production can probably keep going up for another 6 or 8 years. But sometime in the 1980’s, it can’t go up any more. Demand will overtake production. We have no choice about that.”

“To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful—but so is any meaningful sacrifice. It will lead to some higher costs and to some greater inconvenience for everyone. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary.”

“We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren.”

This is not the first time a sitting president has lied to us….Nor will it be the last.

Oil production during this period was steady with a slight linear progression all except one…The Middle East.

In 1970, The Middle East topped the oil production of North America, continuing its production to 21.894,000 and in 1974 to finally peak in to 22,020,550 in 1979. At which time they cut production back to a low 10,645.400 1984.

There were other players in the market, but make no mistake, the Middle East was the driving force.

During this time, Asia Pacific was ramping up its use of Oil… In 1979, they peaked usage to 10,917,244 barrels a day. At this same time, North America was sitting at 21,483,623 with the largest consumer of oil being Europe and Eurasia coming in at 25,117,430 barrels a day.

The problem was the OPEC Embargo. Egypt and Syria announced that they were no longer selling oil to countries that supported Israel. Less supply of oil caused prices to rise 134%. In response to this Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, and Qatar unilaterally raised prices by 17 percent.

These events caused issues with our markets and eventually negatively affected our GDP.

Once again, we were held hostage over oil in the 1979 Iranian Revolution. OPEC once again raised prices by another 14.5%. The US then halted Imports from IRAN and Kuwait, Iran and Libya cut production. Saudi Arabia eventually raised the prices of crude to $24 a barrel. These factors brought an increase of oil up another 118% in one year. The Gulf War precipitated another increase of 113% in 1990… This adversely effected the strength of the US dollar as the feds started to lower interests’ rates.

Lines

We had long lines at the gas pumps because the Middle East who we now relied upon for oil. Years of negotiations finally eased supply but the price was no longer .50 a gallon. Today the barrel of oil dropped below $30 a barrel. If things were equal that should make a gallon of gas about a dollar.

These are the scant few facts that history tells but… I would really like to know the rest of the story. Who profited? Why did Carter fill our heads with lies? Who was pulling his strings?

The Embargo that inconvenienced millions was a political play. Today we have a glut of oil on the market bringing the prices down to record lows taking the world stock markets with it. They are blaming the glut on less demand … are you trying to tell me that there are less cars?

The Middle East for some reason, “economics” is crushing its competition by making oil supplies more abundant. This adversely effects the other oil companies, as now exploration…fracking… and other sources of obtaining oil is no longer profitable. With oil at $30.00 a barrel, all of the oil producing countries of the world will be effected, with Russia, amongst one of the countries hardest hit.

Enjoy your cheap fill-ups as your 401K is adversely suffering because of this.

“Do they still teach economics in school?”
“Have they common cored our people into actual stupidity?”

lily-james-2016-golden-globe-awards-in-beverly-hills-2.jpg — Now she is pretty…This is far more important than your survival…look at that pretty dress…that bracelet is stunning…I wonder who did her hair… Sarcasm..yep!

If the kids of today understood anything other than who got an award in Hollywood or who was sleeping with whom, or…what video game is great and why…they might actually protest our out of control politicians. These overpaid bags of hot air who paint with unicorn blood and fairy dust, create rosy pictures for those of you who watch passively the greatest president that we ever had…ever…give the greatest State of the Union address ever! If you do not believe me…ask him….he will tell you that himself if, he can pull himself away from his selfie stick or mirror! “Yes, that is sarcasm.” If the only politics you followed are on MSNBC or CNN and then watched the State of the Union Address you would buy the lies.

Screen-Shot-2015-11-09-at-10.40.54-AM-1000x600.png — There is some sort of scandal with her and mean girls but that really does not interests me…She is attractive … but completely not germane to anything that I am talking about.

“Folks, they are lies…. People such as myself are not going to be able to keep this fight up forever…you had best engage and smarten up, unless you want to go the way of Greece.”

Protest in Greece turns violent… Out of free money…

I will take this opportunity to put a plug in for a news network that is strictly news. No opinions, just the facts. http://www.oann.com/

I actually think she is great! I think she went to the Blaze …

Their reporters at time are sophomoric, but I find that part of the charm. Just the facts, no spin. They are currently in a battle with the major news networks, as the multi media giants are pulling strings to keep them off cable networks. Verizon still has them but Time Warner and Charter who seem to be under the thumb of certain people in the administration, do not want them. The FCC is going to have to get involved with this one but I am certain that they “the multi media giants” can drag this out until after the election, as to keep the left wing loons influencing politics as they have been doing forever.

Seek the truth my friends!

-Best

download (12).jpg — My Shameless plug for the Blaze…

To Insure Prompt Service T.I.P.S.

A recent article about tipping brings to the forefront of our “things to talk about;” tipping.

Europe has simply raised the cost of goods and services 20% to 30% in their restaurants and stopped tipping. The money “supposedly” used to increase the wages of the employees as well as pay for things like health care. I do not see any issues here, do you?

In theory, it sounds great but what accountability is there on the shop owners that they will use that money for those reasons? The answer is none.

I would prefer to TIP my server, as his or her service can be quantifiably assessed by his or her clients. They get immediate feedback.

Speaking of jobs if I could choose, I would like to be a restaurant critic. I already am a foodie and know something about food. I used to travel a lot, when on an expense account one of my companies allowed generous benefits in that area. Taking clients out to dinner often times I went to 5 star places and came to know the difference between good, mediocre and bad.

If I could have dinner with one celebrity, it would be Gordon Ramsey. In the world of IT, I am just like him, other than I can choose my vernacular better than he…I still have that style and appreciate an honest person.

Life is not fair.

Not everyone will have the same skills and talents. When you as a younger person piss off your opportunities afforded to you in school, you relegate yourself to jobs that are currently being taken by others from other countries that think those jobs are sweet; you limit your possibilities!

In the food services industry, servers that are good, earn more money than those that work in the back room.

I would point out that the kitchen helper position is not exactly a career choice that anyone should aspire to. Much like working in the mailroom in a large corporation, those are entry points into the job market. They are minimum wage jobs because they require little talent to perform.

Retail sales is not a career choice, it is an entry point. The problem is that managers that work there will tell their people anything to encourage them to keep their nose to the grindstone and work hard as they see management potential in them. Most of the time they are lying in an effort to placate you into giving them more of your time in return for part time minimum wage dollars.

“Time is expensive.”

When you boil it all down, what you are selling is bits and pieces of yourself through the time you invest. We are all whores if you think about it; we will do almost anything for money.

“Money truly is the root of all evil!”

People that find a way to live comfortably, without killing themselves to earn more money, are probably the true winners of the game of life.

Higher paying jobs are inherently more stressful, and stress kills. Stress produces a hormone known as cortisol. This hormone is the “fight or flight” hormone, released when danger is present. When we stay in a stressed out situation, that hormone is released in copious amounts, and often…that takes a toll on your body and your health suffers.

If corporations had a brain in their collective heads, they would look into ways to reduce the stress on their employees; as stress leads to job burnout, sick time and turnover. Those are costly!

If you can live on minimum wage, work your 8 hours and whistle while you work, your life might be sweet.

Those who chase the dollar their whole life, typically die young and leave their life’s work to their spouse or their greedy progeny to fight over, allowing attorneys to swoop in like vultures, and acquire the bulk of it.

Tips for success.

Get a good education.
Find a trade or skill that cannot be outsourced, and master it.
Discover all of your talents and skills. What are they? Take an inventory of them.
Are any of them marketable?
Figure out what you like to do…what makes you happy?
Can you find a job doing that?

Keep toxicity out of your life.

If you have toxic friends, develop boundaries and keep them outside of them. If your job is toxic, find something else as soon as possible. We all have worked around toxic people who bitch and moan incessantly. That is their own toxic cesspool, which they most likely have created. Stay out of their sphere of influence. Do not add to it and certainly do not marry into it. You cannot fix stupid and you cannot help someone that does not know either that they need help or that they do not want it. Some people actually enjoy being miserable. They like to be the victim. You cannot help them.

As a manager, identify those employees and try to work with them through HR, or get rid of them, that BS is contagious.

Tomorrow is never coming back. The time you spent reading this is gone, forever. The time I spent elucidating my thoughts on these subjects is gone as well. I hope that I spent that time wisely. I am optimistic in thinking that you got something out of it.

Time is your stock in trade. Time can be measure in heartbeats as you only have so many. There is a finite number of times that your heart will pump that life force around your body. Do not waste it.

Now go take on the day!

-Best

My Fifteen Minutes

Everyone seems to get his or her 15 minutes.

I made the front page of a small East Texas Newspaper twenty-four years ago, in a most austere way.

Driving home this evening I passed more than one person who was weaving in their lane. Usually it is because they are texting or trying to see who called and of course, they are much better at this than every other driver is, so they can do it safely. Sometimes the weaving is simply because they are drunk, or high.

In the year 1992, my life changed forever.

After a head on collision at freeway speeds involving an intoxicated 80 year old, I was forced to re-invent myself. Managing to live through being treated in a small country hospital that doubled as an emergency vet… (Joking…, I think…) I was destined to do other things.

The broken bones and lacerations healed, but the scars remain, hidden just under the surface, pain is a constant reminder of that fateful day 24 years ago. I have legs today because I happen to enjoy coffee. Moments before the impact, I had stopped to purchase Gas and coffee. Filling one of those stainless steel thermoses, I had the thermos upright in the seat beside me. Topping the hill to find a Cadillac, in my lane coming at me, my two options were to dive into the other lane or hit the brakes. A red Truck was in the lane beside me so, in the split second that I had to utter the explicative “Oh Shit!” It was all over. Literally, the accident was that fast. I had locked up anti-locks breaks, and bent the brake pedal…He never attempted to hit his breaks.

The combined collision speed was 115 miles an hour. How they got all that I have no idea however, my speedometer was stuck at 45…frozen in time.

The memory of that split second in time, indelibly etched into my brain is a constant reminder of what happens when idiots drink and drive. Every detail lives with me in excruciating detail. Time fascinates me today because of this, as I think time is not linear but relative. During the Nano second of the impact, the event turned into one of those films you see that was taken by a high-speed camera. Bits of glass tumbled frame by frame, horizontally from my left to right. The dash came up to meet me as the steering wheel crushed my face and chest. The thermos full of coffee tumbled from beside me, launching itself to the floor, lodging between the firewall and the frame of my seat. The hydraulic effect of the thermos filled with liquid, stopped the dash from severing my legs and most probably kept the shaft of the steering column from piercing my heart.

The driver of the other car was under his dash. He was hauled away first in the first ambulance arriving on the scene. He had one small cut on his forehead and released from the hospital that day. He was not even wearing a seatbelt. I never heard what happened with the driver after that. Since both of us had the same insurance company. I was lucky to be compensated for my losses. I remember the claims person as being nasty to me on the phone… They did not even replace my truck as it was now 6 months old. I was upside down on the loan and they did not care…. It was a smaller truck, not one of the full size trucks like I drive today. I understand that claims adjusters work for the benefit of the insurance company but I was surely not in “good hands.” Insurance is in fact unavoidable, if you are lucky; you are pissing your money away paying for something that you will never need. They do whatever they can do to keep from paying out.

The trip to the hospital started as I said, after they removed and transported the person who was responsible for the accident.

My vision was fading, as the pain in my chest was intense. I made my peace with God as I knew that I was going to die and strangely enough, I did not seem to mind. There was a strange peace about it as if the answer was at hand; this is how it will happen. God however had other plans… While waiting for the final sting… I tried to relieve the pain, I managed to remove my seat belt, but the pain was still there.

With what was left of my vision, I was able to watch as they pulled the other driver from under his dash and put him onto the stretcher. A man came to my window talking with me as I told him about the pain and the vision issues. It hurt to talk and my statements were short as breath was scarce. My face had met up with the steering wheel, Or the steering wheel with my face, so talking “clearly, plainly” was not really an option; nor was it possible as blood was now leaving my body through every orifice that I had visible and some places that were not visible.

The engine and tires of my truck were underneath my seat. Using the jaws of life I heard the popping sounds of the metal as they cut my door away from around me. Finally, they got to me after removing my door and cutting what was left of the restraining device that was still wrapped around me. By now, my vision was all but gone, but I could still hear the noises of the equipment, and the voices of the first responders. You have heard people mention the white light. My vision had faded from white sparkles to a blank white screen. One of the responders said, “It is a miracle that he is alive.” Placing that plastic collar on me, they then pulled me out of my truck. Once they laid me down, my vision returned. I could see the emergency vehicles, and the wrecker driver picking up my belongings as they were now strewn over much of the freeway. Steam was coming out from somewhere under my seat which was now where the engine was. The bed of the truck was warped; the force of the wreck torqued and twisted the metal.

Once in the ambulance the man told me that he was going to put some sugar water into me, the 18 gauge needle was going to hurt. Compared to the rest of the pain that I was in, that was a mosquito bite.

Arriving at the hospital, they were already working on the other person that hit me. A curtain separated us, but I could hear him. He was old, drunk and on medications. His wife had just bought him another car as he totaled the last one. He had badgered her about driving so she bought him this old big Cadillac so if he were in an accident; he would be protected. He bragged about how he guessed she was right because he was still there.

Laying there on the other side of the curtain, listening to him tell the story of his classic Cadillac, what was left of my blood boiled! It was not bad enough that they took the old person first, but I had to be in the same room with him!

It was now my turn to be treated like meat.

Cutting my clothing off me there was no shortage of witnesses to watch the story unfold. Doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants (young attractive female with long curly brown hair) and a burly old cop who clearly had never missed a meal, were a few that made the cadre of spectators.

The report of the accident was read aloud to all that were present including the fact that my seatbelt was not buckled.

I tried to tell them that I took it off but, the cop was making notes, not interested in my wellbeing but who was at fault and if there was a ticket to write. He looked down at me as if to say, yea sure…we have heard that one before… I was pissed! Arrogant son of a bitch! If he could not see from the evidence what happened, he was a moron!

As they cut my shirt off, a large purple stripe across my chest and my belly that the belt left, told the tail, and at that; the cop put his ticket book away! I was more concerned about living through this and he was looking to write a ticket. I do not mean to sound churlish. I know many police who I call friends. Thinking about this, I am still pissed at that asshole!

The doctor was wearing a black silky sports jacket with a yellow logo on it as he was at some sporting event and was on call. He was not happy to be there and his bedside manner left much to be desired. There were two hospitals in this town, one for poor folks, and one for people with means. I had insurance and means and they brought me to the other hospital that was in need of so many things.

After examining my naked body in front of many people, the “doctor” flipped me over to stuff a finger up my butt as the final insult… Now I had broken bones, crushed chest, face and legs and without x-rays or anything else, he treats me like a slab of meat to finish his exam so he can write up some orders for the nurses and get back to what he was doing before the rude interruption. After he was satisfied with his initial exam, he left. They did a sonogram of my heart to find that it had been bruised. Then they took me down to x-ray. X-ray was close to the morgue, I could smell dead people, or was it me.

The ceiling tiles, stained from years of leaks and neglect told the tail of the financial history of this place. The X-Ray machine would not stay in place. After she would set it, get some distance to trigger it, the head would slide down, as its joints were old and loose. We had to take several “pictures” before she was finished. No telling how much extra radiation that I was exposed to because of this antiquated relic that belonged in a museum.

Back in the emergency room, the man’s wife arrived. He told her… “They said I was in the wrong lane.”

Laying there listening to him getting his three stitches on his forehead, it was not long before he was released to go home. Before they left, his wife came over to me. From what I could tell, I was covered in my own blood from head to toe. My beard was caked in blood. She rubbed my forehead as she apologized… ”I knew better to get him another car.” She said…then she told me “I am not supposed to tell you this, we have good insurance…”

Even in my state of mind, I was too nice to tell her what she could do with her good insurance… I had to live through this day, this night and then another day before I could even think about getting things taken care of.

After hours spent in the emergency room; I was moved to ICU. If you have never been in the hospital before “and I had not” this was not an experience that I would welcome or recommend.

Since I had a bruised heart, it was decided that I could not have pain medication. A dentist came in and checked my teeth that had gone through my face. Stitching up my face from the inside out, no pain medication was used.

The next fun thing was the doctor that set my broken nose. This person reminded me of the professor on back to the future. Pushing on my nose with his thumb, he could not get it exactly straight so again, without any pain management, he put these huge forceps up my nose and … got it straight. The pain was unbelievable as the final crunching sounds of the bones ceased.

The machine that monitored my pulse echoed the throbbing of the pains in my body.

Listening to the beeping of the machine, I knew as long as it was beeping, I was alive.

The PA came in and tried multiple times to get me to tell her what I was taking. “C’mon, we know you are taking something, what it is…we need to know…” “Really…my word meant nothing… I don’t do stuff like that, never have!” Several times she tried to get me to tell her what I was on…the answer was always the same. I maybe the only person on this damned planet who has never done it but…I don’t…

“We don’t know what you are on so we can’t give you pain medicine.” She said… What was I supposed to do, lie so they could manage my pain?

The next day, after the worst night in my life the toxicology report came back…my potassium was low…”What are you doing to cause your potassium to be low?” the doctor with bad bedside manners asked. “Ummm, I don’t salt my food…” Never did get as much as an aspirin.

The days and nights blurred together as I could not sleep. My nose was packed with cotton, and it throbbed for days. I could barely breathe as my ribs and chests were broken, breathing hurt!

Every few hours someone came in and jabbed me several times with a needle to get blood. The phlebotomist, if that is who they were, sucked at it! I was still getting saline from an IV so peeing was the only activity that I could muster. Lifting the sheets was near impossible and on several occasions, I had to get help…talk about humbling…

After the third day, glass from the accident was still imbedded in my hands left arm and face. My beard was one solid chunk of caked blood and not so much as one person offered to get the glass out of me or clean me up.

For entertainment, I found that I could control the beats of my heart. Using some biofeedback technique, I could slow them down to an eerie slow level or speed them up. I was hooked up with a remote telemetry gadget so someone somewhere could look at a screen and see my heart rhythm. There was also a camera on the ceiling watching me. At some point in time, I wanted a nurse and could not get one. I pulled the telemetry leads off my chest. The monitor went to a silent tone and … nothing. Nobody came for close to 15 minutes! If this was ICU, I shuddered to think what care was like in a regular room.

The next day the hospital administrator came to my bed as I had asked to be transferred to Houston. I personally knew Dr. Debakey and he knew me. He even told me once if I needed his services to let him know. If there was anything going on with my heart, I would much rather he and his team take care of me than this bunch of people.

The next day they moved me to a private room in the “best part” of the hospital. Some wing of the hospital had been made via donations from someone. It was there, with help from family that I managed to get myself into the shower, and stay there until I managed to get all the dried blood off me, out of my hair, and what have you. I then dug into my luggage and used my own damned tweezers to get the glass out of me.

The doctor with the crappy attitude before releasing me was much nicer on his final examination. I guess he was finally satisfied that I was not on anything…the wreck was in no way my fault or…he got lucky the night before…. Either way, I was happy to leave that hospital. Holding a pillow next to my chest my friend of many years drove me home where I lost months of employment and finally had to leave the job I loved, as I was no longer able to do it.

One of the people that I missed was Dr. DeBakey and his team. I had spent years taking care of the doctors in the Texas Medical Center and ended up in a small East Texas hospital that was a joke by any standards.

Loosing months of pay I got a call one day from MADD…mothers against drunk driving. While I could ill afford it, I sent them some money anyway.

Today 24 years later I am often teased about my driving. I am very defensive, leave lots of room in front of me and preach to those that will listen. I tell them to pay attention to what is going on at least 15 cars in front of you and leave enough room so you can see them. I am often told, I drive like a grandpa…slow. Slow translates to the speed limit or a mile or two above or below it, depending on the average terrain.

Driving a full size truck with many airbags is only a small part of my strategy. When I see these people with their damned phones driving and messing with the phone, part of me really wants to scream at them. Then the cops have radios, phones and a laptop computers and a host of other distractions while they drive through school zones…Folks, they are no different from you… Watch them; you will see them drift all over the road as they mess with their toys. I have seen them, and I cringe.

Keep your distance from them, big trucks and cheerleader types who think a selfie while driving through a school zone is smart. They do it! They are all over Facebook… Just the other day a young woman picked up her child from school and took off from the school, passing everyone doing 40 or better in a 20. She was on her phone at the time…texting as she passed me. “Where is a cop when you need one I said…” With that, a cop pulled up on her bumper on his motorcycle. She drove a long way without noticing him behind her, as she was texting on her phone. That ticket had to be pricey!

Who do you think you are that you can endanger others with your BS?

I wish I could say that this is a story and “blah blah blah” but the truth is, that this is the truth.

This happened, and I am certain that by now, some of the memories have faded but I must tell you, most are still there including the pain. Twenty-four years now, I have lived in unmitigated pain. I take nothing for it. I live with it, working out as best I can to help manage it…but there are no meds that would leave me mentally acute.

I do not know what happened with the man that hit me. I know that if you have the same insurance carrier, you lose. By now I am certain he is gone, but there are plenty others to take his place. There were no smart phones back then…Now everyone has one. Weed is legal in some states and I fear that those people will drive impaired as well. Even in states where it is illegal, I am certain that one of three folks is under some sort of influence.

Defensive driving if taught correctly, would be money well spent.

-Best