What’s Up?

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is “UP.”
It’s easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but…

• when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?
• At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ?
• Why do we speak UP
• why are the officers UP for election
• why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
• We call UP our friends.
• we brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
• We lock UP the house, and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has very special meaning.

• People stir UP trouble,
• line UP for tickets,
• work UP an appetite,
• think UP excuses.
• To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

The humble “UP” can be confusing:

• A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP
• We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
• When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP .
• When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP!
• When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
• When it doesn’t rain for awhile, things dry UP.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!  To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, we have to look the word UP in the dictionary.  In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.  If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.  It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.  One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so I recon I’d better shut UP.

Job fund

Human beings have heart.  Sadly it generally takes a disaster to open more than your heart and dip into your wallet.  With the resent earthquake in Haiti, literally hundreds of millions of dollars have been collected to help these poor souls, and anyone with compassion would not deny them this help.  However, when it’s all said and done, wouldn’t it be something if we all got together and raised hundreds of millions to help those in our country?

I’m not suggesting more handouts, or stimulus… rather, a fund that can be distributed to employers to hire workers. Rather than a tax reduction to allow a company to “potentially” hire another employee, this would be an incentive to hire an employee.

Using 100 million as a starting point::
100 people could earn $1 million per year!
But seriously – how about $15 bucks per hour? 40 hour week $31 plus grand a year.
3205 people now have jobs and will put that hard earned money back into the economy, potentially creating the need for more jobs and creating an environment where they can keep theirs.  To this fund we could add part of the monies now set aside for Welfare and other programs that only call for an individual to go as far as the mailbox to collect a check, and offer these folks an opportunity to feel the sense of pride only achievable by having earned your living.

From the $31,000+ the government would collect their 15%, so they’d get several thousand per person back in taxes. While we’re at it, let’s offer a special tax break to any firm that brings its industry back from communist China! In turn offering more work options in this country. More American manufacturing = more jobs = more money staying in the U.S

World New Year traditions

In the United states,  people drink, dance, and celebrate with a kiss at the stroke of midnight and begin to mumble through a chorus of Auld lang syne (few of which actually know the words).  But in many parts of the world, traditions are a bit different.  For example: 

Chinese celebrate their New Year on the second new moon after the winter solstice. (This is when the Spring Festival starts and people look forward to the new harvest. Many Chinese ring in the New Year by sweeping the house, to rid of it bad luck, getting a hair cut and settling debts. The Chinese calendar is 2,698 years older than ours)

During the Scottish ceremony, Hogmanay, the townspeople join in the “Creaming of the Well.” The person who drinks from the well first is guaranteed a “mate.” (People would stampede to get a drink of the cream (the first water drawn). It is said that if a woman gets the first drink, she is guaranteed marriage within the New Year. To marry your ideal sweetheart, you must get him to drink from the well before the end of the day.)

The Ecuadorians cleanse their faults for the New Year by writing a list of the family’s faults. (They dress up a straw man in the family’s clothes. Then someone writes a last will and testament citing all the faults of the family members. At midnight, the will is read and the straw man burned, thus cleansing the family.)

On the morning of the Vietnamese New Year, Tet, children are not allowed to “cry.” (Most Vietnamese people believe that the events surrounding the weeks of Tet [pronounced TATE] are an indication of the “spirit” of the weeks to follow. So, in order to avoid a “bad” year, everyone must be happy on New Year’s Day. Therefore, children are not allowed to cry on this day. It is believed that the one who cries will bring bad luck no only to himself but to his family as well.)

Happy New Year!

Season’s Greetings

For my Democrat Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or tradition of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee. By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

For my Republican Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

(original author unknown)

Trust issues

I’ve got ‘em, and I’m not happy about it.  I find it hard to believe that a child around age 10 would lie and take my money. But it’s possible.

Here’s the story:  Back in July of this year this child came to my door explaining that his school class was planning a field trip and they are raising funds by selling an assortment of chocolates.  He showed me a somewhat beaten up flyer with various candies on it that looked like it had been folded in his pocket for some time.  I looked it over and nothing really appealed to me, but wanting to help this kid go on the school field trip,  so I selected some basic candy bars and told the child “I’ll take a couple of them” as I pointed to the tattered flyer.

The child seemed polite enough, quoted me a price and took down my name and address explaining that the candies will be ordered and delivered to my home, then proceeding in quoting me a price which of course needed to be paid in advance of the order.  Without hesitation, I paid him.

That was about 5 months ago.  I hadn’t really thought about it again until today while out shopping I passed the candy isle and thought of that child, and the fact that I never did get the candies.  I’d like to think that the child perhaps lost the order form, forgot my address, moved out of town with him family or a myriad of other possibilities.  But I sit here now wondering… was I conned by a kid?

Yep… I have trust issues. Dang.

Biggest lies people tell

Ever tell a lie? Perhaps  a white lie just to spare someone’s feelings? Maybe you’ve told a down right whopper of a fib…?   Below is a list of some of the Biggest lies people tell. 

• Your baby is so cute. 
• Hold on, I’ll connect you right away! 
• You really shouldn’t have spent so much. 
• This is a limited time offer, and is yours only if you call now! 
• Well, we can still be good friends. 
• Then you take a left, you can’t miss it.
•  I’ve never done anything like this before! 
• It’s delicious but I can’t eat another bite. 
• Go ahead, you can tell me, I won’t get mad.
• I’m just a social drinker. 
• You don’t need it in writing, it’s my personal guarantee!
• Its alright, it happens to everyone.

Abe Lincoln

11/4/1842 – Abraham Lincoln, then age 33 ties the knot with Mary Todd who is 23.  The marriage took place in Springfield Illinois.  Now, if you know anything about Lincoln history (especially if you are a  good Illinois resident),  then you know that Mary was off her nut… She was crazy… psychotic!  But there are some who believe it was her constant nagging and driving of her hubby that may have been the key to his success in becoming president.

 There are other’s who believed that John Wilkes Booth was actually hired by Lincoln… but missed Mary.

Hand’s free phones

Regular readers of my blog know that I am not a fan of people who are on their cell phone while driving.  Previous entries outline the numerous times I was nearly run off the road by someone who was otherwise occupied by a phone conversation instead of concentrating on the road.  Slowly but surely jurisdictions across the U.S. are imposing restrictions on cell phone use while driving, and to overcome those challenges some folks have invested in a “hands free” system.

In theory, a hands free phone in the car would allow you to carry on your conversation while still keeping both hands on the wheel and allow the cell phone obsessed to maintain their “Call me anytime” mentality, but instead it opens the doors to all new dangers.
  Not only do your eyes leave the road to dial and pick up, but you have to reach to do it. 
  Volume issues distract when having to increase/decrease.
  Discerning phoners will want to check caller ID prior to picking up… causing the eyes to once again leave the road.

  My final observation in the matter beckons back to the days prior to Television.  Ask your grandparents about how they used to sit around and “Watch” radio.  Although there was no picture, many would sit around and literally stare at the radio while listening to the program.  This form of behavior has carried over to cell phone use.  I have personally seen individuals – who have a hands free phone system in their car – looking right at the phone during the discussion.  Perhaps it to insure their voice points to the phone.  Maybe it’s from society’s rule of looking someone in the eye during discussion.  Perhaps they just like the color of the phone, but the bottom line is, if you are looking at the phone you are NOT looking at the road.

If the call is so important that you feel you must make or take it while driving,  safely pull over or let your answering machine get it until you can safely call them back.  Thanks for being the driver that DOES NOT run me off the road.

Don’t even talk to me about texting….

individual choice

I ride a motorcycle.  From the moment I get on, till I’ve reached my destination – I wear a helmet.  That is my choice.  If another biker chooses to ride without protection, that is his/her choice.  It may not be the wisest choice, but it’s their choice nonetheless – Unless of course you ride through a state that requires a helmet by law. 

Now thanks to Myrtle Beach South Carolina, bikers not only have to be aware of state helmet laws, but city laws as well.   South Carolina does NOT require motorcyclists to wear a helmet, but Myrtle Beach does!  Myrtle Beach has three annual bike rallies, and it appears the citizens of that area don’t want them anymore.  They figure the city helmet law will help control traffic, noise and partiers.  In addition; a noise ordinance and several other measures have been implemented. 

One can’t help but wonder why any community would turn away tourism that generates millions of dollars.  During bike week, all the hotels are full, restaurants are at capacity, and local merchants prosper.  City leaders claim the helmet law is about safety. But others know it’s really more about the tranquility of the townsfolk.

Whatever the reason, if you ride through Myrtle Beach and are not wearing a helmet, you will be pulled over by the authorities.  At least for now.  A business group is suing the city because they believe it is unconstitutional to supersede the state law.  We’ll have to wait on that outcome.  But for now, it’s just another small step by government in taking away individual choices.

Thank you for choosing to read this.

Ratings vs Morals

David Letterman is enjoying top ratings and being hailed as a stand up guy.  This for admitting – almost jokingly – that he has cheated on his wife numerous times.  When he made the announcement on his show, he actually got laughs.  Would you laugh if it were your spouse?

Roman Polanski admitted to raping a 13 year-old girl, yet dozens of Hollywood stars protest his arrest so he might get back to work and supply us with another “masterpiece”.  Do you think the stars would back him if it was their 13 year-old daughter? 

Americans somehow seem to enjoy hearing about celebrity sex scandals, from former president Clinton, to  Mel Gibson and others that in many ways are applauded for blatant infidelity and beyond.

It’s beyond time to bring back a sense of morals in this country, and one way to start is by imagining each “scandal” on a personal level.   What if it happened to you?