Some damn fine words

Alexis Zorba: Damn it boss, I like you too much not to say it. You've got everthing except one thing: madness! A man needs a little madness, or else...
Basil: Or else?
Alexis Zorba: ...he never dares cut the rope and be free.
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Alexis Zorba: If a woman sleeps alone, it puts a shame on all men.
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Basil: I don't want any trouble.
Alexis Zorba: Life is trouble. Only death is not. To be alive is to undo your belt and look for trouble.
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Alexis Zorba: Am I not a man? And is not a man stupid? I am a man. So I married. Wife, children, house, everything. The full catastrophe.

An attack on the homeless

I recently read an article in the St. Pete Times which reported that the City of Tampa was asking local soup kitchens to move or discontinue offering free food to the homeless. The reason, according to the article, was that downtown Tampa is in a period of remodeling (not unlike downtown Miami) and rejuvenation. The city hopes to make the downtown area into a residential boomtown, thus removing the homeless who currently inhabit the streets there.

This greatly upsets me. The city has no troubles telling people to stop feeding the homeless, but can't quite seem to do anything to help them. The city of course backed off when media caught on to the story, but its obvious the mindset the city. I am not a proponent of the state doing an unlimited welfare system, but when private individuals take it upon themselves to help the disadvantaged, the state should not get in the way.

This is nothing new though. I noticed a trend a few years ago when cities began "modernizing" benches on the sides of streets and in parks. These new benches had one to two dividers on the seat portion of the bench. The obvious reason for this is to prevent people from sleeping on the benches. Regardless of what some may say, society and our way of life has put these people on the bench, homeless and hungry. Not enough is done to help these people, either by private individuals or the state. To take away what little comfort these people have so the area looks "nice" is absurd and shameful.

Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote that "The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons." I believe the same could be said of the homeless and disadvantaged in a society, and how that society attempts to help them.

What I've Learned, from Esquire Magazine

Interviewed by Cal Fussman and Clinton Guy
Antonio Pierro (World War I veteran and retired jet-engine maker, 110, Swampscott, Mass.)

What I've Learned

What? What's the question?

Blond. Small breasts—so you can get closer.

You see a girl, you wish you could.

If you can't get what you wish for, forget about it.

Nick, sit down. This is my little brother Nick. He's ninety-seven.

Getting older is an adventure, not a problem.

My father's name was Rocco. Back in Italy, we would go out and trim the wool off the sheep. My father was the boss. You did it wrong—ba-boooom! We'd prune the vineyard. You did it wrong—ba-boooom! But he was a good teacher.

My mother's name? Nunzia.... Nick, is she still around?... Too bad. She was a great mother. Lot of patience with the kids. Good cook.

We had a dog when I was young. Bradamante! Don't know how it got that name. Pretty good dog. But one day she tipped over the food on the table. My father picked up the dog by the hind legs, took it outside, and ba-boooom, ba-boooom! Smashed the head against the ground. Then he told me to take Bradamante to the dump because that was it for Bradamante. I took her by the hind feet and set her in the dump outside town and went home. Three hours later, the dog was at the front door with a swollen head. Amazing...That's what you remember.

If you're going to make wine by stepping on grapes, make sure to wash your feet.

All the horses that we brought over to France sunk when the ships got hit with torpedoes. My job was to maintain the horses. So I had to learn French because the horses we got from France understood only French. To make a horse go in France, you say, Allez!

The trenches were about six feet deep. The enemy came at night. It was a tight squeeze. When you're in a tight spot, who do you call on? God is the only one who you can ask that favor.

Is there a war going on now?

Compassion in war is when you shoot somebody, you hope the fella doesn't feel any pain. Or if he does, that it don't last too long.

War is a waste of life.

When the war ended, we danced all night. T

here was a gal in France named Madelaine. Ahhhhh, Madelaine.

French girls are more up to give you a better time.

Ten years ago, I used to take my snowblower and clear everyone's walk. Not anymore. Today I fell down trying to go to the bathroom. When you can't get up, you feel like two cents.

Tell the truth. There's no other way.

Steal with your eyes, not with your hands.

It's good to have a garden.

There's too much to remember. Sometimes you gotta forget about the past.

Three meals a day. Work hard. Keep yourself clean. Get enough sleep. What else is there?

Words of wisdom are hard to get.

You see people you like, you go there.

Yeah, I was married. Good woman. My wife couldn't have any children. That's the way it turned out. It was unfortunate.

We were married forty-seven years. Kindness in giving creates love.

My bowels are all right. No complaints there.

When the time comes, you stretch out.

Won't be long now.

Adiós, amigos.

Courtesy of Esquire Magazine

300,000,000 Strong

According to the Census Bureau, sometime tomorrow morning a baby will be born and the United States will have 300 million people. Pretty hefty amount. After China and India, I believe we are the most populous country, but a wikipedia search would verify that.

What does this mean for our country? Good or bad? And what about our future? Huge questions, which no doubt won't be answered until the time comes. These are the same questions that have been asked since day one, so many years ago.

We can't really predict what all this will mean. Chances are the numbers will continue to grow steadily, as the children of the baby boomers have children, and the flood of immigrants will have children and their children will have children. No doubt we might see more high rises in cities, and more buildings/apt buildings in some of the smaller cities/towns as well. This, I believe, is some ways down the road.

The key issue with this information is energy conservation and protection of the environment. More people will equal more of a strain on the environment. We need to protect and clean our waters and air harder than we have ever before. This includes cleaner energy resources such as solar power and windmills. Homes with their own solar panels should be common place today, as it is in many places throughout Greece (and Europe, I'm sure). Don't get me started on cars. Something must be done and faster. Sure, it takes time, but cars have largely remained the same since the 70's...only recently have things changed. And more change and greater change is needed. Otherwise, greater and greater populations will only mean more and more of a strain on the environment. You don't want to see the result of that.

Pretty good lyrics

Coldplay has some really amazingly written, meaningful lyrics. At least I think so.

'What If' by Coldplay

What if there was no life
Nothing wrong, nothing right.
What if there was no time?
And no reason or rhyme?
What if you should decide
That you don't want me there by your side.
That you don't want me there in your life.

What if I got it wrong?
And no poem or song..
Could put right what I got wrong,
Or make you feel I belong
What if you should decide
That you don't want me there by your side
That you don't want me there in your life.

Oooooh, that's right
Let's take a breath, jump over the side
Oooooh, that's right
How can you blow it if you don't even try?
Oooooh, that's right

Every step that you take
Could be your biggest mistake
It could bend or it could break
But that's the risk that you take
What if you should decide
That you don't want me there in your life.
That you don't want me there by your side.

Oooooh, that's right
Let's take a breath, jump over the side.
Oooooh, that's right
How can you know it when you don't even try?
Oooooh, that's right

Oooooh, that's right
Let's take a breath, try to hold it inside
Oooooh, that's right
You know that darkness always turns into light
Oooooh, that's right..

Conspiracy Theory time

So, after getting destroyed by Arkansas last week at home, and Vandy this weekend at home (and homecoming, no less), and almost getting beat by Colorado at home...Georgia is still ranked. WTF!?!?!?!? Well, next weekend Georgia plays UF in the World's Largest Cocktail Party. I think you are begining to see where I am going. Its a better game (on paper) and bigger draw if both teams are ranked going into the game. So, lets keep them ranked. Even if Georgia doesn't deserve it.

And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to...

Bangladeshi microcredit pioneer Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank for their work in advancing economic and social opportunities for the poor, particularly women. Here is a fine example of how private individuals should set out and help the poor, and empower them to take control of their lives and better themselves. Instead of the government handing money out in a welfare type system with no checks as to what the money is being used for, Yunus and his bank are loaning out small sums for the purposes of people doing work and making money.

Yunus and his bank pioneered microcredit, which are loans in small dollar amounts of $100 or $50 so that people can buy chickens or other tools. With these purchases the people are better able to raise their standard of living and become meaningful contributors to society. And instead of the money going to people in the form of a grant or handout, the people know the loan must be paid off so they work hard to pay it off and thrive in the business they have started.

Yunus' bank has focused in large part to women, who make up 97% of the 6.6 million borrowers in more than 70,000 villages in Bangladesh. This concerted effort to work with women has given these women a more equal footing with men in an area of the world that has the playing field less than even.

This is a very good lesson for governments and people across the world. People don't need handouts or charity to better themselves, because in reality they aren't bettering themselves. They need help, yes, but in a way that puts them in charge and gives them a mindset to work off the loan which will eventually lead to them working for greater profits and a better standard of living. Instead of monthly $100 handouts, one loan of $100 can yield even greater monthly dividends to the recipient who can work themselves out of the ghetto and into better living conditions for them and their families.

According to the committee on the award, "At GB, credit is a cost effective weapon to fight poverty and it serves as a catalyst in the overall development of socio-economic conditions of the poor who have been kept outside the banking orbit on the ground that they are poor and hence not bankable."

Once again the committee in Oslo got this one right.

At least no one died

That is the best way to sum up what Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) said the other day about the Mark Foley Page scandal. His quotes specifically were:

"I know the speaker didn't go over a bridge and leave a young person in the water, and then have a press conference the next day. Dennis Hastert didn't kill anybody."

He said those words to The Hartford Courant, which published them on Wednesday, and was directing the statement more at Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA). Kennedy was in town to campaign for Shays' opponent.

This is just a desperate attempt by a leading Congressional Republican to try and bring back the vitriolic right wing hatred of Democrats. Deflect heavy criticism on the Republicans to the man every Republican loves to hate, Ted Kennedy. The shocking part is that this respected man, who championed election reforms with the Shays-Meehan bill, has lowered himself to an all new low.

You are correct, Mr. Shays, no one was killed. Instead, Congressional and Republican leadership stood by as a gay, alcoholic pedophile preyed upon 16 and 17 year old male pages. To try and belittle what happened is shameful upon Shays and the Republican party. Hopefully this is an isolated incident by one man, and not the platform of the GOP on the issue. If so, Republicans can expect to lose much more than just a slim majority in Congress.

Not even the radical, right wing Republicans and Christian Conservatives can support a party that appeased and overlooked this disgusting abuse of power by Mark Foley.

when is the time

When do you think with your heart, and when with your mind? Because its obvious there are points in your life that both don't agree. So who is right and who is wrong? Is there a right and wrong side, because no matter the result, one could argue that at least you felt a certain way to make the decision you made. Of course, the argument can be made that you didn't logically rationalize a decision when you decided on your heart, but who can argue with living life through your heart?

Newly revamped

The old blog didn't want to change, so I ended it's life. And from the ashes rises up this new blog....LIKE A PHOENIX!!!!!