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August 31, 2005 Volume 40 1. Just Thinking Out Loud JUST THINKING OUT LOUD
RANDOM THOUGHT Last month it was Cuban Coffee, this month it's Jamaican Rum - the latter clearly being the stronger. Jamaican Rum - alcoholic beverage or multi-purpose engine degreaser/paint stripper. While I don't drink, I have had Jamaican fruitcake that was baked with Jamaican Rum. It will make your eyes water like you've just cut an onion. Yes, it's that strong. Between the Cuban Coffee and the Jamaican Rum, I'm starting to think Caribbeans on the whole have beverage issues. Maybe it's the weather. Just kidding. TECH SAVVY PARENTS? I spoke to a family friend in San Diego over the phone recently. She told me she sent my mom a text message to her cell phone and she never responded. I burst out laughing over the phone and said, "you sent my mom a text message! She can barely check the voice mail. I can assure you she did not get it." I was proud of her technological abilities the other day, though. She got this futuristic looking cordless phone that tells the date, time, has a calculator and stores daily agenda type information. She actually set the time on it herself. With my mother and technology, that was like climbing Mt. Everest. Kids grasp technology that's birthed in their generation quicker than adults. My friends' kids can use computers, cell phones and many other gadgets, while some of their parents and grandparents cannot. The key to learning technology is trial and error. That's what I always tell people when they ask me for tips on learning how to use computers. You have to try to actually use it, not be intimidated by it. That's how you'll learn the fastest. Not from books or manuals. Once again, don't be intimidated by all the big shiny buttons. MUSIC SUGE SHOT Many celebrities were in town for the VMA's last week, among them Suge Knight. The headline on Sify India blared, "Rapper Marion "Suge" Knight Shot In Buttocks." Now, I've heard of the Ebonix phrase, "Pop a cap in your butt," meaning shoot someone, but I never knew people took it literally. The only tip at first was, "A police report describing the suspect only as a black man wearing a pink shirt." Then I thought, "Cam'ron!"
The next report stated Suge was "shot in the leg." Clearly by a gunman with bad aim, as Suge is bigger than Shaq...yet you managed to shoot him in the leg? With all the money Game, Dr. Dre, Puffy, Andre Harrell, Vanilla Ice, Biggie and Tupac chipped in for the hit, you shot him in the leg? I'm just kidding. But Suge has a lot of enemies:
My personal theory is...the butler did it! Just kidding. Seriously, here's hoping that reign of terror has ended, because God's patience only lasts so long. Suge needs to make peace with God, as no one is promised tomorrow (especially with that many enemies - kidding). All the people involved need to make peace with God and each other for their own sakes as well. I read an article that quoted an eye witness to the Suge shooting, who made everyone in Miami look soft. When asked about the incident, he said he thought it was champagne corks popping and didn't know it was bullets. Way to go, man! (just teasing). I joke about that, but Miami really isn't used to entertainment industry crime - especially at that type of venue. Miami is neutral in a sense. So for something like that to happen here was really out of place. Then again, there is another theory being tossed about - that Suge accidentally shot himself. THE CATHOLIC HORSE - POSER MADONNA THROWN FOR A LOOP
A Catholic horse clearly not amused by Madonna's
sick stunt dressing up as a nun and convincing her husband to accompany her
Shame she didn't have her broom, she could have flown to a safe landing. -Aisha speaks to the horse in question- (what, you didn't know I was like Ace Ventura. Watch and learn, children!). "Good horsey!" -cough- I owe that horse some carrots. -Aisha composes letter to her hoofed friend- : Dear Mr. Horse, Per our agreement, I have sent you a case of carrots, a case of apples, an autographed picture of Mr. Ed and a cashmere blanket. Your friend, Aisha News headlines joked about the incident. The New York Daily News chuckled: "Madonna got knocked off her high horse yesterday and wound up in the hospital with three cracked ribs, a busted collarbone and a broken hand." The London Times quipped (about the horse throwing injury): "Madonna only recently took up riding...The working title (of her forthcoming album) "Defying Gravity," was perhaps sensibly, abandoned." The Mirror punned: "Madonnaaaagh" Live In Toronto joked: "Madonna's song about being true blue has come true. The woman famous for changing her image now has a brand new one - patient." This is the problem with journalism today. People inappropriately joking about serious matters. Why I am appalled at them for making jokes/puns about something like that when the woman broke a gazillion bones. They need to quit HORSING around. Give her a BREAK already. She's been THROWN for a loop. An expert offered: "Madonna may experience pain if she tried to sing in the first few weeks." Well, other musicians experience pain when they hear her singing, therefore it's only fitting. The NY Post opined: " 'BAD CELEBRITY KARMA' - A certain self-righteous kabalahist who thinks we should all ward off evil with $23 red-string bracelets got thrown from a horse." Like I've written on here several times already, the red string bracelets don't work in protecting people from trouble, accidents or bad singing and acting. Paris Hilton, another kabalahist, got kicked by a horse (wait a minute, maybe horses just don't like kabalahists). Once again, $23 red string bracelets = cash gimmick for
crackpot cult The horse thing is another reminder that the Material Hurl, I mean Material Girl, doesn't know what she is doing and is always trying to fool everyone into thinking she's an expert, whether it be at singing, acting or horse riding (even after just a couple weeks of lessons).
A paper in the UK reported Madonna started taking riding lessons "last month." Never mind during the same month she is posing in Vogue on a horse she clearly can't ride, as the "lady of the manor" much to the amusement of the British press. Why did certain journalists find it amusing, you ask? Trying to buy one's way into the British aristocracy is an exercise in futility, as you must have royal blood in your veins/be born into it (hence an English lord reportedly buying the house next to his when he heard Madonna was interested in it). And her sordid, unrepentant past makes it even worse... Not to mention that all important little footnote - the lady of the manor can't be a whore. I wrote about the reality show "Being Bobby Brown" in last month's column. There were press reports this week that Madonna was set to capitalize on the success of "Being Bobby Brown" in launching her own similar reality show. They called theirs "Being Bobby Brown." Madonna can call hers "Being A Lunatic." FILM SHOOTING A MOVIE IN MIAMI? Speaking of celebrities visiting Miami (The VMA's). For months now I've been reading in the papers about the Miami Vice movie being filmed here - but months later it still hasn't wrapped.
Every time I see a picture in the paper or in a magazine of the film's lead actors, it's Colin Farrell tanning on the beach or Jamie Foxx lounging somewhere. The crew is all tanned and golden as well, which leads me to believe the movie was just a ruse for a vacation. They aren't shooting anything! They're down here on vacation. Does the studio know about this. I'm just kidding. I'm sure they'll get around to shooting the film...eventually. ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY: A FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED I think it's sad the way some people are
attracted to celebrity. Especially women. If you like someone it shouldn't
be because they are famous.
And make no mistake, you can be a prostitute without standing on a street corner selling sex. You can sell sex under the guise of dating someone. It trips me out sometimes when I see new entertainers who have to spend a lot of their newly gained royalties and endorsement fees on the people they date. That's just ridiculous. And it's usually the men, because famous women don't usually fall for that. However, with the male entertainers, the industry taught them that they have to have the right look, the right car, the right house, the right girlfriend and the right people around them in their shallow entourage. Then, so many times when the fame disappears those people do as well - along with your money. Anyone you have to pay to date you is a
prostitute. I don't mean pay per date. I mean you
Especially when they deem your lifestyle inadequate and encourage you to live above your means to suit them. You are headed for disaster, sadness and disappointment when you find out the truth. New male artists seldom understand that or they lie to themselves and tell themselves everyone respects them for being able to afford to do that and to be able to, technically speaking, afford a woman like that. Let me ask you, what's so special about being a gold digger? That's a terrible trait.
If you are constantly having to lavish gifts on someone, buy them clothes, cars, pay their bills, pay for them to go to the salon to get their hair and nails done, take them expensive places - you are dating a prostitute. She may not be on a street corner, but she is a prostitute in every other sense of the word, as she is sleeping with you for money. If they are asking for your credit card to go to the mall, you are dating a prostitute. After all, a prostitute gets paid for sex, so what's the difference between a girlfriend who is getting money, gifts and her bills paid for having sex with the guy she is dating? There is no difference. When they end up spending out a lot of your money and you don't have much income coming in due to career set backs (and those career set backs happen all the time) she will leave. Decent women don't do things like that, but whores do. There's no polite way of putting it. You put yourself out there, deceive someone into thinking you care about them, spending their money like it's water, all while sleeping with them, and you are officially a whore. It's pretty blunt, but it puts things in perspective. So many times when these guys lose chunks of their money to these women and things go wrong with their careers, they are deeply hurt when the people who they thought were sincere leave them. However, there's a funny old saying in the Bible, "wealth ill-gotten will become like a mouth full of sand." Meaning a source of vexation and trouble, because if you go around using people for money, it will bring with it trouble the money you wrongfully acquired can't fix, as a consequence of your dirty deeds. That type of conduct is not admirable. In fact, it is reprehensible. I remember a line from the movie "Wall Street" years ago, where Charlie Sheen's character said to his son regarding the money grubbing woman he was dating: "I don't sleep with no whore and I don't wake up with no whore. That's how I live with myself." It was blunt, but it's true. What does that do to your self-image and self-esteem to know that you are essentially paying someone to go out with and sleep with you, under the guise of the person being your girlfriend. Not to be unkind, but you are being made a fool of for all to see. Good people don't do things like that. It's one thing if a man gives you gifts (some women still won't accept them, as they buy their own stuff), but it's quite another thing to be nagging someone about money all the time, asking about their finances and spending their dividends like it's yours when it is not. That's a bad character trait and others do notice and will think less of you for it. Just because the person doesn't notice, doesn't mean everybody else doesn't. Entertainers would do well to think about that. Especially rappers. So many rap songs are about paying a woman, buying her a car, jewelry ect... You shouldn't have to do that to make someone like you or date you. You need to hang around better people if you're having to waste your money on girlfriends who are in actuality prostitutes. What happens when you spend spend spend on the person you're dating, you hit a career setback (one that could be long lasting), you have little or no money left, then the person leaves. You will feel like a fool for wasting your money and be left feeling bitter.
Learn to recognize who's around you. Good people won't ask you to do certain things. A good person would be thinking of your future, not cleaning you out for all she can get like she was raised in a cave by barbarians and never saw money before. Do not make a habit of giving people you're dating your credit and bank cards. Stop underwriting other people's lifestyles. You need to think about your future. The only woman you should be buying high priced items is your mama! And the average mom is more concerned about her son's welfare and financial health, anyway. As mentioned above, famous women don't usually make the mistake of being used for their money in that manner. Where famous women get caught is in marrying men who are after their money, but they don't realize it at first. It takes a whole lot to con a woman. You can always tell when someone truly cares about you. They are not asking you for money all the time. They aren't asking you for anything. They offer to do things for you and give to you. That's the sign of a true person. A real friend or date will want to be around you even if you are not giving them a penny. Even if you aren't picking up the tab. Even if it's just going for a walk or watching a movie. You know, a cheap date - but those are useful, as you get to know the person for who they really are. Talk to them. See what comes out of their mouth. You know, if they keep whining about how cheap the dates are that tells you who you are dealing with. If they keep talking and or asking about money, that tells you who you are dealing with and where their mind is. Ask yourself some serious questions:
Musicians, actors and athletes always think they'll be more money coming in, so they spend a lot now, not thinking about later. They always think that they will continue to be famous. That they can earn the money back, when many don't. I've got lots of CDs and movies by people whose work I like, but are technically considered one hit wonders in music or actors whose careers weren't successful, due to the fact that they only had a hit or two, even though they got of to great starts. The artists thought they'd be making hits for a long time and they didn't. No one plans on not making hits anymore, but it happens all the time. That's why artists need to plan for their futures better. In closing, I'd like you to think about this
(especially the rappers who talk about their skills with women). If
you're as good looking and charming as you say, people should be around you for free.
You should not have to pay them. Now, I understand
that not everyone is as stunningly good looking as I, therefore it
maybe tricky for some Good people aren't vain. They don't collect friends and dates based on appearances or stature (celebrity). SPORTS TENNIS TENNIS JOKE OF THE WEEK Vince Spadea, unable to suppress the rapper within, composed a little ode to one of his favorite ATP tour cities that he says rules: "Cincinnati - who's your daddy?" You know, I hear there's an opening on the Anger Management tour. It seems a certain rapper did the responsible thing and checked himself into the hospital for pill addiction (seriously, that was a good idea). Spadea Shady anyone? Just kidding. KIM CLIJSTERS Kim Clijsters won the US open series. Well, well, well. I was robbed, then. The WTA and USTA playing favorites again I see. Why did she win it and I didn't! Someone wins 20+ titles and all of a sudden everyone thinks the person is a tennis expert (ok, so maybe they are a tennis expert). - Me being vain - if I won, I wouldn't want a trophy. I'd want a tiara and flowers. That way, I could do my little royal wave. A trophy you can't sell, a tiara you can. You can even remove the diamonds and fashion them into other forms of jewelry like necklaces and bracelets. It's much more practical (kidding). NADAL My view at the start of the US Open was, may the best man win. My little sister's view was, may Nadal win. That's her boy. It's an interesting field. The draw is pretty good. It's proving to be a very interesting slam. MENTAL COACHING BODY LANGUAGE - Bad body language will betray your thoughts to your opponent. A player slumped over, shoulders stooped or sighing after bad shots will encourage their opponent. It can give them focus. When you notice your opponent looking defeated it will make you work even harder to topple them, because you know victory is near. Alternatively, when you notice your opponent looking confident, it'll confuse you somewhat. It can be intimidating and a useful tool.
FORM - Players with better form play better. It has to do with precision as well. Precise movements produce more precise shots. I'm not saying you have to be graceful like Barishnikoff, but athletes like Pele, Dan "The Man" Marino, Jordan, Sampras and even newer athletes like Federer are precise in their movements. If you watch them play you will notice that. Their movements usually are not wild (well, you know, unless they get hit with the ball or something - kidding). MENTAL FORTITUDE - Clearly not something that is easy to teach. People who have been through rough things in life and survived it often have greater mental fortitude than others. For others this just comes natural. They just have a tough mindset. STICK-TO-ITIVENESS - People who are less inclined to give up are more inclined to win. Nothing worse than an opponent that won't quit. That won't throw in the towel. You just want to smack them, but the referees and umpires are watching (ooo, did I say that out loud). INSPIRATION - I think inspiration is better than ambition. Too much ambition is not a good thing and can lead to bad sportsmanship and unethical choices. Inspiration is something that is more spiritual, appealing to your inner man to do better. To keep trying. To not get discouraged. To focus. To remember your goals and how good it would feel to achieve them. Inspiration can also be in the form of a good person's encouragement. You'd be surprise, the right inspirational words from the right person that the player clicks with and listens to, can make a huge difference. Chemistry can prove very fruitful. When you can find a person that a player will listen to, you'll see the difference in their performance. It's the weirdest thing, but true. Lastly, people go through cycles. You won't always be or play 100% even when you are giving 100%. Think about that. Just because you're giving your all doesn't mean you're in the zone and your jump shot or serve is. There is such a thing as an off day. CHILDHOOD TRAUMAS PT 2 Childhood difficulties can carry over into adulthood and are sometimes masked as other things - or manifests itself as other behaviors or feelings. Like being overly controlling - stemming from growing up in situations where a person was hurt and had no control over the situation that caused the trauma. Therefore, now everything has to be under their thumb, allowing themselves no room for error. That's too much to ask of oneself. A lot of people struggle with issues from their childhood that now define their adulthood. One of their parents did something, so now they are obsessed with not doing that thing - as it is a source of contention and bad memories. Sometimes a parent's lack of confidence in their child is very damaging and the child grows up to be a perfectionist as a result. Not that being a perfectionist is a bad thing; though it is a contradiction, because guess what, none of us are perfect. Jesus is the only perfect one; so don't be so critical of yourself. We are human and will make mistakes. Still, don’t use that as an excuse to run amok. It’s not good for a person to feel that much pressure to do everything right all the time or to feel they have to surpass previous achievements. You'll be like that little rat-gerbil-squirrel-rodent-thingy running endlessly in the wheel (just spinning your wheels) until you knock yourself out and get burned out. Just do the best you can. You can't do any better than that. So what if you fail. Try again. In our performance oriented society/world that just isn't good enough. Some overachievers have low self-esteem and that’s part of what drives them to do so much. They are driven to do well to prove their self-worth to people, and more importantly and often subconsciously, to themselves. NATALEE HOLLOWAY I wish somebody would just come clean and say what's happened to this young lady. It's painfully clear to everyone that something has gone wrong. And to put all these people to so much inconvenience with the full scale search and tarnish the name of a whole country (Aruba) is unfair, when all it would take is a confession. Somebody knows what happened to her and it's not fair to string her family and friends along like this. Her parents have been through a nightmare that is stretching on and on. As you can tell by her picture, she's a very pretty girl. She looks just like her mom. Men are usually attracted to pretty women, but there is a flipside. It can bring out stalkers and unbalanced people who can be very dangerous. People who get all sorts of crazy ideas. I saw a show on Fox News that stated she wanted to be a doctor and has a scholarship waiting for her. So much potential. That's one of the bad things about life. No matter how much people try to play by the rules, around the corner could be someone who doesn't. KIDS AND CRIME I found an old article I'd saved years ago to write about due to how shocking it was. It was about a boy named "Yummy" Sandifer, who became a killer at age 11. He joined a gang in Chicago's Roseland district and ended up killing and wounding several neighborhood kids. One murder victim was 14 year old Shavon Dean, who was hit in the head by a stray bullet from Sandifer's gun, as he fired indiscriminately into a group of boys playing football. He was so into the gang that he shot and partially paralyzed a local boy, who he asked about his gang affiliation. When the young man said he did not belong to a gang, Yummy opened fire on him, rendering him partially paralyzed. Yummy's own gang reportedly killed him three days later with a bullet to the head. The only suspects were a 16 year old boy and his younger brother, who authorities believe carried out the hit. It was reported they took Yummy to a railroad viaduct, where he was later found in a pool of blood, glass and dirt. A terrible ending to a young life plagued with crime and abuse. Had he been on a different path, Yummy would have been 22 years old today. But crime cut his life short. His grandmother Jane Fields said of him at the time of his death in 1994, "he's a nice kid until he gets with the wrong group." THE WRONG CROWD The wrong crowd has been the demise of many. Listen to certain people who claim they are your friends, but encourage you to do the wrong thing and it can end up sending your life in bad directions you never dreamed possible. In some cases, it's cost people their lives. It even happens on a smaller scale as well. So called friends giving you what you can't tell at the time is bad advice on things like what job you should take or who you should date. Your friends egging you on to date a certain guy they perceive as hot, so hot they've been around so much that they end up giving you an STD. Your friends egging you on to date a certain girl that ends up bleeding you dry and leaving you broke or semi-broke. While most people don't want to date someone that looks like one of the creatures out of Lord Of The Rings, being shallow will cause you to make bad decisions that you'll regret. I feel a movie review coming on... Hey, bear with me. It will help illustrate my point.
I saw a movie the other day starring Jennifer Garner called "13 Going On 30." The film's trailer was a bit misleading, as I thought it was family oriented and it wasn't. However, it had some valid points I'd like to write about. In the film, as a kid, Garner's character was a bit of an outcast and her best friend wasn't considered cool either. He was a chubby boy who did photography as a hobby. She so desperately wanted to be popular, as she thought it would bring her happiness and acceptance. Her chance came at her 13th birthday party - that ended up changing her whole life for what she thought was for the better, but ironically was truly for the worse. You see, she turned her back on her one true friend, the chubby young man who actually cared about her, and made friends with the most popular kids in school, who also turned out to be the most shallow. Go figure! But isn't it usually that way. She got what she thought was the best life she could put together. Due to her new shallow friends, she couldn't just date a nobody. I write that sarcastically, as that was the character's attitude and ironically that of some shallow celebrities as well. A shallow, selfish, dishonorable friend encouraged her to date a famous hockey player, because that's the type of person she should be seen with. Then she could tell everyone how her boyfriend is famous and who he is - which she did in one scene of the movie when fans came up to him on the street. Never mind she really didn't care about the boyfriend, as she still cared about her friend, the photographer, that she'd turned her back on at age 13 because he was a nobody in her shallow friends' estimation. Here's where the story goes wrong for the lead character. One of her so called shallow friends she made at age 13 and grew up with from then on, stabbed her in the back, cost her her job and her career. Another example of how some people who claim to be for you, can be the greatest source of suffering and trouble in your life. In life watch who you listen to and who you call friend. Being impressed with someone for whatever reason and following their ill advised suggestions can be seemingly harmless at first, until you follow their advice in that one catastrophic decision that ruins you. The story gets even worse when her one true friend she turned her back on at age 13 grows up to be quite the hunk and a successful photographer. However, because she was mean to him and had turned her back on him, he started dating and became engaged to a young woman that didn't treat him the shallow way she had. A very common occurrence. Girlfriend got so desperate
I mean, who would want to date or marry someone who did that to them. That's someone showing you what they are made of - which is not very much. But you'd be surprised at the shallowness some people carry over from their teen years into adulthood to their detriment. They value all the wrong things in people and miss out on great friendships and the right partner, because they deemed them a nobody, not attractive enough, not cool enough or not stylish enough. She was in tears and devastated that he would not call off his wedding at her admission that she was in love with him and had been the whole time, but can you blame him. That situation was due to her bad, vain choices. It was all her doing. She couldn't get mad at him for his decision. That part of the movie was quite sad because she was really devastated when she realized what had happened. Garner was very believable in this role and her acting was good. When you act with integrity in life, you won't have to be ashamed of and sorry for your actions later. When you let shallowness, social snobbery, selfishness and self-importance guide you, you will sorely regret it later. The Bible says "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the lowly (humble)" and "Pride comes before a fall." The film had a happy ending, however. She got to turn back the clock to when she was 13 and undo the bad choices she'd made beginning at that age that would lead to her unhappiness and ruination as an adult - like turning her back on her one true friend who grew up to be the hunky photographer and taking up with the shallow group of teens that would lead to her demise later in life. However, that usually only happens in the movies. Most people don't get the chance to go back and undo their mistakes. You know, like in Back To The Future. Which is why it is important to act with integrity and humility now to avoid the consequences of such mistakes later. HEALTH: When Surgical Tools Get Left Behind I saw a show on TLC a few months ago about the
dangers of doctors leaving surgical tools behind. The show featured a man named
Dan INSURANCE: False Sense Of Security - The Fine Print Hurricane Katrina revealed to many South Floridians the false sense of security they live under regarding their insurance companies. I've heard several complaints about high deductibles that prevent homeowners/policy holders from repairing the damage to their homes. One of my friends has a $9,000 deductible that almost INSURES the insurance company won't have to pay anything to cover damages unless a house gets leveled by a storm. Her house sustained damage during hurricane Katrina to the roof, the exterior and interior structure, but the insurance company will not fork over a dime due to the high deductible. Never mind she's been with them since 2001 and by my estimates has paid out $17,000 in insurance during said time frame. Now she's in trouble and they won't help her. These high deductibles certain insurance companies write into their policies (read the fine print) cause homeowners to turn to FEMA for help, which puts an undue burden on the agency in picking up the slack for insurance companies. Of course, not all insurance companies are like this. Mine for example has a deductible of $500. This enables homeowners to repair their homes in the event it becomes damaged due to a storm. Oh that these insurance companies were all reliable like the Post Office during these storms. During the night of the storm, I briefly shone a flashlight through the closed front window of my house into the darkness of the storm trying to assess the damage to the yard and my garden and what do ya know. The 95 mile an hour winds had blown open the mail box. Guess what was in it? No, not a little animal taking refuge from the storm. It was the mail! While I'm thinking, if it's a bill, I hope it gets blown away. It didn't. I think the postman crazy glued it to the mail box due to the storm. But it wasn't a bill. When I saw the postman the next day I joked to him, "The mail was delivered yesterday. The day of the storm. 'Neither rain nor snow nor sleet,' huh?" and he laughed. LEGAL FILE: BECKHAM LIBEL VICTORY There was a story in the News Of The World titled "Beckham's Hate Calls To Nanny" accusing Beckham of placing several hateful calls to his children's former nanny for a tell all tabloid article she did. According to Bloomberg News, "The Newspaper's lawyer, Rachel Glavin, told the High Court in London today that the story was untrue. She said the newspaper agreed to pay Beckham's costs, pay him substantial damages, publish an apology and not repeat the story." LEGAL FILE: JUSTICE People should feel that they have equal
rights and equal access to justice. If a judge's decisions consistently reflect that corporations continually triumph over the little guy that's been trampled on, where is the justice in that. I view justice this way: "Justice is Blind" It's a sad state of affairs when justice is corrupted. When people accept bribes. When the innocent are victimized twice - once by the act and once more in court. But it happens in court rooms all over the world. Whoever can afford the best lawyer and bribe the most people have triumphed in court on many occasions. When a judge's countenance changes for the worst when he sees a party in the case, oddly the little guy that is the plaintiff, what does that say. When a judge is verbally abusive to the little guy and or his lawyer for acts that don't warrant such treatment. What does that say. When a judge can deny a verbal request before the little guy's finished speaking said request, that says he's already made up his mind and you are wasting your time pleading your case. It's sad when a victim goes into court each day with the full knowledge that the judge is not impartial nor is he listening to you, as he has already made up his mind, and sadly against the victim, for reasons known to him. Partiality shows through in some, as some in the court room aren't good actors. There have been incidents where judges were caught taking bribes. That sting was known as "Operation Greylord - an FBI investigation of judicial corruption in Cook County, Illinois, in the 1980s. "92 officials had been indicted, including 17 judges, 48 lawyers, 8 policemen, 10 deputy sheriffs, 8 court officials, and 1 state legislator." (Source: Wikipedia). As a judge, what will be your legacy. When future generations look over rulings and see that a judge continually rendered decisions against the little guy/plaintiff in favor of the big corporation (who is the defendant) in cases where there is believable evidence supporting the little guy's claim. Or reduced monetary awards to nothing or far less than deserved in accordance with the crime in cases where the judgment amount was appropriate to the crime. Or thrown out a case where there is compelling evidence of a crime. What will that say to future generations about that judge. What kind of legacy will that leave behind. And make no mistake people do talk (and write). When pre-court room legal talks and press articles center on a judge's past decisions that appeared to be miscarriages of justice what does that say. It doesn't look good. And how does God feel about that. The Bible has a reoccurring theme. Be just. He says do justice for the poor and the defenseless. There is even a scripture that says "woe to judges that render bad decisions." Modern translation = misfortune to bad judges. God also says when you refuse to "hear the cry" (pleas) of the innocent, when you are in need, He will refuse to hear your cries and pleas. What goes around comes around. God is not partial. You shouldn't be either. AERONAUTICS: Space Shuttle
Well, the Space Shuttle got back safely, thank God. However, people are criticizing the program, but it has been very fruitful. Satellites, a Space travel is a risk you take. When you think of all we've learned about Earth and all we still don't know about Earth, just imagine how much we don't know about space. To space we're all like babies. It's a learning process. It's about discovery and science. We do not have all the answers, but by God's grace we've sure learned a lot. Science is a funny thing. Think about it. Someone had to get poison ivy in order to teach everyone else it is harmful. Someone had to fall out of a tree to teach everyone else, hey, it's not a good idea falling out of a tree, as there is this little thing called gravity and it hurts. Science has been about experimentation from the start. The human race has learned a lot through trial and error. That's what space travel is as well. Trial and error. It's not rocket science. So many things happen that we don't fully
understand and there is still more to learn about the things we do know - like t Look at the Tsunami in Thailand the other day - the animals sensed danger and retreated into the hills, but the local inhabitants were blindsided. Therefore, our knowledge as humans clearly doesn't cover everything. There will be unexpected events. Science is experimentation and it's yielded great results. There have been setbacks, but astronauts are like soldiers. They understand that they are taking a risk for a greater cause. WORLD NEWS IRA Announces Disarmament Plans - The IRA announced that they will disarm. That was great news. Britain and Ireland have had their disagreements and no one should make light of that. I love them both and pray they will come to a good, agreeable, peaceful resolution to their problems. I pray past wounds will be healed and everyone will move forward and progress in ways that allow their individual and distinct cultures to flourish. Bombing Arrests In Britain The British police and special services did a great job in nabbing the terror suspects that are believed to be behind the attempted London bombings in July. It's great to know they were captured. The operation was well planned and executed. CCTV was clearly a big help as well. What many marveled at was one of the suspects asserting his human rights as he was being arrested. They need to respect other people's human rights in not plotting acts of brutal violence against an innocent, unsuspecting public. The public has a right to live and not be killed in a barbaric fashion by religious militants with no respect for human life. What about the public's human rights. The copycat bombing attempt was despicable as well, in spite of the fact it was botched. The botched bombing was for nail bombs, which are savage. It violently and indiscriminately deploys nails into innocent people when it explodes. You wanna talk human rights violation - that's a gross human rights violation. Wasn't very pleasant to find out the terror suspects were living in expensive Notting Hill and their neighbors were a couple with two small children. Another unpleasant revelation - when one of the suspects was being brought out in cuffs, a neighbor said she knew him as the bus driver of a regular London bus route.
When you hear things like that it makes you realize how appropriate and fitting the word "terrorism" is for such conduct, as they terrorize innocent people of the world, who've not done anything to them. You'll never convince me that attacking members of the public is even remotely justifiable. It is abominable and the height of cowardice. THE TROOPS IN IRAQ I want to send my best wishes to all the Troops in Iraq. We have not forgotten you and you are greatly appreciated. You are in our thoughts and prayers. SPIRITUAL DO BAD PEOPLE GET AHEAD? Do bad people get ahead? It sure can seem like it sometimes, doesn't it. But it's not true. Every man is accountable for his deeds in a spiritual system of justice created by God. So, to answer the question "Do bad people get ahead?" The answer is no. Only temporarily. WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER? What doesn't kill you will make you stronger? God never said that, but quite a few people do. Everything that happens, happens for the best? God never said that either, but once again quite a few people do. Sometimes people create lasting damage in their lives with poor choices. It brings to mind an old lyric from a George Michael song which contained the line, "Some mistakes were built to last." I never forgot that line, as it is quite true. There was another line in said song that rings true of celebrity, "It looks like the road to heaven, but it feels like the road to hell." If all entertainers are not careful with their choices it does. However, God offers forgiveness. There are some bad choices people make in life that stay with them. Some mistakes that cause them and others so much damage, pain and trauma. That entertainer who keeps cheating on his wife. That trusted accountant that runs off with his clients money leaving them broke. To people who experience trauma and difficulties due to other people's bad choices, to begin to understand, when you don't understand a person's motives for their unjustified and unwarranted actions, is difficult and perplexing. It leads many to ask God the question, "why me?" But by God's grace people can feel better about those situations where they were hurt as a result of someone else's misdeeds. He can even help people deal with situations where they hurt others through bad deeds, as the conscience is a funny thing. However, some consequences never truly disappear in this life. That husband that cheated on his wife and destroyed his marriage and family - that stuff not only affects her, but it affects the kids too. They grow up with complexes that stem from their parents divorce. These things affect people in many ways. Some say that everything that happens, happens for the best, but that's just not true. Evil is never for the best. It wants the worst. Some situations create lasting damage that would have been better had it been avoided. While there is a reason for everything, it is not necessarily for the best. Sometimes it's a person being adversely affected by someone else's misdeeds, while in other cases the trouble is self-inflicted through questionable choices that yielded bad results. However, God can bring good out of bad
situations.
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