Does This Ever Happen To You? Help!

Upon awaking with whimsy idea's, I immediately proceed to my office, turn on my laptop and instantly distracted. Why I deduce checking my numerous e-mail accounts will only take a few minutes is beyond me! By the time I finish opening, reading, deleting and answering e-mails, roughly an hour of my morning has vanished. Not only has time disappeared in a blink of an eye, so have my ideas I arose with. Now I find myself staring at a blank word document begging for words to dress up it's whitewash appearance. Fingers on the keyboard, ready to move.
Wait for it, wait for it.....nothing!
Thinking if I step away from the computer, creative thoughts will surface, I leave, but only for a few minutes I assure myself. Sidetracked, I find myself outside watering the garden, walking the grounds, taking in natures sonance and aroma's.
Some day's when I find myself queried, my writing for that day is over before it begins. Other days when this happens, I once again discover the truth about myself. I can not be distracted by the Internet if I wish to capture the thoughts which are rushing through my mind.
Solution? I haven't found one, not yet. Any suggestions would certainly be welcomed.

Are Mass Shootings Occuring More Than Ever Before?

With the news all abuzz about the latest mass shooting in Aurora, CO., which is located a little over 3 hours from my home, I began to wonder if it's just me who feels that the world is hearing about this happening more or is it?
When I hear about tragedies like this, I think back to my childhood and try to remember if I heard about these kinds of things happening. My parents had radio and television, yet as hard as I try, I only remember one shooting; President Kennedy.
Could it be that when I was growing up, the news media wasn't in our face every time the TV or radio was turned on? There were no cell phones with cameras able to catch a crime as it was happening, or UTube, Facebook, or any of the other vessels we currently enjoy.
As you will see, mass shootings have been occurring for a long time. I believe it's only when it happens on our soil, so close to home, and is broadcast throughout the media, minute by minute, we take notice.
I found the following information on the Internet, on Time News Feed:
July 22, 2011: At least 80 people are killed at a summer camp on the Norwegian island of Utoya. A man arrested also is suspected in a blast earlier the same day in downtown Oslo that killed seven. Anders Behring Breivik, 33, has admitted to carrying out both attacks. He awaits sentencing on Aug. 24.
Nov. 5, 2009: Thirteen soldiers and civilians were killed and more than two dozen wounded when a gunman walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Texas, and opened fire. Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.
April 30, 2009: Farda Gadyrov, 29, enters the prestigious Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in the capital, Baku, armed with an automatic pistol and clips. He kills 12 people before killing himself as police close in.
March 10, 2009: Michael McLendon, 28, killed 10 people — including his mother, four other relatives, and the wife and child of a local sheriff’s deputy — across two rural Alabama counties. He then killed himself.
Sept. 23, 2008: Matti Saari, 22, walks into a vocational college in Kauhajoki, Finland, and opens fire, killing 10 people and burning their bodies with firebombs before shooting himself fatally in the head.
Nov. 7, 2007: After revealing plans for his attack in YouTube postings, 18-year-old Pekka-Eric Auvinen fires kills eight people at his high school in Tuusula, Finland.
April 16, 2007: Seung-Hui Cho, 23, kills 32 people and himself on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va.
April 26, 2002: Robert Steinhaeuser, 19, who had been expelled from school in Erfurt, Germany, kills 13 teachers, two former classmates and policeman, before committing suicide.
April 20, 1999: Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, opened fire at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves in the school’s library.
April 28, 1996: Martin Bryant, 29, bursts into cafeteria in seaside resort of Port Arthur in Tasmania, Australia, shooting 20 people to death. Driving away, he kills 15 others. He was captured and imprisoned.
March 13, 1996: Thomas Hamilton, 43, kills 16 kindergarten children and their teacher in elementary school in Dunblane, Scotland, and then kills himself.
Oct. 16, 1991: A deadly shooting rampage took place in Killeen, Texas, as George Hennard opened fire at a Luby’s Cafeteria, killing 23 people before taking his own life. 20 others were wounded in the attack.
June 18, 1990: James Edward Pough shoots people at random in a General Motors Acceptance Corp. office in Jacksonville, Fla., killing 10 and wounding four, before killing himself.
Dec. 6, 1989: Marc Lepine, 25, bursts into Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique college, shooting at women he encounters, killing nine and then himself.
Aug. 19, 1987: Michael Ryan, 27, kills 16 people in small market town of Hungerford, England, and then shoots himself dead after being cornered by police.
July 12, 1976: Edward Charles Allaway, a custodian in the library of California State University, Fullerton, fatally shot seven fellow employees and wounded two others.
Aug. 20, 1986: Pat Sherrill, 44, a postal worker who was about to be fired, shoots 14 people at a post office in Edmond, Okla. He then kills himself.
July 18, 1984: James Oliver Huberty, an out-of-work security guard, kills 21 people in a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, Calif. A police sharpshooter kills Huberty.
Aug. 1, 1966: Charles Whitman opened fire from the clock tower at the University of Texas at Austin, killing 16 people and wounding 31.

So as you see, this tragedy which happened yesterday is just one of many, dating back as far as 1966.
Whats the answer? Tighter gun laws? I do not think that taking my right to bear arms away from me is going to stop mass shootings in the future. My belief is that if an individual wants to kill, they will find the means and weapons to do so. The above list is only for the last 50 years, I'm sure if I research further back, we will discover mass killings have been happening since the beginning of time. Read the Bible:

Old Testament Mass Killings by:Paul Coulter

Introduction: The problem

A number of cases of mass killings of people, apparently at God’s behest, are recorded in the Old Testament:

1. The Flood (Genesis 6-8)
2. The cities of the plain, including Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19)
3. The Egyptian firstborn sons during the Passover (Exodus 11-12)
4. The Canaanites under Moses and Joshua (Numbers 21:2-3; Deuteronomy 20:17; Joshua 6:17, 21)
5. The Amalekites annihilated by Saul (1 Samuel 15)

The first three examples are similar in that there was no human agent involved – in each case it was God, or an angel of God, who carried out the mass killings directly. The mass killing of the Canaanites is the first of two cases in which the text claims that God’s people, the nation of Israel, were commanded by Him to attack other nations. For this reason, this case will be the focus of this study.
The problem many people have with these stories of mass killings is that they do not seem to fit the popular conception of the Christian God. In particular, the question is asked how a God of love could allow or even command such brutality. Furthermore, it is suggested that the God described in these Old Testament books is a different character from the God described in the New Testament. The former is supposedly angry, vindictive and ruthless, the latter loving, patient and forgiving. Even for people who are convinced that the Bible is true and represents God’s revelation of Himself these accounts can be deeply troubling, especially when one thinks about the death of innocent children.

Where ever this Saturday takes you, take a moment and remember all who have died in all the tragedies since the beginning of time.

What is Paraskevidekatriaphobics?

 

Paraskevidekatriaphobics — people afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th —

Happy Friday the 13th! Are you superstitious? Did you know this year there are 3 Friday the 13ths, and they are thirteen weeks apart!

I personally am not a superstitious person. I know of people who will not leave the house on the 13th if it lands on a Friday.

I have to admit, I've owned a black cat which I walked in front of, I've walked under a ladder.

Do you or someone you know believe in these superstitions?

• It's bad luck to pick up a coin if it's tails side up. Good luck comes if it's heads up.
• Don't step on a crack on a sidewalk or walkway.
• A bird in the house is a sign of a death
• It's bad luck to count the cars in a funeral cortege.
• A frog brings good luck to the house it enters.
• If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter
• An acorn at the window will keep lightning out

Hope you had a fantastic Friday the 13th!

Why do you think in the 60's, 70's & 80's......

there was great music and amazing musicians?
Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Monkees, Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Doors, The Steve Miller Band, Jackson 5, Sonny & Cher,The Who, The Supremes, The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Van Halen, Poison, Motley Crue, Cinderella, Quiet Riot and Guns and Roses, and so many more. Do you ever wonder what music your grandchildren are listening to or if they will grow up aspiring to be a singer in a band?
Here is my theory: When we grew up in the 60's, 70's, & 80's, we did not have Nintendo, X-Box, Play Station, or any other form of entertainment that kept us memorized as we stared into an idiot box, as my mother called the it (the television!)
In our home of daughters, my father was the king of the idiot box. Remember also, we only had three channels to enjoy. ABC, CBS, & NBC. If the rabbit ears which sat on top of the television, were aimed correctly, occasionally we could get, a couple more stations. Dad worked hard everyday to keep a roof over our heads and food in our mouths. After dinner, (we ate as a family every night), dad would head to the family room, turn on the television and enjoy shows like , boxing, Jacques Cousteau Archie Bunker, Happy Day's, Sonny & Cher, and Hee Haw. Sunday nights were the best because we all enjoyed A Walt Disney Movie. Aah the good old days. 
Summer vacations were spent riding bikes, reading comic books and Nancy Drew, playing jump rope, jacks, hide-and-seek, Barbies, card games, swimming, badminton, jarts, and many more outside activities. Not once did we verbally say we were bored. If you did, you would find yourself with a broom, toilet brush, or weed picker in your hand. Our minds explored and learned, and our days flew by much too quickly.
My thought is that once all these video games hit the scene, children were babysat in front of a idiot box where they became lost in a world of isolation from friends, family and social contact, and focus almost entirely on in-game achievements rather than other life events, and exhibited  lack of imagination.
Don't get me wrong, my children did have a PlayStation and I did play occasionally them, but there was a time and place for this game. The kids still went to the library weekly during summer vacation and chose a minimum of one book that had to be read by the following week. They swam, played Barbies, hide-and-seek, and many of the outdoor games I grew up with.
In the past twenty years have we lost our children to technology? This is my motto: everything in moderation. Just sayin......
Where ever your Wednesday takes you, take a moment and revisit a summer vacation you enjoyed in your past.

The only food that .....

The only food that never goes bad is honey! Honey may crystallize, but it does not sour or go bad. If it crystallizes, all you need to do is melt it and it will be reconstituted. Oils, and even vinegar, have shelf lives, or parasites that can destroy the product. Honey is also the only food that humans consume that is generated by another animal.

Besides being great to eat, honey has been known for its healing properties for thousands of years - the Ancient Greeks used it, and so have many other peoples through the ages. Even up to the second world war, honey was being used for its antibacterial properties in treating wounds.
People have been using honey as a home remedy for thousands of years. Now scientists have found that certain types of honey may prevent infection when applied directly to a wound. Researchers say an enzyme in the honey turns into hydrogen peroxide when combined with bodily fluids, such as blood. That helps disinfect wounds and prevent infection.
Humans have been using honey for 8000 years! It's natural, tastes good, and is healthy for you. Can your package of NutraSweet or Splenda say the same?
Local raw honey is also great for allergies. Reason: the bees in the area in which you live, feed on the some of the same allergens that trigger your allergies. If you consume local raw honey from this area, you can build up your immune system against them.
Honey, it's amazing stuff!

If you tell the truth.....

This say's it all.

Fourth of July Quotes.....

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Independence day is more than barbecue and fireworks. Here are some Fourth of July Quotes and Sayings I discovered:

Fourth Of July Quotes and Sayings for Freedom and Liberty

• "Freedom is never given, it is won."
• "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." - Benjamin Franklin
• "Free at last; free at last; thank God Almighty we are free at last." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
• "Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.” - Abraham Lincoln
• "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy
• "Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one." - Benjamin Franklin
• "I have always been among those who believed that the greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking." - Woodrow T. Wilson
• "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." - Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, 1863.

I hope you find a few minutes to remember why we are here in the Great United States of America, and appreciate living in our great country.
Where ever your Fourth of July leads you, please be safe, enjoy, and say thank you to every, past or present military service man or woman who crosses your path today!

H A P P Y   I N D E P E N D E N C E   D A Y!

Did you know that July....

July--is known as the....
The Month of Julius Caesar?
This month was first called Quintilis, that is, the fifth month, which shows that the year began with March. In the year 44 B.C. the name was changed to Julius in honour of Julius Caesar, the founder of the Roman Empire. The month Quintilis was chosen as the one to be named after the Emperor Julius because his birthday was on the twelfth of that month After his death, the name Caesar became a title of the Roman Emperors, and we still have the word in the titles Kaiser of Germany, Czar (or Tsar) of Russia, and Kaisar-i-Hind (Emperor of India), one of the titles of our own king.

The days from 3rd July to 11th August, 'the hottest part of the year, were called by the Romans, "dog-days", because they thought the great heat was due to Sirius, the dog-star. Sirius was a dog belonging to the giant Orion, who was a great hunter. Diana, the Goddess of the Moon, was also the Goddess of Hunting, and after she had driven her chariot with its white horses across the starlit sky, she spent the day hunting in the forests.

Where ever this day in July leads you, enjoy it! Stay cool, and think, in five short months, it will be December!