Sunday message- the struggle of forgiveness

I have had to put into the hands of God this morning the concept- and the deed- of forgiveness.  Someone has, in my opinion, wronged me.  Not in some terrible spiritual, physical, or financial way.  Not even verbally.

I struggle to explain this in a way that doesn't expose this person, for that would be vengeance.  Perhaps the best way would be to describe something I saw on FB last night.  A dear lady I know reported that two "friends" had unfriended and blocked her for the "heinous" crime of daring to question them on some political belief.  A lot of that has gone on this season, unfortunately.  We tie so much of our fragile egos into these "political beliefs"- or denominational beliefs, or whatever it is that has become our sacred cow- that we cannot bear it when someone DOESN'T hold the same beliefs.  Some of us suck it up, consider the other position, and respond accordingly.  Some of us get hostile, pouring bile and vitriol into a conversation that really doesn't need it.

And some of us cry "heresy", and run away.

Because we have asked of others, as a condition of our friendship, to hide that part of the other person away- to pretend they are something they are not, so I MYSELF can pretend they are something they are not.  The illusion we have celebrated in our "modern" society as, "don't ask, don't tell." And when that person shatters the illusion, they must be "unfriended".

And now, as I always do, I have had spots of lying awake trying to decide by which of many ways I would expose my own friend of this "heinous" crime.  Even as I type, I am deleting parts that would cast him in a worse light- not for his sake, but for my own.  Because the burden of forgiveness lies with ME.

It is a hollow forgiveness that would bring it to God at some point after I publish the damning expose that my mind badgers me to write.  Because forgiveness is not the battle between he and I, it is a battle with MYSELF.  Like much of the world, I would like nothing better than to cast the first stone and nail him with it, THEN apologize, so that I can maintain the illusion that I am forgiving him for the wrong when I am really apologizing for the stone.

Which makes me culpable of the EXACT SAME CRIME, doesn't it?

So lack of forgiveness necessitates illusion.  I wonder how many things about business, about politics, about LIFE, are explained in that.

Lord, let me put this event into YOUR hands, that I might forgive and be forgiven by You.  Help me to realize that, while setting things "straight" might be a goal of mine, it is NOT a goal of Yours.  I accept that every single time a door has closed in the name of Your Will, there has been a good reason for it.  Lead me not to look for the reasons of it, but just give it to You.  And forgive me for when I have required what was not necessary of others.  Help those who read this to understand that I am not asking for anyone to come to "my cause", but to understand that forgiveness is more than just a backwards glance and a half-meant "it's okay".  And please help me to bear with the bruises I will receive as I try to beat this thing out of my own hands and into Yours.

Time Machine week 95

It's October 21, 1974- a day, a month even, where apparently nothing much happened.  Even mighty wikipedia had but 2 items for the whole month, lol!  But I dig in the corners where most music bloggers won't go, and thus I found out that the events of Kent State had reared their ugly heads again.  Earlier in the year, the DOJ had been forced to reopen the case to see if the National Guardsmen had violated the civil rights of the protestors...


On October 21, 1974 the federal trial of the eight former National Guardsmen began in Cleveland before U.S. District Court Judge Frank J. Battisti. During the trial, the Justice Department presented 33 witnesses and 130 exhibits - mostly photographs of the events that led to the shooting of the unarmed students. The 12-member jury actually visited the Kent State campus where it heard simulated gunshots at the scene. The criminal defense attorneys for the accused guardsmen contended that they fired in self-defense. The criminal defense lawyers also argued there was insufficient evidence to convict their clients and urged the Judge to dismiss the criminal charges.

On November 8, 1974, Judge Battisti agreed with the criminal defense attorneys and acquitted all of the former guardsmen. Battisti ruled that the prosecutors had failed to prove charges that the guardsmen willfully intended to deprive the students killed and wounded of their civil rights. "At best, the evidence...would support a finding that the amount of force .... was excessive and unjustified," Battisti said. The jury was not permitted to reach a verdict because the Judge ruled that the evidence was legally insufficient to sustain a criminal conviction. (from DeThomasis and  Buchanan, Attorneys, crime news blog.)


At least there was no plane crash...

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Welcome to this week's Time Machine- and this week I have come up with a last minute special surprise (and I hope you play along!)  Also, a Yuuuuge rout in the Panel Four, a week off for the 6D just to honk John Lennon off, and a new #1- and an achievement only done twice before- on the M10!  I hereby gavel this trip to order!

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Hi!  Daddy says it's bad luck to not have a picture this far in, so he's letting me introduce this week's Panel.  Whatever a Panel is.  And why do I have to capitalize it?  Anyway, the Panel is this list of radio stations:  WFIL Philadelphia (home of Philly Steak sandwiches- yum!), WKAP Allentown, WHSR, Winchester High School, MA (which stands for something I can't spell), WHYI Ft Lauderdale, KGMQ Honolulu (kinda like a song! K-G-M-Q, Hon- o-lu-lu!), WCFL Chicago, KYA San Francisco  (IDK why Daddy laughs at those call letters every time), WPIX New York, WIXY Cleveland (and congrats to the Indians!  That's INDIANS, Canada!) , WHB Kansas City, CKLG Vancouver BC (I asked Daddy why I had to put BC and he said BeCause!), and WAKY Louisville, although I'm not sure why Louisville is any wackier than the other stations... Okay, back to Daddy!


Thanks, Scrappy, good boy!  So, the facts and figures here:  Different songs on the Panel list, a whopping 31; low charter, well, that's kind of a Hawaii story.  The only one of their 5 songs that was ON the chart this week nationally was their #1, Paul Anka and Odia Coates with Having My Baby, and that at #58.  #s 3, 4, and 5 (Rufus's Tell Me Something Good, Blue Magic's Sideshow, and Paper Lace's The Night Chicago Died) all peaked on Cashbox and Billboard in August, and the next newest, Clapton's I Shot The Sheriff, fell off last week.  The song that got no Panel Love (since I'm skipping past the 6D this week) was John Lennon and whatever combo of "band", "plastic", and "ono" he was using this week, with Whatever Gets You Through The Night, which was 9 nationally but got the bum's rush from the Panel.  But don't worry, he gets a spotlight on the special treat I'm planning, lol...

Anyway, 5 of the Panel's #1 votes didn't make the final four- which is surprising, since #4 only got 11 measly points!  Those, outside of Honolulu's, were:  Barry White and Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe (Ft Lauderdale), Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama (Chicago), Elton John's The Bitch Is Back (Vancouver), and Billy Swan's roller-skating opus, I Can Help (Louisville).

Which leads us to the P4:

With 11 points and the #1 from that high school in Massachusetts, The Spinners and Dionne Warwick with Then Came You, which was #18 on CB this week.

With 12 points and the #1 from Allentown, the national runner up, Bad Company  and Cant Get Enough Of Your Love (Dang, was there a title shortage?)

At #2, bereft of #1s but still managing 19 points, the national #5, Billy Preston's Nothing From Nothing.

And at the top, with 5 #1s and 34 points?  Stay tuned.  You'll honestly love it.


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On the way home, my wondering mind came up with the worst of inspirations- and I want you to play along!  I decided I was gonna figure out my top ten MOST HATED songs!  I tried to weed out those who just suffered from long term exposure (which saved Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl, which is really a pretty good song, and Hey Jude, whose overlong ending still JUST got bumped), and tried not to include songs that just TRIED to be annoying (with one notable exception).  I also have a handful of acts I really hate, and almost any of their songs would qualify for this list, so I just took the worst I could think of.  I will mark those songs with an asterisk so you know whose CD NOT to buy me for Christmas).  What I hope YOU will do is flood the comments with your OWN least favorite song of all time, and if enough of you play along, maybe we'll have some fun with it next week...

Here's hoping I don't get my typical "call to action" response...

So here we go with my "bottom ten"...


10- Andrea, The Sunrays.  I was scolded for my opinion of this song on another music blog once, but I still say this is the "how not to do it" for arranging Beach Boys-esque harmonies.

9- Bread And Butter, the Newbeats.  What made this screeching song even worse was it was on an oldies CD that somebody loaded into the player at my old job, and the speakers only carried the high pitch vocal channel- yep 25, seconds of near silence followed by "WEEEEELLLLL...."

8- Tiptoe Through The Tulips, Tiny Tim.  I know that there are people who defend the "artistry" of this tune.  Just. Don't.  One night at a local sports pub, they played this song like five times in a row and I told Laurie,  "This must be how they evacuate the place."

7- LA Woman, The Doors*.  I find the Doors monotonal, their lyrics often crude and disgusting, and just generally against the wishes of my ears.

6- Come A Little Bit Closer, Jay and the Americans*.  Better known as "Jay and the F'n Americans" around here.  I can handle Cara Mia, but after that, no thanks.

5- The Distance, Cake*.  Another band that thinks monotonal music is worthwhile.  I think it's no talent, but that's just me.

4- I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston.  I swear she had to be singing this song into a mirror.  Just shut up and let Dolly Parton do it.

3- Basket Case, Green Day*.  I have sharpened my reaction time by turning this off , answering the opening line- "Do you have the time, to listen to me whine"- with "HELL NO."  I agree, though, they are truly American Idiots.

2- Now That I Found You, Michael Bolton*****.  Nails, chalkboard.  That is all.

And at the top?

And trust me, this wasn't awfully close for me.  Sorry bout it, walrus!


Now, here's your chance.  Tell me what song you think blows the most.  I live for your responses!


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But just to mend fences with John, I'll let him open our trip across the pond...


And God help Bruce Springsteen when they decide he's no longer God... They'll turn on him, and I hope he survives it. 


He'll survive, he's the patron saint of Democrat America these days.  Anyway, it's time to

10- David Essex was here with a tune called Gonna Make You A Star, which amazingly made the charts here (peaking at 105).  If you are expecting a classic like Rock On, look elsewhere.  If you want to hear the audition tapes for the guy not selected to be a Bay City Roller, here you go.

9- George McCrae with I Can't Leave You Alone, which wasn't terrible.  It would peak here in November at #50.

8- Andy Kim's Rock Me Gently, which was on the way down at #31 over here this week.

7- Gary Shearston had a hit in the UK with a cover of the old classic, I Get A Kick Out Of You.

6- The UK was right there with Hawaii- Having My Baby was top ten this week.

5- Peter Shelley, who if you remember was the original Alvin Stardust, with a tune under his own name called Gee Baby.

4- The afore-libelled Bay City Rollers with a DNC here called All Of Me Loves All Of You.  These may have been the failed auditions, too...

3- This is a tune that a dude on the first internet radio station I listened to played a lot- Sweet Sensation, who hit #14 in July with Sad Sweet Dreamer.

2- The antediluvian Quiet Riot, Slade charts here with Far Far Away.

And, tops of the pops?

...Jamaica's Ken Boothe with an interesting reggae version of Bread's Everything I Own!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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And now, the M10!

Since I completely forgot to sneak in the debut video, we'll just do it here.  a duo from Australia now based in London, Star Kendrick and Toma Banjanin call themselves Geowulf, and their single comes in at #10...





Number 9 belongs to Benji Hughes, who slips a pair with Longshot.

Tangerine is stuck at 8 this week with Wild At Heart.

Joy Again manages a two-spot climb with Looking Out For You.

The former #1 for The Explorer's Club, Quietly, slides to #6 this week.  They are the second- ONLY the second act, besides Beach House, to make it to #1 more than once... and the THIRD gets there this week!

Dent May finally loses his grip, sliding to #5 with last week's top dog, Face Down In The Gutter Of Your Love.

Shakes reclaims one of the two spots it lost last week, with Tranquilize at #4.

Agnes Obel moves up 1 spot (which surprised me it wasn't 2) with Golden Green.

And interrupting my "carefully laid plans" for this week's top ten, Dinosaur Jr rockets to #2 with Love Is...

And at the top?  M10 says...

...Lucius becomes the third act to score a second number one, with Pulling Teeth!!!!!!!!!

And on the Panel (as if I didn't give it away...)

... Olivia Newton-John with I Honestly Love You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next trip, one step closer to that magic 100/400 with 1967!

Trying to play Newspage go... but it won't go

So it's been a really slow month for funny stuff in the news, which was my bread-and-butter here throughout the summer.  Maybe it is just that things have gotten so frayed and heated, nobody ANYWHERE is having any fun.  Or it could be that the idiots are taking a Fall vacation.  I looked over FoxNews, which is usually good for some funny headlines- but all I got was, "Electric spoon could make veggies taste like chocolate or cheeseburgers" (or perhaps like light cords), and "Nobel judges can't get Bob Dylan to call them back".  (And when he does answer, he just sings, 'You got a lotta nerve' and hangs up.)

Now, down the list a ways, I did see this one:  "5 expenses that vanish during retirement".  I think I'd like to take a shot at this one...

1- Weekly tabs at the strip bar
2- Feeding quarters into the break room snack machine
3- Speeding tickets from busts at the outlaw drags
4- $200 for the latest Air Jordans
5- Contributions to the "homeless and hungry" worker at the corner of Main Thoroughfare and Wal-Mart


Okay, let's see how I did...

1- Commuting to work- hey, I almost said that...
2- No more payroll taxes.  Since that goes hand in hand with no more pay, kind of a mixed blessing there.
3- Saving for retirement- Wow, talk about the obvious one, lol...
4- Life and disability insurance- guess because it's all over but the shouting?
5- Clothing- almost went for that one too, but no one wants to see me retired AND naked.


Even my old reliables at the BBC only served me two lukewarm stories in Denmark- one was a Halloween party that involves filling downtown Copenhagen with clowns and giving prizes to whoever catches the most (no word on dead or alive), and scientists having developed a grass that will cut stress to cow tummies, thereby cutting cow farting and saving the atmosphere.  Oh, and this one...


Italy's ambassador to the UK has criticised school enrolment forms that asked parents to declare whether their child is "Italian", "Italian-Sicilian" or "Italian-Neapolitan".
Ambassador Pasquale Terracciano stepped in after parents complained to the Italian embassy about the options for describing a pupil's ethnic origin, La Stampa reports. He called on the British authorities to immediately remove the separate categories, pointing out that Italy has been a unified country since 1861. The UK Foreign Office has since apologised and promised to amend the forms, the paper says.

But of course, let me not forget the story I shared on FB last night.  Yesterday was such a pleasant day, and I was so not motivated, that we sat outside and listened to the radio (for which I am apparently now a pariah in my family, lol)...

...when suddenly the news came on and announced that it was "mostly cloudy:...

It IS?  Where would that be?

Oh, wait, there's one!

And another! They're filling up the sky!

And that's all I have for news today!  However, if you'll bop back one post to my story about the write ins on the Indiana ballot, you'll see that one of the Presidential candidates honest to God responded to my li'l ol' post!  It must be seen to believed!

Wanna write in Bugs Bunny? Think again...

...as I found out yesterday only certain candidates, having filed proper paperwork, can be written in.  Now the main "voting page" will list the Republican Trump and Democrat Clinton, as well as the Libertarian Gary Johnson, because their parties have gotten at least 2% in previous elections.  Now, 43 states also allow limited write ins- the dissenters are Arkansas, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and South Dakota.  And you'll note that Indiana is a write in state, which means you'll find a drop down for write-ins that will give you an additional FIFTEEN names to choose from.  And this being a year we could all use a good write in, here are those candidates:

Three candidates I could only find out one thing about:  "...of Indiana."  Those three semi-anonymous candidates are Ric Mullis, Melissa Kelly, and Ray C Brown.  I worked to eye-strain just to find THAT much!

In addition, we have:

Monica Moorehead- in addition to having a name that is a Bill-Clinton-jokester's dream, she is the nominee of the Worker's World Party, which is basically the US of A's active communist party.  She also ran on the WWP ticket in 1996- when she collected a whopping 0.03% of the vote- and 2000, when she racked up 0.004 %.  They didn't field a team in 2012 (guess they were satisfied with Obama's progress), and in 2008 they supported the Green Party candidate (which tells you more than you need to know about them).  Michael Moore, trying to absolve Ralph Nader's run in 2000 for tipping the scales to GW Bush, pinned the tail on Moorehead.  Which tells you more than you needed to know about Al Gore.

Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik- he is the standard bearer of the Socialist Party USA (kinda redundant with Bernie and all), and he has actually made it to the main ballot in 3 places- Colorado (sorry 'bout that, ABFTS), Michigan, and Guam (which really doesn't count since they don't get an electoral vote).

Matthew "none of the above" Roberts (and yes, he is on the ballot WITH the nickname)- He's a PolySci prof from WMU (gotta love the MAC) whose tag line is that "we can only take over the White House if something bizarre happens".

Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado- an odd mix of renewable energy programs, keeping animal rights groups out of politics, pro 2nd amendment, pro choice, single payer healthcare who says, "Obamacare is a joke", and rebuilding Social Security by putting the money back into it.

Laurence Kotlikoff- a big econ prof at Boston U., his wiki claims he is the only write-in with his name eligible on all 50 ballots.  His game is the Fair Tax, Limited Purpose Banking (which would limit financial institutions by allowing their customers to determine how risky of investments they can make), and a voucher-based healthcare system known as the "Purple" plan, which would put decisions in the hands of a board of doctors and allow total spending to be no more than 10% of GDP.  Just for comparison, as of 2015 we were spending 17.1 % on health care.

Denny C Jackson- he's the Mayor of Milton KY, a former social studies teacher and current Baptist Church member and Reds fan who "Just wants to teach a lesson in civics" that anyone can run for President.

Tom Hoefling- running as an independent this time, he ran in 2012 on the America's Party ticket and finished 8th with 40,000 votes.  He is a constitutional defender, who starts his platform with "Our rights come from God" and is a prototype 'tea party' candidate.

Cherunda Fox- you knew there HAD to be one.  A 54 year old half black/half American Indian and retired Protective Services Worker from Detroit, I studied her website and learned mainly two things.  One, she REALLY hates Hillary Clinton and doesn't much like Michelle Obama.  Two, I don't believe she grasps the principle of the electoral college.  Near as I can tell, she's under the misapprehension that getting on a state's write in ballot means you WIN its electoral votes- and thus believes she already has more electoral votes than Obama got.  "America loves me", she says.

Richard Duncan- "I finished 10th in 2012 running on a $5,000 budget."  Good for you, that puts you officially into the "also receiving votes" category.  Just to put you in perspective, Dick, that means you got enough votes to win a Ft Wayne City Council seat, yet still leaving you trounced in the Mayoral race.  Anyway, He's all for wanting to finish off ISIS by bombing them into glass,  and creating incentive zones to lure businesses into certain areas- but only if they hire US citizens only.  His experience- as a member of the Kent, OH, city Board Of Building Appeals and a member of the ACLJ, should prove invaluable as POTUS.

Roque "Rocky" De La Fuenta- a Latino businessman from California, he is a former Democrat superdelegate who ran (though you didn't know it) in the 2016 primaries, totalling a miserable 67,000 votes in all primaries combined. (Now, THAT would have won you Ft Wayne mayor!)  He then became the candidate of the Reform Party, and then formed his own American Delta Party...

No, not THAT Delta Party...

Darrell Castle- Now this guy I knew about from a FB friend who's a supporter.  He is the candidate from the Constitution Party, whose title pretty much tells you the focus here.  He wants the Constitution upheld, the Fed gone and the UN booted, which really ain't a bad deal.  However, his "I'm more Libertarian than Gary Johnson" quote worries me a bit.  If this was any other election, I might go this way.

Jill Stein- you know, the chick all the Bernie fans were supposed to flock to?  She's the candidate from the Green Party, which is basically the Socialist Party USA with an environmental focus- in fact, this year they officially self-described as "eco-socialist."  Jill is a repeat candidate for the GP, having amassed 469,000 votes in 2012 for a whopping 0.36 %.

Where the action is...

This post is about how Scrappy saved the day yet again, and we found out where the deer hang out.  First, I take you back to last Thursday...

Where Scrappy insisted something was up behind the IPFW main soccer  field... and it centered on this trash can...

...wherein a half starved raccoon lie.  This will be the second time now that we've let a coon out of a can on the soccer grounds.

One would assume he got out- we knew he wouldn't while we were anywhere around, so we left.  Next day, both coon and can were gone.

Later on California Road, we watched the Harvest Moon rise.   Right below it, two deer looked at us.  By the time we saw them, they took off.  But the story was not yet told...

Then we saw a bunny, whom Scrappy made a late and unsuccessful attempt to chase...

"Darn it, he was just here..."

But then, as we crossed the south end of the bunny field heading towards the Alumni Center, we saw them....

... an entire herd of five lazily grazing just north of Coliseum.

We crept as close as we dared without chasing them into traffic, as the sun set.

The next night, same route, same time...

And this time, I counted six of 'em...

Yes, that's one laying down in the center...

"Hey!  What about ME!"

Sunday, we took an earlier walk.  I forgot the camera, so you didn't get to see the game of leash tag Scrappy and Mr Bunny played down Ground Hog Road.  We'd get about a leash-length away and the bugger would run ahead a bit.  Repeat this three times before Mr Bunny, almost waiting too long on the last one, disappears into the brush.  For his part, Scrappy noticed, he saw, and sniffed every spot the bunny sat... but wasn't all that desirous of actually chasing him.