Trying To Make Sense Of It All

As I read our local newspaper and listened to the radio this morning, I was trying to make sense out of what is happening in our War on Terror and decide on whether we are safer today as a nation than we were almost five years ago.

The first article I read states that over 3400 Iraqi civilians were killed in July, nearly twice as many as last January. The report concludes that sectarian violence is “spiraling out of control “ and that Iraq is now embroiled in a civil war, with U.S. troops caught in between the Sunni Arab guerrillas and Shiite militias. This conclusion appears to agree with recent testimony of U.S. military analysts. If this is true, then American troops may be fed into a “meat grinder” in Iraq for years to come.

Another newspaper article reports that while passengers are being screened for tubes of toothpaste and shaving lotion, only about 10 percent to 15 percent of the commercial cargo in the bellies of these same planes is inspected for bomb materials.

Another report says only about 5 percent of the cargo that comes into our ports in those huge containers is inspected for bomb materials.

The syndicated column by David Ignatius of the Washington Post sees the war in Lebanon as damaging, not only for Israel and Lebanon, but also for the United States itself. But he thinks some good may have resulted from the war: an understanding that the “solutions to the big problems that afflict the region are not military, but political”.

Even a nation such as Egypt, which has supported the United States in its Middle East policies, is now having second thoughts as they watch another attack by a U.S-backed nation against an Arab country. Are we about to lose another ally in the War on Terrorism?

I remember reading somewhere a few years ago that in the African slave trade, when a young African was kidnapped and sold into slavery, over 80 people were affected by the loss of a loved one. That included the parents, the grandparents, the great-grandparents, the brothers and sisters, the aunts and uncles, the cousins, and the friends of the kidnapped victim. It has been estimated that in our attempt to impose Western style “democracy” in Iraq, our military forces have killed up to 100,000 Iraqis. If 80 people were affected by the death of each individual, that means that over 8 million of the 25 million people in Iraq have been affected in one way or another by the the death of a loved one at the hands of American forces. Let us assume that some of those killed included members of the same family, which would result in a lower number of people affected by the deaths. We will reduce the number of people affected to 2 million.

Now, if a foreign nation invaded our country and killed your mother, or your father, or your brother, or your sister, or your grandparents and others, would you be tempted to join an insurgency to drive out the troops that are occupying your country, or would you sit idly by with the other 40 percent of the unemployed while you wait for the occupiers to put down the existing insurgency? Just a question that needs to be answered.

Another article in the newspaper reports that British authorities made a 24th arrest yesterday in the terrorist plot to blow up trans-Atlantic commercial jets. This should remind us that this plot was uncovered, not by American, but by British, intelligence.

In the final article, President Bush is quoted as saying, “America is safer than it has been....”

After the deaths of over 2600 American troops, the wounding of over 20.000 American service personnel, and the expenditure of nearly a half-trillion dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan, do you think our nation is safer today than it was nearly five years ago? Do you feel safer? Why?

Two Kinds of People

My experience tells me that there are two kinds of people in the world. The human mind has a tendency to want to classify all the individuals in the world into two groups: the good vs. the evil; the warmakers vs. the peacemakers; those who are with us vs. those who are against us; the conservatives vs. the liberals. Of course, we all know that human beings are much more complex than allowed by these simple categories. Nevertheless, most of us persist in dividing the world into two kinds of people.

Let us look at some examples:

1. Those who like a PC and those who like a Mac
2. Those who like Elvis and those who like the Beatles
3. Those who like dogs and those who like cats
4. Those who are smart and those who are dumb
5. Those wishing for what they want and those working for what they want

6. Those who like to let the chips fall where they may, and those who like to arrange the chips into neat little piles
7. Those who make simple things complex and those who make complex things simple
8. Those who accept dogma and know it, and those who accept dogma and don’t know it
9. Those who live by the sword and those who live by the spirit
10. Those who like Coke and those who like Pepsi

11. Those who are morning people and those who are night people
12. Those who drink coffee and those who drink tea
13. Those who divide and those who unite
14. Those who are decisive and those who are indecisive
15. Those who drive slow in the fast lane, and those who drive fast in the slow lane

16. Those who walk into a room and say, “There you are!” and those who walk into a room and say, “Here I am!”
17. The Takers who eat well and the Givers who sleep well
18. Those who want everything for themselves and those who want something for everyone
19. Those who love to talk and those who hate to listen
20. Those who want to be and those who want to do

21. Those who make things happen, and those who watch things happen
22. Those who post on a blog and those who lurk on a blog
23. Those who are artists and those who are Thomas Kinkade lovers
24. Those who cannot do what they are told, and those who can do nothing else
25. Those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought

And, one more:

Those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world, and those who know better.

Do you have any additions to this list? Please place them in my comments section; or if you have a long list, create your own post on the topic.

Suite Add-a-Line (Part Two)

(The comments section was getting too hard to scroll on the previous post, so I am starting another post on the same topic)

This time we will start with a limerick on WP which stands for Whispered Promise's blog.

The blogger is WP
To life's lock she holds the key
Her posts are a treat
and she is sweet (Thanks to PuriChristos) (Now for the kicker)



Sometime ago my wife and I belonged to a Progressive Dinner Group. For those of you who have never participated in one, this is how it works. At a Progressive Dinner, a group of friends plans a meal together where each course is served at a different participant's home, so that the party literally moves from place to place throughout the evening. This can lead to a lot of socialization with different people and discourages the formation of cliques. Another advantage it has is that it requires little work and expense and keeps the party moving during the evening.

I thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if one were to start a Progressive Poetry Group. The way I envision it, the first person to participate from Blogstream would write the first line of verse; the second participant, the second, and so on until the completion of that particular form of poetry. In that way, it would be a little like a Progressive Dinner, with each person providing one item. The last person would provide the dessert (the kicker in this case).

I would like to begin with the limerick form, as it is one of the simplest forms to master.

The standard form for a limerick is a five-line format with the rhyme scheme AABBA (the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with one another, and the third and fourth lines usually use a different rhyme, and rhyme only with each other).

Another way of looking at the standard form of a limerick is as follows:

Rhyme:

When a limerick line starts out first,
What follows is fated, accursed:
If the third line takes tea,
The fourth must agree.
While five, two, and one pool their thirst.

Rhythm:

Lines 1, 2, and 5 contain 3 accented syllables.
Lines 3 and 4 contain 2 accented syllables.

The primary purpose of a limerick in playing with the sounds of poetry is to develop heightened awareness of the significance of word music in communication. Limericks are short and no great talent is necessary to compose one; and they are a form of poetry that everyone feels happy to try (especially when inebriated!).

Some examples of limericks:

There once was an old man from Esser, (A)
Whose knowledge grew lesser and lesser.(A)
It at last grew so small, (B)
He knew nothing at all, (B)
And now he's a college professor. (A)

There was a young lady of Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
-- Anonymous

A tutor who tooted the flute
Tried to tutor two tooters to toot,
Said the two to the tutor,
"Is it harder to toot or
To tutor two tooters to toot?"
-- Anonymous

A staid schizophrenic named Struther,
When told of the death of his brother,
Said: "Yes, I am sad;
It makes me feel bad,
But then, I still have each other."
-- Anonymous

A mosquito was heard to complain,
"A chemist has poisoned my brain!"
The cause of his sorrow
was paradichloro-
triphenyldichloroethane.

There was an old man from Milan,
Whose limericks would never scan.
When told this was so,
He said, "Yes, I know.
"But I always try to get as many syllables into the last line as I possibly can."

This is the way we will proceed . I will compose a limerick as an example (note how each blogger has to copy the previous line or lines in my comments section and add his or her own):

There once was a blogger named PRANK (First blogger starts the first line, using the name of a person on Blogstream)
Who was noted for being quite frank. (Second blogger)
When asked what he thought (Third blogger)
Of an item he had bought, (Fourth blogger)
SAID HE, “IT’S A BLANKETY BLANK BLANK! (Fifth blogger adds the kicker line).

The blogger adding the kicker line thus gives us the complete limerick. He or she will start the first line of the next limerick, using the name of a blogger on Blogstream.

Here is the first line of the next limerick:

“There once was a blogger named SIX”

Now, ladies and gentlemen of Blogstream - start your engines, and let’s see what happens.

Suite Add-a-Line

Sometime ago my wife and I belonged to a Progressive Dinner Group. For those of you who have never participated in one, this is how it works. At a Progressive Dinner, a group of friends plans a meal together where each course is served at a different participant's home, so that the party literally moves from place to place throughout the evening. This can lead to a lot of socialization with different people and discourages the formation of cliques. Another advantage it has is that it requires little work and expense and keeps the party moving during the evening.

I thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if one were to start a Progressive Poetry Group. The way I envision it, the first person to participate from Blogstream would write the first line of verse; the second participant, the second, and so on until the completion of that particular form of poetry. In that way, it would be a little like a Progressive Dinner, with each person providing one item. The last person would provide the dessert (the kicker in this case).

I would like to begin with the limerick form, as it is one of the simplest forms to master.

The standard form for a limerick is a five-line format with the rhyme scheme AABBA (the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with one another, and the third and fourth lines usually use a different rhyme, and rhyme only with each other).

Another way of looking at the standard form of a limerick is as follows:

Rhyme:

When a limerick line starts out first,
What follows is fated, accursed:
If the third line takes tea,
The fourth must agree.
While five, two, and one pool their thirst.

Rhythm:

Lines 1, 2, and 5 contain 3 accented syllables.
Lines 3 and 4 contain 2 accented syllables.

The primary purpose of a limerick in playing with the sounds of poetry is to develop heightened awareness of the significance of word music in communication. Limericks are short and no great talent is necessary to compose one; and they are a form of poetry that everyone feels happy to try (especially when inebriated!).

Some examples of limericks:

There once was an old man from Esser, (A)
Whose knowledge grew lesser and lesser.(A)
It at last grew so small, (B)
He knew nothing at all, (B)
And now he's a college professor. (A)

There was a young lady of Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
-- Anonymous

A tutor who tooted the flute
Tried to tutor two tooters to toot,
Said the two to the tutor,
"Is it harder to toot or
To tutor two tooters to toot?"
-- Anonymous

A staid schizophrenic named Struther,
When told of the death of his brother,
Said: "Yes, I am sad;
It makes me feel bad,
But then, I still have each other."
-- Anonymous

A mosquito was heard to complain,
"A chemist has poisoned my brain!"
The cause of his sorrow
was paradichloro-
triphenyldichloroethane.

There was an old man from Milan,
Whose limericks would never scan.
When told this was so,
He said, "Yes, I know.
"But I always try to get as many syllables into the last line as I possibly can."

This is the way we will proceed . I will compose a limerick as an example (note how each blogger has to copy the previous line or lines in my comments section and add his or her own):

There once was a blogger named PRANK (First blogger starts the first line, using the name of a person on Blogstream)
Who was noted for being quite frank. (Second blogger)
When asked what he thought (Third blogger)
Of an item he had bought, (Fourth blogger)
SAID HE, “IT’S A BLANKETY BLANK BLANK! (Fifth blogger adds the kicker line).

The blogger adding the kicker line thus gives us the complete limerick. He or she will start the first line of the next limerick, using the name of a blogger on Blogstream.

Here is the first line of the next limerick:

“There once was a blogger named SIX”

Now, ladies and gentlemen of Blogstream - start your engines, and let’s see what happens.

100 Things I Want To Do In My Lifetime

Some organized individuals love to make lists. Other than shopping lists, I am not a great one for making them. Among the most popular lists is the one of the 100 things people want to do before they die. Since I did not have such a list, I prepared one for this post and was surprised at how many of the things I have done to this point are things that I most likely would have included on such a list.

1. Ride a gondola in Venice with someone I love. Yes.
2. Test drive a Ferrari. Forget it! But I did a test drive in a Subaru WRX. Does that count?
3. Peer into an active volcano. Yes, in Hawaii. The experience is like looking into the heart of the earth.
4. Visit a nude beach Yes. Black’s Beach in Torrey Pines, CA. That was an eye-opener!
5. Climb Mt. Everest. Forget it! But I have climbed Lambert Dome in the Sierras.

6. Skydive in a spectacular place. No, but when I was a kid, I used to jump off a shed with an umbrella for a parachute. Does that count?
7. Learn how to be a clown. No. Well, I never took any lessons, but I was still pretty good at it in class.
8. Go to Japan and eat Fugu. No, but I went to Paris and ate escargot and stinky cheese.
9. Kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland. No, but I French-kissed the 2000-year-old Rosetta Stone in England.
10. Take a jungle tour. Yes, at Disneyland.

11. Swim with sharks. No, but I have swum with carp. Does that count?
12. Learn how to ride a bull. No, but I rode a pony once. Does that count?
13. Get close to a wild animal that could kill me. Yes, many times at the San Diego Zoo.
14. Run with the bulls in Pamplona. No, but I have run with the dogs at Doggie Beach.
15. Swim with dolphins. See number 11.

16.Travel to Michoacan, Mexico to witness the migration of the Monarch butterfly. No, but I once traveled to San Ysidro to watch the illegal migration of Mexicans into the United States.
17. Go whale watching. Yes, off San Diego, CA. The whales were people watching.
18. Learn to paint a landscape like Van Gogh. No. I once tried to paint my house, but after spilling a gallon of white paint on an asphalt driveway, I gave up.
19. Attend a Shakespeare Festival. Yes, in San Diego, CA. “I knew him, Horatio -- a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.” (That means he was funny).
20. Participate in a pow wow with Native Americans. No, but I have been in several of their casinos.

21. View Michelangelo’s David. Yes. Afterwards, I felt better about my masculinity.
22. Visit the Hershey chocolate factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Yes, that is my wife’s Mecca.
23. Volunteer to help others. Yes, just last night I volunteered to take out the garbage.
24. Ride a cable car in San Francisco. Yes. Now the fare is pretty steep.
25. Watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. No, but I watched the changing of a baby’s diapers in a restroom. Does that count?

26. Visit Paris at night. Mais oui!
27. Go to the top of the Washington Monument, the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, and the Leaning Tower at Pisa. Yes, I have done all except the Leaning Tower. Its construction was begun in A.D. 1173. I was sure that if I ascended the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower, it would surely choose just that moment to topple over. So I jogged around it instead.
28. Visit New York City, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City. Yes. Went to the Empire State Building, the Twin Towers, Independence Hall, and the Trump Building.
29. Spend a week in New Orleans. Yes. Titillating, but I didn’t have any beads.
30. Learn the Tango in Buenos Aires. No, but I tried to do the Macarena in Mazatlan.

31. Sip tea in a traditional Japanese tea garden. No, but I have drunk beer at Joe’s Place in Solana Beach.
32. Dance a waltz at the Vienna Opera Ball. No, but I tried to do the Macarena in Mazatlan.
33. Walk the Great Wall of China. No, but I have walked the seawall at Ocean Beach after imbibing three beers.
34. See the ruins at Pompeii. Yes. Shocking - yes, shocking! - murals in the bathhouse.
35. Visit the Blue Grotto in Capri. Yes.

36. Visit the Louvre, the Roman Forum, the Coliseum and the British Museum. Yes
37. Take a ballroom dancing class. No, I never got around to it.
38. Bake bread. Yes, but I soon tired of it and started loafing.
39. Eat vegetables from my own garden. Yes, but my cabbages ended up with bugs in their heads.
40. Make homemade ice cream. Yes

41. Grow roses. Yes.
42. Ride in a submarine. Yes, at Disneyland.
43. Ice skate. No.
44. Ride in a glass bottom boat. Yes.
45. Get a tattoo. No.

46. Visit Puerto Vallarta. Yes. Great place for dining, and a leisurely evening walk on the malecon is a must.
47. Take the test to get into Mensa. Yes, but I failed. Test to get into Densa - passed.
48. Visit the Sistine chapel and see Michelangelo’s ceiling. Yes, it was a dizzying experience.
49. See the original “Mona Lisa” painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Yes, I think she cracked a smile for me.
50. See the original “Last Supper” mural by Leonardo da Vinci. Yes, we saw it just before eating dinner.

51. Fly in a helicopter. Yes, at Sedona, Arizona.
52. Snorkel. Yes, in Hawaii.
53. Go skinny dipping. Yes, back when I was skinny.
54. Be in a major parade. As a member of a marching band, I was in scores of them.
55. Milk a cow. Yes, I think it was a cow. At least, I hope it was a cow.

56. Bathe in a hot spring. Yes, it was hot.
57. Visit a lighthouse. Yes, it was bright.
58. Win big on a slot machine. No.
59. See a moose in the wild. Yes, in Alaska.
60. Pilot an airplane. Yes, my pilot friend let me take the controls for about five minutes.

61. Sing karaoke. Yes, at a party. I did Elvis Presley singing “Are You Lonesome Tonight”. Then said, “Thank you. Thank you very much!” to the applause.
62. Ride a motorcycle. Yes, as a passenger, doing about 85 miles per hour.
63. Fly over the Grand Canyon at a low altitude in a private plane. Yes, and also down into Marble Canyon. I was looking up at the top of the canyon.
64. See Old Faithful erupt. Yes.
65. Listen to zydeco music in New Orleans. Yes, it was CJ Chenier and his Red Hot Louisiana Band performing. The best!

66. Visit the National Archives and view the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Yes.
67. Ride the Staten Island Ferry. Yes. I’ll never forget the sight of the Twin Towers from the ferry crossing.
68. Have lunch at a sidewalk cafe in Paris. Oui, nous avons apprécié un repas fin de cuisine française avec du vin.
69. Ride on a double-decker bus in London. Yes, old chap.
70. Whistle with two fingers in my mouth. No. I could never get the hang of it.

71. Travel on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Fairbanks, and stop at Denali National Park to take the hour-and-half bus ride to the base of Denali Mountain. See a grizzly bear on the way. Yes.
72. Walk in the rain in London. Yes
73. Visit the Senate and House of Representatives. Yes
74. Visit the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery. Yes
75. Visit Williamsburg, Virgina. Yes

76. Visit the Amish countryside around Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Yes
77. Visit art galleries in Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico. Yes
78. Ride the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia. No, but I once took a transcontinental railroad trip from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, California.
79. Sleep under the stars. Yes, but then it began to rain in the middle of the night. Wet sleeping bags are no fun.
80. Learn to juggle with three balls. No, but I can do it with two.

81. Go up in a hot-air balloon. No, not yet.
82. Drink champagne from a woman’s slipper. Yes, at a party. The champagne was bubbly and so was I.
83. Get something published in a newspaper or magazine. Yes, quite a few times.
84. Visit Canada and Mexico. Yes.
85. Meet someone famous. Yes, I met Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel and got his autograph for my daughter.

86. Learn how to sail. No.
87. Win an award. Yes, best speller in my ninth grade homeroom class. Does that count?
88. Visit Hong Kong. No.
89. Ride on the Autobahn. Yes
90. Visit the pyramids of Egypt. No.

91. Stand with one foot in Nevada and the other in Arizona. Yes.
92. Tour Pearl Harbor. Yes
93. Visit places of historical interest in Boston. No, not yet.
94. Attend a Johnny Cash and June Carter concert. Yes
95. Raft through the Grand Canyon. No, not yet.

96. Visit the Alamo. Yes
97. Bungy jump off the New River Gorge bridge. No, too chicken.
98. Go to Mars. No, not yet.
99. Go on a cruise. Yes. Mexican Riviera.
100. Ride a mechanical bull. Yes, it was in front of WalMart. Cost fifty cents to ride. Then a little tyke rode it.

And one thing I didn’t want to do: Make a complete and utter ass of myself. Yes, too many times.

Assuming that you had all the resources and time available to fulfill your dreams, list a few of the things that you still would like to do in this lifetime. Or, make up your own list of 100 things you would like to do in your lfetime, including those that you have already done, and post it.