For the New Year

This is dedicated to all the good people in my life; at first I considered not to mention any names simply for the fear that I may leave one out but in the end I did decide to name two because I want all of you to meet them; the rest of you will know who you are.

 The first one is one of my email Friends name of John.  He is an unassuming man of great intellect, a razor sharp wit and possesses the amazing ability to analyze, or I should say to separate, the few good things that flow through the Internet from the rest which is mostly nonsense.

 He often passes his wisdom on to me and I received this from him a few days ago.  Please, it is very precious; read it with great care and look at the date and place of origin.

 http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

 I thought it was a gem; no, a precious stone will be a better description; a rare diamond it is indeed.  It’s a wonderful story; just what I needed the day I received it from him.  People make life too complicated by being too clever and miss the beauty in the process.

 John sometimes does an analysis of things.  This time he just put my name and email address in and the link.  I didn’t need anything more and he obviously thought the same.

 Then I am blessed to have got to know Denise, a grandmother from NYC suburbia but who works on Central Park in the city.  We pass things on to each other when a friend is needed to share something; sometimes we just say hello.  She is a precious diamond; no other ever found in the ground equals her pureness or quality.

 You will find John at:

 http://nolanimrod.com/

 And Denise at:

 http://pumabydesign001.wordpress.com/

 And if one of you other folks all of a sudden get this Post in an email it won’t be because I am soliciting comments; it will just tell you that I feel the same about you too.

 Happy New Year in 2011.

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Grumpy old Slick

Joe Biden reminded me of our schooldays when I read a Post by my Blogging Buddy Elcampeador in:

http://oforchristsakes.wordpress.com/2010/12/25/biden-says-gay-marriage-inevitable-damn-joe-your-wife-is-pretty-hot-didnt-know-you-were-a-switch-hitter/

Way back in junior school already we were taught about other countries and their habits.  No offense intended: America had Americans; Italy had Italians; Arabia had Arabians etcetera.

Discipline, respect for the aged, honesty, duty and things like that were inculcated into our young minds with the most severe illustrations of what would happen to us if we misbehaved; we were, for instance, taught that if you steal in Arabia they would chop your hand off; punishment was, so they told us in vivid language, the removal of the offending body part.

In that case Joe Biden has now lost his marbles; it must be hoped that somebody warns him not to repeat his statements in Arabia where they deal very severely with adultery and are strictly anti-homosexual too.  It made me wish once more in my life that I could draw cartoons, which I would love to do but have no talent for [can’t even draw a match-stick man] but I enjoy cartoons because I have a vividly talented mind to visualize situations.

Just imagine what could have happened to Slick Willy under Arabian Rule when he was all virile and so pretty.

I visualized him sitting on the porch in his old age and old Hillary coming out of the door, saying:

“Slick, I am off to Wal-Mart to get some cookies; you fixin’ on comin’ along?”

“Naw, you go, woman.  I ain’t feeling so good.”

Poor ole Slick; lost his Willy way back …..

Seriously Folks, someone should inform Joe Biden about the facts and for good measure mention to Hillary not to take Barney Frank along with her when she next ambles off to Islamabad.

*************

For the serious reader and Joe:

 http://www.google.co.za/search?sourceid=ie7&q=Islam+homosexuals%2C+gay+marriage%2C+sodomy&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ACEW_enZA348ZA348

Joe the Puppet, Oscar winning Washington Comedy for year end

I could never figure this with my hazy old mind but it dawned on me this morning whilst reading something about this comedy and it all became clear to me.

Don’t ever break your minds to figure out why 53% of American voters voted the way they did in 2008.  Here is why:

1.  They believe that the earth is flat and that the moon is a big piece of cheese

2.  They believe that the tooth fairy and Father Xmas are for real

3.  They don’t believe that Rome, Russia or China ever existed; indeed they believe these names to be fabrications of the mind by the Shah of Persia.

4.  They believe that they are fighting green fire-spitting/breathing 20 foot tall dragons in Afghanistan but that they will soon convert them to cuddly woolen little lambs

5.  They believe that money grows on trees

6.  They believe that a place called Washington will soon give each one of them a Cadillac with wings to fly around above the clouds when storms come over the earth.

7.  Finally they believe all this because they believe Joe Klein is the only Prophet ever to come and he personally told them to believe in him because he and only he knows the truth.

If you don’t believe me, read about the comedy:

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/12/18/two-dreams-one-dead/

For other references you may also read this one but remember Joe doesn’t talk about it.

https://ikejakson.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/silent-time/

 PS: the only thing that is still not clear to me is which one in the show is the puppet and who is pulling the strings.  Joe won’t tell on that one but it doesn’t seem to matter to his readers so why should it worry you?

Ikepedia on Time and Change

Strange things have happened over Time and will continue to happen into the lengths of Time in future but the past week may be a harbinger of an unexpected CHANGE.

Last Friday Swampland had this to say

Today Pajamas Media produced this

Some crackpot just published this

What have we seen from the great King Makers of a President Obama?

 Richard Holbrooke was a great Diplomat; nobody in his right mind will ever dispute that.  But eight or ten Swampland and Time Posts on Holbrooke in three days with virtually no other Posts must clearly just to detract the public eye from the Press Conference last Friday and Slick Willy when he took control of the adoring Press , adoring for Billy, I mean and not the departing President in Waiting.

 Something is up at Time.  Do you also get the impression that they have given up on their support for World Presidents of New World Orders and all that nonsense?  Just maybe they have learned at last that what people really want and asking for is a new President just for America, like all of us?

Obamacare in Texas

Don’t ever mess with Texas, Folks.

 Look at the headlines today:

 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/two-elected-texas-democrats-switch-to-gop/

 Quick as a flash the lone Star State produced this gem:

We know how to handle Texas Healthcare

  Not a word from Time Warner/CNN/Swampland or Joe Klein.  Most unusual to say the least, is it not?

Happy Christmas 2010

It is only ten days away Folks; and just another seven to 2011 right after so I shall start the ball rolling.

Our own family is one fewer again this year but we have had so many blessings and memories of good times that we look forward to another Christmas by the grace of God, our Creator and Heavenly Father to whom we owe our lives.

Maybe we are old-fashioned but the family scattered around the World will increase revenue for the telephone companies once more as we call and wish each other.

To all of them and my Blogging Friends this year [you all know who and where you are out there] I say a big warm thank you for the friendship and the good times that we shared.

We will remember why the Day is there and pray that we shall all be here next year same time.

 Ike Jakson

Silent Time

Time was when the old Folks and Wise Men said ‘Silence is Golden.’  But the Rule was broken with:

https://ikejakson.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/the-many-faces-of%e2%80%a6all-the-pictures/

His image as a World Politician was destroyed six months before he won the Election when the German Government refused to give him Brandenburg Gate; it was indeed His Waterloo in Europe.

It became so clear:

https://ikejakson.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/this-is-power/

 https://ikejakson.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/some-prefer-the-old-world-order/

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/11/22/obama-joins-the-childrens-book-brigade/

But Time heals and Time will tell, they said.  Not this Time, it seems:

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/12/10/bill-clinton-takes-back-the-white-house/

 Poor Former President Carter always hoped for a second term because he barely managed to hang on during the last months and just completed his first one by the grace of Reagan beating him.  His hopes must have been high for Obama to do him a second term but even that is in the balance since Friday, December 10^th,2010; he must really be suffering.

 It must be agony at Time.  Is that why they remain silent on Billy?

 Don’t hold your breath; this Time the Colossus of the Time Ragazine may not speak out, to save their own necks.

Tax cuts made easy

I really don’t understand the taxpayer paying politicians to discuss taxation, particularly as it is pretty obvious that politicians don’t understand the basis of fair taxation.

 Here is an easy simple solution

 Suppose that every evening, 10 men go out for drinks and the bill for all ten comes to 100 bucks. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay 1 dollar.

The sixth would pay 3 dollars.

The seventh would pay 7 dollars.

The eighth would pay 12 dollars.

The ninth would pay 18 dollars.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay 59 dollars.

So, that’s what they decided to do……. The 10 men drank in the bar every evening and were quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner said, “Since you are all such good customers, I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily drinks by 20 bucks overall.”

Drinks for the 10 men would now cost just 80 dollars and the group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men, the paying customers – how could they divide the 20 dollars windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?

They realized that 20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of the tax system they had been using, and he proceeded to work out the amounts he suggested that each should now pay.

Therefore, the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing.

The sixth now paid 2 bucks instead of 3 (33% saving).

The seventh now paid 5 instead of 7 (28% saving).

The eighth now paid 9 instead of 12 (25% saving).

The ninth now paid 14 instead of 18 (22% saving).

The tenth now paid 49 instead of 59 (16% saving).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings.

“I only got one dollar out of the 20 saving,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got 10 bucks!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar too.  It’s unfair – he got 10 times more benefit than me!”

“That’s true!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get 10 dollars back, when I got only 2? The wealthy always win!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison, “we didn’t get anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.  The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had their drinks without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists, labor unions and government ministers, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Professor of Economics.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.

For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

My new Family Doctor

I just love my new Family Doctor from the very first visit when I met him yesterday.  You need no second opinion on this advice that he gave me.

 Just look at the Wisdom in this Face

I just love my new Family Doctor

 Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life.  Is this true?

 A: Your heart only good for so many beats, and that it… Don’t waste on exercise.  Everything wear out eventually.  Speeding up heart not make you live longer; it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster.  Want to live longer?  Take nap.  

 Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

 A:  No, not at all.  Wine made from fruit.  Brandy is distilled wine, that mean they take water out of fruity bit so you get even more of goodness that way.  Beer also made of grain.  Bottom up!

 Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

 A: Well, if you have body and you have fat, your ratio one to one.  If you have two bodies, your ratio two to one, etc.

 Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

 A: Can’t think of single one, sorry.  My philosophy is: No pain…good! 

  Q:  Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

 A:  YOU NOT LISTENING!  Food are fried these day in vegetable oil.  In fact, they permeated by it.  How could getting more vegetable be bad for you?!?  

 Q:  Will  sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

 A: Definitely not!  When you exercise muscle, it get bigger.  You should only be doing sit-up if you want bigger stomach.  

 Q:  Is chocolate bad for me?

 A:  Are you crazy?!?  HEL-LO-O!!  Cocoa bean!  Another vegetable!  It best feel-good food around!

 Q:  Is swimming good for your figure?

 A:  If swimming good for your figure, explain whale to me.

 Q:  Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?

 A:  Hey!  ‘Round’ is shape!   

 Well… I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

 And  remember:   

  Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways – Chardonnay in one hand – chocolate in the other – body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO-HOO, what a ride!!” 

   AND…..

 For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health.  It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.   

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

 2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

 3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

 4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.  

 5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 

  CONCLUSION:  Eat and drink what you like.   Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Book Review – a short summary of ‘Sherman’s March’ by Richard Wheeler

This Post is not intended as a detailed review of the book or the American Civil War; that is well covered in “a thousand other books” that is best left to the trained historian.

Anastasia did a full review of ‘Andersonville’ on the Southern Prisoner of War Camp by the same name in her Post at:

http://anatheimp.blogspot.com/2010/12/valley-of-death.html

Her review drew excellent comments including comparisons with other atrocities in the same war and some elsewhere.  Wheeler himself wrote a number of Civil War books and the one that I present to you now is just on the famous Sherman March to end the War.  My 1991 Harpers Perennial Edition aptly describes it in a cover page statement as “An eyewitness History of the Cruel Campaign that helped End a Crueler War”

Sherman’s Mission was to end the War by forcing the South to surrender and he set about that on his march from Tennessee through Georgia and into the Carolina’s.

The ‘North’ is probably slightly favored by the author but in doing so it does provide an excellent alternative view of how the war came about.

Sherman became a hated man in the South but though his mission to end the war was clear his troops showed remarkable restraint on their long campaign that lasted a full year.  His “battle plan” was to destroy the supply and communication routes to the Southern armies, to disrupt and/or destroy their food supplies but to cause as little harm as possible to human life.

His troops lived off the land; foraging for their own supplies and getting it to their soldiers was part of the daily routine; they took whatever they needed from farms, plantations and towns [some were allowed to take a little more than needed] and burned down or destroyed what was left.  They took over towns and cities where they stopped for official accommodation and set them on fire when they left.  They took all arms and ammunition from housewives and city rulers and left them with their lives and very little else.

Incidents of chivalry occurred because Sherman had studied with many of his old friends at West Point and here and there an ‘old acquaintance’ merited some kindness.

There is only one place where revenge entered and is mentioned in the book.  You would be quite right if you guessed South Carolina; it is poignant in a way but I shall let the reader find it in the book.  Yes, South Carolina had fired the first shot that started the War.  His troops wanted Fort Sumter from which that first shot had come and Sherman allowed them that one time to take revenge.

His business was, after all, to end the war by forcing full acceptance of defeat and total surrender onto the South.  That followed almost immediately after South Carolina fell.

I should perhaps include a small fact on the life of William Tecumseh Sherman to describe the other less well-known side of the man.

Calvin Coolidge [the taciturn one] who could have and many said would have won a second term but chose instead to call a press conference while on holiday in South Dakota and announced that “I will not be running for re-election,” and walked out of the room [for 1928, I think it was].  He became the first one to say no to that power.

After the war Sherman was invited and put under strong pressure but declined all offers and efforts to convince him to run for the Presidency with his famous words:

 “If nominated, I will not stand; if elected, I will not serve.”

 I recommend this book for those who believe that one should take sides in War.  If you have read other works that convinced you to take sides, read this one.  It may just change your mind, as it did to me.