How Dares Yous

I feel an awful pang of guilt over the present development of the english language in it's written form. It is my generation, the tv generation, that has allowed this abuse of the written word to proliferate. For instance, how many people know what the word proliferate means??? I am thoroughly disgusted with the way that people are typing things up. Im iz a ninja is most certainly not saying, "I'm a ninja, bitch!!!". I am just entirely fed up with people writing entire blogs in this unintelligible drivel. Oh yeah, before you bitch at me, children, look up the words that I'm using so that you can be properly offended. This outrage has reached the point where people are applauding such "creative" use of typography. I doubt very much that the people who are doing this even know the definition of the word typography. It is unfortunate that we are allowing such troglodytes to reach adulthood. The Spartans would have thrown them to the wolves at age 5. I'll not say that I'm the brightest bulb in the Broadway sign, but I'm a damn sight closer than someone who thinks that "Why you no seeked?" is proper use of the english language. Try reading something above a third grade reading level for once. The Star and Southtown don't count!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those newspapers and all newspapers like them are written at a third grade reading level. Try something like the Tribune or New York Times. Perhaps you could try reading Stephen King. I would hate to see the smoke billowing from your ears while attempting to read Jane Austen or Melville. I don't even hear such terms used in the most dumbed down music on the radio, though I must say that BSB and all subsequent groups of the r&b, rock, and pop genres have certainly made their contributions to this pandemic plague of pronounced pissery. (Yes, I just made that word up. Sue me.) I just watched Johnny Mad Dog recently. I thought that the film was intelligently written, superbly filmed, and well done over all. Many of the characters spoke with a dialect which made them almost unintelligible without subtitles. This is a case where it is appropriate to use a bastardized form of english. These kids were raised speaking a mix of english and their own native language. It's kind of like Portuguese. I know perfectly well that english is just a bastardization of at least 7 different languages, the most prevalent being German. Present english isn't the same as Olde English. Olde English wasn't even the same as Anglo English which was spoken in Britain before the invasions of the Romans, the Saxons, and the Normans. Very very few living would recognize Anglo English. English has always been an ever swirling miasma of foreign influence. The problem that I have with what is going on now is that this is not the result of foreign influence. Spanglish is the result of foreign influence. No, no. This is the result of blatant and disregardful apathy. This is the result of parents caring so little about how their children speak the language that they were raised with that they think it is cute when a word or syllable is raped by the mouth of an adolescent. This is a result of Left wing and Right wing bipartisan-ism. This is a result of people hating the past and themselves for what their family may be assumed to have done in the past because of the color of their skin. This bastardization of the present English language is the result of fear and loathing compounded with apathy and ignorance. That is why it offends me so. Perhaps I am looking too closely at the subject, but I honestly think that I have hit the nail on the head. Let me know what you think.

Shriner's Children's Hospitals

March 27, 2009 Robert Cotner, Editor Vol. V, No. 14

SHC – CHICAGO PATIENT, DALTON HERENDEEN, COMPETES IN PORTLAND, OR

Dalton Herendeen is an Indiana swimmer. He’s 15 years old and a sophomore at Concord High School, in Dunlap, just outside of Elkhart, IN. His relay team has been a State Finalist in high school competition in Indiana. Last week, he competed in the Paralympics Swimming Championship trials, an international event at Mt. Hood Community College, Portland, OR. Dalton won two gold medals, in the 100 meter and the 200 meter backstroke. His time (105.73) in the 100 meter qualifies him to represent the U.S. National Team and gives him opportunity to represent the U.S. in the Paralympics in London in 2012, in the Pan Am Games in Colombia and Brazil, and in other inter-national competitions. What is remarkable about these facts is that Dalton swims with one leg—and he can beat most swimmers who swim with two. He maintains a heavy training program in preparation for his international competition, swim-

ming twice a day: mornings from 5 to 7 AM and afternoons after school. In the photo, above, he prepares for a race in high school competition. In the photo right, he stands ready for competition. He will train for international competition this summer in Colorado Springs, CO. Dalton Herendeen, a patient at SHC – Chicago since he was a baby, is on the threshold of great success as a young athlete. We congratulate Dalton on his Portland victories. He honors our hospital, our doctors and medical staff, and all of our children, who leave this hospital with high self-esteem and a drive to succeed greater than most who are whole and healthy. Congratulations to Dalton, his family, and his coach Tom Johnson—and best wishes in your gallant endeavors, Dalton! His father says it best: “The Moral of this story is attitude. It can make you or break you. Be thankful for what we have been given every day!!!!”

HOSPITAL USHERS SERVE QUIETLY, EFFICIENTLY, AND WITH MANY HOURS

In 2008, 649 volunteer Hospital Ushers gave 74 tours. More than 1,159 people were given tours, and the Ushers donated 2,354 hours in service to SHC – Chicago and to our kids. Included in these figures are tours for three Shrine State Bowl Football teams, from Illinois and Nebraska. Each team had 120 players, plus coaches, TV and radio media, sponsors, and various Shrine state representatives. It also includes Hospital Day for 2008. This is a distinguished record for Shriners from Medinah and Orak Temples, who, as volunteers, bring richness to our lives and the lives of all they serve. Thank you, Nobles!

Chicago

Shriners Hospitals for Children – Chicago is one of 22 Shrine hospitals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, providing orthpaedic, burn, spinal cord injury care and rehabilitation, and plastic surgery for children from birth to 18 years of age—all at no charge to parents, any third-party or governmental agency.

All Shrine hospitals, including Chicago, are supported entirely by endowment income, tax-deductible contributions and bequests from the general public, grants from corporations and foundations, fund-raising events held by the Shrine fraternal organization and other interested groups, and individual assessments to members of the Shrine. Less than ten percent of the hospitals’ operating budget is used for administrative costs. The 90 percent that directly benefits the children is carefully supervised for maximum productivity and is applied to patient care, research, and medical education.

In Chicago, Shriners Hospital, a 60-bed facility located in the northwest part of the city, specializes in orthpaedic, plastic and craniofacial surgery, and spinal cord injury care and rehabilitation. The hospital, originally constructed in 1926, was rebuilt in 1981. A major expansion of the hospital was completed in 2004. The hospital serves children primarily from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Because of its specialized programs and services and the extraordinary skill of our medical staff, however, children from across the United States and from many foreign countries are referred to Shriners Hospital Chicago for care.

In the past 82 years, more than 60,000 children have been treated at the Shriners Hospital Chicago for a wide range of orthpaedic conditions, including injuries and diseases of the bones, joints, spine, and muscles, osteogenesis imperfecta, limb-length deficiencies, club feet, dislocated joints, and hand deformities; the orthpaedic problems of cerebral palsy, burn scars, acquired or congenital cleft lip, palate, or other facial deformities, and spinal cord injuries are all conditions for which the hospital provides services.

Shriners Hospital Chicago is committed to pediatric medical research, with more than 60 clinical studies underway, both prospective and retrospective in nature. Shriners Hospital research focuses on transitions, from childhood to adolescence and from adolescence to adulthood—to insure that our care has a positive, long-lasting impact in the lives of children served.

Shriners Hospital Chicago brings together a deeply committed group of Shriners, as well as non-Shrine volunteers, from the immediate area and from surrounding states. They drive patients to our hospital from all over the Midwest and other parts of America, support recreation activities and events for the children, and assist with clinics, in-patient care units, and throughout the hospital. Volunteers contribute thousands of hours annually and are an important part of the efficiency of the hospital’s operation.

Shriners Hospital Chicago is one of the busiest in the Shrine network. In 2007, there were 1,794 in-patient admissions, 1,511 surgeries performed, and more than 14,120 outpatient clinic visits—all without charge to the patients or their families. In addition to providing medical care and research, Shriners Hospital Chicago is also a prominent teaching hospital. It provides undergraduate education for medical students. It offers graduate residencies in orthpaedic surgery, plastic surgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. And it awards fellowships in pediatric orthpaedic surgery and spine surgery care. The hospital has also instituted a program of community outreach, offering free information and education in the prevention of spinal cord and other injuries, to schools, at health fairs, and at community events. All of these services are provided out of our $40.3 million annual budget.

6/12/08

Is the Star of David the symbol for all mankind?

I would like to start off by saying that I am not quoting scripture. I am not, in fact telling anything that I have been taught about christianity, God, or the Bible. I am merely spouting my own beliefs about a symbol that has captured man's attention for the last 8,000 years or so. This symbol about which I am verbating is one that has popped up in most cultures in the eastern hemisphere. To the pagans of Europe, it was the symbol for mankind itself. To the peoples of Africa and the Middle East, it has always been the symbol of the people of Abraham. I am talking about the star of David.
Many who read this will think to themselves, "*scoff* This is bullshit. Europeans didn't even have a six pointed star."
Whatever...
The symbol for woman in many european cultures is the cup, and is often shown as an up-side-down triangle. The symbol for man in these same cultures is the sword or spade, and is depicted as a triangle that is right-side-up. (It's so interesting that we use the word up in both of those colloquiallisms.) Now, when you put together the symbols for man and woman, what do you get? That's right, boys and girls. You get a six pointed star.
Now, I'm quite certain that the deplorably uneducated christians among you who actually stumble across this blog must be thinking to yourselves, "Why six? Why did God make the star of David (or Davey as I've heard some telepreachers refer to him as) a six pointed star? Isn't 6 the number of the beast?"
*sigh*
The number of Lucifer is not 6. The number of the beast is 666, and I don't mean six-hundred and sixty six. It's not mearly a number, but a mathematic equation. The number is actually six by six by six, or 6 to the third power, or 6 cubed. I must stress however that you take the equation for the metaphor that it seems to be. Six is most certainly the number of man. By that reasoning, I believe that it is safe to assume that when the Bible talks about the number of the beast, it is talking about his very nature. He will be as man to the third power. I am rambling and I should get back to the subject.
If you open your bible to Genisis, you will find that it says that man was created on the sixth day. I know that a lot of people get confused here, because churches like to tell you that Adam was the first man. He wasn't. Adam was created on the eighth day. Another thing that you have to factor in here is time difference. I can't think of book, chapter or verse off the top of my head, but I am quite certain that at one point, the Bible says that a day to God is as a thousand years for us. I believe that this was meant to be taken literally to help with the time confusion. So, we have the begining of this earth age. Five thousand years have passed. Animals roam the earth again. The sixth day has arrived. On this sixth day, in this period of a thousand years, God created man. Then, after a couple thousand years, he decided to create Adam in the garden; for the purpose of tending the garden.
I'm sorry to be so wordy with this. I just want to make sure that I have made my point perfectly clear by the end of this rant.
Now, as to what many others who are reading this are thinking. "This is bullshit. This guy has no idea what he's talking about. There weren't even any Hebrews in Europe when those tribes that used the cup and the sword as symbols were around."
Have you ever heard of the Caucus mountain range? You should google it (especially for my sake. I'm not sure about my spelling sometimes.) The Caucus mountains were where the Hebrews who fled to Europe made their crossing into said continent. Thus the name Caucasian.
Do you know what the word Saxon means? It means literally, "son of Isaac."
Let's not forget also, that God has a plan. Do you think that he did not calculate that many of his children would use such simple and memorable symbols to depict their humanity? God knew. He knew because he knows us. He created us long before this putrescent, fleshy existence that we now endure. He knows how our minds work. Don't get confused and think that I mean that he controls us. He gave up the power to control us. He gave it up so that we could love him of our own accord. God most certainly has a plan, and these numbers and equations are hints for us so that we can follow his plan and be on the correct side of the gun when it fires. Speaking of numbers...
Let's talk about the number 23 for a moment. It's such a captivating number isn't it? So many famous and tragic deaths associated with this number. Here's another famous death to associate with the number 23. Read the 23rd psalm of David. It starts off, "My god, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?"
For countless generations, (ok, not countless, more like 500 or so) people have known that the number for man is 6. It was not until the puritans started infecting people with their dogma and fire and brimstone that people started thinking that the number of man is 5. Whatever... this monkey's going to heaven. I blame the entire lack of biblical education on the Puritans, Quakers, and every other denomination that thinks that those "Left Behind" books have a valid point. (I especially detest the entire idea behind the show "The 4400")
In answer to the Left Behind series, I feel that I must quote singer, songwriter, Voltaire. "God thinks you're a waste of flesh. Oh woh. God prefers an athiest. Oh woh." To quote God directly, "I would rather that you were hot or cold. If you be luke warm, I shall spit you out." In other words, no fair weather believers.
I know that there are some of you who may think that I am being overly harsh and judgemental of LaHaye and Jenkins. Let me just say that I'm not the one who will be judging anyone. The Bible speaks of false prophets, those who would twist God's word for their own agenda. They know God's word front to back and yet they play on this idea to make money from it. "Self riteous, judgemental; first to throw stones, and use his name for your own agenda."
I am Christian. I am pro-choice (please choose adoption). I am pro-constitution. I am a juggalo. I'm so goth that I shit bats. I am the last person that you would expect to hear Bible thumping from. I hate bible thumpers. I will not use God's name in vain and say that I am right, based on some illogical argument that my faith makes me right. I will most certainly not say that all of Christianity has the right idea. What I will say is this. If you don't believe what I'm saying, research it. Get a King James Bible and a Strong's concordance. Take the Bible back to it's original meaning and learn the truth for yourself.
Second Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 1-4 reads, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."
I take this to mean that we should not follow blindly anything that anyone tells us about the Bible and what it truly means. It means that we must find the answers for ourselves through dilligence and study. If you find a good teacher who teaches the whole Bible, then you're doing well. If not, you may unfortunately be on your own with your studies.
Don't let any man lead you. Not even me.

Offense

It seems that fiction is offensive. Someone has read one of my stories on blogspot, and finds something about it to be offensive. If you read this, then please read my story before it is summarily deleted. Perhaps someone could leave a comment telling me what it is that they find offensive. Family members need not tell me what they think is offensive. I already know what your answer will be. Really I'm just dumbfounded that you found Take Not the Stars offensive, and not Spider Lake Blues. That story is far more vulgar and explicit. Perhaps you just haven't entered the world of Jack Bowman yet.

Love and Sacrifice

I would like to talk about love and sacrifice.  

Here is something for you to think about.  Have you ever been in love?  Think about that for a moment.

If you have ever been in love, I want you to think about how it feels.  I want you to think about what you would do for that person.  I want you to think about the lengths that you would go to to ensure the safety and well-being of that person.  

Think about how that person makes you feel inside; about how strong or safe it makes you feel to hold them in your arms.  Think about how it feels to look in their eyes and know in your heart that they are feeling the same thing.  I want you to think about how it feels to fall asleep by their side, knowing that they would be there in the morning when you wake.

Now, think about how you would feel if suddenly they weren't there.  Think about how it would feel to be cut off from them completely; not knowing where they are, not knowing if they are ever coming back, not knowing if they can come back. 

How long would a day seem?  An hour? A minute?  What kind of thoughts would be going through your mind?  How strongly would you beg and weep for them to come back to you?

Now, I want you to take all of these thoughts and emotions, and magnify them 1000X.  Then I want you to remove all restrictions and desires of the flesh from the equation.  This is what Christ sacrificed and suffered for us so that through his example, we could have a chance to make our way back to God.

Our Father has written us a love letter, and it is certainly more than four gospels long.  Read the whole letter to get the full meaning of his words.  Don't let anyone tell you what it means, not even me.  Find out for yourself.