“News Can Make a Person’s Life Better”

They keep saying this on News, Channel 3, WREG in Memphis.

I can’t say I disagree. I don’t even dislike it. It just is that the opposite is also true and most of us know it after a little thought. I mean as long is the news is accurate, it’s a good thing. However, spreading lies is never good. Nightly, I see lies being told regularly as if absolute truth.

I guess I can’t say they’re alone. I would give examples. However, with a little thought, I am sure most folks can easily come up with a list.

It’s not just wrong to bear false witness, it can destroy lives instead of helping. Moreover, it is wrong, very wrong to call evil good and evil good. It makes me wonder why a person would want to do it, especially after calling themselves church going truth seekers.

Free Food!

Just saw a news headline on the news, Free Food. No such thing. Someone is paying for it. Just shows to go how much you can believe the news media.

I didn’t hear who was actually paying for the food, but I would guess state and local governments, which means the taxpayers.

If that is the case, they should say it that way. The concept of free food is simply a uphamism for openly picking our pockets.

I’ve Had a Few

This won’t be new to some, perhaps most of you. I have already written about them, though not at once. I started in a fast food restaurant for about 2 years. I spent 9 years in the Marines where I learned a lot, including that I am a poor leader.

For a short time after my discharge we had problems for a while. It proved you can learn from just about any job. during my time as a security guard I learned a lot about people that I carry with me to this day.

I went from there to repairing computers. I repaired the little ones and the big ones. I repaired big monster printers and huge disk drives that weighed 900 pounds. Years ago, I told a humorous true story of something that happened to me while working on a thousand pound tape machine. Won’t repeat it here. it would take too long. Maybe one day I should go back and make a list so those who want can go back and read them. On the other hand, maybe I can just put them all in a book. Open to suggestions.

One day computers, printers, disks and tape drives stopped breaking. In fact, I don’t even know if anyone even makes tape machines anymore. No need for them.

That put me in the unemployment line again. Well, I taught for 3 years while in the Marines, so I figured I might try to go back to teaching. I had hoped to get into teaching the basics at the Navy base at Millington, but they put me to work teaching radar instead, for three years.

I thought I had a secure position until peace broke out. They started tearing down the Berlin Wall and about half of us instructors were sent job hunting again. It’s sort of one of those things where really good new was not so good for some of us. Sometimes it happens that way. If you haven’t already seen it you will.

I found a bank that used the a computer I used to repair and went to work there. Wow. Did I learn a lot about banking by running that computer. You know, it’s the sort stuff you thought you knew but didn’t

Regardless, it was hard work and I was getting old. When I saw an easier one that paid more, I jumped at it, operating a computer but far easier. I guess I worked there close to 20 years. And by the way, the folks I worked for there were just the best. Sort of made me look forward to going to work.

When I first started repairing computers the processors were 1800 pounds. The input output processors were 800 pounds. Altogether, the computer weighed about 30 thousand pounds. The all-in-one I just bought which weighs about 20 pounds; if it existed back then, I could have replaced the entire computer and all that was in the room. Well, that would not have included the printers and three huge air conditioners. They each had two compressors that I don’t think two of me and a small boy could have lifted, even if I were in the shape I was in right out of boot camp.

My suggestion, don’t look into computer repair as a secure way of making a living. It has turned into the genuine Maytag repairman job.

I haven’t made a fortune, but I had some good times and raised a couple of sons on the way. By the way, I have 4 pretty good grand kids too.

Now my job is spoiling my wife for just as long as I can. She deserves it, really she does. I’m not just saying it.

Daily writing prompt
What jobs have you had?

The 2 Primary Purposes of Government

In my belief, there are really 2 primary purposes of the federal government. 1 is to protect us from others foreign and domestic. The other is to protect us from government, at all levels.

For the federal government to fail to protect us from others is bad. For them to fail to protect us from governments is catastrophic. For if the government has no respect for our rights, who will?

For the feds to do other things is right and good, within reason. However, if it gets to the point that the 10th Ammendment becomes null and void, that’s wrong.

How Can This Be?

Houses are heavy, right? If I needed to lift a 1500 sq ft house, it would take, maybe 2 cranes. I don’t know. Maybe 3.

But then a storm comes by…. The house is lifted with nothing but air, something that can’t be seen.

It reminds me. God can’t be seen either. Is it really a good idea to use that to say he doesn’t exist? We shouldn’t believe in something we can’t see?

Malfunction Junction

The above is an unofficial name given to the junction of interstates 55 and 240. The reason is quite simple, or should I say complex. If you enter the junction on 55, you must exit to remain on 55. If you enter on 240, you must exit to remain on 240.

No matter if you enter the junction from North, South, East or West, if you don’t take an off ramp, you will leave the junction on a different interstate than the one you entered on.

As I consider it, it does make me think. It sort of represents how the feds do things. More specifically, it represents how Old Joe does things.

Note, if you don’t believe me, just look it up on a map or Google Earth. It’s in the southern part of Memphis. It is also a good idea to keep in mind should you need to go through the interchange during your travels.

Incidentally, US 51 passes through the same area. However, southbound, there is only an off ramp from 240 to 51. Northbound, there is only an off ramp from 55 to 51. I discovered this the hard many decades ago. Eastbound or westbound, sorry, no way to get there without going somewhere else first.

Actors

Let’s take a quick look at the requirements to be a successful actor.

They need not be smart. The writers provide all their dialog.

They need not determine what to wear. That’s taken care of by professional people in wardrobe.

They don’t need to know where to go or when. That is done by directors.

It helps to have a good memory, though not all parts require speaking. I must admit it does help to have a good strong voice and deliver lines so as they will be understood. Then too, that can be said of many professions.

Really, the only thing an actor need do is pretend to be what he’s not.

What in the world would make anyone think an actor is an expert at anything other than someone being a great pretender.

After saying that, let me say this. Some actors are smart. Some actors know very little. Worse, some actors don’t know how to use any intelligence they have. They simply have not one clue when to remain quiet and keep their trap shut.

Case in point. The one standing outside the NY court and pretending he actually knows something, other than to ask, “Are you talking to me?”

Must Contain Chocolate

I know. It is obvious. Nonetheless, some manufacturers make chocolate bars that are over half something else. I mean, a few nuts are okay but I’m not real keen on wafers, especially when when they are mostly air.

Let’s get down to basics, most of the time whenever I buy a chocolate bar, it has Hershey printed on it. Sometimes it has almonds in it, but usually it’s just chocolate, you know what I mean. Just almost pure calories.

It’s just the stuff that really tests my self control.

Daily writing prompt
Describe your dream chocolate bar.