tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86128442024-03-15T21:09:51.355-04:00Prophet or MadmanWhat will you find at Prophet or Madman? Well, the short description is "a mixed bag." But for those of you who need a bit more detail: Sometimes you will find musings, rants, and eulogies regarding the world we live in and my life in general. Other times, I will post news and noteworthy stories I have found. Every Friday, I post the Friday 80s Flashback. And, of course, I share photos and stories about our cats (Milo and Otis)! Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.comBlogger1394125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-81604059607217652422023-11-26T16:23:00.003-05:002023-11-26T16:23:21.519-05:0012 Potato Dishes of Christmas<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUaqMTiQuQbyhE4aMS0QePNMV_djyNWRJAndtjJYzopbXU2WskxRS9i_BqlnYg5qy4fnQVeo_uF5LHd_rlruv-MZFBlI14U94zVG1IX46sb_42GefcPeK3-FWTx4tkROXktP7f0ChflxmkKoekXZ00OycYDo1O7-obPvxTgOeQB_64xszjM8lRA/s1080/12%20Potato%20Dishes%20of%20Christmas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUaqMTiQuQbyhE4aMS0QePNMV_djyNWRJAndtjJYzopbXU2WskxRS9i_BqlnYg5qy4fnQVeo_uF5LHd_rlruv-MZFBlI14U94zVG1IX46sb_42GefcPeK3-FWTx4tkROXktP7f0ChflxmkKoekXZ00OycYDo1O7-obPvxTgOeQB_64xszjM8lRA/s320/12%20Potato%20Dishes%20of%20Christmas.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>On Friday evening, my wife read a meme to me in which the person wanted potato dishes instead of the bird-themed gifts in the 12 days of Christmas. </p><p>So, I tried my hand at it. </p><p>For the purpose of this post, I'll just jump to day 12.</p><p>On the 12th day of Christmas, my true chef served to me:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Twelve mashed potatoes<br /><br /></li><li>Eleven potato cakes<br /><br /></li><li>Ten tornado potatoes<br /><br /></li><li>Nine potato latkes<br /><br /></li><li>Eight potato burgers<br /><br /></li><li>Seven scalloped taters<br /><br /></li><li>Six diced potatoes<br /><br /></li><li>FIVE HAA-ASH BROWNS<br /><br /></li><li>Four tater tots<br /><br /></li><li>Three French fries<br /><br /></li><li>Two pierogi<br /><br /></li><li>And a baked potato topped with sour cream</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOhOxqkG5TRrFB0RNF0r8mHZA3m6r-Is6H7MvTRNy8XSLR7EUk9-9wfl8X98_OUkxfSq9M7o2aNtMa17DGBZdgOaeDnvE5a8tg3lVGykdp0nZmgjn_-fOl7dJ14AMCpY8IX1Xa9EVSvCWl8uizZg6M-P4zL4hzxziJcljKe4Wonf-cL6r6QXD9A/s1080/Lyrics%20-%2012%20Potato%20Dishes%20of%20Christmas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOhOxqkG5TRrFB0RNF0r8mHZA3m6r-Is6H7MvTRNy8XSLR7EUk9-9wfl8X98_OUkxfSq9M7o2aNtMa17DGBZdgOaeDnvE5a8tg3lVGykdp0nZmgjn_-fOl7dJ14AMCpY8IX1Xa9EVSvCWl8uizZg6M-P4zL4hzxziJcljKe4Wonf-cL6r6QXD9A/w400-h400/Lyrics%20-%2012%20Potato%20Dishes%20of%20Christmas.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Here is an instrumental version of "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" in case you want to try to sing along:</p>
<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/123320540&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/gwich" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="MusicalDrewby">MusicalDrewby</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/gwich/the-twelve-days-of-christmas" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Instrumental)">The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Instrumental)</a></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-40948620242218050652023-05-03T10:00:00.006-04:002023-05-03T10:00:50.591-04:00The Tenth Anniversary of My Father's Death<p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgEkbl-P5UBHvZI_VX9fKLtHf7WNp2cN6egDkERDcr2EBeXRTHrzoJO8e80QAVR3w4iOZuPN6m1EDDEryx5Y4rxLgtQan4Baz5gLL0fsuc6cMRS__a-QydBlWfWU84XQMmOPMVqtgDNo8uqgjwpCGxIx4zWIvHFWwch3R77epivLKBh6n6l0/s1280/IMG_20170503_111920_038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgEkbl-P5UBHvZI_VX9fKLtHf7WNp2cN6egDkERDcr2EBeXRTHrzoJO8e80QAVR3w4iOZuPN6m1EDDEryx5Y4rxLgtQan4Baz5gLL0fsuc6cMRS__a-QydBlWfWU84XQMmOPMVqtgDNo8uqgjwpCGxIx4zWIvHFWwch3R77epivLKBh6n6l0/w497-h372/IMG_20170503_111920_038.jpg" width="497" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>"How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life." –James T. Kirk</p><p>I woke up at some point between midnight and 7am this morning. And, for several moments, I simply did not know where I was. I did not look at the clock -- or, at least, I don't recall seeing it or recognizing the time -- but I wonder how close that moment was to 3:07am. It would not have been the first time on this particular anniversary that I was stirred to something resembling wakefulness between the hours 3 and 4am.</p><p>Ten years ago today, at 3:07am on 5/3/2013, Dad crossed over.</p><p>The photo for this post was the morning sky that greeted me that morning as I left Johnstown around 6am and drove my mother to her empty house. The Sun was just kissing the sky over Route 56, Johnstown Expressway. Of course the Sun would rise and show me a way out of the dark valley of the past few days. Of course. How perfectly normal, yet bittersweetly beautiful, of a way to enter this next phase of my life, that of a fatherless son.</p><p>Dad had still been with us when I went to my hotel room shortly after midnight. That was about 8 or 9 hours after the ventilator had been removed. Over eight hours. He truly was one of the toughest men I've ever known.</p><p>Around midnight, Sis had already driven to her home, and Mom was falling asleep. She would end up sleeping in Dad's hospital room. And so, in the quiet and stillness, and nearly alone, Dad crossed over at 3:07am on 5/3/2013. Of course, he waited to slip away in a private moment. He had reached his birth month, but was nearly three weeks shy of his 67th birthday.</p><p>In 2020, Facebook told me this was my most-liked photo of 2013. That's kind of difficult for me to believe unless FB's algorithm factors in shares and other uses over time. But, hey, whatever algorithm. It's just another way the magic of social media technologies invite me to reflect. Memories, On This Day, and other features collaborate to remind me of the inevitability of loss.</p><p>And, of course, each year I re-share or re-purpose these memories, ensuring that I will have brand new versions of the same memories in years to come. It is now well-established as an arc within my own personal liturgical calendar. This date marks the end of the first two acts of that liturgy: illness and death. The next act: the continuing goodbye.</p><p>Why do I re-engage with this liturgy so regularly? It is a reminder to myself -- as much as to anyone else who might need it -- that each passing year after a loss does indeed lighten the load of grief, but also that the years do nothing for the pain and the tears. In fact, I might have paused in editing this post to deal with a few new tears.</p><p>And I would not have it any other way. For on the day I no longer feel anything for this loss, I will have become something less than human. In a November 2021 appearance, Andrew Garfield said that tears are "all the unexpressed love, the grief that will remain with us until we pass because we never get enough time with each other."</p><p>That tracks. We never get enough time with each other.</p><p>#memories #GoodbyeDad #StillSayingGoodbye #TenYearsLater </p><p><br /></p>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-61310921321449609362023-04-17T21:00:00.009-04:002023-04-17T21:11:13.504-04:00Fifty-Five<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfs9inWSJxY0MM93l0HFWobX1bVJs8ePXo5cWzVibuBuPkBVgenev5VXFoUReMFnr24TgToRqiQfjJ_Jv8Afr699Aa_5glfGgAiNiyClYmdjfQIirg_Yc4WBFm6uklQU2c809WnLAaOW6D6ioQGDsE8YOneEMjTyynRXu4GogElCQtJGLhwU/s3456/Zahl_55.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3456" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfs9inWSJxY0MM93l0HFWobX1bVJs8ePXo5cWzVibuBuPkBVgenev5VXFoUReMFnr24TgToRqiQfjJ_Jv8Afr699Aa_5glfGgAiNiyClYmdjfQIirg_Yc4WBFm6uklQU2c809WnLAaOW6D6ioQGDsE8YOneEMjTyynRXu4GogElCQtJGLhwU/w400-h300/Zahl_55.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>We are now more than halfway through April, my birth month! And I will complete my 55th orbit around the Sun this month. But I will not use this occasion to have a party or seek presents. Nor will I give FB the opportunity to directly track my friends' donation activity. (Meanwhile, it is notable that 2023 might be the first year that Facebook has not resorted to a full-court press of harassing me to run a born-on day fundraiser through their platform.)</p><p>But if you choose to somehow celebrate or acknowledge my Born On date, I ask that you donate time or money to your favorite charity or not-for-profit organization. If you cannot donate, then just talk a walk in your favorite park, and maybe pick up some litter. </p><p>And for those who can donate but don't have a favorite charity or non-profit, here are several of my own:<br /></p><ul><li><span class="copy"><a href="http://www.schoolofsacredministries.org/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">School of Sacred Ministries</span></a> -- Independent divinity school that offers a two-year program of spiritual training with ordination as an Interfaith Minister upon conclusion. I was ordained here, I continue to work with them, and they can always use money to continue their programs and further the cause of interfaith dialog.</span></li><li><span class="copy"><a href="https://www.montgomerytheater.org/donate-now"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Montgomery Theater</span></a> -- A small professional theater in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Montgomery Theater is my home-away-from-home. Like many not-for-profit enterprises operating in the arts, they are in a budget crunch. Donations can help pay actor salaries or utility bills, or keep the education programs running.</span></li><li><span class="copy"><b><a href="http://cattalesinc.org/">Cat Tales</a></b> -- This is the animal rescue where we got Milo and Otis. When we are ready for more fur-babies, we will probably go back to them. </span></li><li><a href="http://www.leukemia.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Leukemia and Lymphoma Society</a> -- <span class="homeTEXT">My father-in-law would have celebrated another birthday on Monday (4/26) -- if he had not <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-memory-of-life-five-years-after.html">succumbed to cancer in March 2005</a>. My own father was diagnosed with a recurrence of Myelodysplasia syndrome (MDS) in November 2009. He did have a successful <a href="http://www.lymphomation.org/bmt-mini.htm">mini transplant</a>, but eventually passed in 2013 due to complications from a recurrence of cancer. So, yeah, I'm all for funding cancer research and treatment.</span></li><li><span class="homeTEXT"><a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/giving" style="font-weight: bold;">Cleveland Clinic</a> -- My father had his bone marrow transplants performed here. They also treated him in March 2013. This clinic has an excellent medical staff and wonderful family support programs.</span></li><li><span class="homeTEXT"></span><a href="http://www.philabundance.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Philabundance</a> -- <span class="homeTEXT">The </span><span class="homeTEXT">Delaware Valley</span><span class="homeTEXT">’s largest hunger relief organization. Working to end hunger and malnutrition since 1984.</span></li><li><b><a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/">Hero Initiative</a></b> -- These folks help comic book creators in all sorts of situations: emergency medical aid, financial support, help finding work, etc. Much of their work is in the sales of <a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/merchandise/">merchandise or features</a> whose proceeds benefit creators in need, but they also have several <a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/be-the-hero/">donation options</a>. </li><li><a href="http://poets.org/"><b>poets.org</b></a> -- A trio of groups dedicated to poets, poetry, and poems (Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month, and American Poets Magazine). April is <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/programs/national-poetry-month">National Poetry Month</a>, and they also have an ongoing <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/programs/poem-day">poem-a-day</a> service. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.edf.org/">EDF</a></b> and <b><a href="https://earthjustice.org/">EarthJustice</a></b> -- Two organizations working for environmental protections and justice. For info about their work, check out the EDF quarterly publication, <i><a href="https://www.edf.org/solutions-newsletter">Solutions</a></i>, or the EarthJustice <a href="https://earthjustice.org/news">Press Room</a>.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.au.org/">Americans United for Separation of Church and State</a></b> -- With that name, it's probably fairly clear what Americans United (or AU for short) does. Help them fight theocracy in the US. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.lifeafterhate.org/about-us-page">Life After Hate</a></b> -- People who have spent much of their lives indoctrinated into hateful, dangerous lifestyles need help rejoining the compassionate, humane communities. And that's where <i>Life After Hate</i> picks up their work.</li><li><b><a href="https://awomansplace.org/">A Woman's Place</a></b> (AWP) -- Providing emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, legal assistance, and more for victims of domestic violence in the Bucks County, PA, area. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.hrc.org/">Human Rights Campaign</a></b> -- More than ever, advocating for equal rights is necessary. Particularly with the current administration seeking to undermine hard-won LGBTQ+ protections. </li></ul><p>Thank you in advance! Let's meet back here in another year!</p><p><br /></p><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div><b>Image Credit</b>: </div></div></div><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zahl_55.JPG">4028mdk09</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia CommonsBrainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-74014851863909714102022-04-24T14:59:00.002-04:002022-04-24T15:47:32.130-04:00Fifty-Four<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bXFzxh5GXBrx5b7JlrPkK3-9VOAzvKy_mLKhxeJRiAW8ut49hvZrA6NHqh98nRRkyXnYkheCp9XrS8s08ZOnLilxD0C5qBCJP6LFUxkbLf0QMIz0mr4D6c1eiZXj4MYjrlYkpnpxrgoejuT-V0XGaMzmp2dfZDjgpuA5R8LUE1CKCOCb8s4/s481/Go_54.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="481" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bXFzxh5GXBrx5b7JlrPkK3-9VOAzvKy_mLKhxeJRiAW8ut49hvZrA6NHqh98nRRkyXnYkheCp9XrS8s08ZOnLilxD0C5qBCJP6LFUxkbLf0QMIz0mr4D6c1eiZXj4MYjrlYkpnpxrgoejuT-V0XGaMzmp2dfZDjgpuA5R8LUE1CKCOCb8s4/s320/Go_54.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>All this month, Facebook has been <strike>reminding</strike> harassing me to setup a charity through them. Well, I do frequently engage with their platform, perhaps more than I should. But I still don't know if they've gotten any better about their fundraising fees or their actual distribution of the funds they collect. So, I won't use their platform to guilt my friends into donations. <br /><br />No, on this occasion of completing yet another orbit around the Sun – number 54 for me! – I will not have a party, and I do not seek presents. But I do have a request. If you choose to somehow celebrate or acknowledge my Born On date, I ask that you donate time or money to your favorite charity or not-for-profit organization. If you do not have a favorite, I happily suggest several of my own (updated since the last time I provided a list):<br /></p><ul><li><span class="copy"><a href="http://www.schoolofsacredministries.org/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">School of Sacred Ministries</span></a> -- Independent divinity school that offers a two-year program of spiritual training with ordination as an Interfaith Minister upon conclusion. I was ordained here, I continue to work with them, and they can always use money to continue their programs and further the cause of interfaith dialog.</span></li><li><span class="copy"><a href="https://www.montgomerytheater.org/donate-now"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Montgomery Theater</span></a> -- A small professional theater in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Montgomery Theater is my home-away-from-home. Like many not-for-profit enterprises operating in the arts, they are in a budget crunch. Donations can help pay actor salaries or utility bills, or keep the education programs running.</span></li><li><span class="copy"><b><a href="http://cattalesinc.org/">Cat Tales</a></b> -- This is the animal rescue where we got Milo and Otis. When we are ready for more fur-babies, we will probably go back to them. </span></li><li><a href="http://www.leukemia.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Leukemia and Lymphoma Society</a> -- <span class="homeTEXT">My father-in-law would have celebrated another birthday on Monday (4/26) -- if he had not <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-memory-of-life-five-years-after.html">succumbed to cancer in March 2005</a>. My own father was diagnosed with a recurrence of Myelodysplasia syndrome (MDS) in November 2009. He did have a successful <a href="http://www.lymphomation.org/bmt-mini.htm">mini transplant</a>, but eventually passed in 2013 due to complications from a recurrence of cancer. So, yeah, I'm all for funding cancer research and treatment.</span></li><li><span class="homeTEXT"><a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/giving" style="font-weight: bold;">Cleveland Clinic</a> -- My father had his bone marrow transplants performed here. They also treated him in March 2013. This clinic has an excellent medical staff and wonderful family support programs.</span></li><li><span class="homeTEXT"></span><a href="http://www.philabundance.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Philabundance</a> -- <span class="homeTEXT">The </span><span class="homeTEXT">Delaware Valley</span><span class="homeTEXT">’s largest hunger relief organization. Working to end hunger and malnutrition since 1984.</span></li><li><b><a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/">Hero Initiative</a></b> -- These folks help comic book creators in all sorts of situations: emergency medical aid, financial support, help finding work, etc. Much of their work is in the sales of <a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/merchandise/">merchandise or features</a> whose proceeds benefit creators in need, but they also have several <a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/be-the-hero/">donation options</a>. </li><li><a href="http://poets.org/"><b>poets.org</b></a> -- A trio of groups dedicated to poets, poetry, and poems (Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month, and American Poets Magazine). While April is <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/programs/national-poetry-month">National Poetry Month</a>, they also have an ongoing <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/programs/poem-day">poem-a-day</a> service, and they have posted special <a href="https://poets.org/shelter-poems">Shelter In Poems</a> options during the COVID-19 pandemic. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.edf.org/">EDF</a></b> and <b><a href="https://earthjustice.org/">EarthJustice</a></b> -- Two organizations working for environmental protections and justice. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.au.org/">Americans United for Separation of Church and State</a></b> -- With that name, it's probably fairly clear what Americans United (or AU for short) does. Help them fight theocracy in the US. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.lifeafterhate.org/about-us-page">Life After Hate</a></b> -- People who have spent much of their lives indoctrinated into hateful, dangerous lifestyles need help rejoining the compassionate, humane communities. And that's where <i>Life After Hate</i> picks up their work.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.planetary.org/">Planetary Society</a></b> -- Education, advocation, and exploration! Join CEO Bill Nye and the Planetary Society in their mission to "empower the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration."</li><li><b><a href="https://awomansplace.org/">A Woman's Place</a></b> (AWP) -- Providing emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, legal assistance, and more for victims of domestic violence in the Bucks County, PA, area. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.hrc.org/">Human Rights Campaign</a></b> -- More than ever, advocating for equal rights is necessary. Particularly with the current administration seeking to undermine hard-won LGBTQ+ protections. </li><li><b><a href="https://congressionaldish.com/">Congressional Dish</a></b> -- Operating under the value-for-value model, Jennifer Briney accepts no advertising or sponsorship for her twice-monthly podcast She works for you, not the corporate bigwigs, in covering bills, hearings, and more goings on in the US House and Senate. </li><li><a href="https://impact.iwmf.org/give/298519/#!/donation/checkout"><b>Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund through the IWMF</b></a> -- Your gift here helps to encourage and support a more diverse, representative news media.</li><li><b><a href="https://donate.givedirect.org/?cid=14711&n=296167">Stop AAPI Hate</a></b> -- Make a donation to help <i>Stop AAPI Hate</i> (sponsored by Chinese for Affirmative Action) track and respond to the surge in racism and xenophobia. </li></ul><p>Thank you in advance! Let's meet back here in another year!</p><p><br /></p><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div><b>Image Credit</b>: </div><div><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Go_54.png">Go 54</a> via Wikimedia Commons | <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en">Some Rights Reserved</a></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-80686154608765665212021-10-31T18:37:00.001-04:002021-10-31T18:37:18.738-04:00Halloween 2021: My Continuing Pop-Halloween Malaise<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoay-eqkHJU5RF_ycytjjs-eGm-O55aV62LUCxwusH6WRa2XZdp7_4SLMtbPN3esiD-skb7y7IRdlciNTf411cocx4E4u8keDiF2UEa_ws8kFW_dLog9My0HvcRKNQoCj8ajtvg/s1235/IMG_20181101_130155_524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="1235" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoay-eqkHJU5RF_ycytjjs-eGm-O55aV62LUCxwusH6WRa2XZdp7_4SLMtbPN3esiD-skb7y7IRdlciNTf411cocx4E4u8keDiF2UEa_ws8kFW_dLog9My0HvcRKNQoCj8ajtvg/s320/IMG_20181101_130155_524.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p>So, tonight is the actual, official, U.S. calendar-dated Halloween. This is also the time of Samhain, Winter Nights, Allelieweziel, and several other seasonal observances. </p><p>Three years ago on this evening, I hopped a flight to Toronto for the 2018 Parliament of the World's Religions. In 2019, I lamented a bit of pop-halloween malaise, and then logged into an evening class for #GraduateSchool. Last year, I still held that same malaise, but instead of a class, I had to complete an essay. On the positive side, I was privileged to officiate a wedding for some friends, down in LOVE Park. </p><p>This year ... what can I say of this year? This is my fifth year observing a personal Dísablót for Winter Nights, something I've done since my mother passed in 2017. I spent this weekend officiating two weddings, one of which was even Halloween/October themed. No class to attend today, as this is a Sunday. I'm fortunate to not have a looming assignment either. I'm actually at the start of a week-long semester break (OK, it's Symposium Week at the seminary, but I'll be using the time to catch up on readings, work on assignments due later in mid-November, and handle several tasks that I've let slip around the house). And I'll take some more walks, probably in that local cemetery. </p><p>Over the years, I've fallen out of interest with the pop culture aspect of this holiday, the candy and spooky movies bit, and given more to solemn contemplation of life, death, and those across the veil. I'm not sure why this is. Maybe it's my age. Maybe it's because my mother crossed over in October. Or, maybe, it's the year-by-year decrease in neighborhood trick-or-treaters. Maybe it's the toll of the pandemic. Whatever the cause, I'm not looking to "fix" it. I'm just sitting with it.</p><p>Anyway, at the outset of this post, I included a 2018 photo of me in a skull mask. I mean, I still like skulls and skeletons.</p><p>#Halloween #AllHallowsEve #Samhain #Allelieweziel #skull</p>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-74725885038380099692021-04-29T10:02:00.005-04:002022-02-10T11:28:27.139-05:00Fifty-Three<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJ6IXo0dwHPu1vkuxfidBplytCKNQtyt4CosZbj98TgXBOLVlHNg6FU9GdUy6Ps5f9_DujBf4xdvx8YEQ0QlHjCF0r6nrDMszrkbKxfOUMnCkcLnqvvNSaHF99XJaDQE3UogLdQ/s533/Number+53+by+Ian+Barbour.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJ6IXo0dwHPu1vkuxfidBplytCKNQtyt4CosZbj98TgXBOLVlHNg6FU9GdUy6Ps5f9_DujBf4xdvx8YEQ0QlHjCF0r6nrDMszrkbKxfOUMnCkcLnqvvNSaHF99XJaDQE3UogLdQ/s320/Number+53+by+Ian+Barbour.jpg" /></a></p><p>This is the week I turn 53. As usual, Facebook has been <strike>reminding</strike> harassing me to setup a charity through them. Well, I do frequently engage with their platform, perhaps more than I should. But I don't know if they've gotten any better about their fundraising fees or their actual distribution of the funds they collect. So, I won't use their platform to guilt my friends into donations. <br /><br />No, on this occasion of completing yet another orbit around the Sun, I will not have a party, not even a virtual or physically distanced one (go get vaccinated, all y'all!), nor will I seek presents. But I do have a request. If you choose to participate in celebrating my Born On date, I ask that you donate time or money to your favorite charity or not-for-profit organization. If you do not have a favorite, I happily suggest several of my own (updated since the last time I provided a list):<br /></p><ul><li><span class="copy"><a href="http://www.schoolofsacredministries.org/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">School of Sacred Ministries</span></a> -- Independent divinity school that offers a 27-month program of spiritual training with ordination as an Interfaith Minister upon conclusion. I was ordained here, I continue to work with them, and they can always use money to continue their programs and further the cause of interfaith dialog.</span></li><li><span class="copy"><a href="https://www.montgomerytheater.org/donate-now"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Montgomery Theater</span></a> -- A small professional theater in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Montgomery Theater is my home-away-from-home. Like many not-for-profit enterprises operating in the arts, they are in a budget crunch. Donations can help pay actor salaries or utility bills, or keep the education programs running.</span></li><li><span class="copy"><b><a href="http://cattalesinc.org/">Cat Tales</a></b> -- This is the animal rescue where we got Milo and Otis. When we are ready for more fur-babies, we will probably go back to them. </span></li><li><a href="http://www.leukemia.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Leukemia and Lymphoma Society</a> -- <span class="homeTEXT">My father-in-law would have celebrated another birthday on Monday (4/26) -- if he had not <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-memory-of-life-five-years-after.html">succumbed to cancer in March 2005</a>. My own father was diagnosed with a recurrence of Myelodysplasia syndrome (MDS) in November 2009. He did have a successful <a href="http://www.lymphomation.org/bmt-mini.htm">mini transplant</a>, but eventually passed in 2013 due to complications from a recurrence of cancer. So, yeah, I'm all for funding cancer research and treatment.</span></li><li><span class="homeTEXT"><a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/giving" style="font-weight: bold;">Cleveland Clinic</a> -- My father had his bone marrow transplants performed here. They also treated him in March 2013. This clinic has an excellent medical staff and wonderful family support programs.</span></li><li><span class="homeTEXT"></span><a href="http://www.philabundance.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Philabundance</a> -- <span class="homeTEXT">The </span><span class="homeTEXT">Delaware Valley</span><span class="homeTEXT">’s largest hunger relief organization. Working to end hunger and malnutrition since 1984.</span></li><li><b><a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/">Hero Initiative</a></b> -- These folks help comic book creators in all sorts of situations: emergency medical aid, financial support, help finding work, etc. Much of their work is in the sales of <a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/merchandise/">merchandise or features</a> whose proceeds benefit creators in need, but they also have several <a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/be-the-hero/">donation options</a>. </li><li><a href="http://poets.org/"><b>poets.org</b></a> -- A trio of groups dedicated to poets, poetry, and poems (Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month, and American Poets Magazine). While April is <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/programs/national-poetry-month">National Poetry Month</a>, they also have an ongoing <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/programs/poem-day">poem-a-day</a> service, and they have posted special <a href="https://poets.org/shelter-poems">Shelter In Poems</a> options during this past year's COVID-19 pandemic. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.edf.org/">EDF</a></b> and <b><a href="https://earthjustice.org/">EarthJustice</a></b> -- Two organizations working for environmental protections and justice. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.au.org/">Americans United for Separation of Church and State</a></b> -- With that name, it's probably fairly clear what Americans United (or AU for short) does. Help them fight theocracy in the US. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.lifeafterhate.org/about-us-page">Life After Hate</a></b> -- People who have spent much of their lives indoctrinated into hateful, dangerous lifestyles need help rejoining the compassionate, humane communities. And that's where <i>Life After Hate</i> picks up their work.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.planetary.org/">Planetary Society</a></b> -- Education, advocation, and exploration! Join CEO Bill Nye and the Planetary Society in their mission to "empower the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration."</li><li><b><a href="https://awomansplace.org/">A Woman's Place</a></b> (AWP) -- Providing emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, legal assistance, and more for victims of domestic violence in the Bucks County, PA, area. </li><li><b><a href="https://www.hrc.org/">Human Rights Campaign</a></b> -- More than ever, advocating for equal rights is necessary. Particularly with the current administration seeking to undermine hard-won LGBTQ+ protections. </li><li><b><a href="https://congressionaldish.com/">Congressional Dish</a></b> -- Operating under the value-for-value model, Jennifer Briney accepts no advertising or sponsorship for her twice-monthly podcast She works for you, not the corporate bigwigs, in covering bills, hearings, and more goings on in the US House and Senate. </li><li><a href="https://mnfreedomfund.org/donate"><b>Minnesota Freedom Fund's Suggestions</b></a> -- From their webpage (as of 4/15/2021): "We ask that people turn their attention, and contributions, to groups needing our support more than ever because they are on the front lines of this fight [for racial justice and to end police brutality]. Please consider making your donations to some of these amazing Minnesota organizations instead of MFF." </li><li><a href="https://impact.iwmf.org/give/298519/#!/donation/checkout"><b>Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund through the IWMF</b></a> -- Your gift here helps to encourage and support a more diverse, representative news media.</li><li><b><a href="https://donate.givedirect.org/?cid=14711&n=296167">Stop AAPI Hate</a></b> -- Make a donation to help <i>Stop AAPI Hate</i> (sponsored by Chinese for Affirmative Action) track and respond to the surge in racism and xenophobia. </li></ul><p>Thank you in advance! Let's meet back here in another year!</p><p><br /></p><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div><b>Image Credit</b>: </div><div><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/barbourians/6909314929">Number 53</a> by Ian Barbour </div><div><a class="photo-license-url" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1619702989092_2098" rel="license cc:license" style="background-color: white; color: #006dac; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Proxima Nova", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: nowrap;" target="_newtab"><i class="ui-icon-tiny-5cc" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("https://combo.staticflickr.com/ap/build/images/sprites/scrappy@2x-e849deef.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: -122px -46px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 214px 203px; display: inline-block; height: 22px; opacity: 1; vertical-align: middle; width: 49px;"></i> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1619702989092_2097" style="margin-left: 5px; position: relative; top: 2px; vertical-align: baseline;">Some rights reserved</span></a> </div><div>Change notice: Cropped the original to a 533 x 533 square</div></div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-17956356086689177302020-04-28T11:56:00.001-04:002020-04-28T12:00:05.196-04:00Fifty-Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ten years ago this week, I turned forty-two (42), the age of the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrases_from_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Answer_to_the_Ultimate_Question_of_Life.2C_the_Universe.2C_and_Everything_.2842.29">the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything</a>." This week, I shall turn 52. There is nothing particular about this number in the H2G2, but Facebook keeps reminding me to setup a charity through them. Well, screw them. While I regularly engage with their platform, I won't use it to guilt my friends into donations, particularly when <a href="https://www.givegab.com/blog/nonprofit-know-facebooks-donate-button/">Facebook charges high fundraising fees</a> (for anyone not a verified non-profit). And FB can delay distribution of funds to the orgs.<br />
<br />
No, in recognition of the questionably auspicious occasion of another orbit around the Sun, I will not have a party (not even a virtual or physically distanced one), nor will I seek presents. But I do have a request. If you choose to participate in celebrating my Born On date, I ask that you donate time or money to your favorite charity or not-for-profit organization. If you do not have a favorite, I happily suggest a few of my own:<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="copy"><a href="http://www.schoolofsacredministries.org/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">School of Sacred Ministries</span></a> -- Independent divinity school that offers a 27-month program of spiritual training with ordination as an Interfaith Minister upon conclusion. I was ordained here, I continue to work with them, and they can always use money to continue their programs and further the cause of interfaith dialog.</span></li>
<li><span class="copy"><a href="https://www.montgomerytheater.org/donate-now"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Montgomery Theater</span></a> -- A small professional theater in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Montgomery Theater is my home-away-from-home. Like many not-for-profit enterprises operating in the arts, they are in a budget crunch. Donations can help pay actor salaries or utility bills, or keep the education programs running.</span></li>
<li><span class="copy"><b><a href="http://cattalesinc.org/">Cat Tales</a></b> -- This is the animal rescue where we got Milo and Otis. When we are ready for more fur-babies, we will probably go back to them. </span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.leukemia.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Leukemia and Lymphoma Society</a> -- <span class="homeTEXT">My father-in-law would have celebrated another birthday on Monday (4/26) -- if he had not <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-memory-of-life-five-years-after.html">succumbed to cancer in March 2005</a>. My own father was diagnosed with a recurrence of Myelodysplasia syndrome (MDS) in November 2009. He is currently recuperating after a successful <a href="http://www.lymphomation.org/bmt-mini.htm">mini transplant</a>, but eventually passed in 2013 due to complications from a recurrence of cancer. So, yeah, I'm all for funding cancer research and treatment.</span></li>
<li><span class="homeTEXT"><a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/giving" style="font-weight: bold;">Cleveland Clinic</a> -- My father had his bone marrow transplants performed here. They also treated him in March 2013. This clinic has an excellent medical staff and wonderful family support programs.</span></li>
<li><span class="homeTEXT"></span><a href="http://www.philabundance.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Philabundance</a> -- <span class="homeTEXT">The </span><span class="homeTEXT">Delaware Valley</span><span class="homeTEXT">’s largest hunger relief organization. Working to end hunger and malnutrition since 1984.</span></li>
<li><span class="homeTEXT"><a href="http://www.kidspeace.org/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">KidsPeace</span></a> -- Top notch (and kind of local, for me) facility helping children and their families. Founded and headquartered in PA in 1882, they have </span><span class="copy">services in "Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia."</span></li>
<li><span class="copy"><a href="http://cbldf.org/contribute/donate/"><b>CBLDF</b></a> -- The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is "</span>dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers." They fight on behalf of all sorts of <a href="http://cbldf.org/read-banned-comics/">banned books</a>. </li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/">Hero Initiative</a></b> -- These folks help comic book creators in all sorts of situations: emergency medical aid, financial support, help finding work, etc. Much of their work is in the sales of <a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/merchandise/">merchandise or features</a> whose proceeds benefit creators in need, but they also have several <a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/be-the-hero/">donation options</a>. </li>
<li><a href="http://poets.org/"><b>poets.org</b></a> -- A trio of groups dedicated to poets, poetry, and poems (Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month, and American Poets Magazine). While April is <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/programs/national-poetry-month">National Poetry Month</a>, they also have an ongoing <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/programs/poem-day">poem-a-day</a> service, and they have posted special <a href="https://poets.org/shelter-poems">Shelter In Poems</a> options during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. </li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.edf.org/">EDF</a></b> and <b><a href="https://earthjustice.org/">EarthJustice</a></b> -- Two organizations working for environmental protections and justice. </li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.au.org/">Americans United for Separation of Church and State</a></b> -- With that name, it's probably fairly clear what Americans United (or AU for short) does. Help them fight theocracy in the US. </li>
<li><a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/"><b>Planned Parenthood</b></a> -- This group is about so much more than access to safe abortions. They provide vital health care, sex education, and information to many people who otherwise could not get they help and attention they need.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.lifeafterhate.org/about-us-page">Life After Hate</a></b> -- People who have spent much of their lives indoctrinated into hateful, dangerous lifestyles need help rejoining the compassionate, humane communities. And that's where <i>Life After Hate</i> picks up their work.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.planetary.org/">Planetary Society</a></b> -- Education, advocation, and exploration! Join CEO Bill Nye and the Planetary Society in their mission to "empower the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration."</li>
<li><b><a href="https://awomansplace.org/">A Woman's Place</a></b> (AWP) -- Providing emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, legal assistance, and more for victims of domestic violence in the Bucks County, PA, area. </li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.hrc.org/">Human Rights Campaign</a></b> -- More than ever, advocating for equal rights is necessary. Particularly with the current administration seeking to undermine hard-won LGBTQ+ protections. </li>
<li><b><a href="https://congressionaldish.com/">Congressional Dish</a></b> -- Operating under the value-for-value model, Jennifer Briney accepts no advertising or sponsorship for her twice-monthly podcast She works for you, not the corporate bigwigs, in covering bills, hearings, and more goings on in the US House and Senate. </li>
</ul>
Thank you in advance!Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-79923481701235082452018-08-29T23:30:00.001-04:002018-08-29T23:30:57.645-04:00A moment of grief, and of love remembered<br />
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So, during my evening commute today, I was going through some playlists on my phone. I came across "Always" by Tony Lucca from the <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Various-NoiseTrade-Summer-Mixtape/release/4706546">NoiseTrade Summer Mixtape</a> </i>collection.<div>
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<br />I've had this collection for a few years, and this wasn't the first time I'd listened to this particular tune. But this evening, it hit me quite differently. Lyrically, it really felt like a message from a parent to a child. Specifically, from my parents to me and my sister.<br /><br />And, lo, the tears did come.<br /><br />I might never hear this song any other way again. And that's perfectly all right.<br /><br />Here are the lyrics:<br /><br /><div class="style-scope ytd-expander" id="content" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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<yt-formatted-string class="content style-scope ytd-video-secondary-info-renderer" split-lines="" style="color: var(--yt-primary-text-color); white-space: pre-wrap;">// I wish I could tell you what's goin' through my mind
I wish I could promise it's gonna be just fine
one thing's for certain: till the end of time
I'm gonna Love you like no one will ever Love you
I'm gonna Love you always
I wish I could tell you dreams always come true
that Lovers and strangers won't ever get the best of you
for better or worse now, we always get what's due
so I'm gonna Love you like no one will ever Love you
I'm gonna Love you always
I'm gonna Love you more than words and stars and tears
and grains of sand, best I can
for good.
I wish I could hold you and never let you go
I wish I could show you everything you'll ever need to know
best I can do is give you freedom to grow
and I'm gonna Love you like no one will ever Love you
I'm gonna Love you always //</yt-formatted-string></div>
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</ytd-metadata-row-container-renderer><a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/grief?source=feed_text&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDZekeEU5NkZQ0zYekjTA-PeIHc78Swz6LRS_KwZWJTPfQPoQBFFOJJSubRLKvU29wPcAS1QGUSr3p4O0YlOEYzRhxNTjtDByuSwz8YI0Dk73p_iJDsT_gnvVgs9V1k6y_1AZk&__tn__=K-R">#grief</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/love?source=feed_text&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDZekeEU5NkZQ0zYekjTA-PeIHc78Swz6LRS_KwZWJTPfQPoQBFFOJJSubRLKvU29wPcAS1QGUSr3p4O0YlOEYzRhxNTjtDByuSwz8YI0Dk73p_iJDsT_gnvVgs9V1k6y_1AZk&__tn__=K-R">#love</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/parents?source=feed_text&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDZekeEU5NkZQ0zYekjTA-PeIHc78Swz6LRS_KwZWJTPfQPoQBFFOJJSubRLKvU29wPcAS1QGUSr3p4O0YlOEYzRhxNTjtDByuSwz8YI0Dk73p_iJDsT_gnvVgs9V1k6y_1AZk&__tn__=K-R">#parents</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/goodbyemom?source=feed_text&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDZekeEU5NkZQ0zYekjTA-PeIHc78Swz6LRS_KwZWJTPfQPoQBFFOJJSubRLKvU29wPcAS1QGUSr3p4O0YlOEYzRhxNTjtDByuSwz8YI0Dk73p_iJDsT_gnvVgs9V1k6y_1AZk&__tn__=K-R">#GoodbyeMom</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/goodbyedad?source=feed_text&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDZekeEU5NkZQ0zYekjTA-PeIHc78Swz6LRS_KwZWJTPfQPoQBFFOJJSubRLKvU29wPcAS1QGUSr3p4O0YlOEYzRhxNTjtDByuSwz8YI0Dk73p_iJDsT_gnvVgs9V1k6y_1AZk&__tn__=K-R">#GoodbyeDad</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/stillsayinggoodbye?source=feed_text&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDZekeEU5NkZQ0zYekjTA-PeIHc78Swz6LRS_KwZWJTPfQPoQBFFOJJSubRLKvU29wPcAS1QGUSr3p4O0YlOEYzRhxNTjtDByuSwz8YI0Dk73p_iJDsT_gnvVgs9V1k6y_1AZk&__tn__=K-R">#StillSayingGoodbye</a></div>
Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-69495038008397088172018-05-03T22:31:00.001-04:002020-10-20T09:18:29.388-04:00On the Fifth Anniversary of My Father's Death<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 13.6px;">Dad crossed over at 3:07am on 5/3/2013. In <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-eulogy-for-my-father.html">my eulogy for Dad</a>, </span><span style="font-size: 13.6px;">I quoted Deng Ming-Dao's meditation on death</span><span style="font-size: 13.6px;">. On this,</span><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"> the fifth anniversary of Dad's passing, I still find solace and wisdom</span><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"> in those words</span><span style="font-size: 13.6px;">:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<img border="0" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d6fea7_1395568994284905bcfdfedda00342e3~mv2.gif" alt="open quote" /><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span color="rgb(153 , 0 , 0)" style="font-style: italic;">We give death metaphors. We cloak it in meaning and make up stories about what will happen to us, but we don't really know. When a person dies, we cannot see beyond the corpse. We speculate on reincarnation or talk in terms of eternity. But death is opaque to us, a mystery. In its realm, time ceases to have meaning. All laws of physics become irrelevant. Death is the opposite of time.</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">What dies? Is anything actually destroyed? Certainly not the body, which falls into its constituent parts of water and chemicals. That is mere transformation, not destruction. What of the mind? Does it cease to function, or does it make a transition to another existence? We don't know for sure, and few can come up with anything conclusive.</span> </div>
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<span color="rgb(153 , 0 , 0)" style="font-family: "verdana";"><em>What dies? Nothing of the person dies in the sense that the constituent parts are totally blasted from all existence. What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we call a person. Each one of us is a role, like some shaman wearing layers of robes with innumerable fetishes of meaning. Only the clothes and decoration fall. What dies is only our human meaning. There is still someone naked underneath. Once we understand who that someone is, death no longer bothers us. Nor does time.</em></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">-- Deng Ming-Dao (from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0062502239/qid=1110287054/102-0362803-2932944">365 Tao: </a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0062502239/qid=1110287054/102-0362803-2932944">Daily Meditations</a>)</span></div>
<br />
Although he is gone, there are tangible reminders of my father. For example, I usually have at least two of the following items with me on a daily basis:<br />
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<ul>
<li>one of Dad's pocket watches</li>
<li>some of Dad's ashes in an old film canister</li>
<li>Dad's ring</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6v8TjflqgEmjvg9UkD3kRsSU_TYnYvQ1BvMEmQQ_hjDjbsYZkEzWtyzO74J2Tx1Nw2EGeHjAxQsNZIw26qF6BZWwh9Cm2XjH1uvhzCf6evqK2msuaSDy7zs0bg6B_e4Jm4OM8Sg/s1600/Tangible+reminders+of+Dad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6v8TjflqgEmjvg9UkD3kRsSU_TYnYvQ1BvMEmQQ_hjDjbsYZkEzWtyzO74J2Tx1Nw2EGeHjAxQsNZIw26qF6BZWwh9Cm2XjH1uvhzCf6evqK2msuaSDy7zs0bg6B_e4Jm4OM8Sg/s320/Tangible+reminders+of+Dad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-39549955801241959922018-04-01T11:41:00.000-04:002018-04-01T13:59:49.725-04:00Remembering 4/1/2013 on 4/1/2018<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7edg6" data-offset-key="ellne-0-0" style="background-color: white;">
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I haven't been to Prophet or Madman since June of last year. Since then, I've done most of my posting at <a href="https://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/">Bookended by Cats</a> or directly on Twitter. But an anniversary like this moves me to reflect.
Five years ago today, April 1 was on a Monday. Easter Monday. It was also my 19th and final day at the Cleveland Clinic with my folks. I would leave on Tuesday (4/2) and return to work on Wednesday (4/3). Dad was stabilized, the doctors were no longer looking for a proverbial silver bullet, and there was a plan to move Dad from the ICU to a Clinic rehab unit and then ultimately to a care facility closer to home. At the time, this felt like a good outcome. It felt like progress.
As I look back upon this event with the ... benefit(?) ... of hindsight, knowing what was to come in just over a month, it might be easy to take a darker view of this memory. It can be tempting to connect the news received on that day with the supposed nature of the calendar date itself. So, yes, the irony of receiving hopeful, yet ultimately false, news on April Fools’ Day is not lost on me.
But no one, whether in the Clinic or beyond it, was conspiring to deceive us on that day. There was no endgame or "gotcha" moment in mind. Everyone involved was dealing with the best information they had at that time, and there was cause to be hopeful. There was a very real possibility that Dad would make at least some kind of recovery. In the wake of what happened, was that false hope?
No.
What came later cannot mar the hopefulness and slight relief I felt on this day five years ago. Even though I'm still saying ... #GoodbyeDad.
(If you want to read my 4/1/2013 FB post that sparked this reflection, the full text is posted after the jump.)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0vLJl_dCF4h9RJCI0BCQA7ihPVDfZAUzRvsRAX7jWmu_xVJ2YUQ6kTU8Ur9xcURkKCf88tQALSCm8PTEX14W3rSCfecS_RJCVHl-_MroZ-ekuE4K0-s8GY5tpzAS1w2CQfBcsA/s1600/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #cc5c00; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"></a></div></div></div><a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2018/04/remembering-412013-on-412018.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-70264014267345926952017-06-02T23:41:00.002-04:002017-06-02T23:48:57.254-04:00We'll Always Have Paris? Justin Trudeau, Canada's Prime Minister, was already trying to recruit tech companies out of Silicon Valley (in the wake of DJT's Muslim, er travel, ban).<br />
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French President Emmanuel Macron is now openly recruiting scientists and engineers who are disappointed with the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.<br />
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Do you have any idea what happens to the US economy if a critical mass of those sci-tech folks leave for, ahem, greener pastures? Hint: It's not good.<br />
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Business itself doesn't "make America great again," which is a BS tag line anyway. It's the people who innovate, disrupt, and build upon bold ideas ... well, they LITERALLY make great things! And people who work on great projects are able to recruit more great people.<br />
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So, look at what Canada, France, and Germany are doing. Look at who they are recruiting, and the technologies they are investing in. They will begin to leave America in the dust.<br />
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The US is no longer a world leader. World leaders move forward. Not backwards. Hell, you cannot even describe what DJT and the US Congress are doing as "leading from behind." It's choosing to be left behind.
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Links:<br />
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<a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/02/trudeaus-plan-to-lure-silicon-valley-investors-to-canada.html">http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/02/trudeaus-plan-to-lure-silicon-valley-investors-to-canada.html</a><br />
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<a href="http://betakit.com/pm-justin-trudeau-using-quora-linkedin-to-sell-canadas-innovation-agenda/">http://betakit.com/pm-justin-trudeau-using-quora-linkedin-to-sell-canadas-innovation-agenda/</a><br />
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<a href="https://qz.com/846857/tech-jobs-in-canada-foreign-workers-could-flock-to-vancouver-victoria-and-toronto-for-careers-in-technology-to-avoid-brexit-in-the-uk-and-trump-in-the-us/">https://qz.com/846857/tech-jobs-in-canada-foreign-workers-could-flock-to-vancouver-victoria-and-toronto-for-careers-in-technology-to-avoid-brexit-in-the-uk-and-trump-in-the-us/</a><br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/870404892657156101">https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/870404892657156101</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2017/6/1/15727140/emmanuel-macron-trump-paris-agreement-make-our-planet-great-again">https://www.vox.com/world/2017/6/1/15727140/emmanuel-macron-trump-paris-agreement-make-our-planet-great-again</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/1/15726656/pittsburgh-mayor-trump-paris">https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/1/15726656/pittsburgh-mayor-trump-paris</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/01/why-trump-actually-pulled-out-of-paris-215218">http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/01/why-trump-actually-pulled-out-of-paris-215218</a> (Troll is gonna troll)Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-89991937608108976502016-11-08T18:21:00.003-05:002021-06-30T19:07:18.141-04:00Quotable | Patriot (Election 2016 Edition)<img alt="open quote" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d6fea7_1395568994284905bcfdfedda00342e3~mv2.gif" style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #990000; font-style: italic;">A Patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.</span>-- Edward Abbey, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=Edward+Abbey">author</a>, <a href="http://classiclit.about.com/cs/abbeyessays/">essayist</a>, and <a href="http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=feature0406">environmental advocate</a> (1927-1989)<br>
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I posted this Abbey quote at the height of the 2008 election season and on the eve of the 2010 mid-term elections. And it is still relevant today on Election Day 2016. I am not, however, advocating a form of "tea party" patriotism or some progressive agenda. I use the quote as a warning that the "government" is not a monolithic entity. It is comprised of all the following:<br>
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<li>Elected persons who are members of both major political parties</li>
<li>Candidates who are trying to become elected for the first time</li>
<li>Candidates who are trying to keep (or regain) political office</li>
<li>Lobbyists who work for, and against, parties and candidates</li>
<li>Think tanks who examine citizens' behavior and then attempt to mold it toward a certain purpose (without letting those same citizens know they are being subtly manipulated)</li>
<li>Members of the media who try to tell us what the government is doing, and sometimes chastise elected officials and candidates, even as they try to court favors and money from those very same officials (or promises from up-and-coming candidates)</li>
<li>Individual citizens who vote -- and voting is done directly at the polls as well as indirectly with every dollar a person spends or choice they make.</li>
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So, what exactly is Abbey's patriot defending against? Well, in a word: "us."<br>
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</div><a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/11/quotable-patriot-election-2016-edition.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-63822831126540254702016-09-11T13:43:00.002-04:002021-09-11T17:50:37.200-04:00They Crashed the Planes and Changed the Rules<span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">[This my 2010 reworking of a blog entry I originally posted on September 11, 2008]</span></span><br>
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"They crashed the planes and changed the rules." <span style="font-size: 13.6px;">-- <a href="http://www.groovelily.com/about">GrooveLily</a>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Live Through This (Are We There Yet?)</span>, <a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/groovelily"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Are We There Yet?</span></a>. QMR, 2003</span></blockquote>
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Nine years ago the world changed. You may take that as an overstatement, or, conversely, as overly simple. But wherever you lived at the time, a shift in perspective occurred. That shift was all the more dramatic and palpable if you were a U.S. citizen. I don't want to dwell on the attacks themselves. But I do want to take some time to recall what happened in the wake of that dreadful event. Forget -- if you can, even if for only for a moment -- just forget how you feel about the war in Iraq, conspiracy theories, and Republican versus Democrat (or any other "them versus us" political division). Recall, instead, the great communal sense that slowly seeped into our national fiber even as the weight of sorrow and shock seemed all too powerful and crushing. Remember neighbor comforting neighbor, even in cases where those neighbors had not known each other very well prior to that morning. Remember the outpouring of support and sympathy from around the world. And remember that shared conviction that, although we would never forget the tragedy, we would recover ... grow stronger ... and become ever more connected as a nation.<br>
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Are we there yet?<br>
<a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/09/they-crashed-planes-and-changed-rules.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-18627497014986396272016-07-16T13:08:00.000-04:002016-07-16T13:08:05.060-04:00Da Da DaDidn't post last night, but here is my latest <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/2016/07/friday-80s-flashback-for-july-15-2016.html">Friday 80s Flashback</a>! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GhAE9b14CLBkuJEZQqrte0DsWcR4_K8ZubHvFAnO8FE2j4_b50TYYeEg2HQ0vxqA2vjb-zsB5-lrxXhLfwA8Sv-Y_JztYJ4ygkwjC2aZKe2bO6DNN9V7uI2RRAyW-pVCaG2ytQ/s1600/Trio+Album+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GhAE9b14CLBkuJEZQqrte0DsWcR4_K8ZubHvFAnO8FE2j4_b50TYYeEg2HQ0vxqA2vjb-zsB5-lrxXhLfwA8Sv-Y_JztYJ4ygkwjC2aZKe2bO6DNN9V7uI2RRAyW-pVCaG2ytQ/s320/Trio+Album+Cover.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<br />Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-39276832604783750482016-06-24T09:00:00.000-04:002016-06-24T09:00:06.390-04:00Flashbacks Have Moved!<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">80s Flashbacks</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Are Now At</span></b></div>
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Well, folks, after a bit of a break -- OK, a nearly two month long break, but a break nonetheless -- I'm back with the 80s Flashback. But I'm moving the Flashback posts to <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/">Bookended By Cats</a> which I co-author with @dangrdafne.<br />
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The <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">Flashback Archives</a> will stay here for the time being. But if you want new Flashbacks, scamper on over to the other blog. And, if you like geeky, nerdy stuff, then you might want to stick around for some of the other content over there, too. <br />
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Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-79738145777112017702016-04-29T21:30:00.000-04:002016-04-29T22:51:04.302-04:00Friday 80s Flashback for April 29, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>[<b>Guilty Pleasures - Redux</b>] -- This Flashback was originally posted on 4/12/2013 at 06:54 PM</i>. We all have guilty pleasures, songs we like even though we feel a little embarrassed about it. I'll bet you just thought of two or three of your own guilty pleasures, right? Now, I count more songs post-1990 among my guilty pleasures than within the 80s. This probably seems obvious: It is easy to estimate that more songs were released in the last 20+ years than between 1980 and 1989, and more songs means more candidates for guilty pleasures. So, yeah, there's that. But mostly, if I like a song from the 80s, I'm not embarrassed about it.<br>
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Well, mostly.<br>
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If you want to know some songs that rank on my list of guilty pleasures, you can read and hear more after the break.<br>
<a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/04/friday-80s-flashback-for-april-29-2016.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-67725424021241319922016-04-15T23:30:00.000-04:002016-04-16T00:25:14.174-04:00Friday 80s Flashback for April 15, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>[<b>33 Years of Murmur</b>] --</i> If you're one of the two people who regularly visit this corner of the interwebz, then you must have noticed: I've been remiss in my blogging duties of late. I won't make excuses, and I won't promise a return to the regularity I previously maintained (a year ago?). but I will offer an explanation. My new day job plus the rapidly approaching end date for current students of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/School-of-Sacred-Ministries-152453390909/?fref=nf">School of Sacred Ministries</a> have combined to consume large swaths of my time. After them, I also have to carve out time to do tech work at my theater. What little time is left, I spend catching up on reading or sitting with my wife to follow our shows. And, trust me, I am very far behind in my reading.<br>
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Still, I could not let this week's momentous anniversary go by unremarked.<br>
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33 years ago this week -- on April 12, 1983 -- R.E.M. released their debut album, <i>Murmur</i>, on I.R.S. Records. Looking back on that last sentence, I am struck by how much those four boys from Athens, GA, must have liked abbreviations that use punctuation. I did not know about the album until three years letter when, in the first semester of my freshman year at Penn State, I discovered R.E.M. and their first four studio albums. Yeah, I'm one of the reasons R.E.M. is considered a vanguard of "college radio." The band was a huge part of my college experience as well as my first several post-college years. And it all starts with this record.<br>
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Given vocalist Michael Stipe's vague elocutions, "Murmur" is probably the best name for this particular record (and a great descriptor for the majority of R.E.M.'s recordings). The folks at Diffuser have said it better than I can with their <a href="http://diffuser.fm/rem-murmur-anniversary/">musings</a> on Murmur's anniversary. So I'll just get right to a few songs now. Did I pick one of your favorites? Well, I didn't pick any <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac0oaXhz1u8">singles</a>. If that's a deal breaker, you can just listen to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS2ELyWvfAM">full album</a> and come back next week to see what I have to offer. Otherwise, read and hear my <i>Murmur</i> selections after the break.</div>
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<a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/04/friday-80s-flashback-for-april-15-2016.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-7768958841231577422016-03-25T21:30:00.000-04:002016-03-26T00:18:15.298-04:00Friday 80s Flashback for March 25, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>[<b>Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm</b>] -- </i>I'm not certain how many music fans would consider Joni Mitchell an 80s artist. I'm not even sure I do. Still, about a quarter of her singles were released in that decade. And her 13th studio album, <i>Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm</i>, was released this week in 1988. <i>Chalk Mark</i> has the usual Mitchell hallmarks -- a lament about commercialism, (anti-)war messages, and a lovesong. Some of the MIDI-esque strains and 80s percussion may make the record sound dated, but only to the most jaded of ears. Why is that? Because on each song, words and music are woven together with Mitchell's distinctive, lyrical voice. Speaking of voices, this record is interesting for its roster of guest artists, particularly guest vocalists. Mitchell duets with Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson, and Billy Idol among others. Not many hits on this record, but the album did well nonetheless, peaking at #23 in Canada, #45 on the US Billboard 200, and #26 in the UK.<br>
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I'll bet you're wondering about those duets I mentioned, right? Well, read and hear more about them after the break. </div>
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<a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/03/friday-80s-flashback-for-march-25-2016.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-92013563456783276872016-03-18T22:00:00.000-04:002016-03-19T00:45:42.324-04:00Friday 80s Flashback for March 18, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>[<b>A Saturday Night in Boston with Zappa</b>] -- </i>In 1988, Frank Zappa decided to tour with a band that he hired and paid for by himself. It was a short-lived affair as the whole thing broke down. But the band did remain intact for several European shows and a handful of East Coast shows. According to Zappa:<br />
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<i>"The 1988 road band self-destructed before US audiences in the south, mid-west and west could hear it perform. It was, however, heard and appreciated by east coast and European audiences during its brief existence (from February to June 1988)</i>."<br />- Frank Zappa, in the liner notes of <i><b>The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life </b>(Source: <a href="http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A3952343">h2g2.com</a>)</i></blockquote>
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As luck would have it, an enterprising YouTuber has the audio from one of the Boston shows. So, I figured it would make for a great, albeit long, Flashback. So, here is the audio from Frank Zappa's Orpheum Theatre gig in Boston, Ma. All 2 1/2 hours of it!</div>
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Well, that's all till next time. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the archives</a>. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.<br />
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And if you are on Twitter, and feel so inclined, please <a href="http://klout.com/plusk/brainwise/14078249?n=tw&v=plusK_ask" target="_blank">+K my influence in Music on @klout</a>.<br />
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I'll see you in seven!</div>
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Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-13989315787678087072016-02-26T19:00:00.000-05:002016-02-26T23:20:10.418-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for February 26, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>[<b>The World Won't Listen - Redux*</b>] -- </i>This week in 1987 (2/23/1987), The Smiths' record company, Rough Trade Records, released the compilation album <i>The World Won't Listen</i>. It is a collection of singles and their B-sides -- as well as a few unreleased gems -- spanning the years 1985 to 1987. The record's title could be a reference to Morrisey and the band's frustration that they weren't getting enough radio play or record sales. In true Smiths fashion, this record had to take a backseat when, just three months later, Rough Trade released the expanded and US-intended collection titled <i>Louder Than Bombs. </i>Still, this is a good compilation with such standouts as "Bigmouth Strikes Again," "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out," and "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side."<br>
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Listen to the full album after the break. </div>
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</div></div><a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/02/friday-80s-flashback-for-february-26.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-48636573163517729522016-02-12T20:00:00.000-05:002016-02-12T23:37:52.515-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for February 12, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>[<b>February 1988</b>] -- </i>Even with my new day job, which I started in December, I started 2016 strong with three straight weeks of 80s music blogging.<br>
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And then I lapsed for two weeks.<br>
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But I'm here this week with a brand new post. And although the Billboard Hot 100 provided no inspiration (I mean, come on, <a href="http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1988-02-13">Tiffany at #1</a>?), there were several strong albums released in February 1988. So, I felt I could highlight three. In no particular order, we have ... Robert Plant, that guy who used to front a little band called Led Zeppelin, releasing his fourth solo studio album, <i>Now and Zen</i>. It was a top 10 record in both the US and the UK, and it included two tracks featuring Jimmy Page on guitar. Australian rock band The Church released their fifth (and most commercially successful) studio album, <i>Starfish</i>. And The Primitives released their debut album, <i>Lovely</i>. OK, that last one was actually released in March of 1988, but its first single did hit the charts in February of 1988. </div>
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<a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/02/friday-80s-flashback-for-february-12.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-5424562091779444132016-01-23T11:56:00.002-05:002016-01-23T11:56:25.467-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for January 22, 2016 (on a Saturday)<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otis watches Snowmageddon 2016 (photo by <a href="https://twitter.com/dangrdafne">@Dangrdafne</a>)</td></tr>
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<i>[<b>Snowmageddon 2016</b>] -- </i>Well, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/23/us/weather-winter-snowstorm/">this weekend's snow storm</a> is the perfect excuse to revisit the snowtunes I posted in the wake of February 2014's snow storms. Back then, in Bucks County, PA, we got around 13" of snow from Wednesday into Thursday. As I write this today, Saturday afternoon, we have about a foot of snow and more is expected. And, if I'm not mistaken, a state of emergency has been declared (so stay off the roads!). I hope all my fellow 80s-philes are well: Get cozied up, stay warm, and emerge on the other end of this weekend safe and sound.<br>
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So, what wintry songs do I have for your snow day enjoyment? You can read and hear more after the break. </div>
<a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/01/friday-80s-flashback-for-january-22.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-23324402409710343042016-01-15T22:00:00.000-05:002016-01-17T12:22:39.146-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for January 15, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1980s photo of David Bowie (1947 - 2016)</td></tr>
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<i>[<b>Farewell Thin White Duke</b>] -- </i>David Bowie, who started performing music in 1962 and released his final album on 1/8/2016, died on Sunday, 1/10/2016 at the age of 69. I learned of his passing via a news alert early on Monday morning. In what must be the most impressive act of keeping a story under wraps, no one knew just how sick Bowie was until after his death. As this week has progressed, many people with greater verbal facility or better familiarity with Bowie's career have waxed poetic in their tributes. As I have neither, but have been a fan, I would like to mark this giant of an artist's passing. So I'll offer up a trio of selections from Bowie's 80s catalog. Read and hear more after the break!</div>
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<a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/01/friday-80s-flashback-for-january-15-2016.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-2837531679515378782016-01-08T23:30:00.000-05:002016-01-09T11:07:08.846-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for January 8, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DC Comics <i>Super Powers</i> Calendar: January 1988 (via <a href="https://www.andertoons.com/cartoon-blog/tag/2016-calendar">Andertoons.com</a>)</td></tr>
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<i>[<b>This Week in 1988]</b> -- </i>Looks like I'm starting 2016 rather similarly to 2015: I missed posting a Flashback last week! So sorry. What with holiday stuff, traveling, and a brand new job, I'm starting the year with a jam-packed schedule. But I'm posting 80s material for you now, so cheer up. Remember <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2015/01/friday-80s-flashback-for-january-9-2015.html">last January</a>, when I told you that 2015's day/date combinations matched up with those of 1981 and 1987? Well, the leap year of 2016 is a dead ringer for that of 1988. So, I'll be dipping into the chart history of the 80s for more than a few posts this year. Like today. I'm re-visiting the top three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 9. Before we get to the top tunes, it is interesting to note that two of the three artists ruling the chart at the outset of 1988 are no longer with us. (And if we expanded beyond the top three into the top ten, we would find two more artists who are no longer with us: Michael Jackson and Michael Hutchence).<br>
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Do you remember what topped the Billboard Hot 100 a mere 28 years ago this week? When you're ready to be reminded, you can read and hear more after the break! <br>
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<a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/2016/01/friday-80s-flashback-for-january-8-2016.html#more">Continue Reading >></a>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612844.post-72049488267270848722015-12-31T15:18:00.003-05:002015-12-31T15:19:58.899-05:00Emotions Revealed - A "Lost" Steve Roach Album from the 80sIf you want to chill a little on the last day of 2015, you could do so with this "lost" recording by Steve Roach.<br />
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From the <a href="https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/emotions-revealed-name-your-price">website</a>:<br />
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<i>A delayed transmission from the early 80s. Discovered serendipitously in 2015, these lost tracks created just prior to the Structures from Silence era represent two then-emerging sides of Steve’s artistic muse. “Emotion Revealed” is a mesmerizing, yearning sequencer exploration connected to the German school of electronic music. “Firelight” was his first long-form atmospheric composition of emotional introspection — stillness, silence, and solitude. Two essential touchstones of Steve’s sonic origin. </i></blockquote>
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Stream it here, or go to <a href="https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/emotions-revealed-name-your-price">Projekt.com</a> and download it (for whatever price you'd like to pay).<br />
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<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2422827471/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 470px; width: 350px;"><a href="http://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/emotions-revealed-name-your-price">Emotions Revealed (name-your-price) by Steve Roach</a></iframe></div>
Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0