tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21054158461320353312024-03-12T19:02:00.320-04:00Middle Age MeanderingThoughts and opinions from a middle-aged perspectiveLorenzo Tartamellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07415616619435145401noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-64864787496853423412011-10-13T12:20:00.005-04:002011-10-17T07:23:09.085-04:00Lorenzo TartamellaHey everyone ! I am officially making this place my personal blog page and open to everyone. I call this STRIKE BACK MARKETING and If you wish to contribute; call me! You know the number ! I would first of all like to thank Ed for allowing me to contribute and take over this Blogger.com spot. I hope I can maintain this section as well as he has over the years.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Lorenzo Tartamellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07415616619435145401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-23653065136287586842011-09-01T20:17:00.003-04:002011-10-20T15:04:19.672-04:00Who Mourns for Galileo?I created this video after researching online what happened to the very cool full scale mock-up of the Galileo Shuttlecraft built for the original TV series STAR TREK . Enjoy !
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nmBYiudRoeM" frameborder="0" width="420" height="345"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-88585849199220949222011-08-08T20:06:00.001-04:002011-08-08T20:11:09.845-04:00A Futile Fight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt0mgIkWJ2pni99SToVocjaVbwMa28Rrg6VI9BD_GzVmkfI9J-X9ZvfCVCNaFdefhpNQY9BRO0Z3FDAn4k2EJp6C6frf5JquUP-1H4En-ohWUzh4ip2gV_vn6EPQJmUr3NRAQRjBgWbc/s1600/Afghanistan+war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt0mgIkWJ2pni99SToVocjaVbwMa28Rrg6VI9BD_GzVmkfI9J-X9ZvfCVCNaFdefhpNQY9BRO0Z3FDAn4k2EJp6C6frf5JquUP-1H4En-ohWUzh4ip2gV_vn6EPQJmUr3NRAQRjBgWbc/s1600/Afghanistan+war.jpg" /></a></div>
Unless you pay no attention to the news, you've heard about the loss of 30 American soldiers who were in a helicopter that took a lucky hit from a Taliban grenade launcher in Afghanistan. Aside from the sadness I feel about their loss, I also think about their families, especially those who have children, whose lives will be permanently altered by their absence. I also feel the deaths of these men were totally unnecessary as we shouldn't be wasting our resources fighting these primitive, barbaric people who will never give up their demented ideology no matter how long we stay there. The saddest part of all is that when our government finally decides to withdraw from the region, the country will again be taken over by whatever the strongest (most evil) faction happens to be, thereby all our American losses will have been in vain. The body count may not be as high as during the Vietnam war, but we are again letting our government fight an unwinnable conflict year after year after year.
And don't get me started on all the money being wasted...........<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-51669415768894050382011-08-07T19:28:00.009-04:002011-08-08T20:09:27.417-04:00TV Programmers just don't care!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrts5I1ODTCqbs1iQzrZYXIYHwQeYZLT9VKSqq9dt7RGEFxoePAtWL2H7OE6FTb3TI3qOxblJNLmuxBt71EWzoGeCRMblQUzZclRUqItmobxqPrBnOLaviuULBjvlDWWkxjbqtyuifBY/s1600/children+watching+TV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrts5I1ODTCqbs1iQzrZYXIYHwQeYZLT9VKSqq9dt7RGEFxoePAtWL2H7OE6FTb3TI3qOxblJNLmuxBt71EWzoGeCRMblQUzZclRUqItmobxqPrBnOLaviuULBjvlDWWkxjbqtyuifBY/s1600/children+watching+TV.jpg" /></a></div>
I'm writing this brief commentary of Sunday August 7, 2011. Back in 1996
a new TV channel was launched, known as TV LAND. The new station
featured a variety of television programming from the 1950s through the
1990s. Its inaugural season featured the Emmy-Award-winning I Love Lucy,
Gunsmoke, The Honeymooners and The Ed Sullivan Show. Great detectives were featured every
Saturday, with programs including Honey West, Dog and Cat, Burke's Law,
Nero Wolfe and Ace Crawford, Private Eye. "TV Land Goes West" presented
Shane, Barbary Coast, Have Gun, Will Travel and Best of the West.
"Hooterville Saturday" featured Petticoat Junction and Green Acres; and
"Sunday in the Barracks" laughed with the military in The Phil Silvers
Show and Hogan's Heroes. Many other classics were added giving adults
and children a great place to enjoy the clean, family friendly
programming that is lacking on television today. However, over time, the
station began to abandon most of the classics and cater to the younger
generations with shows like <b>Third Rock from the Sun, Scrubs,
Boston Legal, The Cougar, High School Reunion and disfunctional family
shows like Everybody Loves Raymond and Roseanne</b>. Today, a Sunday, when many kids are spending much of their time watching TV, the TV LAND lineup starting at 8AM has <b>The Nanny</b> for an hour then <b>Happily Divorced</b> until 11am then <b>Hot in Cleveland</b>
ALL DAY until 8pm. All three shows rely mostly on sexual humor and
innuendo. Sadly, this new generation will probably never experience the
plethora of wonderful shows from the distant past.<br />
If there is
anyone out there that still doesn't realize why our culture continues to
deteriorate, it's because our children are being fed only specific
types of programming with total disregard to the long term effects on
the future of society. By the way, TV LAND is owned by MTV Networks
Entertainment Group. What does that tell you? We will all pay dearly
because TV programmers just don't care. <div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-38228505832313082272011-03-12T14:29:00.000-05:002011-03-12T14:29:00.270-05:00Can our country be saved?This video of Senator Bernie Sanders (of Vermont) on the floor of the Senate, is really good as he tries to convince his colleagues just how bad things have become and why, in an effort to steer them into doing what's right for America. Unfortunately, his honest, blunt and true words usually fall on deaf ears. If all our elected officials had the empathy of someone like Bernie Sanders, our country would be thriving by leaps and bounds.<br />
<object width="450" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lcLWDGb0RqA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lcLWDGb0RqA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="360"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-75138604079357218272011-03-07T22:47:00.003-05:002011-03-26T17:46:46.593-04:00Talented? Yes - Honorable? No way!<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Sheen" target="_blank"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/t6730o.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard about the rants of actor Charlie Sheen because the media is spending quite a bit of time on this person. He's become more famous for his pathetic behavior than anything else he's done in his life. I have difficulty feeling sorry for him as he was born into an affluent family and had every opportunity to make much better choices. Not only did he choose a playboy lifestyle, he has a history of violence towards women and the drugs and alcohol have definitely taken their toll on him. The only positive thing I can see for spending so much media time on Mr. Sheen is to show everyone how NOT to live one's life.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-41411259977591650462011-03-06T20:43:00.004-05:002011-03-06T20:46:27.658-05:00Idol Worship<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idol"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi764XDoAbBpXa4PsQ60mhmL8dp-o1IGRl_wJ0qWJblZZ6UxlQhXFCFldbC_t5vz3jjskLiExxbhsdDsNsTEzwiXGes5enKHlObEuxluhZdjHlukDixFCQpaM_Gzd332kzsvLHziLpemtw/s320/American+idol+logo.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342843415334893330" /></a> I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but my wife and I watch American Idol. If you enjoy hearing new, talented, (or sometimes terrible) singers then I guess this is a harmless way of passing some time, but what I want to touch on here is how fanatical people get towards these singers and celebrities in general. At the end of each American Idol season, the final contestants go back to their respective home towns to meet some of their fans. Well actually, they meet thousands of their fans. It's unbelievable how many people show up to see someone who has done nothing more than sing on television for a few months. I realize idol/celebrity worship is nothing new, but it has always seemed a bit strange or wrong to me. I think admiration of this magnitude should have to be earned by doing great deeds along with living an honorable and respectable lifestyle. That's something that many celebrities, sports figures, and politicians do not do. Yet, they are still put on pedestals by so many. Too much idol worship can doom an entire civilization. We need to keep our priorities in order, and swooning over the American Idol should be way down the list. That's just my middle aged opinion.<br />
<a href="http://middleagemeandering.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/e9ahj6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-16995855710529358342011-01-24T19:53:00.001-05:002011-03-06T20:47:41.967-05:00The " King of Fitness" has passed awayI was totally surprised to hear that fitness guru Jack Lalanne had died on January 23th, 2011 from complications with pneumonia at his California home. He was 96 but his agent said he exercised right up until the end. I must admit that I don't recall ever seeing an episode of his long running (53-85) TV series but thanks to You Tube and his website I was able to learn about this extraordinary person. He knew and preached the right way for anyone to treat their body and was great at getting his point across. He wasn't just showing you some good exercises, he was rationally explaining why exercise and eating healthy foods was the key to health and vitality. The lessons he taught are still perfectly relevant today. He seemed like he was ahead of his time but it wasn't rocket science, it was very basic stuff. Eat right and exercise. The same things any healthy person or a doctor would tell you today. It's not magical, it's just logical. <br />
Considering many others including Bob Hope and George Burns lived longer, I wonder if genetics plays a major role as I thought Jack would live way past 100. Most of us won't even make it to 96 but we should all try to stay as healthy as we possibly can so we can enjoy every day (as he did) until the very last day of our lives. That's just my middle aged opinion.<br />
Thanks for the inspiration Jack. I won't forget you or your philosophies for living.............Farewell.<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/M-JKwY4GgVw" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-44000101917783480402011-01-13T20:55:00.001-05:002011-03-06T20:48:26.169-05:00The Nelsons fade into history<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Ozzie_and_Harriet" target="_blank"><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/95qxz4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
In case you missed it, David Nelson died on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. <br />
Huh? Who?<br />
Well, David Nelson was the eldest son to Ozzie and Harriet Nelson who from1952 to 1966 had a wonderful television sitcom about their family along with younger brother Ricky. David Nelson portrayed a fictionalized version of himself alongside the other family members. The show was about the ideal American family of the 1950s (and in my opinion, of any time). The situations that David and his brother Rick got into were a far cry from today's dysfunctional and over-sexed television sitcoms. Their problems seem minor today, but spoke volumes to the viewers of the time. As the family fumbled through one misunderstanding after another, the audience would learn humorous lessons about life in a cleaner, more gentle way.<br />
Today, when America's youth spend an ever-increasing amount of time watching television, the shows have lost the innocence; the family values; and the simple, clean humor. The images of a loving family are replaced by a constant bombardment of bad role models and ever-decreasing morals. Young viewers today are more likely to walk away from a television show with lessons of deceit and exploitation, rather than lessons about friendship, family and doing the right thing no matter what.<br />
There have certainly been exceptions over the years, even in the past few decades with shows like Happy Days, The Cosby Show, Full House, Home Improvement and Family Matters but I still wish classic shows like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show and many others would be shown regularly instead of back to back nightly episodes of the "pathetic character" sitcoms of the past twenty years. If I had my own television station, those mostly forgotten shows would be regular viewing and the passing of David Nelson might be more than just a quick news blurb. That's just my middle aged opinion. David has now joined his mother, father and brother to continue their adventures in heaven.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-74858745118890624802011-01-06T20:45:00.000-05:002011-01-06T20:45:43.316-05:00Breaker one nine for a radio check...........<a><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/ejirkm.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
Do you remember CB radios? Their most popular time was the 1970's (especially after the success of Smokey and the Bandit) but they continued somewhat into the 80's and now are more of a novelty still used by some truckers. I had a CB radio when I was around sixteen and enjoyed the anonymous communications with others. In retrospect it was kind of like the "chat rooms" of our computer age but for some reason chat rooms always seemed kind of creepy to me. I had a large antenna at my house that would give me extended range and if you were lucky, your signal could "skip" across the atmosphere allowing you to briefly chat with someone hundreds or even thousands of miles away.<br />
With the tremendous advances in technology, there's not much point in having a CB but many of us have fond memories of long ago when they were really fun to use. "10-4 and goodbye"<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens'_band_radio" target="_blank"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/1z2ez4z.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-25345881855825293422011-01-06T20:37:00.005-05:002011-03-06T20:49:14.856-05:00"For Mature Audiences Only"<a><img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/5yyiiw.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
I often chuckle or cringe when a movie or video game is labeled "For mature audiences only" since a truly "mature" person would not find these things along with other such media to be entertaining. Or what about the "adult" section of many video stores? Does someone who is truly an "adult" need to be watching pornography? Yet the amount of "mature adults" who enjoy these types of media is quite large.<br />
I have to admit that I rarely even watch R rated movies as the sex, violence and profanity are often just too much for my taste. Maybe that makes me an oddball in our society but I'd rather be odd than one of those so called "mature" individuals. That's just my middle aged opinion.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-31276711013347741832011-01-06T20:25:00.002-05:002011-03-06T20:50:04.558-05:00"Buddy, can you spare a dime?"<a><img src="http://i45.tinypic.com/2wnr7ur.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
We've all heard over the years about this country or that country receiving millions of dollars in "foreign aid" from our government. With the exception of emergencies, I think most of this money should be put to good use here in our own country. The United States has so many problems that with adequate funding, could be vastly improved. Our infrastructure is crumbling, our schools are sub par, our homeless or poverty level individuals are growing, criminals are released early as there are not enough jails to house them all, millions of people have no health insurance, social security benefits struggle to go up even though everything costs more, etc., etc. America shouldn't be aiding other countries until we have our own backyard taken care of. That's just my middle aged opinion.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-35511103339062656602010-10-30T20:17:00.002-04:002011-01-13T20:56:00.900-05:00"When we were everyone"Please give this song a listen. It's about a time when we were "one" America without our cell phones, video games and the internet. If you're lucky enough to be older, you might feel a sense of sadness for what is gone from our culture and will probably never return..........<br />
<object width="450" height="278"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uIFgZD4errQ?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uIFgZD4errQ?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="278"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-58115335941240858872010-10-20T21:12:00.004-04:002010-10-20T21:23:22.065-04:00"Another great one has left us"Unless you pay no attention to the news (and there are many that don't), you probably heard about the death of actor Tom Bosley. Along with being a great actor, (most notably Howard Cunningham from Happy Days), by all accounts, he was a very nice man as well. His onscreen persona was that of a great dad who was easy going, had a good sense of humor and could talk to his kids in a way that they would actually listen. I was lucky enough to grow up with the Happy Days show in the 1970s and loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, great family shows are sorely lacking now. Even reruns of great shows like Happy Days are rarely shown but that's another story. Anyway, with each passing year as we lose more and more decent individuals of good character, it saddens me and makes me say "another great one has left us." Goodbye Mr. Bosley.<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Bosley" target="_blank"><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2naqoie.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
Check out this funny clip from Happy Days at:<a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/great%20old%20tv%20shows_121.htm" target="_blank"">Great Old TV Shows</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-9574010889362213112010-10-14T21:49:00.000-04:002010-10-14T21:49:31.537-04:00"some machine's doin that for you"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driverless_car" target="_blank"><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/jzuyk9.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
Perhaps you've heard a recent news story of how Google is financing research for a driverless car. They claim it is to "help prevent traffic accidents, free up people's time and reduce carbon emissions". Google CEO Eric Schmidt said "your car should drive itself. It just makes sense."<br />
It just makes sense?<br />
On what planet is it a good idea for computers/machines to take over control of our cars and create a generation of people who no longer know how to drive. Although, by the time this comes to pass, computers and technology will have already dumbed down our society where we no longer think for ourselves or lift a finger to do anything. I'm probably being a bit too pessimistic but I feel like something is going terribly wrong in this world. Since it's all happening relatively slowly, I think many people don't take notice. I tend to believe that technology is both the best thing and the worst thing to ever affect mankind. I pray that my negative predictions for the future are wrong................<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1FgSmdfRUus?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1FgSmdfRUus?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-90459172643901479922010-08-30T21:06:00.001-04:002010-08-30T21:16:07.154-04:00Was Iraq a waste of time, money and lives?<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2n00k1c" target="_blank"><img src="http://i35.tinypic.com/2n00k1c.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
President Obama is claiming firmly and finally the ending of U.S. combat missions in Iraq.<br />
Okay, sounds good but what does that mean for Iraq? Since there is still no established government or strong enough army/police force, violence is on the increase and I'm sure plans are afoot by a variety of factions hoping to take power when the opportunity arises. America still has tens of thousands of military personnel in the country taking their chances as they try to continue to establish order in this "wild west" location. All I can say is "good luck". I believe the invasion of Iraq had nothing at all to do with protecting "our freedom" so my deepest sympathies go out to all the soldiers who were killed, maimed or emotionally disturbed by their experience and to all the innocent civilian Iraqis who suffered or died and will continue to, as our goals to change the ways of this primitive, often barbaric country are never realized. And don't even get me started on all the money spent that we could have used right here in America.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-27916886325862255922010-05-26T21:27:00.006-04:002010-06-06T13:29:41.251-04:00What more of a sign do we need?<a href="http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/oil_spills.htm" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i46.tinypic.com/5un31t.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/oil_spills.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://i49.tinypic.com/2afg2x.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
I know major oil spills don't happen everyday but why do we continue to risk the devastation from them? When will we as a nation move on to better/cleaner forms of energy? I realize the changes would be difficult, costly and lengthy but it would be so good for our country. Imagine if we didn't have to depend so much on foreign countries for our energy needs and our environment was never again polluted by these accidents or the exhausts of our millions of cars. I hope that because of this recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, not a single additional oil rig is ever constructed out there. Hopefully, these offshore rigs will eventually fade into history........................<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_platform" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i45.tinypic.com/10wti0y.jpg" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-4678283222884313102010-01-28T13:00:00.008-05:002010-03-31T10:45:56.930-04:00Will real "change" ever come?<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address" target="_blank"><img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/2jewvg6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
I don't know if it is the current situation in my personal life, my current age or my ever growing concern for this country as well as the rest of the world, that has made me pay more attention to political matters than ever before. Like many, I listened to President Obama's State of the Union address on January 27, 2010 and thought I would express some opinions here.The speech was very well written although I have always wondered how much of any presidential speech is actually written by the president himself. As usual, the speech was well read, being that Obama is very good at using his teleprompters in such a way that it barely looks like he is reading something. What I took from the speech is what I've taken from many of Obama's speeches which is, "I have many good ideas if only we (meaning the government) would work together to actually implement changes." I sense he's starting to get a bit frustrated. My belief that Obama may have just too much common sense and concern for the general masses of this country, makes him seem like an odd president. I'm not saying he's a bad president, he just seems out of place in a government that runs primarily on greed and some past presidents who were more concerned about self gratification. If a government makes decisions with the underlining thought of "what's in it for me?", then the general populace of a country doesn't stand much of a chance for a good life. The president has many adviser's and doesn't make off the cuff decisions, so based on all that I have observed and his recent speech, I continue to believe that Mr.Obama sincerely cares about America and will continue to try and legislate positive changes for us all, however, I'm not holding my breath, since there are so many who could care less about their fellow man and that's why "change" may be slow if ever in coming.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-79075407690483380102010-01-25T10:55:00.003-05:002010-01-25T11:03:58.162-05:00No matter when, education is always a good thing<a href="http://www.myunion.edu/" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i47.tinypic.com/15i0v7t.jpg" /></a><br />
My wife asked to post her blog here and naturally, she's more than welcome so here it is.<br />
I'm a 46 year old woman, and in August, I went back to college to earn my Bachelor's Degree. It'll take me over three years attending full-time to finish, but I feel like, with the economy in the state it's in, there's no time like the present to take control of your life to better your financial situation. My husband lost his job a year ago from a company he thought was solid and would weather the economic storm. Out of the blue, it tanked, and he, along with 8 or 10 other guys, were told to pack up their things and head on home. We had to think fast! I continued my job working as a para educator in one of our town's elementary schools. Since my husband had extra time on his hands, he began working on a website idea that he hadn't had time to create prior to losing his job. It took him a few months working 12 to 16 hour days - everyday - to complete it, and it's fabulous (<a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/</a>). We launched the site in April, and even though it's been slow going, it showed definite steady progress in the 9 months it's been up. In July, however, since we have no school which means no income for me, I acquired another job in a local pharmacy which allowed me to work full-time until school started at which time I moved to part-time (evenings and weekends). However, a month after I started that part-time job, I decided to go to college to improve our finances. This venture has been quite a new experience for me as I have never attended college having chosen to take a different path after high school including marriage and children. I am enrolled in an adult degree program through Union Institute and University. It's a great program because there are three options of how you want to attend that best fits your schedule for example, you can choose the online option, the cycle option (independent study with week long attendance), or the weekend option which is an independent study while attending the campus residency for 5 weekends per term. This schedule allows adults to continue to work at their jobs while working toward a college degree. I have to admit that I have really been enjoying the whole experience (even the extensive amount of reading and writing) because I have been forced to push and stretch myself more than I thought I could. So, it's a win-win for both my husband and me! Because I had no college credits going in, I am looking at earning the full 120 credits to graduate. This will take at least three years attending full-time - meaning 12 credits per term - (including the summer). It's time consuming, and sometimes I wish I didn't have to read or write another word, but I'm giving it my best shot because I know that in a few years, I will be able to get a better job making more money! My husband, in the mean time, has started a business designing and building websites for small businesses in our area for a very low fee. He has a small portfolio so far, but business is starting to pick up with word of mouth from happy customers! Check that website out if you have (or know someone who has) a small business and may benefit from a website at a very reasonable price. (<a href="http://www.everybodyhasawebsite.com/">http://www.everybodyhasawebsite.com/</a>). Between the two of us, we are working toward creating a better future for ourselves, and we hope that, by the time we're both 50 years old, we will have done the hard work and be on our way to a secure financial life...together!<br />
<a href="http://middleagemeandering.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i48.tinypic.com/23kvfwp.jpg" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-43192552215794307252010-01-21T20:30:00.007-05:002010-01-21T20:42:45.120-05:00Does it really matter?<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tonight_Show" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i47.tinypic.com/2lzz0n.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">If you have been listening to entertainment news recently, you are probably aware that changes for Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien just didn't work out. Primarily because each were getting low ratings for their respective shows. Let me point out that the reason a show gets low ratings is because the writing on the show just isn't that good. Even someone like myself who thinks these two are nice guys, is not going to watch them tell bad jokes and do stupid skits night after night. Now it has been made public that Conan O'Brien will receive over 30 million dollars to satisfy the agreements of his contract in order for NBC to get rid of him and apparently put Jay Leno back on The Tonight Show. That's right folks, Conan is going to receive more than 30 million dollars to stop coming to work! My issue is not with his good fortune but with putting Jay Leno back on The Tonight Show. I remember almost twenty years ago when it was announced that Jay would be the new host, ousting David Letterman. I thought it was a wise choice since Jay seemed to have a more "mature" and cleaner sense of humor than Mr. Letterman and even though he wasn't Johnny Carson, he would carry on The Tonight Show in the manner in which Carson did. If Jay Leno brings his current writing staff with him back to The Tonight Show, he might as well just retire. As Conan has now proved, it's not the host of the Tonight Show that really matters. It's the material (jokes, skits, etc.) written and without good material, even Pee Wee Herman could handle the job. I just wish these two funny guys knew who to hire as writers and maybe both their shows could have been successfull.<br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-52928275726646368662010-01-15T15:36:00.006-05:002010-01-15T16:06:30.861-05:00When will we not worry about terrorism?<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_terrorism" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i45.tinypic.com/2wlyb1i.jpg" /></a><br />
I never imagined in my youth that the biggest threat to peace in this world would be terrorism. The thing about terrorists is that they don't necessarily look any different than anyone else(so they're hard to detect), they don't necessarily all stay together in one location(so they're hard to eliminate or isolate) and they never seem to have a justifiable reason for their violent actions. But they do seem to have an ongoing and endless group of individuals who are willing to join them and partake in their activities. That is why I believe that we may never be able to "not worry" about where and when a terrorist action will take place. Even if you are able to kill a group of terrorists, you can't get them all. It's like trying to kill every ant in an ant mound. Some will survive and regroup to terrorize another day. Whenever I visit New York City, it's always in the back of my mind that Manhattan is an excellent spot to detonate a nuclear bomb in order to kill off the most people in a small area. As I'm walking the city streets with my wife, I'm thinking "with our luck, this will be the day that a terrorist group sets off a bomb of that magnitude". I strongly believe that with all the nuclear bombs that currently exist is this world, one will eventually be acquired by terrorists who will try to use it. There is certainly a possibility that it will never happen but (for some undetermined reason) the terrorists want to inflict as much pain and suffering as they possibly can and have no feelings (other than accomplishment) for what they have done and obviously, they would like to top the actions commited on Sept. 11, 2001. I fear these despicable human beings will continue to be among us for many more generations so even if we all have to tolerate extensive security measures everywhere, we just have to accept that this is the way of life for now on and pray that no evil plans of terrorists are ever successful.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-1747817199288625732009-12-25T17:10:00.009-05:002010-01-29T13:43:51.859-05:00AVATAR is no TITANIC<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_(2009_film)" target="_blank"><img src="http://i45.tinypic.com/s1udxt.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
I don't normally do movie reviews but felt compelled to do so in the case of the new movie "Avatar" which my wife and I recently drove twenty miles from our home to watch. Some theaters around the country show the movie in 3D (with the glasses) but that isn't available in our area. First, let me clarify that this movie was created by the very talented and successful producer/director James Cameron. I consider his epic film "Titanic" to be one of the best movies ever made. That being said, I had high expectations for "Avatar". What a letdown it turned out to be. The story is very similar to what we Americans did to the Indians during the earlier times of this country. The military was definitely portrayed in a negative light. The tone of the film was often dark, depressing and overly violent. I didn't really feel much of an emotional attachment to any of the characters and since actress Sigourney Weaver is so well known for her Ripley character in the "Aliens" movies, I felt like I was watching some bizarre continuation of that series. For me, "Titanic" was a much more impressive movie. Maybe young people who play lots of video games might think Avatar was a visually "cool" movie because it has a kind of video game look about it but this lengthy film(which cost over 200 million to make) was just not worth the $25.00 my wife and I spent at the theater and even after it comes to DVD and finally TV, I will probably never watch this movie again.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-29261769469691775842009-12-15T20:54:00.009-05:002009-12-24T13:21:03.525-05:00One less positive role model<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i49.tinypic.com/2qjesd5.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
Unless you live in a cave, you've recently been hearing many news reports regarding famous golfer Tiger Woods. Since I don't have an interest in golf, I have never paid much attention to him but he did appear to be a very nice, decent family man with a great smile. Now it seems the only positive thing I can say about him is that he's an exceptional golfer. The world is discovering that Mr. Woods has been quite the "tiger" for many women and even after marriage and children he continued his liaisons while somehow keeping it a secret from the general public as well as his wife. Aside from the obvious problems with this behavior, he also sets a poor example to everyone who looks up to and respects him. Young people learn their behaviors from adults. In fact many adults justify their actions by saying "well if he does it" or "if she does it" and after all, president Clinton did it. Some are trying to imply that Woods has a "sex addiction." In my opinion that's just a fictious way of excusing ones actions. Shame on you Tiger Woods. You've now become one of the many out there who obviously don't care about honor, commitment and respect.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-45064437950507032342009-11-05T21:59:00.001-05:002010-01-05T17:31:36.892-05:00"WHY?"<a href="http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/racial-prejudice.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.tinypic.com/9uch87.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
Does anyone remember a fairly recent commercial where a mother (a white mother) takes her daughter to a playground, and just after arriving, a friend of the daughter's (a black girl) shouts from nearby to come over and play with some friends (some black friends)? The mother quickly holds her back suggesting she play 'over there,' pointing to a group of white children. The daughter just looks at her mother and asks "why?" The mother has no answer. End of commercial. That question of "why?" has always been on my mind, too. I've never understood racism. There is no basis for its existence. It's as if, long ago, someone of authority and respect decided he or she (probably a he) didn't like a dark skinned person or persons for some stupid reason, and his followers thought he was right, so they decided to be prejudiced, too. Then they taught their offspring that idea and so on and so on. Sadly, racism is very much alive and well even now in 2010. There may not be separate bathrooms and drinking fountains, but the racist thoughts still exist in many minds throughout the world. However, there are also many who have come to realize just how ridiculous, immature and ignorant prejudice actually is. Those are the only types of people I will associate with so I guess that makes me prejudice against the prejudiced. I can live with that.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2105415846132035331.post-9438277784323966872009-10-09T18:05:00.010-04:002009-10-09T18:35:47.013-04:00Simple advice from an exceptional man<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1552100642?ie=UTF8&tag=greoldtvsho-20" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/23vewhy.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a><br />
I recently heard that fitness guru Jack Lalanne turned 95 years old. That's right 95 years old. Is he being pushed around in a wheelchair? <i>No</i>. Is he using a cane or walker? <i>No</i>. Is he laying in bed all day waiting for death? <i>No</i>. He is actually so fit that he still works out at least 2 hours per day. He says about an hour of weights and an hour of aerobics. I must admit that I don't recall ever seeing an episode of his long running TV series but thanks to You Tube and his website I can see him now and I find this man to be an extraordinary person. He knew and preached the right way for anyone to treat their body and was great at getting his point across. He wasn't just showing you some good exercises, he was rationally explaining why exercise and eating healthy foods was the key to health and vitality. Another thing about his shows is that they are perfectly relevant today even though they're now <i>many decades</i> old. He almost seems like he was ahead of his time but it wasn't rocket science, it was very basic stuff. Eat right and exercise. The same things any healthy person or a doctor would tell you today. It's not magical, it's just logical. I urge anyone of any age to take a closer look at this man and his philosophies for living. After all, he has proven himself to be right. Okay, at 95, he does look pretty old but compared to most of that age he not only looks better but obviously feels better. Most of us won't be that fortunate but we should all try to stay as healthy as we possibly can so we can enjoy every day until the very last day of our lives.<br />
NOTE: The videos below are amazing in that he was telling "us" these things some fifty plus years ago. They are short so check them out and if you want to see complete episodes go to <a href="http://www.jacklalanne.com"target="_blank">www.jacklalanne.com</a><br />
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<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5Udr3eLZfVo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5Udr3eLZfVo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Check out the <a href="http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/">Great old TV Shows</a> website for your favorites, available on DVD.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1