Fake News writing—new college major at Myrmidon

Fake News has become a pervasive communication tool. The trend towards fake news, some call it a logical extension of advertising, has been noticed by many of the great universities of the United States. Many have been called but only a few know how to handle it. Actually only one....

Only Myrmidon College has stepped forward to teach the art of Writing Fake News. Myrmidon is an online school, actually a single server in a Quonset hut between New Mexico and Arizona. The college has created an entire major on the subject. Myrmidon states, "Learning how to write fake news on a professional level takes more than a single class." Not so easy as it looks-- fake news writing gets to be a whole lot of fun once you get the hang of it.

The college catalog brags of a digital faculty from across the United States-- movers and shakers that extends all the way to the welcome mat of the White House.

Myrmidon has been lining up guest lecturers. They include: Steve Bannon, Alex Jones, Syd Miller, the Texas Agriculture commissioner, and General Mike T. Flynn, a recent Trump appointee. Myrmidon reportedly considers Michael G. Flynn, General Flynn's son, for an administrative post. The younger Flynn needs a job since he got fired for one too many retweets of the fake Pizzagate story.

Myrmidon has dropped hints of inviting Kellyanne Conway as a commencement speaker, except Myrmidon does not actually have a graduation. Remember it's only a server in the middle of the desert. If any of the celebrities appear it will only be via a computer screen, 'cause what is modern life if not a of computer screen.

The catalog explains the challenge of Fake News composition: You need 1) the imagination and flair of a Picasso and 2) a deep grasp of the cultural zeitgeist, like maybe Erin Burnett.

Most of all... your story must surprise people and reinforce their strongly held core beliefs-- all at the same time. 


Pizzagate is a perfect example. John Podesta looks a little nerdy; let's call it pervy. So that's it-- Guilty! And get Hillary Clinton in on the deal. She's our favorite demon, always angling in a dark, secretive way and claims to love children so much. So bring in a charge of child sex trafficking, just for giggles. You get the picture? Think outside the box.

Maybe now you are ready to enroll in Writing Fake News 101...?  Sign up... online, of course.


(All of the above-- is fake, of course. )

Make Austin Weird Again

The pace of growth of Austin, Texas cannot be believed. The tentacles of Austin spread in every direction from downtown. I attended a pre-Thanksgiving gathering today in Bastrop, Texas-- maybe 20 miles to the east of Central Austin. The highways were jammed with motorists traveling in both directions. A weekend jaunt to Lake Travis used to be a leisurely pursuit for swimming at Hippie Hollow or boating on the lake. Now you look over your shoulder in fear, striving to stay ahead of the competition on our racetracks, er... I mean our  highways and toll roads.

The Mopac Expressway bulges with traffic for more hours of the day. Rush hour has degenerated to many hours of rush-- gridlock in the morning and from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. in the evening. The pattern of growth continues while many of us fret over the disappearance of the beautiful, onetime bucolic town, that has attracted new arrivals since the 70s. I was one of them-- or us.

We still have Barton Springs for swimming in the heart of the city. The beautiful Hike & Bike Trail parallels the banks of the Colorado River and bustles with joggers and walkers just a few feet from downtown. And incredible entertainment, a constantly expanding array of restaurants and cultural events like SXSW and ACL, make this a special place.

But what if the onslaught of increased population continues at this present rate? Austin lacks the transportation infrastructure (subways) of that add to the viability of older American cities. We have a functioning bus system but most citizens avoid bus travel. Bicycle traffic represents a tiny portion of the community. Instead, we have become a sea of automobiles, a constant movement of shiny steel.  Even high quality, well-maintained vehicles degrade an environment at a certain point. We have too many damn cars!

Our reputation for being different, or weirder than other Texas cities led to the proud slogan "Keep Austin Weird." Maybe we need an orange-haired political leader to start a revolution to "Make Austin Weird Again." We can all start wearing those ball caps and recall the old days in Austin when a redheaded stranger named Willie Nelson united the hippies and the cowboys at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

The city leaders have grand visions for fighting the overwhelming influx on individual arriving on our shore from California, the East Coast, Michigan. The money and energy provided by our prosperous emigres-- the young, restless and computer literate-- have made us overconfident.  We are buzzing with energy and American optimism-- a belief that any problem can be solved through sound thinking. But this problem...life is good, but maybe just a little too good could leave us drowning in a sea of gridlocked traffic, and singing the blues... "I'm too sexy for my shirt."

I'm Too Sexy

Right Said Fred

I'm too sexy for my shirt
Too sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts
And I'm too sexy for Milan
Too sexy for Milan
New York, and Japan
I'm too sexy for your party
Too sexy for your party
No way I'm disco dancing

Election Day Angst (2016)

Our Reactionary Age 

From the New York Times (Op-Editorial)

To live a modern life anywhere in the world today, subject to perpetual social and technological transformations, is to experience the psychological equivalent of permanent revolution. Anxiety in the face of this process is now a universal experience, which is why reactionary ideas attract adherents around the world who share little except their sense of historical betrayal.

Mark Lilla—

Mark Lilla’s nice article makes more sense of the election day angst than all the hours of teeth-gnashing from left leaning CNN journalists and right wing Fox News partisans, the briefest of tweeters, the longwinded radio tycoons, the neocons, the rabble rousers, the rooftop shouters, the Cubs fans, the Kardashians, The View, the others with an obstructed view, the great unwashed, The Voice, those others without a voice, The Housewives, the white educated ladies in the Philly suburbs, the Latino voters, the vote suppressors, the Second Amendment gun toters hiding up in the hills loading up on ammo, Taylor Swift, LeBron James, Jay-Z and Beyonce, the dog whisperer, the paint sniffers, opioid abusers, Jimmy Fallon and his unnamed sidekick (Steve Higgins), the victims of micro-aggression, the refugees, the terrorists, the fellow travelers, not to mention Flo from Progressive, the Mayhem guy and the Good Hands guy, all keeping us safe 24/7 but still we feel so vulnerable.

Lilla’s op-ed makes more sense than almost everybody else—with a single, powerful exception, a man who speaks to us most eloquently, even from the grave, the great thinker and media guru Marshall McLuhan.

McLuhan always argued for the need for an awareness of present circumstances. We must bring to consciousness the vortex of swirling media energy encircling us. Mcluhan compared the situation to an Edgar Allen Poe short story, Descent into the Maelstrom, a cautionary tale in which a fisherman finds himself caught in the midst of a whirlpool of swirling waters.  The fisherman saves himself  by achieving a moment of clarity in the midst of the whirlpool. The Norwegian fisherman in Poe’s story gathers himself for a brief moment and, by observing the wild vortex of energy, ocean waters swirling with debris, finds a solution. He separates from his boat and grabs on to a steamer trunk as a way out of the maelstrom.

McLuhan referred to the story in his first book, The Mechanical Bride, (1951) devoted to the subject of advertising and written before the real advent of television. McLuhan the book with a reference to the Poe story, and the hope that his work will render the maelstrom better understood. Here is McLuhan’s statement:

The present book likewise makes few attempts to attach the very considerable currents and pressures set up around us today by the mechanical agencies of the press, radio, movies and advertising. It does attempt to set the reader at the center of the revolving picture created by these affairs where he may observe the action that is in progress in which everybody is involved. From the analysis of that action, it is hoped, many individual strategies may suggest themselves.

(McLuhan, The Mechanical Bride, preface)

The maelstrom has clearly grown wider, deeper and more ferocious than in 1951, but McLuhan always retained the Poe story as a core metaphor for the man’s need to study the vortex of media energy as a means for survival. The question for the present age—Have we determined even a single strategy for protecting ourselves from the maelstrom?—unfortunately remains unanswered.

Bob Dylan: Top Ten Sightings

Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature but nobody has seen hide nor hair of him since the announcement was made.

Several individuals claim to have seen Dylan and here are the Top Ten Most Likely Locations for Bob Dylan:

10) Gallup, New Mexico-- Dylan once threw nosey journalists off track about by falsely claiming to be from Gallup.

9) Mosul, Iraq-- A Dylan look-alike, or Dylan himself, was seen working in Iraq, possibly as undercover CIA. Dylan stated his youthful ambition to be a soldier and may be fulfilling that dream under very dangerous circumstances.

8) Village Vanguard-- Dylan began his rise to fame in New York's Greenwich Village. This club is said to be one of his favorites.

7) Bass Player for Katy Perry-- The bass player accompanying Katy Perry on her last tour had an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Bob Dylan.

6) Selling candles in Woodstock, New York-- A friend of mine recently visited Woodstock and the salesperson at Candlestick, a shop in town, spoke in a nasal voice and would hardly answer her questions.

5) Rudi's Pizza delivery driver  (Hibbing, Minnesota)  -- Bob Dylan may have returned to his roots in the North Country. Reportedly he has rented a cheap flat and took on temporary employment as a driver to make his ruse totally foolproof.

4) Customer at Cafe Les Deux Magots (Paris, France)-- Dylan always had a fondness for strong espresso coffee and the writing of Ernest Hemingway. Is that him whiling away the hours in a beret and smoking with a cigarette holder? You cannot smoke in the USA anymore.

3) Willie Nelson's tour bus-- Dylan always had an interest in Austin, Texas and country singer/songwriter Willie Nelson. The bus is famous for providing unlimited supplies of pot. And Willie can keep a secret.

2) Performing in Las Vegas-- Dylan may have pulled an Andy Kaufman and adopted a total different performing persona. Kaufman posed as Tony Clifton, a crass comedian who in know way resembled the real Andy Kaufman, a sweet-natured guy. Bob Dylan may be posing as a mysterious, not-very-attractive magician. She has been appearing in several Vegas lounges-- including Sky Lounge, The Laundry Room, and Bond-- and looks exactly like Dylan in drag. The magic tricks are pretty lame.

1) Starbucks-- You ever notice how there is always some unshaved, grey-haired guy at Starbucks with his backpack. These guys will often pull off their shoes and put their dirty feet on the couches and just camp out all day. Dylan may be moving across the country going from one Starbucks to the next. Best disguise ever.

Life Magazine-- globalism before the Internet

Life Magazine (June 27, 1949)

You find a magazine from the day you were born, 67 years ago, and you buy it. The Life, its aged paper still in very good condition, only cost $3.00. Old magazines do not increase in value. A young woman in a modest bathing suit smiled from the bench of a sailing yacht. The inside of the magazine held portents of the revolution about to overtake society. I refer to the Sixties cultural revolution and later to the electronic revolution of the Internet.

The internet unites us all. We're using it now. I write the words and you read these words from any corner of the globe. Life magazine did not have interactive capacities. We consumed the words, content controlled by editor Henry Luce, and had no ability to respond other than through a few published Letters to the Editor.

So, what was happening? America and the Allies had just won World War II. America's Fifties prosperity, soon to arrive in full, comes across in the ads, many for liquor-- and every kind of booze is promoted: Puerto Rican rum, Seagram's whiskey, Sloe gin, Imperial liquor and Schlitz beer. So alcohol consumption was plentiful. Nash cars were advertised with their curved lines and rounded bumpers. A primitive RCA television brought to mind the fuzzy pictures and tiny screen of the era. Milton Berle got mentioned so television had begun its magnificent expansion.

Life extolled the plentiful harvest of wheat in a multi-page story. And marriage was in the air. Palumbo's wedding reception hall in Philadelphia hosted 3,000 wedding parties a year, as many as 56 wedding receptions in a single day! An obsessed baseball Annie, a name for the sports' groupies of that era, shot a baseball player. She enticed Eddie Waitkus, a Phillies first baseman to her hotel room and and then pulled out a rifle and shot him. He survived. An overzealous Texas constable smashed Houston gambling rooms to bits, even though this was out of his purview. Life went to Japan where an effort was being made to convert the Japanese to Christianity.  Bill Boyle,  patronage boss working for Harry Truman, made the rounds of the political wards. The magazine refers to Joseph McCarthy in brief manner, but the threat of Communism loomed heavily.

The magazine conducted its own intellectual gathering, "A Round Table on the Movies" with Hollywood's most formidable directors and producers on hand, along with academics and other players in the world of film. Life had enough power and influence to lead discussions on the important themes of the day-- including Housing and Modern Art.

Life brought some sophistication to our lives-- and brought the world to our living rooms. It was a baby step and eventually the large, photo-filled pages gave way to the mountain of electrons we call the internet.

Debate Tickets: getting a front row seat

The Clinton-Trump debate is tomorrow night, Monday, at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York. Two New Yorkers go at it. Donald Trump, no relation to Don Rickles, is a native born New Yorker from Queens who moved to Manhattan as soon as he could get there. Hillary, a naturalized New Yorker, is a refugee from the Midwest who moved to New York as soon as she could get out of Arkansas.

As the candidates prepare for weigh-in, oops, I mean kickoff, no I mean for the ads to be finished by 9:00 PM (Eastern time) for the beginning of 1 1/2 hours of must see-TV--  we all hope for a night of mudslinging, innuendo, gossip, insults and and predictions of a dire American future should the other guy, or gal, make it to the White House.

And this is where the psy-ops, psychological operations, come in. The Psy-Ops, psychological operations warfare, going at the moment concerns guests of Hillary and Donald, that is who they will seat in the front row of the debate just to rattle the opponent.

Hillary has saved a seat for Mark Cuban-- owner of the Dallas Mavericks, star of Shark Tank, and a recent arrival to Hillary Camp. He actually considered signing up for Trump's vice presidential candidate. But that was months ago.

Trump countered strongly with suggestions he would bring in Gennifer Flowers, Bill Clinton's mistress for a dozen years.

This tactic recalls Godfather II-- where the mob brings in a old-school grandpa mobster from Sicily, from the days of omertà to Washington, DC. Frankie Pantangeli is about to testify in front of a Washington grand jury and name names. Omertà  means silence and never ratting out a fellow Mafioso. Frankie sees his old school mafioso in the back of the hearing room and quickly reverts to "I don't know nothing." Frankie takes his own life before ratting out his brothers. The honorable route.

Honor is a thing of the past... as Mark Cuban and Gennifer Flowers certainly attest. Cuban likes to be in the national discussion, whether baiting the refs at his team's NBA games or starring on a reality TV competition show. Who does that remind you of?

Gennifer spells her name with a "G"-- and is called a showgirl.

Ironically, the audience will be completely out of view, literally in the dark. Trump probably won't be able to see Cuban, unless Cuban charges the stage a la Kanye West. Gennifer Flowers, we learn, has not actually been invited by Trump. Trump may see a downside to going too far with the adultery card.

The whole thing reminds me of the motley assemblage of celebrities on the cover of the Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. I always liked the image of Sonny Liston. Where's Sonny when you need him?

The only image that matters will be the body language of the contestants, er, the candidates. If we've learned anything it is that how you comport yourself and how you feel on stage with 80-100 million watching is what really matters. The camera is an X-ray machine and the audience sees the candidates to the core of their being. That clarity seals the deal, one way or the other.

Raindrops keep falling on my head....

Did you ever swim in a downpour? Tried it today. Went to Deep Eddy pool, here in Austin, Texas. Deep Eddy is one of the great natural, non-chlorinated pools in Austin. The other famous one is Barton Springs. Both feature very cool water... around 68 degrees.

As I drove to Deep Eddy the clouds overhead seemed to get darker and denser. I figured, "What the hell... it only costs $1.00 entry fee for seniors." Yes, I've arrived at that advanced age.

I walked down the cement stairs. Noticed one of the beautiful Austin women stretching her leg muscles in the pool in the shallow area. Maybe it was Colin Farrell, the Irish actor, who said "Austin is like an ant hive of beautiful women." Not sure. I'll attribute it to him anyway.

I got into the deep water with my goggles on. Water chilled me. I started moving, treading water and then moved into the breast stroke. The pool is relatively empty. It's mid-September but temps are still in the mid-90s in Austin. Great swimming conditions and the kids are back in school and the pool is quiet.

Then the rain drops came. I could feel them and decided to watch the drops hit the surface of the water from a few inches beneath the surface. Very nice effect. No sign of lightning. The lifeguard sat stoically under his umbrella. I stayed in for about 10-15 minutes. Rain didn't stop. It got harder. Not so cold anymore. Then I thought about my shorts, towel and leather sandals getting wet up on the side of the pool. Decided to get out of the pool.

An old dude on the side of the pool said, "Well, you're wet anyway..." and realized he's right. But I got dressed in my slightly soggy clothes and drove off.

Remember "Raindrops keep falling' on my head" by B.J. Thomas. Here it is:

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
Just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothing seems to fit
Oh, raindrops keep fallin' on my head
Keep a-fallin'

Cause I just done me some talking to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleeping on the job
Oh, raindrops keep fallin' on my head
Keep a-fallin'

But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me
Won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness
Comes up to greet me
To greet greet greet greet me

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
Cause I ain't gonna stop the rain by complaining

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
Cause I ain't gonna stop the rain by complaining

Because I'm free
Nothing's bothering me
Because I'm free
Nothing's bothering me
Because I'm free
Nothing's bothering me
Because I'm free
Nothing's bothering me

Texas Shockers... Longhorn football and Trump

After a long dry spell for Texas football, and we know what dry spells are all about, the long-suffering University of Texas football fans got a victory Sunday over Notre Dame. Quarterbacks Vince Young and Colt McCoy spoiled us from 2003-2008. We figured ten victory seasons were to be expected every year. How could we miss? Everybody loves Austin. These young players would keep coming to the Forty Acres campus and the gridiron victories would continue to gush like a West Texas oil well unless something bad happened.

But something bad did happen. Mack Brown left after a few disappointing seasons. Charlie Strong arrived and a new era but the first two years proved to be a struggle. The quarterback position never felt squarely resolved.

But now, suddenly quarterback Charlie Strong's quarterback position has a double-headed personality-- newly arrived Shane Buechele and big Tyrone Swoopes-- the QB who runs over opponents like an 18 wheeler truck. Swooped even has the number 18 on his back. Buechele got to wear #7, apparently a gift from Charlie Strong who knew Shane admired John Elway of the Denver Broncos, another #7. Turns out Shane Buechele's father and John Elway were roommates at Stanford University. Shane brought the passing attack and sense of game control so sorely lacking in recent Texas seasons. Being a Baby Boomer from New York, I see Mickey Mantle whenever #7 pops up on my radar screen.

How about this other Texas shocker... the Presidential election may be competitive in Texas, usually a  solid red arrow in the quiver of the Republican party. The GOP reps claim not to be quivering about the news that Hillary Clinton ain't that far from Donald Trump in the polls for Texas. But just imagine they listed the big state in the middle of the country as a purple-colored tossup. Who'd of thunk it?

Not sure if hell has frozen over or Central Texas. Austin has actually been inundated by a rainy August, of all things.  Rainy August? Yes, nobody can believe that course of events either. I guess the old saying... change is the only constant... holds sway.

2016 Rio Olympic Champions: #1 Usain Bolt

The Olympics has been one of my favorite TV-viewing experiences since the LA Olympics in 1984. I had a back injury that year and watched the entire Olympics from a prone position. Then I realized-- "This is great!"

I am enjoying the the Rio 2016 Olympics and will take in as many events as possible-- from track and field to archery to handball to water polo and even a bit of ping-pong and guys firing pistols at targets. Turns out handball does not involve hitting a ball against a wall; handball is more like water polo on land... the players on each side attempt to throw a ball past a goalie. Volleyball players are incredibly tall. The volleyball games in a gymnasium move incredibly fast and incredibly tall human beings slam the volleyball with great skill, soaring high above the net to make shots and block opponent's shots.

This year I became more aware of Olympic technique-- how even the greatest athletes use strategy along with their strength and speed. Even the 100 meter sprint involves technique for the brief 10 seconds involved in running the race.

1) Usain Bolt-- turns out that even in a 9 or 10 second race of 100 meters, great runners like Usain Bolt have to keep their heads facing down as they come out of the blocks, and for the first 10-20 yards. The best runners take a quick glance at opponents towards the middle of the race, and shift to a higher gear to win the race. Holding your form and maintaining composure and posture is essential. Usain Bolt and other great runners maintain a relaxed stride to the end of the race. The combination of fast-twitch speed and most relaxed stride usually determines who will be the victor. Interestingly, the runner with the calmest visage, a relaxed, composed face, often does the best.

Chris Columbus: thumbs up for the director of "Home Alone" (1990)

Watched Home Alone (1990) with my 8 year old grandson a few days ago. Afterwards I listened to the DVD commentary with director Chris Columbus and star Macaulay Culkin. The duo did a nice job explaining the shooting of the film and I came away with a few impressions:

1) Chris Columbus is the All-American film director, a family man with four kids of his own. Doesn't have a mean bone in his body, based on the what we can glean about him discussing his hit film.

2) Columbus never brags about his role as film director. He speaks generously and warmly about writer John Hughes, star John Candy, and the importance of Macaulay Culkin to the film's success. The audience, Columbus noticed, had almost no interest in the other kids in the film. Hughes noticed audience attention wandered during any kid scenes without Macaulay. Clucking stole the show, was the show and carried the film at the tender age of 9 years.

3) Culkin also has a decent streak. He spoke warmly of his colleagues. He knew the actors in the cast and commented on the work done by the lesser known performers in this and other films.

4) Columbus and Culkin commented on the amount of enjoyment and laughter involved in the making of the film.

5) Columbus credited Joe Pesci with great improvisational comedic skills. Pesci, he said, seemed unsure of what he was doing in the middle of a family comedy.

6) Columbus heaped lavish praise on Daniel Stern, the actor playing Pesci's bumbling partner in crime. Stern had a great feel for the part and replaced an actor who was not finding the right vibe for that character.

7) Many critics, including Ebert and Siskel who gave two thumbs down to Home Alone, missed the boat on Home Alone. So much for the critics.

8) John Candy shot every scene in an intense 24 hour period, working right through the night. Makes you wonder whether that kind of ferocious Hollywood work schedule contributed to the demise of Candy's health. I know he was overweight. Candy loved to perform-- explained the director. But still....

9) The film had an 18 million dollar budget. I'd say they got the money up on the screen.

10) Catherine O'Hara, looking beautiful, does a nice turn at the mom-- a nuanced performance from and never going overboard for laughs. My grandson must have accepted her as the loving mom-- he got a little verklempt when she returns home to reunite with Macaulay.

Chris Columbus, nice guy modesty and all, has had a great Hollywood career.

Drunk Uncle Loves (is) DonaldTrump!

Trump is a tee-totaler but reminds me of "Drunk Uncle," the Bobby Moynihan-created character on SNL. Both have a certain relaxed speaking style. Turns out Drunk Uncle loves Donald Trump! Let's get it directly from Drunk Uncle, and one of his rants from 2015:

"It's Trump time, baby! Somebody is finally saying the things I've been thinking and I've been saying... We both love White Russians... his wife's name is Melania and my doctor said that is what this mole is... These kids today don't even vote anymore... can I eat my flax seeds on my overboard... is this Apple Watch gender neutral... This is how we do it..."

"What do you specifically like about Trump?" ask Colin, the straight man.

"I don't just like him... I love him... He's gonna make America grapes American. He's got it all, he's got everything... he's got money, women, TV shows, Plaza, Ms. America Orange Hair.  He's perfect. Ms. He's like a big, gold beautiful Monopoly man... Yeah, I'm afraid of George Lopez... So I'm not celebrity apprentice, okay... Please that's not me... He's my President because he's finally gonna get rid of every single on of 'em-- crime, crime Colin, crime---crime perpetrated by immigrants!"

But the  Drunk Uncle known as Donald Trump has a twitter account and knows how to use it. The lies, innuendos, attacks, exaggerations, nicknames, make for some spicy reading. Maybe Trump will be nominated for the 2016  Pulitzer Prize for "Best Fiction-- 140 characters or less!

Donald Trump brags he anticipated the Orlando massacre, accuses Barack Obama of having some complicity...  Sounds like Drunk Uncle...

Trump, tweet-master, finds a way to create a spicy narrative. The man certainly has the golden pen when it comes to Twitter. He's like the master of Twitter.  I guess we all have our eyes glued to the over-arching narrative-- Election Day-- the tweet of all tweets.

In the meantime, here's to Bobby Moynihan... a brilliant comedian!

A Mighty Rain Floods Texas

Call it what you will... frog choker, gully washer, the Texas floods of 2016 have arrived.

Texas goes near ten years with a drought and suddenly we've had an intense month or more of nothing but rain. I mean, if my yard was any greener, we'd have to play the Augusta golf tournament in my backyard. And I hear the same thing is happening in Paris, France and they've had to move 250,000 pieces of priceless artworks out of the Louvre Museum basement.

We don't have basements in Texas. But we do collect stuff. I have a NBA trading cards collection, from 1991-92, valued at near $4.00. Lots of shots of Dennis Rodman, Akeem Olajuwon, and Charles Barkley. Actually that estimate may be bit high. They printed too many of those cards. Nobody wants them.

So, like everybody else I've been cutting grass like a crazy man. Gotta keep the grass trimmed just to be able to make my way out of the front door.

I attribute these weird climactic events to global warming. Rush Limbaugh has assured us that this is not the case. Does Rush every step out of the radio studio into his Florida neighborhood? I've got to believe weird climactic changes are occurring in Florida, just like everywhere else.

I wonder if Zika virus has any connection to rising temperatures? I have not investigated Zika or learned much about it. I do note that we are getting more tropical diseases in Austin over the last decade.

Times are changing. Don't recall that we had much of a winter this year--

I don't see anybody making drastic changes to limit man's impact on the environment. They claim people are "getting away from cars."  Everywhere I look, I see automobiles. Google is experimenting with self-driving cars in my neighborhood. Doesn't matter whose driving... cars require energy.

Everybody better put on a life preserver.

Top 21 Girls Names (1950s v. 2010s)

Are you a baby boomer? The good old Fifties... a time when everybody wanted to be normal. The beatniks had not really taken hold. People were thrilled to have survived World War II. They chose names from a limited spectrum of choices.

This data comes from the Social Security Administration and applies to United States only. The most common names are listed (top 21)-- along with the number of children receiving that name throughout the 1950s decade and the 2010s decade. Here it is:

1950s	Girl Name	# with name		2010s	Girl Name	# with name
1	Mary	625,532		1	Sophia	121,787
2	Linda	564,261		2	Emma	119,168
3	Patricia	459,587		3	Isabella	111,984
4	Susan	437,688		4	Olivia	109,329
5	Deborah	430,493		5	Ava	93,595
6	Barbara	345,686		6	Emily	79,590
7	Debra	341,282		7	Abigail	76,894
8	Karen	332,483		8	Mia	75,583
9	Nancy	286,757		9	Madison	67,825
10	Donna	270,310		10	Elizabeth	58,628
11	Cynthia	263,388		11	Chloe	57,522
12	Sandra	251,533		12	Ella	53,439
13	Pamela	237,367		13	Avery	50,336
14	Sharon	232,782		14	Charlotte	49,957
15	Kathleen	224,300		15	Sofia	49,844
16	Carol	222,620		16	Addison	49,157
17	Diane	210,605		17	Natalie	46,303
18	Brenda	209,226		18	Amelia	45,643
19	Cheryl	171,355		19	Grace	45,213
20	Janet	167,500		20	Evelyn	45,112
21	Elizabeth	165,641		21	Lily	44,450

Boys Names (Top 20 names): 1950s v 2010s

Are you a baby boomer? The good old Fifties... a time when everybody wanted to be normal. The beatniks had not really taken hold. People were thrilled to have survived World War II. They chose names from a limited spectrum of choices.

This data comes from the Social Security Administration and applies to United States only. The most common names are listed (top 21)-- along with the number of children receiving that name throughout the 1950s decade and the 2010s decade. Here it is:

1950s	Boy Name	# with name		2010s	Boy	# with name
1	James	843,377		1	Jacob	112,227
2	Michael	837,084		2	Noah	107,552
3	Robert	830,032		3	Mason	104,642
4	John	797,528		4	William	100,397
5	David	769,555		5	Ethan	99,209
6	William	590,973		6	Liam	95,953
7	Richard	535,149		7	Michael	95,382
8	Thomas	454,169		8	Alexander	92,346
9	Mark	382,419		9	Jayden	89,352
10	Charles	360,979		10	Daniel	86,874
11	Steven	333,513		11	Aiden	86,204
12	Gary	329,751		12	James	83,105
13	Joseph	299,854		13	Elijah	82,667
14	Donald	273,413		14	Matthew	81,038
15	Ronald	271,011		15	Benjamin	79,108
16	Kenneth	262,683		16	Logan	78,253
17	Paul	253,081		17	Anthony	77,234
18	Larry	245,535		18	David	76,075
19	Daniel	243,591		19	Joseph	74,916
20	Stephen	207,171		20	Joshua	74,143

Louise Hay-- You Can Heal Your Life (DVD)

Louise Hay—  notes from interview

Create

Every thought we think

+

Every word we speak

You are painting your future

You are creating your own life.

Once you accept it.

n   You can begin creating wat you want in your life

Train yourself

n   To be aware of what you are thinking

n   Smallest level

Doing Affirmations

Making positive affirmations about your life

As you start

Green lights + parking places

Twice a day?

Doing Affirmations

Stand in front of a mirror

And do affirmations

The Mirror reveals:

Accept yourself

Or

Realize that you are rejecting youself

I love you

I really, really love you

A good, general positive statement

About

Thing you would not expect

They will happen

Put the seed in, expect it to grow

Universe

There is a law and a process

Gratitude—works a lot

The universe loves “gratitude.”

Somone gives you a present. Say, “Oh it is wonderful.” More likely you will get more presents.

Only Good Lies Before Me

Prosperity affirmation—“I did 3!”

·      But….

·      How many poverty affirmations did you do this day?

You Can’t Change Your Thoughts

If You Don’t Know What Your

Thoughts Are

Sheet of paper

n   what do I think about—

o  men

o  women

o  money

n   Look at your thoughts

o  How many positive?

o  How many negative?

A Law of Thinking

n   like a computer

n   learn the language of the computer

n   miracles happen

n   Your Thoughts Create Your Life

Love Yourself

One day I discovered

Help people learn to love themselves

Everything falls away—

What have you done that is so terrible?

Not a case of vanity—

Acknowledge that you

“are a child of God”

You are being that has self-worth

Stop beating yourself up

Treat youself

n   what you give out

n   is what comes back to you

Life treats you differently

    You have to practice.

Look in the Mirror

Get to that little

Child inside

Break open that door

The universe loves grateful people.

Life is really simple but

We make it enormously complicated

Put your foot on the pathway—

One step at a time

Enlightenment

Let go of things not benefitting you in life

I don’t have to believe that anymore

That may be true for you

That’s not true for me

Journey

We’re all on a journey

Words

Listen to what people say

People use negative words

Should implies—

You were wrong

or

You are wrong

Or

You are going to be wrong

“I’m 80 years old” (Louise Hay)

·      get the boulder out of the way

·      or

·      get the gravel out of the way

Have you really Learned it?

·      Never wrong

·      Always doing the best we can

Let it roll!