Friends

I have made a few new friends this week. The truth is you can never have too many friends. The best thing about the friends I have made this week is we will not always see eye to eye. I don't expect to, in fact I don't want to...
If I was to think back to when I first started writing and voicing my opinion then I would have to admit being a bit of a prick..at times.
Some would say I still am, and at times..... or to certain people, that would be correct.
The important thing I have realized as I meet more people and grow my contact with people of differing opinions and perspective is, no one is always correct and very seldom is anyone always wrong (there may be a couple of exceptions to this, the jury is still out)
It is really amazing the way a person can have friends of such different perspectives, if you always associate with people who think just like you and always agree then that is too bad. You will lose out on ideas and opinions that may just help you to enjoy your time on earth, or at least make it more interesting.
Just by having a conversation with someone you disagree with instead of slamming them or labeling them as 'stupid' or 'silly' then you could very well discover that maybe you are not so far apart. I can attest to that fact, it has happened to me more times than I can count. Even if you do not agree with someone you should at least try to understand why they see, think, or feel the way they do and remember...You are not that person, you do not know their story and you never will unless you try, and who doesn't love a new story?

Lessons

I am sitting outside by the fire drinking a beer, and talking to my daughter.She is 16 and wiser than I was at the same age. We don't hang out as much as we should but that if often the case in parent/child relationships
even though I may be biased, I think I can safely say she is very smart, and well adjusted.
her mother isn't much help, wanting to be her friend instead of her parent. I can see how it would be a hard line to walk but as a parent our kids depend on us to walk on the side of their best interest.
On the same subject...I spent the earlier part of my day with Beth,her son, his girlfriend and my daughter in San Francisco. We took a small boat whose captain I had met before.
My daughter was a bit afraid of the size of the boat and the coldness of the water, I gave her a smile and a pat while I assured her to trust me, she did.
While nervous as the boat chugged across the bay towards the ocean, she had a good time.
I am just glad I am there to teach her because these days will soon pass, and as hard as they are sometimes I will miss them.......

The REAL Robbie Thomas

I've told you before Robbie Thomas doesn't like me, that's ok he doesn't have to.
If I was Robbie I probably would not like me either.
I have listened to many of the interviews Robbie has done, I have checked out his web-page. I have had conversations with many people both in person, on the phone, and in emails who have dealt with Robbie.
Robbie is not all 'love and light' as he proclaims himself to be.
I started by asking Robbie about his incredible claims, I was not rude but I was skeptical. People who stick their noses into the business of those who have lost loved ones claiming to have some sort of 'special abilities' always make me worry.
The fact is psychic abilities have never been proven to be valid. Another fact is that people who claim to have such abilities have managed to make people who have lost loved ones more grief stricken when false hope has been given to them.
I would think even Robbie would have to admit he is not correct 100% of the time, that is if he was to have any 'psychic powers' (he most likely does not in my opinion)
So why would any reasonable, responsible person invite those who have lost loved ones to violent acts to a stage show so he can 'help them'? I think the answer to that is- A reasonable, responsible person would not.
I was recently invited to guest on a radio show. Robbie Thomas was in the chat. He called me an idiot and made several other comments that were uncalled for and childish in my opinion. Lucky for me I have thick skin and Robbie's opinion means less than nothing to me.....needless to say I was unharmed by big bad Robbie.
Since I was busy talking reasonably with the host of the show I didn't have the opportunity to answer Robbie. My co-host Polly was in the chat also. Robbie began to private message Polly. He was nothing less than a raving lunatic. His tirade continued even after I was done with the interview. It was at that time I began to answer Robbie's tantrum.
I asked him if he realized he was acting like a raving lunatic. He responded by saying "We will meet up someday Reaper" Not being one tolerate such veiled threats I informed him that would be fine with me.
He then advised me that he hoped my disabled son would never be in need of his 'talents'
Please don't get me wrong I know that what Robbie said does not pose any threat to my son but the comment struck me as nothing less than disgusting.
I am happy to argue with those who wish to do so. I am happy to let them say what they will about me no matter how childish or hateful, I can always answer back or in some cases ignore it. But I can not ever picture bringing the fight to such a level as Robbie did.
The thing that bothers me the most is how Robbie can claim to want to work to help children with his positive energy and compassion and make such a comment. It seems to me a indication of who the real Robbie Thomas is...In my opinion he is a childish, angry, low-class fraud.

Flower Power

Ok I am a big bad skeptic, that is a given....I listened to a show called 'The Buzz' tonite and was having a wonderful time in the chat while listening. Then the guest came on and started talking about somethin' called 'flower readings'. Flower readings are when you go out to your garden and pick a flower...somehow (don't ask me why) the flower you pick gains a 'connection' to your spirit and or future. this flower can then tell you what to expect from your life path.....i really do try to be open-minded cause none of use know why we are here or even if there is a reason but....GIVE ME A BREAK!!!
Please those who believe in 'flower readings' do not insult me with such incredible things...Thank You and once again I suggest those people who insist on believing such things... DO SOME SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH and be happy with the fact life is amazing enough without bringing some mystical crap into it....let's just be amazed by what is real and try to find some answers to that before we start looking into the imagined power flowers have over us... PLEASE!!!

Hell On Earth

Hell on Earth

Parker Brothers makes a toy called a Ouija Board. It has since the early 1900's. Many people believe it can bring evil spirits across the the world of the living. The origin of the board is not clear but it is thought by some to date back too 1100 B.C. China or around 500 B.C. Greek culture. Origin of the word Ouija is also unclear. One belief is the word comes from the French oui (for "yes") and the German ja (also for "yes")
"Ouija" is a registered trademark of Hasbro.
Toys "R" Us sells Ouija boards along with many other retail outlets.
Another object which I often refer to as a 'modern day' Ouija board is said to open 'doors to hell' much like the infamous Parker Brothers toy.
The 'Telephone to the Dead', 'Franks Box', or 'Shack Hack' is said to allow the dead to speak to the living by using white noise. The white noise generated by the random tuning is supposed to provide the dead enough sound 'material' to form answers posed by the listeners or to just talk to the living, depending on who you ask.
There is an excellent article posted on the box which can be found here- http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/franks_box_the_broken_radio/

The Ouija board does the same thing. It allows us to consider what is scary and still be safe and sound while doing it.

To claim that a board with letters on it can somehow bring demons into the world and actually believe it,is nothing short of madness in my opinion. How can such people even function in the real natural world?

First demons have never been proven to actually exist. Second, hell is a man made concept. What I would suggest is that people who want to simply say the word "demon" to address behaviors or events they can not understand do some learning.

There are many people who claim to research demons, ghost activity, or communicating with spirits from beyond. Shouldn't that research begin with the study of real world science? It seems studying our brain and the way it can skew our perceptions of the way we see the world, would be the correct way to begin.

Looking into the way our culture has evolved to the point of believing in demons or hell would also seem to be another "common sense" approach to the subject.If you really want to learn about things that effect us here as we live our lives the why not start with actual facts instead of declaring anything that scares you or seems odd as "paranormal"?

Now to the box, or the modern day Ouija. Our brains want to make sense of randomness. We do not want to reside in a world we can not understand. I think this can also address the reason why so many people want to blame what they can not explain on supernatural or other worldly powers.

Many people claim to hear voices through the box, that can not be denied but if one were to do some real research then they would learn that our brains created order from randomness. The tendency of people who want to call themselves "researchers" to ignore well known scientific research is nothing more than stupid and pathetic, in my opinion. They should be both embarrassed, and ashamed.