I was out in the world of Air today. You know, life in the American world.
I had the Television on, and was about to change the channel. I pointed my manly remote towards the screen. It was just after an hour of “Cold Cases” on A & E. This show came on that I’d never watched. It was called “Jordan’s Crossing”. I was stunned by the clear, and perfect, voice of Sheila Shandra, singing “Ever so lonely eyes”. I stopped in my remote’s tracks, and listened. I was compelled by the voice of the most beautiful woman on Earth. Her clearness is angelic. No man, who breathes, could possibly resist her sweet tone of suffering. She has no band to speak of. Her life is in her voice. Joan Biaz? No, this is meditation of the soul; it is a rendering of why we live. I thought whoever does the show really knew the feeling of it, and decided to bring relevance to a quiet moment in time. To the director of “Jordan’s Crossing”, you made me hope for something. Sheila’s voice is a clear, and hopeful, message to the world, that there really is hope for peace, and a little, just a little, place for us to be in a quietness.
She mesmerizes me with her clear tone of a chanting. I put it on my computer’s player, put my headphones on, and remembered the reason for our selves. “Never so lonely eyes”; hear it, my friends, and you will drift with the molecules.

I’m a news junkie! I’m watching, or listening at least, to MSNBC news. Everything I have heard this morning leads me to believe that these news channels are concerned with, almost exclusively, gossip!

They just did a story on a murder/kidnap story. It is a tough-break story but for MSNBC, is THE story?
Here in iowa, we just had a story about a kid, from Bonaparte, who killed his whole family. He, allegedly, killed his Mother Father, and three sisters. Talk about tragedies! This kid, allegedly, was into drugs pretty bad, and had been banished from coming around his family. I can't imagine what he's going through right now. But, look what he's, allegedly, done. My God, what happened?

Oh shit, Paul McCartney abused his wife! They ‘here’ the gossip and their lips scream out to the masses: “Paul abused her”! They have no facts, no conclusions; they just scream out what they hear!
“We’re waiting for a statement from Sir Paul McCartney.” Meanwhile, they spread the gossip as if it were fact! Then a scroll rolls across the bottom of the screen saying: “McCartney was born in 1962, in Liverpool. He and Linda Eastman were married in 1969.” Yeah, that’s what the scroll said. So, Paulie married Linda when he was 7 years old? They are so frantic about getting this juice out, they roll out the wrong dates. I know the Beatles; they Beatles are my ‘boys’; don’t throw (rolling) stones at the Beatles (Until it’s proven to be true anyway!). Leave Paulie alone I say! (Until he’s proven to be an ass hole!). Your honor, I object! to this assault on ‘my boys’! If it is true Paulie, I feel bad for you.
You can’t believe gossip. Well, yes you can I guess, but hold off on the judgements. And damn it, Paulie was born in 1942!

OH, here comes another one! “Where’s Wesley Snipes!”, they say. He is wanted for tax evasion. He owes twelve million dollars says the IRS! (How does a guy get that far behind on his taxes?). God, I don’t know if I made even one million $ in my whole working lifetime! How does a guy not pay his damn taxes? MSNBC says they can’t find poor Wesley. Personally, I hope they don’t find him. I like Wesley Snipes; he’s “the Blade” man! Anybody who can kick ass like that is my kind of guy! Let’s all go kick some ass! Let’s start at the IRS! Then, we’ll go to London and kick some more bloody ass!

Oh oh, here’s another one! “People see corporations making a lot of money, so they have confidence in the economy,” the news girl says. “The ‘DOW’ went passed 12,000 points, a new record for its 110 year existence”. What does that mean for the common people?
What does that do for my son and his girl friend, who make $7.00 an hour, and are trying to get into a position where they can get married and start a life together. Actually, she doesn’t make that much. Sure, she makes tips but doesn’t even earn the minimum wage, as a salary. Through the years, I have gained a great deal of respect for those girls who wait tables at bars and restaurants. They make the company a good deal of money, and put up with a lot of crap from customers. And, they must smile all the time. She comes home tired and sore from walking and waiting on people all night.
My son works for a janitorial service. After the day is over for the places he works at, his day begins. They both work hard and have a wonderful little girl. They get nothing from the ‘DOW’; they get hardly anything from anybody. 12,000 on the ‘DOW’ means nothing to them; these are the forgotten people in this surge of money. I am so proud of them both. Nobody invests in them, accept us. They can’t invest in the ‘DOW’. But, and this is a good but: They are happy together. Put that on your ‘DOW’ rich boys! Hey, I’m happy too. Put that in your corporate stash, big boys!

I am common, heppy, and I am proud! Put that on MSNBC!
Joe

What a gorgeous day. She is dressed in her finest, and begs to be seen.
I have an idea; let's all go camping!
I guarantee the food, the joy, the moments on the water, the camp fires that inspire every person to reveal those things they love, will be at their sharpest.
Imagine getting up on a cool morning, throwing on your flannel shirt, and starting the camp fire. Get out the camp stove, and start the morning coffee. The feels, sounds, and smells of the outdoors get into your lungs.
The coffee smells, and tastes especially good, and enlivening. The only sounds are the song of the Birds, a bellowing Bullfrog, the crackle of the camp fire, and soon, the smell of Potatoes, bacon, and eggs sizzling in the pan.
Everything you experience is better. You climb into the little 12-foot boat and row out onto the clear, peaceful, water. Thoughts are sharper, as you think about the beauty. You can't help but get into Nature's wonder. Trees line the lake's shoreline; the morning Sun breaks open the early day. There is a good snag just across the water. You float by the snag. You plop a fishing line into the lake water, and wait. It isn't long before your pole bends with the sudden violence, against your fish line. The battle begins with great excitement. You know now, that you will eat fish this afternoon. You come back to camp with dinner. The rest of them are up now, and most are huddled around the camp fire. Others are getting food ready for breakfast. Man, what a great it is!

Hey, let's all go camping!

Joe