Knowledge

Acknowledgement of the need to change is merely a step toward it, not a sign of its achievement.


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Tyranny

Beware of the tyranny of the urgent, the priority of the insignificant and the mischeduling of the timely opportunity.


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Game

In the game of love some people play in the minors, for the easy win, even though they have major league skills.


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Vision

People of vision set goals based upon that vision and then plan activities to achieve that goal. They then execute those activities in a disciplined manner until the goal is actually achieved and their vision actualized.


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Go

Don't be afraid to live: go where you've never gone, do what you've never done, say what you've never said, love who you've never loved and eat what you've never eaten!


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Harness

Use your mind to harness the power of your emotions and passions or you will be destroyed by them.


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Synergy

Synergy between two people and synergy within one's self is dependent on clear beliefs and values translated to congruent behaviors.


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Convincing

If you have to convince someone to be with you, then you could be lying to yourself?

Forgive

Without follow-up actions, from both parties, forgiveness is just a word.

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Blessing

If you want a blessing from God, you must first become a blessing to someone else.

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Politically Correct

Political correctness has laid waste to truth. And having tasted her blood, it seeks it's next victim...justice. #EWJJr


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Bricks

We all have bricks. We could use them to throw at each other. We could use them to build up walls between us. Or we could use them to build bridges over the things that separate us from one another.-EWJJr

Rope

Usually, God waits until we get to the end of our rope before He steps in to save us. That way, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was responsible for our deliverance.-EWJJr

Teacher

The greatest gift my teachers ever gave to me was the desire to teach myself.

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Hop

I find that most women are so used to kissing frogs, trying to find their prince that when they finally do find their prince, they treat him like a frog. Then they wonder what happened after he "hops" away.

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Human Organ Trafficking

As she lay dying, no dead, but on life support they came with the paperwork. This guy in a suit, who clearly was not a doctor, asked for her organs. He made it sound noble, and 'what she would have wanted'.

At the time, we wanted to believe that. We wanted to believe she would somehow continue to live through the lives the donations would effect. Today, I wonder how the existence of the organ trade effects the administration of medicine. She was young, she looked otherwise healthy. I never thought they did enough to save her life. Why?

Why are there so many people missing and where do they go?

Why does it seem that some are able to get organ transplants while others linger on waiting lists? Is there some 'black market' to be tapped into?

Remember the movie 'Coma'? Could it be true?


Organ trade is the trade involving inner human organs (heart, liver, kidneys, etc.) for organ transplantation. There is a worldwide shortage of organs available for transplantation,[1] yet commercial trade in human organs is illegal in all countries except Iran.

The problem of illegal organ trafficking is widespread, although data on the exact scale of the organ market is difficult to obtain. Whether or not to legalize the organ trade, and the appropriate way to combat illegal trafficking, is a subject of much debate.


The Legal Organ Market

In the 1970s pharmaceuticals that prevent organ rejection were introduced. This along with a lack of medical regulation helped foster the organ market. Living donor procedures include kidney, liver, cornea and lung transplants. Most organ trade involves kidney or liver transplants.

Despite numerous past failures in organ trades due to lack of contractual and/or safety regulation, Robert Truog of Harvard Medical School Department of Social Medicine addresses the lowered safety risks in transplant procedures with available modern medical technology, along with increased regulation in contracting of organ transplantation for individuals with more government interventions.[2]


Attempts to legalize China:

In China, organs are often procured from executed prisoners. Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, estimated that 90 percent of organs from China are from deceased prisoners.[3]

Despite the legality of the process in the country, there is evidence that the government attempted to downplay the scope of organ harvesting through confidentiality agreements[4] and laws such as the Temporary Rules Concerning the Utilization of Corpses or Organs from the Corpses of Executed Prisoners.[5]

Even with this lax regulation, China still suffered a shortage of organs for transplant.

The Chinese government, after receiving severe scrutiny from the rest of the world,[6] has passed legislation ending the legal sale of organs. No legislation currently prohibits the collection of organs from deceased inmates who sign agreements before execution. Recently, China has introduced new legislation in order to standardize its organ collection process. This legislation includes regulations stating which hospitals can perform operations and what the legal definition of brain-death is. Foreign transplant patients are no longer accepted. Since China has ceased the legal sale of organs, global prices are estimated to have risen 40%.[7]


India:

Before the passage of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act in 1994, India had a successful legal market in organ trading. Low cost and availability brought in business from around the globe and transformed India into one of the largest kidney transplant centers in the world.[8]

Several problems began surfacing during the period of legal organ trade in India. In some cases patients were unaware a kidney transplant procedure even took place.[9]

Other problems included patients being promised an amount much higher than what was actually paid out.[10]

Ethical issues surrounding contribution donating pushed the Indian government to pass legislation banning the sale of organs.[11]

Despite these steps, loopholes still exist in current laws that allow non-related donors to give organs if they are emotionally close to the recipient. In many cases, the donor may not be from the same country as the patient, or even speak the same language.[5]


Iran:

In Iran the practice of selling one's kidney for profit is legal. Iran currently has no wait lists for kidney transplantation.[12]

Kidney sales are legal and regulated. The Charity Association for the Support of Kidney Patients (CASKP) and the Charity Foundation for Special Diseases (CFSD) control the trade of organs with the support of the government. The organizations match donors to recipients, setting up tests to ensure compatibility. The amounts paid to the donor vary in Iran but the average figures are $1200 for kidney donation.[13]

Employment opportunities are also offered in some cases. It has been argued that the Iranian system is in some ways coercive, as over 70% of donors are considered poor by Iranian standards.[14]

There is also evidence of highly negative outcomes both in health and emotional wellbeing for Iranian donors.[15]


Philippines:

The sale of organs was legal in the Philippines until a ban took effect in March 2008.[16]

Prior to this, the Philippines was a popular destination for transplant tourists. The Philippine Information Agency, a branch of the government, promoted "all-inclusive" kidney transplant packages that retailed for roughly $25,000.[17]

Since instating the ban on organ selling, transplants have dropped from 1,046 in 2007, to 511 in 2010.[18]


Current Restrictions:

At present, Iran is the only nation that allows the legal buying and selling of organs. The market is contained within the country, that is foreigners are not allowed to buy organs of Iranian citizens. In an attempt to further limit transplant tourism, organs can only be transplanted between people of the same nationality, that is to say an Iranian cannot purchase a kidney from a refugee from another country.[13]

The system is largely charity and volunteer-based, and those tasked with matching donors and patients are not paid for their work.[14]

The Iranian system has been put up as an example of an effective and safe organ trading model by proponents of legalized donation.

All other nations have some form of legislation meant to prevent the illegal trading of organs, whether by an outright ban or through legislation that limits how and by whom donations can be made. Many countries, including Brazil, Belgium, and France, use a system of presumed consent to increase the amount of legal organs available for transplant.[19]

In the United States, federal law prohibits the sale of organs, however the government has created initiatives to encourage organ gifting and to compensate those who freely donate their organs. In 2004, the state of Wisconsin began providing tax deductions to living donors.[20]

Worldwide, the trend has been to move towards increased regulation of organ trading. This is seen in the tightening of policies after countries like China and India came under scrutiny for human rights violations related to their organ procurement process.

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[1] "Experts warn against organ trade". BBC News. 2007-01-08. Retrieved 2008-02-18.

[2] Truog, Robert D. (2005). "The Ethics of Organ Donation by Living Donors". New England Journal of Medicine 353: 444–446. doi:10.1056/NEJMp058155.

[3] "China issues human organ transplant rules in attempt to clean up industry". International Herald Tribune. April 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-01.[dead link]

[4] Hemphill, Joan E. (2007). "China's Practice of Procuring Organs From Executed Prisoners: Human Rights Groups Must Narrowly Tailor Their Criticism and Endorse the Chinese Constitution to End Abuses". Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal Association 16 (2): 431–457.

[5] Glaser, Sheri R. (2007). "Formula to Stop the Illegal Organ Trade: Presumed Consent Laws and Mandatory Reporting Requirements for Doctors". Human Rights Brief.

[6] David Matas, Esq. and Hon. David Kilgour, Esq. (31 January 2007). "Bloody Harvest: Revised Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China".

[7] Watts, Jonathan (2007). "China Introduces New Rules to Deter Human Organ Trade". The Lancet 369 (9577): 1917–1918. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60897-6.

[8] "Organ Shortage Fuels Illicit Trade in Human Parts". Retrieved 2008-05-01.

[9] "India Kidney Trade". Retrieved 2008-05-01.

[10] "Hub For Global Organ Trade". Retrieved 2008-05-01.

[11] "Indian Journal of Medical Ethics: Asia’s Organ Farms". Retrieved 2008-05-01.

[12] Ghods AJ, Savaj S (November 2006). "Iranian model of paid and regulated living-unrelated kidney donation". Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 1 (6): 1136–45. doi:10.2215/CJN.00700206. PMID 17699338.

[13] Griffin, Anne (March 2007). "Iranian Organ Donation: Kidneys on Demand". British Medical Journal 334 (7592): 502–505. doi:10.1136/bmj.39141.493148.94. PMC 1819484. PMID 17347232.

[14] Hippen, Benjamin E. "Organ Sales and Moral Travails: Lessons from the Living Kidney Vendor Program in Iran". Cato Institute: Policy Analysis.

[15] Scheper-Hughes, Nancy (2008). The Last Commodity: Post-Human Ethics, Global (In)Justice, and the Traffic in Organs. Penang: Multiversity & Citizens International. ISBN 9789833302093.

[16] http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=124049

[17] Turner, Leigh (2009). "Commercial Organ Transplantation in the Philippines". Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 18 (2): 192–196. doi:10.1017/S0963180109090318.

[18] http://phys.org/news199519641.html

[19] http://presumedconsent.org/?page_id=49

[20] http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0609/p12s02-wogi.html


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Damn You!

The first day that I met you, you looked at me with those lovely eyes,
and ignited a passion inside of me that left me speechless. The fire
rose up through me and I blushed and bowed my head because I felt so
exposed.

I asked you for your phone number. You gave it to me as you looked at
me again with those lovely eyes.

I called you,, but we could never connect. You were seldom there.

Damn you.

Nearly two years went by.

Damn you.

I met you again, on business. Your face appeared familiar to me but I
didn't get it right away. Then you remembered when we had first met
and you reminded me. Then you did it. You looked at me with those
lovely eyes. Not a gaze or a stare but a look that penetrated through
my eyes, through my veneer of calm control and straight into my spirit,
the very depth of me. Then my heart remembered you. It awakened my
soul with "she's back." My soul realized your presence and became alive and said, "it's you." Once again, my passion ignited inside of me, I
became speechlesss, the fire rose up through me, I blushed and bowed
my head because I felt so exposed.

As "business" continued, I tried to maintain my professional distance
and demeanor because it was the ethical thing to do. I would purposely
avoid long periods of time with you. I would keep my distance from you
to avoid any physical contact. I would keep the tone of my voice clear
and articulate. Above all else, I would not look too long into your lovely eyes. That would have been more than my professionalism could
stand. I would have melted away.

But when "business" was done...you had lunch with me. Afterwards I
found some frivoulous excuse, or was it a divine imperative that forced
me into a situation where I was compelled to hold your hand as we crossed the street. Your hand fit so nicely in mine. Your skin was so warm and soft and our fingers embraced each other as though they were long since friends. The way you held onto me made my hand feel welcome. That felt so good.

We talked for weeks about the kids and other things as we grew closer
together. At times when I would depart your company we would embrace. You would hold me tightly and wantonly. I would hear you sigh as if in relief and shake your head as though overwhelmed by the emotion of our embrace. Your embraces were always warm and tender.

Slowly, but surely I could feel myself slipping away under this spell of
warmth and tenderness that you had cast upon me. So taken was I that I
had begun to do things I had never wanted to do before.

I broke all my usual rules and regulations that would have kept me from seeing you. I went places I would not normally go and accepted things that would ordinarily kept me away from other women.

Your love was amazing! Your kisses were a dream, a journey into an ethereal realm of passion and bliss. I kissed you for hours and could for days on end. With our bodies entwined we joined each other in the pleasures of licking, squeezing, caressing, grinding, hugging and thrusting or way to a united destination of oooooooh baby! We lay soaked. Holding each other close we exchange our spirits. As they pass between us I become you and you become me realizing how, without a word, two really do become one.

It was always hard to break that connection. It was like a cord that attached my heart to yours. I could feel you move, I could feel you breathe, I could feel your every heart beat. It kept us breathing in sync with each other as we slept, embracing.

You were a pleasure to my eyes. I would stare at the texture of your face. I would trace every crease, every curve and every line and burn them into my memory. I would study the shape of your fingers and your hands. Surely, I could pick them out of a crowd with a mere glimpse. I would watch you walk, no float, and watched you as you would walk away until I could barely see you anymore. But then, you knew it. You'd always turn and wave just before you slipped away. Could you feel me watching? Could you feel the cord which connected our hearts growing taut? You must have!

As time goes on, I want more of that special passion and love.
As time goes on, I want more of you. As time goes on, I want more of us. As time goes on, I want to spend my life with you. But you are not ready.

Damn you.

Too much? Too strong? Too real? Too right? Too wrong? What makes one run from love. What makes one walk away from love. What makes one not see what having real love in their lives could do to enhance life? What makes one not embrace love, fully take it in and live in its present passion and future promise? Why would anyone reject such a great love? I don't know why you did.

Damn you!


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Decide

You can probably think of three or four key decisions that have shaped your life to this point? In your lifetime, those decisions probably won't number past ten. So, think very carefully about what you choose to think about as though your life and lifestyle might depend upon it!-EWJJr

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Self

Self-centeredness is a cage, a prison in fact that enslaves the soul in its solitary confinement. It is an island with few bridges that allow one to pass the commodities of love into the lives of others. It is a house with so many locked doors it keeps the love and the loving from entering in. It is the darkness which remains, in spite of the brilliant light of love being all around. It is the unquenchable thirst of sadness and gloom that cannot be relieved by any elixir one can concoct, imbibe or imagine. For there is but one remedy for self, and that is surrendering self to God.


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ICE

God's grace is usually kept behind that glass that says, Break In Case Of Emergency".

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Katrina Day

Katrina Day


I decree August 29th to forever be called Katrina Day in the city of New Orleans.

We shall not work on this day but pray prayers of thanksgiving, share a community moment of silence, the have a Festival of Joy.

It will be a day of homecoming as all of the diaspora of New Orleans can come home on this day to reconnect with our first love, New Orleans, because surely no one else knows what it means to miss her.

So be it.


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Intersection

In order for a person to make the changes they need to make in their lives, three roads must converge. The 'Power to Change Street' must cross the 'Desire to Change Boulevard' as it intersects with the 'Opportunity to Change Avenue'.


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The Curse

The Curse


I visited my aunt and talked about my dad, my uncle and my cousins. We talked about our collective inability to sustain meaningful relationships with women. We decided that there is a family curse on the males of our family. Somehow, no matter the circumstance and how hard I try, I always seem to make the wrong decisions when it comes to women. This manifests itself in various forms from making the wrong selections, not making any selection, staying in the relationship too long, getting in the relationship to begin with, committing too soon, not committing at all and a host of various other manifestations never doing the right thing at the right time with the right person...such is the curse. I am still looking for a cure or at least a support group to help ease the burden.


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Asset

Peace of mind is the most valuable asset. Cultivate it carefully so that there will be a rich supply. Guard it diligently so that it is never lost or stolen.


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The Good Neighbor

The Good Neighbor


You get to a point in your life when death becomes personal. I remember the first time this happened to me. It was when 'Moo Moo' died. She was a 'friend of the family' of a friend of mine. I was touched by her death because 'Moo Moo' was a contemporary of mine. 'Moo Moo' was someone I had seen often and had talked to often. Somehow, I don't even know why, her death seemed connected to the reality of my own death.

Certainly, death had touched my life before that. My grandmother when I was about 8. Cathy died in her sleep when I was about 10. Marcia and her best friend drowned together when I was in high school. Renette from across the street died from a brain tumor. My roommate flipped his car while he was drinking when I was in the Navy. Then there was Raynetta's husband who just sat down one day and keeled over.

So, I was no stranger to the reality of death in my life. The difference is that until, 'Moo Moo', death seemed to happen to other people and I was never left with its reality as a constant companion. Now this is coming from a person who had knowingly escaped the clutches of death on two occasions.

First, was when I almost drowned at summer camp when I was about 9. Some of the other boys decided they would teach me how to swim by holding me under water. I guess they thought I would grown gills or something. Needless to say the actual length I could endure this lesson was much shorter than the class was scheduled for and I began to take on water. I sincerely thought I could drink enough to last just long enough until the lesson would end but after a few swallows one realizes the futility of such a strategy. I thrashed and fought as best I could but they would not relent. I did the one thing that most people dying do, I called for my "mama". Then it happened! I surrendered my mind to the certainty of my own death. Then, and only then, did I feel a peace and serenity come over me and I accepted what seemed to be my most certain outcome. I remember thinking to myself, "This isn't so bad." It is ironic that just at that point God sent me an angel. His name was Bernard Jordan. He jumped in the pool and ended my swimming lesson by forcefully removing my teachers from the class. I was grateful to be alive, but knew I was ready to make the eternal journey clothed in that peace and serenity I had received. I wonder what would have come next if Angel Bernard would not have been there? Would I have seen the 'Light'? Would I have begun my 'Life Review'? Probably so. I remember reading that soldiers in World War II who had frozen to death were often found with smiles and peaceful expressions on their faces. I think this is the final 'gift' that life gives to you to help you deal with the realization of your own impending demise. Your very own personal administration of gall to help assuage the sting of death. Then comes that walk into the 'Light' that begins your journey into the next phase of your eternal existence.

But even then, the reality of death did not stay with me. Its nearness that day did not seem to affect me. I don't even recall telling anyone about it that day.

Second, was in August of 1979 when Al Skinner died in my place. I say that because at the last minute a decision was made that changed the recipient of death. When I was in the Navy I would often have to travel. And on one occasion I met a gentleman who invited me to church with him one night. I accepted his invitation and was picked up by him in his two door VW bug. We also picked up Al Skinner. I remember Al Skinner as a vibrant older man who seemed to love God fervently. We attended church and afterward went to the car to leave. On the way there I had sat in the front. So, as the car door was opened I hesitated. I actually stopped and thought about which seat in the car I should sit in. I decided in that moment that I would let Al Skinner sit in the front and I would find some comfort in the rear seat. As we drove we observed a young white man about 19 years old, with sandy brown hair and a face too worn for his apparent age, who was hitch-hiking on the side of the onramp to the highway. I remember he had on a faded red shirt. This was back in the days when it was still OK to pick up hitch-hikers and the driver, in his evangelistic fervor, suggested we give the guy a ride and pulled into that section of the roadway between the onramp and the main highway. The young man ran over to the vehicle and Al Skinner got out to let the man into the rear seat with me. As I looked up and moved over, there was an explosion of noise and motion. The next thing I remember was seeing the young man, in his red shirt, and Al Skinner, in his yellow shirt, laying in the roadway...dead! The passenger side door of the car had been peeled to the front, right where they had been standing, as we had been side swiped by what I was told to be a drunk driver. At one point, I remember seeing the lady who had hit us sitting in her car frozen behind the steering wheel. I don't know what ever happened to her. But that was back in the days when not much happened to drunk drivers. To this day I am very squeamish about stopping my car on the highway.

That one sent me for a loop because I thought about how close I had come to being the one who would have been out of the car letting the young man in. I had minor head wounds from debris in the car and that was back in the days when they kept you in the hospital for 'observation' for days at a time. So I had plenty of time to think about life and my purpose in it. Those thoughts lingered for months as I tried to understand the why's, why nots and what nexts of the situation I had gone through. I wish I could tell you I had some great revelation that has redirected my life from that point on but that was not the case.

But even then, the reality of death did not stay with me. Its nearness that day did affect me to the point that I was concerned about it, but I was more concerned about the meaning of its visitation than its actual visit.

That all changed for me after 'Moo Moo'. My own mortality became a constant companion for me when she died. It was the first time I realized there was an actual END for me too. That reality sunk in hard that day. It was as though death had become that nasty neighbor who moves in next door. You know the one you see moving their stuff in and you just feel a sense of dread that they have moved in next to you. Though not in your house you can hear what they are doing all of the time and they take up residence in your mind. From time to time you see them but you don't dare speak. Not even the usual cordialities because you really don't want to give them a reason to become your friend or, God forbid, think it is OK to come over and visit.

Since 'Moo Moo' there has been a Mardi Gras procession of people I have known who have died. There was Yolanda, a unique passion in my life; then there was 'Man' and his brother 'Tiger', mere children cut down by the violence of urban crime; then there was Sam Poole, a class mate, a co-worker and a friend and then there was Tommy Felix, a friend and co-worker whose death created a void in many people's lives; then Linda lost her only begotten son in the war and just the other day it was Keith, Vicky’s husband and best friend. Death is very busy and extremely proficient at what it does.

Somehow though, I think as time goes on people begin to accept their unwanted neighbor's presence in their lives. They greet death as it goes about its business and they go about theirs. Death no longer looks so strange to them. Death does not appear to be so weird anymore. I think you begin to accept your neighbor's purpose in you life. I think in time, your neighbor becomes your friend. I think this is when people look death in the face and are not afraid. I think this is when people look death in the eyes and see its purpose and their destiny in it. I think this is when people see death for what it is, merely an escort across the bridge to the next life where death is not allowed to go. Death may even be jealous of that fact.

Most elderly people can sense and fear their death. It is palpable and real to them. Their age takes away any illusion of the immortality and invincibility we feel when we are young. Most times elderly people have a peace about their own deaths because they have given themselves time to reconcile with it. But the end is and has always been near to us. Death has always been, and always is, just a moment away. But death knows its business. Death knows its time and will not approach prematurely. So there is no need to fear death. And in time, you too can calmly greet it, welcome it and embrace it...like a good neighbor.


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Fog

Fog is like the blanket I used to put over my head when I was a kid...nobody sees me.

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Accuracy

With information, it is not a matter of being right or wrong. 'Wrong' wreaks of deception and 'Right' carries the stench of being judgmental. What matters is accuracy!

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The Office Visit

The Office Visit


I had my “exam” today. Yeah, it is the yearly exam that takes me 18 months to do. I need the extra 6 months to get my courage up. As I waited for the doctor the thought came to my mind that if my son came home and told me he wanted to be a doctor, I would probably be happy and encourage him. But what if he also told me he wanted to be a urologist? Would I start to wonder about him then? I mean really, what kind of guy wants to spend his time looking up the rectums of other men? A gay guy that’s who!

If you think about it, you see that the whole urology thing is a play world for them. Why do you have to access and examine the function of a man’s sex organs through his anus? Now think about it girls. When you go to the gynecologist do they bend you over and look up your butt? Of course not! It just would not make sense. Every thing you need to see is in the front, not the back. So why does it make sense to bend us over? There is really no logical explanation for it other than the whole specialty is geared toward the gratification of gay men. Are there any female urologists? We need some.

But as I continued to ponder, I was comforted only by the memory of the last time I had my exam. It was over in seconds. I had told myself it would be alright as I had remembered the doctor as being a very professional and no nonsense type of guy. He came in, got right to business and it was over before I had the opportunity to feel any shame or embarrassment about the situation. I looked forward to the same thing.

However, to my chagrin, a new guy appeared in the room. Suddenly I felt myself feeling nervous and scared as sweat began to trickle from my armpits and down my sides. He was a younger man with a high pitched voice. A high pitched voice! I thought, “This is how they get you.” It’s the old bait and switch, but with a more sinister agenda. The first doctor was the “indoctrination” doctor. He is the one that gets you comfortable so you will come back again. Then they slip this guy in on you, the effeminate one with the limp thermometer and extra long fingers. He is the “initiation” doctor. He asks you, with a subtle lisp, “Are you ready?” It is too late to run out. I saw the head nurse and she was much too big for me to maneuver around. So now what do I do? Suddenly, I had a flash back to a scene from that documentary, “Scared Straight” where one of the convicts talked about the possibility of being gang raped in prison. He said you try to fight them off and if you can’t fight them off you just have to “take it like a man.” Take it like a man?!

“Drop ‘em!” he said forcefully. SNAP, SNAP, was the sound of the gloves as he eagerly put them on and ran to the medicine cabinet for his assistant, Mister KY! I began to feel like I was on the wrong end of a Dominatrix experience. I was compelled, by his authority, to heed his command. I felt so weak, so vulnerable. Then it happened. He put it in. That long, slender foreign invader he called a finger. Deeper and deeper he probed. It was as though I could feel every wrinkle on his skin and every curve of his knuckles. Yes knuckles! Could his finger really be in that far? I was beginning to wonder exactly what it was I was really being probed with. Had I been victimized by the ultimate bait and switch? I felt so violated, so beaten. All he had to do was slap me and say, “Who’s your daddy?” I would have whimpered, “You’re my daddy, daddy.” Deeper and deeper he probed. He twisted it and turned it as though in search of something lost long ago. The more it twisted, the more it turned and the deeper he probed, the more it seemed my manliness and dignity slipped away from me.

Then suddenly, he was done! I turned around only to see the blue blur of his scrubs as he fled the room like a criminal leaving the scene of a crime. He was gone and I was left there standing with my pants around my ankles, KY jelly in the deepest recesses of my anus and a stream of toilet paper in my quivering hand. It took all of my remaining strength and self esteem to keep from crying. I got cleaned up as best I could. However, I could still feel the squishy KY jelly between my butt cheeks as I slinked pass the nurse. She looked at me and smirked, as if to say, “Got another one.” I hung my head and left the office.

When I got home I showered for over an hour, wondering. Wondering…will he call me?


Written by:
@ewjjr
http://ewjtoday.blogspot.com


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THEY CALL ME MR. PO PO

“BEING A POLICE OFFICER” or “THEY CALL ME MR. PO PO”


Someone asked me to share with them what it means to be a police officer. This is what I say….

When you first become a police officer, you think you are really going to make a difference. You feel like your presence on the street is going to bring peace to a chaotic situation, justice to an unfair world and light to all the dark places of evil in the city. Lofty and noble goals indeed, but that is how you feel inside. It is this dream that propels you as you endure both the physical, mental, emotional and financial hardships of training. It is this dream and the enduring of such hardship that makes you proud, your family proud and even some of your friends proud about your achievement. It is this dream that compels you to take on a job that asks the ultimate sacrifice from you yet, by comparison, compensates you so little. In spite of knowing that police officers work demanding hours, die earlier and have more failed relationships than the general public you still want the job. Why?

That is just it. Being a police officer is more than just a job, it is a calling. The values and beliefs of a free society determines the laws it develops for itself. The laws provide a boundary which sets limitations on and guidelines for individual and group behavior within a society in order to maintain social order and peace; provide for the safety of its citizens and their property and protect the rights of individuals afforded them by their government. The police are the guardians of the free function of a society who maintain or restore the order and peace of a society through the unbiased enforcement of its laws or through the sound application of its values and beliefs to achieve the purpose of the law. The police officer holds an office of public trust within a society and is a representative of the values and beliefs of that society. Therefore the police officer is expected, by the citizens of a society, to be the personification and embodiment of its values and beliefs, an equitable and just administrator of its laws and a model for the law abiding citizen to emulate.

As a new officer you are full of “piss and vinegar” as the old guys will tell you. You want to run after everything that runs, while the old guys tell you, “Let the radio catch ‘em.” You want to go through the doors first and drive the police car fast, with the lights and sirens blaring of course. Otherwise, what is the point? The old guys will tell you to still stop at every red light though. At roll call you want to look the best you can and at the end of the day you want to have made the most arrests, the most traffic stops, the most pedestrian stops and wrote the most traffic tickets. All, of course, in the most dangerous parts of your patrol area.

But then reality begins to set in quite quickly when you realize that most of police work is actually driving from place to place meeting with citizens who have complaints and problems that need to be written down in a police report. It is ironic that the one thing you spend the most time doing, you probably gave the least importance to while you were in training. After all, how glamorous is writing a police report?

As time goes on, the reports began to sound the same. Sure the people are different, but the problems and the complaints are the same. Could it be that all of these people share the same struggles and hardships. Can it be that they all share the same inability to solve the own problems without the intervention of an outside authority in their lives. Maybe it is that they have so become accustomed to “the government” doing everything for them that they just don’t have the desire to do for themselves. They look to “the government” to tell them how to be married, get unmarried, raise their children, be kind to their neighbors and have more respect for themselves. And since the police officer is the first line of “the government” these people see, we get the pleasure of having those types of conversations multiple times a day. Such a continuous flood of repetitive conversations about the same solvable “unsolvable problems”, with seemingly the same people, wears you down. It creates apathy and some disdain for the very people you thought you wanted to help in the first place.

This jaded position is certainly unrealistic because, in fact, most of the people in the community are not calling you with these “unsolvable problems” as they know how to effectively navigate life without the over involvement of “the government”. But those people never call. No one ever calls you to come to their house to see how well Little Johnny is doing in school. No one ever calls you to come over to their house to see how well their marriage is going. No one ever calls to show you that none of their worldly possessions have disappeared overnight. And certainly no one ever calls you over to their house just to say thank you. But then that is not what you were called to do. You were called “to protect and to serve” so just shut up and do it. For the most part, police work is a difficult and thankless job. But every now and then, something happens or you come in contact with someone who makes it all worth while.

Of course, the other aspect of police work is dealing with the criminals themselves. Contrary to the citizens, these people really don’t want to see you. They don’t call and they prefer to handle their own problems their own way. That would be fine and dandy except that their ways of coping and conflict resolution are the major reasons your job exists in the first place. I often have marveled at how much time, energy and talent criminals put into their escapades. It seems to me that the same amount of the same resources would have paid off in legitimate arenas and thus would have nullified the necessity of any future negative interaction with “the government”. After a period of time of seeing the blood, pain, tears, fears, dead bodies and broken lives, you just wag your head and ask “Why?” Each time you ask, you have a different answer. Is it the fact that the father is gone? Is the fact that the mother has to be absent at work? Is the fact that the children have to live in survival mode all of the time? Is it their environment? Is it the lack of religious training? Is it peer pressure? Is it a lack of education? Is it a combination of all of the above? You don’t really know, so you just keep wagging your head.

After a while, it doesn’t really matter. Someone will ask you who is that laying dead on the ground? You don’t know because you never took time to notice. He is just another 15 to 25 year old male who was killed. Same as the one two days ago. Same as the two a week ago. Same as the three a month ago. After awhile, they all seem the same. You just grow numb. Numb to the blood on the streets, numb to the pain and suffering, numb to the tears of the mothers, numb to the fears of the little children, numb to the sight of all the dead bodies and numb to the trail of broken lives such things leave behind as well as create. It is as though a part of your own humanity has died with them.

It is the repetitive nature of crime that gives it such a sense of permanence as to make you feel like all your efforts to prevent it are in vain. No matter how hard you try or how many you put in jail, there will always be another one to take the place of the one you put away. In most instances, due to the way the justice system works, the same criminals are freed and free to perpetrate the same crimes. Can you imagine how disheartening it is to, at great peril to yourself, apprehend a criminal only to see him in the same spot you arrested him in just a week later? Can you imagine how disheartening it is to see a criminal’s rap sheet and read multiple murder charges and robbery charges? Why is he free? After awhile you figure, “What is the use?” There will always be more of them than us. They stay the same age, 15 to 25, as we just grow older. They have the advantage in numbers, they have the advantage in the courts and they have the advantage on the streets. Or do they?

In reality, they do not! We perceive them to be everywhere at all times because we hear about them the most on the news. They appear to be all powerful because we are often reminded on the news of the dreadful things they are capable of. They appear to be invincible because most of our singular efforts to contain, control or eliminate them are often thwarted. It is this singular approach that gives them power and increases their number. I am reminded of the saying, “All that is needed for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing.” Well while we are not just doing nothing, perhaps we could work more closer together to get better results. The fact is that the good citizens, the police and the court system are infinitely more powerful than any group of criminals. It takes a cooperative, determined and unified partnership to defeat crime and its affects on our society. Policing should not be relegated to just a few souls who complete the training and hold the sworn office. Policing is an involved community effort and the police officer is merely the enforcement and apprehension arm of this effort. And in a more than symbolic gesture of the gavel, the court system should serve to lower the boom on criminals and remove them from the citizenry. It is only as this partnership works we will began to get a grip on crime and gain the advantage. And as we do, we can began to make a difference in changing the causative factors that lead up to criminal activity. But it will take all of us families, clergy, social organizations, business groups, professional groups, retirees, activists, blue collar workers, white collar workers and no collar workers to get involved and make a difference.

So if you really want to know what it means to be a police officer, look in your mirror and ask yourself, “What police work have I done today?” You are the police!


Written by:
@ewjjr
http://ewjtoday.blogspot.com


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Fantasy

Fantasy

The romance novel is the pro-generation of the hormone fueled fantasy most women can create in their minds while the way to its actual manifestation and realization escapes their know how.

Instead of chasing the fantasy and imagination of fiction, a woman should be careful to create her own fantastic reality from within her own heart. In doing so, she could genuinely present her true soul to her lover instead of an imitation of someone else's creation. -EWJJr

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The Change

The Change


It could be said that nature is as God as it is no respecter of persons. It treats us all with equal cruelty. I will be 54 in December and for the last 12 years my body has been in a state of, shall we say, 'change'. This 'change' has presented some physical challenges. It has become a chore, for the first time in my life, to monitor my food intake. One reason is for the nutritional aspects but now I have to watch my weight. Food used to melt off of me as I ate my five meals everyday. My friends use to tease me and tell I only ate one meal a day...a continuous one. Now don't get me wrong, I am not getting fat, but the weight hangs out around my stomach. I look like a pregnant toothpick! I use to have six pack abs now I just have a gallon jug. The battle of the 'bulge' is on.

One other thing I noticed is that the 'change' has also been emotional. Now I have always been the type of man who was in touch with his emotions. I was never afraid of my 'feminine' side, if you will. But as a man, you have to balance that with a healthy surge of testosterone. You learn how to sit through tear jerker movies and keep your tears in check. It is just a 'man thing'. But recently some 'changes' have been happening to me. I was watching the World Vision infomercial one night and found myself crying like a baby. Now, in reality you have to be a cold hearted person not to at least tear up at one of those things but I was actually crying! What is going on? In August I went to a convention. They played the National Anthem. Now I consider myself to be a patriotic person. I have welled up on occasion as I heard patriotic songs like 'God Bless the USA' song by Lee Greenwood. But when I heard the National Anthem on that occasion, tears were streaming down my face! What is going on? You would think I was going through menopause or something. Or something?

Or something like 'andropause'. Like I said before...no respecter of persons. Yes girls, we guys have our very own 'change'. It is revealing to realize that men and women are differentiated only by a precarious balance between estrogen and testosterone. Tip one way and you are masculine or tip the other way and you are feminine. So why does
nature come along to try and 'balance' the scales? Does she want some androgynous creature? Is this her way to end the eternal conflict between men and women? Is this her idea of 'equality'? I don't know.

Or should the emphasis be placed on the 'pause'? Is it God getting us to a point in our lives when he is saying to us, "Wait a minute. Just slow down and wait a minute." Is it God's way of reminding us that He is in control of everything! And he means EVERYTHING even down to how you feel, how often you sweat and how many times you cry. Before 'the change' you think you are in control of things, but afterwards you know better. Most people are afraid of change so maybe we shouldn't call it 'the change'? Perhaps we should call it 'the pause' instead? So don't be afraid to take a pause, because change is good. It may even be God.


Written by:
@ewjjr
http://ewjtoday.blogspot.com



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Simple

The truth is simple. The wise receive it and understand. The simple reject truth. They confound it and confuse themselves.

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Through

Yes, things always do get better. But you have to go through a whole lot of worse first.

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Impetus

Impetus is that moment of inertia when motivation overcomes stagnation and movement occurs.

The source of this impetus can either be internal or external.

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Daiquiris

Is New Orleans the only city that had drive through daiquiri shops?

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Potential

Some people try to make themselves content functioning below their full potential just to remain 'important' and 'relevant' in their present peer group.


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Energy

Love is an all encompassing positive energy that affects your body, soul and spirit.

Fear is an all consuming negative energy that destroys your body, soul, spirit and every good thing in your life.


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Locations

It is important in life not to be at the cab stand, waiting on a taxi, when your ship comes in! Be at the right place, at the right time, ready to do the right thing.


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Departure

If death is what the future holds for me, then I should hope that my departure will be as unencumbered, as was my arrival.

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Destruction

Fear is the most destruction force in the universe! It destroys absolutely everything it has influence upon, absolutely. It survives by masquerading as other manifestations that keep us dealing with the 'symptoms' without ever addressing the problem...it! Our ignorance of it and apathy towards it lead to our own emotional and spiritual demise.





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Religion

Religion, by definition, is inclusive in its admission, but exclusive in its membership.





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Conditions

Our relationship with God is conditional.

Condition One: God is love

Condition Two: God loves mankind

Condition Three: God demonstrates His love for us

Condition Four: God expects us to demonstrate our love for Him.

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Clear

Some decisions in life are clear, but we let doubt and fear cloud the way and fog our mind's ability to make accurate choices.





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Program

Be careful what you allow your children to watch. It's not called TV 'programming' for nothing.


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My Recovery Plan

I would like to thank all those who have assisted me with advice and information in my search for a plan to address my present heart condition.

Just in case you did not know, I have been having issues with my heart since 2005. Recently, my cardiologist recommended I undergo a heart bypass procedure.

After lengthy research and consideration, I have decided to give the alternative or integrative methods a chance to work before I elect to have the bypass surgery.

I will take a six month period of time to employ a comprehensive approach to alleviate the symptoms I have from my heart condition. Even though I have made this decision, my research is ongoing.

I know that the condition I have is serious. And I know what I have proposed to do is somewhat of a gamble with time. But I would not be pleased within myself should I submit to such a drastic procedure, which in itself does not guarantee results, without first exhausting less invasive approaches that could equal or surpass the surgical results.

About the bypass surgery, Mr. Hardouin, one of the people I consulted with said, "It will add years to your life."

But as I thought about the pros and cons about getting the procedure, I was struck with the thought of what I want the outcome of my life to be. What good would it be to extend my life without it having more meaning? With that in mind, surgery or not, I have decided I need to focus on adding more life to my years.

Sometimes the routine of living causes us to take the routine for granted, as though it will always be here. But the truly tenuous nature of life is like a venomous serpent, waiting to strike. And in that moment of striking, we realize all we should have done, all we should have said and all we should have been...all, in an instant. The gift of having to consider ones mortality provides an opportunity to ponder, measure and workout what is truly important and then live it!

My approach is comprehensive in that it addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of good health.

Physically there is a way that your body wants to function to achieve its optimum performance. In the final analysis, that performance is the outward result of the chemical reactions that take place inside the human body. There is no magic formula as the 'perfect balance' is different for each individual. But certainly we can say it is a matter of giving your body more of the good things it needs and less of the bad it doesn't. As simplistic as this sounds, truth is always simple.

In this physical realm I include fasting, hydration, diet, supplementation, elimination, detoxification, sleep and exercise. Oh, also a very minimal amount of prescription medication. While I believe in the efficacy of the use of prescription medications on a short term basis, I believe long term use should be limited to those pharmaceuticals that are truly essential to maintain health. The reason being is pharmaceuticals are extremely powerful whose long term use has unnatural effects on the human body.

Emotionally the plan is to surround myself and infuse into my life positive people, things and experiences. Life is too precious and short to let negativity, in any form, suck the life right out of you!

First and foremost, the passion of true love is the primary elixir of life that makes life worth living. Without passion, life is certainly futile. There is but one way to acquire such passion in true love. That is, you must give it first! Only after I have tilled the soil and planted the seed can I expect to harvest any yeild.

As stress is a major causative factor in my current condition, stress-reduction techniques will be a major part of my recovery. This primarily means more relaxation and down time. It means the spa day and the pedicure in that nice chair.

Spiritually, simply means doing the things which pertain to God that we all know we should be doing. It also means doing the things God has been calling me to do for quite some time. I think this speaks to us all. I think each of us, in our quiet time with ourselves, know what the 'right' things are we should be and could be doing with our lives. But usually, we find a way to not do them. No matter which of the myriad excuses we use, the bottom line is we never do those spiritual things God whispers to us to do. It is time I not only hear, but listen to the voice of God. It is time I not only listen, but do. In doing, I become the fulfillment of what God has intended me to be.

And wow, what could be better than that?


Written by:
@ewjjr
http://ewjtoday.blogspot.com


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Yourself

Success begins in the mind. Thinking is the root of achievement. How you talk to yourself, about yourself, determines your outcome.


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Box Theory

Box Theory


Inside the box is our capacity to do the things we need and want to do. The volume of our box is a measure of the amount of spiritual and emotional fuel or energy we have...the smaller our box, the less energy we have. Without energy we tire quicker and stress easier. Our capacity to deal with things becomes diminished, because the capacity of our box is small.

People with a small box capacity try, and struggle to keep control over and manage the things inside of their box. They also sometimes will exert their need to control to pull in a few of the things that are outside their box that they really want. But they have to downsize it to fit into the smaller capacity of their box. One example of this would be too offer a gift to someone who thinks it is "too much". They won't freely accept that gift, but would accept something they consider to be less "extravagant". Their box was too small for the other gift to fit into.

In essence, by taking such an action to satisfy this control need, that person negates a true blessing which by definition exceeds the boundaries of a person's box. The long term outcome is that the person with the small box always settles for less. Usually less than what they really deserve. That person also negates the opportunity to expand their own box.

As with any box, there are borders. A person with a small box has the borders of "I Can't.", "I Never.", "I Don't.", "I Won't Ever." or a host of other negative self-talk mantras that keep us trapped and keep our box from growing. This self-talk reinforces the rules we have for our lives. This self-talk restates the reasons we have for doing less or not doing things in our lives. This self-talk also parrots the excuses we use to deceive ourselves about our own laziness when we refuse to move forward in life.

These excuses usually present themselves as "Too far.", "Too fast.", "Too high.", "Too much.", "Too late.", "Too soon.", "Too real.", "Too live.", "Too tired.", "Too sick.", or any statement that allows you to stay where you are and not move forward. This is what keeps us stuck where we are, stagnant, repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

The results of such a mindset are that you don't try at all. Your excuse relieves you of the need to act on any initiative. Your excuse justifies you when you don't try hard at anything you might do. 'Just enough to get by' becomes 'good enough' for you. Your excuse relieves you of any sense of responsibility or duty to continue something to the finish. Finally, your excuse will keep you from seeing yourself at your best, let alone achieving it.

Determine your box. Listen to what you say to yourself whenever you are faced with a challenge or simply something new. If your hear yourself shooting down new ideas automatically, you are keeping your box is too small. If you are quick to come up with a host of reasons why something can't or won't work, you are keeping your box too small. Just listen to yourself talk to yourself about yourself.

So, what do you do if you discover your box is too small or is shrinking or is simply not flexible enough? One remedy is to remove something from the box. Certainly, this will give you more space to work with, but it doesn't really help in the long term because there is always something else to come along to replace what was taken away. Another remedy is to enlarge your box. Each option will create more box capacity to do more things, but the latter will teach you to increase your spiritual and emotional energy capacity which will allow you to do those things.

Just as limiting self-talk keeps our box small, shrinking and rigid, positive self-talk makes the borders of our box more pliable and flexible thus expandable. This expandable box represents our own capacity to grow, proceed and excel in our lives. Positive self-talk increases our spiritual and emotional energy, which allows us to do more things and get more things done.

Remember, change is the only consistent thing in the universe! If you are not changing, then you are certainly not growing. And when you are not growing you are just stuck. And for some, that feeling of being stuck is quite palpable. You can start to change your box by changing your "I can't." to "I can!"; by changing your "I never." to "I will be willing!"; by changing your "I don't." to "I do!" and by changing your "I won't ever." to "I will give it a try!"

As you start to change your self-talk from negative to positive, a positive momentum will begin to build in your life. Your view of yourself will improve, your perspective on life will become brighter, your outlook will become more positive and even your countenance will take on a glow to replace the gloom that was there before. It is magic, but not magic that happens overnight. You can start this process of change by taking a moment of each day to affirm positive things about yourself to yourself. This is important because most negative people feel most negative about themselves. You can imagine, if you don't like yourself you certainly won't believe in yourself or your abilities. It doesn't matter if it is simply one thing to start with, say something positive to yourself to start each day. It is like a muscle. The more you use this exercise the better you will get at it and the more positive attributes about yourself you will uncover.

So get outside of the confines of your box. Think positive! Believe positive! Speak positive! Be positive! Expand and grow!

Commentary by
@ewjjr
http://ewjtoday.blogspot.com


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Direction

Men don't mind being influenced by their women, as long as it is in a positive direction.


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Frige

The good thing about eating healthy food is that you can leave it in the refrigerator at work and no one will touch it.


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Truth

The truth does not need anyone to believe in it in order to remain the truth.


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Exist

Why do atheist spend so much time and energy disputing someone they don't believe exist anyway?

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Impact

Deliberately seeking after God, in a devoted manner, will have positive impact in everything you do in life.

To What End?

To What End?


1. The futility of the current drug war:

If only 10 percent of illicit drugs are seized in any given year, then, based on the figure of 2,412,365 pounds of marijuana seized in 2002, one could estimate that in 2002 the total amount of marijuana that traffickers succeeded in smuggling into the country was roughly 24 million pounds, or about 10,889 metric tons. If one doubles that amount to take into account the domestic production of marijuana that was not seized, then the total amount would be closer to 22,000 metric tons."


(2009 - value of global opiate market)

"At retail level, the total value of the heroin market is substantial at an estimated US$55 billion. The size of the annual opium market is a more ‘modest’ US$7-10 billion.

Consequently, the combined total opiates (heroin/opium) market could be worth up to US$65 billion per year. This amount is higher than the GDPs of many countries. In economic terms, nearly half of the overall opiate market value is accounted for by Europe (some US$20 billion) and the Russian Federation (US$13 billion). Other lucrative markets include China (US$9 billion) and the United States and Canada (US$8 billion)."


(2008 - cost of narcotics trade)

"The narcotics trade has also significantly impeded fiscal growth and stability by diverting scarce resources away from more-productive uses. Between 1981 and 2008, federal, state, and local governments are estimated to have spent at least $600 billion (adjusted for inflation) on drug interdiction and related law enforcement efforts; factoring in costs associated with treatment and rehabilitation, the overall total rises to around $800 billion.34 If one were to also add in “invisible” losses brought about by curtailed job opportunities and reduced workplace productivity, the true cost would be far higher."


(2007 - cost of drug diversion)

"...the estimated cost of CPD diversion and abuse to public and private medical insurers is $72.5 billion a year, 3 much of which is passed to consumers through higher health insurance premiums.

Additionally, the abuse of prescription opioids is burdening the budgets of substance abuse treatment providers, particularly as prescription opioid abuse might be fueling heroin abuse rates in some areas of the United States.


2. Since law enforcement's interdiction efforts have little effect on the flow of illegal narcotics, who really benefits from its effort?

The federal part of the Drug War budget number comes directly from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, including the National Drug Control Strategy Budgets (2002-2009) (adjusted after 2003, for budget structure changes implemented in 2004), and subsequent budgets, the latest of which is the 2011 budget, which indicates that the federal government will spend at least $23.44 billion on the War on Drugs in 2011.

With violent crime rates continuing their decade-long decline, the United States should be able to reduce its prison population. But the still-growing number of men and women behind bars attests to criminal justice policies – including mandatory minimum sentences, three strikes laws, and reduced options for parole – that favor incarceration over alternative sanctions, even for low-level and nonviolent crimes. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data, 53 percent of all state and federal prisoners are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes. Indeed, an estimated 337,872 men and women are serving state or federal prison sentences because of drug convictions, most of whom are low-level offenders.

At least 37 states have legalized the contracting of prison labor by private corporations that mount their operations inside state prisons.

The list of such companies contains the cream of U.S. corporate society: IBM, Boeing, Motorola, Microsoft, AT&T, Wireless, Texas Instrument, Dell, Compaq, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Nortel, Lucent Technologies, 3Com, Intel, Northern Telecom, TWA, Nordstrom's, Revlon, Macy's, Pierre Cardin, Target Stores, and many more.

All of these businesses are excited about the economic boom generation by prison labor. Just between 1980 and 1994, profits went up from $392 million to $1.31 billion. Inmates in state penitentiaries generally receive the minimum wage for their work, but not all; in Colorado, they get about $2 per hour, well under the minimum. And in privately-run prisons, they receive as little as 17 cents per hour for a maximum of six hours a day, the equivalent of $20 per month. The highest-paying private prison is CCA in Tennessee, where prisoners receive 50 cents per hour for what they call "highly skilled positions." At those rates, it is no surprise that inmates find the pay in federal prisons to be very generous. There, they can earn $1.25 an hour and work eight hours a day, and sometimes overtime. They can send home $200-$300 per month.


(2008 - savings from legalizing drugs in the U.S.)

"The report estimates that legalizing drugs would save roughly $48.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. $33.1 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $15.6 billion would accrue to the federal government. Approximately $13.7 billion of the savings would results from legalization of marijuana, $22.3 billion from legalization of cocaine and heroin, and $12.8 from legalization of other drugs."


3. The purpose of foreign wars...control of the black income of the illicit drug market?

At current levels, world heroin consumption (340 tons) and seizures represent an annual flow of 430-450 tons of heroin into the global heroin market. Of that total, opium from Myanmar and the Lao People's Democratic Republic yields some 50 tons, while the rest, some 380 tons of heroin and morphine, is produced exclusively from Afghan opium. While approximately 5 tons are consumed and seized in Afghanistan, the remaining bulk of 375 tons is trafficked worldwide via routes flowing into and through the countries neighbouring Afghanistan.


(2009 - opium income and the Taliban)

"The Taliban’s principal and most lucrative source of income in Afghanistan is its control of the opium trade. The Taliban have long profited off of the ten percent ushr tax levied on opium farmers, an additional tax on the traffickers, and a per-kilogram transit tariff charged to the truckers who transport the product. In recent years, however, they have been “taking a page from the warlords’ playbook,” and regional and local Taliban commanders have been demanding “protection money from the drug traffickers who smuggle goods through their territory.” A 2007 analysis by the Jamestown Foundation described “arrangements whereby drug traffickers provide money, vehicles and subsistence to Taliban units in return for protection.” In addition, at even higher Taliban command levels, “senior leadership in Quetta are paid regular installments from narcotics kingpins as a general fee for operating in Taliban controlled areas.” Through these various forms of taxation and extortion, the Taliban have been estimated to earn nearly $300 million a year from the opium trade."


4. The true costs of the war on drugs:

The presence of illegal narcotics on the streets, first of all, is preventable. Their deliberate proliferation fuels an equally deliberate effort to create an unaccountable source of funds from this lucrative illicit business. The chief benefactors of this underground economic system are the same who feign concern and mount 'efforts' against it.

Mainly, their war allows themselves to pay themselves to combat an enemy they themselves control and protect.

In the end, it is the citizenry who pay the true costs of this war. It is we who have to live with the ravishes of addiction, crime, incarceration and death that are the true price of this 'war'.


Commentary by
@ewjjr


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Frogs

Princesses are so accustomed to kissing frogs that when Prince Charming finally shows up, they treat him like a frog.


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Times

In tough times, we have a choice. We can stand together or we can fall apart.


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Exit

Great men enter into death knowing full well that their exit is unsure.


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Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk


I am sitting in a coffee shop, and I can hear two men talking. One of the men is talking about how his marriage is failing because of his wife's behavior and attitude. I have heard mention of one of the larger churches in the city, so I can only assume these are two Christian men.

I often think that so called christian women today have really bought into this independent, feminine mindset that permeates the rest of the world. This only serves to create conflict in a relationship where one is trying to steer his family toward a more traditional family model and the other is hell-bent on conforming to worldly standards. The end result is the disruption of and ultimate destruction of the family unit.

I pity this man because I have walked in his shoes already. I can only imagine that while he is hear seeking counsel from his christian brother, his wife is somewhere with more deceit and rebellion being conjured up in her heart.

I have a constant thought that something is truly missing from the 'teaching' that goes on in the churches.

It seems that the mainstream message is weak and ineffective at moving believers toward a lifestyle that is different from the rest of the world.

I was having this same conversation with someone else online yesterday, in regards to prophecy.

When the conversation turned toward some signs regarding the end times. They simply were unaware of even the more obvious end time trends being talked about in the mainstream media.

The scriptures say that the antichrist can not be revealed until "there be a falling away first".

I think the begining of this is the lack of knowledge that most in the church have, simply because they are not being taught.

As you may recall, the scriptures do say that God's people, not other people, perish "for lack of knowledge". How long can "He who hindereth" hinder all alone?

Certainly, God could do whatever He needs done to defeat evil on His own, but He has made us partners in this conflict.

We simply need to choose who it is we are most willing to serve.


Commentary by
@ewjjr
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Cause of Crime?

Cause of Crime?


Why is little Johnny in jail again?


Some have tried to explain this by saying that poverty, unemployment,
underemployment, illiteracy, environment, exposure to crime, abuse and racism explain why Johnny is in jail once again. While any one, or any combination of the afore-mentioned factors could be suitable explanations, they do not explain why Johnny's sister Jane is a straight A student or why his brother Jack has never been in trouble with the law. So, what happened? How does one account for such differences? How can children, raised in the same home and environment, have uniquely different outcomes when it comes to the criminal justice system.


Choice. It all boils down to choice. Each individual has to choose, often daily, which influences they will yield themselves to.


Morality comes from the same root word as mores, which form the basis of the laws in any society. These also determine the values, principles and standards which guide the thoughts and lives of each individual in a given society.


For a society to work, it takes a partnership between clergy, school and community organizations that support the work of the parents. Together, this partnership inculcates and reinforces the morality of the family, community and society. OK, I will just say it. It really does take a village.


The criminal justice system is an indicator of how successful this partnership really is. As the family fails, society fails, and the involvement of the criminal justice system increases.


The cause of crime rests within the heart of every person. Yet so does the remedy!


Commentary by
@ewjjr
http://ewjtoday.blogspot.com


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Graduation

Without personal dedication to the proper stimulation, there can be no graduation.

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Destinations

Destinations


Each of us has a specific destination for a specific purpose the creator has designed for us.


To get there will require difficult decisions and choices we have to make:
-There are some places we have to leave behind in order to get where we need to be.
-There could be some people we have to step away from and lead, instead of follow. If they truly are our friends, they will want to see us improve and excel. And in fact, they may decide to grow with us.
-There are some bad habits we have to exchange for the aptitudes, skills and abilities that will serve to create the better habits that move us from where we are to where we are called to be.


Don't sacrifice the millions you can't see, to hold on to the thousands you can see. It takes faith to look beyond the reality of your present to visualize the reality of your future.


And once you arrive at your destiny, become an agent of change for someone else.


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Passage

Hurricanes from the slave coast of Africa are filled with the captured souls of slaves, lost in 'Middle Passage', who seek their revenge upon the land that captured their ancestors.

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TMI

People with small minds drown in a sea of too much information.


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Results

The results you get in life are the accumulative effect of all of your thoughts.

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People

People


People who feel inadequate gravitate toward those they feel at parity with or 'beneath' themselves. They feel more 'comfortable' around these people because they don't feel threatened by them. They avoid those whom they perceive are 'above' them. In the company of those people they compete for posture in the relationship.


However, the fact of the matter is that this feeling of inadequacy is really an illusion. It is one of those false beliefs that people adopt for themselves that becomes their own limiting 'reality'. They fail to see or accept there own competency, even in the face of their celebrated achievements.


Solution? The first self help book says that "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Positive self talk and affirmations are a good start at breaking down negative and debilitating thinking that leads to destructive actions that set up in our lives and become habits.


A second step is to believe and accept the positive feedback given by others. Sometimes people are so down on themselves that it becomes difficult for them to feel up.


The bottom line is everyone is unique. We have to bring our unique talents, skills and abilities to the table of life for the mutual benefit of us all.


We all need each other to contribute our best!


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ewjtoday.blogspot.com


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Success

Assets: Peace and health
Commodities: Time and money
Destination: Success and happiness


Pursue success with physical energy and emotional passion.


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Doors

The passage of time forces closed the doors of opportunity we have failed to take advantage of.


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Reality TV

Reality TV


I don't even have to watch the clip to know that it is totally inappropriate for any child to see and should probably make most grownups blush. The problem with taking this show off the air for such an offense would require us to take a lot of shows off of the air.


Our society has become desensitized to such depictions of immorality. The standards of the society are simply not the same anymore. The point is what is the individual going to do in their household. What surprises me is not the participation in similar activities by those who agree with such depictions but the participation in these activities by those who would portray themselves as being more 'moral' than that.


The result has been the systemic moral decline of our young people who lose their innocence at a young age. Is it any wonder than that, more and more, we see young people involved in the most heinous of offenses.


Certainly there has to be a change. But we have to start at home, then with the children we know and have a personal relationship with. Perhaps, just perhaps we can save some child from falling into that pit of moral decline that our society seems doomed to sink into?


Commentary by
@ewjjr
ewjtoday.blogspot.com

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Requiem For Love

One of my good friends died last week.


I am going to their funeral today. The thought came to my mind, "When was the last time I told them that I loved them?" I remembered it had been years. Why hadn't I done that more often?


Too busy?
Too awkward?
Too real?
Too soon?
Too much?
Too scary?


Too many excuses! Sadly, too many excuses. Now it is too late!


Why do we take life for granted? Why do we waste time with the temporal and mundane things in life to the neglect of things with true eternal meaning.


Why? Why do we take love for granted. Do we not understand it is the most powerful force in the universe! The most constructive, the most positive and the most redemptive. We each possess it and we all desire more of it.


Why don't we share it? Let it flow freely between us.


Is there someone in your life you are holding back on showing true love? Open up your heart and let it out.


Is there someone in your life trying to show true love to you, but you won't let it happen? Open up your arms and let them in.


Text them, tweet them, call them, write them, by any means necessary let them know that you love them! Even if it is simply something you love about them, tell them...while you still have the chance.


Life is fleeting, but love is powerful and everlasting!


Commentary by
@ewjjr
ewjtoday.blogspot.com


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Romans

Romans 2: Christians do not hold a monopoly on morality and ethics. #EWJJr

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Why Are There Still Children Starving?

I think the answer to the question can sort of be found in the same question in regards to food.


Mothers have been using starving children as a tool of guilt to get their own children to eat all of their vegetables for years, generations even.


Why does such a problem persist today?


I think the answer can be found on your next trip to the mall. How many villages could be fed just with the food that is discarded in the trash cans at the mall each day?


Western cultures only represent less than 10% of the population yet we consume, or rather, waste most of the resources.


Therein lies the answer.


Now one could certainly make a case for 'responsibility' and 'ignorance' but that won't stop the millions of children from dying.


Are you aware that there are some in the world whose goal is the depopulation of the world. Do you think their goals are somehow met when children die in famines or are killed in some cultures that reverence males over females? I would suspect that such a sinister mindset is difficult for some to wrap their minds around. I think they count upon us thinking that the 'unthinkable' can't happen.


Holocaust! Unthinkable? Ethnic cleansing! Unthinkable? Population control! Unthinkable? Genocide! Unthinkable?


I think not.


Commentary by
@ewjjr
ewjtoday.blogspot.com


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Metropolis

#NewOrleans, a metropolis riddled with crime and corruption that is overlayed with the opiate of good food, libations and music.


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A Day Without The iPhone

A Day Without The iPhone


Yesterday was my first day without my iPhone. I left the house without it and was running too late for work to U-turn for it. While I had often wondered what a day without the iPhone would be like, I have never mustered the courage to leave it at home on purpose.


Well at first I felt liberated because I did not have this appendage to keep up with. But that feeling did not last long and was quickly replaced with a feeling of debilitating ineptitude as I was not able to jot down my thoughts, google for information, read email, write poetry and prose or communicate with my sweetie.


Of course, I could do all of those things 'later' but having my 'appendage' gives me the instant access to information and communication that makes me feel productive. Even though my productivity is my own self delusion, it is my dream and I shall interpret it as I will.


While I survived the day, I do not think I will leave my appendage at home, on purpose, anytime soon.-EWJJr


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Interrupt

Have you ever noticed that before people interrupt you they say, "I don't mean to interrupt you, but...."


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Embracing

New Orleans, the city you embrace and it embraces you right back.


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Heard Today 130315

#HeardToday: The defining factor is not resources, but resourcefulness. -Tony Robbins


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Paint

#WTH! They are selling 2x4" painted pieces of slate in CC's Coffee shop for $13.00! I am on my way to buy some paint!

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Church

We have to ask ourselves if we are members of Jesus' church or merely man's denomination? #EWJJr

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Success Book

#Survey says...What book would you expect to find in the library of every successful person?


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Freezer

You know you are a bachelor when you have more ice cubes in your freezer than you have food. #Bachelorisms


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Crime

The presence of crime is an indication of the failure of social institutions that support morality. As those institutions fail, the law enforcement apparatus deals with the consequence of such failure.-EWJJr


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Sailor

#HeardToday: Smooth seas does not make a skillful sailor. -Lt. Kalka

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Forget

#URGettingOld when you get in your car to go somewhere, then forget where.

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Boyfriend

#NewOrleans is like that 'no good' boyfriend you just can't stop loving.

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Floors

I am sitting on the second floor and this lady just asked me if the third floor was one floor up. No, she was sober. #WTH

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Crossings

#Survey says...Should people who insist on crossing the street after the light has changed be run over?

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Vacuum

If you have a dog, you never need a vacuum cleaner. #Bachelorisms

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Athletics

As you get older, the meaning of words change. Athlete's Feet means one thing at 20, and a whole other thing when you reach 50. #EWJJr

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25%

#DidYouKnow America incarcerates 25% of the world's incarcerated.

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Blessing

If God has blessed you with a good man, then trust God and let him be what God has brought him into your life to be.


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Stand

When you choose to stand your ground, first make sure your are not standing in quicksand. #EWJJr


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Blueprint

When God gives you a spouse, He will also provide you with the blueprints and instructions.


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OnSaleNowNOLA

OnSaleNowNOLA.blogspot.com is your online connection to what's on sale. All of the steals and deals we know about, hear about and are told about in the metro area.


Subscribe today to receive notification on the latest steals and deals that can save you money.


Also follow us on Twitter @OnSaleNowNOLA


Shop and save some money!


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The Evangelists

The goal of preaching is the direct evangelism of the lost through the Gospel message of Jesus, whereas the goal of teaching is the indirect evangelism of the lost through the application and demonstration of Christian doctrine in the life of the believer.


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