OWS From a Different, More “Colorful” Angle

There are currently hundreds of mostly young people (“young” is anyone younger 30?) exercising their Constitutional right to assemble and protest the status quo all across our nation. I was driving to work the other day thinking about these folks and their dilemma. They’re frustrated with their college loan amounts and the corresponding lack of jobs, but are they really as anti-capitalist as they say? (Notice please the correct usage of all three “there, their, and they’re”) I wonder how many of them would be protesting if they were among those earning $250k or more annually.

More importantly, I considered the many unexpected changes in my own life. For a time, I was a REALTOR, and I frequented homes that were on the market. The advice of professionals in that business is always to paint and decorate in neutral tones. After several years of seeing home after home of NEUTRAL, let me tell you I went home and painted my great room walls “Energy Red!”

LIFE is not NEUTRAL

and Neither am I!!!

It is the hardships of life that flavor us, that color us, that build our “Character!” (There’s that word again!) I grew up with a gramma that told me repeatedly, “If it comes too easily, you won’t appreciate it!” There have been several times in my life I needed help from friends or family. Sometimes it was emotional support. Sometimes it was a ride to work I needed. There was a 3 year period when I was first divorced that I worked a graveyard shift because it seemed like the least disastrous time to leave my three teenage children home alone while I worked. I didn’t have a car, so I walked to the bus each night at 11:20 pm and returned just in time to put them on the school bus, but they had to get themselves up & dressed and get breakfast by themselves. I cried almost every night as I walked to the bus, praying God would guard my kids as they slept. He did and we got through that “season” and came out the other side stronger!

Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.
Henry Clay, statesman, orator, politician (1777-1852)

If, as these protesters want, the government was able to redistribute the wealth so that every person had the same, every need was met, every fridge filled, a car in every driveway, every school debt erased, where would they gather character?

“That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.”
Frederick Nietzsche

The human was created, designed to conquer, to overcome, to be a creator and to rule his or her own destiny. Life is filled with obstacles, hurdles, and storms designed to bring out the individual shades, and colors and textures of our unique personality and … CHARACTER. Without challenges, there is not richness to success. Someone once asked me why the Golden Rule is called that. What is so special about gold. Is it just because it is valuable? I answered no, it is valuable because of the process necessary to bring forth the final product. It is difficult and dangerous. In ancient times, the gold would be melted, the impurities floated to the surface and were skimmed off by hand at least seven times. Today, a furnace is still used – a furnace that is capable of reaching temperatures of 2,000 degrees F!

Working toward a goal is how the “gold” of our character is formed. From the time we first learn to walk or talk to the time we close our eyes in death, life presents challenges to us to conquer that will bring out of talents, our abilities, and our unique character. To shun this process is to shun life!

Our lives teach us who we are.
Salman Rushdie, Anglo-Indian novelist (b. 1947)

For both rich kids and poor kids: “What if the secret to success is failure?”

Indeed, research by psychologist Angela Duckworth has shown that “measures of self-control can be a more reliable predictor of students’ grade-point averages than their I.Q.’s.” She looked at a full-range of character traits that lead to success in populations as various as West Point cadets and New York middle-schoolers, and named the overall quality “grit,” or the combination of a passion for a single mission with an unswerving dedication to achieve that mission.

What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?

Dominic Randolph can seem a little out of place at Riverdale Country School — which is odd, because he’s the headmaster. Riverdale is one of New York City’s most prestigious private schools, with a 104-year-old campus that looks down grandly on Van Cortlandt Park from the top of a steep hill in the richest part of the Bronx. On the discussion boards of UrbanBaby.com, worked-up moms from the Upper East Side argue over whether Riverdale sends enough seniors to Harvard, Yale and Princeton to be considered truly “TT” (top-tier, in UrbanBabyese), or whether it is more accurately labeled “2T” (second-tier), but it is, certainly, part of the city’s private-school elite, a place members of the establishment send their kids to learn to be members of the establishment. Tuition starts at $38,500 a year, and that’s for prekindergarten. CONTINUE READING

“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.”
Theodore Roosevelt, American adventurer and 26th president (1858-1919)

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Thank you, Fellow Veterans!

“PA” Paterno & the Penn State Horrors

Along with hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, PSU Alumni, friends and families of current staff & students, I have watched in disbelief as this scandal broke. Details are still forthcoming, but bottom line … this is a mess! I am horrified, disgusted, and angry … but more than anything, I feel for the many, many people past and present who TRUSTED “Pa” Paterno. Nearly 50 years of faithful and outstanding service to the school, the students and families, and the athletes all washed away in the flood of emotions and information concerning those victimized.

Even when this broke the other day and students demonstrated in his front yard, when he showed up he had the nerve to tell folks to “pray for the victims!”

I’m glad they fired him! He retires, however, in disgrace, 50 yrs of hard work down the drain because of his unwillingness to go to the cops! How quickly life can change!

WATCH THE VIDEO!

Bad day for Joe Paterno.

The former Penn State football coach, scarred by scandal after he was booted by the university Board of Trustees for not doing enough to report allegations his former defensive coordinator was molesting kids, has lost his senators’ support for his nomination to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“In light of the recent events in State College, we are rescinding our support for the nomination of Joe Paterno for the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Sens. Pat Toomey, a Republican, and Bob Casey, a Democrat, said in a joint statement.

“We hope the proper authorities will move forward with their investigation without delay. Penn State is an important institution in our commonwealth. We should turn our attention to the victims of these atrocious crimes and ensure they get the help they need. Our hearts and prayers go out to them and their families,” they said.

The two senators and Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., nominated Joe Pa for the nation’s highest civilian honor in September, citing the coach’s contributions to athletics and higher education.

In a letter to President Obama, the lawmakers cited what was at the time Paterno’s career wins and long tenure, including two national championships and three Big Ten titles. CONTINUE READING

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Judging the Media as They Have Judged!

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mainstream media

As I watched last night’s GOP debate, I was confronted with a couple of encouragements. The most notable was the audience response to the “so-out-in-left-field-they-don’t-know-where-home-is” media’s redundant and pointed question about Cain’s alleged sexual misconduct charges. The media has inundated us day after aggravating day about this with No Facts, No Sources, No legitimate victims … only anonymous shams! So when asked last night about the various claims, the crowd “boo’d” the question! (Very cool!) Mr Cain answered well and true, as only he can, and then the media, unsatisfied with the lack of blood-letting, redirected the question to Mr Romney, who wisely refused to participate in the question! THE END! And the poor, blood-starved media sharks returned to the stated topic of the economy.

Now, if you frequent my pages here, you know that one of my integral themes is that of CHARACTER/morality/virtue. Encased in the question posed to Herman Cain, was a back-handed question about his CHARACTER that nearly caused my jaw to drop! Of all the people running for President in 2012, CHARACTER questions are not at the top of my list … except perhaps with President Obama. None of the current GOP candidates, with the possible exception of Newt Gingrich, have an issue with CHARACTER.

Character is what one is;
Reputation is what one is thought to be by others

The local and national mainstream media, on the other hand, has moved so far to the left that right is out of sight and left has become “center” in their eyes. It has been going on for so long now … back beyond Walter Cronkite and the Huntley-Brinkley Report. I knew then that the media slanted to the left … and I was just a kid! They ask pointed questions for which they have already specific expectations that many have built into an “agenda” of the left.

My point is … does the Media have journalistic integrity sufficient to point their ethical or moral fingers at others?

Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics

“Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society’s principles and standards of practice.” (emphasis mine)

“A person shows what he is by what he does with what he has.” ~ Anonymous

Journalists should:

— Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.

— Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.

— Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability.

— Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.

— Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.

— Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.

— Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.

— Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story.

— Never plagiarize.

— Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.

— Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.

— Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.

— Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.

— Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.

— Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.

— Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.

— Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.

Straight from the website!

So, has the mainstream media lived up to their professional standards? YOU DECIDE!

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