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Saturday, October 28, 2006

 

GAO chief warns economic disaster looms - Yahoo! News

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Wednesday, January 18, 2006

 

Anagram for Ink

Anagram for Ink

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Sunday, January 01, 2006

 

Michael Yon : Online Magazine

Michael Yon : Online Magazine

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Friday, December 30, 2005

 

Out Of The Mouth of Babes

The following is an excerpt from an essay written recently by Farris Hassan, 16, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who traveled to Iraq without telling his parents:"There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction. " The complete essaycan be read by clicking the link. Farris essay reveals an idealism and a compassion that is rare in an American teen. His voice is a voice that we all should hear and that our President and leaders should pay attention to.

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Thursday, November 10, 2005

 

Wading into War Again

Son Paul leaves for his second Iraq tour the day after Thanksgiving. The first tour was pretty stressful on our whole family. Given the political situation in Iraq today, I'm certain it'll be worse this time. Saddam's pending trial, elections and escalating violence punctuate the landscape. My feelings are expressed in the poem that I wrote and placed under the title of this blog. In general this weblog will shift emphasis from poetry to the war and my son's presence in Iraq. I will continue to write poems on a different blog called "Poetic License" http://www.testkeith.blogspot.com. Please visit, read, enjoy and comment on my poems. I hope to share my thoughts (Pensamientos) about the war, life in the USA, and the current political doings from my own understanding and perspective. Also I'd love to hear from parents who have a son or daughter in the military, so feel free to leave comments.

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Monday, October 10, 2005

 

Poems Re-posted on My other Blog

The formatting on this site went haywire and screwed up my poetry. I reposted at the following site: www.testkeith.blogspot.com

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Monday, September 05, 2005

 

TODAY´S QUOTE

TODAY´S QUOTE "When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter."...Tom Robbins

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Tuesday, April 26, 2005

 

Charles Russell


Charles Russell
Originally uploaded by hombreciego.
This wonderful wood engraving by James Todd brings back a flood memories of growing up in Montana.Charlie Russell was a legend in my home town of Great Falls. As a boy of ten, selling the local evening newspaper (The Great Falls Leader)in the dowtown bars on Central Ave., I daily admired Russell's paintings hanging behind the bar at the Mint Club in a smoke-drenched atmosphere peopled by drunks, indians, poker players and construction workers. The smell of smoke, whiskey, vomit, and body odors permeated the air of the Mint. Often in the back alley behind the saloon I would stumble over a bloody, unconscious drunk who fell victim to to an awful beating.

Aside from the nostalgia of my newspaper selling days, The artist James Todd was a boyhood friend of mine. We grew up in the Parkdale/Bill Holt low-income housing projects of post WWll Great falls. Jim ended up as a college professor at The University of Montana He was a precocious artist and an intellect who influenced me and my other friends greatly. Most of our circle attained college degrees and served in various professions, despite the poor circumstances in which we were reared. As teens we were a snooker playing, beer drinking, jazz listening, rowdy group. Today at 65 yrs. old, I find that James Todd's Charlie Russell wood engraving satisfies my nostalgic thirst. Thanks Jim.

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Saturday, April 23, 2005

 

Lukes Whopper Spring Chinook

Luke, my son wrestled this giant salmon for a good while. It was a beauty! Fishing with one's sons is about as good as it gets. Fathers and sons need to fish together often. Simply nothing like the bonding that occurs from a successful fishing trip!

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Keith and Oregon Spring Chinook salmon

Dreaming about going to Oregon and trying my hand at catching some more of these beautiful fish. The springers are now running and I long for the beauty of the silent Rogue River. Maybe I'll get there this year.

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Monday, April 18, 2005

 

The Old Tavern


The Old Tavern is now a museum Posted by Hello Trail Creek tavern in Trail, Oregon was my favorite hangout and watering hole during the 1980's and the 1990's summer vacations. It was the only bar close to where I lived, but I mainly enjoyed the eclectic mix of patrons who frequented the place. On any given day, I could strike up a conversation or swap tales or play pool with loggers, fishing guides, truckers, bikers, doctors, lawyers, business owners, housewives, tourists, salmon fisherman, rafters and just plain interesting folks. The tavern featured cold draft beer, juicy hamburgers, homemade pizza and chatty bartenders. During the day the atmosphetre was that of a small town cafe, with working folks dropping in and out for short chats, while at night it was much louder and rowdier after the loggers left work and the fisherman recorded the days catch. Country music blasted from the innards of the tavern on weekends and jealous husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends often argued and fought over some real or imagined infidelity. The surrounding neighbors constantly tried unsuccessfully to get the tavern's license revoked because of rowdy weekends. It seems like they finally succeeded as Trail Creek Tavern is now a museum, a blip on the radar screen. I shall always think of her as a place where I enjoyed many beers, met some good friends and swapped some tall tales. The following is an article about Trail Southern Oregon that I found interesting and decided to share it here. It will give you an insight as to why I love this place: Just click the link to read it.

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Saturday, April 16, 2005

 

Innovations

CNN recently published the following list of the top innovations that changed the world in the last quarter of a century: TOP INNOVATIONS 1. The Internet 2. Cell phone 3. Personal computers 4. Fiber optics 5. E-mail 6. Commercialized GPS 7. Portable computers 8. Memory storage discs 9. Consumer level digital camera 10. Radio frequency ID tags 11. MEMS 12. DNA fingerprinting 13. Air bags 14. ATM 15. Advanced batteries 16. Hybrid car 17. OLEDs 18. Display panels 19. HDTV 20. Space shuttle 21. Nanotechnology 22. Flash memory 23. Voice mail 24. Modern hearing aids 25. Short Range, High Frequency Radio By clicking the link or the title of this article you can read CNN's analysis of each innovation and it's value and impact.

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Tuesday, April 05, 2005

 

What I learned in Kindergarden

The following excerpt is from Robert Fulgum's wise little book about the things he learned in kindergarden. I believe there is way to conduct our lives that makes us saner, happier and more stable. My precious girlfriend reminds me daily that I have too many rules for living and that I set too many boundaries. Simply I'm more at ease and more stable when my life has a clear direction. I'm a poet, accustomed to chaos, and I constantly strive to create order and give shape to what I imagine. Always, I seek for the things I need to know, because they are somewhere. Here is the crux of fulgum's ideas: "Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if all-the whole world-had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had a basic policy to always put thing back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are-when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand-pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned: 1 Share everything. 2 Play fair. 3 Don't hit people. 4 Put things back where you found them. 5 Clean up your own mess. 6 Don't take things that aren't yours. 7 Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. 8 Wash your hands before you eat. 9 Flush. 10 Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life ~ learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. 11 Take a nap every afternoon. 12 When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. 13 Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup-they all die. So do we."

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Thursday, March 24, 2005

 

Poetry Quotes and Thoughts

"A poem begins with a lump in the throat". ~Robert Frost Often, my poems do begin with a "lump in the throat", a feeling that something is amiss and needs to be explored. At times a simple statement by someone begs to be written about in a poem. At other times. dark, uncomprehensible fragmented thoughts rattling about in my subconcious scream to surface for air. today, I'm thinking about poetry and what it means. Here is a page of several poetry quotes of famous writers and poets, who define poetry from their particular perspectives. I do not have my own definition of poetry, but I suspect that my feelings about it are a composite of several slanted perspectives. Particularly, I am attracted to Archibald McCleish's statement that a "poem should not mean, but be". I cannot always explain the meaning of my poems, but, like a song, I can always feel them.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2005

 

Blog Thoughts

I began this blog 14 months ago. I didn't have a theme or a specific purpose in mind when I began, so I named the blog "Pensamientos", which means "thoughts" in Spanish. Initially I was more concerned with the design and appearance of these pages than the actual writing. It became an interesting way for a retired guy like myself to pass the time in a creative activity. After I was satisfied with the look of this weblog, I began writing about random thoughts that swirled about in my head. Reactions to tidbits of news, other people's blogs and the war in Iraq,( Especially the war, since my son Paul was fighting there as a soldier). Because of my anxiety for Paul's safety, my daily writings became expressions of war thoughts and were personal and cathartic. Eventually, Paul returned home safely from Iraq (Praise the Lord!!) and my pre-occupation with Iraq diminished. Everyday, I still read the names of the soldiers who have died and are on the American Coalition website and say silent prayers for their souls and for their familie's grief. My son is still a soldier with the real possibility of returning to Iraq in the future, and I never want to forget the Americans who have died or have been maimed in this bloody war. I have always written my thoughts in a small private journal. Also, I write poetry about things or ideas that impress or bother me. If I can write it,I am often able to understand it. This isn't always true, but I gain some clarity and emotional satisfaction through writing. For the past few months, my blog has become a poetry blog. Many of my poems are about relationships between men and women, about sex and passion, about trust, about deceit, about lonliness and even about joy. I've discovered that I often see the dark side of things, which I suspect interests me more than the saccharine, pleasantness of ordinary living. I'm certain that my poetry offends some and inspires others. Most poems on this blog are works in progress, that I constantly edit and change. If you're reading this essay and enjoy my poetry and writing, welcome. If you are bored or turned off by my writing,move on. There's plenty of interesting stuff to read out there without wasting your time here. I truly appreciate those of you who have taken the time to read and comment on my poems or have contacted me regarding them. Thank you. Following this essay is a new poem that I published today. It is a short triolet entitled "Inner Space"

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Tuesday, December 14, 2004

 

Happy Holidays


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Saturday, November 20, 2004

 

Read My Blog in Five Languages

Today I added links at the beginning of each article that enables the reader to choose one of five languages (Spanish, German, Italian, Portugese and French).A reader can select his or her preferred language by simply clicking on the appropriate link, and the article will be translated into that language. Nuances of meaning will change in translation, but the gist of my article will be clear. It won't translate audio readings however. Try it, international readers, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment. More blog fun!!

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Saturday, October 30, 2004

 

The Real Self

OUR REAL SELF Just by being ourselves we are borne toward a destiny far beyond anything we could imagine. It is enough to know that the being I nourish inside me is the same as the Being that suffuses every atom of the cosmos. When the two see each other as equals they will be equal, because then the same force that controls the galaxies will be upholding my individual existence.-Deepak Chopra

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Wednesday, October 27, 2004

 

Presidential Thoughts

Generally I'm apolitical. I hold a healthy mistrust of most promises and words put forth by politicians. The welfare of the average American is much less important to the politician than the special interests of the major corporations. Poor access to basic healthcare, enviromental pollution and destruction, a mind-numbing, under-funded educational system, and the recent aggressive war-mongering by our beloved country, all serve to re-inforce my mistrust of America's elected representatives. With the presidential election, just a few short days away, i'm acutely aware that one must choose between the lesser of two evils; a democrat or a republican, an aspirant or an incumbent; both heavily funded by corporate America and rife with special interests; most of which have nothing positive to offer you and me, the so-called average American. Is this election important? Does it matter whom we choose? Are these men, Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry so different? These are tough questions for me to answer. As I wrestle with this puzzle, we are in an awful bloody quagmire in Iraq, 40% of all Americans have no health coverage, terrorists threaten our freedom, the jobless rate has skyrocketed, the economy is weakening, our schools are woefully inadequate and illegal immigration is over-the-top. Additionally, our basic freedoms and our privacy are being challenged at every turn. It's a different America, than I've grown accustomed to over my long life. Who will keep our country safe, viable, healthy, respected? which candidate, which man will better serve and preserve this great country for my children and grandchildren? As I ponder my vote, i still can't decide. I hope in the next few days, my mind will penatrate this rhetorical fuzziness and that I'll make the right choice between these "lesser of two evils!"
[Listening to: The Prayer - Andrea Bocelli; Celine Dion - Sueños (04:30)]
[Listening to: The Prayer - Andrea Bocelli; Celine Dion - Sueños (04:30)]

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Monday, October 18, 2004

 

Suppression of an Artist

Chilean Writer, poet, friend and adopted grandaughter, Happy Lee del Canto ended her fine creative blog today. The pressure of criticism by ignorant factions within her culture were more than she could bear. The subtle comments, the tsking lips and the nodding gossipy heads of lesser beings, silenced this national treasure into obscurity. Forgive them. They know not what they do. Her Word Flow is gone. She will be sorely missed by her daily readers, and potential readers will never know her. The following Robert frost poem is dedicated to happy: Robert Frost - The Silken Tent She is as in a field a silken tent At midday when the sunny summer breeze Has dried the dew and all its ropes relent, So that in guys it gently sways at ease, And its supporting central cedar pole, That is its pinnacle to heavenward And signifies the sureness of the soul, Seems to owe naught to any single cord, But strictly held by none, is loosely bound By countless silken ties of love and thought To everything on earth the compass round, And only by one's going slightly taut In the capriciousness of summer air Is of the slightest bondage made aware.

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Thursday, October 14, 2004

 

Age in Context

Actors and movies are a measuring stick of one's age in perspective. For example, the following facts, relative to my present age, brings into focus an aspect of my personal history: 20 years 4 months younger than Zsa Zsa Gabor, age 85; 9 years 0 months younger than Clint Eastwood, age 74; 6 years 4 months younger than Kim Novak, age 71; 3 years 4 months younger than Burt Reynolds, age 68; 0 years 8 months older than Nick Nolte, age 64; 1 year 11 months older than Ann-Margret, age 63; 7 years 9 months older than Billy Crystal, age 57; 10 years 5 months older than Whoopi Goldberg, age 54; 13 years 1 month older than Robin Williams, age 52; 17 years 1 month older than Tom Hanks, age 48; 19 years 5 months older than Jamie Lee Curtis, age 45; 21 years 10 months older than Eddie Murphy, age 43; 31 years 1 month older than Jennifer Lopez, age 34; 39 years 8 months older than Jennifer Love Hewitt, age 25; 48 years 10 months older than Haley Joel Osment, age 16. When these movies were released in the U.S. my age was: Casablanca: 3; All the King's Men: 10; Old Yeller: 18; Ben-Hur: 20; West Side Story: 22; The Sound of Music: 25; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: 28; Midnight Cowboy: 29; The Godfather: 32; American Graffiti: 34; Jaws: 36; Star Wars: 37; Animal House: 38; Star Trek: The Motion Picture: 40; ET: 43; The Terminator: 45; Top Gun: 46; Planes, Trains & Automobiles: 48; Steel Magnolias: 50; Home Alone: 51; Wayne's World: 52; Jurassic Park: 54; Forrest Gump: 55; Fargo: 56; Saving Private Ryan: 59; Toy Story 2: 60 . tempus fugit!

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No Internet for two weeks? How 28 people coped. | csmonitor.com

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Tuesday, October 12, 2004

 

Validation

All humans share a basic need to be validated, a need to be heard. Writing and blogging validtes us. Creative activity provides catharsis and gives voice to our deepest feelings. It release the demons within. We expose our true selves to the sun's rays, wrapped in metaphor and ideals. A broken chilhood is re-created and the artist is re-born. Our existence is validated. As we share our words, we say "We matter".
[Listening to: The Prayer - Andrea Bocelli; Celine Dion - Sueños (04:30)]

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Monday, October 11, 2004

 

In Memorium

My uncle Lewis Posted by Hello Lewis, my uncle died this past week. His teen years were spent in Montana where he learned the value of hard work while working on a ranch. He enlisted in 1942 and served in the European Theatre as a gunner on a B-17. He survived his twenty-five missions and returned home in 1943 to Lowry Air Base. This photo hung on the mantel in my parent's home for years and served as a constant reminder of a family war hero. His sons, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren will sorely miss Lewis.

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Sunday, October 10, 2004

 

Survey Shows Web Withdrawal

I think I have a new disease called web withdrawal. My palms sweat, I shake, my stomach growls, and my head pounds if the day passes without my online fix. How did this happen?Haven't been this addicted since I crushed out the last butt of that filthy Marlbourough smoke 30 years ago. I'm in good company though. I encounter millions of others, just like me, everyday. The cyber-family has replaced the real family. The glaring computer screen has become the center of the universe. It's pathetic. I play poker, blog, e-mail, read the news, chat with friends, research, emote, philosophize and interact with unknown faces in far away places. I'm connected in ways, un-imagined just a few years ago. Orwellian culture is reality. Willingly, I submit to the prying eyes of "Big Brother" like a fish to the bait. The meaning of freedom is being re-defined. After I'm gone, I wonder what my children's lives will be like?

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