Friday Morning at the Pentagon

Bet you can't read this and still have dry eyes at the end!

Did anyone ever tell you about this event? Probably not. Does the media ever talk about this event? Probably not. It is more or less a private party. And I think you, the American public, should know about it, and encourage it. The media probably won't ever tell this story. I think it is time for Americans to take our journalistic power back and tell this story. Who needs the media anyway!?!

I remember Vietnam. I remember the soldiers getting off the plane to mobs spewing hate, and worse, at them. And I cried. I could not believe that of my fellow Americans. How could anyone believe those young men wanted to go into the hell known as war? They should have come home as heroes. And it wasn't that way then. I still cry when I think about it.

Now, the world has turned, and times have changed. And, for the most part, we once again see soldiers as people deserving our respect.

Don't get me wrong, I have little tolerance for war mongers; and, I never met a "foot soldier" who was. And I offer only gratitude and respect to those who serve.

Bet you can't read this and still have dry eyes at the end!


FRIDAY MORNING AT THE PENTAGON
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY
McClatchy Newspapers

Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel have given their lives in the terrible duty that is war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers, horribly wounded and facing months or years in military hospitals.

This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert Bateman, who recently completed a yearlong tour of duty in ** Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon.

Here's Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony that fills the halls of the Army corridor of the Pentagon with cheers, applause and many tears every Friday morning. It first appeared on May 17 on the Weblog of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media Matters for America Website..

"It is 110 yards from the "E" ring to the"A" ring of the Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is newly renovated; the floors shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few sergeants and some civilians, all crammed tightly three and four deep against the walls.

There are thousands here. This hallway, more than any other, is the Army' hallway. The G3 offices line one side, G2 the other, G8 is around the corner. All Army.. moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may not have seen each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the way and renew their friendships. Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the center. The air conditioning system was not designed for this press of bodies in this area. The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares.10:36 hours: The clapping starts at the E-Ring. That is the outer most of the five rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the building.

This clapping is low, sustained, hearty. It is applause with a deep emotion behind it as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the hallway. A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the forward edge with his presence. He is the first.

He is missing the greater part of one leg, and some of his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is a private, or perhaps a private first class. Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I described one of these events, those lining the hallways were somewhat different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for not having shared in the burden.. Yet.

Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This steadies the applause, but I think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier's chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel. Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come more of his peers, each private, corporal, or sergeant assisted as need be by a field grade officer. 11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands hurt, and I laugh to myself at how stupid that sounds in my own head. My hands hurt... Please! Shut up and clap.

For twenty-four minutes, soldier after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30. Fifty-three legs come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall came 30 solid hearts. They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor, hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up, down this hallway, through this most unique audience.

Some are catching handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade. More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.

There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband's wheelchair and not quite understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older immigrant Latino parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son's behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the silent tears on more than a few cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his eyes only to better see. A couple of the officers in this crowd have themselves been a part of this parade in the past. These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are our brothers, and we welcome them home.

This parade has gone on, every single Friday, all year long, for more than four years. Did you know that? The media hasn't yet told the story. And probably never will.

Kaylaisms

This is a collection of insights from my youngest daughter, Kayla.

June 23, 2009: On the white board this morning. . .
Part of life is being hungry. Being hungry means you want FOOD!
[Seems Kayla has reached "hollow leg syndrome {HLS} already! sigh!]

May 30, 2009
Today, as we were talking about what she wants to do with her life, my youngest (11) said , "The way I'm going to get rich is that I am the idea person. I am going to dream up cool things to do, and I am going to tell everyone else what to do. I dream it up and they have to make it and that will make me rich."

2002 (she was four): During dinner conversation, learning meaning of new words.
Dictator: Means you are the little tater, and I am the big tater and you gotta do what I say.

Remember, your comments are always welcome.

Microsoft and PHP

"Asbolutely hiliarious!" N.T, Louisville

You gotta read the article at this link!

Apparently, Microsoft is attempting to go head to head with Google, and the author of the article found at the end of this link is questioning the methods, as well as the sanity, of the great giant.

Microsoft's web application hosting environment, Windows Azure, is a competitor to Google App Engine and in an attempt to make their platform more easily available to the masses, has introduced support for PHP on their web application platform. ... The rest of the story is here. . .

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/25/dziuba_microsoft_php/

"For those of you that aren't web developers, this is a bit like trying to kill a person with a rifle by clubbing them in the foot with it, hoping that the blunt end of the weapon will break the skin somehow, and your victim will die of an infection because he's in a place so remote that there's no access to antibiotics."

Where Has All the Good News Gone?

Recession! Recession! Recession! 100,000 jobs lost today. This big corporation closing. That one laying off thousands and thousands. 4.8 million jobs lost between October 2008 and February 2009. Don't you just get tired of hearing the blah, blah, blah of the talking head on the network news spouting about all the bad news of the day?

Now, don't get me wrong, that is a lot of jobs lost and people out of work. I just wonder why they don't bother to talk about the good news.

Did you know that there were 4.3 million people hired into new jobs in the same time period? Did anyone bother to jump up on the soap box and shout THAT news from the roof tops? Not that I heard. I had to go digging to find that information.

Did you know, during the "Great Depression" of the early thirties, that the unemployment rate (they called it "jobless" then) was around 30%? That was huge! That means that 30% of the total employable population (those who wanted, and were able to work) were out of work. That was a REALLY bad time. The depression was world wide. But, did you ever think about the other 70%? What were they doing? They were working, making their house and car payments, buying new stuff, in other words, living their lives pretty much as usual.

You know what else? We did not have a bunch of people on the nightly news telling us that we needed to be worried about the depression. So we just did what was in front of us to do, whether we were among the "unlucky few" without a job, the lucky majority who still had income. We just did what was our to do, without having some dupe in a suit telling us what to think.

Now, the dupeheads tell us what to think, what to feel, what is politically correct to say. And we, as a society, nay as a species, with a few rare exceptions, swallow it hook line and sinker. 'They' are LYING to you! Wake up and smell the coffee!

4.3 million, of the 4.8 million who lost their jobs, have already been hired into new jobs. That leaves only 300,000 without work. That is about the normal number of people out of work on any given day in American.

You know, I was in the job market in the 80's when it "went to hell in a hand basket". I had a good job, and I did everything I could to keep it. I kept my mouth shut, didn't make waves, and hated every minute of it. I kept improving my skills, making myself more valuable to my employer so that I would not be at the top of the layoff list. However, there were many around me (half of the team I worked with) who lost their jobs in that company. We kept in touch. You know what? Every single person that I knew left that job, took some time off for R and R and found new jobs. Jobs that they enjoyed more and in most cases, jobs that paid more.

And you know what else? Is stayed in that job for 15 years. You know what else? It nearly killed me! I sometimes envied those who had been laid off and as a result had found great jobs that paid them more money and that they really enjoyed. Me? I was still stuck in the job that I spent so much energy keeping!

Today, even as bad as it is, there are still companies in EVERY industry who are hiring. Take your expertise and go out and take one of those jobs. Or better yet, go make your own.

Another thing about large companies shutting down. Why do you think there were so many companies in a single industry? Because there was enough work for them. Well, there may not be enough work for all those big companies, but there will be work in most of those same industries for independents. Someone still has to service those customers. If you are really good at what you do, why not go out and start your own business? Pick up where the large, faceless corporation left off. You will prosper.

Do you know that there were more businesses started during the so-called "Great Depression" than at any other time in history? More million-airs were made. Yes. For some, it was the worst of times. For others, it was the best of times. And each individual's story is what made it such.

And remember, the baby boomers have reached retirement age. They are retiring in record numbers over the next few years. Most companies still need educated, trained and skilled employees. So where do they get them? From the list of unemployed of course!

Why are we so addicted to bad news? We are we such sensationalists! If we would all spend some time every day just being grateful for everything we have, and I mean everything, including the job loss, we would find ways through this a lot faster. The only way to get peace, is to be peace. Be the peace you want to see in the world. That does not mean passively accept whatever comes at you. It means go at it with peace in your heart and faith that all will come right, sooner than later.

Take responsibility for your own life. Turn off the T.V. Get up and out and DO something about it. Be the difference. No one is to blame for the situation you find yourself in. Make a choice. Be different. You and only you can change your life. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. What are you going to do with it? Be a victim? Or an overcomer? (I just made that word up.)

I just read this in an online 'zine:
New jobs are created every day -- in health care, education, local government, and even in retail. Businesses hire to fill vacancies created by retirement. Joblessness or fulfilling employment is a choice that you can make for yourself.

Remember: Choose, or don't choose. Either way, you choose. What do you choose?

Everyone look for something good in the economy, your choices create your reality.

Didya ever think that if all governments used the money they put into the war machine to take care of their people, how there would be no money for war, and how prosperous and healthy everyone on the planet would be?

The Genius of Buckminster Fuller

I never learned this in school. Did you? I wonder if perhaps we had learned this in school, our society would not be so short on attention span! We might be more willing to give our ideas time to come to life, instead of calling ourselves failures because society did not accept our genius right away.

Buckminster Fuller wrote: "The gestation period for an idea depends on the ultimate use of the idea / invention."

Very frequently I hear or read of my artifacts adjudged by critics as being 'failures'. because I did not get them into mass-production and 'make money with them'. Such money-making-as-criteria-of-success critics do not realize that money-making was never my goal. I learned very early and painfully that you have to decide at the outset whether you are trying to make money or to make sense, as they are mutually exclusive. I saw that nature has various categories of unique gestation lags between conception of something and its birth. In humans, conception to birth is nine months. In electronics, it is two years between inventive conception and industrialized production. In aeronautics, it is five years between invention and operating use. In automobiles, it is ten years between conception and mass-production. In railroading, the gestation is fifteen years In big-city skyscraper construction, the gestational lag is twenty-five years. For instance, it was twenty-five years between the accidental falling of a steal bar into fresh cement and the practical use of steel-reinforced concrete in major buildings. Dependent on the size and situation, the period of gestation in the single-family residences varies between fifty and seventy-five years.

Because of these lags, the earlier I could introduce the conception model, the earlier its birth could take place. I assumed that the birth into everyday life of the livingry artifacts whose working conceptual prototypes I was producing would be governed by those respective-category gestation lags. I assumed my livingry inventions' progressive adoptions by society would occur only in emergencies. I called this emergence through emergency. For all of humanity to begin to break away from its conditioned reflexes regarding living facilities (home customs and styles), allowing them to be advantaged by my livingry artifacts, would take at minimum a half century to get underway. Since this was clearly a half-to-three-quarters-of-a-century undertaking, I saw at the outset that I best not attempt it if I was not content to go along with nature's laws.

How To Use The "Follow Me On Twitter" Concept

It only takes a few minutes to follow someone on Twitter. The “follow me on Twitter” concept is what people use to get people to communicate with them on their Twitter website. This is the way that people will get to know you as you participate in conversation with them.

Using the “follow me on Twitter” concept is the connection that holds the Twitter relationships together. All it takes is a simple tweet to post to your site. It has to be short and to the point because Twitter only allows 140 characters to use for each tweet.

The first thing you need to do is to sign up for a Twitter account. Follow the instructions for signing up. It only takes a few minutes and is simple to do. Anyone can do it in a matter of a few minutes.

After you have signed up with Twitter, you should be logged in already. If you’re not, then activate the sign in link to enter your username and password. It will then take you to your Twitter site.

Look for members that have already signed up and follow them first. If you need to find followers you can either invite them to join Twitter or choose the “Public Timeline” link. You will see other twitters listed. You can select their username and activate the “Follow” button of those you want to follow.

Most of the followers that you have followed will follow you back. Using the “follow me on Twitter” concept is the best way to get followers to your site and to also build Twitter traffic. If a follower sees that you have the same interest, they can use the “Follow” button and invite you to follow them.

As long as you and the other followers provide information that is beneficial and meaningful, then you will get more people to activate the “follow me on Twitter” concept. Not only will using this concept get you Twitter traffic, but it can also help you to access contacts for future business transactions.

When you use the “follow me on Twitter” concept, you cannot blatantly promote your business. Followers will stop following you very quickly. You should not spam your followers when you are using this option. You can promote your business, but there is a certain place and time to do that. You have to first establish relationships with your other followers.

The “follow me on Twitter” concept is so simple, that you can have lots of followers in no time flat.

Randy Cassingham's Blog: Herb Caen: Master of the Three Dots