Photo of the Week – Snap the Whip

Snap the Whip

by Winslow Homer

This bronze sculpture is located in all place an cemetery in Flint, Michigan.

Winslow Homer’s Snap the Whip

Chain E-mails… Where do they come from?

I got this chain e-mail the other day. Like most of them, it made me cry. I have no idea why I cry while reading these chain e-mails, but I do.

So I was wondering, where do these chain e-mails come from? Is there someone out there who just sits at their desk writing these up and send it to people so they can pass it to other? When was this e-mail created and how long has it been around. And what really happens if you don’t send the e-mail out after you read it? So far, nothing has happened to me (knock on wood).

If you have gotten a chain e-mail lately, pass it along. Here’s the chain e-mail I got. And yes, I did send it out to my friends…

A Beautiful Story

A great note for all to read it will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall

She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy.

“Today is a gift, that’s why it is called the present.”

The origin of this letter is unknown, but it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.

Do not keep this letter.

Just forward it to your friends to whom you wish blessings.

Dancing with the Stars – Meet the Stars

MSN TV has pictures of all 12 Stars who are going to be dancing in Season 6.

Still trying to figure out who my picks will be to make the finals.

Sylvia

Dancing With the Stars – Season 6

Here we go again. Dancing With the Stars announced it Season 6 lineup yesterday. Looking over the list, I was trying to see who my picks would be to win this season. (I didn’t do to well last season with my early pick of Jennie Garth).

I’m not going to make any picks just yet; I want to consult with my sister, niece and aunt before I make my prediction.

Dancing with the Stars (U.S. TV series) ABC has announced the cast members for “Dancing with the Stars” Season Six. Here is the official announcement: Twelve celebrities — six men and six women — attempt to outshine one another on a sixth season of the hit series “Dancing with the Stars,” which returns Monday, March 17 (8:00-9:30 p.m., ET) on ABC. The Season Six cast includes some of our most lauded stars yet: an Academy Award winner, a Tony Award winner, an Olympic Gold medalist, a nine-time Grand Slam tennis champion and the NFL‘s current Man of the Year.

Six teams will strut their stuff on Monday night, while the other six teams will show off their moves on Tuesday, March 18 (9:00-10:30 p.m., ET). All twelve couples will perform a second routine the following week on Monday, March 24 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET), before the first elimination, Tuesday, March 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show,” where for the first time in the show’s history, two couples’ fates will be determined in a dramatic double elimination.

In alphabetical order, the twelve couples are:

• Adam Carolla & Julianne Hough
• Cristián de la Fuente & Cheryl Burke
• Shannon Elizabeth & Derek Hough
• Steve Guttenberg & Anna Trebunskaya
• Mario Dewar Barrett & Karina Smirnoff
• Marlee Matlin & Fabian Sanchez
• Penn Jillette & Kym Johnson
• Priscilla Presley & Louis van Amstel
• Monica Seles & Jonathan Roberts
• Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska
• Marissa Jaret Winokur & Tony Dovolani
• Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas

From Mercury News

Finally, your ‘DWTS’ lineup

Article Launched: 02/19/2008 01:31:06 AM PST

ABC has announced the 12 celebrities who will begin their quest for the “Dancing With the Stars” trophy March 17.

Here’s the lineup in alphabetical order, thanks to the folks at ABC.

Adam Carolla – The TV and radio personality once paired with Jimmy Kimmel and Dr. Drew Pinsky will now reportedly be paired with Julianne Hough. She’s the two-time returning champ, and he’s . . . Adam Carolla. This should be interesting.

Cristián de la Fuente – The Chilean actor hopes to match fellow South American Hélio Castroneves‘ accomplishments.

Shannon Elizabeth – The “American Pie” actress is also an accomplished poker player. Can she dance?

Steve Guttenberg – The “Police Academy” star has been MIA for, say, the entire lifetime of Julianne Hough.

Mario Dewar Barrett – The R&B singer was in the dance movie “Step Up.” He must have some skills.

Marlee Matlin – The Oscar winner for “Children of a Lesser God” will be the show’s first deaf contestant. Not sure how this will work, but Matlin has showed she can do pretty much anything.

Penn Jillette – You know him as the more talkative, and much larger, half of the famous illusionist team Penn & Teller. At 6-foot-6, he may be at a disadvantage. Remember 6-7 Clyde Drexler?

Priscilla Presley – As Jane Seymour, 57, proved, age is nothing but a number. Presley is 62.

Monica Seles – As the holder of nine grand slam singles titles, she’s, obviously, already a champion.

Jason Taylor – The NFL Man of the Year hasn’t won a Super Bowl, but he could be a dancing champion.

Marissa Jaret Winokur – She won a Tony Award for her role as Tracy Turnblad in “Hairspray.” Lots of dancing in that. Could be an advantage.

Kristi Yamaguchi – The Bay Area native and Olympic gold medalist has shown grace and skills on the ice, but how will she do on the dancing floor?

Photo of the Week – Windsor Park

I took this picture on the Windsor side (Canada). In the background, you can see Detroit. It was a perfect day and I was with my cousin Rose and her husband driving around Detroit and Canada.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Wow another Valentine’s Day and no Valentine’s for me…

I have never been one for Valentine’s Day or as some people say “a made up holiday by Hallmark”.  I even brought myself a box of chocolate today while I got my lunch. Just to stuck it to the man!!

One of my earliest memories of Valentine’s Day was when I was in 2^nd grade. My teacher wasn’t going to do anything for Valentine’s at school, so me and a couple of my classmates planned our own party. We had tons of cookies, cupcakes and candy, all of the good stuff. The only thing we forget was the beverages. I remember all of us standing in line by the drinking foundation waiting to drink some water. We were so thirsty after eating all of the sugar!! It was pretty funny.

So I guess that was my first experience in planning events – something I like to do now.

But back to Valentine’s Day, if you have a special someone to share it with – good for you!! And if you don’t – make it a special day for yourself! This isn’t a holiday that someone should get upset over. There should be no pity party for one or tears. “There is not crying for Valentine’s Day”.

Sylvia

Photo of the Week – Comerica Park

2005 — this picture is from the front entrance of Coamerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.

This is the new home of the Detroit Tigers in Downtown Detroit. I have only seen one game there — the first night game at the new stadium. I it a nice place,  but I remember going to the old stadium when I was younger and I loved that place. It was an old-school type of ball park. Grass, open and covered seating and polls in the way.

At CoAmerica Park, there are a lot of stone tigers outside the building and around (like the one pictured).

Miss. bill would ban serving fat diners

There are a few “hot buttons” that I have and anything dealing with weight is one of them.

I saw this article by Emily Wagster Pettus on Monday, February 4, 2008 and I had to comment about it.

What gives people the right to ban anyone from service at a restaurants? So what if someone is fat? Who else is that hurting besides that person? Being a plus-sized person, I don’t think when I go to a restaurants, that I am taking food out of other customer’s mouth. I pay for what I want to eat, so it shouldn’t matter if I eat a little or decide to order the entire menu!

My business should not be anyone else’s concern. As long as I am not breaking the law or harming anyone else, I should be able to do whatever I want to do. And look the way I want to. I’m not running around telling others what they can and can not do. So why should some one in office be able to ban me from getting service at a restaurants?

The representative who wants to “shed a little light” on this situation, should be more concerned about the people who are homeless, child abuse and families who can not afford to eat a meal. Now those would be issues that I would stand up and fight for. Not a ban on serving fat diners.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion and there may be those who agree with that representative. But since this is one of my “hot buttons”, I just wanted to put in my two cents!

 

Sorry, you’re too fat to eat here

Miss. bill would ban restaurants from serving obese customers

Provided by:

JACKSON, Miss. – A state lawmaker wants to ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers — but please, don’t be offended.

He says he never even expected his plan to become law.

“I was trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi,” said Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier, who acknowledges that at 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, he’d probably have a tough time under his own bill.

More than 30 percent of adults in Mississippi are considered it obese, according to a 2007 study by the Trust for America’s Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.

The state House Public Health Committee chairman, Democrat Steve Holland of Plantersville, said he is going to “shred” the bill.

“It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions,” Holland said Monday.

The bill had no specifics about how obesity would be defined, or how restaurants were supposed to determine if a customer was obese.

Al Stamps, who owns a restaurant in Jackson, said it is “absurd” for the state to consider telling him which customers he can’t serve. He and his wife, Kim, do a bustling lunch business at Cool Al’s, which serves big burgers — beef or veggie — and specialty foods like “Sassy Momma Sweet Potato Fries.”

“There is a better way to deal with health issues than to impose those kind of regulations,” Al Stamps said. “I’m sorry — you can’t do it by treating adults like children and telling them what they can and cannot eat.”

Photo of the Week – Brad and Pam

I love this picture of my nephew, Brad and niece, Pamela (Keesler) from 2003.

We were in a mall in Downtown Louisville when Brad picked up Pamela. I was so glad I had my camera with me.