Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
A Letter to The President of The United States
President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
President Obama:
I've been concerned about the state of our public education system for some time now. I'd like to share with you my concept.
A stronger Parent Teacher Association should be encouraged to make decisions effecting their particular districts. Without stronger parental involvement the districts and schools are left to the mercy of school boards.
The PTA, through proper parliamentary procedures, should advocate for the students in their schools directly with their respective school boards on a monthly basis. This would make for stronger individual community participation and decision reaching. As students see their parents taking a more active role in their education they will be spurred towards excellence. When I was President of our local PTA I instituted these ideas. At the end of the school year the Principal of the school came to my home to thank us for the best year in his experience as Principal.
As our nation's President, you can be a cheerleader for this cause. I have appreciated all your efforts pertaining to this matter up until now, but I believe it should be made a higher priority. Our education system can once again be a strong pillar in the growth of our nation.
Robert *****
LCDR, US Navy Retired
*****, MN *****
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Great Depression
In 1929 the stock market crashed. Financial managers were jumping out of tall building windows in what was the beginning of what came to be known as The Great Depression.
Times were hard, but neighbors helped neighbors. Vegetable gardens grew in urban back yards and small rural farms provided other needed food. Young people picked weeds and gathered crops. I would often wait for the farmers' pickup trucks to drive down our street. I was born in 1925 and was a young boy. I remember hobos knocking on our door and politely asking for work or a handout of some food, perhaps a sandwich. I lived with my grandma and two of her sisters. My grandpa had been a 49er in California and had left my grandma a bit of money. She would take her jewelry and sell to the grocer in exchange for her food bill. She would often help the hobos with a slice of bread and butter. They would mark our walkway in chalk, telling others it was a friendly home.
http://www.jedword.com/2010/05/28/bindlestiffs-hobos/
Later, Minneapolis would provide brick homes as shelters and projects.
Once I remember tugging my coaster wagon past a store window and a man inside waved me in. He asked me if I would go to the coal yard and bring him a bag of coal which cost twenty cents. I did. He rolled cigars for a living and offered me a job. I didn't take the job and returned to picking up discarded beer bottles which were worth 2 cents a piece. I'd collect the money at the nearest tavern. My Irish grandma taught me Irish songs and I also had learned some Scottish songs from Harry Lauder which I'd heard on old Edison records. In the tavern I would sing songs to patrons who would pay me a dime a song. I would take the money home and hoard it in my rumbutter toffee tin. Over time I had quite an accumulation of coins which I would lay out on the table and organize according to value and date. I had lines of Indian head pennies and buffalo nickels.
Times were hard, but neighbors helped neighbors. Vegetable gardens grew in urban back yards and small rural farms provided other needed food. Young people picked weeds and gathered crops. I would often wait for the farmers' pickup trucks to drive down our street. I was born in 1925 and was a young boy. I remember hobos knocking on our door and politely asking for work or a handout of some food, perhaps a sandwich. I lived with my grandma and two of her sisters. My grandpa had been a 49er in California and had left my grandma a bit of money. She would take her jewelry and sell to the grocer in exchange for her food bill. She would often help the hobos with a slice of bread and butter. They would mark our walkway in chalk, telling others it was a friendly home.
http://www.jedword.com/2010/05/28/bindlestiffs-hobos/
Later, Minneapolis would provide brick homes as shelters and projects.
Once I remember tugging my coaster wagon past a store window and a man inside waved me in. He asked me if I would go to the coal yard and bring him a bag of coal which cost twenty cents. I did. He rolled cigars for a living and offered me a job. I didn't take the job and returned to picking up discarded beer bottles which were worth 2 cents a piece. I'd collect the money at the nearest tavern. My Irish grandma taught me Irish songs and I also had learned some Scottish songs from Harry Lauder which I'd heard on old Edison records. In the tavern I would sing songs to patrons who would pay me a dime a song. I would take the money home and hoard it in my rumbutter toffee tin. Over time I had quite an accumulation of coins which I would lay out on the table and organize according to value and date. I had lines of Indian head pennies and buffalo nickels.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The North West Passage
The journey of life presents us with many challenges and transitions along the way. Every major change in life is a passage. Each passage we encounter can be an opportunity to heal the wounds from the past, go deeper into the meaning of our life, find renewed strength, open to intimacy, and realize our fullest potential.
This is just such a passage for Bob. A new living arrangement, meeting new friends, opening his mind and heart to others. Reaching out through his stories to connect with his life, touching the lives of his descendants.
"To remain vibrant throughout a lifetime, we must always be reinventing ourselves, weaving new themes into our life narratives, remembering our past, re-visioning our future, re-authorizing the myths by which we live"
~Sam Keen
This is just such a passage for Bob. A new living arrangement, meeting new friends, opening his mind and heart to others. Reaching out through his stories to connect with his life, touching the lives of his descendants.
"To remain vibrant throughout a lifetime, we must always be reinventing ourselves, weaving new themes into our life narratives, remembering our past, re-visioning our future, re-authorizing the myths by which we live"
~Sam Keen
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