Category: Rev. Joe Dirt’s Ramblings

The unsolicited, unreasoned, uninformed, unapologetic opinions of Rev. Joe Dirt

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Vladimir Putin singing Blueberry Hill…

This is just too weird to not share.  First it has a totally surreal quality like that  feeling you get just before you ram your car into a telephone pole.  To add to the absurdity of  it there is a bunch of Hollywood stars playing along like they are really digging it.  It must have been some really good vodka that night, or maybe that is why they are called actors.

What clenches it for me though is looking at this guy singing this song, knowing that he is not what I am going to euphemistically call a “good person”.  I sat there watching him wondering how many folks he has personally whacked or had whacked.  Anybody rising to the top of the power heap in Russia did not do so with a nice smile and a firm handshake.  I’ll stop.  We all know what this man is about.

Enjoy!

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Frances Ginsberg – A Special Lady That Will Be Missed

FrannieWhenever I picture Fran entering a room, it is this presence riding in on the wings of an aria. Perhaps it was from being on stage all those years, she just filled whatever the space was with energy and a love for life.

Her life was a lot like the operas in which she performed — a series of crests and troughs. I suppose in many ways that could describe any of our lives. Fran just lived her life on a larger stage. She had had a successful opera career on two continents, alternating between Milan and New York for the last 25 or so years. Unfortunately, that has all come to an end.

She returned to Saint Louis 3 years ago to be treated for stage 4 ovarian cancer. While she was there she reacquainted herself with many old friends, including Robin with whom she had been a close neighborhood and school friend.  Robin likes to tell the story about the time they entered a talent contest together and did not even place. Robin still feels bad to this day as she is sure she is the reason. I am thinking Fran got over it.

The treatment seemed to be a success and Fran went back to Italy for a while. She had a relapse and returned to St. Louis for more treatment. Again the cancer seemed to go into remission. She returned to New York this time, but only to have the cancer return. Continue reading “Frances Ginsberg – A Special Lady That Will Be Missed”

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Kangaroo Care…KISS

A simple low cost solution for caring for premature babies in 3rd world countries, and in this country.   Holding the baby against the mother’s chest continually, termed Kangaroo Care.

It was developed (relearned?) by Dr. Edgar Rey  in Bogota, Colombia who lacked enough incubators.  Clinical trials has shown that it is effective.  The babies do well,  start breastfeeding earlier and put on weight quicker.  Besides the physical benefits there is the emotional and social benefits.  Mothers and other caregivers, who spell her, are bonding better.  This leads to fewer abandoned babies.

What is the old rule of thumb…”KISS – Keep It Simple Silly”

Below is a link to the article on the New York Times website.  It is well worth the read.

The Human Incubator – NYTimes.com

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An Irishman abroad tells it like it is !! :-)

The moral of this story is…do not ask an elderly Irishmen what he thinks unless you really, really want to know.

He did pretty much nail it on the head regarding the current financial cluster f***.

Enjoy…if you are in the workplace or small children are around you might want to put on headphones!

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The World/Life/Etc. Explained

We live in a ass-backwards world.

We are the mirror image of a good universe.

  • Evil seems to be rewarded beyond measure and no good deed goes unpunished
  • A few very rich or powerful folks get to make the rules and dictate how most folks live
  • Education is not about learning, but learning how to make money
  • We worry about the afterlife, more than we worry about the here and now
  • Brittany Spears is famous and Ellis Paul languishes in relative obscurity
  • War and violence are touted as manly pursuits and arts and humanities are for wimps
  • Poverty is considered a moral failure of the individual and not a moral failure of the system
  • A person’s skin color determines his opportunities not what is inside the person
  • Business has a separate set of morals that if  an individual acted on that set they would imprisoned

I’m going to go on, but later when I have more inspiration.  In the mean time I am waiting for Capt. Picard to send the Enterprise around the sun 10 times at Warp 9 and see if it will reverse the converse.


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Only 6% of Scientists are Republicans

This article is drawing the conclusion that because most scientist are Democrats (or at least not Republicans) it draws into question the science behind some big issues today.

Climate change is the example given. Whether you believe that climate change is happening splits down party lines. Which makes me wonder about how much our politicians are really examining the issues, but that is another topic. The article wonders if science is pushing science or perhaps politics (and funding) is pushing science.

I have another question. Scientists on the whole are a very well educated group. They are trained to look at most things in a critical and factual manner. If you do not know the answer they are trained to search for it, or say we really do not know at this time.

Given the above, I find it very interesting that only 6% are Republicans. But that is just me!

Article at Slate.com
Most scientists in this country are Democrats. That’s a problem.

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The More People Doubt

I yanked this from a column by David Brooks at the New York Times web site. It is too rich not to share.

“Classic research has suggested that the more people doubt their own beliefs the more, paradoxically, they are inclined to proselytize in favor of them. David Gal and Derek Rucker published a study in Psychological Science in which they presented some research subjects with evidence that undermined their core convictions. The subjects who were forced to confront the counterevidence went on to more forcefully advocate their original beliefs, thus confirming the earlier findings.”

I think you can add your own commentary.

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The Secret to Happiness

What is the secret to happiness?  In the adult education Spanish class I am taking, we are reading the book, El Alquimista (The Alchemist) by Paulo Coelho.  The book touts itself as a fable about following your dreams.

Within this fable is a parable about a merchant sending his son off to consult the wisest of wise men on the secret to happiness.  After a long and arduous journey the young man arrives at the abode of the Wiseman.  He is sent off for two hours to tour the magnificent structure, but with a teaspoon of oil in his hand and an admonition to not spill the oil.  The young man returns to the Wiseman who asks him what he had seen. Continue reading “The Secret to Happiness”

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Mr. President: You promised change. Where is it?

Mr. President, 

I will admit to being a Liberal.  I wear the label with great pride.   I used to consider myself an independent and always registered to vote as such.  During the Clinton years I became so appalled at the behavior of the Republicans I began to identify myself as a Democrat.  I have since become so appalled at the lack of any clear direction or backbone in the Democratic Party that I am back to considering myself an independent.

It strikes me that our government was effectively been co-opted by the corporations and a small percentage of obscenely wealthy individuals.  This stealthy coup d’état was in a large engineered through the Republican Party.   Continue reading “Mr. President: You promised change. Where is it?”