tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41388459026929871012024-02-07T18:20:21.394-08:00Neuroticy = A Societal MadnessEveryone has a neurotic moment or three - here is where I'll share mine, and my opinions; maybe you will too. Have a read, have a laugh. Get your shout on! Thanks for sharing in the craziness.Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-46759579365167639382018-05-01T18:22:00.004-07:002018-05-01T18:24:44.543-07:00Not So Funny<span style="font-family: calibri;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">She wasn’t funny.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is my opinion, and just like everyone else, we all have
one.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Mine comes from an objective place;
last week, I had no idea who Michelle Wolf was, nor do I support or have any life-altering
disgust for the people whom she roasted.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But… she wasn’t funny.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now, you may be of the majority who disagrees with me, and
that’s fine.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I bear no ill will against
disagreements.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What I’m seeing is that
the people who are throwing accolades at Wolf’s feet are the ones who are
already so vocal against our simp of a President and his general political
party.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Frankly, I found that she was no
different than those she spoke against.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Sure, there was a Hillary joke tossed in to “balance” things out, but
the slant was definitely at a hard right.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">L<span style="font-family: "calibri";">et’s break this down though - she came out explaining and
almost even apologizing for what she was about to unleash, so she lost me right
at the beginning.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“She was brave!”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Bravery is owning without justification.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>With the exception of “you should have done
your research,” the jokes weren’t anything I don’t read in my newsfeed every
day – which is chock full of comedians so I was surprised to see a few of them
label her as “original.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The jokes were
hack, and she came across as someone who was paid to read them aloud with no
style whatsoever.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s not a plus that
her biggest ally is the beyond-brash perpetual victim Kathy Griffin.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And I get that it is tradition to ‘roast’ the
political climate, but I much prefer a smarter type of comedy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s not a lowbrow audience or event, and my
entire life I’ve been taught ‘know your time and place.’<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Just because the other team sink beneath
dignity doesn’t mean that we have to.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now on the flip side, those claiming to be offended are
likely putting on a good show because they walk on hot coals as it is; you don’t
do that without some expectation of being burned.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And the fire wasn’t even that intense.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Mr. Rickles is probably groaning in his
grave.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Making fun of someone’s eye shadow
is not exactly an offense to start wars over.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>If anyone’s ego is that sensitive, they should not be a public face in
politics or any other arena.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Really and simplistically, this entire dust up is just
another opportunity to spread more hatred.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Not the comedian – don’t get me wrong.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>She was paid to do a job, she did said job and it is well within
tradition.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I am referring to us as a
public.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We seize on every single moment
of every single day to insult <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">some</i>body
about their choice in politics.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It is
disappointing, because we should be better.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We used to be better.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I am so
tired of the outright anger or the passive-aggressive attitudes that surround
me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“I encourage healthy discussion, BUT…!”
and off they go.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As I understand, this used to be a decent and even
anticipated tradition where everyone took a little heat, gave what they got and
had a little chuckle at themselves as a whole.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>So, is it time to retire it?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Could 45 actually be on to something?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Sure, it’s hypocritical to be the most insulting person on the planet
and calling for peace, but maybe we need to look a little more at our own
roles.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">See, folks, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this </i>is
why we can’t have nice things.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Because
everything has to be so extreme.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Maybe
when we get back to a middle ground we can inject funny again – but please,
find a better comic to get us there. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-50030520790812195262017-10-19T19:37:00.001-07:002017-10-19T19:37:10.702-07:00The Real American Way<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd7m3Bw2mrs" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i>"You cannot drive out hate with rage." </i></span></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd7m3Bw2mrs" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i>- Joseph Pinion</i></span></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Let's talk about America.<br />
<br />
A year ago almost to the day, the nation got into an uproar because one man whom we had placed at celebrity status uttered a word that is used every minute of every minute somewhere, and suddenly we didn't like it. This is where we are: we want change and we want it <i>now.</i> We don't want to work for it though. We'll yell, scream and stamp our feet all over the internet, we'll show up to the sudden resurgence of rallies and fly our hypocrisies like big, bright flags in the sky. We'll condemn the world around us, refuse to own our part in it and fail to make change from within.<br />
<br />
It's the American way.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The past few weeks have been exhausting. I have friends in <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/03/us/las-vegas-shooting-investigation/index.html" target="_blank">Vegas</a>, and friends all over <a href="http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7367251-181/northern-california-wildfire-smoke-clouds?artslide=0" target="_blank">Napa and Sonoma</a> counties. Some walked away unscathed, albeit a bit frightened or disconcerted. Then, on the wave of these tragedies, along comes the hashtag that became a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/10/19/the-woman-behind-me-too-knew-the-power-of-the-phrase-when-she-created-it-10-years-ago/?utm_term=.e101dc2b0faf" target="_blank">gendered battle cry</a> that was essentially a party that I wasn't invited to because I had a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kymberlie89" target="_blank">different interpretation</a>. <br />
<br />
You see, we're all about inclusion... until it affects us in a personal way. Then it becomes <i>my way or the highway.</i> This isn't new. We've always been birds in our flocks, but mostly because we didn't talk about all of this stuff with each other. We waited until we could talk behind the backs of everyone we knew like proper neighbors do. <br />
<br />
We are so far removed from our beginnings, it's like a tragic comedy. If only we had Shakespeare around to document all of it. Oh, wait... he did that already. He looked into the future of the world and gave us the perpetual script. There are two books that rule this planet; the Bible, and the collected works of old Bill. We broke up with the parents because we wanted to rebel, to be our own person and not live under tyranny. I can't help but wonder how John and George and Tom would react to our current culture. <br />
<br />
Frankly, I think they'd call us a bunch of pussies.<br />
<br />
Do I sound jaded? I don't mean to portray only that. It's taken me a long time to get to a place of balance - to not lose sight of the good despite the immense amount of bad. That's actually what makes it so much sweeter. I'm proud of my want to see all the shades of any issue at hand, because hate gets me nowhere. As every day passes, however, it isn't so much our leadership that has me embarrassed - it's us, or U.S.. People do not rise to power all on their own. We need to really examine how this came about and do it with some degree of impartiality and a smidgen of compassion. <br />
<br />
And we need to stopppppp being so damn angry with each other. <br />
<br />
I am not a "gender traitor" because I feel that everyone should be heard. I am just fine with being a snowflake because no two crystals are the same. If I'm a "libtard," then I guess I'm <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKqceQLpuSY" target="_blank">tard happy</a>. If I lean conservative sometimes, that's okay too because rules and policy aren't always a bad thing but can't they be instituted without malice? Maybe I'm the commie that my husband jokes about. And if I am ostracized for having a loud voice and a different way to seeing things, I'll be sad about it sometimes but then have to remember that differences are what bring the best of us together. They were not the best that I can do.<br />
<br />
The America that I know is indeed the melting pot; we are made up of boys and girls and in between, we are loud and shy, racist and tolerant, gullible and greedy. We worship sports and celebrity and let our teachers live in squalor. We complain about the price of a movie or a song, until we're on the receiving end of the art and find ourselves telling others it's a small price to pay. We are gay and we are ridiculously homophobic. We are narrow minded while we beg to be understood. We are rednecks and white trash and we are ghetto too. We will step over the starving on our way to the fanciest eateries in the nation. We are a people of hypocrisy, of creativity, of power and we are a people of irony. This trying to neutralize everyone is a ridiculous absurdity.<br />
<br />
I didn't want to go out today, to get out of my bed, get dressed and be in the world. As I often do, I thought nobody would even miss me anyway. Then I walked into one of my favorite haunts, and immediately Miguel came gliding over with a big smile and after exchanging hellos he said "you made my day just by showing up! No kidding, I saw you walking in and thought <i>there's my friend </i>and it was like this great cap to the day." He asked Jared to take care of me, and indeed he did. Jared and I talked about big banks and little problems and mused why do people fight each other over the small things? He even preached to me a little in a very unGod-like way. "I subscribe to the surfer's philosophy; it doesn't matter where it comes from, or when. All we can do is ride the wave." He leaned in to whisper, "... and maybe smoke a joint to get us on our way. Am I right? You got to find your peace." His laugh was warm and inviting, and reminded me why I choose to be in this space.<br />
<br />
These people do more than bring me iced tea or tolerate my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxeeeSUFpmE" target="_blank">Sally-like</a> food orders. They make the lines at the store a little bit shorter, they make the post office not so dreary. They wave a hello, they remember my name or they ask how they can help and don't always limit it to their work. They share their lives with me, and they enrich mine. I see them over the years grow up into people who change our world little by little. <br />
<br />
They're the fabric of <i>my</i> <a href="http://www.neuroticy.com/2013/07/" target="_blank">America</a>. <br />
<br />
It's a love/hate thing, but I choose to accept every acre of it. <br />
<br />
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<br />Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-63005121852895408702017-08-17T14:36:00.000-07:002017-08-17T14:36:11.646-07:00Two Ears and Ten Fingers<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="4lvsh-0-0"><span data-text="true">There's an old guy sitting next to me, and he couldn't be more clichéd. I say that not as a judgment but an observation. There began a conversation between me, him and another older lady about movies, and it morphed into his declaring he stopped going to </span></span><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="4lvsh-1-0" spellcheck="false"><span data-offset-key="4lvsh-1-0"><span data-text="true">#movies</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="4lvsh-2-0"><span data-text="true"> because "I go to be entertained, not to see political messages. I saw three movies in a row, and walked out on all of them. What was that one? Michael Moore? I just don't want to see it," to which my thought was then <i>why did you pay to go see it?</i> </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4lvsh-2-0"><span data-text="true">Further in, I'm likening it to the climate today of how we often go looking for a fight when it could actually be avoided. I did that myself just this morning as someone 'challenged' me on the road. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bsdcv-0-0"><span data-text="true">I abandoned the conversation early on because I was watching the </span></span><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="bsdcv-1-0" spellcheck="false"><span data-offset-key="bsdcv-1-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIrcB1sAN8I" target="_blank">Vice</a></span></span></span><span data-offset-key="bsdcv-2-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIrcB1sAN8I" target="_blank"> News</a> piece on the </span></span><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="bsdcv-3-0" spellcheck="false"><span data-offset-key="bsdcv-3-0"><span data-text="true">Charlottesville</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="bsdcv-4-0"><span data-text="true"> rally and it just got to the part where the car plowed into the crowd. I wasn't expecting to see that and it was shocking. I actually had to work at not crying in public. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="7vlst-0-0"><span data-text="true">I would pause now and then to hear what was being said next to me because the old guy was pounding the bar every so often so it was clear he was on a tear about something. He went through the usual tirades in systematic order; politics (the white people are not wrong), young people ("if I hear one more young person say 'I don't feel any passion for my job'..." and how technology has killed society), he gets harassed everywhere he goes (the bus, Safeway, TSA). </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4g4q8-0-0"><span data-text="true">In the middle of all of this, this newer guy who has been working here comes over to introduce himself. "You're a part of my corner, every time I come around this side so I couldn't not say hello!" Turns out that for the past 20 years, he's been working at training rescue dogs for behavioral problems, saving them from being euthanized at the shelters. He came back to working as a server because he needs money to continue doing this work. I mentioned that I have friends who foster and train animals and remarked on what a good thing he's doing.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="37iug-0-0"><span data-text="true">Then I come back to hearing Old Guy still going on., and she's looking a little like 'how did I get into this?' Now I'm thinking of how we have become such a society of extremism - either we're too encouraging of the younger generation by means of blind optimism or we tear them down by dismissing the things they stand for and dream of. Perhaps we've always been that way but I really believe it's stronger now. I could certainly hear it in the disdain of every one of Old Guy's words. The one thing I agreed with was how Twitter got saved in the nick of time by the madness of one man, because who doesn't like to watch a shit-show unfold in real time?</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5co22-0-0"><span data-text="true">Then he stood to go, and says to the lady next to him "Thanks, this was really fun, getting to talk to you. I don't get to visit with people very often." and that was the most revealing thing he'd said all afternoon. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3hg75-0-0"><span data-text="true">More than anything, isolation is what's brought us to this place. People feel so alone - detached or that they can't be their authentic selves. When they see an opening to engage, it becomes extreme in some way or another. We try to reach out to our own kind - those who validate some of what we feel, be it good, evil or nothing more than in between. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="7hr8e-0-0"><span data-text="true">At the end of that documentary, I watched the main guy sit calmly and justify why </span></span><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="7hr8e-1-0" spellcheck="false"><span data-offset-key="7hr8e-1-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/heather-heyer-charlottesville-victim.html?mcubz=0" target="_blank">Heather Heyer</a></span></span></span><span data-offset-key="7hr8e-2-0"><span data-text="true"> was killed. The woman interviewing him in the entire broadcast remained stoic at each thing he said. It's not something we see too often anymore; neutrality. It isn't that we shouldn't feel, it's that we should *think.* And ask questions. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="7hr8e-2-0"><span data-text="true">My question is ... would there be such global outrage if the person killed had been on the other side of the protest?</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="7hr8e-2-0"><span data-text="true">Most importantly, we need to listen when those questions are answered, whether it's what we want to hear or not.</span></span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-12758017454540521082017-08-14T13:59:00.001-07:002017-08-14T14:00:01.884-07:00The Sword of FreedomI think we should accept that "Knee-Jerk" has become the new religion of Americans and be done with it. Let's just own who we are and move on.<br />
<br />
We've become this cesspool of reaction without any critical thinking and the result is chaos. As long as we have determined what is "right," everything else is <i>wrong.</i> <br />
<br />
Now, let's take a look at the mess over in Charlottesville. For the record; I am not in support of any message that came from that protest. I think it's horrible that we are still dealing with such a divide of race after all this time. What happens in Virginia most certainly does not stay in Virginia, however, as one man found out. Cole White, who works for a populary eatery in Berkeley, was spotted at the alt-right rally and targeted by social media until Top Dog decided to cave and they fired him. <br />
<br />
Had they fired him because he'd called in sick to attend the rally, or had he been wearing a shirt with their logo or represented them in some other way, or even that they'd waited a minute to see that sales had declined or that they simply didn't like the way his hair was combed that day, it's California so by all means - fire him. That's all allowable by law. <br />
<br />
However... what <i>isn't </i>legal in California is to <a href="http://employmentattorneyla.com/fired-expressing-political-views-california/" target="_blank">fire someone</a> based upon their political beliefs. If White (ironic much?) wants to be a racist on his own time and outside of the uniform, he's allowed to be just that. Unless there was a contract that in some way stipulates that this is against company policy, they are not necessarily in the right.<br />
<br />
When I tried to point this out in my online commentary, I was immediately cyber-attacked by way of insults of all sorts, and woke to a shitstorm of rage that had gone on all night. When they began to remark on my selfies, I knew I'd pissed some people off. Rather than continue the battle, I just laughed at the comedic tragedy unfolding on the internet. One guy said "Why are you defending this creep? It's really pathetic of you." to which I replied "No, what's pathetic is that that's the message you all took away from this."<br />
<br />
And when we are right, everyone else is wrong. There is very little room for grey in the red, white and blue. <br />
<br />
I made this analogy that only fanned the flames as being "incredibly superficial" and "idiotic": 'What if you went to a concert and your employer felt that the artist clashed with their values, so they fired you? Would that be fair?' No, but in California, it'd be legal. It may seem a silly comparison but an accurate one. Too many don't realize that the sword of freedom swings both ways. When we want it to cut one person from where we want them to be, it can swing back even mightier and remove you from where <i>you </i>want to be. <br />
<br />
Rights are rights. While we may disagree over the whole speech thing, we're all allowed the freedom of it - <a href="http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Freedom%20of%20Speech" target="_blank">to some degree</a>. You can be angry that people want to brag about their whiteness or blackness or purple hair and tattoos, but they can be just as angry at you for drinking coffee that day. <br />
<br />
Maybe it's time we all stopped being so damned angry and started trying to resolve.<br />
<br />
There are better ways to handle things. It's a shame that <a href="http://www.topdoghotdogs.com/" target="_blank">Top Dog</a> didn't take the opportunity to say "we support free speech." Instead, they catered to politics and a particular demographic as opposed to supporting "for all." Just like OJ shouldn't be denied parole based on a prior trial with an unpopular outcome, Cole White did not kill anyone and in fact, had participated in the same rallies right there in his own hometown previous to this. Where was the outrage then? <br />
<br />
Never underestimate that the justice you want to dispense can easily be handed to you as well. I hate to bring up "the slippery slope," but it is what it is. Step back from that ledge and <i>think</i> before you find yourself sliding downhill fast. Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-11422635009114710152017-04-11T14:08:00.002-07:002017-12-05T14:50:35.742-08:00The Real Value of Customer Care<i><span style="font-size: large;"></span></i><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So, here’s a thing that just happened;</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I was told by the GM of the movie theater I
frequent that “if we aren’t meeting your standards, perhaps it’s time for you
to find another theater.”</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">This was in
response to my (semi regular) complaint that their employees do nothing to
address the issue of patrons talking during the playing of any given movie, and
when I asked for a refund last week, their shift manager – according to the
assistant manager – “refused” to come out and speak with me.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">That was the AM’s actual word, not mine.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">When I said to the GM “I don’t think it’s an
unreasonable standard to ask that you enforce a rule of no talking.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There’s even a thing you play on screen that
says ‘put your phones away and no talking’ before every movie.”</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">He repeated to me, “We are obviously not
meeting your standards, and I cannot continue to try.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Okay, let’s look at this more closely.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In these current times, customer service has
become a </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">thing.</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Why is that?</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Unarguably it is because of social media –
the very tool that I am now using to tell my story.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We the customers have the power to record
audio and video, to go online and type at the top of our lungs, to deluge the
pages of the offending company with angry complaints and demands of
resolution.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> We are a litigious society that expects all offenses to carry a hefty price tag when we are wronged.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’m actually not such a fan of this power, because as with
anything else it has become an abuse.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
complaints aren’t always true or accurate and with videos we only see snippets
of reality – I know how that works because I used to do sport video.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Not everything is as appears on camera.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In that, I won’t make a snap judgment against
a company or anyone at all based on this.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve also put in time working in retail, hospitality, research and I’ve
been a business owner as well as I come from a small business family.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I understand what it’s like to be behind the
counter, beholden to a company creed, to be the employee who is right but the
customer is “always” more so, and to be shut down as a customer trying to get
to the bottom of a problem.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">At my first
job in a prominent, independent fast food place, some guy came up to me
completely irate that his footlong hot dog was not 12” long.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">It was, according to him, about 4 inches
short.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the face of his anger, being
all of 17 and new to this dealing with such people for $3.35/hr, I could only
stand and stare before telling the owner’s son that he needed to deal with
it.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Since then, when I complain to any
public establishment, I ask myself </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">is
this a footlong complaint? </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">and that guides me in how to handle it.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">My typical MO is to seek out a manager, take them aside so
as not to cause a scene in front of other customers, and explain my issue.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I will usually throw in “hey, I’ve been in
your/their shoes, I get it” and explain that I’m coming to them rather than
filling a generic corporate complaint at their website because corporations go
by numbers, whereas most managers are willing to address things on a local
level and the response is generally favorable, plus they can see I’m not just
out to get something for free.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I will
never eat an entire meal and then ask for my money back.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And when I may have behaved badly such as
telling someone in a movie theater to shut the f*&$ up, I will ‘fess up to
that too.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is my background to why I feel customer service is of
utmost importance.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The customer is, in
fact, </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">not </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">always right but hands get
tied and mistakes happen and I look at it as if anyone wants my money, we both
need to have reasonable expectations of standards and go from there.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now here’s why I go to the movies as often as I do and why I
frequent the same theater – at minimum, once a week, sometimes twice if hubby
and I are having a date night. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I have a
serious condition that can best be described as an allergy to the sun.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">It’s rare to have it be as severe as what I
experience.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">When the Cinemark chain took
over our local theater, I found they offered series of classic movies, a
different one each week.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">At the time, I
was also going through some deep trauma and had become riddled with anxiety
issues.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I found a place to hide away
from the world for two hours in the middle of my week at a discounted
price.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I hadn’t attended movies very
much at all in the previous decade as a sort of protest to rising costs to pay
for computer generated movies I never wanted to see.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">As I was dealing with the stresses of my
life, and my health was worsening, this became a highlight for me.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">As I fell into a deeper depression, it
actually became somewhat of a tether, a string to keep me attached to my life
because you see, I had purchased the tickets in advance as a series.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I had to show up to the following week.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is what we call a lifeline, when dealing with
depression.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">For some, it’s having a pet
to take care of, for some it’s a personal obligation that keeps us from jumping
off of a bridge.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">For me, not only did I
create a routine of being places I might actually be missed, I also created
obligations to get me through another day or a week or a year when I could look
that far ahead.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">These movies weren’t
just my tether, they gave me one more thing to talk about on my social media
and among friends.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">They kept me from
isolation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I'm explaining this not to get anyone's pity, but as a reminder that things aren't always as they seem on the surface. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">To be told, after years of showing up and buying my tickets
and investing in concessions even when I didn’t necessarily want or couldn’t
afford the overpriced popcorn but giving it away to friends later because I
knew this was where the movie house made their profit… to be told that a
manager refused to speak with me and that my expectations of service were
unreasonable – well, this put me in a bit of a tailspin of discouragement.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Is this a footlong complaint?</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is now.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Routines are important to me, and frankly I like this
theater over the two other local options because unlike one of those, it is
kept clean and unlike the other, the staff is more friendly and caring.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I will no longer say that about the
management, but the ticket takers and the popcorn shovelers and the cashiers
are always ready with a smile despite what they are subjected to on any given
day.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve given my money and my loyalty and my positive remarks
on my media feeds, and this is what I was given in return.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is, of course, more to the story (see below) but
that statement is, for me, what it boils down to.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And it’s disappointing at best.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Here’s
hoping that Cinemark will somehow meet me in the middle and really listen to a
customer.</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="258" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkymberlie89%2Fposts%2F10209245170387194&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>UPDATE: I wanted to follow up with this because I believe we should recognize when companies do good just as much, if not more, when they don't. I did contact the corporate offices of Cinemark at the time of this posting. I worked my way through the chain until I was placed in contact with Michael Wegner, Region Leader. Mike and I had some candid conversations about customer service and the policies of the popular chain. He then put me in charge of the new GM at my location of choice and speaking with him went much better than with the previous manager. In the end, Cinemark stepped up to the plate and made a generous donation of movie passes to be featured in my annual Toys For Tots event (learn more here: <a href="http://www.bayareastories.com/2017/12/event-2017-toy-drive.html" target="_blank">The Bay Area Collective</a>). I am encouraged by their efforts and thankful for their giving spirit. We all have the power to make things just a little bit better when we work together.</i></span>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-88807892915901872332016-09-27T02:36:00.001-07:002016-09-28T00:26:46.814-07:00The Wonderful Vortex of Oz<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Kp4ugrSELtw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kp4ugrSELtw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I watched my first full length presidential debate
tonight. My first one. So it only took me 45 years. My husband remarked that this is one thing
that Trump has done for the country; more people are paying attention than ever
before. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Okay, I’ll give him that one.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Though it wasn’t Trump who first got me to start clicking on
the political headlines more than the pop culture ones. It was Barack Obama. The first time I ever heard of the guy was
when he was giving some sort of speech saying that the people of America needed
to do a better job of governing ourselves than we have been. A bit of irony there, given Michelle’s
hell bent need to determine the legality of what we can eat these days. I feel as though we’re divided by parents –
he’s the easy going chill dad and she’s the obsessive meddling mom. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I wasn’t sure what to expect this evening. I’m not on the side of either candidate,
really. One thing that Obama instilled
in me, and I believe in many, is a hope for the nation that the majority will
do the right thing. Right now we’re
caught in some pretty faraway places. It’s
like living in the land of Oz, and we’re having to decide between the
blustering, deceptive Wizard and the wickedly misunderstood Witch of the
South. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Some things were a given; the delicious sound bites, the
trademarked snarling at each other, the color by numbers body language. At one point I was almost proud of Hillary
when she placed her hand over her heart and brought her late father into
play. Classic emo move to play to those
who want any reason to feel superior over The Donald. The one tactic that I recognized immediately
was how easily Hillary was able to bait Trump into his usual playground
behavior. Every time he barked, she just
laughed. It’s a style of goading that my
brother used to do for the first two thirds of my life until I learned to beat
him by simply ignoring him. Donald Trump
couldn’t ignore anything if he ever even wanted to. The claim that he is so easily provoked by
something as insignificant as a tweet isn’t untrue. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Someone – I can’t recall the name – put it rather succinctly
in saying that in tonight’s debate, one needed to prove she had a heart and the
other needed to prove he had a brain. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We’re having to choose between the lesser of two gigantic
evils. On some level, Hillary wants to
do the right thing for America, but it’s similar to receiving useless trinkets
and polite but meaningless gifts at Christmas.
They’re giving us what they think we should have, not what we actually
want. The exception in politics has been
the last 8 years in which many strides have been made in civil liberties and a
war that wasn’t his but an inherited responsibility. If Obama could be elected for another term or
three, I just might be persuaded to vote.
Trump, however, is so blatant in his egotistical power trip that people
are dazzled into buying their own gifts, and they come with his name stamped right
on them. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I have no prediction to what’s going to happen this
November. My job isn’t to foretell, but
to examine what is happening as it unfolds, and it’s been one hell of an eye
opener. I have talked with people on and
offline from both camps and asked them many questions. It’s fascinating to listen to both when I am
on the side of neither. It’s not quite
the unobjective view, as if I were to choose between the two it sure as hell
would not be Donald Trump. I am </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">not </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">the 1 in 5 who may have been
persuaded to change my opinion after having watched this 90 minute circus. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What I </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">can </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">say is
that I am not surprised by this uprising of the dark lord known as The
Donald. He speaks to people I grew up
with, to the ones who are blinded by anger over everything they feel has failed
in the United States. They want a
country that will be great again, and ignore the many of whom it was never
great to begin with. Ignorance – whether
by IQ or attitude – is the real problem of America. To quote a Dixie Chick, “it’s been a long
time gone and it ain’t comin’ back again.”
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If we were to examine the difference in these campaigns,
Trump has consistently brow-beaten any and all opponents and any who disagree
with him, and he has fed on the fears of us all by shoveling it back at us with
a shiny golden spoon. Clinton may not be
the likable sort and she’s taken her shots.
She had one thing right on the money tonight though: “I think Donald just criticized me for
preparing for this debate. And yes, I
did. And you know what else I prepared
for? I’ve prepared to be President.”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Game. Set. Match.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">She ain’t wrong, folks.
She’s been preparing for this moment from the moment she said “I do” to
Billy Boy. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So, America, how’s it going to be? This land is your land, but this land is our
land too. Are you going to emanate the
Cheeto Demigod and look only as far as your front door or your next paycheck,
or are you going to take a look around and start helping each other up the
ladder? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Because the only way out of this mess is the way we got into
it. We need to take a look at how we’ve
gotten to this place we are in. It’s
quite likely that we’re all so angry because it’s not an answer we want to
examine so closely. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Believe me.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-31182398895223354322016-09-27T02:36:00.000-07:002016-09-27T15:43:05.740-07:00The Wonderful Vortex of Oz<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/10eaBFa0ffs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/10eaBFa0ffs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I watched my first full length presidential debate
tonight. My first one. So it only took me 45 years. My husband remarked that this is one thing
that Trump has done for the country; more people are paying attention than ever
before. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Okay, I’ll give him that one.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Though it wasn’t Trump who first got me to start clicking on
the political headlines more than the pop culture ones. It was Barack Obama. The first time I ever heard of the guy was
when he was giving some sort of speech saying that the people of America needed
to do a better job of governing ourselves than we have been. A bit of irony there, given Michelle’s
hell bent need to determine the legality of what we can eat these days. I feel as though we’re divided by parents –
he’s the easy going chill dad and she’s the obsessive meddling mom. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I wasn’t sure what to expect this evening. I’m not on the side of either candidate,
really. One thing that Obama instilled
in me, and I believe in many, is a hope for the nation that the majority will
do the right thing. Right now we’re
caught in some pretty faraway places. It’s
like living in the land of Oz, and we’re having to decide between the
blustering, deceptive Wizard and the wickedly misunderstood Witch of the
South. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Some things were a given; the delicious sound bites, the
trademarked snarling at each other, the color by numbers body language. At one point I was almost proud of Hillary
when she placed her hand over her heart and brought her late father into
play. Classic emo move to play to those
who want any reason to feel superior over The Donald. The one tactic that I recognized immediately
was how easily Hillary was able to bait Trump into his usual playground
behavior. Every time he barked, she just
laughed. It’s a style of goading that my
brother used to do for the first two thirds of my life until I learned to beat
him by simply ignoring him. Donald Trump
couldn’t ignore anything if he ever even wanted to. The claim that he is so easily provoked by
something as insignificant as a tweet isn’t untrue. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Someone – I can’t recall the name – put it rather succinctly
in saying that in tonight’s debate, one needed to prove she had a heart and the
other needed to prove he had a brain. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We’re having to choose between the lesser of two gigantic
evils. On some level, Hillary wants to
do the right thing for America, but it’s similar to receiving useless trinkets
and polite but meaningless gifts at Christmas.
They’re giving us what they think we should have, not what we actually
want. The exception in politics has been
the last 8 years in which many strides have been made in civil liberties and a
war that wasn’t his but an inherited responsibility. If Obama could be elected for another term or
three, I just might be persuaded to vote.
Trump, however, is so blatant in his egotistical power trip that people
are dazzled into buying their own gifts, and they come with his name stamped right
on them. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I have no prediction to what’s going to happen this
November. My job isn’t to foretell, but
to examine what is happening as it unfolds, and it’s been one hell of an eye
opener. I have talked with people on and
offline from both camps and asked them many questions. It’s fascinating to listen to both when I am
on the side of neither. It’s not quite
the unobjective view, as if I were to choose between the two it sure as hell
would not be Donald Trump. I am </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">not </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">the 1 in 5 who may have been
persuaded to change my opinion after having watched this 90 minute circus. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What I </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">can </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">say is
that I am not surprised by this uprising of the dark lord known as The
Donald. He speaks to people I grew up
with, to the ones who are blinded by anger over everything they feel has failed
in the United States. They want a
country that will be great again, and ignore the many of whom it was never
great to begin with. Ignorance – whether
by IQ or attitude – is the real problem of America. To quote a Dixie Chick, “it’s been a long
time gone and it ain’t comin’ back again.”
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If we were to examine the difference in these campaigns,
Trump has consistently brow-beaten any and all opponents and any who disagree
with him, and he has fed on the fears of us all by shoveling it back at us with
a shiny golden spoon. Clinton may not be
the likable sort and she’s taken her shots.
She had one thing right on the money tonight though: “I think Donald just criticized me for
preparing for this debate. And yes, I
did. And you know what else I prepared
for? I’ve prepared to be President.”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Game. Set. Match.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">She ain’t wrong, folks.
She’s been preparing for this moment from the moment she said “I do” to
Billy Boy. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So, America, how’s it going to be? This land is your land, but this land is our
land too. Are you going to emanate the
Cheeto Demigod and look only as far as your front door or your next paycheck,
or are you going to take a look around and start helping each other up the
ladder? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Because the only way out of this mess is the way we got into
it. We need to take a look at how we’ve
gotten to this place we are in. It’s
quite likely that we’re all so angry because it’s not an answer we want to
examine so closely. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Believe me.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-86961691852374242632016-08-29T18:44:00.002-07:002016-08-30T15:21:58.504-07:00The Sit-Down Heard 'Round the World<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">I have spent the better part of the weekend apologizing to
every friend of color that I have. Most
days of this past year, I have been embarrassed pretty much for the entire
human race – I haven’t discriminated.
Even in watching the Trump support movement unfold, I have not discriminated. After this weekend, I’m calling out the
general white population for their lack of empathy, their blatant ignorance and
rampant disregard for their fellow Americans.</span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">It was the sit-down heard around the world. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the greatest
sit-down since </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Rosa Parks</span></a><span style="color: red;">.</span><span style="color: #eeeeee;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.ktvu.com/sports/197138875-story" target="_blank">Colin Kaepernick</a></span><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"> made a quiet choice to stand up – or take a
seat – and express his feelings on a matter that has been plaguing our
nation. He said: </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">"There's people being murdered </span><a href="http://blacklivesmatter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">unjustly</span></a><span style="color: #eeeeee;"> and not
being held accountable. This stand
wasn’t for me. This is because I’m seeing things happen to people that don’t
have a voice. People that don’t have a platform to talk and have their voices
heard and affect change. I’m in a position where I can do that, and I’m gonna do
that for people who can’t.” </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">He didn’t
make statements beforehand, there were no announcements. He thought, and he acted peacefully, and he put himself
at risk with his career because his felt that strongly about wrongdoings in our
society, among his fellow humans. If we are fortunate, every one of us has a moment in our lifetime that doing the right thing becomes more important than money or other consequences.</span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">And
now people have lost their collective minds over it. He has been called every name in the book,
many of them of a racist nature – thereby proving his point. His actions were immediately declared a
disrespect to military – further proving his point. He has even been vilified as a “radical Islamic
supporter.” (that one wins the award for
Most Ridiculous). </span><b><span style="color: #eeeeee;">It is apples and
oranges to say that he is committing offense to our military; the freedoms our
soldiers fight and put their lives at risk for include the right to
protest.</span></b><span style="color: #eeeeee;"> Even more ironic are the labels of "stupid," "idiot," "dumber than...." (take your pick), because most probably don't realize that he was a 4.0 student. I could only laugh sadly at those dismissive "armchair quarterback" comments of "like that privileged asshole's ever been oppressed." You really think that a mixed race adopted kid from the Midwest never experienced discrimination? </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">Why
is it every time that someone takes a stand </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">for
</span></i><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">something, it has to be </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">against</span></i><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">
something that is a far stretch away? </span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHIflY4TK4K0GnV9NMrZDTmVlo91QbBxJTo2pMfo636LH4RzIa3IIhfKD2odEWyB1DVTX7IL8hZd2cXuSrN-lSxYOhYzzMaDUxjyJB1WJH9-3bd8OWJ_nk0n9NuhmNBNmzHp8wD4DmTtX/s1600/14192004_10207359872255919_6241487783813838181_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">Then
everyone wants to throw in his salary, his upbringing, his color or lack
thereof, and of course everyone thinks he should have done it their way. Money doesn’t solve everything, so throwing
his at it isn’t going to solve problems. Using his celebrity to give voice to those who
feel they have none – now that’s doing something. And it worked. While this was a personal decision, the media
and social platforms did they do best; they bit. And people are talking. </span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQaeG72RUYxZTRypC7ifFPdd1MSfLt3pQqkRlM4KTUSPj6GgfnbApFEsykt9r8XHgauD9QUy9qacqtfTdvLtwdOVkilW8RFKLhKAkTy3mAZL1pdm9-0SWcw5oCMWDTMr_56hQF8YTh2iG/s1600/14192646_10207359964298220_6957673578567776573_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQaeG72RUYxZTRypC7ifFPdd1MSfLt3pQqkRlM4KTUSPj6GgfnbApFEsykt9r8XHgauD9QUy9qacqtfTdvLtwdOVkilW8RFKLhKAkTy3mAZL1pdm9-0SWcw5oCMWDTMr_56hQF8YTh2iG/s200/14192646_10207359964298220_6957673578567776573_n.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHIflY4TK4K0GnV9NMrZDTmVlo91QbBxJTo2pMfo636LH4RzIa3IIhfKD2odEWyB1DVTX7IL8hZd2cXuSrN-lSxYOhYzzMaDUxjyJB1WJH9-3bd8OWJ_nk0n9NuhmNBNmzHp8wD4DmTtX/s1600/14192004_10207359872255919_6241487783813838181_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHIflY4TK4K0GnV9NMrZDTmVlo91QbBxJTo2pMfo636LH4RzIa3IIhfKD2odEWyB1DVTX7IL8hZd2cXuSrN-lSxYOhYzzMaDUxjyJB1WJH9-3bd8OWJ_nk0n9NuhmNBNmzHp8wD4DmTtX/s200/14192004_10207359872255919_6241487783813838181_n.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">This
isn’t the first athlete to make a statement during a pivotal moment. Think </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Tommie Smith and John Carolos</span></a><span style="color: orange;"> </span><span style="color: #eeeeee;">during
the 1968 Olympic ceremony. How about the
beloved </span><a href="http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/muhammad-ali-refuses-army-induction" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Muhammad Ali?</span></a><span style="color: #eeeeee;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">But
according to NFL fans, Kaepernick needs to shut the hell up and do his
job. Well, he did. He played the game he was paid to play, and
has continued to do so. The team
management wasn’t scrambling to defend him until everyone went batshit
crazy. </span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">The
comments that I have been reading on all of the outlets, of people I know and
don’t, have been so vile that it sickens me to be of the same species. I’m not surprised because it’s a way of
thinking that I grew up with, that I know too well. I’m just disappointed that it seems, between
Trump’s encouragement and the breakdown of political correctness – something I’m
not always in favor of myself – it is most certainly not improving in any
way. We cannot have disagreements about
politics without people resorting to name-calling and vicious personal
attacks. The internet only feeds the
fire because for the non-celebrities, there are no consequences. For Kaepernick, there were consequences, and
he still chose to face them head on. </span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">It’s
a statement that I have been making for years, in my own small way, regarding
the National Anthem. That line about “land
of the free” has always been a stitch in my britches because only recently have
we made more advanced strides in </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/26/417717613/supreme-court-rules-all-states-must-allow-same-sex-marriages" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">civil liberties</span></a><span style="color: #eeeeee;">, but still too many have those
freedoms denied in various ways by fellow citizens, by the legal and economic
systems, by ways some of us cannot even imagine. Yet there is still just so much anger. Every time I ever wanted to sit out the song, I didn't have the nuts because it was always in a very "patriotic" crowd. And our ideas of patriotism have become quite twisted since that cold </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">September</span></a><span style="color: #eeeeee;"> day.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">I
have never liked anything about football.
It may be a brutal sport, but it’s also kind of a sissy one. So much drama all the time for a bunch of
guys grabbing on each other in shiny uniforms and always crying foul or
amendments or whatever. What I do love is an inspirational sports story, and I am a fan of sports heroes.</span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">Right
now, I am Colin Kaepernick’s biggest fan. </span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;">Your outrage says more about you than you think it does. I highly recommend that everyone - including myself - take a good hard look in their mirrors to see if
we are putting in even one bit of the effort and courage that he has displayed,
but more importantly – take a harder look at why we aren’t. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Best <a href="http://admireentertainment.com/artist/billy-d-washington" target="_blank">comment</a> I've seen so far:</div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLM-hd6oocf4vWXYp-nV_J5c_l9DnCyhyphenhyphenvgSZEwQIdMoCMYqs-PmayN9IFc203mzrNWA0VonKwr9zUeGSvpiRrU8RrH-2eMDnsi8V8cNZlq6CGa-uFG-AMJ7Td57KaVVnf9XbgK3N38kH/s640/blogger-image--625146759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLM-hd6oocf4vWXYp-nV_J5c_l9DnCyhyphenhyphenvgSZEwQIdMoCMYqs-PmayN9IFc203mzrNWA0VonKwr9zUeGSvpiRrU8RrH-2eMDnsi8V8cNZlq6CGa-uFG-AMJ7Td57KaVVnf9XbgK3N38kH/s200/blogger-image--625146759.jpg" width="165" /></a></span></div>
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Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-89717391264400523112013-11-28T05:03:00.000-08:002013-11-28T05:07:51.434-08:00A Turkey RebellionI am so tired of this trend over the last few years to hate on retailers for opening on earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving. It's annoying, unrealistic, and just another thing to gripe about in America.<br />
<br />
I saw a request on Facebook today to please boycott all shopping on the holiday in solidarity of protesting the "corporate greed" that is taking over. I asked (and never received an answer from the poster), "Where the hell has the love been, the solidarity, for all of the workers who don't get days off based on turkeys, a child in a manger or hopping down a bunny trail?" Medical, police, fire, restaurants, gas stations, truck drivers, those in the travel industry - these are drops in the bucket of those who make your world turn while you sit at home shaking your fist and hollering about businesses who exploit their workers and want to make a profit - but look at the bigger picture: brick-and-mortar stores are in a frenzy to stay alive and losing the battle. These Black Friday sales are what carry them throughout the rest of the year. Then there's that little question on any retail application; "Are you willing to work holidays? Yes or no?" Don't check yes and then be pissed when the game changes. <br />
<br />
I worked through many a holiday when I was younger, for various reasons. Sometimes I wanted to avoid my family, other times I desperately needed the money so picked up the extra shift. Maybe I wanted too for someone to be at home with their own family. And sometimes it was because I had no choice. <br />
<br />
Over the years I've learned a few things, and that is how to manage life. Just because the majority get to sit down to a Thursday feast doesn't mean you can't do it on a Friday. Me? I suck it up and suffer through what my family calls a holiday and celebrate for real on Saturday, when I can enjoy the company of my friends who have no family, had to work, or are willing to sit through a second turkey just to be part of my "I am thankful" gathering. <br />
<br />
I don't participate in Black Friday or venture out much over the long November weekend because it's my tradition to pull out the tree, put up the lights and gear up for the chaos of December.<br />
<br />
So, while you're with loved ones and having a spirited rant about why Walmart is evil and every retailer should choke on their stuffing, while you're enjoying the parades, the football games and barely staying awake at the end of it all for the evening news, think about all of those ground workers, announcers, athletes, and all of the people behind the scenes who brought you entertainment or needed information who are not at home where you claim they should be. <br />
<br />
Better yet, take an hour out of your holiday to really appreciate those who are working and bring them a box of cookies, a jug of hot cocoa, or anything that puts your "solidarity" where your mouth is. And be thankful that jobs are there to put a turkey on the table. Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-85806537430327596522013-07-04T18:57:00.000-07:002013-07-04T19:01:24.542-07:00I Am An American Girl<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Well, I'm not going to lie. Yet again tonight I was unable to recite the Pledge as everyone around me stood and saluted just before the fireworks went off. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmF_cWvJkkE_uK5Z7HBM_DtNViAfsO2jL4mWl5SpoZJCSd98tUQI8tP_sSOeUHviD_Ftjk0ZF0DLE7klK5X1ZR8bz33NaDuqQwlHOqPv1t-J08yEdncZ3fk5uxJTIVJcJxpkM6agUJHRbB/s603/Liberty.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmF_cWvJkkE_uK5Z7HBM_DtNViAfsO2jL4mWl5SpoZJCSd98tUQI8tP_sSOeUHviD_Ftjk0ZF0DLE7klK5X1ZR8bz33NaDuqQwlHOqPv1t-J08yEdncZ3fk5uxJTIVJcJxpkM6agUJHRbB/s320/Liberty.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">This country was founded on some strong beliefs, but those have been sorely tested and twisted over time, by ratty politicians and narrow-minded people who have forgotten the key words that are recited every day but with hollow convictions: "with liberty and justice for all." We all shout a lot about freedom, yet s<span class="text_exposed_show">o many in this country do not have the same freedoms that I do. Many are convicted by fellow citizens for differing beliefs. That saddens me. but we are making progress. </span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">I wouldn't be an American Girl if I simply sat by, waved a flag in one hand, a firecracker in the other, and smiled, pretending for one day that we are all equal. I choose instead to speak my truth and be thankful for the right... yes, the <em>right</em>... to say just about anything I damn well please.</span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">And so, when this day of Independence passes over me, I will focus on that. We are an immature nation, but still better than most. When we do not provide better for our criminals than for our downtrodden, when all have the right to love another in the eyes of the law, when other worships are accepted as equal, when priority is placed on education and not celebrity, and when our militaries are not dying to fight battles not our own, I shall recite with meaning. Until then, I offer this hope for a better tomorrow for my country, and a better one the day after that.</span></span></div>
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Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-69339929978248787832013-04-16T05:01:00.001-07:002013-04-18T18:02:14.400-07:00Eyes Without A Face<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally,
there is a face.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She
caught my attention at the restaurant's bar with her funny comments that echoed
my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her name was Trudy, I
think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or Judy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A retired bookseller who overheard my chatter
regarding my nerves in being ill-prepared to teach a class that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She encouraged me and we shared a few
off-color jokes before she told me she was there alone because her 68 year old
husband was in Boston preparing to run the marathon for the first time
ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> She didn't look old enough to be married to someone that age! "Honey, I'm a walking <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCss0kZXeyE" target="_blank">Beatles song</a>. Lord, you probably have no idea what that means!" Laughing, </span>I gave her my card, asking her to
stay in touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her excitement at finding
out I was a writer was contagious for that brief moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"I envy you so much, a teacher <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i><a href="http://www.writerofthestorm.com/" target="_blank">a writer</a>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What amazing gifts you have to offer!"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm of
the mind that every little dot in the universe is pre-connected before we ever
came along.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
afternoon I was startled to hear a friend say "Such a shame about the
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkDx1knbRsU" target="_blank">bombings in Boston</a>."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then in
skimming <a href="http://www.facebook.com/kymberlie89" target="_blank">my Facebook</a> posts, bits and pieces began to paint a tragic picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this Patriots' Day, April 15th, the
rockets' red glare came from the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w29oFkWxrhI" target="_blank">blood-spattered bombs</a> bursting in air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the horror sank in of yet another
terroristic tragedy thrust upon us, my thoughts drifted to the woman from the
bar, and I thought of her husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally,
there is a face.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksaLP7SO-VBz5i5Lq7QrJJl7RcHCYkqQSgS5WOn0PocWQHMJ_aVQ1mwayDP7Qr4rDPW4aKZ6qqV5Yu-bjf1qPdFIb5LylMk2ajP3zRZhNOx0JUwMEq0y5bMvBzxNHEze77DPrTjgCxEvA/s1600/Jared+Loughner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksaLP7SO-VBz5i5Lq7QrJJl7RcHCYkqQSgS5WOn0PocWQHMJ_aVQ1mwayDP7Qr4rDPW4aKZ6qqV5Yu-bjf1qPdFIb5LylMk2ajP3zRZhNOx0JUwMEq0y5bMvBzxNHEze77DPrTjgCxEvA/s200/Jared+Loughner.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was
after the Arizona shooting of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tucson_shooting" target="_blank">Gabrielle Giffords</a> and many others that I spoke
up on Facebook about the ignored problem behind these incidents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see the deaths of the innocent, but stare
blankly at the face of the mentally ill who are behind the acts of violence
that are coming more and more frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The eyes of Jared Lee Laughner
burrow into me still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An acquaintance,
Steve, messaged me privately in agreement with my observations and revealed his
secret; his son had come home from war with <a href="http://www.ptsd.va.gov/" target="_blank">PTSD</a>, displaying such violent
tendencies that they live in fear of someday turning on the news and finding it
will be their son's face in the headlines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin83VylJCTNfbVoM3w4htyDzjOZhIGZeU-2GXCPB2m4okg0M6DqfiXZWq8rrctYuECPdLmarzdlMD64xxfc8nptfhvd4C-pArHeE8GD69jli7gEwzi5nKSsQRZAYPdrA57e88XxGAGksF0/s1600/James+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin83VylJCTNfbVoM3w4htyDzjOZhIGZeU-2GXCPB2m4okg0M6DqfiXZWq8rrctYuECPdLmarzdlMD64xxfc8nptfhvd4C-pArHeE8GD69jli7gEwzi5nKSsQRZAYPdrA57e88XxGAGksF0/s200/James+Holmes.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Aurora_shooting" target="_blank">Aurora Massacre</a> touched close to me, as my beautiful cousin Emily lives in the
area, as does my longtime friend Angie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I stayed up all night waiting for them to check in on the site to know
that they were not at a midnight showing of the new Batman movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the news unfolded over the days to follow,
I was deeply disturbed by the images of James Holmes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was after this that I messaged Steve back with
how I thought of him and his son every time some new calamity exploded upon us,
and that I wished I could find the words to put forth that would raise our
tolerance, promote forgiveness, and stop the wildfire of hate that runs rampant
among us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do I
cheer on those behind the killings?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cry a little inside every
time I think of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9jnQKiLxr0" target="_blank">Brenda Ann Spencer</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmUudfUTqRA" target="_blank">Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre" target="_blank">Seung-HuiCho</a>, Laughner, Holmes, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html" target="_blank">Adam Lanza</a>, and all of those lost to us at their hopeless, mind-bent
hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Senseless?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I don't believe that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything is with reason - how can we learn
otherwise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we learn forgiveness,
redemption, even joy without despair?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWXQDsYZgEEd9SSy6gRKIp20sWoEeKBXz5PFjpVHG59x7PyvTdXFILV_v4GyzONF5Qm-1xGJ-TyknzLIRntgiLA__DndVceAx_rBotgkFaUH1HorQxP7FINrINsolm5mwDQILAkTalnRs/s1600/Brenda+Ann+Spencer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWXQDsYZgEEd9SSy6gRKIp20sWoEeKBXz5PFjpVHG59x7PyvTdXFILV_v4GyzONF5Qm-1xGJ-TyknzLIRntgiLA__DndVceAx_rBotgkFaUH1HorQxP7FINrINsolm5mwDQILAkTalnRs/s200/Brenda+Ann+Spencer.jpg" width="177" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvy5HvvfgaqyfQaAOLAueXkwK3rp3LKxJ59_quUfQ6aHTGgJp7l7sqSZ5Fe1nN2G4mhcOTa1TjW7kEzGHtOxGmbQ9bO8kFxN865AWmBDnj6O4TEwhE1OFW0LfzhvpKZ0Yx-aJRHLJmFfqz/s1600/Columbine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvy5HvvfgaqyfQaAOLAueXkwK3rp3LKxJ59_quUfQ6aHTGgJp7l7sqSZ5Fe1nN2G4mhcOTa1TjW7kEzGHtOxGmbQ9bO8kFxN865AWmBDnj6O4TEwhE1OFW0LfzhvpKZ0Yx-aJRHLJmFfqz/s200/Columbine.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7u6RIFul2KI_AWAEZ3jNL-JDQ7KJZo_516NYfBKCBTSCZBMMr8JVpVBQ5JCVsLeDt7f7qwW97ysnuT_iofOfjL3IBeW6yxpYDJC39wn4ckz5-TkfcNOtF2FGo4_JsIgDV1lIhDAbgjW3/s1600/Adam+Lanza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7u6RIFul2KI_AWAEZ3jNL-JDQ7KJZo_516NYfBKCBTSCZBMMr8JVpVBQ5JCVsLeDt7f7qwW97ysnuT_iofOfjL3IBeW6yxpYDJC39wn4ckz5-TkfcNOtF2FGo4_JsIgDV1lIhDAbgjW3/s200/Adam+Lanza.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And when
will we begin to see the faces?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My
friend Kevin said to me today, as speculation seeped into the media,
"Whoever they are, they are Evil with a capital E."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My answer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>"What defines the line between evil and mentally fucked up?" <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We don't
yet know if this was an act of terrorism or another somebody clawing their way
into their 15 minutes, but as a society we are breeding these people, in our
nation and in our world with our hate upon hate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Self-righteousness that <em>we</em> could not commit such
acts will only get us as far as a blood-stained bible left on an empty
pew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When was the last time you saw the
face of someone reaching out to you for help?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or did you turn a blind eye to the freak with the orange hair or the
deranged guy sitting in the back of the room?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
names come and go briefly in our minds, but I keep a photo of Jared Lee
Laughner on my hard drive, because I never want to forget the gravity of what
the human mind is capable of in times of darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forced myself to watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w29oFkWxrhI" target="_blank">the footage</a> of the
man with two severed legs being tended to today by emergency workers, because I
need to keep within me the suffering of people outside of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am
desperately hoping that the funny Beatlesque woman who championed what I
do will see this, and that her husband comes home to her safely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, I found the words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because
finally, there is a face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(c)
Kymberlie Ingalls, April 16th, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-80111456057796118322013-03-25T17:17:00.000-07:002013-03-25T17:19:17.648-07:00Going To The Dogs<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNyY3NSZezo"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNyY3NSZezo</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have entered
Bizarro Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There's no turning back
when Fox News' Bill O'Reilly actually has a point in his pocket, and at the
expense of fellow conservative Michele Bachmann no less.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The United
States is a land of excess, a land of waste, and the purple mountains are
rapidly turning shades of stark reds and icy blues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have taken what was once a million scenes
of glory and are destroying our lush resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is what we
do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Power to the
people!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And whoever has the most power
wins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bachmann has
thrown her aimless dart at the supposed excess lifestyle of President Obama and
his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If she wanted to shove
examples down our Godless throats, she could have gone any number of ways, but
chose instead to bring "statistics" from an unknown, unsourced
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is wrong with people in the
spotlight that they can't be bothered to back up what they sling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we all have opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm guiltier than most of tossing mine out to
the wide web.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm not stating it as fact,
however, and this is the mistake our lady Michele makes time and again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When has President Obama excessed any more so
than previous Chiefs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What is wrong
with us that we support people like her, put them into office with
every election, as our corner of the world crumbles around us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too many of us are down and out, and like
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoDKQYn-ANE" target="_blank">Rocky Balboa</a> we need a serious comeback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc" target="_blank">Toby Keith</a> heralded us into victory after 9/11, but it was a fleeting
togetherness painted on a flimsy patriotic canvas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our society is
<a href="http://www.neuroticy.com/2011/10/weed-is-just-weed.html" target="_blank">government-run</a>, but has become completely ineffective in its power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Few people really receive the help they
need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are sent to stand in lines,
fill out paperwork that too many can't even read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or disregarded completely like litter on the street
that we want to ignore, while we go on in our blind ambles to spend money we
don't have, shove too much food in our bellies and judge those we do not know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Isn't our
country just the bestest like that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes,
we have it better than so, so many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
at what cost?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many of us put a
price tag on our souls and sold it at the nearest Nordie's?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish people would wake up to the disrepair
we are in, not just economically but humanly too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really take a look around, but use our hands
as well as our eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm no saint,
but I know the difference between what is right, and what is just absurd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(c) Kymberlie
Ingalls, March 23, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(c) Kymberlie Ingalls, March 23, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-2728237012117401012013-03-22T01:20:00.002-07:002013-03-22T01:30:04.002-07:00The Ballad Of Superwoman And Bandita<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-AphKUK8twg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Alicia Keys - Superwoman</strong></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me tell you about my recent life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I received the news that my friend </span><a href="http://www.writerofthestorm.com/2013/02/100-years.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Byron</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> had passed away, expectedly but still, it's never easy. I found out an hour after hearing this that another classmate of mine was killed in a horrible car crash. On this rainy night, my memory was spiraling with my own remembrance of squealing brakes and spinning uncontrollably. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjqesiC97yHXYtQnfMNjXsWOPRoBxPvC9QymKtZ_h7Z0NVA2OPIWg_lpY69RCCd_n8NqM28ehGEJqqq92bvCn9x0rqCre74WrbVSKchic4qVxfPA8-ILnq67SCSP-bubTIcUGGXvLTHmm/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjqesiC97yHXYtQnfMNjXsWOPRoBxPvC9QymKtZ_h7Z0NVA2OPIWg_lpY69RCCd_n8NqM28ehGEJqqq92bvCn9x0rqCre74WrbVSKchic4qVxfPA8-ILnq67SCSP-bubTIcUGGXvLTHmm/s200/photo+(1).JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One week later, I was having an empowerment day; trying to raise myself out of my funk, singing loudly along with the stereo <em>"I aaaamm Suuuuuper Womannnnnn... yes, I ammmm" </em>when BAM... my world was turned upside down in a blinding collision as one careless woman whipped her car in a u-turn directly in front of me at a high speed. I had nowhere to go but into her car, my own fishtailed everywhere, I was spinning once again, jolted as my car slammed into the median, severed a street sign sending it twenty feet down the road, and Bandita came to fatally rest on what was left of the post.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-6zTktr-Gad8G-1etPhSkcdLkWi4XKQSrMukaI5V57UJATUVUUiqsCo52D4WK_JCl4bQDIfn3UIYuKDUaLYIWhKdgVzqlhEDfoOuNtPdoBj-GAEWe8xl0tvr-a9TWQmNYXUMSch-ilfh/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-6zTktr-Gad8G-1etPhSkcdLkWi4XKQSrMukaI5V57UJATUVUUiqsCo52D4WK_JCl4bQDIfn3UIYuKDUaLYIWhKdgVzqlhEDfoOuNtPdoBj-GAEWe8xl0tvr-a9TWQmNYXUMSch-ilfh/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I anxiously awaited the news on my beloved beauty, my husband and I were involved in another minor collision two days later with a careless motorcyclist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Four days after that, after I'd exhausted myself playing police detective to prove my case and expedite proceedings with the insurance, I picked up my rental car and made it one block and through an intersection when a pedestrian stepped off of the curb directly behind my car, leaving the woman driving the SUV behind me no time to stop. Terrified when I heard the squealing brakes yet again, I stared in horror at my rearview mirror to see the elderly man roll up onher hood and back down to the pavement with a deadly thud. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had reached a level of trauma that was beyond anything I could handle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, to add to the stress, my car is being deemed a total loss, over a few hundred dollars over its estimated value. I have had to play police, detective, and soldier on top of dealing with depression, fear and other physical symptoms and injury. There has been severe miscommunication, lack of follow through, and poor customer service from all ends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was </span><a href="http://www.writerofthestorm.com/2011/02/rage-against-machine.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">simply driving</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> down the street. I shouldn't have to be working this hard to be made whole. I had a car, and now I don't. And somewhere is one Carolyn Johnston who has virtually little repercussion for what she has taken from me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm taking my case to the owner of the body shop where <a href="http://www.writerofthestorm.com/2013/03/bandita.html" target="_blank">my Bandita</a> sits, in pieces, in the hopes that his reputed kind nature will find something of value in my appeal. Here's hoping that Mike Rose, of Mike's Auto Body, is willing and able to help us out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To some, a car is just a car. I am not some. And Bandita is not just a car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stay tuned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">______________________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dear Mr. Rose;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My name is Kymberlie
Calkins-Ingalls, and my Firebird is named Bandita.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell you this because I'd like for you to
go forth knowing that I am a real person, not just an invoice number, and my
car is not just another bucket of bolts in your yard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On February 21st, I was involved
in a horrible accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone seems
to think it wasn't so horrible because I walked away relatively unscathed of
injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Injuries I can deal with, but
I'm an emotional sort, so as the realization settled in that my car was
severely damaged to no fault of my own, fear began to set in that I would be
without my Bandita for good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We've been
through our paces, she and I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think, I hope, that you
understand that a car isn't always just a car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I admit, I've not been pleased at
how this whole thing has been handled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had the car brought to your Concord shop because of a multitude of reasons; I
know your company is preferred by insurances, I know you sponsor many cars at the
Antioch Speedway where I have strong ties, my family is in a similar industry
and therefore am aware of you being ensconced in the community based on the
latter two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, my car was towed from my
father's shop, Bill's Tire Service, to yours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I awaited confirmation of its arrival, I found that it had been lost
somewhere in your yard, my keys handed off to some unknown person, and nobody
seemed to know what was going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
it was all squared away, on to the next step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I spoke with Damon, who assured me that everything would be done to save
my car if at all possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I explained
that this was traumatic for me on many levels; financially (despite my not
being at fault, I cannot afford to replace my car or end up with a used one
that has unknown issues), and emotionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The initial estimate was in the
range of $5800.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We held out a hope that
this would be deemed repairable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A week
went by when I received a call from the Total and Loss Dept. of AAA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The small bit of information I was given led
me to believe there had been an updated estimate that I was not informed
of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked the adjuster to please
forward to me the estimate she had received, and I waited, no email, and the
adjuster kept sending me the wrong forms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I also called and asked Damon for the same, very disappointed that he
hadn't taken the time to let me know there had been a change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said he was leaving for the day and would
email me in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No email came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally had to take time out of my day to
come to your shop and demand the estimate I'd requested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point I was very unhappy with the
service I'd received, as all but one time I'd asked Damon to communicate via
email and recieved no results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Damon came out to speak to me,
and informed me that they'd reported the initial estimate to AAA, who came back
and said "You have about $700 more to go before we total the car, so be
sure it's accurate."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get that
'estimate' is just that, but why on earth would someone raise a customer's
hopes and prolong things without being as accurate as possible to begin
with?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So please try to understand my
devastation at this already traumatic experience, only to be told that the
final estimate came in just over the limit they were given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And please try to understand, after I'd done
my research on the ways insurance companies and body shops work, why this might
not seem right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm an author, and I'd like to
share with you an excerpt from a post I published awhile back:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My
shimmering emerald Firebird is my shadow, my machinistic soulmate. Roger, my
husband, has felt many regrets at his matchmaking when he presented her to me
upon my thirtieth birthday We’ve grown up together in the last ten years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s been rebuilt on three of her four
sides, and we’ve nursed each other back to health after the accidents, each
worse than the last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bandita
was patient as she waited for my fear to subside and I could slip once more
behind her wheel with minimal waves of panic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It seemed she understood why I needed to abandon her for the safety of
our big, intimidating truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s protective
of me to a fault, with instincts just like my own that won’t let anyone else on
the road rev her up without good reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unresolved
anger is a very dangerous thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can
eat away at the soul of a person like a rust corrodes the strongest of metals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It lies dormant, lingering until someone
itches your<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>trigger finger and with no
warning, there lie the jagged pieces in a volcanic mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Five
years ago, I nearly lost my husband in a hit and run accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A truck came rushing through the light and
plowed right through us, never stopping, never looking back, never to be seen
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A two second difference and he
would have been torn in bits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I nearly
lost my life that evening, and… I nearly lost my life.</span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
drive through that intersection every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The perfect circle on the faded road haunt me with its almost artistic
dark, rubber stain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unresolved
anger –in Roger’s eyes every time he sees a champaign colored Toyota truck, his
eyes skimming the front end for damage, quietly because he thinks I don’t
see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my own mind every time someone
around me runs through a red light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">And
now someone has taken Bandita away from me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My empowering moment of sing-along at the top of my lungs to songs like
Superwoman was cut short by the carelessness of another, and the damage is
significant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't think she'll make
it this time, and it's a loss that frightens me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My best friend, my companion in my strongest
moments, who had protected me through five accidents in as many years, all at
the careless hands of others, is on life support.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those around me have witnessed my
recent depression as a direct result of this incident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've been treated for said depression,
because we all have a straw that breaks us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was my physical therapist who suggested I contact you personally, Mr.
Rose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said she has read about your
philanthropic acts, and I know from my own father sponsoring many vehicles at
the track that it takes a good heart to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many others have also implied that you are 'a nice guy' when learning
where my car was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I simply cannot face
another loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm throwing myself upon the
mercy of your nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The difference
between losing my car and not, as the math has been explained to me, is a few
hundred dollars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize labor is
intensive in this job, and significant in the percentage of the estimate. If
there is any possible way to lower the labor cost to meet the financial limit
of AAA, I am prepared to offer a return of free advertising on every page I
have related to the racetrack (I have a following of several thousand on my
Facebook alone, and am adding a blog site to match soon) for the life of said
sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also run a network of blog
sites, one of which is an up and coming Bay Area news and community site, and
will happily run ads there as well, for the life of the site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traffic for said site is already moderately
successful and will only improve over the next few months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is an urgent matter as I've
been informed late this afternoon that as of Monday, March 25th, I will begin incurring
storage fees as AAA will no longer cover my car being at your facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no money to afford this, and need some
sort of conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm asking for your
consideration and a possible answer by the end of this business day, Friday
March 22nd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason being it's so
urgent is that AAA failed to comply with my requests for the estimate, and did
not follow up by telephone until today when I received this message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any fallacies on the part of AAA I am holding
against them, not Mike's Auto Body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, communication has been sorely lacking from both parties.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If the car is totaled, and I have
to go with salvaging the title, the car will be repaired at another company
that I've done business with in the past, because I know their service and work
to be impeccable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be nice to
think your company can hold its own against your reputation of the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Isn't there anything to be done?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Very Sincerely,</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Kymberlie
Ingalls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-33153751053686163402013-03-19T17:50:00.000-07:002013-03-19T17:51:40.713-07:00The P.F. Chang's CatalystWhy must we fix what ain't broken? <br />
<br />
As consumers, we come to rely on familiarity. Retailers, restauranteurs and celebrities alike all work their asses off to give us familiarity. Where is the line of contempt? We all bitch about fast food and its <a href="http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/fastfood032103.cfm" target="_blank">hazards</a> to our health, but the number of people I see in the lines there don't add up with the complaints. <a href="http://walmartsucksorg.blogspot.com/2011/10/walmart-managers-abuse-employee-with.html" target="_blank">Walmart</a> is the temple of evil, yet the crowds spilling about the aisles aren't only the local rednecks. <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2012/04/is-amazon-killing-the-book-industry.html" target="_blank">Amazon</a> is an obscenity on the lips of many a writer and a bookseller both, yet the empire grows.<br />
<br />
So, after getting us hooked on a product or brand, why the need for change?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUEyDJxsiBUbxqUD6s94j1oybT0SlmCkgFFwjULqActgbRVQbOy9SZXMz7Oj5ozFWpb55h5cZnwU3NfzbqTkX02DfZVhZNxmD1ykvqWwmthiBqnrjpy_KN02mIEIoBVys3Sf01P4texeW/s1600/taco+bell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUEyDJxsiBUbxqUD6s94j1oybT0SlmCkgFFwjULqActgbRVQbOy9SZXMz7Oj5ozFWpb55h5cZnwU3NfzbqTkX02DfZVhZNxmD1ykvqWwmthiBqnrjpy_KN02mIEIoBVys3Sf01P4texeW/s200/taco+bell.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
There's a McDonald's in my neighborhood that had looked the same since I was a kid. It's recently, after decades of being a familiar sight on my drive home, been remodeled into some sort of modern Starbucksy type structure. Ugh. Taco Bell is still pushing their fast-paced menu and 90s purple/blue motif, but I'd rather see a faux mission looking building with the big bell atop, ready to be gonged upon the consumption of a delicious crispy taco. <br />
<br />
My husband, a marketing expert, and I differ on this debate. I know he is correct in his argument that change is necessary to stay fresh in the minds of consumers, especially the oh-so-desired young buying market, but I'm a habitual creature who returns more, and as I grow older with more money to spend, to partake of a favorite dish or a particular product. I've stayed with <a href="http://www.neuroticy.com/2012/05/tivo-challenge-taking-back-my-channels.html" target="_blank">Tivo</a>, despite my technological grievances last year, because their DVR is user-friendly. All of my gadgets are Apple, not because I'm a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2012/12/27/tech-now-smartphones--apple-or-android/1793547/" target="_blank">Mac fanatic</a>, but for the same reason - the ease of use. Most of my wardrobe comes from <a href="http://www.walmart.com/" target="_blank">one</a> of <a href="http://www.lanebryant.com/" target="_blank">two</a> stores because of the million choices out there, they are reliable and the clothes hold up to my washing machine. These things matter.<br />
<br />
I love eating out, much to the detriment of our budget. I do so just about every day, and love to try new places, and definitely love to support independents when I can, but chains offer a reliability that I find comforting. It's quite the upheaval when a favorite menu item suddenly disappears. I'd love to sit in on the marketing panels and focus groups who decided that offering the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McRib" target="_blank">McRib</a> for a month out of the year would rake in more money than if they just offered it all year long. Is there an actual season for pressed pork patties that only comes around in November? <br />
<br />
Many an afternoon or evening in this past year have been spent at <a href="http://www.pfchangs.com/" target="_blank">P.F. Changs</a>, an Asian fusion national chain with a lively atmosphere and, at <a href="http://www.pfchangs.com/locations/Locations.aspx?address=walnut+creek+ca&button=Submit" target="_blank">my location</a>, and extremely friendly staff. Everyone has a hello and never seem to complain when I occupy the end of the bar for hours with my ginormous laptop and scattered papers. I half expect to hear a rousing chorus of "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPqPAKqzx7M" target="_blank">Norm</a>!" when I walk in the door.<br />
<br />
I listen to the conversations, and yes even find interest in what people order. I'm one of those that will change every dish on a menu to suit my mood of the day, but find inspiration in what others try and their likes or dislikes. This is why I was immensely surprised at the recent changes that eliminated several items from their catalogue, because they were items that were consistent favorties among the patrons. I have been traumatized at the loss of the lemongrass chicken dumplings myself. In a sea of fanciful, rainbow-like foods, it was simple in its taste and helped offset the richness of other dishes. <br />
<br />
Alas, they are gone.<br />
<br />
And I have found nothing to replace them as favorites. The result? Hardly the desired of the marketing execs, I'm sure. I simply don't order any appetizers anymore. Take that, Fancy Pants. <br />
<br />
I'm tired of losing my favorites, tired of being suckered in and dumped on the curb with other bygones. Maybe I'm the minority. Maybe others simply forget and move on, but I am a loyalist. A loyalist with a wallet, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_profile" target="_blank">a platform</a>. <br />
<br />Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-12948005938058148722013-03-04T19:06:00.001-08:002013-03-04T21:01:47.962-08:00Bathroom Bill Blues"Talk about <a href="http://www.kfyi.com/pages/suzanne-sharer.html?article=11017473#.UTUbBka-wPC.facebook" target="_blank">a war against women</a>!"<br />
<br />
This is the most ignorant argument to date I have heard about this "war." Really, ladies, can we save it for the <em>real </em>issues? <br />
<br />
There is a new so-called "Bathroom Bill" in Arizona that will allow transgenders and cross-dressers access to public restrooms of the opposite sex. And apparently <em>this </em>is going to be the downfall of America.. Because all transgenders and cross-dressers are pervs, rapists and pedophiles. <br />
<br />
Women are suddenly going to be afraid to enter into a bathroom because (gasp!!) someone they aren't comfortable with just might follow them in. Now children are unsafe. The whole world is (no pun intended) going to shit. <br />
<br />
I was told on Facebook, "I bet the world that you are in a park, go in the empty bathroom, and 6 foot tall cross dresser follows you in, you cry like a baby. Be as tough as you appear, and admit I am right." Sorry, but I call bs on that one. Here's what I'm afraid of: some mom who can't cut the apron strings brings her school-aged son into the womens' room, where he then pops his head under the stall and sees things he oughtn't, and suddenly I'm a sex offender just because I had to pee. And yes, kids have done it. It's insane. But when I posed a question to all the moms I knew asking what was an appropriate age to let a child go into a restroom alone, the answers were varied but with the same theme - there are too many pedophiles out there. What we should be doing is empowering our kids, teaching them to be smart, and observant. To speak out when something seems wrong or out of place.<br />
<br />
But now, women are being disparaged because the <a href="http://www.azfamily.com/news/Legal-experts-explain-so-called-bathroom-bill-193417141.html" target="_blank">bathrooms are being invaded</a>. <br />
<br />
Please. <br />
<br />
Ignorance is the downfall of this country, more so than anything else. "Now anybody who wants to wear women’s clothing will not be prohibited from entering into the girls/women’s bathrooms of our schools, parks and restaurants as well as our place of worship and any other public places in the name of prohibiting discrimination, tolerance and of course let’s not forget the mighty dollar in that forward thinking America." I love how this Suzanne Sharer made sure to get the Bible thrown in there. Have to enforce the moral compass. <br />
<br />
Unless I missed it, men's bathrooms are not going to remain "men only." Therefore, how is this a new battle against the fairer sex? Someone please, give me a rational, realistic answer. Not one pumped up with worship and estrogen. Tell me that a rapist can't just waltz into any bathroom of their choosing at any time and strike. Tell me that women aren't having sex with underaged children, enjoying peep shows on the internet and likely in their neighbors' windows too, watching porn and attacking men in very violent ways.<br />
<br />
Tell me.<br />
<br />
Has anyone stopped to think of the treatment these people receive by using the restrooms designated to them? How safe is it for a man dressed as a woman to enter a men's room? How often are transgenders and cross-dressers of both genders beaten severely or fatally simply for existing?<br />
<br />
The world is what it is but if being afraid of someone who looks different from you is your biggest fear, you need a priority check. And why is it men are constantly the big bad bully of every crime in this country? When are they going to stop taking the beatings we women and our politicians rain down on them? <br />
<br />
I say if you don't like it, hold it. Get a kidney infection because a guy decided to wear a dress today.<br />
<br />Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-48322326868725269452013-02-24T03:50:00.000-08:002013-02-24T03:50:51.027-08:00You Go (Daddy) Girl!<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">"I was brought up to be the fastest driver, not the fastest <em>girl</em>." ~ </span><a href="http://www.rgj.com/viewart/20130218/SPORTS/302180015/Danica-Patrick-wins-pole-Daytona" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Danica Patrick</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so </i>not
on the Danica bandwagon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess, per
our society, I should be, because I'm a girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just like all the blacks are supposed to be loyal to </span><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/06/black-voters-turn-out-in-big-numbers-for-obama.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">President Obama</span></a><span style="color: #cccccc;">,
all Latinos are supposed to be fans of George Lopez, and all writers are
supposed to worship Hemingway.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.meatbeerbabes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/danica-patrick_06.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><img alt="danica patrick 06 1024x768 Danica Patrick Pictures Collection" class="alignnone wp-image-7470" height="240" scale="0" src="http://www.meatbeerbabes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/danica-patrick_06-1024x768.jpg" title="danica patrick" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">Do I think Patrick has an advantage because of her
gender?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've looked at it from a dozen different
angles. </span><a href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2013-02-21/danica-patrick-weight-issue-daytona-500-pole-qualifying-crew-chief-tony-gibson" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Weight</span></a><span style="color: #cccccc;"> (a silly, completely untrue theory), natural reactive skills, the hottie factor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>I have
a decent knowledge of the sport, and yes, I've had my "go girl!"
moments, locally and nationwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
while I'm all for anyone who swaths out a path for others, it doesn't need to
be based on gender, color or anything else other than talent and skill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Danica just hasn't shown to be a woman I
want to admire nor celebrate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">Sure, she has </span><a href="http://racing-reference.info/driver/Danica_Patrick" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">wins and statistics</span></a><span style="color: #cccccc;"> that are impressive
by most standards, but for me it's attitude that determines a winner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the longest time, especially she
transitioned into NASCAR, nothing was ever her fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When learning to drive a new class of car,
there's a learning curve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> R</span>ather
than learning gracefully, it seemed she was always in the face of another
driver, accusations being screamed about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/cS3KLD2Hun0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">In my experience, the girls who go about proving
they're a badass simply because of their gender completely disprove the above
claim made by Ms. Patrick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">A fellow Facebooker stated this evening<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">, "Teach young girls they win when they're the best, not because they're 'undervalued' or face overwhelming obstacles.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My reply, "I agree, but the
thing is .. I don't think <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she </i>does."</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I really wanted to say was that while his intent was a positive one, by bringing attention to the topic of "a girl being on the pole of Daytona" he actually ended up being one whom he was speaking out against.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">We have many women racing at our local track, but two in particular that I am great fans of, not because of their gender but because one is a
good driver, and one is </span><a href="http://melissahansenracing.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cccccc;">a great driver</span></a><span style="color: #cccccc;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What stops the one from being a better driver is that yes, she does carry
a "the boys are picking on me" vibe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The other gets out there and races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And she is brilliant to watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">There was, at one time, a 17 year
old girl who beat my husband in overall season points by just one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laughed for ages about the notion that this girl went
out and kicked the asses of all the middle aged men around her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it wasn't because she was a girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was because she was a driver of great
skill.<br />
<br />
Does it help or hurt that Danica Patrick is the </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDf-vFnYJzw" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cccccc;">GoDaddy girl</span></a><span style="color: #cccccc;">?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I'm all for anyone who uses their looks
in our shallow society to get ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Use
what you've got.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exploit yourself to
your heart's content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/K4lzRgNUkaw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">But then don't
complain when it comes back and bites you in the T&A, and undervalues your
skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do believe that she got the
sponsorship she has based in parts on her marketability, which is easier to
accept when it's an American Idol contestant, not necessarily <a href="http://leftcoastvoices.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/lets-hear-it-for-the-girls-roger-ingalls/" target="_blank">an athlete</a>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=diM93AWu0HCfIM&tbnid=D47AKtuo2RTMGM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundtracktomyday.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fgiving-up-my-gay-card.html&ei=Gv0pUbaxIeTsiwLRx4DwCA&bvm=bv.42768644,d.cGE&psig=AFQjCNGyfGF1NAGKrIvXcMHpGkC1CSva_A&ust=1361792664669329" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="200" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.allleftturns.com/sites/default/files/public/images/07/330/Jeff-STUD-Gordon.jpg" style="margin-top: 7px;" width="158" /></a><span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">To prove I'm <em>not </em>gender biased, I think Jeff Gordon has also cashed in on his pretty boy looks, and yep it took him a long time to convince people he had the skills to back it up. Admittedly, I chuckled at my brother's comment that it's the first time in history that <em>two </em>girls were starting the Daytona in the first row. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">If Patrick wins the race, I do believe it will be based on her skill. But her arrival to the pole, I'm not so convinced.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-68341091082918161982013-02-18T15:44:00.000-08:002013-02-18T15:44:27.929-08:00Calling All AngelsI am too often exactly what I write about. Someone devoid of any sympathy. I have never excluded myself from this group, but today I'm actually somewhat ashamed of myself.<br />
<br />
I saw the headline "<a href="http://www.theboot.com/2013/02/17/mindy-mccready-dead-dies?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D271831" target="_blank">Country Music Star Dead At 37</a>," and immediately knew who the "star" was. She was a blip on the music scene when she had a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPcg5heObNw" target="_blank">catchy song</a> more than a decade ago. In the mess of her life that followed, Mindy McCready became nothing more than tabloid fodder with her addictions, arrests, and consistently abusive relationships. She never again found the success of her one hit song.<br />
<br />
Not being a fan of the song or of her, I never felt the emotional attachment that many did. All I saw was a pathetic, too-young-to-be-washed-up woman who couldn't get her life in control. A harsh judgment of someone I'd never know, yes, but I've seen it too often in both my own life and the celebrity world. <br />
<br />
Seeing the headline today, I texted my husband with "Well, she finally offed herself. Her life was more f'd up than even I knew about." <br />
<br />
Then when I mentioned the story to a friend, he replied with the obligatory "so sad." <br />
<br />
This gave me pause. How detached am I that I haven't an ounce of sympathy for this young life that ended in such tragedy? But then I find myself questioning what the bigger tragedy was - her life having ended or that her two sons will grow up without parents (the father of her youngest died last month under questionable circumstances that McCready was being questioned about). My thought isn't a pleasant one; considering the life she led, perhaps those boys will now have a chance at a childhood. <br />
<br />
It irks the hell out of me that too many people bring lives into the world and whether they disregard the importance of this or their desperate need for love simply isn't enough to conquer all, it's the children who pay the price. Celebrity case in point: Bobbi Kristina (parents: Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown). With the sad <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPcg5heObNw" target="_blank">death of Whitney</a> at too young of an age, shrouded in did-she-bring-it-on-herself, the public eye focused on her daughter - but where was that concern when she was growing up? We all saw the beyond-trashy lifestyle of this couple, and in the midst of it was a little girl who knew a normalcy we could never fathom. Their parenting abilities, like Mindy's, were questioned time and again and yet the children were always returned to these people to continue to corrupt.<br />
<br />
This isn't only rampant in Hollywood, it's everywhere. Our systems are so <a href="http://heatherenglishoutlaw.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">dysfunctional</a>, overloaded, and understaffed that children live and die in our society every day who are neglected, abused, starved, and acting as the parents rather than a kid, it's no wonder when we look around at the generations coming after us and see a vast wasteland. We have nobody to blame but ourselves. Just because a person <em>can </em>reproduce does not mean that they should. <br />
<br />
Some want to think the angels are calling these lives home, but I see it as the angels are protecting the little ones. <br />
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So, when I see the lives lost too young - famous or not - I can't always manage sympathy. I am not a bleeding heart. What I can do and hope for someone out there to do the same is look for the meaning behind the tragedy. The glint of silver that could be a lesson to us all. It's the wisdom that humans are capable of that keep us grounded. We are not beyond empathy, nor beyond learning from the lives of others. <br /><br />Sadly, we are simply oblivious to it.<br />
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Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-37764950591505315392013-01-14T04:47:00.000-08:002013-01-14T04:47:54.255-08:00Piers and Jones and Guns, Oh My!<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
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Whether you love or hate the brash <a href="http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/" target="_blank">Piers Morgan</a>, or the Rush-y like radio host <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Jones_(radio_host)" target="_blank">Alex Jones</a>, this is just one whacked out advertisement for why gun control laws need to be more regimented. I mean, c'mon... this is just beyond absurd. It doesn't matter what side of the issue you're on, this is without a doubt reason enough to have stronger mental screenings before a permit is issued.<br />
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I'll be honest, I don't even know what kind of screenings are required to get a permit. If anyone out there wants to enlighten me, please do. I'm too lazy to Google at the moment, but I do like to be informed when necessary. <br />
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Half the country is shouting "YOU CAN"T DISARM ME! MY <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" target="_blank">FOREFATHERS</a> SAID SO!" as they sit back cleaning their many weapons that they'll soon use to go off hunting down animals with who have zero chance of fighting back. Now, don't get me wrong - hunting for food is acceptable as far as I'm concerned. It's the power trip of bagging the biggest trophy for their wall I have issues with. <br />
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The other half is quietly and passive-aggressively waiting for the shouters to hang themselves in their own noose. And this interview is the proof. <br />
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This Alex Jones, whom I've never heard of until two days ago upon watching this interview, is clearly off his nut and Morgan couldn't have chosen a better pinata to dangle before the country. I couldn't tear my eyes away from my phone as I watched what I thought would be another run of the mill overhyped interview clip. My only response was evidenced by my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/kymberlie89" target="_blank">Facebook</a> posting.<br />
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<a href="http://mail.aol.com/37288-111/aol-6/en-us/mail/get-attachment.aspx?uid=28555180&folder=NewMail&partId=1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img class="AOLAttachedImage" filename="photo.JPG" partid="1" src="http://mail.aol.com/37288-111/aol-6/en-us/mail/get-attachment.aspx?uid=28555180&folder=NewMail&partId=1" style="border: 1px solid rgb(218, 218, 214); height: 230px; margin-bottom: 30px; visibility: visible; width: 275px;" /></a>And it's not like Piers is an innocent babe himself. He's been known to go off his nut too, but here he played his cards brilliantly. Maintaining his calm facade, he tried to engage in debate with someone who clearly couldn't form a rational thought to save his nationally televised hide. Empire State suicides, Jaws and the fear of water, 9/11 conspiracy theories, incorrect statistics. As Judge Judy would say, "Did you know where you were coming today?" Only an idiot would show up as ill prepared as Jones. <br />
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<a href="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/156570524516291844_m5PG6hWK_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" id="il_fi" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/156570524516291844_m5PG6hWK_c.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="212" /></a>Ultimately, however, guns are here to stay and will be accessible to anyone who wants one bad enough. Argue with me all you want to, but guns do <em>not </em>shoot themselves, knives do not stab on their own, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygWMy-QQNbw" target="_blank">cars can't kill</a> without a driver no matter how hard Stephen King tries to convince us otherwise. People are who do the killing. <br />
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I have often considered obtaining a handgun as the violent crimes rise here in my town. I'm to the point that I won't even stop for gas anymore after dark unless absolutely necessary, and I don't even live in the inner city, just a suburb 35 miles outside of San Francisco. But my town has become a <a href="http://www.claycord.com/" target="_blank">cesspool</a> for armed robberies, personal and retail. My husband and I have discussed it at length. However, two things are my biggest consideration, and should be everyone's: Can I control my temper - because really I have become so angry with society that it's a question begging to be answered. And - most importantly - do I truly have the confidence to shoot and kill another human and be okay with it? It's no video game, there's no unringing the bell. And you must absolutely be prepared to kill or be killed. In the end, my answer is that I am too temperamental and I am knowlegable enough to know I can use anything in my purse as a weapon, so that will have to do. I also know key points on a body to hurt someone enough to give me a head start. As for protection at home, a protective husband, an aluminum baseball bat, and a machete beneath the bed work just fine. When all else fails I'll swing my cat in the air by the tail a few times and launch her at the criminal's face, then run like hell.<br />
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We, as the public, absolutely do not need assault-caliber weaponry at our disposal. If, hundreds of years ago, we could survive with a bow and arrow or a club and a rock, we can still do so today. An arrow isn't designed for killing sprees. What we <em>do </em>need are stricter screenings, more empathy, and education on the difference between self-defense and mass destruction. <br />
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Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-87134207980314834472012-05-25T01:04:00.000-07:002012-05-25T01:04:12.274-07:00The Tivo Challenge: Taking Back My ChannelsThere we were; poised to watch the finale we'd waited four months for. It was <a href="http://www.americanidol.com/" target="_blank">Idol night</a>, and tonight the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQAtY7G-gOM" target="_blank">winner</a> would be crowned. <br />
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I had a meeting so it would be <a href="http://www.tivo.com/" target="_blank">Tivo'd</a> until I could get home and zip through to the result. Suddenly there was a mysterious text from my husband:<br />
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I tried to extend the recording, but there's no channel 2 in the guide!</blockquote>
Wha...? But.. I was perplexed. It was there yesterday. Before I called in to <a href="http://www.directv.com/" target="_blank">Directv</a> to inquire about a DVR upgrade, and said no when it came to the 2-year contract agreement that would be required. And now all of my local network channels weren't accessible? <br />
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Upon calling tech support, I learn that Tivo has issued a software upgrade that has left thousands of customers without their local programming. "Our hands are tied! It's Tivo's fault!" claimed the tech last night, as well as the young woman I spoke to today. This is apparently happening with all Tivo subscribers, not just those with the satellite service guru. After 'troubleshooting,' the conclusion was "We simply don't know when this issue will be resolved. BUT! Tivo is offering an HD receiver that doesn't have this problem, as well as the Directv DVR also is problem free. All that's required is the HD service at only ten dollars extra per month and a 2 year service agreement!" <br />
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Wow. <br />
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We read about these things all the time - networks in negotiations that result in loss of programming with various providers, Tivo is notorious for outraging their subscribers by not catching the extra lingering minutes of important finales, and my favorite is how we buy these DVRs, thinking we now own a brand shiny new electronic, only to find out that 'purchase price' is merely a 'leasing fee.' Terminate service and the equipment is obligated to be returned to the provider with no refund to the consumer. <br />
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Meanwhile, we all pay astronomical monthly fees, even though we now have internet viewing and stream-to-tv options available. But much of that technology is beyond the understanding of a growing-older generation who simply wants to sit down and watch a favorite show. Seems to me that if I knew those options were becoming easier to latch on to, I'd take my chances in keeping my customers happy any way I possibly could. <br />
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My demands are not unreasonable. So, I pleaded my case of our 14 years of loyal service, to no avail. No budging on the agreement. <br />
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Well, Tivo, and Directv, I accept this challenge. How many customers are you willing to lose to get that signature?<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Attention: </span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Directv: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(310) 535-5000, (310) 535-5225 fax</span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Michael D White, CEO </span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ellen Filipiak, Senior Vice President Of Customer Care</span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tivo: (408),519-9100, (408) 519-5330 fax</span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thomas S Rogers, CEO</span></span></b></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Imagine my frustration when the Tivo/Directv DVR that we’ve owned for nearly eight years suddenly stopped functioning properly – we lost all of our local programming, on a night that our family had gathered around to watch a momentous television event – and when I call in to see what the issue is, was told that Tivo has sent out a ‘software update’ that has stripped many customers with all satellite or cable services of their local programming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">We have done the troubleshooting by connecting the phone line, connecting to the Tivo service, rebooting the unit, etc, to no avail, and have been told it’s basically a waiting game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is unacceptable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My work depends on things like the local news, and we pay for local channels for the main bulk of our viewing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The only options are, as I understand them, to sit and wait for Tivo to get around to fixing this issue they’ve created, as we continue to pay for service we’re not getting, or upgrade our receiver to the brand spanking new Tivo HD receiver, or the Directv promoted house brand HD receivers, both which require a programming service charge of ten dollars more per month than I already spend, in a time when we are trying to be as conservative as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coincidentally, I called in to inquire about these promotions only two days ago, but the breaking point that prevented us from doing the upgrade was the requirement of the two-year contract agreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, within hours, this happens.</span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I understand the policy for new customers, but frankly, our history should speak for itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband has been with Directv since 1998 – this screams loyalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have sat by and watched year after year as new customers receive all sorts of free services that we have paid steadily for (NFL Package, et al).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But where is our reward?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here we are, facing what we as consumers have no control over, and our only way out is deprivation, or to be coerced into a two-year agreement that financially we do not feel secure in areeing to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we have given the company our service for 14 long years, despite all of the enticing ‘bundle’ offers that come our way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve done the comparisons, and yes, dollar for dollar it all equals about the same for television services – it’s the bundle of phone/internet where they beat out Directv.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And right now, to avoid this hassle, and feeling as though we have no appreciation for our loyalty, those companies are going to get a second look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And likely our business as well, if this cannot be resolved to our satisfaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">What I am requesting is this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either Tivo replaces our receiver, at no cost to us (because ultimately we will not own the equipment), to compensate for this ‘software issue,’ and we will resume our Directv service, or we go through the proper equipment upgrades with Directv, but the two-year agreement is waived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Anything less is unacceptable, and we will walk away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope that our history with both companies will be taken into consideration, and that this will be handled promptly as we are in one of the two biggest months of television programming in terms of locals/networks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Very sincerely,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span></span><span>Kymberlie Ingalls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neuroticy.com, Founder</span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-2579467943968512362012-03-24T22:09:00.002-07:002012-03-25T01:00:48.298-07:00Much Ado About A Hoodie<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz9mXjowI037z8mgjStjARPSTjpPW2fFSpKZE3CvvjVwStMwTTFXvhdJ3kyUlLriADjPQpRJqMBJMlG5dNjYw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">“I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was. You have to recognize that this whole stylizing yourself as a gangsta, you’re going to be a gangsta-wannabe, well people are going to perceive you as a menace." - Geraldo Rivera</span></blockquote><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">What was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your </i>first reaction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, mine too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then I dug a little deeper within myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rivera’s not entirely wrong, and it’s because we are not entirely right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Boys don’t deserve to be shot because they’re wearing a hoodie and packing a box of Skittles. Girls don’t deserve to be assaulted because they wore a mini-skirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I didn’t deserve to have my hair cut off because for trying to look pretty one day when I was thirteen years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t deserve a beating at age seven because I wouldn’t tattle on my brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I certainly didn’t deserve to become a date-rape statistic because I was drunk.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Many would disagree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Here’s my truth:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I see someone skulking around in a hoodie, with the low-slung jeans, acting suspicious in any way, it makes me think a little harder about where I am, how well lit the area is, and what I’m doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>look at is the color of their skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about behavior, and yes, appearance, but not race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve also been skirmish around people who might be dressed in fine formal wear but still act like they’re tweeked out on drugs and looking for a fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">"</span><a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/03/23/trayvon-martins-hoodie-and-george-zimmerman-share-blame/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">If you dress like a hoodlum eventually some schmuck is going to take you at your word.</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"> Remember Elvis’ ‘</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ox1Tore9nw" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">In the ghetto’</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">? or that old Johnny Cash song about not taking ‘your guns to town son, </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMMp_llzBT4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">leave your guns at home Bill</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">, don’t take your guns to town?’"</span></blockquote></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Perception is everything.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Go to Youtube, do a search on armed robberies, watch the security videos, come back here and tell me what you see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Geraldo Rivera didn’t pull this out of his ass in complete ignorance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> doing is perpetuating the idea that image dictates how we should be treated by society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not everyone wearing a hoodie is a “gansta.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not every pretty girl is a mean one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not everyone wearing a <a href="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgfg2l3cQn1qdi0z1o1_500.jpg" target="_blank">trucker hat</a> is a redneck.<br />
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Well…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I’m not even going to touch the <a href="http://weaselzippers.us/2012/03/24/eyewitness-who-called-911-zimmerman-was-on-ground-being-attacked-by-trayvon-martin-yelling-for-help-before-he-shot-him/" target="_blank">gulty/not issue</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this country, the rules say a jury decides that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, one has to be arrested and tried first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">In this country, rules are also served up best when broken.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">My friend Anthony is a great guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s funny, handsome, and could charm the pants off anyone even if they were nailed on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a minister, and very passionate about his work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anthony has a charisma that worked for him in broadcasting – always had a broad following to every station he went to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clear, succinct and educated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">It was when people came to the live broadcasts that they were shocked; Anthony was black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You’d never know it to listen to him!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same breath that he tells this story with a grin on his face, the laughter falters as he then relates a tale of being pulled over by police for doing nothing more than driving through a bad neighborhood in his conspicuously red van.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The memory of indignant, helpless fear is plain to see.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Too many crimes are about color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is this world coming to?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">It’s coming to a world we created. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, meaning near to </span><city><place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Oakland</span></place></city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> and </span><city><place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Richmond</span></place></city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">, racism has never been a foreign concept to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grew up on the “white” side of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never thought much about it until I transferred across town in high school, where the kids were bussed in from the lower income nearby town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I promptly came home and announced that I wouldn’t be returning to a school where suddenly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>was the minority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, stuck there I was, and in the end was all the richer for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">If only we could all embrace colors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nauLgZISozs&ob=av3n" target="_blank">Life would be a ding-a-derry</a>…</i>and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yop62wQH498" target="_blank">the sun’ll come out tomorrow</a> too – <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/injun" target="_blank">honest Injun</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">©<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kymberlie Ingalls, </span><date day="24" month="3" year="2012"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">March 24, 2012</span></date><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-77687435961352455112012-03-19T15:16:00.003-07:002012-03-19T15:52:21.780-07:00Time Keeps On Slipping...<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>"On Monday morning I’m going to drive to the airport, check in for my flight to New York, then head to the airport bookstore for a stack of magazines to read on the plane. I’ll do this reluctantly because I will carry both an Amazon Kindle and an Apple iPad packed full of reading material in my bag. </em></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>I need the paper products because Federal Aviation Administration rules state that </em></span><a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/disruptions-fliers-must-turn-off-devices-but-its-not-clear-why/"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>I cannot use these digital reading devices</em></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em> on an airplane during taxi, take-off or landing." - </em></span><a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/disruptions-time-to-review-f-a-a-policy-on-gadgets/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>Nick Bilton</em></span></a><br />
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I don't like to fly, for a number of reasons. First, there's that whole "crash and burn" thing. "But it hardly ever happens, realistically!" Realistically, it only takes once. I don't like to test the odds. <br />
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But also because of the having to arrive at the airport early, wade through security like bovine through a mousehole, only to be subjected to the <em>real </em>mile-high club - the prices designed to take slutty advantage of our boredom - while we sit and wait.. and wait... the entire process to me is something I find hard to label 'convenient.' Give me a good old fashioned <a href="http://www.writerofthestorm.com/2011/09/remembrance-of-hope.html" target="_blank">road trip</a> any day. <br />
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There is all sorts of talk about the degradation of society today and how our attention span has gone the way of the dinosaur. It makes great fodder for a comedic look at ourselves, but as with anything funny there is a kernel of truth at the base of the joke. We are like overgrown teenagers who must have the latest gadget, the latest service or convenience, and we must have it <em>now.</em> It's bad enough to subject us to waiting, and airplane-cabin fever, but take away our cell phones and the Angry Birds and suddenly our civil rights have been violated in a very big way.<br />
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True, the <a href="http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=6275" target="_blank">FAA and airline regulations</a> may be outdated, as is discussed in Bilton's article, but really what is the big loss that we can't use our electronics for a half hour at take off and another half hour at landing? For centuries now, we've managed to function without texting or calling while driving, with reading an old-fashioned book versus a digital screen, we survived relying on basic instincts. Let's face it, we can't even leave the world behind for five minutes of quality toilet-time. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em><a href="http://www.techjournalsouth.com/2012/01/three-quarters-of-americans-use-cell-phones-in-the-bathroom/" target="_blank">Three-fourths of Americans</a> with mobile phones report they use their phones in the bathroom</em></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>. Americans are texting, emailing, and yes – as you may have heard – talking on the phone in the bathroom. Approximately one quarter of Americans report they don’t go into the bathroom without their phone. The new report, “</em></span><a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&div=bahjdcjjea&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.11mark.com%2FIT-in-the-toilet&esheet=50145411&lan=en-US&anchor=IT+in+the+Toilet&index=2&md5=7169383e13bcec51ee0dc2db68b731b9" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>IT in the Toilet</em></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>,” uses the “bathroom benchmark” to examine just how connected we have become.</em></span></blockquote>We claim to be always thinking, always forging ahead in these modern times, but if you ask me, I think we're more afraid to be alone with our thoughts than we want to admit. Looking to the past, the graveyards are chock full of great thinkers; that number has declined rapidly with the mainstreaming of the computer. I dare say that information overload has in fact had the opposite effect and is the biggest contributor to our dumbing down. <br />
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And frankly, if there is even one smidgen of truth to the idea that a cell phone could take down a plane full of people, that's not a chance I'm super comfortable with. See above - it only takes once, folks.<br />
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It's almost conceivable to keep hope alive that some rules stay in place. At least this one makes sense, as opposed to taking away our rights to be fat and happy. Is it really a bad thing to have to sever our Blackberrys and iPads from our fingertips for mere minutes? <br />
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The apocalypse is coming, fellow citizens .. and it ain't gonna be pretty - the Oompa Loompas will be laughing a great deal, I suspect, as we fall down the hatch.Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-2167292963444639672012-03-04T15:42:00.001-08:002012-03-04T15:59:07.622-08:00How Do You Solve A Problem Like Limbaugh?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ncw-acVB368?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
"Limbaugh has apologized to <span class="yshortcuts cs4-visible" id="lw_1330881615_2"><span style="color: #366388;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/03/rush-limbaugh-apologizes-to-sandra-fluke_n_1318718.html" target="_blank">Sandra Fluke</a></span></span>, the Georgetown University law school student whom he insulted. "My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir," Limbaugh said. "I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices." Limbaugh owned up to his mistake and behaved as any gentleman should." - Mark Whittington, Yahoo Contributor Network.<br />
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Is he serious? A <em>gentleman...?</em> If that nitwit commentator is serious, I hope his mama slaps him across the face for being so damn dumb. <br />
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If Whittington thinks that Rush meant a single word of his apology, he needs a crash course in how the real world works. In order to collect his big, fat paycheck, Rush needs to bring in the ratings - therefore being the blowhard he is pays off. Ratings = lots of advertising bucks. Loss of advertisers = Rush Limbaugh can be the bigshot ass that he gets off on all he wants to, but at the end of the day he has to carry his balls in his hand the same as anyone else who is reliant upon someone else for a paycheck. <br />
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There is nothing "gentlemanly" about humility. My guess is that Rush Limbaugh's apology was dripping with snake oil coated insincerity. <br />
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And to compare the guy to Bill Maher is just apples and oranges. Maher is where he is, likely because I can't remember a time he's ever apologized for anything he's said. Even if <em>his </em>bosses told him to, I firmly suspect that he'd tell them to lick his buttcrack and smile for the cameras while doing it. <br />
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At the very least, Maher may be a raving maniac, but he is an informed maniac. Limbaugh can't even be bothered to get the name right of the person he's raking over the coals. Furthermore, he likes to rant over issues that exist only in his own head. Sandra Fluke wasn't ever asking the government to subsidize her sex life. She was challenging the policies of parochial schools. <br />
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Limbaugh has every right to disagree with her, as Maher does with Palin or anyone in the United States does with each other. But if the best argument you can come up with involves second-grade insults and ignorance on the issue at hand, it doesn't deserve the attention the public has given. <br />
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Rush is Rush. He is paid to piss people off - namely women and Democrats - on a regular basis. If we didn't have Rush around to hate, it'd be somebody else sitting in his seat. It's great that the show has lost seven major sponsors in the last few days as a reaction to the anger of the general public, but get back to me a month from now with an updated scorecard after the fire has gone down. <br />
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When I was a kid, my big brother would pick on me constantly, because he knew that sooner or later I'd start hollering at him, crying and carrying on, which would inevitably get me in trouble for being the noisy one while he sat by with the face of an angel while swishing his pointed tail behind him. Finally my mother explained to me that if I simply ignored him, he would stop. Well, he never stopped in the last forty years, but I have learned that by ignoring him it's my best revenge because he can't handle it. Suddenly he's behaving like a kid in Sunday School. <br />
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Villains act the way they do because they can. They get away with it. But we will never ignore Rush Limbaugh because sadly, too many others think just the same, therefore they feed his ego and encourage his behavior. <br />
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I wasn't offended as a woman by Limbaugh's words. I don't care for his opinions, therefore don't listen to the shows, or pay any mind to other media coverage of his antics. It's a blip on my radar. I was annoyed, as a person, and my gender had nothing to do with it. He won't stop because I ignore him, he'll keep trying to get my listenership. It was Mark Whittington who challenged me to write this opinionation today. It's like watching someone walk around all night with spinach in their teeth or toilet paper trailing from their pants. A person deserves to be told when their naivete is showing.<br />
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“<a href="http://www.neuroticy.com/2011/06/speak-freely-and-carry-big-apology.html" target="_blank">Never apologize</a> and never explain - it's a sign of weakness.” - John WayneKymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-62229371294867956632012-01-13T02:17:00.000-08:002012-01-13T02:22:08.281-08:00If I Only Had A Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/wOKK8mAkiUI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">“I’d unravel every riddle for any individ’le in trouble or in pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry, if I only had a brain…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGypUQ_hay9CoNkQXKMJFMNncCqhgdAYFy6IRSpC70iDAyV_1GrPG3A4Jcrw2rzTt1_mxO7rMb90McCAk4cU_AgL2qJ1T68N-zbuiD-OSgf6wK7uXz4vKFEZaC0uU1sqB1QuGtplcvGdx/s1600/The+Thinker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGypUQ_hay9CoNkQXKMJFMNncCqhgdAYFy6IRSpC70iDAyV_1GrPG3A4Jcrw2rzTt1_mxO7rMb90McCAk4cU_AgL2qJ1T68N-zbuiD-OSgf6wK7uXz4vKFEZaC0uU1sqB1QuGtplcvGdx/s200/The+Thinker.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">My brain rarely has answers, but it sure comes up with a lot of questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It asks, then I sit, and it thinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I don’t understand the church of <a href="http://www.nfl.com/" target="_blank">football</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not a game I can sink my teeth in to, but my husband is a devout worshipper, especially after his hometown team, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcE7Cmo1Bs" target="_blank">the Green Bay Packers</a>, won the Super Bowl (compare to the Holy Grail) last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are few things that truly excite him, so I have to believe there’s some merit to these men running around in their girlish spandex uniforms, making up amendments to rules every time something goes wrong, pretending they’re not divas and drama queens with shoulder pads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen some of them throw down like Krystal and Alexis on any given day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">It’s a brutal sport, so I figure that’s the appeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, along comes a gentle lion named <a href="http://www.timtebow.com/" target="_blank">Tim Tebow</a>, and he’s getting a whole lot of attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s like the little Christian that could, chugging to the end zone before dropping to his knees in prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, a good chunk of Americans believe he’s got angel wings under that jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.foxsportsflorida.com/01/12/12/Poll-43-percent-believe-God-helps-Tebow-/msn_landing.html?blockID=644750&feedID=3614" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">According to a telephone survey</span></a> conducted Tuesday <span class="Hyperlink183"><span style="color: #cccccc; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">by the website Poll Position</span></span>, 43.3 percent of people believe Tebow's accomplishments on the field can be attributed to divine intervention. The poll surveyed 1,056 people, and of the 756 who said they were familiar with Tebow, roughly 327 of them said they believe God plays a role in the second-year NFL quarterback's success.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Which led to a debate I stumbled upon online, led by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/BrianCopie/posts/132771880173336?notif_t=share_reply" target="_blank">Brian Copeland</a>, a San Francisco news personality. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_unDc-_pYJe589Db0saGiRF2B5gUcBzz9V-UTFHXcimScSQmpwsLmZ8SkkOG_X_2Nu2ui7qZFZGNPU3FPZtc0OwCvmq_AjttMLgfb7ZVij8ZO7Uucw_nej2WZzLEgNDWvWjROgi4uS1pk/s1600/Poster2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_unDc-_pYJe589Db0saGiRF2B5gUcBzz9V-UTFHXcimScSQmpwsLmZ8SkkOG_X_2Nu2ui7qZFZGNPU3FPZtc0OwCvmq_AjttMLgfb7ZVij8ZO7Uucw_nej2WZzLEgNDWvWjROgi4uS1pk/s1600/Poster2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">It’s all about the learning, and the growing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evil exists so that we might know right from wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Challenging me to think about such things is only preaching to the choir, Carol, but I’m always thankful for a reminder memo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Does God have a hand in all things, big and small?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I were to believe in the Christian God, I’d like to think that he doesn’t play favorites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the Almighty, and a title such as that comes with responsibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A parent can’t only be there for the child’s biggest traumas; parenting requires also dealing with the little sniffles, the small heartbreaks and the triumphs of all sizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">So how do we compare a small victory like a winning touchdown to the horrors we witness across the globe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it really apples and oranges?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know why bad things happen to good people, but I have my theories that help me sleep at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">My dear friend Anthony sure gets on my nerves at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a good soul, albeit a small soul in a big pond, and believes anything God has to say to him, but I don’t think God’s given an answer yet as to why <a href="http://www.writerofthestorm.com/2011/03/gods-anthony.html" target="_blank">Anthony’s been battling cancer</a> for the past year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Maybe He’s been too busy helping <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31751_162-57355035-10391697/watch-tim-tebow-describes-game-winning-touchdown/" target="_blank">Tim Tebow</a> get through the season.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“I’m pushing an elephant up the stairs, I’m tossin’ out punchlines that were never there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over my shoulder a piano falls, crashing to the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m breakin’ through, I’m bending spoons, I’m keeping flowers in full bloom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m lookin’ for answers from the great beyond…”</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/k_JnCWT-_O8/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k_JnCWT-_O8&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k_JnCWT-_O8&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">© Kymberlie Ingalls, January 13, 2012</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Lyrics:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">If I Only Had A Brain / <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wizard Of Oz Official Soundtrack</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">The Great Beyond / R.E.M.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-18782264135277881012011-12-06T20:26:00.000-08:002011-12-06T20:30:08.319-08:00Adam & Steve Walked In To A Bar...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">and exclaimed, "Wow - that fig leaf Eve has on is simply <em><span style="font-family: Verdana;">fab</span></em>ulous!"</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Do you see how they don't hate on Eve for having girl parts? They embrace the differences between them.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/coMbqaXPb6w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <em>"but it's cool for Tom Green to hump a dead moose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ain't nothin’ but mammals.. Well, some of us cannibals who cut other people open like cantaloupes but if we can hump dead animals and antelopes then there's no reason that a man and another man can't elope."</em></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">This is a perfect example of where our priorities lie. Our American society rallies around the flag, tooting our horns about freedom and civil rights. And yet.. there seems to be this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_8_(2008)" target="_blank">big to-do</a> about letting only certain people marry. The last I checked, the technical definition of marriage is "the joining of two people in commitment." </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">We really do glorify things such as obscene acts with animals, rolling around </span><city><place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Hollywood</span></place></city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> in a drunken stupor, laughing in secret at the jokes we don't want our friends to know we think they're funny. How about finding love and life ever after on a reality show? Sell yourself on television for <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelor" target="_blank">a rose and a ring</a>, this is acceptable. Two people in love who want to marry and commit themselves to each other - this is somehow going to ruin your life as you know it? </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Many view marriage as a religious ceremony, and traditionally it is. However, I thought we were supposed to have a separation of church and state. Why is it we haven't just made marriage a civil thing across the board; him and her, he and him, she and her. If you want to go off and have a religious something or other on top of that, have at it, much as we do now. But, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">everyone</i> should have the right to marry, divorce or<a href="http://www.yourtango.com/201180867/the-christian-god-really-doesn-t-approve-gay-marriage" target="_blank"> live in so-called sin</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">For those who are afraid "gay" is contagious, grow up and get over your cootiephobia. It is ridiculous, and you are paranoid. If you truly think that homosexuality is hell-worthy, but in the next breath forgive those who rape, pillage, mutilate and murder others, perhaps your heart isn't as pure as you'd like to believe. Come on down from that pedestal - I'm here to tell you how lonely it can get up there. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">And refusing gay couples to adopt children? What will they pass on - Tolerance of the hate that surrounds them? Forgiveness in the face of judgment? Commitment? Unconditional love? Or maybe, just maybe, they will save a child from a life of loneliness, abandonment, and abuse.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cfq-LVxV3yo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Do you really want to go through this life thinking someone like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJO5HU_7_1w&ob=av3e" target="_blank">Marshall Mathers</a> is more enlightened than you are?</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">You have every right to your opinion - that's me accepting this about you. I just don't have to agree with you. The problem that I have with some of the things I hear coming out of the mouths of religious babes ("hate the sin, not the sinner." "Science has nothing to do with it." "I don't care what they do, as long as I don't have to see it!") is that it hurts others. And there seems to be little interest in rectifying that. It's God's way or the highway. The thing is, your God isn't everyone's. But a surprising amount of gays do believe in a God who loves them unconditionally.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I invite you to have a seat at my table and break bread with my sister, my cousin, my cousin-in-law, and my friends. Start a discussion about why they don't deserve the same rights you do. That they are not worthy of the love that you have or have had in your life. Tell them all about how they've sinned. Make sure to look them in the eye as you pontificate, it helps get your point across that much stronger.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Then go home and look yourself in the eye <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N14Ho-VVPgA" target="_blank">in your own mirror</a>. It's so much easier to preach to your intolerance, much harder to "save" the stone-thrower who stares back at you.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(c) Kymberlie Ingalls, 2010</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Lyrics and Music: The Real Slim Shady / Eminem</span></div>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4138845902692987101.post-45440128782441997392011-10-17T19:54:00.000-07:002011-10-17T20:04:24.794-07:00American Fight Song<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not always a fan of protests. Living in the Bay Area it's been getting a little out of control here on the left coast. <a href="http://www.neuroticy.com/2011/08/pursuit-of-protest.html">People standing up for criminals</a> who manage to shoot their own selves in their getaways, rallying because their own bad behavior of climbing to the top of commuter trains got their cell phones disabled - never mind the danger they constantly put others in. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like everyone else - but unlike everyone in big-time media - I've been intrigued about the idea of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl68qmyl_1g">Occupy Wall Street</a> since its inception. I've been following somewhat closely to see where it's going to go, even though my husband has to explain the demands to me because frankly I'm not so smart when it comes to politics and money. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My concern initially was that a lot of angry people were showing up for the wrong reasons. I still do believe this to be the case after watching many of the videos coming out of various cities. OWS has seriously got to be for Youtube what the iPod was for Apple. Not to downgrade those who protest in sincerity, but I'm willing to bet that many are there and don't even know why. They are there because they don't have lives, are pissed off at someone or are just generally very angry and demanding attention. I'd also bet - and I'm not much of a gambler - that many people are looking to become the next reality TV star out of this. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>* GRAPHIC NUDITY *</em></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's easy for me to question intent - I find it difficult to understand how shaking your bare boobage on the streets of Manhattan supports a cry against Big Business. It ridicules the cause.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzIc05x3P3pn2kfCJ6Q5eTRREeAUei-NMaxiIJbiDGU1j4Ybxi-bOIYkMHhceyxHVH4apvyz5bKQcZGns-Gug' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>"Do a split, do a yell! Shake a tit for old Rydell!"</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But then there are the claims of brutality. Truthfully, I don't know what to make of this, and it's one of the reasons I've hesitated to post thus far on the topic. It is frustrating that we catch a glimpse of a cop macing a deaf girl, or another one dragging someone who's been arrested across the ground - my first reaction is that of course, it's overkill. But there's something in me too that knows better than to go on such little information, and we are seeing a lot of arrests and assaults but none of the before and after to support the claims of brutality. This doesn't mean it isn't happening, but how much of it happens on a dare from someone who is begging to be arrested by way of their own actions? And they are the ones who belittle the true injustices on the streets of Manhattan or anywhere else.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jYaA-34c-vI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this litigious society that we live in where just about anyone will spin the truth for a dollar, my skepticism is justified. One reason I respect my friend Anthony as a minister of gospel is because he doesn't attack people with whatever random Biblical quote comes in handy, he teaches to always read what comes before it, and after, to get the whole story; to question, and to think. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What turned me off in the beginning was <em>Anonymous </em>being behind it. Faceless people with robotic voices crying out against injustice who turn around and hack websites and put the private information of innocent people to the public is cowardly. Claiming to be victimized by Facebook and calling for a 'shutdown of the site' and thereby punishing those who (albeit begrudgingly) choose to agree to their terms of wiping any privacy from your life is wrong. Speak out, yes. Raise attention to your cause, yes. Bully others to your way of thinking? No.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What has surprised me is that I really thought this protest would burn out as the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ7hViAS904&feature=relmfu">SF Bay Area BART protests</a> have in a rather quickly dying flame, but just the opposite has happened. Instead, as a wind pushes a raging fire further out of control, cities large and small are joining this movement. A small suburb of the city that is known for its well-off residents held a protest in support of OWS last week, and I'd joked that I'd be shocked if more than ten people showed up - it would cut into shopping time for too many others. Lo and behold, 300+ came out. That's almost as inspirational as the Grinch spreading cheer through Whoville on Christmas Day. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the end, my support of Occupy Wall Street is conditional, much like the love a parent gives to a redheaded stepchild (I am one, so I can back up the claim). I refuse to view the protesters as a whole, just as I refuse to judge the police as a whole. People make their own choices, and it is those individual choices I'll put in my mind's line-up so I can seperate the power-trippers from the do-rights. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Truly I believe that much of the mess we are rebelling in is of our own (as a whole) creation. We have complacently agreed to let our credit score rule our lives, and the meek mice are now the roaring lions - something that usually never ends without senseless consequences of some kind on both sides of the battlefield. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's been a long time between civil wars - the blue of the police and the suits against the gray of anonymity are clearly drawn.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/qYFCxQTj6Ug?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Gavin DeGraw - A Change Is Gonna Come</span></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">(c) Kymberlie Ingalls, October 17th, 2011</div>Kymberlie ~ WriterOfTheStorm.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331379225481378114noreply@blogger.com0