Life
Belonging in the Lower Class
As we grow up from a child to adult, we are always looking to be a part of something. We are constantly in search of whom we are and our purpose. Throughout our adolescence we play sports, participate in the band, or other school activities. As we mature the path becomes more precise. Our experiences […]
10Oct2008 | Cole James | 1 comment | Continued
An Intro to the American Coffee House
From the truck stop burners to the gourmet air pots of the local coffee shop to the drive through of the Starbucks on the way to work, coffee dispensing has become more American than preemptive strikes. Coffee has been around. It is nothing new, really. It is not even a product of American culture. In […]
8Oct2008 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
Coffee and the American Gourmet Experience
Coffee is in the news. There is a lot of talk about providing a gourmet experience for consumers. McDonald’s is the latest to join the coffee experience bandwagon. Discretionary income is down, but the enjoyment of coffee continues to proliferate. The inherent problem here is that we are seeking an experience with coffee, as in […]
7Oct2008 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Old people exercising
A couple of months ago this writer decided that we needed to get our body into shape, one more time. We were once an active member of the local YMCA for about thirty years. A few years ago we stopped exercising and began to really enjoy evening ice cream and a movie. We are paying […]
5Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 6 comments | Continued
I Am A Pregant Teen
It was difficult for me to sleep last night. I was checking the statistics on our magazine yesterday. The statistics page gives us two views of where our readers came from. ‘Referrers’ lists the other sites that reference our site. ‘Search Engine Terms’ is a list of the key words individuals used to search the […]
5Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on I Am A Pregant Teen | Continued
Tina Fey In The Debate
Saturday Night Live has hit a gold mine with Governor Sarah Palin. Tina Fey has mastered the impersonation. This particular piece of October 4, 2008, captures the comedy of Joe Biden and Sarah Palin in their one and only vice presidential debate. …… Check out Brian Williams with David Letterman HERE.
5Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Wind and Wild, energy and nature
The Global Warming phenomenon is powerful. People across this great country are taking action. They are not waiting for an Act of Congress to be responsible. I drove the rural countryside on Saturday, traveling deep into the Missouri hills. Along the way I saw a sight right out of a Holland Science Fiction movie. There […]
5Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Coming to yourself – escaping parental domination
We commented in an earlier post that ‘original sin’ equates with escaping the dysfunction of your family of origin. That includes escaping the domination of parents. Parent are powerful – the most powerful two people a child will ever experience. That is the fundamental triangle of life, Father, Mother, Child. The lens through which we […]
29Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Coming to yourself – escaping parental domination | Continued
United Way – agency corruption
This writer is a big supporter of the concept of United Way – with skepticism for the actual practice. The concept is simple – there are many social service agencies in all communities that compete for the limited local dollars available. The idea of the United Way was to eliminate all of the individual fund […]
25Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 14 comments | Continued
Debt, Spending, and Social Justice
We admire the determination of people who do not have debt. The Congress and Administration should be so wise. As a young parent we ventured into the world of credit cards. The result was that our children lived in virtual poverty. We had a good job and made good money – but the debt […]
24Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
I am a house-husband, not a space man
I am a house husband. I think that there is still some social barrier within me that creates a stigma around staying at home with the kids. I create my own stigma, I guess, I still feel a little weird when telling people what I do. Its a lot like telling them that I am […]
24Sep2008 | bryan | 6 comments | Continued
Being a House-Husband
I am a house-husband. That is, I stay at home with the kids and my wife works full time. We are a non-traditional family, I guess, and it suits me fine most of the time. I get the impression, though, that the pats on the back that I get from people are not always genuine. […]
22Sep2008 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued
Herm Edwards – Flaws of Cronyism
Good Old Boys, buddies, cronies, buds – terms of endearment. Harry Truman had a bunch of cronies. He gave some of them jobs in the White House. Not important jobs, just a paycheck to hang around and play poker at night. The important jobs of Vice President, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Defense were […]
22Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Resurrecting Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot is one of the most polite and graceful of all Folk Legends. He is quiet and unassuming. We are grateful to have lived in his lifetime. His music and his life deserve a resurrection. From Parade Magazine Personality Parade: In 2002, Lightfoot suffered a ruptured aortic aneurysm, similar to the condition that killed […]
21Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Resurrecting Gordon Lightfoot | Continued
Total Loss of Control
Inspired by Bill Cosby – he is making a big toot about the irresponsibility of his fellow black people. Rather than lump a race into the same bucket – we should probably consider behavior rather than color. We have some literature that is not of our making. This literature has been copied and copied again. […]
18Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 5 comments | Continued
Woody Guthrie Sings About Immigration
I took some minor liberties with the title. Woody Guthrie was singing about immigration – but he was referring to the dust bowl immigrants to California. We forget that time when Americans were denied entrance into another State because of economics. See Also: Where is Woody Guthrie.
17Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Woody Guthrie Sings About Immigration | Continued
Kansas City Chiefs – Where is Clark Hunt?
There is a disaster unfolding in Kansas City, Missouri. It is not natural. It is hardly believable. The Kansas City Chiefs, the proud heritage of Lamar Hunt, are proving to be a huge embarrassment for everyone in Missouri who live west of the Mississippi. The Chiefs are the laughing stock of the sports world. It […]
15Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Kansas City Chiefs – Where is Clark Hunt? | Continued
Kansas City Chiefs – 9-14-2008
This writer is a fair weather Kansas City Chiefs fan. But even mildly interested folks like myself are embarrassed again this year. The Kansas City Chiefs had one of the most potent offenses of this decade. Today we are watching a three quarterback rotation that no other team employs – Does Coach Herm Edwards understand […]
15Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Kansas City Chiefs – 9-14-2008 | Continued
Troopergate – There may be something to this
This writer and The Fireside Post in general have avoided the trash talk of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. We have called her a UFO – meaning that we don’t recognize her on the political landscape. Governor Palin remains a UFO because we have heard nothing from her other than prepared speeches. The media […]
12Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Troopergate – There may be something to this | Continued
Clean Electricity in Ten Years
We have written several times on Global Warming – now real money is being invested in educating the human populations about this fundamental truth of our time. The following is a video advertisement running on many television networks – This writer likes the music and the imagery. [wp_youtube]ydOPBL5iO2Y[/wp_youtube] Wecansolveit.org has several good videos. We are […]
10Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Clean Electricity in Ten Years | Continued
A Soldier’s Story
This video is the story of one soldier. The fourth Medal of Honor recipient of the last six years. This is the stuff of legend – regardless of the political interpretations of war – the soldiers go to war when asked, they do not question or balk. This is one more reason the civilian Commander […]
3Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on A Soldier’s Story | Continued
English – a Mandatory Language?
We have a new pork processing plant in our town – we think the Triumph Foods Human Resource office is located in Mexico City. You know how these big corporations are. Our local school system is being challenged to offer a regular old American education to children who cannot speak the language. There is great […]
2Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Sex Addiction – Real or Not? (Video)
CBS has done a nice job reporting on actor David Duchovny’s recent admission to a rehabilitation facility for Sex Addiction. My question is the same as most – Is Sex Addiction a legitimate addiction, or a legitimate mental illness, or both, or what? This writer believes that Obsessive Compulsive disorders are real, they are destructive, […]
31Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Sex Addiction – Real or Not? (Video) | Continued
The Yearn for Normalcy
We really don’t know what ‘normal’ is – but all of us want it. We want safety and security. We want to own our home, raise our children, attend school plays and athletic events. We want proper health care for our family. We want to go to work and receive a decent pay check. We […]
25Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Video – Kennedys endorse Obama, from MSNBC
Son, I could not capture the power of the news conference today. My earlier post has some of the quotes from the Kennedys – but the written word cannot capture their presence. We can all have hopes for the future of America. Hopes for Social Justice, for health care, for education, for peace, for prosperity, […]
25Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Video – Kennedys endorse Obama, from MSNBC | Continued
Michael Phelps, Pro Bowl in Eight Positions
Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in one Olympics. Mark Spitz won seven in the 1972 Olympics. Johnny Weissmuller won four in the 1928 Olympics. All in swimming. So multiple gold medals is not unheard of. But it is certainly unusual. Why is this so? This writer has been digesting the news of the Phelps […]
20Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Michael Phelps, Pro Bowl in Eight Positions | Continued
Retard Thunder
Ben Stiller has a new comedy movie being unveiled this week. The movie is called “Tropic Thunder.” But it is being trumpeted as some sort of evil incarnation of ancient bigotry against mental illness or the mentally impaired, or something like that. Apparently the movie uses the term ‘retard’ multiple times. The movie has an […]
13Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Retard Thunder | Continued
Phelps sets Olympic record
Michael Phelps is an American Swimmer. That felt good to type – and it is sweet music to American Olympians. His story is remarkable. Some questions are posed because of changes in the technology of swim wear and the configuration of the pool in Beijing – we’ll get to those issues in a moment – […]
13Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Phelps sets Olympic record | Continued
Banks do Business with Predatory Lenders
I was in my bank the other day to roll over my wife’s 401k, and I was browsing all of their literature while I waited for the financial advisor. I don’t usually pay any attention to all of the stuff along the wall because I already have all of the banking junk that I need […]
12Aug2008 | bryan | Comments Off on Banks do Business with Predatory Lenders | Continued
The Bird’s Nest – Cradle of the Future? (Video)
China has given the world a demonstration of their claim on the future. The opening ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics are unrivaled – and will remain unrivaled for generations. The grandeur of the Chinese coming out party was a delicate mix of technology and humanity. At the center of the spectacle was “The […]
10Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Bird’s Nest – Cradle of the Future? (Video) | Continued
Barack, Public Funding, and My Backyard
Barack Obama this week rejected public fundung for his campaign according to the Los Angeles Times. This seems like a big deal, I know, and a lot of good government analysts are saying that it is a mistake and that it could be a strong point for McCain in the gneral election It is not […]
20Jun2008 | bryan | Comments Off on Barack, Public Funding, and My Backyard | Continued
intimate anonymity in the electronic age
If you are reading this article, then it is no surprise to you that our electronic culture is changing faster than we can measure and our connectedness boasts the largest geographical and numerical network in history. The phenomenon of our communication age is a child of several technologies that all dramatically shaped our culture, and […]
2Jun2008 | bryan | Comments Off on intimate anonymity in the electronic age | Continued
Art, Craft, Capitalism, and Pirating
Pirates! Who are they? Johnny Depp has redefined the genre with Captain Jack Sparrow. This portrayal is entertaining for sure – but not necessarily accurate. Pirating is about selfish intentional plunder, it is about seeking out treasure possessed by others and taking possession of the treasure by any means possible. The modern entertainment industry has […]
7May2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Art, Craft, Capitalism, and Pirating | Continued
Ann Coulter – a study in journalism
One of our readers recommended that I read some Ann Coulter. Not one to dismiss our readers outright, I found this intriguing documentary by SuperNews. The depth of study is reflected in the Ann Coulter-like bibliography. Ms. Coulter thinks of herself as a professional journalist – and who in the mainstream media today has the […]
2May2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
What Makes A Pirate A Pirate?
I don’t have cable, and I don’t want it. It’s too expensive, I don’t like the hassle that I get from them, and I havean internet connection, so I can pretty much get whatever shows I want without the commercials, and whatever I can’t find online I just rent and plug it into the DVD […]
29Apr2008 | bryan | Comments Off on What Makes A Pirate A Pirate? | Continued
My Stimulus Check Stimulates Me
Here is what I am going to do. Plain and simple. I am going to spend my gov’ment stimulus check to help the economy. I have a whole list of things that I am gonna do. Here it is. Right off, I am going to pay my car insurance for a year – then I […]
27Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on My Stimulus Check Stimulates Me | Continued
Media Pendulum Swings Right
The phenomenon of the American Media is in full swing. The mass of opportunity is driven by the gravitational pull of pollsters. With the inertia growing, it seems improbable that we will see any shift to professional journalism in the near future. The throttle is open for the pendulum to swing far right. The value […]
26Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Media Pendulum Swings Right | Continued
Christianity Is Not a Religion
At a motivational seminar that I attended last week, I noticed that a lot of the motivational speaking crowd are Christian speakers. Many of them, in fact, have started mega churches for mega rich parishioners in mega cities (that crowd doesn’t do small scale stuff). Many of the pastors of large churches, actually, would fall […]
25Apr2008 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
Copycatery – By Steven Colbert
There is no one like Steven Colbert to pound an issue home. The Colbert Report hosted both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama last week. Clinton had inked the deal before Obama – so – imagine this, The Clinton campaign is accusing Obama of being a copycat. We are reaching for new lows in this Presidential […]
24Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Copycatery – By Steven Colbert | Continued
Marines’ Hymn
I am an amateur piano player – I play late at night, and just for myself. I am told that I have a ‘swing style’ – but I don’t know what that means. One of the first songs that I learned on a piano was the Marines’ Hymn. This inspiring march music is relatively easy […]
24Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Marines’ Hymn | Continued
Obama, Clinton, ABC debate, 4-16-2008
6:40 PM: Here we go again. These debates are tiring – but very necessary. There are undecided voters out there who want information. They want to make a good decision – they know that bad decisions in the past two Presidential Elections have proved disastrous for our country and for the world. Clinton has been […]
17Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Jon Stewart: The Fiber in Your Media Diet
There are some things that we, as a culture, cannot do without. Oil. Television. Wal-Mart. Cell Phones. Media Punditry. In order for these things to exist, we have to continually evaluate them and to find ways of curbing our dependence on them. Otherwise, we become slaves to our devices. Oil, for instance, needs investigation into […]
17Apr2008 | bryan | Comments Off on Jon Stewart: The Fiber in Your Media Diet | Continued
esprit de corps and elitism
When people suffer anxiety and fear, whether from physical insecurity, economic strife, or terrorism, they form what Robert Muchembled calls social solidarities. These systems of survival come in a variety of forms. Many folks form loose confraternities around causes: Global Warming, Abortion, Guns, Political Parties, Civil Rights, Feminism, Gay-Lesbian Rights, and even around faith based […]
16Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Meet the Reverend, Fred Phelps
The ‘Reverend’ Fred Phelps is an example of religion gone haywire. He is a man much like Osama Bin Laden, using a legitimate faith to justify his hate. But is he really so unusual in America? Christianity is blasphemed by people who use that brand of faith as justification for separating and dividing people. The […]
15Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Pope in America
Bill Maher is on a role in this video. Maher directly takes the Pope and the Catholic Church to task. Referring to Pope Benedict as John Paul’s Dick Cheney, Maher hits this nail right on the head. The value of comedic interpretation of current events is never more evident than it is in this monologue […]
15Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Pope in America | Continued
Addiction Humor
So what is funny about getting drunk or high on drugs? Just about everything – if you are observing someone else. These two comedians, Robin Williams and Bill Cosby, are very funny because they are so accurate in their depictions of people on drugs. We laugh because we recognize ourselves and others in their comedy […]
15Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Addiction Humor | Continued
Does President Bush Drink?
I don’t know what to think. This video is on youtube. Has it been doctored? Slowed down? Check for yourself: [wp_youtube]lHSiqQpg7Uc[/wp_youtube]
15Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Does President Bush Drink? | Continued
Robin Williams on Golf
Caution to readers – this Robin Williams is hilarious – but he uses strong language to punctuate his message. Williams pulls every trick out of his big bag of humor to make this work. He is animated, uses slang, stresses ethnic accent, and adds to the humor by throwing in a drunk Scotsman. This is […]
15Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Robin Williams on Golf | Continued
Fox News – Bush’s Last Lap
Fox News has become the embarrassment of professional journalism. Ranking beneath bloggers in factual reporting and fair commentary, the only success of Fox has been to lower the bar of media expectations. Fortunately for all Americans, we can depend on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Intelligent reporting that is clearly unbiased may seem boring […]
12Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Fox News – Bush’s Last Lap | Continued
My Nephew Joe in Iowa
The guy in this video walks and talks and looks like my nephew Joe who lives in Iowa. [wp_youtube]PkGDrV_2ehI[/wp_youtube]
11Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued