Robben Ford: Voted one of the greatest guitar players ever!

Robben Ford was born December 16, 1951, in Woodlake, California and raised in Ukiah, California. He began playing the saxophone at age 10 and taught himself guitar at age 14. Robben and his brothers created the Charles Ford Blues Band in honor of their father and renamed it Robben Ford and the Blues Express or The Robben Ford Blues Band..
Robben Ford was a member of the L.A. Express and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton and KISS. He was named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician magazine.


DON'T BE BLUE

YOWZA ! --- --- 12 foods that pack on pounds

Twelve Foods that PACK on POUNDS!!!

12. Butter (Food just tastes better with the reaL Thing)
Dairy foods like butter and cheese, exception: yogurt. People who ate a lot of it were less likely to put on weight,
People who ate a lot of butter gained about 0.30 pound every four years.

11. Fruit Juice (Tastes great, but it's 100% sugar)
Drinking juice daily added 0.31 pound of extra body weight every four years

10. Fried foods (Like French Fried Potatoes?)
Eating fried foods at home added  0.36 pound every four years. Eating lots of fried food out at restaurants added 0.28 pound every four years.

9. Refined grains (Like Rice?, Love Rice!!)
Daily servings of refined grains added 0.39 pound every four years.

8. Sweets and Desserts (Like, Duh!)
Eating sweets daily added 0.41 pound every four years.

7. Potatoes (French fries, with Catsup)
A daily fix of potatoes added 0.57 pound of weight every four years, with or without butter and sour cream?

6. Trans fats (Oh!)
Eating trans fats added on 0.65 pound of weight every four years

5. Processed meat (Bacon, Bacon, and more Bacon!)
Cold cuts and hot dogs, eating lots of processed meats tacked on 0.93 pound every four years.

4. Unprocessed RED meat (Processed vs Unprocessed? Can't throw out the meat)
Eating lots of red meat contributed to a weight gain of 0.95 pound every four years.

3. Sugar-sweetened soda (OK, I don't drink my calories anyway, unless it's got alcohol in it.)
Daily consumption of sugary drinks added exactly one pound every four years, according to the study.

2. Potato chips (Potatoes again)
Daily chip eating brought a 1.69 pound weight gain every four years.

1. French fries (More Potatoes, Cajun Fries!!!)
People who ate lots of fries gained more than three pounds of body weight every four years. Over the study's 20-year-period, that meant people who ate more fries put on more than 16 extra pounds from this food alone.

OK, lets do the math and look in a mirror.
That's 10.56 POUNDS every 4 years, or 2.64 POUNDS, each year. Times your age, and very little exercise, lately!
It all comes back to haunt you.

Have a great summer.


DON'T BE BLUE

I AM WITH YOU STILL

For anyone who has lost a loved one, as we lost our Antoinette. Hold them always in your heart as the new day dawns.

I AM WITH YOU STILL

I give you this one thought to keep -
I am not gone, I do not sleep.

I rustle your hair when the warm winds blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of summer rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.

When you awaken in the mourning hush,
I am in the graceful uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the star that shines at night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am with you in a quiet room.
I am the song the birds sing,
I am in each and every lovely thing.

Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn.
I'm still here --- I have not gone.
I will always be in your heart.



An adaptation of the poem by Mary Frye





DON'T BE BLUE

HOOAH - or - HOOYAH - or - HOORAH - or - just the old American Civil War chant, HURRAH - HURRAH

It's all either Army or Navy.

Hooah is the war cry or battle cry used by the United States Army.

Hooyah is the war cry or battle cry used by the United States Navy.

Hoorah or Oorah is the war cry or battle cry used by the United States Marines.

Each of the uniformed services is administratively headed by a federal executive department and its corresponding civilian Cabinet leader. The seven uniformed services are, in order of precedence by ceremonial formation: 

United States Army

United States Marine Corps

United States Navy

United States Air Force

United States Coast Guard

United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps

Hooah 

There are many rumors of it's origin, but the simplest and probably most accurate is it's derived from the acronym HUA, meaning Heard, Understood, Acknowledged, or just plain US Army slang for YES.

The United States Army (USA) is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of the United States that performs land-based military operations; and is one of the seven Uniformed services of the United States. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed (14 June 1775) to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–83)—before the U.S. was established as a country. 

After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784, to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, as the Army Air Corps, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U.S. military to be formed, and is the largest and one of the world's most technologically advanced air forces. The USAF articulates its core functions as Nuclear Deterrence Operations, Special Operations, Air Superiority, Global Integrated ISR, Space Superiority, Command and Control, Cyberspace Superiority, Personnel Recovery, Global Precision Attack, Building Partnerships, Rapid Global Mobility and Agile Combat Support.

In the fiscal year 2011, the Regular Army (USA) reported a strength of 546,057 soldiers; the Army National Guard (ARNG) reported 358,078 soldiers, and the United States Army Reserve (USAR) reported 201,166 soldiers; the combined-component strength of the U.S. Army was 1,105,301 soldiers. As a branch of the armed forces, the mission of the U.S. Army is "to fight and win our Nation's wars, by providing prompt, sustained, land dominance, across the full range of military operations and the spectrum of conflict, in support of combatant commanders.

The U.S. Air Force provides air support for surface forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2012, the service operates more than 5,638 military aircraft, 450 ICBMs and 63 military satellites. It has a $140 billion budget with 309,339 active duty personnel, 185,522 civilian personnel, 71,400 Air Force Reserve personnel, and 106,700 Air National Guard personnel.

Hooyah 

More likely an offshoot of the US Army version, with a Navy spin of "Who US - Who YA", just to be different. It is used to say Ok or understood or is sometimes used to show enthusiasm.

The U.S. Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was essentially disbanded as a separate entity shortly thereafter. It played a major role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers. It played the central role in the World War II defeat of Japan. The 21st century U.S. Navy maintains a sizable global presence, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It is a blue-water navy with the ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond to regional crises, making it an active player in U.S. foreign and defense policy.

The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest, most powerful navy in the world, with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage. The U.S. Navy has the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with ten in service, four in the reserve fleet, and three new class carriers under construction. The service has 325,143 personnel on active duty and 107,355 in the Navy Reserve. It has 272 deployable combat ships and more than 3,700 aircraft in active service as of March 2015.

Hoorah - United States Marines pronounce it "OohRah!"
The 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Company, FMFPAC can be credited with the introduction of "Ooh-rah!" into the Marine Corps in 1953, shortly after the Korean War. Recon Marines served aboard the USS Perch (ASSP-313), a WWII-era diesel submarine retrofitted to carry Navy UDT and Recon Marines. Whenever the boat was to dive, the 1MC (PA system) would announce "DIVE! DIVE!", followed by the sound of the diving klaxon: "AARUGHA!"
In 1953 or 1954, while on a conditioning run, former Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps John R. Massaro, while serving as company Gunnery Sergeant of 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, simulated the "Dive" horn sound "AA-RUG-HA!" as part of the cadence. Legend has it, he took it with him when he went to serve as an instructor at the Drill Instructor school at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. He there passed it on to the Drill Instructor students and they, in turn, passed it on to their recruits where it eventually and naturally became a part of the Recon cadence, and thereafter infiltrated Recon Marine lexicon. 
Over time, "AARUGHA!" morphed into the shorter, simpler "Oorah!" 

The Marine Corps has been a component of the U.S. Department of the Navy since 1834, working closely with naval forces for training, transportation, and logistics. The USMC operates posts on land and aboard sea-going amphibious warfare ships around the world, and several of the Marines' tactical aviation squadrons, primarily Marine Fighter Attack squadrons, are also embedded in Navy carrier air wings and operate from the Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the four branches in the U.S. Department of Defense as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States.

By the mid-20th century, the U.S. Marine Corps had become a major theorist and the dominant practitioner of amphibious warfare. Its ability to rapidly respond on short notice to expeditionary crises gives it a strong role in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy. The USMC has around 194,000 active duty members and just under 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2010. It is the smallest of the U.S. Armed Forces within the U.S. Department of Defense.

Hurrah! Hurrah!

Could it all have really started during the American Civil War with the popular song by Patrick Gilmore, When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again Hurrah! Hurrah!

The lyrics to When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again Hurrah! Hurrah! were written by the Irish-American bandleader Patrick Gilmore during the American Civil War, around 1863-1864. 

A popular song of the war that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war.

When Johnny Comes Marching Home was immensely popular and was sung by both sides of the American Civil War.

When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We'll give him a hearty welcome then
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The men will cheer and the boys will shout
The ladies they will all turn out
And we'll all feel gay,
When Johnny comes marching home!

DON'T BE BLUE

The Dark Side of the Moon

The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure in 1968 of founder member, principal composer, and lyricist, Syd Barrett. The themes on The Dark Side of the Moon include conflict, greed, the passage of time, and mental illness, the latter partly inspired by Barrett's deteriorating mental state.

LUNA 3

The Dark side of the Moon may refer to the portion of the Moon's surface that we are unable to observe from Earth, which is more correctly referred to as the Far Side of the Moon.

In this idiomatic phrase, "dark side of the Moon" does not refer to darkness, as in the absence of light, but to the unknown, because humans did not see the far side of the Moon until the Soviet Union photographed it in 1959. Due to tidal locking, the Moon rotates on its axis in the same rotational direction as Earth in 29.5 Earth days which is the same number of Earth days that it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth. Thus, the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth.

Depending on context, dark side of the Moon may instead refer to the portion of the Moon's near side unlit by the Sun during the advancement of the lunar phases.

The first image returned by Luna 3 showed the far side of the Moon was very different from the near side, most noticeably in its lack of lunar maria (the dark areas).
They were mankind's first views of the far hemisphere of the Moon.

Thanks to NASA, we now know what the solar system looks like, centered on a view of the moon's far side. The computer-generated time-lapse gives two views of the lunar cycle from the side of the moon we never see from Earth.

Do you still think that's where all the UFOs and Aliens on Earth come from, they have a spaceport there? 

MAYBE??

The Death of the BOOK

From a link in Arts and Letters Daily.

 

 

 

"Pity the book. It’s dead again. Suddenly they seem clunky, heavy, and almost fleshy in their gross materiality. Their pages grow brittle. Their ink fades. Their spines collapse. They are so pitiful; they might as well be human."

Funny, or not, books are kind of the mirror to the soul. It used to be that when you walked into someone's home or office you would find a bookshelf full of books, or at least a book lying on a table. You could tell a lot about the books represented there. A glimpse into the psyche of one who lives or works there. The books were lined up along a shelf and could show what interested the occupant. You could tell how diverse their interests were and if they were "high-brow" or "low-brow", had a since of humor, or leaned toward the weird and off-beat. You could learn a lot about a person by the books they read.

Not so, anymore. More and more books are being downloaded to computers, readers like Kindle, and to the iPad or smart phones. Now a part of the soul of a person is being hidden from view. People don't need the bookshelf anymore; they don't even print the cover of the book to display their recent interest.

I have books that can be handed down from generation to generation. Books that may spark the interest in some far fringe of the curious who peruse the titles. They can even pick up the book and leaf through it. You can't do that with the downloaded books. They are most likely going to be erased from the memory of what ever they are stored on and lost not only to the owner, but their followers.

I can see the use of downloading a book or two, but at the current cost of the downloaded book compared to holding one in your hand, the cost is way too high. I can usually buy a book for less then $20. The cost to down load most top selling books, or even newly published books is about $9, when it should be less then $2. After all, they didn't have to go through the same publishing process of printing thousands of copies. All they had to do was store the data - once - and send the data to - anyone. Maybe when the cost becomes more realistic, I'll download more books, but for now I like the comfort of holding it in my hands and kind of letting people look into my soul when they see it on the table or in the bookshelf.

 

 

DON'T BE BLUE

Osama Bin Laden is DEAD~DEAD~DEAD!!! HOOAH

 On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.

 Operation Enduring Freedom, the American-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network based there, began on October 7. Within two months, U.S. forces had effectively removed the Taliban from operational power, but the war continued, as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to defeat a Taliban insurgency campaign based in neighboring Pakistan.

Shortly after eleven o'clock on the night of May 1st 2011, two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters lifted off from Jalalabad Airfield, in eastern Afghanistan, and embarked on a covert mission into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Inside the aircraft were twenty-three Navy SEALs from Team Six, which is officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. A Pakistani-American translator, whom I will call Ahmed, and a dog named Cairo—a Belgian Malinois—were also aboard. It was a moonless evening, and the helicopters’ pilots, wearing night-vision goggles, flew without lights over mountains that straddle the border with Pakistan. Radio communications were kept to a minimum, and an eerie calm settled inside the aircraft.

DON'T BE BLUE

All religious leaders need to take a stand against Satan's followers. Any terrorist who wages war for their God has fallen away from the teachings of their church, synagogue or mosque and is now in league with Satan, the god of evil, the god of hate.

Osama bin Laden worshiped Satan, as does al-Qaeda.