James Thomas Rook Jr.

... after Dad got black lung disease, we rented some bottom land near the river, and with a two handled post-hole digger, supplied Home Depot with post holes for a few years ... but after a particularly violent thunderstorm, a river of mud wiped out our home, and the entire stockpile of post-holes we had dug. We considered it a mixed blessing, for at least we had mud pies to eat.

Child abuse is sometimes a cultural construct. My family grew up in the Appalachian coal mining areas of West Virginia. I remember when I was a toddler, still in diapers, my Father made me go into the horizontal coal veins too small for him to get into ... and holding a candle, I had use a plastic spork to dig coal, to bring lumps of coal carried in my diaper, back to the main shaft. Those were good times ... me and dad, a half mile below the surface, working together, filling up rope attached wicker baskets which my mom would pull to the surface by hand. We would trade a bushel of coal for acorns to feed our pet pig, who only had three legs. Covered in coal dust, we would sit there in the dark, lit by my single candle, and share our B.L.T. sandwich. Good Times!

I remember the Quadium Bomb from the 1955 Book, "The Mouse that Roared". ...also known as the "Q-Bomb".

I remember after Windows 7 came out, and before Windows 10 came out that Bill Gates was going to announce plans for Microsoft to build a nuclear powered car, that would get 23,000 miles on a small, replaceable U235 based fission reactor about the size of a football, but there were concerns that every other product Microsoft put out, turned out to be a bomb. ... and sure enough, out came Windows 10. ( ... merely a lame attempt at a joke ... I mean ... about the car ..... )

...probably due to the 11 year cycle of solar flares and sunspots. I never did trust those Solarians ....

Probably Mr. Google.

Some of his observations that are remembered: — "We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the universe. That makes us something very special." — "Life would be tragic if it weren't funny." — "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." — "For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible. Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn't have to be like this. Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future. With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking." — "My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all." — "I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization that there probably is no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that, I am extremely grateful." — "Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free." — "If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans." — "We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet." — "My disabilities have not been a significant handicap in my field, which is theoretical physics. Indeed, they have helped me in a way by shielding me from lecturing and administrative work that I would otherwise have been involved in. I have managed, however, only because of the large amount of help I have received from my wife, children, colleagues and students. I find that people in general are very ready to help, but you should encourage them to feel that their efforts to aid you are worthwhile by doing as well as you possibly can."

It is not so amazing that the Dancing Bear dances well ..... but that it dances at all.

He was truly a magnificent man, doing what he could do .... and DID do ... with his crushing disabilities. One of the very few really deserving Media Superstars. I had six copies of his book, "A Brief History of Time", to give to others, as I REALLY appreciated how he kept himself alive through sheer willpower all those many years, and it renewed my interest in Quantum Physics and Cosmology. I re-read it about every six years. He was wrong about the "arrow of time" in his book .... time does not reverse when the Universe supposedly would collapse unto the "Big Crunch", which really lets the air out of his book ... but it is still a magnificent read. Completely outdated ... but a A MUST READ book, nonetheless.

Yeah ... after my second wife abandoned me to die, ten years ago, I rounded up all the old un-placed Watchtowers in the house after I recovered somewhat, and burned them in a metal drum in my side yard. I fed that fire for two and a half days. I did not feel comfortable sending them to the Municipal Landfill.

It is my understanding that in the USA, the JW.ORG logo is not and cannot be copyrighted because it is too general an image, or is too similar to someone else's copyright. There was extensive discussion of this about three years ago, here on the Archive .... perhaps an update would be helpful. http://www.jw-archive.org/post/89033437113/us-patent-office-and-watchtower-bible-and-tract I wish the Society would pay as much attention to Justice, and fairness, and equity, as they do trying to keep other people from quoting them when they shoot themselves in the foot, and using "their" logos. I can understand that they might object to the Tight Pants Tony full length Dakimakura "Love Pillow" with the JW.ORG logo discreetly covering the nether regions.

Different people have different ways to overcome the grief of a loved one, or someone whose life they particularly appreciated. I was particularly saddened at the deaths of Robert A. Heinlein, and Richard Boone, the actor. I have found, after much thought and meditation on the matter, that the best way for me to stay happy after someone dies, is to appreciate the fact that it wasn't me.

Oh Man! THAT'S the way I like my steaks cooked ... crunchy on the outside and pinkish grey in the middle! My wife and I eat at least 4 times a week at the Golden Corral, and for $ 8.00 each "feast out" (before 4PM it's cheaper...), but I can't get them to make my steaks like THIS one! If you eat only once a day, as is our custom .... it's cheaper than buying groceries ! A LOT cheaper. (and no preparation time, and NO DISHES!)

I wish I could give that THREE upvotes ! I have OFTEN thought about buying that model firearm. Perhaps with a black, plain western style holster with a platinum or silver chess piece symbol on the side of the holster. The only problem is I would have to move to San Francisco, across from the Stock Exchange, in the Hotel Carlton. ( inside joke .... )

Oh, I dunno .... I have in fact actually stepped on Legos on the floor, in the dark ... with bare feet .... in the middle of the night, and I ASSURE you .... It's Memorial !!

After Trump won the election, so many Liberal Snowflake college students were stressed out that they had to make safe spaces on campus where it was prohibited to mention that Trump had won the election, and the students were supplied with teddy bears, and crayons, and coloring books ... all at government expense. The administrators considered providing them therapy puppies to relieve their stress, but were afraid the students would eat them.

My favorite beer is Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer ... which my much-more sophisticated children think is incredibly droll, and back woods. I make a point of telling people ... like I am doing now .... that I much prefer Pabst over any of the many very pricey and "cool" beers they drink, and watch them screw up their faces and go "Ewwwww!", at the very mention of Pabst. Then I mention "You know, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer is the favorite beer of Clint Eastwood ....". It is interesting to watch their disgust turn to confusion and acceptance in just three heartbeats. ... such is the power of peer pressure. There is no one currently alive that is "cooler" than Clint Eastwood.

Huh? Naw ... I was thinking about very old microwaved a dozen times, cheese. If you have ever stepped in a Lego in the darkness, in bare feet, that other stuff might come to mind .... Ever come home from work and in trying to determine why your VCR is not working, discover the cassette opening is the same size as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

...just think of melted Legos as very old cheese.

( four months later ....) Several weekend meetings ago, the CC made the comment at the WT Study ... "We should be peacemakers ... a turtle is a peaceful animal, but it is not a peacemaker ... we need to be peacemakers!" How do you "make peace" with a terrorist who barges into your Kingdom Hall and starts shooting people? Only one way I know about ... and that is to kill him as quickly as possible. Please feel free to throw your cell phone in a high cometary arc across the aisles, and knock the gun out of his hand.

Back when dueling was legal, Fathers often solved the problem without a lot of discussion.

These two quotes taken in context show you DO expect others to agree with your opinion. Irrationality:Â Believing two completely opposing things at the same time.

Why? You certainly have the right to have any opinions you want that do not have a rational basis for adopting ... but by definition, please realize that to have no rational reason .... makes you by your OWN defining precepts, an irrational person.

To paraphrase a popular expression: "Opinions are like bodily orifices, everybody has at least five."

Absolutely NOTHING wrong with holding that opinion. What is WRONG is when you expect others to adopt it, without telling them real and valid reasons to do so. For SOME people ... a real and valid reason MIGHT be because you are cute, and they like you. For me ... that just does not cut it. I need to know ...... WHY? !