31 Dec - DarryD.com

31 December 2011 (Saturday)
VIEW FROM TAMPA BAY
© Darry D Eggleston, Ph.D., SBFU1
Blue, underlined text are links to websites.
Today, I Learned From:
( 100 Years in 10 Minutes
( All I Have
( ‘Bill T’
( Car Stolen
( Facebook Timeline Hoax
( Fireworks & Celebration
( Historic Tragedy of Rights
( I’ll be Seeing You
( ‘Linda Sunshine’
( Magic Moments
( New Years’ Resolution: Her’s
( ‘Toe Tapper’
ALL I HAVE
“All I Have” by Beth Nielsen Chapman shares the beauty of the lyrics of
love:
“You can say you love me
And I’ll believe that’s true
Trusting you is easy
‘Cause I believe in you
There is nothing I would miss
As long as we’re in love like this.”
It’s 54 degrees in Tampa Bay, & the
daylight is creeping over the room tops to
the east. The early birds are already soaring and the night creatures are seeking
solitude and safety in the shelter of their
homes.
I’m excited in anticipation of the gift of another day from my God.
1
These are reflections designed to be re-read when I am too old to journey from the comfort of my stead and,
so that in my bed, I can relive the days gone by. Permission for reproduction in whole or in part is granted to groups
and organizations for internal, non-profit use provided credit is given to the author along with the copyright notice:
Article reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2011 Darry D Eggleston, http://DarryD.com. This Journal can be
read online at http://DarryD.com/CCA. Graphic art used in these Journals is available at no cost. Ask & it is yours.
For more photos, visit http://DarryD.com/Photos
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DARRY D’S JOURNAL
31 DECEMBER 2011 (SATURDAY)
100 YEARS IN 10 MINUTES
“Amidst all the wrap-ups of 2011, those with a more historical bent might
be looking for a longer view to reflect on before heading into 2012. For
them, there’s ‘100 years in 10 minutes’ covering one historical event from
every year since 1911.”
FACEBOOK TIMELINE HOAX
‘Linda Sunshine’ — This is a recently circulating Facebook rumor:
“With the new ‘FB timeline’ on its way this week for EVERYONE...
please do both of us a favor. Hover over my name above. In a few
seconds you’ll see a box that says “Subscribed”. Hover over that, go to
“Comments & Likes” & unclick it. That will stop my posts & yours to me from
showing up on the side bar for everyone to see, but MOST IMPORTANTLY IT
LIMITS HACKERS from invading our profiles. If you repost this I will do the
same for you.”
Snopes says it’s a HOAX. The solution is simple: “If you don’t want your
actions broadcast to everyone via the ticker/News Feed, please, set your
privacy to ‘Friends’ & ask your friends to do the same.”
MAGIC MOMENTS
‘Toe Tapper’ — Some magicians are just marvelous to watch and
even more enthralling to witness.
o Jaehoon Lim at the 2011 Le Plus Grand Cabaret Du Monde
o Victor Voitko is the FISM World Champion Winner
NEW YEARS’ RESOLUTION
For more photos, visit http://DarryD.com/Photos
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DARRY D’S JOURNAL
31 DECEMBER 2011 (SATURDAY)
HISTORIC TRAGEDY OF RIGHTS
Alert Net says: “US President Barack Obama’s apparent decision to not veto
a defense spending bill that codifies indefinite detention without trial into
US law & expands the military’s role in holding terrorism suspects does
enormous damage to the rule of law both in the US & abroad.
“The far-reaching detainee provisions would codify indefinite detention without trial into US law for the first time since the McCarthy era when
Congress in 1950 overrode the veto of then-President Harry Truman &
passed the Internal Security Act. The bill would also bar the transfer of
detainees currently held at Guantanamo into the US for any reason,
including for trial. In addition, it would extend restrictions, imposed last
year, on the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo to home or third
countries — even those cleared for release by the administration.
“There are 171 detainees at Guantanamo, many of whom have been imprisoned for nearly 10 years.
“The bill also requires the US military take custody of certain terrorism
suspects even inside the United States, cases that previously have been handled by federal, state & local law enforcement authorities. During debate
over the bill, several senior administration officials, including the secretary
of defense, attorney general, director of national intelligence, director of the
FBI, & director of the CIA, all raised objections that this provision interfered
with the administration’s ability to effectively fight terrorism. In the last 10
years over 400 people have been prosecuted in US federal courts for terrorism related offenses. Meanwhile during that same period, only six cases have
been prosecuted in the military commissions.”
CAR STOLEN
Bill T — “The light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did
the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could
have beaten the red light By accelerating through the intersection.
“The tailgating woman was furious & honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping
her cell phone & makeup.
“As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window & looked
up Into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to
exit her car with her hands up.
For more photos, visit http://DarryD.com/Photos
Page 3 of 5
DARRY D’S JOURNAL
31 DECEMBER 2011 (SATURDAY)
“He took her to the police station
where she was searched, fingerprinted,
photographed, & placed in a holding
cell.
“After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell & opened the
door. She was escorted back to the
booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
“He said, ‘I’m very sorry for this
mistake. You see, I pulled up behind
your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of
you & cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do?’
bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to
Sunday School’ bumper sticker, & the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem
on the trunk, so naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car.’”
While funny, this story is more truth than fiction. One of the most dangerous intersections on Sunday is the nearby one where the traffic from 5
churches merge. A lot of cars cross there, but I’ve not seen that many Christians in them.
FIREWORKS & CELEBRATION
It’s a custom in the U.S. to explode fireworks at midnight to celebrate
the arrival of the New Year.
It’s a custom in this neighborhood — at least, it’s been that way for the
last 15 years — to explode fireworks beginning at about 4 PM.
Why? I’ll never know.
It might be an effort to scare the animals. If that’s the case, it works
beyond comparison. At the first sound of a louder than usual bottle rocket, I
opened the front door and Queen Belle roared past me like her tail was on
fire. She never even slowed down as she took the stairs to her hiding place
upstairs. (We don’t know its exact location, but she goes up every night &
disappears until the next morning. All attempts to find the location have ended
in failure.)
For more photos, visit http://DarryD.com/Photos
Page 4 of 5
DARRY D’S JOURNAL
31 DECEMBER 2011 (SATURDAY)
And DaisyDawg, that fearless canine, has not left the cushion behind
PegEgg all evening except when I’ve coaxed her out to go potty. She’s out,
she’s gone, and she’s back faster than a sinner from a pulpit.
And, worst yet, a lot of the fireworks appear to be set off by kids who are
less than 15 years of age. I can see them out in the road, but I don’t see any
adults nearby.
I’LL BE SEEING YOU
“I’ll Be Seeing You” sung by the
great Peggy Lee whispers as I prepare
to say good night to my loves and goodbye to another unforgettable year.
Memories are moments that remain whether in pain or in joy beyond
the calendar pages that marked their
occurrence.
I’m as ready as I’ll ever be for the
future that awaits me.
Regardless of its challenges,
struggles, and prizes, I look forward to the surprises of each sunrise & sunset.
And I will not forget to be grateful for each moment.
This new year calls for clear-headed decisions and horizon-less dreams.
And I am just the Dreamer to enjoy it.
For more photos, visit http://DarryD.com/Photos
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