The Story of Thanksgiving (modified)

I actually posted this on a different blog so I figured I would put this here. Thanksgiving is tomorrow here in the USA. The Pilgrims came to the USA from Europe as you all (probably) know. The journey that met them was even tougher. They escaped for religious freedom, as they desired to pray and worship as they wanted to, not what the King felt was good. The King was one way and the Ocean to the New World was the highway. After a few shorter journeys, the Pilgrims took the latter. The settlers in the new world were not prepared to live in the New World because they could not farm the land properly. Along came members of the Wompanoag Indian tribe alliance member Squanto showed them how to grow food properly. The result at the harvest time was that there was plenty of food for the long winter.

Why is that significant? How could a member of the Wompanoan tribal alliance communicate with the new settlers? He had been captured and brought to England as a youth by George Weymouth in 1605 (to prove he did go to the New World). Squanto returned in 1612 with Captain John Smith. A few years later, one of Smith's former officers tried to sell him into slavery, even though Smith let him go. The Pilgrims settled on where his former village was. He taught them how to cultivate the land and acted as an ambassador (of sorts) between the Pilgrims and the surrounding tribes. Nearly sold into slavery again, he managed to return to England and live there a few more years, learning more English during that time. 1619, he returned to his native region and had contact with the Pilgrims a few years later (this reminds me of the Biblical character Joseph).

As the video will show, the first Thanksgiving was celebrated with a feast and giving God thanks for His provision. On December 26, 1941 (almost 3 weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack), President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Day of Thanksgiving into law. Since 1942, Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the last Thursday in November. The foods served for the modern Thanksgiving dinner is reflected in part by that first feast.

Thanksgiving, from a historical point:






Fun food videos:




This is a MUST for Thanksgiving:


Turducken (a TURkey, stuffed with a DUCK, stuffed with a chicKEN). This is unique to the southern US and is actually a yearly dish. You can kill three birds with one stone:

The Notre Dame Beautiful Mess

I knew ND was not going to any BCS game. In fact, they might make the Weedwhacker Bowl. I hate to say this is fate compli, but the writing on the wall seems to be clear. I've watched countless Senior Day Football games at all levels and I don't recall seeing ONE cry. Personally, I think Coach Charlie Weis seems to be a good guy. Do you remember how they GOT him? People don't recall that. Let me refresh your memories. You think Meyer going to Florida is the reason he got the job. Wrong. After a series of doors being slammed in their faces (Gruden, Marriuci, Petrino, and Tedford to name 4), ND played the one card they had left. Charlie Weis, Offensive Coordinator at New England and ND alum (didn't play there). His track record in the NFL spoke for itself.

Now I'm enjoying the view a bit. They gave Weis the 5 years and his best 2 years were the players of Ty "he got only 3 seasons" Willingham (Quinn being the top of the litter). Willingham had a slightly better winning percentage. Willingham was shown the door, Weis gets a fat extension which they will soon pay in a very expensive buyout. I don't dislike Weis at all, but the arrogance that's in excess with Notre Dame. A guy like him deserves better as I see it.

Remember Kevin White ( http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3422039&sportCat=ncf )? He was smart enough to see what went on he left ND for the same job at DUKE!!!

So who comes in next, should this go down? I have broken this down in to the No chance, slight chance, and possibly.

No Chance on Earth:

Urban Meyer, Mark Richt, Nick Sabin, Bob Stoops, Mack Brown. All of these guys have one thing in common. They have well established programs as it is so why would the leave to clean up someone else mess. Sabin, you could say, was a big reason Les Miles enjoyed the success he did after he left. He also called it the biggest mistake of his life leaving LSU. They all have the best players at their access and most are less than 300 miles away. If you think you can pay them more, forget it. Jim Harbough, a Michigan guy, won't take it either especially since he'll beat them this Saturday. He got a few ND commits to change their mind. I'll go this far. If any guy on this list takes that job, the guys who don't might help him pack up. In other words, great programs with equally great traditions (especially of recent history). Why follow someone else's ghosts? When it's all said and done, they're going to be the ghost future coaches will be chasing.

Slight chance:

Jon Gruden. He has the ties to ND (Dad was an assistant under Dan Devine) but recently signed an extension. Dennis Erickson. The thing is he doesn't stay anywhere for long. Chris Petersen and Brian Kelly could make perfect sense based on what they've done with their programs (Boise St & Cincinnati). But would they feel it would be worth the moves, especially after what happened to the last 3 guys who roamed the sidelines (and what's happening now)? Kelly is a bit like Urban Meyer 5 years ago. How about Mike Leach at Texas Tech? Unless they can him, don't hold your breath. I also saw an article where Pat Fitzgerald would be a consideration. Why leave Northwestern? It seems that's where he wants to be. He's at his alma matter and his family won't need to travel far to watch him coach (45 minutes vs 2 1/2- 3 hours). Chip Kelly I would call a slight chance but Oregon is doing well, so with all the Nike money there why leave?




Possibly (and some names not mentioned in other places):
Paul Johnson (GA Tech)- good coach but hasn't been on the job that long.

Gary Patterson (TCU)- nice fit. He has only 2 losing seasons and won at least 10 games since 2005.

Tom Clements, who is Green Bay's QB Coach. I saw this in the Tribune yesterday. The thing is he's never been a Head Coach and only served as a Coordinator for 2 years. Also an ND alum.

Tommy Tubberville- the guy who actually coached Auburn to 9 plus wins in 6 seasons. He did this in a conference that gave us the eventual national champion 3 straight years (Florida in 06' & '08, LSU in '07).

Gary Crowton- current LSU coordinator was a Head Coach at BYU and Louisiana Tech.

Jimbo Fisher- on one side, you have a sure thing in FSU. When Coach Bowden steps down, he gets the gig. Signed, sealed and delivered. But since he got there, FSU's offense has gone nowhere. Crowton replaced Fisher after he left LSU for FSU.

Congrats, ND. You make the change. It will cost you more than the $8 Million alone. It may cost you recruits. So if you think things post-Willingham were bad, just wait. Your rep is officially garbage. Have fun on National Signing Day.

Big 10 & Pac 10 Playoffs

I am a big college football fan. To me, I get a good laugh when people ask for a post season playoff when several BCS conferences don't have a Championship game of their own. The Big 10 and Pac 10 are two that don't. The SEC, Big 12 and ACC each have their own conference champs and I believe that it would good if the others would follow suit. That way, we can have a team with 1 loss meet another with no losses or 1 at the most. This could also create some competitive balance to the conferences as well. Again, this is just me. It may not just be good for the game of football but the balance can carry over with the other sports.

So how would I break them up? First I could do it by geography. Find a starting point for each (say Ohio State for the Big 10 and USC/UCLA for the Pac 10). I would look to see what the winning percentanges were of each team over say a 10-15 year period and build from there. The goal is to create balance and not create a "super division" by putting Michigan, Ohio State and Penn St in the same division. My goal is to create balance, not turn over the apple cart.

This is what it would look like for each:
- Big 10 North: Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota.
- Big 10 South: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue, Penn St.

If I went East-West, from the middle point of school location (being Northwestern or Illinois), a super division would exist because Ohio State, Penn State and both Michigan schools are East of that point. That is something I would assume avoid.

Pac 10 would be a little different and two outcomes would work.
To me, this would be more logical:
- Pac 10 North: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, "X"

- Pac 10 South: Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, USC, "X".

X= Stanford and Cal. Both are literally right in the middle of this grouping. Both have enjoyed recent success, although Cal a bit moreso than Stanford. If you wish to split hairs and go by location, Cal would slide to the North and Stanford to the South conference. Either school would fit well with either conference.

Second option is a bit trickier but worth examining. The thing is there is a potential for a super conference (the Coast conference) with the proposal listed below:

- Coast Conference (those schools on or near the Pacific coast line): USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, & Oregon State.

- Inland Conference (the schools that are inland/ off the shore of the Pacific ocean): Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Washington, & Washington State.

Then rotate the Championship game to different cities, each based on Big 10 school proximity. For example, here's what the Big 10 Championship venue rotation could look like. Each would be located in an NFL city:
Year 1: Chicago
Year 2: Indianapolis
Year 3: Milwaukee/ Green Bay
Year 4: Philadelphia
Year 5: Cincinatti
Year 6: Detroit
Year 7: Minneapolis

Pac 10 rotation, based on facilities.
Year 1: LA
Year 2: Phoenix
Year 3: Seattle
Year 4: San Francisco/Oakland
Year 5: San Diego
Year 6: Las Vegas
Year 7: Mexico City (just for consideration because of its size).

This is MY opinion and mine alone. I figured I would put this out for consumption.

"Wheat Grass?????"

I found this on YouTube not long ago and can remember everything when this was on "The Apprentice." This is in four parts. It's Trace Adkins meets the Backstreet Boys- seriously. The BSB's were doing a charity event on the show and Trace Adkins was the Team Leader. Now Adkins, being a musician by trade, understands what the rider is all about. For those who don't understand, it's really designed to make sure that all the contract's details have been met. The strangest rider was Van Halen, who wanted no brown M&M's in their bowl (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/1982vanhalen/1982vanhalen1.html).

Part 1: the Rider meeting-



Part 2: Knee brace & no wheat grass-



Part 3: Still no wheat grass, but did find a knee brace, black nail polish (you think I'm making this up) and the weight of the world off his shoulders:



Part 4: Trace speaks to Trump, and the phrase of the day= wheat grass juice.

"The Bill" & the Bible

Ok. Something strange came to me earlier today and I decided to share it here. You might look at the subject and ask what the two have in common? Am I going to say "the Bible" says...X.... about this bill? No chance. One, I'm not trained enough to make such a statement. Frankly, other than abuse of power, I see no other real connection to it until now.

I use the NIV (New International Version) Bible, which I have owned for almost 2 decades now. I noticed that my version from Genesis to Relelations has a grand total of 1148 pages. Now anyone who has read the Bible knows there is A LOT of subject matter covered in this. People spend years trying to tie together each book along with each character and related events or principles. I've know people who have studied the Bible at an academic level for years. Many Doctor of Divinity programs run as long or longer than some MBA or Law programs. There is so much to learn and apply as it relates to Biblical subject matter. It takes years to get a grasp on some very touchly subjects, understand what context they came from and how it can apply today.

Now this brings me to the point of how the Bible and "the Bill" are related. As I mentioned earlier, my Bible from start to finish has 1148 page. This bill has 1990 pages. I can tell you right now there is no chance on earth that I know every inch of the Bible. Sure, I may have some understanding of this of the main characters and stories but really may not grasp every principle. So how is it that those in the House and the Senate can HONESTLY say that they know what's in that bill? Every inch and line by line I bet they can't do it. That bill is like trying to read the entire NIV Bible from Genesis to Revelations, then starting at Genesis again and reading until finishing the book of Amos. In other words, after Amos there are only 36 pages left in the Old Testament to read. THAT give you an idea of what 1990 pages looks like. Imagine someone saying you have 72 hours to read the ENTIRE Bible plus 30 of 39 books in the Old Testament. Good luck, partner.

Then you had to give a report on that. You can't do it, can you? I don't think God expects us to read the entire Bible in such a short period of time. I believe He wants us to read it slowly and understand the entire work. This happens over years, as He intended. So how can someone say they read the entire monster known as "the Bill" and know everything that's in the bill? How is it that people believe that our politicians actually know what they're (trying) to sign into law? Make matters worse you commit a Saturday evening to do this?? Come on now. You can not do it. No chance!! Let me guess. They're speed readers, graduates of the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Dynamics course of something of the like. Get real, politicians. Wake up citizens before the damage is done. Correct me if I'm wrong. For now, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Study Says 90% Of Black Children On Food Stamps (?) Wrong!!

I'm sorry. I find this absurd to make that assumption based on a sample of 18000 people. No way. This is NOT to say the problems do not exist, but I did find this to be a bit off the hoof to say the least. The numbers they're releasing is a bit absurd.

I first noticed on Twitter that this story came out. When I saw this title, I had a range of emotions. First, I thought it was some Aryan- Brotherhood-type wanting to start trouble, especially in times as these. Me, being Black I knew there was more to this than meets the eye. Then I saw this on another Twitter account user. Then hearing about this on the radio is what finally did it for me. So finally, I decided to find the article myself. I know this is not accurate because I feel that these methods may have been flawed or defective at the very least. I highlighted some key words that most did not take the time to find (for whatever reason). My goal is not to call anyone out or make ANYONE feel bad but I have to state my case. I know poverty does exist because Jesus Christ himself said that the poor will always be among you. Now, I ask that if you've made it this far, look at where I placed emphasis on what has not been said elsewhere. I'll add my criticism as I go along. My criticism will be mark in italics while the parts I have concerns over are marked **.


CHICAGO — Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say.

- Notice the key phrase at some point during childhood. This does not say that 90% of Black children are currently on food stamps but may at some point in time.


**The estimate comes from an analysis of 30 years of national data, and it bolsters other recent evidence on the pervasiveness of youngsters at economic risk. It suggests that almost everyone knows a family who has received food stamps, or will in the future, said lead author Mark Rank, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
“Your neighbor may be using some of these programs but it’s not the kind of thing people want to talk about,” Rank said.

The analysis was released Monday in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The authors say it’s a medical issue pediatricians need to be aware of because children on food stamps are at risk for malnutrition and other ills linked with poverty.

“This is a real danger sign that we as a society need to do a lot more to protect children,” Rank said.

** Food stamps are a Department of Agriculture program for low-income individuals and families, covering most foods although not prepared hot foods or alcohol. For a family of four to be eligible, their annual take-home pay can’t exceed about $22,000.
According to a USDA report released last month, 28.4 million Americans received food stamps in an average month in 2008, and about half were younger than age 18. The average monthly benefit per household totaled $222.
Rank and Cornell University sociologist Thomas Hirschl studied data from a nationally representative survey of 4,800 American households interviewed annually from 1968 through 1997 by the University of Michigan. About 18,000 adults and children were involved.
Overall, about 49 percent of all children were on food stamps at some point by the age of 20, the analysis found. That includes 90 percent of black children and 37 percent of whites. The analysis didn’t include other ethnic groups.
The time span included typical economic ups and downs, including the early 1980s recession. That means similar portions of children now and in the future will live in families receiving food stamps, although ongoing economic turmoil may increase the numbers, Rank said.

Now here's where my problem is and I think someone should ask this. I have done some qualitative and quantitative studies while in college (quantitative methods are insane). My biggest concern when I see something like this (or anything where there is such a strong slant from a single source) is evaluator bias. If the evaluator goes and tries to find what they want to find, they'll do it.

First is I know they did several years (dating back to 1968) so the time frame is not a concern. The thing that does bother me is what type of sample (or groups) they used to reach these conclusions. In other words, were they in diverse areas or in the same cities? Did they go to areas where they KNEW going in that they would find wide spead poverty? For example, if they went into and took the Black samples from public housing alone or mixed that with some rural areas, chances are you may find a number like that. In the 1970's and 1980's, the United States had some major economic meltdowns so that would factor in. In fact, did the sample groups change and if so how often? The study does mention the duration of people who are on food stamps (even as long as a week which you will later read).

Am I saying this is not a problem. No. I'm not trying to trivialize poverty at all. To say the numbers are not high would be right but these figures are a bit high. Now here's my concern gets deeper. I went back to 1968, where there were 18 million Black citizen living in the US (or 10%, where Whites were about 151 million or 75% of the population). In 1990, 29 million Black citizens and about 190 million White citizens (1. ). Now, if you're still with me, keep it up. Now the average birth rate stayed steady at around 2 children per woman. Lets say 25% of American citizens are children, with an average of 2 children per woman being the national fertility rate (2- ). That would put Black children's numbers at 6.25 millions and White children's numbers at 43 million. I decided to take the average of of the population from each group over the period of this study (w/ some overlap). So using those numbers, this report expects me to believe that over the time frame mentioned:
a. If half of White children are on food stamps, this study is trying to tell me that over 21 million different White children will experience the need for food stamps.
b. If 90% of Black children will experience the need for food stamps, that means over that time 5.6 million Black children will be in this position.

An editorial in the medical journal agreed.
“The current recession is likely to generate for children in the United States the greatest level of material deprivation that we will see in our professional lifetimes,” Stanford pediatrician Dr. Paul Wise wrote.
Wise said the Archives study estimate is believable.
“I find it terribly sad, but not surprising,” Wise said.
James Weill, president of Food Research and Action Center, a Washington-based advocacy group, said the analysis underscores that “there are just very large numbers of people who rely on this program for a month, six months, a year.”
“What I hope comes out of this study is an understanding that food stamp beneficiaries aren’t them – they’re us,” Weill said.

The analysis is in line with other recent research suggesting that more than 40 percent of U.S. children will live in poverty or near-poverty by age 17; and that half will live at some point in a single-parent family. Also, other researchers have estimated that slightly more than half of adults will use food stamps at some point by age 65.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall, Part 2

I have actually worked on this on and off over the last month or so. This is part is more video from those who experienced life behind the wall. I could write my own words about it, but I think it’s safe to say their words work much better. I may have read about or even spoken to people who lived behind it. The folks you hear in this segment are those who lived it. You’ll witness the stories of those who escaped the divided city and the freedom train from Prague among other things.

Daring Acts, reflectioning of escaping East Germany.
More escape attempts, two of which were mentioned previously. People could not go over the wall, so some went under it and one (Wolfgang Engels) drove right through it:

The Divided Village. Mödlareuth is a town of 50 people, yet the Berlin Wall ran right between this city:

The Exodus, or the Train of Freedom (Zug der Frieheit) reenactment from Prague (where many Germans stayed just prior to the Berlin Wall’s fall), which I touched upon earlier. This reflects the journey of the early post Berlin Wall. Some welcomed it but some Germans didn’t like it. I had seen a German girl just about 1 year after the Berlin Wall fell. She had mixed emotions.

Love, post Berlin Wall style, something a little more light-hearted:


The Wartburg Castle, the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament and did many writings at this location:

The Blooming Landscapes (Die Bluhenden Lanschaften), a goal to make Germany blooming with landscapes

The Fall of the Berlin Wall, Part 1

November 9th of this year marks the 20th year of the Berlin Wall falling. I had actually planned on going to Germany to witness this but some other things beyond my control prevented this. I actually wanted to go into Prague the day or so prior to the fall and take the train into Berlin (for reasons you may understand later). Maybe I’ll do it for the 25th anniversary.
My goal here is to try and write about this incredible event were a once divided nation became one again. Post WW II, Berlin was controlled by two different powers. West Berlin was controlled by the Allied Forces while East Berlins by the Soviets. The Berlin Wall construction began under the German (Deutsche) Democratic Republic or (DDR is the formal name for East Germany; West Germany was referred to as the Federal Republic of Germany, aka Bundesrepublik Deutschland, BRD) on August 16, 1961, but suggested first by the Soviet Union (under Stalin and Khrushchev). Going forward, I will use DDR and BDR to refer to the two countries. The Wall was not just one part, but two pieces and very intricately built around Berlin in particular(as you will see in the videos). The spaces between the wall (primary structure on the West, the secondary wall on the East) was referred to as “No Man’s Land” and “The Death Strip” (I believe the German word is Tudesstrifen) for those who would try to cross it. They built it because the East German citizens wanted to leave after the war. West Germany had some level of prosperity, but East Germany had their currency and economy was wrecked. Many skilled laborers and intellectuals left for West Germany in search of a better life. On any given day, up to 1500 East Germans would leave the Soviet occupied territory and go to Berlin (or somewhere in) West Germany. I wonder why. This is also the event that makes me believe Communism and Socialism do not work.
I decided to use the videos to explain this event, what lead up to it, and the after affects of it. I would not expect you to watch every video (in one sitting) but I think this is an important and very significant event to recall.
An intro to the Berlin Wall:


This gives you an idea and an intro to the significance and the Wall itself. Most have seen this structure from the West Berlin side. Now, we can see a detailed description from the Eastern part of the Wall. It is much more intricate than most even imagined. This includes me:


The East German Secret Police (the Stasi), was the operating arm where they oversaw its citizens. They controlled everything. If you would like a better view, the movie Das Leben Den Anderes (the Lives of Others) is a fine movie about one man's role inside of it. It was basically the KGB's cousin, acting in the same ways towards its citizens. I saw an article a while back that connected former imprisoned Nazi SS as member of the Stasi.


Portions of Ronald Reagan’s famous speech:


A pivotal moment in this story took place in Prague, 1989. Over 4000 East Germans took refuge at the West German Embassy in Prague. The DDR had the western part of the wall covered but ignored the East, which is where many Germans fled. They stayed there because they knew the East German could not come take them. The translation of what is said in the video. It was here that freedom became a reality. Their release was negotiated and were permitted to leave:
“"We're trying for a solution, but I don't want to give a statement now. First I'd like to speak to the Germans from the GDR who are currently at the embassy."

The matter became “WHEN” not “IF” the Berlin Wall would fall.


The day has come. The first video is in German (but does have subtitles/translations). I felt that this would have a better effect hearing it in German. It may sink in a bit more:




This is home video of the Wall being opened. This is actually happening on November 12, 1989 (remember, in Europe, the date comes before the month (for example, Jan 15, would be written 15/1/year). The street is full of people at 6:AM. You think this wasn’t important to them? This video was filmed over a 3 ½ hour period:


From those who live it:

1990........Pages..... in 72 hours??????

Now, I am a bit concerned here. Think about this. If someone walked up to you and said you have 72 hours to finish a 500 page book, what would you think? You'd think this person crazy to accomplish this. Or maybe they would read it, accept it and miss some VERY important details in the book. A teacher would not expect a student to do this. A Manager would not expect his staff to do this. A decent parent would not expect a child to do this. I doubt a Carpenter, Welder or Electrician would be expected to complete their apprenticeships in 72 hours because the process takes 4-5 years.

You get the theme here, I would imagine. SO WHY then would a member of congress be expected to read a bill THAT large and expect to have ANY level of comprehending the bill in a 72 hour period??? That is IMPOSSIBLE to do. I have never seen anything on this level before. What are those who created this bill (and the various incarnations of it) trying to hide. Those in power tell banks to make their lending and terms easy to understand. That's fair enough to ask. You tell car dealers to be more open in the sales process of a car. Fine. I'm with you. I hate to see anyone get cheated. So why is it that when those who ask for clarity, why are the the last to do it?? If they are making things "more clear", I must have missed it somewhere.

These videos pretty much tell the story better than I can alone. You decide for yourselves. Pick one, any or all:

Rep. Tom Price (an orthopedic surgeon by trade) should understand this better. THIS is what 1990 pages looks like:


Rep. Michele Bachmann:


Rep. Dan Burton:


Sen. Joe Lieberman: