...and as rhombus snowflakes fall on silent rails from a grayish/white sky, I pause and give thanks that I am here to witness such silent, sweet beauty.  The white tears of angels are accompanied by the mellow cello of Yo-Yo Ma; alas I am surrounded by beauty this day, this relaxing peaceful space in time that comes by so fleetingly on gossamer wings to whisper thing of lightness to my soul...  

Another inperfect Christmas in Chicago; rain seriuosly!?

It's been really hectic of late in and around our household. We've seen a lot more of the insides of medical facilities of late than we would have liked, but it's all turned out good. But that coupled with the frantic pace of the season has left little time to review, however I am on vacation until next year (YES!!!!), and sticking very close to home, so look for a lot more reviews and other things as well.

Here is wishing each of you a Happy & safe Holiday Season!!!

Vincent & Family

 

Another gloomy day in Chicagoland!  I don’t remember ever having this many overcast and dark day in the area in years past.  It’s like we’re under a perpetual cloud of sadness that seem to permeate everything!  The brief bout with the sun this past weekend lightened my mood considerably, but now the semi-darkness is back and with an undeniable sense of foreboding; am I being too dramatic? 

 

For any NPR Morning Edition fan, this will come as a blow, much like Bob Edwards' departure from the show: Carl Kasell the veteran newscaster is NPR’s “Morning Edition” is retiring!

The 75-year-old Kasell has done the newcast during NPR’s flagship morning program since its inception 30 years ago. NPR says he will give his last broadcast on Dec. 30.

Yet another cloud-covered and wet day in Chicagoland; it makes me want to sleep all day, seriously!  When did I move to Seattle? 

 

To all of my fellow Veterans: have a restful, reflective day, and think of ways we can help our nation "form a more perfect Union!"

I am looking to the long weekend; sleep!!

I applaud the President on his speech last night calling once again for Health Care reform, a reform that will finally extend care for all Americans, try to contain costs, and rein in Insurance companies who seek profit off the backs of honest Americans! Why is this measure so hard to pass in a self-proclaimed Christian nation?? Where is to empathy and compassion for the one by the many? Why are some individuals more than willing to spend billions to conduct War with all it connotes, but shy away so forcefully from a measure that is designed to save and extend human life? What could more patriotic than sacrificing a little so that all Americans, no matter their social status, can be healthy??

Well, it’s my birthday weekend and so far it has been very relaxing, thanks in no small measure to Mrs. Bard. Who knew turning 47 could be so relaxing!

Yes, school is back in session and ny last mini-me is one grade closer to freedom! And Fall is here a little early this year chasing summer away; yes! I hate hot weather; give me Hawaii's moderate temps any day.

Well it looks like summer might be coming to a close! The temperature will be in the 70’s over the all weekend (free A/C). No complaints!

What is going on in the City of Big Shoulders? Almost daily shootings, stabbings, police involved shooting, people being burned in alleys and dumpsters after being beaten to death; Chicago is looking more and more like a war zone! Is Chicago really the place to hold the next summer Olympics? What accounts for this murderous immoral, madness? Although most of the violence has been concentrated on the South Side of the city, how long will this mindless anti-social behavior migrate to other parts of the city; the Loop, West Side, North Side? On the bright side July is feeling (and looking) more like October; the windows are open, the A/C is off and my skin is not roasting in the heat of a mid-July Chicago summer!

The cooling weather—and nice breeze from the west—offers me a change to turn off the air conditioner and throw open the windows for a nice natural breeze. And it’s time for slow cooked St. Louis style ribs on the Weber. All-n-all, a perfect Sunday!

Well, it looks like summer is finally here, though to be fair to Mother Nature summer does not officially start until tomorrow. Personally, I hate the heat and humidity of summer and can’t wait for Fall. Bring on the moderate temperatures! How about those Iranians?

Are we all sure it June?? Don’t get me wrong I am enjoying the cool are (re: no air conditioner, lower electric bill), but I would like to see the sun every now and then! Mother Nature is that too much to ask?

The long weekend is finally here people; time to rest, relax, and forget work for the nest (3) days. And oh yes, it’s time to fire up the grill. Let’s hope Cheney goes back into hiding and leaves the governing to those who respect the Rule of Law, both American and International, and seem to have things well in hand.

It's a Star Trek weekend! And oh yes, Happy Mothers Day to all of the deserving moms of Viewpoints!

Can you believe it, snow at the beginning of spring!!  Nonetheless, I will grill me and mine some St. Louis ribs today; slow cooked to perfection over 4.5 hours.  Let's hope the rain/snow/sleet combination holds off long enough for them to finish!  Who knows we might find time for some riveting reviews.  

Another weekend; my the month is going by fast, but I shant complain.  Perhaps this weekend I can get to some review writing.

Hey all, today I donned the mantel of Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Messaging Administrator on Exchange 2007; whew that was a mouthful!  I have spent a year pursuing this (3) exam certification and today I passed the last test after a week of cramming.  It was a very difficult test and I am mentally drained, so this weekend it's time to rest, rest, rest, and watch a few movies.  And oh yes, I might have a few minutes to spare to write a scathing review of Pizza Hut!  

Although winter seems to want to hold on interminably and the economy seems to sink to new lows minutely, the sun is shining brightly today, the sky is blue, the temperature mild, and even some bird have engaged in birdsong.  And the DOW is up 128 points!  Perhaps all is not gloom and doom after all.  Perhaps.

I am so glad the weekend is here; I am exhausted by the weeks less-than-rosy news and by my hectic schedule.  Nothing planned for the weekend but rest and relaxation; Yeah!! Is President Obama rocking the house or what!?! 

We are sliding into the long weekend; YES!!  And it's Valentine's Day weekend to boot, time to have fun with the wife.  Movies, dinner, and relaxing, and perhaps I'll light up the grill and brown some chicken.

The snow has melted from my patio and it's time to fire up the Weber!  Today its short ribs, bakes beans and coleslaw.   I am debating the cornbread.

 

And now comes the winter of my discontent; meaning that I am tired of winter already!!!  I will never be so happy to see Spring, sprung; the flowers awake, the lilies bloom, the birds sing, and sun shine, and the bees buzz and hum.  This has been a long tough white/gray winter and I will be glad to kick it and its partner cold, to the curb! 

The inauguration of the nation's 44th President is less than a week away, and the period finds my soul a kaleidoscope of mixed emotions.  I am happy, I am anxious (a rarity for me), I am contemplative, I am troubled, I am tired, and I am exasperated, yet exhilarated.  My soul embodies all of those emotions, but the one that rises to the top is pride.  I am proud that to be an American, not a just Black American-thought certainly my pride in hue and tenor of my skin never wavers-but an American, who at long last is fully able to partake in the America of Martin Luther King's imagining.  It is most fitting that the day after we celebrate that great man's birth, we inaugurate this nations first Black President! 

I feel as though my long, oft-times lonely and seemingly fruitless ideological believe in the Principles undergirding the founding of this great nation-as embodied in the Declaration of Independence and Federal Constitution-have been finally justified by that actions of the majority of my fellow citizens.  A broad spectrum of Americans from all walks of life elected Barak Obama to be our next leader because they saw past the color of his skin and embraced the content of his character.  Many, many, Black Americans never thought they would live to see this momentous day come to pass, but here it is upon us, and now even the world, yes the world, is holding it collective breath, placing its hopes on a renewed America-and all that purports- squarely upon the shoulder of this man of African and American decent.

The nation is going through the worst economic upheaval since The Great Depression thanks in no small measure to the lack of stewardship and leadership of the outgoing Republican Administration.  Now it is up to Obama to correct the course, to steer the ship of state back to calm, prosperous waters wherein the American Dream can once more flourish and be realized by all Americans without the scourge of corruption, or the ugliness of greed.  Of course I am mindful that he cannot do it alone, but he can and does provide the leadership, vision and wisdom necessary to see us through to a brighter tomorrow.

To quote James Taylor: "Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King, and recognize that there are ties between us, all men and women living on the Earth; ties of hope and love; sister and brotherhood."  Obama's Inauguration Day is our day, let all Americans rise to the occasion and throw off the shackles of partisanship, racism, trepidation, hatred, and doubt that may divide us and celebrate the coming of what we all (should) hope will be a new dawn for our nation and indeed the world!    

 

What is going on in Gaza, not good, or is that an understatement?  What is going on in Illinois with our not so esteemed governor, also not so good, or is that another understatement?  The economy; no one is safe; no one is left untouched or unscathed.  My 401(K): don't ask.  My life, not too bad overall, but let's hope 2009 holds in store for all of us a brighter morning and a soothing sunset...  

Happy New Year to all...!!!

I'm on vacation for the next two weeks; time to write some long put off reviews!

After an extended vacation it would appear as though the dreaded Chicago winter is back in full force.  If the last week, and tomorrow, is any indication of what is to come, we are in for a rough ride this winter.  I am not looking forward to those long commutes, but that is the price we pay for living in the land of Big Shoulders, graft, corruption, and the now infamous-and increasingly embarrassing-governor from hell, Rod Blagojevich. 

 

It's a cold blustery day in Chicagoland, just the kind of day when my bed begs me to come back and lay a while within its warming fold.  But, alas, there are things to do, movies to watch, potatoes to peel (for dinner tonight), and a computer to rebuild.  Perhaps I'll sneak in a nap later this afternoon after the wind picks up, rattles the windows and chills the bones; a time when the siren call of my soft warm bed will prove too tempting to ignore.  

Back to work tomorrow and the daily grind.  Busy week ahead as usual, but at least I'm employed and my family is healthy (for the most part) and happy.  Hats off to the men and woman who lost thier lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th 1941.   

Hope all has a happy, safe and restful Thanksgiving weekend.

Another cold day in Chicago, well Aurora, but I have a warm home, loving family, (mostly) secure job, no credit card or HELOC debt and a full pantry, so I am thankful to be alive and living in America as we open a new chapter in the American storybook.    

Congratulations to President-elect Barak Obama!  And congratulations to America and the world for the return of American leadership and sanity!   

Being not a man who believes in religion, Godly being, or Angel' wings, I can honestly say that I do not look at Barak Obama as "some kind of messiah," nor do I view him as a "savior."  I do view him as an intelligent and thoughtful visionary who has in mind-unlike his opponent-a roadmap for where he wants to take the nation, ever mindful of the Preamble to the Constitution, and its mandate to "form a more perfect Union."  Because make no mistake our Union is not perfect and our claim to being the "great nation in the world" is certainly open to debate.

The United States is in trouble and We The People deny it at our peril.  Across a broad spectrum of indicators that have traditionally signaled a society's political/ social health and vitality, the U.S. is falling behind the rest of the world.  That, to me, points to a large number of failures in the America's social and political fabric,  which left unaddressed threatens out first world status, our political leadership, , our economic dominance, and our much sought after standard of living. 

That shinning light upon a hill, that beacon of hope, is dimming.  Obama realizes this, McCain does not; Obama realizes we have to strive for the "more Perfect Union" and calls upon the better nature of the American people to achieve it; McCain thinks we have already achieved it, and hence asks nothing of the American people except blinding patriotic fervor. And that is why Obama has my vote, he represents hope and a return to the founding ideas of our Republic, McCain represents stagnation, mediocrity, and willful ignorance of our Constitutional heritage.    

I do not expect miracles from Obama, and I know he cannot do anything alone without the help and support of the other two branches of government in league with the American people.  What he does offer is leadership; bold, insightful, intellectually drive, vision-girded, steady leadership, which McCain despite his years cannot match and does not offer!  What McCain offers is the same old tried and untrue policies the Republicans have forced upon America since 1968; the last eight years have been their most ruinous apex and the country has suffered under their yoke.

Enough!, Enough!, Enough!, Enough!      

We voted early today; little line, nothing too unmanageable.  Of course Mr. Obama got my vote, and using the new touch screen technology wasn't as bad as everyone made it our to be.  There was an option to make a paper print out, so...

 

Well, we have a little more than a week before we choose our next President, and I implore everyone to think long and hard about the state of the nation and the future of our Representative Democracy.  We are at a cross road, and nexus in our history that comes rarely in one life time.  We The People have hard choices to make concerning a broad cross-section of issues.  They are not new issue, but ones we have failed to make in the past hoping they would go away; they haven't!

The choice we make November 4, will potentially chart the course for the United States, and indeed, the world, for the next generation.  Choose wisely.   

Ahh, the long weekend is here, and I intend to sleep, sleep, sleep!  Oh and write some reviews, listen to political news all day, do some yard work, pay some bills on-line, then shred some bills, grill some chicken, and watch some movies; whew!  Did I mention sleep?

Welcome to to my new home page!  The Viewpoints team has done an outstanding job with the re-design. 

* Two down, two to go; debates that is. I am lookng forward to Tuesday night dust up. In th words of my grandson: "this is gonna be good." * Is anyone else shocked at the price—700 BILLION DOLLARS—to get out of this mess? Where will the money comes from? More debt, more debt, more debt. Say so long to all of the programs that were promised by Obama; it will take us a while to dig out from out from under this one. Thanks Mr. Bush & Company. * I need to take a break from all of this political "stuff" and collect me head. And I need to study for an upcoming Microsoft Certification Exam--wish me luck--oh what we do for a promotion. * Another week is finally at an end, time for rest, relaxation, a movie, birthday cake, ice cream, and Outback Steakhouse! Got to love birthdays... * What a speech by Mr. Obama! Did he promise too much; is her reaching too high; are his goals unrealistic; can he actually win? * In case you haven't heard Joe Biden is going to Barak's running mate. Now this gets interesting. * I have been a little remiss in keeping these meandering thoughts of mine current. There is so much going on in the world its hard to know where to start, so in the spirit of the Games, I will just wish all well. *It's summer in Chicago Standby for the heatwave! * Well the conservative justices at the Supreme Court, you know the ones that swore the precedent was the Holy Grail in American jurisprudence, broke it yesterday in order to make American cities safer places to live by completely ignoring the tone and tenor of the 2nd Amendment! I don’t know about you but I feel safer already! * Well Mr. Obama won the primary, made history and now its on to the general election where so far McGain has siad nothing new and exciting. Gee, I wonder if that will stop him from gaining the White House? * Gas prices have passed $4.00 a gallon in some place here here in the Western Chicago burbs; YIKES! I wish I could take public transport! * "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton confirmed Monday that as president she would be willing to use nuclear weapons against Iran if it were to launch a nuclear attack on Israel.” Is this woman insane or just that incredibly desperate to win the nomination? The lack of judgment that allowed Bush to rush headlong into war with Iraq is rearing ignorant head once again. Has Israel ever shown the world that it is incapable of defending itself? * After a long hiatus I have started posting to my BLOG again called a V. Edward Martin's BLOG of Critical Thinking (http://scrimshander.blogspot.com/). It is a BLOG I started posting to a few years ago, but stopped in the latter part of 2006, because frankly I lost interest and lacked the time. But, I feel the need to post again so, stop by, leave a comment; start a conversation. * Love, loved, loved Barak's speech yesterday. He was calm, reflective, and on point. It is quite evident that Obama is for real and that he at least has a vision for the nation and its people. I read the text of the speech before hearing it and at the end I was so very proud of Obama and his stance. The man engenders trust; he is principled and has a genuine vision for our country embedded in the Constitution firmed centered on We The People! * And now it’s on the Wyoming, and Mississippi, and The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . Despite the recent losses this past Tuesday the Obama message continues to resonate. It’s telling that the opposition candidate concentrate more on hammering Obama than outline what she would do for the nation. Other than Health Care for all, a laudable but, as yet unobtainable milestone in America, what is her vision for the nation? Where does she want to lead us and why? * Go Barak Go! And his winning streak continues as the Clinton camp flails and fails. Next up: the Wisconsin primary and hopefully another win for Obama. Still two on the Republican side, but Huck-a-buck doesn’t stand a chance of winning the nomination unless something unfortunate happens to John McCain. * And then there were two: candidates on both sides of the Presidential isle that is. Who would have guessed last year at this time that the front runners on the Republican side would be old-man McCain the Bush Hugger, and The Chameleon a.k.a. Mit Romney, and; on the Democratic side a strong intelligent, articulate Black man and a strong, intelligent, seasoned White woman!? America is changing and quip what you will about the candidates, this Presidential election marks a nexus in American history; either we continue to wallow in the cesspool of the past 20 odd years of do-nothing governance or we move forward as a nation and people and demand a better present—and government—for ourselves, and future for our children. Go Barack go!! * It's hard to believe it’s a new year already, but 2008 is here and so too is the Presidential race. Not that it was not very much in evidence last year, but this year the race swings into full gear. I believe this Presidential race marks a milestone in American history. No matter how it turns out we are liable to end up with the first non-white male President in our storied history, and I am excited! And I I think the country as a whole is excited and hopeful after the staggering mediocrity and incompetence of the Bush Administration. America is ready for a new sunrise, one that brings with it a vision for what America really stands for! * I believe that individuals can make a difference. To that end we have replaced almost all of our incandescent light bulbs in our house with compact fluorescents. We recently redecorated our youngest daughter’s room and all of the light fixtures in her room now have compact fluorescents installed. Every bulb counts; every bulb helps lesson our dependence on imported oil!