Can You Imagine If ......

I often wonder why so many people just sit back and take it. Perhaps they are comfortable and just do not want to really bother with it. However, the Jesse Jackson's and the Al Sharpton's of this country really need to consider an option that has yet to be played. I see a lot of people of all types getting along just fine. Yet the headlines tell us another story. Why is division a constant promotion in the United States of America? Do these promoters understand the power of a very silent majority that might just be starting to stir? If I were to advocate any kind of "tit for tat" or "quid pro quo" it would be used only as a necessity to make the Jesse's and the Al's recognize their self grandeur and promotion in order to bring them back down to a true reality. For every action they call against others because of their take on race relations, we must meet it head on with one of our own. Whatever method they employ, you employ exactly the opposite. Whatever you do, start making some noise. Squeaky wheels get greased and your silence is deafening. Martin Luther King said he wished for people to be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. He was exactly right. Character counts and it is our character that should make the biggest difference in our lives.

Top Ten Fastpitch Softball Books of 2015

Have you seen the Top Ten Fastpitch Softball Books of 2014 list? After all, we have our favorite fastpitch softball players and our favorite fastpitch softball teams, but how many of us have read one of the best fastpitch softball books of the year? When you were a kid, did you keep several fastpitch softball books to read laying around or did you have a couple of fastpitch softball books that you read over and over? Well, I did and one of those favorite fastpitch softball books I read as a kid was given as a present to me on my 29th birthday. Yes, I read it again.

The Top Ten Fastpitch Softball Books of 2014 list is composed of current bestsellers and a couple of hidden gems. "Throw Like A Girl" is the great book from Jenny Finch and is on top, with "Little League Softball Champs" and "Fastpitch Softball: The Windmill Pitcher" closing just a few books behind in the Top Ten Fastpitch Softball Books of 2014 list.

My favorite, especially for the 10 - 13 year old fastpitch softball enthusiast, is Little League Softball Champs. It captures the moments and the essence, while offering a real encouraging and motivational value in a story of courage and sacrifice. You can get the PDF Version now, just click here. If you prefer to order the paperback, please click here or the KINDLE eBook edition by clicking here.

The Harmful, Corrupt Power of Television

Have you ever seen the 1957 movie "A Face in the Crowd" starring Andy Griffith? It pre-dated his sheriff show with Barney Fife and Opie but the message of "A Face in the Crowd" was very clear. It is more clear today.

Clearly ahead of its time, and certainly one of the first movies to question the influence of television, its jaundiced view of television now seems entirely prophetic. In this modern age of American culture, where the merging of media and politics is very intertwined, there have been many media personalities who have captured the attention and the imagination of the American public for all the wrong reasons. It was not by their message, but by how nice they looked and sounded on television. "A Face in the Crowd" stood as a warning then: when we turn on our television sets, radios, or exercise our right to vote, we should be wary of the specter of Lonesome Rhodes. It is a warning that still rings true today.

 

The power of television is very real. Any medium that attracts several senses, emotions, or thoughts at the very same time has always proven to be more stimulating. Two dinners can be the very same and taste exactly alike, but the more attractive one will get the most attention. We have to recognize this power and we have to make sure our children completely understand.

I only have to draw one line on a piece of paper to gauge how television, with news cycles offering approved propoganda or crime-filled drama, has affected society. On one side of the line is the period before 1957. On the other side is the period since. What do you think of the change?

A Russian leader once said America would be defeated from within. Was he right? Did it begin in our living rooms?