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Joyce Clark Unfiltered

For "the rest of the story"

This is a blog from three years ago. It’s still as meaningful today.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I ain’t gonna…” or “I ain’t got?” Or have you heard someone who uses “F—K” as every other word in a sentence? Personally, when I hear poor language skills it’s like chalk on a blackboard.

words 5Our use of words does mean something. I graduated from college 50 years ago which makes me a dinosaur. I learned the importance of words through the writing skills I developed. Whether you write technical pieces, news stories, blogs or are a high profile figure you already know the importance of words and their meanings. You know that what you deliberately omit may be as important as what you include. For many writing something on the Internet apparently that concept has eluded them. Could sloppy writing be a result of Internet anonymity? Possibly but that discussion is for another day.

words 2Generations after mine have been brought up relying upon technology such as “spell check” or “sentence fragment” or “add to dictionary.” Why bother learning to spell when the Internet will do it for you? Why bother to construct a sentence when the Internet will do it for you? Why omit the use of profanity when you can add it as an acceptable word to your online dictionary? When Twitter requires one to write in a 140 characters it causes proper English usage to disappear.

This election cycle has exacerbated how we use words. No longer is there discussion of issues. Today if one does not agree on the facts…ignore them…go for the jugular and attack the person using a litany of words such as homophobe, racist and on and on and on. The words we use and the labels we give one another have virtually destroyed civility. Society has degenerated into a hoard of name calling hysterics.

I learned many years ago, that poor grammar and profanity are for the under-educated person who does not have the skills to use appropriate words. That concept may have changed as younger generations mimic idols in sports and entertainment. Today it is important to dress like, to act like and to speak like your idol. We have become a nation of conformity and sloppiness on the other…but that discussion, too, is for another day.

Calling someone an a—hole is so imprecise when the reason for describing someone that way is an undefined action or behavior. Usingwords 6  “ain’t” is not chic or trendy. It’s become shorthand and is a lazy way of communicating.

words 3Words are so utterly powerful. They can be used to lift someone up or drag someone down. They can be used to flatter, cajole or persuade or they can be used to denigrate and humiliate. Words can move the souls of an entire nation, with “We hold these truths to be self evident…” or “I have a dream…” Words have compelled people to perform beyond their wildest dreams and have caused others to rampage and kill. It is a timeless lesson for all of us…use your words wisely.

© Joyce Clark, 2017               

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which is in accordance with Title 17 U.S. C., Section 107. The ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law and who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such material. For more information go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use,’ you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

 

Words mean something

Posted by Joyce Clark on October 14, 2015
Posted in Musings over a cup of early morning tea  | Tagged With: , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Have you ever heard someone say, “I ain’t gonna…” or “I ain’t got?” Or have you heard someone who uses “F—K” as every other word in a sentence? Personally, when I hear poor language skills it’s like chalk on a blackboard.

words 5Our use of words does mean something. I graduated from college 50 years ago which makes me a dinosaur. I learned the importance of words through the writing skills I developed. Whether you write technical pieces, news stories, blogs or are a high profile figure you already know the importance of words and their meanings. You know that what you deliberately omit may be as important as what you include. For many writing something on the Internet apparently that concept has eluded them. Could sloppy writing be a result of Internet anonymity? Possibly but that discussion is for another day.

words 2Generations after mine have been brought up relying upon technology such as “spell check” or “sentence fragment” or “add to dictionary.” Why bother learning to spell when the Internet will do it for you? Why bother to construct a sentence when the Internet will do it for you? Why omit the use of profanity when you can add it as an acceptable word to your online dictionary? When Twitter requires one to write in a 140 characters it causes proper English usage to disappear.

This election cycle has exacerbated how we use words. No longer is there discussion of issues. Today if one does not agree on the facts…ignore them…go for the jugular and attack the person using a litany of words such as homophobe, racist and on and on and on. The words we use and the labels we give one another have virtually destroyed civility. Society has degenerated into a hoard of name calling hysterics.

I learned many years ago, that poor grammar and profanity are for the under-educated person who does not have the skills to use appropriate words. That concept may have changed as younger generations mimic idols in sports and entertainment. Today it is important to dress like, to act like and to speak like your idol. We have become a nation of conformity and sloppiness on the other…but that discussion, too, is for another day.

Calling someone an a—hole is so imprecise when the reason for describing someone that way is an undefined action or behavior. Usingwords 6  “ain’t” is not chic or trendy. It’s become shorthand and is a lazy way of communicating.

words 3Words are so utterly powerful. They can be used to lift someone up or drag someone down. They can be used to flatter, cajole or persuade or they can be used to denigrate and humiliate. Words can move the souls of an entire nation, with “We hold these truths to be self evident…” or “I have a dream…” Words have compelled people to perform beyond their wildest dreams and have caused others to rampage and kill. It is a timeless lesson for all of us…use your words wisely.

© Joyce Clark, 2017               

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which is in accordance with Title 17 U.S. C., Section 107. The ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law and who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such material. For more information go to

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use,’ you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

 

 

 

While I was on Facebook I came across this article. I have no opinion on the righteousness of this list and am neither for nor against what the author has written. I do not offer it as a diatribe against poor people.

As we enter a New Year and make our resolutions the article did cause me to pause and think about my resolutions for the New Year. One habit mentioned is exercise. I am an avowed couch potato. Exercise is about as interesting to me as an enema. If there is one, just one, habit to incorporate into my life it should be and will be to exercise on a regular basis. As I get older and my muscle mass begins to diminish I have come to the realization that if I want to remain mobile and upright in my “golden years” I must exercise.

I don’t know if this piece is so much about rich versus poor but more about habits that can help any one of us in achieving our own versions of self improvement. Just food for thought…

Tom Corley, on his website RichHabitsInstitute.com, outlines a few of the differences between the habits of the rich and the poor.

1. 70% of wealthy eat less than 300 junk food calories per day. 97% of poor people eat more than 300 junk food calories per day. 23% of wealthy gamble. 52% of poor people gamble.

2. 80% of wealthy are focused on accomplishing some single goal. Only 12% of the poor do this.

3. 76% of wealthy exercise aerobically four days a week. 23% of poor do this.

4. 63% of wealthy listen to audio books during commute to work vs. 5% of poor people.

5. 81% of wealthy maintain a to-do list vs. 19% of poor.

6. 63% of wealthy parents make their children read two or more non-fiction books a month vs. 3% of poor.

7. 70% of wealthy parents make their children volunteer 10 hours or more a month vs. 3% of poor.

8. 80% of wealthy make Happy Birthday calls vs. 11% of poor.

9. 67% of wealthy write down their goals vs. 17% of poor.

10. 88% of wealthy read 30 minutes or more each day for education or career reasons vs. 2% of poor.

11. 6% of wealthy say what’s on their mind vs. 69% of poor.

12. 79% of wealthy network five hours or more each month vs. 16% of poor.

13. 67% of wealthy watch one hour or less of TV every day vs. 23% of poor.

14. 6% of wealthy watch reality TV vs. 78% of poor.

15. 44% of wealthy wake up three hours before work starts vs. 3% of poor.

16. 74% of wealthy teach good daily success habits to their children vs. 1% of poor.

17. 84% of wealthy believe good habits create opportunity luck vs. 4% of poor.

18. 76% of wealthy believe bad habits create detrimental luck vs. 9% of poor.

19. 86% of wealthy believe in lifelong educational self-improvement vs. 5% of poor.

20. 86% of wealthy love to read vs. 26% of poor.

Christmas thumbprint cookies

Thumbprint cookies

 

Ladies, this one’s for us. Christmas is so very close to losing its real meaning – a celebration of the birth of Christ. If you believe and accept this ideology it is becoming more and more difficult to hold this premise in your heart. Today one must make a conscious effort to ground oneself when advertising for Christmas goodies now hits the air waves before Halloween. I, like everyone else, have been sucked by the retail world into decorating my home, baking goodies and worst of all — the buying of Christmas presents.

But we are being scammed by the retail world. Yes, I know, 70% of their annual sales revenue is earned during this season. They become positively rabid vying for your dollar during this season. Here’s the scam – jack up the prices so that when they are marked down the universe of customers will believe they are actually getting a deal. What is not realized is that even with so-called mark downs retailers continue to earn an unhealthy profit. Do people realize that this is the scam and don’t care? Or do people really, really believe they are getting a deal?

Christmas tree

This year’s Christmas tree

Case in point. Disclaimer: I have a Kitchen Aid mixer so I am not in the market for one but for some strange reason I always check the price on this item and I am not picking on Macy’s. Macy’s has the mixer marked down as a “door buster” to $199.00, regularly $279.00. OMG, great price, no? No, it’s not. I have seen it as low as $179.00 during the course of a year and even at that price, it’s overpriced.

Handmade ornament

Handmade ornament
40 years old

That great deal you saw on TV or in the paper is not really a great deal. Everything is overpriced and insures the retailer not just a reasonable profit but an extremely healthy profit at our expense. The real deal is wholesale and unless you know a friend of a friend you won’t be paying that price. So, remember as you shop this season you are a victim of the “Yo-Yo Effect.”

© Joyce Clark, 2013

FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to :http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

water quality 3a

Koi pond in winter

Here it is December 9, 2013 and everyone is in the throes of preparing for Christmas. We tend to ignore our outside environment and focus on Christmas baking, shopping, and decorating. What about the pond?

If you do not live in the Phoenix Metropolitan area, here’s what our weather has been like. Highs during the day are in the mid-50’s. Since we live in a city adjacent to Phoenix our part of town is subject to freezing at night despite the fact that there may be no hard frost in the Phoenix downtown core. We have had about a half dozen nights of frost so far. For those of you who are dealing with snow, ice and really cold temperatures our weather seems wonderful and it is.

water quality 1a

Iris and lilies

water quality 2a

Gravel at pond bottom
Fish shelf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pond is in semi-hibernation. The shade cover was taken down in the beginning of October. The tropical lilies no longer cover most of the surface water and what leaves they do produce are small. The pond’s Iris are thriving. The cold doesn’t bother them a bit and we look forward to their show of blooms in the spring. We spend the most time covering and uncovering the plants that landscape the pond area  — the palm trees (still relatively small), Lantana, Ruella and Verbena. The large Agave and the Yucca seem to do just fine uncovered.

When I staggered outside about 8 AM today the outside temperature was 37 degrees and the water temperature was 46 degrees. The water is cold but crystal clear. The external filter and the two waterfall filters are running and won’t be cleaned again until spring. No algae dare grow at this time of year! Later on in the day, usually about 2 or 3 o’clock, after the water has warmed, the Koi will come out from beneath the fish shelf. They seem to spend most of their time doing nothing – just lying in place with occasional foraging for some remaining algae. As long as the water is this cold we don’t feed them and they do just fine.

Nature has graciously cooperated with our busy human schedules. The Koi and the pond are quiet, husbanding their strength for the burst of new growth and activity that will surely occur in February leaving us free to enjoy the season.

© Joyce Clark, 2013

FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to :http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Knock out the Knock Out Game

Posted by Joyce Clark on November 22, 2013
Posted in Musings over a cup of early morning tea  | Tagged With: , , , , | 1 Comment

I prefer to opine on local issues in Glendale for that is my comfort zone having served on City Council for so many years. It’s time to move beyond my comfort zone. Lately there has arisen a gruesome, national phenomenon called the “Knock-Out Game.”  They also call it “Ghost Hunting” as a reference to their white targets. It is a game played exclusively by Afro American youth. It entails a group of kids, one of whom suddenly leaves the pack and punches someone. That someone is always a white person for apparently that is the only criterion for choosing a victim. The group walks off laughing assuming that there will be no consequence. When will one of these kids choose someone who is armed and shoots back? We are sure to hear about it then. It is videoed and put on social media for all to see. It started in New York City and since has spread to seven states.  To date it has resulted in two deaths from these assaults.

Is it a hate crime? It appears to be since the victims are all white. Even more disturbing is the evident lack of moral compass and values these youth possess. In our nation’s effort to be politically correct we are failing our children. To insure that everyone is treated the same and offered the same opportunities our nation is slowly eroding the very concept of individual achievement and individual responsibility.

What has happened to our nation’s moral fabric when a group of kids think it’s fun to randomly inflict injury and perhaps death on a stranger with the only criterion being that it be someone not of your race? Where is our collective outrage? Or will we offer the typical excuse and rationalize their behavior by pointing to their disadvantaged backgrounds?

Where is the media outrage? Where is their reportage in an effort to warn people? Where is our outrage on the plethora of social media sites? Have we all become AWOL? I am disgusted by these random acts of violence done solely for amusement. At least I have now spoken up about it and I hope others will do so as well.

© Joyce Clark, 2013

FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to :http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

before 1

Burnt house, 2010
RV on left occupied occasionally

 

In the summer of 2010, a tragedy occurred. A home in my district caught fire and was destroyed.  So began a three year odyssey. This morning I woke and as usual, went outside to check my Koi pond and heard the intriguing sounds of heavy equipment. I live on a cul de sac but if you could drive through my cul de sac you would drive directly to this house. As the crow flies, it is a quarter mile away directly west.

The owners, of what I came to call the “burnt house,” had no insurance with which to rebuild. They also had not paid their property taxes. Their registered address was in another Valley city but the house was used sporadically for among other things, teen parties. They kept an old RV on the property and from time to time someone lived in it. Their registered address was in another Valley city but the house was used sporadically for teen parties. As the district councilmember I often received complaints about this eyesore. Nearby residents, after 6 months of inactivity regarding clean up or reconstruction, were complaining about a loss to their property values. Something needed to happen. However, there was activity of a different sort. During the winter holiday season of 2010, the owners hosted a haunted open house and a Christmas open house, soliciting donations to defray the cost of reconstruction. They were not successful events. The house was unsafe, to say the least, and I alerted the city’s Building Safety Department to the condition of the house and the public holiday events. The city quickly publicly posted it as unsafe.

 

do not enter

City posted “Do not enter”

 

donation solicitation 2

Donation solicitation

Burnt house after 1

Burnt house demolition Oct., 2013

My crusade to remove this blighted eyesore began. I bluntly nagged city personnel to move on this situation. The city took the owners to court repeatedly. The owners were very good at gaming the system, asking for continuances; promising to produce documents for the court only to come up with an excuse for their non-appearance and asking for even more time. For 3 years they ran a delaying tactic. They finally exhausted the court’s patience and the city motion for demolition was granted. Today the city is removing the skeleton of this house. The costs will be paid by the city and the city will lien the property to cover those costs. It will be a vacant lot in a great location that someone will love. It will be purchased, the lien paid and a new home will rise from the ashes giving new life to the neighborhood. Three years later my crusade has finally ended.

©Joyce Clark, 2013

FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to :http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

911-Responders

Today, September 11, 2013 marks the 12th anniversary of 911.  We remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when the power of television began streaming those awful, horrendous images.

It is OUR Pearl Harbor. My parents remember Pearl Harbor in exactly the same way as we do 911. There are events that not only define our lives but define us as a nation. 911 is one of those.

We salute and honor all of the first responders and the thousands of people who lost loved ones that day. We will never, ever forget.

©Joyce Clark, 2013

FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Lawwho have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

I am having a Monty Python moment – when he says, “Now, for something entirely different.” At this point in my life I can allow myself to take more risks. Even if I fall on my face, at least I have done something outside of my usual comfort zone. This is admittedly the most political blog I have ever written. I have been thinking about these things for quite awhile. Today my inner voice said, “Do it now. Write about something different – not just local politics, the Coyotes or the pond.” And so I have.

As I watch events unfold in our country concern about its future begs to be voiced. My husband and I are both retired. We are decidedly middle class and our retirement income is just enough. We were children of the 40s and 50s when America was kinder and gentler and there was still a whiff of innocence in the air we breathed.  Our front doors were never locked, we played outside without fear and a sense of patriotism was a virtue. Our parents worked hard so that we had opportunities for a better life, especially economically, than they had. There was a sense of belief, hope and optimism. All things were possible if one worked for it.

fog 2When the Great Recession of 2007-08 descended upon this nation it was as if we were traveling on a road where the fog laid thick and dank. Nothing was visible beyond the car’s headlights. Where were the road’s lane lines or markers to orient us? Was it possible to drift into oncoming traffic? All reference points were masked by the fog’s pervasiveness. It created a sense of unease and fear about the future.

As the fog recedes ever so slowly and we begin to leave it behind, large signs, billboards, become visible along the roadway. The first one says will we ever know what happened in Benghazi? Another reminds us of the federal investigations of reporters and the conspiracy charge levied against reporter James Rosen (eventually dropped). Yet another billboard depicts the Internal Revenue Service’s biased actions in determining 501-C4 status for some non-profit groups while another reveals the National Security Administration’s collection of data (some, it turns out, deliberate and unauthorized) on American citizens. The last two billboards show the government’s grant of a one year exemption for businesses from the new Healthcare legislation and a total exemption of Congressional men and women and their staffs from the requirements of this new law.

const 2These billboards are troublesome because they signify the erosion of our Constitution by the very people charged with its defense. The President continues to erode its meaning through Executive Orders while Congress is ineffectual in passing even the simplest of legislation. The stewards of our individual right to privacy with a wringing of hands and a gnashing of teeth eagerly cede bits and pieces of our foundational values in the name of security and safety.

The fog may have lifted but what happened while we were blinded by its effects? No longer do parents believe they will pass on greater opportunities to their children. Belief, hope and optimism have been replaced by divisiveness and the partisan        politicization of every important issue before us. Working hard has been replaced by who you know and what can you do for me. Our government is driving a train loaded with the cargo of political correctness and erosion of the very values we held dear for centuries.

Our familiar societal reference points have disappeared and fear and unease about the future persists not as an aberration of a difficult time in our history but as the norm. Many trust in God…but what about the federal government?

©Joyce Clark, 2013

FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Memorial Day, 2013

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 27, 2013
Posted in Musings over a cup of early morning tea  | Tagged With: , | 3 Comments

mem 3I have actually heard people wish me a “Happy Memorial Day.” I am aghast. What have we become? A nation of those who mark the start of summer each year by a three day Memorial weekend? My father, my husband and many assorted relatives served in the military. Many of us have at least one family member who has served. These men and women pledged to offer the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, if need be, to protect the greatest country on earth. They do not boast. They do not brag. They serve(d) with a quiet dignity and steadfastness. Much of their experience we will never hear of and even if we did, how could we possibly understand?

Yet the day has degenerated to one of blowout sales, tubing down the Salt River, catching a ball game, hosting a B-B-Q. These activities are not immoral on this day — if somehow, sometime, during the day your time is spent in recognition of the sacrifices that have been made that allow us to enjoy those activities.

How many of us fly the flag to honor their service? Or make it a point to attend a Memorial event or visit the grave of a loved one? Many of us do — but not enough. A bedrock value of this county is patriotism. It has become a dirty word in some circles. Patriotism is part love of county, part service to country and part passing that value on to our children. If they do not learn from us, who will teach them? A society that places more monetary value on a sports coach than on a college president? A society that can answer a question about a rock star but cannot tell you the names of their congressional representatives? A society that mocks the values upon which this country was founded and idolizes criminals?

Today while you participate in your chosen fun activity, please, please, stop, reflect upon this great nation and how lucky you are to live here and today if you know or meet a veteran, whether it be a stranger, relative or acquaintance, genuinely and sincerely thank him or her. Memorial Day is not a day for you. It’s a day for our military and it’s time for all of us to acknowledge them and to pay our respect for their sacrifice.

copyright