Gosh, Ain't Psychics Something....

Ahh, a gloomy, overcast, rain-in-the-forecast Monday. Surely not a day for getting on the road. In fact, the next five days are looking about the same. Psychics, anyone?

My use of the word psychic includes so-called fortune tellers, mediums, clairvoyants, palm readers, astrologers, well....you get the idea. Yep, I'm lumping them all under the banner of psychic. Yes, those folks who can talk to the dead and predict the future. You know the ones I mean.

Some have even have/had their own TV programs. John Edward (just checked, now changing $850 for a reading or whatever it is they call them), and there was of course, Sylvia Browne who was a regular on Montel Williams' TV show. Yes, Sylvia is no longer with us (don't speak ill of the dead, George); I'm sure she's up there hanging-out with her spirit guide. Just checked Sylvia's site, yes, her son Chris is only charging $175; what a deal.

I know why some of you seek out psychics. Sadly, many of us are looking for answers about our deceased loved ones. Are they in a heaven-like place and how are they doing? Folks, you aren't going to learn anything by paying a psychic. Though I of course have no exact figures, I understand Browne had a two-year waiting list. Yes, and she charged about $700 for twenty minutes or so of phone time. Take a look here for everything about Sylvia Browne.

OK, OK, yes, I know, you've seen them on TV and dang, they seem to know about us and our relatives. They do?

Most folks would categorize what these so-called psychics (SCP) do as being cold, warm, or hot readings. Cold readings are exactly what it sounds like, they have no information about you. Warm, yes they know something about you. Most of the time when you go on TV with these folks or pay to see them you will fill out a card. Yep, a little about yourself and who you are trying to contact. Hot readings are a little more devious. Yes, this is when the SCP actually does a little research about you. With all of the so-called social media out there it's fairly easy to find out specific things about many of us, by going to Face Book and other social media places.

Folks, there are only three ways that a SCP will know anything about you: you'll tell them, you filled out a card, they did a little research, or they made a "good hit" (this is when a guess proves to be true). That's it. Folks, there has never ever been any proof that anyone has psychic abilities. Period!

OK, let's see. Here's how it usually starts, I see a J. Let's assume there's 100 people or so in the audience.

Now, how many folks out there are named John, Joan, Jeff, Jill, Jason, and so on.

I'm here about Uncle John.

I see that he's crossed over. (I doubt many people go to these SCPs seeking information about someone who is alive.)

Oh, yes.

I see that at the end he was having heart problems. (How do people die? Their heart stops? They stop breathing? Do the psychics ever say, I see a blood clot in his left leg, that went to his brain? Or, Wow that was a horrible crash on Interstate 95 just outside of Richmond.)

Yes.

He wants you to know that he's doing well and is happy.

Oh. I'm so thankful.

I'm seeing a, ahh, a pet. (most of us have pets...notice the SCP didn't say I see a Collie named Fred.)

Oh, yes. That's Jake, Uncle John's dog.

Yes, he's saying that he and Jake are doing well. I'm seeing something about a hobby (many of us have hobbies or at least are interested in something.)

Oh, Uncle John had a stamp collection. He spent a lot of time on it.

Yes, Uncle John is saying that he hopes someone is enjoying his stamp collection.

Oh, yes, his son Mike is taking good care of it.

Uncle John is saying that he knew Mike would enjoy it.

OK, this is all pretty simplistic, but that's how it works folks.

Now, let's say there's a really bad hit. The SCP calls out Martin and no one responds. Simple. Please, there is a Martin. I am definitely seeing a Martin, Maurice, Mary....

Oh, yes. Mary. I'm here about Mary.

Mary wasn't a school teacher, was she?  (You can't lose when asking a question like this.)

No, she was a nurse.

Yes, that's what was coming through, I didn't think she was a school teacher.

Or, the SCP could have said, Yes, there is a Martin. Think about it when you get home.

********

Why don't you use your psychic abilities to pick lotto numbers, horse races, and so on?

Oh, I'd never use my abilities to make money. That's not ethical. I'm sure I don't have to point-out the obvious hypocrisy.

You folks, who could be called the sitters, I believe that's the correct term, supply all of the information, that's then thrown back to you.

********

Think about this for a minute, you've crossed over and all of a sudden there's someone who you can communicate with, who can pass your thoughts to your family and loved-ones. What are you going to say?

Honey, I'm sorry I was such an ass just before I died.

I had hidden some money in an old tackle box. It's on the top shelf in my workshop. It's red.

Make sure Fred (friend) gets my 12 gauge.

Tell Bobby I think he should go in the Air Force not the Army.

Hey, you guys, don't neglect my garden.

Pamela, I really miss your cooking. No one up here makes lasagna like you.

I'm trying to get transferred out of here. There's too much damn praying.

Jenny, watch the bills, your credit cards are getting way up there.

********

James Randi has a million bucks waiting for the first SCP who can prove they have psychic abilities. Why hasn't one come forward? Well, actually they have...and, yes, Mr. Randi still has his million bucks.

Just did an Internet search: Honest Certified Psychic, one place advertises that all of their psychics have a Ph.D..

Well, can't top this one......  OY VEY! I Am A Nice Jewish Psychic Love Coach & Reiki Healing Nudist...  folks, no, I didn't make this one up. Honest.

And, who are these people? Well, I surely don't know; however, I'd guess that some of them actually think they have some special powers. Most of them I'd have to say are just outright charlatans preying on our vulnerable citizens. Sadly, many of the folks who go to these SCP are trying to come to grips with the death of a loved one. And, the psychics are there to prey on them. And, prey they do.

********

We should never blame the victim. In this case, the people who seek out these SCP and pay them, at times, big bucks.

But, frankly, people who take their pets to a pet psychic???? Pet psychic? Can we even say that with a straight face. Talking about a disconnect from reality.


Check out this 2005 Gallup poll. Yes, we still believe in this stuff.


Lots of folks, say Oh, gosh, what's the harm? You know, just a few bucks that Aunt Sue spends with her fortune teller? Well, folks there can be lots of harm. 

edit:  Sorry folks, this isn't that well written, but don't want to spend anymore time on it. 


Psychics? This is from another of my blogs.

Since I was just a little kid, I've been fascinated by magic. Yep, always had a few tricks and several times I made a concerted effort to learn magic, in fact took a few lessons. Twenty years or so ago I tried learning closeup magic with coins. My latest foray into magic was a few years ago as I attempted to learn card magic. Bought eight or ten DVDs and a bunch of cards. And, for a while practiced somewhat regularly. Anyway, let me get on with my story.

I said to her, “I'm psychic.”
“No, you aren't.”
“OK, I'll show you.” I shuffled the cards. Fanned them, and thumbed through them, and said, “Tell me when to stop.”
“Stop.” I showed her the card without me being able to see it.
I gave her the cards and she shuffled them.
“OK, now I want you to think of your card. And, I'm going to try to get your thoughts...yes, psychically, I'm going to tune in to you and I'll know what your card is.”
“OK, I know what it is. It's the ten of hearts. Am I right?”
“Yes, but that was a trick.”
“Are you doubting my psychic abilities?”
“You aren’t a psychic.”
“How do you know?” I said.
“Because you aren't.”
“How do you know a so-called psychic is a psychic?”
“Because they say they are.”

There is a point I'm trying to make with this story, which by the way, yes, this actually happened just as I wrote it.

My point. When someone who says they are a magician puts on a show for us, we often times try to figure how the trick is done; how the magic works. I guess that's pretty normal and of course there's nothing wrong with that.

However, when someone states they are a psychic, the believers never question what they are doing and how they are doing it. That's what keeps them as believers. Well, I guess that's true in lots of things.

The same could be said about religion, so-called alternative medicine, astrology...yep, all of that stuff. If there is a truth here, I'm guessing that they, the believers, just want to keep their delusions going, they want no one to rock their believers' boat.

An Absolutely Beautiful Day, Met Two Nice People and a Really Cool Dog. Doesn't Get Much Better Than This!

 What a great day, I went to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

This is Mike, who is running the show at the moment. A pleasant fellow.

More STUFF to buy.

Water for all sizes, including pups.

This is Angela and Bella. Angela, 21, is a just-graduated cosmetologist. Yep, she's ready to start creating cool hair dos. Bella is a little younger, she's 3 1/2 and Golden Retriever and Poodle. A really cool looking dog. I was shocked, when Angela after only knowing me for approximately 3 1/2 minutes, proposed. Dang, what could I say. Invitations will be in the mail later today. Angela was a good sport to put up with an old guy. Angela, just wanted to see if anyone is reading this. My best to you and wish you a terrific long life filled full of joy. PS. Try not to get old.

Older people hold hands, too.

Taking a Vacation, Going on Holiday, Hittin' the Road, Getting out of Dodge, Goin' Down the Road... What's it all Mean?

 vacation:

: a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business usually in order to relax or travel

OK, folks, I couldn't get these photos arranged as I wanted. Also, this was the best I could do for travel photos. So, what can I say?

Anyway, I guess the question, if you will, that I might ask, is what does a vacation mean to us?

Actually, I guess it might mean different things depending upon what we as individuals think of going on a vacation.I guess we could start by asking, what are the time and money  constraints?

Are we still working and have a finite number of vacation days a year? Are we self-employed and can take off when we want? Are we retired and have limited finances? Are we retired and money is not a consideration?


Do we sit down and plan our vacations? Is there an event that we use for our vacation? Do we want go skiing, backpacking, mountain biking, camping, or maybe go to a NASCAR race, bird watching, or do we just say, "I'm out of here," and hit the road with no actual destination?

Do we make lists of what we need to take and carefully pack or do we just blast off,  and leave with few plans after grabbing a few things?

Do we head for a new place or call ahead for a reservation at a place where we've stayed before?

 Do we have an RV and plan an annual trip?

Do we want to tour a specific city? Country? State? Area?

Do we want to visit a particular museum?

Do we want to check out vineyards? Sample some wines?

Do we want to seek out the best B-B-Q places?

Traveling in the Miata was always a challenge.

What wouldn't fit in the trunk and behind the seats ended-up in the front-seat floor.

Are we looking for towns for retirement?

Are we seeking out the best place for trout fishing?

The best beach for hangin' out and getting a tan?

The best cruise ship? The best cruise destination?

Like to gamble? Vacation may be a few days or a week or so at a casino.

Back-to-the basics vacationing....

Traffic, traffic everywhere! Some folks plan vacations that avoid traffic. Not a bad idea.

So folks, how do you vacation? Plan, or just jump in the car, truck, RV, boat, motorcycle? and head out? Be safe out there and have fun.

Yikes, I Ended-Up in North Carolina........

This is in North Carolina.

An overcast, gray-looking day, but I wanted to go somewhere. Maybe just a short drive?

It'd been about 25 years since I'd driven 17 South, a mainly two-lane road that parallels the Dismal Swamp. I found lots of traffic and also miles of under construction, with those darn barrels everywhere.

When I finally started along 17 where it picked-up the Swamp, it wasn't exactly as I remembered it. Oh, well..... Most things aren't as I remember them.

The Pathway to Freedom refers to the Underground Railway. Yes, this is 2014 and I'd bet we in the South are ongoingly doing a brisk business with the sales of everything-Confederate.

Virginia and North Carolina both have extensive hiking trails. And, both have centers. Not sure about NC but Virginia has tours.

My visit was cut short when the rain started. There was a couple of other places I wanted to take a look. Also, of course the place was closed down because, yes, it's Easter folks. Hope you all are having a great Easter.

So, that was basically my day. I went as far as South Mills, NC hoping to find a mom and pop type restaurant. No such luck. Sadly, ended-up coming home and having to face my cooking. Dang.

Gone a few hours, 79 miles.

Easter, Now Tell me Again How all of This Works.....

Taken with Contax G2 28mm with Kodak 400 B&W, C41 film..... Many years ago.

Hi Folks,

Yes, back again. Please note that I changed the title of this blog, adding Commentaries About Life and the Human Condition.

No, I'm not intentionally posting anything to insult anyone; however, I realize that so far I've had over 800 views of this blog and I'm sure that at least some of the folks who are looking in are religious. Which of course is fine, not that you need my permission.

For 6/8 years I've written about and posted videos (over 300) about what I call the human condition, politics, so-called complimentary and alternative medicine, and, yes, religion.  So far, I'm enjoying this blog. Yep, I've gotten out a little and have enjoyed meeting the folks out there, eating some terrific food, and taking a few snaps. But, at the same time there are things I want to say that have little, if anything to do with traveling, so I've decided that I'm going to combine them on this blog. So, there you have it.

This was taken from a website and I want to use it to pose some questions and make some comments.

Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."

Now, on its face, does this make any sense? As I best understand it, God, caused or allowed his son, Jesus, to be crucified. He did this to mitigate or absolve us of our sins. Then, he resurrected His Son, which is why folks celebrate Easter. I think this is pretty close.


I think if we look around us, we can understand how most things work. For instance, an internal combustion engine, we add gas, compress it, provide a spark, and the gases ignite and we have power and that propels our cars down the streets. Most things have a mechanism, for lack of a better term. Something that explains how they work.

A hair dryer has coils that are heated and a blower that blows hot air that drys our hair. You folks know what I mean.

Now, for the moment I'm going to assume we all sin. You know, do things that aren't nice or are harmful to others, and so on. And, hey, I'll even throw in the sin, if you will, about, Thou shalt have no other gods before me (This always confuses me. If your God says he's the only god, how can there be other gods? Oh, well....maybe for another time.). 

OK. Here's my question, How can God killing his Son do anything about our sins? You know, how does that work? We can explain just about everything else, but what about this? Seriously, does this make any sense?

Now, if God can absolve us of our sins by killing off His Son, he could surely absolve us of our sins in some other way (Remember, He's the most powerful smartest God around). For instance, he could say a prayer, maybe just make a simple pronouncement, or give everyone magic ice cream; there's an infinite number of ways He could have done this without killing His son.

I guess to summarize, if there is a God how did killing His Son fix our sins? And, question two, if there is a God, why didn't He absolve us of our sins using a method other than homicide, the killing of His Son?

Please, don't try to explain this by saying God works in mysterious ways, we shouldn't question God, or just accept it on faith. Those responses do not explain anything.

Now, I'm not grandiose enough to think that many people are flocking to this blog. Actually, I'm surprised at the numbers who have looked in so far. I only put this blog on three forums: two of them are Subaru forums and one is a forum for the camera that I'm using. However, if any of you who read this are so inclined, I'd be happy to read any of your comments. Well, yes, I'll definitely read them.

For those of you who celebrate Easter, I hope you have a great day. For those of you who don't celebrate Easter, I hope you folks also have a great day.

I've Changed the Title of My Blog.....

Well, yes, I just changed the name of this blog. And, here's a photo of a card I'm having printed. Should have them in a few days.

Thought it'd be convenient to be able to hand someone a card instead of having to write the name of my blog. Also, thought, What the heck, put some information about my book on the back.

Where was I? Traveling is fun and enjoyable and I'm looking forward to that; however, there are surely more important things to life. And, to me some of the more important things are those that have a direct effect on our lives. What am I talking about: religion, medicine, in particular the so-called complementary, alternative and integrative medicine, and the supernatural stuff such as psychics? So, from now on in addition to my travel adventures you will find some other stuff, too.

"I Hit the Road, Again....Last Stop, Smithfield"

The black sign: SPEED CHECKED BY RADAR AND OTHER ELECTRICAL DEVICES. Maybe they are using toasters, irons, you know? Seems as though ELECTRONIC would be a better word. Oh, well....

 

The last five days or so have been crappy. As the kids would say, I've really been bummed out.

In fact, the only reason I'm mentioning it is that what I have to say...or write, may well be colored or influenced  by my mood.

I'd been moping around the last few days and felt I needed to get out. Yes, I know you haul the moods around with you like an albatross.

When I left, about 9:00, I had planned to head for Wakefield and eat at the Virginia Diner. Well, I did make it to the Virginia Diner, but it was only about 10, they were jam packed with a breakfast crowd, and it didn't appeal to me.

On the way to Wakefield, which is where the Virginia Diner is, there were many neat things to take pictures of. Yep, dilapidated and abandoned houses and businesses, but just didn't stop. No enthusiasm.

In Wakefield I stopped at a 7-Eleven and got some coffee. I took a smoke break and said hi to a young fellow who'd pulled up on a motorcycle. Ironically, he lives in Richmond and was headed to Virginia Beach. Yep, he said he was just going to hang out and walk the boardwalk.

I headed home but stopped and took the photo of the sign up top. Then, decided to head for Surry.

"That we through life may not forget to love the thin grey line"

The soldier is in front of the Surry court house. I had planned on eating at The Surry House but they are closed until May.

Some in the South, and yes, in Virginia, do seem to still be fighting the Civil War. In fact, it wasn't that long ago that our governor nixed a Civil War day or week or some-such celebration. Not long ago a group of citizens erected a huge Confederate flag alongside I-95 outside Richmond.

Of course, then the comment sections of our local online newspaper lights-up with rants from both sides.

There is the group on one side that claims the War wasn't about slavery but about states' rights. The opposing voices of course, claim the War was about slavery.

Yes, there are many pickups running around with Confederate flags proudly displayed in the rear window as well as all of the Confederate flag bumper stickers. Actually, I doubt if many of these people displaying the flags could even tell you when the War was fought. Many of us do love our Civil War.

Had thought about riding the ferry across to Jamestown but that would mean battling the traffic on I-64. At that point, basically headed back home. However, when I got to the Smithfield turn off, that's where I headed. And, yes, had a pleasant time. Well, not exactly pleasant, but a better time than I thought I'd have. Well, it was OK and of course had nothing to do with Smithfield. It's a really cool town with many, if not most, of the houses nicely restored. 

Of course you can't read it, but this was erected in 1947 to honor the troops who served in World War I and  World War II. Surry Court House.

"Our heroes 1861-1865"

As I mentioned, churches everywhere. This is the Tree of Life Church!

Surry, Virginia

The following photos were taken in Smithfield....

No telling the razzing this fellow gets. I'm one of the few who don't think all lawyers are crooks and scumbags.

The "Exquisite Junk" is noteworthy....lots of neat stuff, frankly, didn't see any junk. Great place to browse or shop. Should be able to find just about anything you're looking for.

 

 

Yes, the Smithfield Times. A truly crappy photo. Not making excuses but I'm using free software that came with my Kodak video camera. I do need to stop using black and white until I get some software that will let me do a little more adjusting. I used to use Elements but can't find the disc. Oh, well............

The sandwich was pretty-darn good. It's a club sandwich with a fancy name. Had some kind of rosemary flavored bread, Smithfield country ham, turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. I have my sodium quota for the next three months. The coffee was as good as it gets. Yes, drank it without adding cream or sugar. The French fries, as you can see are ordinary. The waitress agreed to pose but I could tell she didn't want to so I passed. It's a nice place...upscale, you might say. Have a great gift shop with a huge variety of stuff to eat and stuff to buy that you don't need and that would most likely just lay around collecting dust. This area is known for peanuts and country hams.

Well, I don't think I look like Hemingway today. Nope, just a really old guy. I guess I'm sharing the bench with Benjamin Franklin, though I could be wrong. Here are a few of his quotes:

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” (I need to remember this one.)

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”  

"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.”  (Ben, what about gin, bourbon, and Scotch?)

"Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” 

“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.”  

“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” 

"Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” 

"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” 

"There was never a bad peace or a good war.” 

"Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.” 

"A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.”  (Yes, yes, yes, I try to keep telling myself!)

“When you're testing to see how deep water is, never use two feet.”  (Somewhat akin to measure twice, cut once.)

"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches.”  (Nice one, I'm biting my tongue.)

“Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.”  

“Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.” 




Left home around 9:00 and got back at 2:30. Drove 145 miles.

Yes, still bummed out and ticked off, but it was an OK day all things considered.


BTW, forgot to mention, the Chinese now own Smithfield Foods. This from our local paper.

"Two top executives of the Chinese company that last year bought Smithfield Foods Inc. were given stock worth nearly $600 million as a “reward” for orchestrating the takeover, according to a regulatory filing in Hong Kong.

WH Group, the Chinese company, which was known as Shuanghui International Holdings at the time of the takeover, said it issued the shares to Wan Long, its 73-year-old CEO, and Yang Zhijun, its executive in charge of mergers and acquisitions. Yang is 40 years old.
Wan was issued 573.1 million “ordinary shares” in the company, or about 70 percent of the stock award, while Yang got 245.6 million shares. WH Group said the total value of the shares issued the two was $597 million.

It said the payouts were “to recognize and reward their contributions” in the $7.1 billion takeover of the Smithfield-based company, America’s top pork processor."