Only 4 More Days Until Beethoven's Birthday!

Thank goodness for Charles M. Schulz (affectionately known as "Sparky" to friends and colleagues). If it weren't for him, I never would have known that Ludwig Von Beethoven was born on the sixteenth of December. 

When I was a kid, back in the sixties, one of the greatest things in the world was getting to read the latest Peanuts comic strip anthology. We were big fans of good ol' Charlie Brown in our old house on Wayburn ( as well as Walt Kelly's Pogo and Johnny Hart's B.C. ). 

Back then, I just thought it was funny to see Schroeder proudly carrying a sign which read, "Only 41 more days until Beethoven's Birthday!", followed by Snoopy who was holding his own sign that said, "Or did you already know that?" 

Three weeks worth of strips later, Schroeder's sign reads, "Only 20 more days until Beethoven's Birthday". Three panels after that, Snoopy holds up the one that says, "If you'd keep track yourself, we wouldn't have to do this!" 

But, as with much of the Peanuts strip humor, there is a message embedded not too deeply below the surface. Sparky tips his hand in a strip that has Lucy talk to the boy standing next to her: "Beethoven's Birthday is Dec. 16th, Shermy..." she says sweetly. "Have you decided what you're going to get me?" 

"Yes!" Shermy responds, curtly. "I'm not going to get you anything!" 

At that point, he marches off stage left, frowning, as Lucy and Patty (who appears suddenly from stage right) watch expressionlessly. 

Lucy then turns to Patty and asks, "What kind of a holiday is it where you don't give girls presents?" 

Just in case some of the audience is oblivious to wry subtleties and clever hints, Schulz has Schroeder walk by a couple of weeks later with another sign. This one is emblazoned with the declaration: "Only 5 more shopping days 'til Beethoven's Birthday". For a change of pace, it is Lucy who carries the equally bold follow-up sign which warns: "Stores open until nine o'clock". 

Schulz often offered various reactions to social and cultural currents through the mouths of his many different characters in, more often than not, a very humorous fashion. Being a newspaper strip cartoonist ( and a very successful one, at that! ) he was all too familiar with the workings of the commercial world. I tend to believe that this was one of his satirical jabs at our habit of attempting to generate bucks out of commemorative dates and holidays. 

Not that Schulz made any attempt to avoid commercialism and merchandising himself. But, surprisingly enough... I really don't mind too much, simply because that stuff had some real substance to it. It was charming, clever, thought-provoking, deep, delightful... and just plain fun. 

So, sometime in the next few days, I'm going to slip Vince Guaraldi's score to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in the CD player of my Jeep, and drive down to Paperback Writer Books to see if maybe I can find a Peanuts book.

I Fear No Friendly Greeting!

Okay, I see it is already starting... it's the Happy Holiday Party versus the Merry Christmas Party. Look... isn't there enough fighting in the world?
Me? I say, "Merry Christmas." I've never, ever, Ever, EVER had anyone quibble with me about it. I think that's just urban legend. I think it is just axe grinding. It is flinching before one is struck.
Think about that... in over half-a-century, no one has ever argued with me if I told them to have a Merry Christmas. Ever. 
Now, If someone... anyone... goes out of their way to wish me a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Happy Holiday, Season's Greetings, Lovely Kwanzaa, Cool Yule, Swingin' Solstice, or whatever, then I just thank them and wish them the same. If I am truly humble, it means I accept good will in whatever form it is offered... and I return it with a smile. 
I cannot imagine what I would be like if I were to feel threatened by the kind wish from another human being, regardless of its wording. 
So, Let other people wish others well in their own fashion, and you may wish them well in your fashion. I mean... who wants to start a fight over what kind of glad tidings one has been given freely? Sheesh!

Today's Remembrance.

Okay, kids... pop quiz!
What do terrorists want?
I bet it's terror... or panic.
Dread is even acceptable.
Terrorists want people to be forever nervous and afraid. It keeps those people from thinking.
Psychological reinforcement of terror is quick, cheap and easy.
Don't give in to it.
Remember the event. Remember that it caused pain, suffering, and turmoil.
But, for sanity's sake, leave the pain, suffering, and turmoil in the past where it belongs.
Do not fear. Do not dread.
Show terrorists how a free people conduct themselves... unflinchingly, with grace and dignity.
Remember the bravery and unselfishness of those who helped. Remember those who fell.
Honor their memory by going about your daily business... calm and unafraid.
This is the best way to spit in a terrorist's eye.

Learning

People, young and old, learn best when they wish to learn.
Approval systems do little to change that.
It helps if the young child becomes aware in a home where the other family members read and discourse upon matters curious, but sometimes children respond to other stimuli and get greedy for wanting to acquire knowledge and solve problems.
Unfortunately, most compulsory public educational systems have to adopt a kind of a "one size fits all" attitude to accomodate larger and larger classes.
Kids are often taught through other media that it is cool not to like school and that it is uncool to be too smart an' use beeg woords.
Between that and the official recognition and public stigmatization of various so-called learning disabilities, mental blocks, and blind spots, too many individuals fall outside the scope of optimum effectiveness where motivational strategies and tactics are concerned.
This is not an easy issue to address and, in the current state of compulsory public education, nearly impossible to fix.
Whatever it is that I have went undiagnosed as a child because I was high-energy and high-functioning (and because they had no name for it, beyond telling me... and my folks... that I was talkative, curious, couldn't sit still, creative, imaginative, and with a tremendous potential... if I could only behave and follow the rules). Chances are that my father had it, and his father before him, from what I now know.
I'm glad they couldn't put a name to it. I knew there were things wrong with me... but I slowly found ways to work around the intellectual barriers and discovered alternate methods of doing those things that seemed to come easily to others, but which I had to huff and puff to do.
I told my daughter that whatever it is that she has is similar to what I have. It is part of her. It may cause pain to realize that she cannot do some things in the same way as others may do them, but that she should not worry about putting a name to it, that it is not going away anytime soon, and that she should find the advantages and disadvantages of having it... and therefore use it to the best of her ability.
I tell her that, because it is what I must do every day.

The Other 1%

I think there is another 1%...
There is a small (but hopefully growing) subset of the population who are basically happy, and grateful for what they do have and for their friends and family... who do not spread negative press or cause/join needless conflict... who do not think that compassion means weakness or that acceptance means ignorance... who appreciate life, love, peace, and good cheer... who are more amazed and awed at the smallest, most delightful of spiritual things than they are angry and resentful at the largest, most outrageous of material things... who realize that true wealth is there for the asking, if one is willing to give up the fight against nothing.
I belong to this Other 1%.
Who's with me?

The Importance of Password Safety

Folks,

    Even if you already know this stuff, please share it with everyone you know, so that the word on passwords may be spread. Thank you.
    Okay, here I go: About passwords...

    Do any of you find passwords annoying?
    Do you create a password because it is easy to remember?
    Do you use the same password for more than one website?
    Are you kind of unclear as to what makes for a strong password, as opposed to a weak password?
    Do you grant any and all apps access to all your information, without knowing which are trustworthy and which are not?

    If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions, I may have gotten (or may be getting in the future) some form of SPAM from you, that you did not intend to send... and if that is the worst thing that happens, you may consider yourself fortunate. However, far worse things can come of not understanding passwords, their strengths and their weaknesses.

    Some examples of passwords:

    Pathetically & Ridiculously Weak Password........password
    Pathetically Weak Password................................password1
    Ridiculously Weak Password...............................password1234
    Very Weak Password...........................................lee1234   
    Weak Password...................................................LeeG1106
    Flimsy Password..................................................LeeGothro2012
    Fair Password......................................................ElOg07192012d
    Strong Password..................................................733d4v1D6o7Hr0
    Really Tough Password.......................................{733}d.&o7hR0~

    Note that the last six examples are all based on my name. Though that becomes less clear, as the passwords get stronger, the Really, Really Tough Password is the one that has absolutely nothing to do with anything about me... my name, my address, my daughter's name, pet's name, my phone number, birthday, graduation date, or any other information that can be remotely tied to me.

   Have a different password for EVERY website and EVERY application that requires one... and make them Really, Really Tough.
    Your information is safer if you have to write them all down in a secret notebook put under lock and key in your house, than if you use a weak password, especially if you use it in more than one place!

    You also PROTECT YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY by doing so!
    Also (and this is the part that everyone hates), CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS PERIODICALLY. This means like more than twice a year. Once a month is better... but I confess that not even I do that.

    Lastly... if you get some spam from any of those who are in your contact list, LET THEM KNOW ABOUT IT.

    Thank you. 

The Fool

   The Fool is almost always the very first card of the Major Arcana and is either unnumbered or numbered as zero.

   In my deck (Robin Wood), the Fool is an androgynous person, colorfully dressed, about to step off a cliff while playing the flute, and is accompanied by a small dog.
   The Rider-Waite deck also shows the sun behind the fool, who is carrying his/her worldly belongings in a cloth tied to a stick and a white flower in the hand extended behind nim/her.
   From what I have learned, along with my own insight, the Fool can be interpreted on a few different levels. Naturally, it also depends on its position in a reading and what layout is used for the reading.
   Basically, though, by itself, the Fool represents an irrevocable change. In some decks, the fool is reaching for a butterfly and/or the dog (or cat) is nipping at his/her leg.
   The sun behind the figure is often interpreted as the light of reason or what is considered rational, and the firm ground which he/she is about to leave as the stable reality that can be seen and felt. The dog can be argued as either worldly creatures chasing him/her to the cliff's edge, or attempting to prevent the folly of him/her taking a leap of faith, where logic shows no solid place to stand.
   The beginning of the Fool's journey is here. It is a journey of spirit and so cannot be divined by reason or calculation alone. The beginning of such a journey often requires one to put aside those beliefs which have always been considered safe, sensible and comfortable.
   But, once such a journey has been undertaken, one cannot go back to the way things were before the first step had been taken. Now the Fool must learn to fly. But, doubt will undo the Fool. The childlike belief in magic and the innocent perspective that the universe is one of awe and wonder is what the Fool needs in order not to fall back to the Earth.
   There are more (and deeper) interpretations, including the one that the Fool's step into the unknown represents the beginning of the universe, expanding into what we know now from conditions to which the Second Law of Thermodynamics prevents it from ever regaining.
   Last but not least, the card can be dealt upside-down (called "reversed" or "inverted" in a reading). Many readers interpret that as causing the card to represent the opposite of its righted meaning.
   So, the Fool would normally be interpreted as the seeker (in this case, you) looking for fulfillment and new experience through an apparently undisciplined, unprecendented, and lighthearted throwing-of-caution-to-the-winds in anticipation of a whole new existence.
   Reversed, however, could be interpreted by some readers as simply carelessness, apathy, indecision, and/or poor judgment.