Kleptomania!!

The Rogue Speaks:

First, let me say that kleptomania is a serious impulse control disorder. It is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and should not be taken lightly. Kleptomaniacs have an irresistible urge to steal items that they don't need, and have very little value to them. This mental health issue can tear one's life apart.



I don't know if Lindsay Lohan is a kleptomaniac, or if she just didn't want to pay for that expensive necklace she nicked from the jewelry store, but Winona Rider has actually been diagnosed with this affliction.



Having established that kleptomania is a mental illness, I hope you will not think that I am marginalizing it by saying I believe Congress to be filled with these poor unfortunate sufferers. It seems that every day one reads of Congress trying to steal from American citizens things which have little value to the lawmakers themselves, such as social security, and healthcare, but are very important to middle-class voters.

Kleptomania as a true mental illness can be helped with psychotherapy and SSRI's. The kleptomania that is running rampant in Congress needs an entirely different type of treatment. VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE!

One former Commander-in-Chief suggested that Social Security should be done away with, and that Americans could instead take the money that they pay into Social Security and invest it in the stock market for their retirement. Anyone who saw his/her 401K vanish in the crash several years ago can tell you that this is a VERY BAD IDEA--Just ask us.



Then there is Paul Ryan, whose own health-care plan relies on vouchers. Unfortunately, these vouchers have a cap, so if you come down with a devastating illness, and you do not have the money above what the vouchers provide, you don't have much choice except to die.



There are other kleptomaniacs in Congress who steal the confidence of the voters by doing stupid things. I am speaking, of course, of Weiner-man, and his ever-growing club of sex-crazed government servants. There is a treatment for his affliction as well. Please look closely at the photograph below.



Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday is always lots of fun, but some letters are more challenging than others. "K" is definitely one of those letters. I'm off now, to see what other K words I might have come up with. I hope you'll join me, and read some of the other offerings!!

p.s. Since Blogger is refusing to let me respond to comments on my own blog, let me add that the American people pay income taxes every year in order for this country to operate, and NOT to line the pockets of Congress (who is doing PRECIOUS LITTLE to help us out), and NOT to provide subsidies for Big Business while the rest of us are having trouble just keeping our heads above water.

The Journey Begins

The Rogue Speaks:

For this week's offering to make any sense, please scroll down and read my Centii from 6/ll and 6/18. This is a continuing story.



Carefully, he unfolded the old letter and began to read. “Dear John, My sorrow is so great. One day you will understand, my love, and when the time is right, you will find me again.”

He had come upon the wall quite by chance, and by chance had found the yellowed paper tucked into a seam where the mortar had fallen away.


Jenny's Saturday Centus has given us the opportunity to stretch our imagination and improve our writing skills with only 60 words this week instead of our usual 100. Sweet little Jenny decided to save an evil prompt for another Saturday. Instead, she gave us the words found in bold type in my offering. Since many of us have been writing continuing stories, she CLAIMS she thought this prompt would be a good one. We KNOW her, though, and know she can have somewhat of a mean streak when it comes to prompts.

That did not deter me, however, and I managed to seamlessly blend the prompt with my last two Centii! HA! And HA again!! Please be sure to read the other offerings. We were not born yesterday, and we KNOW how to work her system!!

Jukin'

The Rogue Speaks:

Alphabe-Thursday is always a lot of fun for me. I try my best to come up with something that no one else has thought of, but I don't always succeed. "J" is kind of a toughie. I thought long and hard, and then I realized that the perfect "J" word was right in front of me all the time!!

JUKEBOX!!!

In 1889, one of the first "nickel in the slot" machines appeared in the Paris Royal Saloon in San Francisco. This creation of Louis Glass and William Arnold was made using an Edison phonograph in an oak cabinet. It was fitted with a coin mechanism, and the jukebox was born!


Unveiling of the first "nickel in the slot" machine in 1889

The now almost universal name for the juke box came out of the southeastern U.S. coast. A juke (also spelled "jook")is an African American word meaning a roadside tavern or bar that sells cheap drinks, food, and has dancing. "jukin'" meant to dance close in a very suggestive way--a lot of hip movement (grinding).


"Jukin'" at the juke joint!

In 1927, the Autmoatic Musical Instrument Company came out with their coin-operated record player. Juke joints couldn't always afford bands, so this jukebox was certainly the ticket for them!!

What would we do without neon? It made the jukebox a sight to behold! All those bright colors, and that sound the coin made when droped into the slot was a fascination for every one for many years. We got to choose our songs by punching a letter and a number on the "keyboard."


Rockola brand jukebox

Jukeboxes have changed a lot over the years, and now everyone who has a computer can own their very own jukebox! I have two! My latest can be found at the top of my right sidebar. Its name is Grooveshark, and I learned about it from Sue, at Sue's News, Views 'n Muse. I even put an oldie on it for your listening enjoyment! Check it out!! I'm sure it will bring back memories for some of you, and you don't have to have a nickel to listen to the song!

Next week's letter is "K," another challenging letter to be sure! I hope you'll come back to see what I come up with!!

Path To The Other Side, part II

The Rogue Speaks:

If you did not read part one, please scroll down to last Saturday's Centus. Now, the story continues:


He took her hand and placed it against the keystone at the foot of the gate. The warmth emanating from within the stone was like nothing she had ever felt. It entered her body through her palm, burning off the chill of the clear night air.

"What is this?" she asked him.

"I haven't shown you the best part yet," he replied, and he pulled the giant ring in the middle of the gate. The ancient hinges groaned and shrieked as the gate slowly opened.

He took both her hands and gently pulled her through the gate.

"Oh, my!" she cried softly.


This concludes my Saturday Centus. Jenny received this prompt from Jeff Campbell. Please read his post, as well as the other offerings on Jenny's blog.

p.s. I can see again!!!! Yea!!!

I is for Ipso Facto

The Rogue Speaks:

Ipso Facto is a phrase in Latin that means "by the fact itself." In other words, when you do something stupid like WeinerMan did, the effect is a direct consequence of his blatant narcissism and stupidity in posting the famous photo of his "manhood" on the internet. This loser has only been married to his beautiful wife for about a year. What was he thinking!!!!



Baron Acton (1834 - 1902) was the historian and moralist who wrote, in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."


Of course, one does not have to be powerful to engage in acts of greed, stupidity, and infidelity. Men living in or on the edge of poverty often commit moral improprieties in an attempt to shore up their manhood. Those men are rarely in the public eye, however, and it is only the politicians for whom we have cast our votes, whose acts of narcissism or greed quickly become fodder for the ever-present press.

I have read that the two most powerful forces in the lives of many men are sex and money. Maybe that's why there are always a number of scandals in our government involving one or both of those two things, and it has always been that way since the beginning of time.

Poor Kind David, God's favorite, just couldn't keep his hands off Bathsheba, and even had her husband killed so he could have her all to himself. God was not happy about that,so ipso facto He caused David's little son to die.


King Midas loved gold so much that he wished for "the golden touch" and his wish was answered. Everything he touched turned to pure, solid gold. His greed was as strong as his love for his little daughter. After he received "The Midas Touch" he went running around touching everything in sight-- books, furniture, trees, flowers. He was blinded by his desire for gold. During his wild spree, his little daughter came running to him and he hugged her, and ipso facto she turned into a block of hard cold gold. He was brokenhearted, and wanted his warm, loving little daughter back, but unfortunately, it was too late.



Because sex and greed are so much easier for the common man to comprehend, the latest political sex scandal has taken their attention away from far more pertinent issues facing the American public today. Here comes Ipso Facto again! What do you think the result of this focus has produced?

The following is a list of politicians who have been in the news in the last several years. What effect have these men had on your voting record?

Mark Foley
Larry Craig
Mark Sanford
John Edwards
Bill Clinton
"The Terminator"
Vito Fossella
Chris Lee
Eric Massa
Newt Gingrich
Gary Hart
Elliot Spitzer
John Ensign
Chris Massa

This is just a sprinkling of names in the long list of politicians who have disgraced themselves in the last ten years, and a good number of these have been sexual indiscretions. The list of politicians who have been in the game purely for greed is equally long.

The Latin words Ipso Facto are words that we need to remember and contemplate in our ever-changing world today. Do you think Latin is a "dead language"? Think again!!

I was determined to get this Alphabe-Thursday post out today, because I am going "under the knife" tomorrow for cataract surgery, and I don't really know just what the outcome will be. I hope that you will go to Jenny's blog and read the other offerings, because they will probably be a lot more interesting than mine!!

Path To The Other Side

The Rogue Speaks:

i know I am later than usual with my offering, but thanks to Nonna Beach, Jenny has given us 200 words plus the prompt for our Saturday Centus. I feel rich beyond all earthly measures! I think I have used my words wisely, but it is up to you to tell me if I have succeeded!

PATH TO THE OTHER SIDE:


Carefully the two picked their way through the tall grass. The night air was cool and damp, and the full moon cast a pale blue light around them.

“I know it’s around here somewhere,” he whispered to her, and gently pulled her along after him on the overgrown path.

“Why are you whispering?” she asked.

”I don’t know. I guess this place seems almost sacred, like an ancient church-yard filled with old head-stones.”

“Oh,” she said, and she held his hand tighter.

The path ended at a stone wall, not quite as tall as he, with weeds reaching almost to the top. The wall was built long ago, and in between the stones, damp moss, slick and cool, filled the places where crumbling mortar held the stones in place. Reverently, he ran his hands over the wall.

“Hah,” he said after a brief silence. “I knew I would find it again. Wait till you see the gate! This place is really old!”

He was anxious to show her the carved gate with rusting hinges that still kept most intruders out. His heart was beating faster, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

"Here!" he cried at last. "You just won't believe this!"

Henry, But Which One?

The Rogue Speaks:

We all know about Henry David Thoreau, and his fondness for civil disobedience. Were he alive today, he would no doubt have much to say on the subject of today's politics! Thoreau was born in 1817, and in his lifetime, he was a poet, an abolitionist, a naturalist, a tax resister, a development critic, a surveyor, an historian, a philosopher, and a transcendentalist. WHEW!! That guy was sure busy!! He died in 1862, so he never saw television, the internet, a jet plane, an automobile, and all the other fancy gadgets we have! I wonder what he would think of our world today? And just what political party would he vote for??



I could write a lot more about him, but he's not the Henry I had in mind for today's Alphabe-Thursday. My eighth grade sweetheart's name is Henry--Henry Strozier. Here we are at age 14, at Alatoona Lake just outside Atlanta.



Henry wanted to be an actor for as long as I can remember, and that's what he became! He's been in many motion pictures over the years, and has had parts in many night-time t.v. dramas. He was a stage actor for a long time before he went into films.



Henry is retired, now, but he still finds time to do a little work for Ocean Spray!



He's not really the Henry I had in mind for my post, but I thought I would throw him into the mix anyway.

Finally, we come to good old Henry VIII! You know--the one who had 6 wives! Henry reigned from 1509 to 1547. He was the son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and was a pretty intelligent fellow. He wrote books and music, played several musical instruments, and was a patron of the arts.




When his father died, Henry inherited a very wealthy and stable realm. Henry had married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon, in 1509. They only had one child, Princess Mary. Mary was born in 1516. Catherine was in her forties and Henry was desperate for a son.

Henry fell in love with Anne Bolyn, the sister of one of his many mistresses. He wanted to divorce his wife and marry Anne, but the Pope at that time would have none of it. He had already granted Henry a license to marry his sister-in-law, and he thought enough was enough.

Henry was determined to have his own way--after all, he was the KING. So he dumped the Catholic Church and England became Protestant. So Henry married Anne, who also failed to produce a male heir--just another daughter. Henry accused Anne of treason and had her head cut off.

Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, finally gave Henry what he wanted most--a son!! It literally killed her, though. She died 12 days after the boy (who would later become Edward VI)was born.

Henry married two more women, Katherine Howard whom he had executed on the grounds of adultery, and Catherine Parr. Catherine Parr outlived the overweight, irascible Henry, who died in 1547.

So, tell me, just which Henry do you think is the most interesting?

Oh!! I almost forgot!! If you want to hear the music I chose to go with this post, you'll have to scroll down to my playlist and click the big triangle. I haven't had a chance to put it back on auto-play.

THE GUY'S PERSPECTIVE

The Rogue Speaks:

My friend Sai, of The Guy's Perspective has quite a treat for the next podcast. If you have never listened to these guys, please do! They cover a myriad of topics, and the banter between the two of them (Sai and Cucch) is so much fun! Just so you know, the photo above is NOT Sai. He's way better looking than that! Here's the skinny on their next podcast:


The Guy’s Perspective:

We’re good guys in touch with our inner bad boy, delivering straight talk and insightful commentary on relationships and everyday life.
Relationships, Fatherhood, Life & More

The Guy’s Perspective Ep. 38: Actor Charles Shaughnessy interview, 12 items or less, contests

Cucch and Sai are pleased to welcome actor Charles Shaughnessy, well known for his portrayal of Maxwell Sheffield opposite Fran Drescher on CBS’s The Nanny from 1993 to 1999.



Shaughnessy also appeared in the Disney Channel 2002 made-for-TV movie Get a Clue. He was also seen in the Halloween 2000 made-for-TV movie Mom’s Got A Date With A Vampire starring opposite Caroline Rhea (she guest-starred on The Nanny in 1998 as part of a cross-over with Hollywood Squares). That same year, Shaughnessy made two appearances on The WB’s Sabrina (this show stars Rhea, Melissa Joan Hart, and Beth Broderick) playing two different characters. He played Alec Colson in the 8th-season episode “Covenant” of Stargate SG-1. He also voiced Dr Quintaine in the PC game Freelancer.

He has recently appeared on an episode of NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and is also the voice of Dennis the Goldfish on the Disney Channel cartoon series Stanley. On May 11, 2002, Shaughnessy won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for his portrayal of Dennis the Goldfish on Stanley.

Currently Mr. Shaughnessy is starring in Lerner and Loewe’s “My Fair Lady” at The North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly MA from June 7-19. We sit down for a half hour discussion on Broadway, television, parenting, the internet, and a whole lot more.
Also please check out Mr. Shaughnessy’s current projects:
Bus Stop 31 Productions

CoffeyBuzz

But before the interview begins Cucch and Sai give a reminder about the “Guy’s Perspective Slow Jams” Contest. Share your jam and you could win a $25 Starbucks Gift Card!

Also don’t forget about the iTunes Review Challenge. Help us get to 60 reviews and leave a comment on iTunes and be entered in our “2 Thumbs Up!” thumb drive giveaway!

Sai shares his latest Pet Peeve: the very forgiving, or not so forgiving, interpretation of “12 items or less.”

Finally, Cucch and Sai present Mr. Charles Shaughnessy, interviewed by Cucch, aka Chris.

Enjoy the show and thanks for listening!

She Wept

The Rogue Speaks:

The end arrived. No sigh of relief, no peace was felt. Tika took his hand, and wondered just why this had to be. She wept.


Miss Smarty-Pants Jenny tossed us a curve ball with her Saturday Centus. Only 25 words to work with??? Take THAT, Miss Smarty-Pants!!!

Gila Monster--The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!!

The Rogue Speaks:

There's a lot of stuff in the desert that can hurt you, besides the cactus thorns! We have scorpions, rattle snakes, poisonous toads, to name a few. We also have this big fellow:



There are only two venomous lizards--the Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard. The Gila monster bites very quickly and doesn't let go!! It doesn't have fangs like snakes do. Instead, it has grooved teeth through which the venom flows into the bite. The venom is very toxic, as toxic as a rattlesnake, but the Gila monster doesn't give off as much venom as the rattlesnake into a bite.

Gila monsters spend most of their life in hiding below ground. They are large (the largest lizards in the U.S.) and they are long (about 22 inches) and they can store more energy that small lizards. They store the energy in the fat in their tail and their bodies. They can also eat large meals. The have a low basal metabolism, so they do not require many meals. They eat small birds, other lizards, eggs, and field mice.

When they venture out above ground, they have been known to find their way to my house--particularly my sliding glass door to my bedroom. Actually, that has only happened once, but once is more than enough for me. Our barking dog alerted me to something lurking in the shadows one night. I turned on the lights and there he was!!



The fire department is very good at rushing out to removed these guys, so I immediately called 911. The firemen were here in less than 10 minutes. One rookie decided to simply pick up Mr. Gila, and put him in the bucket, but his supervisor stopped him just in time. If the Gila monster feels threatened, he can spit his venom at you! And his hiss alone is enough to scare you away.

This guy was determined to get in my house:



He was taken away and relocated away from houses, for our protection and his. Gilas are threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and are protected under Arizona law. They may live over 20 years!

But the Gila monster isn't all bad. A component of his venom called extendin-4 has been shown to aid in treating type-2 diabetes. Now if you happen to have this illness, please don't run out and try to catch one of these creatures! Their bite is extremely painful!

This concludes my post on this visitor to my desert home. There are a few more I wish had never come to visit, but that's for another time. Please read more offerings at Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday!