I like to watch TV and movies, I’ll admit it. On some of my favorite shows there one character who I call the philosopher. This includes characters like Marjorie Armstrong (Mimi Kennedy) in the TV series Mom, Yoda in the movie Star Wars and Master Po in the TV series Kung Fu. It seems like everything they say is wise. After a while it wears thin on me. Here is a sample dialogue between such a character and another character—a little exaggerated perhaps. I’ll use Marjorie and Christy as an example. (My apologies to the writers of Mom.)

Christy: Marjorie, I’m going out to buy coffee. You want anything?
Marjorie: A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.
Christy: Yeah, that may be but I just going to the store which is three blocks away and I’m driving.
Marjorie: Well, I’ll miss you. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Christy: I’ll just be gone fifteen minutes at the most.
Marjorie: Don’t rush. Better late than never.
Christy: Would you rather I go tomorrow?
Marjorie: No. No. You go. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Christy: I asked you if you wanted anything. Do you?
Marjorie: No. You go. Life is a journey. Hold on and enjoy the ride
Christy: You know, sometimes you drive me crazy.
Marjorie: That okay. The clouds may come, and the tears may fall but hang on, my friend. The sun will come, and your smile will reappear.
Christy: Just once I’d like a straight answer.
​
See what I mean?
​

or ​I'm sure that you all have seen news stories that quoted or referred to an “unnamed source” or some other source.  You may have wondered who this source was and what his/her job was. Let me clarify this for you. There are various types of sources for news. Where that source is from can determine what the source is called. For example, a source might be declared as a “government source” or an “industry source” because they work for the industry for the government. Other common sources are:
An Insider Source—a source who works indoors.
Confidential Source—a source that is very confident.
Official Source—someone who has the job title of “official source”.
Anonymous Source—usually a source whose name the reporter has forgotten.
Unnamed Source—often an anonymous source but usually a source the reporter doesn’t name because it might piss the source off.
A Spokesperson—an official source for an organization.
A Close Source—a source who stands very near someone in the news and is also an anonymous source., For example, “sources close to the POTUS”.
 
Anyone who works at the Pentagon can be a Pentagon Source or a Pentagon Insider. When I worked at the Pentagon, I was surprised to discover that reporters will randomly call the Pentagon telephone numbers hoping that someone, anyone will answer the phone. No matter who answers, the reporters will fire off questions on the current situation. Pentagon sources are classified as:
High-level Pentagon Source – Someone who works on the fifth floor of the Pentagon-- sometimes referred to as a “Top-level” Pentagon source.
Pentagon Source – Someone who works at the Pentagon but not on the fifth floor.
Confidential Pentagon Source – Someone who works at the Pentagon but can't remember what floor he/she works on, a common malady at the Pentagon.
 
Reporters classify the information they gain from sources as:
"On the record": This means the reporter recorded it on something other than a piece of paper. All that is said can be quoted and attributed.
"Unattributable": This means the report has no idea what the source said.
"Off the record": This means that the batteries went dead on the reporter’s recorder.
 
I hope this clarifies the source of news for you.

I read an interesting article by Dominique Michelle Astorino, (3/21/2018) in POPSUGAR (on my newsfeed), “Are You Eating Too Much Sugar? If You Have 1 or More of These Symptoms, Then Yes”. She mentioned acne, headaches, and hormone imbalances. Of course, she left out the following obvious signs:
1.      People want to kiss you often.
2.      You stir your coffee with your thumb, so you don’t have to add sugar.
3.      Kids chase you Halloween night.
4.      Your friends suck on your fingers.
5.      Your doctor now calls your A1C your A1Z.
6.      A trail of ants follows you everywhere.
7.      You start to melt in the sun.
8.      You stick to the seats.
9.      All your teeth fall out.
10.  You have a sugar high 24/7.​

If you have any of these symptoms, you might want to cut back on your sugar consumption.

I read with interest and article on my newsfeed written by Katie Askew in Reader’s Digest, “12 Things You Should Really Never Microwave.” She mentioned eggs, meat, breast milk, all types of containers, certain plates, travel mugs, nothing (an empty microwave), cups of water, and old mugs you might have made at summer camp.   Of course, whenever people write these lists, they omit major things. As a community service, with tongue in cheek, I want to add to the list:

1.      Your hair. Even if your hair is long enough to put into the microwave oven and get the door closed, don’t do it. Use a blow dryer. A wig is another story.
2.      Your underwear. The microwave isn’t a short cut to cleaning your underwear. Use a washing machine.
3.      Your pets. It might seem logical to dry your pet in the microwave. Bad idea, believe me. I learned that the hard way. This is not the way to dry your pets after a bath. They won’t like and may never speak to you again.
4.      Your feet. Trust me on this one. The microwave will not cure foot fungus.
5.      Your daughter’s new boyfriend. Okay, this one I haven’t tried. It might work.
6.      Gun powder. That includes all ammunitions, weapons, pipe bombs, fireworks, and hand grenades. Just don’t try it.
7.      Rocks for sauna or hot rock massage. Just doesn’t work. Use your BBQ.
8.      Containers of gasoline or diesel fuel. Well duh! You shouldn’t bring gas or flammable fuel into your home.​

I hope these guidelines help you to known what you can’t microwave.

It’s that time of year when we take stock of the things we’re thankful for. I have been working on this list for weeks. I’ve eliminated the obvious things that people list every year; family, friends, health, blah, blah, blah. Here’s my list of things I’m thankful for:
 1.      Farts are colorless. Can you imagine what the world would be like if farts were blue or green? That would take all the guess work out of who farted and let the dog off the hook.
2.      Lobsters can’t scream when you cook them (same goes for stepping on bugs). This goes without saying.
3.      Cow can’t fly. Pigeons are bad enough. Thank goodness cows can’t fly.
4.      Dinosaurs are extinct. Driving to work every day is enough of a hassle. Thank goodness we don’t have to dodge dinosaurs too.
5.      Fire. I’m not sure who invented or discovered it, but Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without fire. We’d have to eat cold turkey. What would a BBQ be without fire? A stack of wood or coal.
6.      My secret bank account. I’m glad my wife doesn’t know about my secret bank account. Oh, wait! WTF? Never mind.
7.      Breathing is automatic. I’m certainly glad I don’t have to think about breathing. I’m so forgetful lately, I’d forget to breathe.
8.      Light bulbs. Because without light bulbs, we’d be in …wait for it… the dark ages.
9.      Gravity. Where would we be without gravity? Fling to the far corners of the solar system, I imagine.
10.  Control of my anal sphincter. Can you imagine what life would be like if humans had not control of their anal sphincters? It would be shitty for sure. You could say, “That depends.”
11.  The POTUS plays a lot of golf. I wish he’d play more often.
12.  Beer. Ben Franklin said, “In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.” Which is why I don’t drink water.
13.  Coffee. The elixir of the gods. I plan to quit drinking coffee as soon as I find a better way to get it down.
14.  The thermos. It keeps hot things hot and cold things cold. How does it know?
15.  Golf Carts. A golf cart came in handy when my good buddy Ralph had a heart attack in the middle of our golf game. If we didn’t have a golf cart, we would’ve had to drag his body from hole to hole.
16.  My brain. I’m thankful my mind is still tack as a sharp.
17.  That marijuana is harmless. Thank goodness it haade ne efftive omn me abilly to rite.
​Perhaps you have some non-traditional things to be thankful for. Let’s hear them.

I was in Barnes and Noble the other day when I came across Richard Carlson’s book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff... and it’s all Small Stuff, which became a best seller. It was USA Today's bestselling book for two consecutive years and spent over 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list. He went on to write a series of books based on not sweating the small stuff.
 
It made me think – there must be some small stuff we should sweat. I did a little digging and… now I don’t want to frighten anyone… but some small stuff is worth sweating. Here’s my list:
 
1.      Viruses. Viruses are small things. They consist of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat – too small to be seen by a regular microscopy. They can be nasty small fry. They include Ebola, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Marburg, rabies, smallpox, Dengue and influenza (flu). Might want to sweat viruses.

2.      Bacteria. Bacteria are tiny creatures, typically a few micrometers in length. And here’s the thing… they’re everywhere. Not all bacteria are harmful but some like anthrax, bubonic plague, tuberculosis, and pneumonia are. Others cause serious diseases like cholera, diphtheria, bacterial meningitis, and syphilis. Watch out for these small stuffers.

3.      Unprotected sex. Condoms are small but smaller still are the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) caused by unprotected sex. Here’s a list to name a few: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Herpes, HIV/AIDS, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Syphilis, Bacterial Vaginosis and Trichomoniasis. So let’s all sweat the small condoms.

4.      Cancer. Cancer cells are small but usually there are small symptoms. There are more than 100 types of cancer including carcinomas (skin), sarcomas (bone and soft tissues), Osteosarcoma (bone) leukemias (bone marrow), Hodgkin lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin and Melanoma (skin). If you see a small and strange growth on your skin or feel a lump -- sweat it.

5.      Mosquitoes. These tiny insects bug me. They sneak in and suck your blood before you even know you’re a victim. They transmit diseases like malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, yellow fever,  encephalitis, and Zika fever. I certainly sweat theses small things. Use insect repellant.

6.      A polyp in your colon. Polyps are small and not always serious. You need routine exams and a biopsy to find them and check them out. They might be serious.

7.      Termites. They’re small bug that not only bug you, but they eat wood. They could destroy your house. Sweat it. Get a terminator.
​
8.      Tumors. They start out as small stuff and that’s the best time to have them removed. If you wait, they could be come large enough to kill you. Sweat it.
 
I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but there is some small stuff that needs to be sweated.

​Chris turned off his vibrating cellphone. He had allowed himself a couple of hours of sleep by putting his cellphone on vibrate and holding it in his hand. His eyes adjusted to the darkness. All his senses were alert now: listening, watching, smelling and feeling for the slightest indication that he was not alone. The house was silent.

​All the occupants were probably asleep by now. Chris sat up and adjusted his ski mask and checked his trench knife. The first phase of his mission was completed without incident. Slowly, quietly, Chris stood and pressed his body up against the wall. The door to the hallway was only a few feet away. He reached the door and peeked around the door frame and down the hall. It was empty.

Slipping down to all fours, Chris used the alligator crawl technique to move down the hallway. It was a moonless night, so he didn’t need to worry about illumination coming from outside. From the kitchen door, he peered inside. No one was there. Using the Alabama high-stepper technique to avoid trip wires and obstacles, he entered the kitchen. He held his breath for nearly a minute as he listened for any unusual noise. There was none. The target was there on the counter top. In one smooth motion, he removed his trench knife and slid over to his target.

Suddenly, the kitchen light came on and a voice from the doorway asked, “Chris, what the hell are you doing?”

Chris froze. “I, I, I just wanted a piece of cake.”

His wife put her hands on her hips. “You’re a diabetic. Cake will raise your blood sugar. Besides, the doctor said you must lose weight. Now put that knife down before you hurt yourself and take off that ski mask. You look ridiculous. Come back to bed.

Rats, ambushed. Abort mission, Chris thought. Tomorrow is another night.

The End

I read about a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that found people who partially confessed to a misdeed ended up feeling worse than those who fully confessed. Apparently, a full confession is good for the soul - good news for Catholics. The study stated a partial confession eases the guilty feeling but still lets us get away with some bad behavior. We sometimes use a partial confession to make ourselves look better in the eyes of others. A partial confession often seems more believable. I’m not sure if the timing of this study had anything to do with President Trump – maybe. Perhaps, there’ll be a full confession or full disclosure from him yet to come. We can only hope. The study looked at such issues as cheating, breaking the law, infidelity, stealing, drug use, and lying. I found it interesting that the following  significant issues weren’t considered:
1. Farting. This could be in bed, in the living room, or in an elevator. It is a compelling reason to own a dog.    
2. Eating the last doughnut. When confronted with this accusation, it is best not to have the tell-tale powdered sugar on your face or clothes.    
3. Not reading all of the terms of an agreement before clicking on “I agree” or “I have read all the terms of agreement.” Guilty! No comment.    
4. Removing the tag on bedding that says, “DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENTALITY OF LAW.” I know you did it because sometimes you need to feel a little wild – an outlaw.   
5. Denying that you were looking at a woman’s cleavage or a man’s tight jeans. I’m not sure how you could partially confess to this. Could you say you had one eye closed? And it was your good eye. Our you could fake blindness. Works for me.    
6. Stating that you have no idea how you gained weight while on a diet. Again, guilty. It couldn’t be the wine you drink – wine comes from grapes – a fruit. It can’t be chocolate candy – chocolate comes from the coco bean – again a fruit.
7. Telling your significant other you weren’t flirting with his/her best friend. No, you are just being friendly. Not your type anyway.
8. Telling the police officer that pulled you over you had no idea how fast you were driving. You were just trying to blow out the carbon from the engine. Maybe you thought the officer was your ex stalking you. Could work.
9. Telling your significant other you aren’t sneaking a smoke after you swore to give up smoking. Of course not! You gave your word and if anything, your word is good.
10. Telling your doctor you feel just fine. You don’t want any new meds. You can’t afford the fee. Whatever. Don’t tell the doctor about the chest pains. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?

Those are just a few issues that the study failed to address. I am sure that you readers can think of more. Let me know.

Today is Veterans Day honoring the current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including those who have died in the pursuit of freedom. This is my tribute to our veterans. When I write “brother” I am including sisters too.

Were you there with me, brother, with muddy boots when we stormed Normandy and started to push back the Germany Army? Or were you with the 82d Airborne and Patton at the Battle of the Bulge? We liberated Paris. We stood in shook as we saw the survivors of the concentration camps. We saw the ovens and still smell the burning flesh. We saw the destruction of the German cities, many centuries old – the victims of war. We forgave but couldn’t forget. After the war, we helped to rebuild Europe.

Were you there with me, brother, when the Japanese surprised us and bombed Pearl Harbor without a declaration of war? Maybe you were there when Bataan fell, and the Japanese bottled us up in the tunnels of Corregidor. We who survived made the Bataan Death March. We fought back at the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal. You walked with me and Mac in muddy boots as we leap-frogged across the South Pacific to push the Japanese back and finally returned to the Philippines.

We are so few still living. We were the greatest American generation. Those who survived the war came home and built and rebuilt the United States industries to make the USA the greatest country in the world – a world super power. We made the mold, set the standard and inspired future generations. Soon we will be gone but never forgotten.

Were you there with me, brother, at Pusan when we stopped the North Koreans and held the perimeter? We held the line to buy time for Mac to organize a counterattack. Or maybe you came ashore at Inchon in an amphibious landing that turned the tide of the war and turned back the communists? Then we watched the massive Chinese intervention into the Korean War and fought a strategic withdraw. We fought at Bloody Ridge, Heartbreak Ridge and Old Baldy. We were the "The Chosin Few” or, as we called ourselves, “The Frozen Chosin.” We have been there ever since to protect the South Koreans.

Were you there with me, brother, when we went to fight in a country we didn’t know to fight a war we didn’t start and didn’t want. We wadded through rice paddies and walked in elephant grass. We were in the Delta when the monsoon struck and soaked us until we looked like drowned rats. We fought at Khe San, in Hue during the Tet Offensive, and on Hamburger Hill. We felt the earth tremble during Arclight strikes by B-52 Stratofortresses, or when the artillery answered a call for fire support or when Hueys airlifted us into battle or for a medevac. We marveled when Spooky –Puff the Magic Dragon – delivered ordinance on Charlie, or when artillery flares lit up the night or when ice cream, still cold, made it to the field. Even now, on a clear day when the wind is right, we can still smell the burning crappers, the smoke from smoke grenades and the napalm. Our ears still ring from the sounds of claymores going off, from incoming rockets and the cries of our wounded. We fought to hold the line against communism until finally we withdrew and Saigon fell. But we fought mainly to protect our brothers on our flanks. When we came home, no one said “Thanks for your service,” or “Job well done,” or even, “Welcome home".

Were you there with me, brother, when we went into the Dominican Republic to stop a communist takeover? Or maybe you were there when we overthrew the socialists in Grenada? We captured the Panamanian dictator and drug-smuggler Manuel Noriega. We were in Lebanon when terrorists bombed the Marine barracks in Beirut. We lost many brothers that day. The cost of freedom is high and is paid in blood in places like Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Freedom isn’t free.

Were you there with me, brother, when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and crossed the line we had drawn in the sand? We countered attacked with Desert Storm. We liberated Kuwait in 100 hours. We stood in shock as we watched oil wells burn. Finally, we invaded Iraq and occupied Baghdad. We searched and captured Hussein. He was tried and hanged. The country held free elections to vote in a new government. We felt the heat in July and August and froze our butts in January. We are still there to help keep the peace and to fight terrorism.

​Were you there with me, brother, when we went after the Taliban and Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan?  We hunted down Osama bin Laden and finally found him in Abbotabad, Pakistan where Navy seals killed him. We participated in Operation Khanjar ("strike of the sword"). We felt the oppressively heat of summer in Kandahar. We are still there to help keep the peace and to fight terrorism. 

On this day we honor all veterans, living or dead. We shall never forget. We stand shoulder to shoulder with all veterans whether we share the same foxhole or just the same experiences. We have your six.
​
--Monte R. Anderson