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Do you want to be an icon? Can an icon come to you live?

If a newscaster was a zombie, would he be reporting live, dead, half-live or half-dead?

Oh, you say, some newscasters definitely are zombies – “the walking dead.” Especially those reading teleprompters or scripts without knowing what they’re reading.

Television news programs particularly like the word live. That word, they think, gives the event special significance, presence, exclusivity. I’ve been watching the Vancouver Winter (that’s win’er for many broadcasters) Olympics. And the TV promotion says “coming to you live from Vancouver, Canada!” But actually the report is at least three-hours delayed.

But, “it’s recorded live!” How else could it have been recorded? Maybe to keep costs down, NBC could occasionally record something dead. Like the headline I saw on AOL News: “Terrorist Shot Dead Live.”

Now another common term is icon, as in “living icon,” “a movie icon,” “a baseball icon.” My question is: Can an icon come to you live?

Primary meaning of icon: “In Eastern church [Orthodox church], a representation of some sacred personage, as Christ or a saint or angel, painted usually on a wood surface and venerated itself as sacred.” Secondary meaning: “A picture, image, or other representation.” I won’t get into computer “icons” as that technology has redefined hundreds of old words, like “mouse.”

An “icon” is an artistic representation of a dead holy person. So how do stars like Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, Sidney Poitier, etc., become “icons”? Simple. Through live TV, which as we have seen could be delayed broadcasting.

The media is getting sloppy in its use of language, and it is changing many of its viewers in the same way. Gone is the preciseness of speech by broadcasters like Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow and more recently Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings.

Now we have copywriters writing error-filled scripts read by broadcasters who spend little time editing or understanding what they’re reading. So we get NBC’s “iconic” Meredith Vieira coming to you more or less live from Vancouver: “Classic mix-up: NBC confuses Terry Fox and Michael J. Fox.” To top it off, the Yahoo news writer used the word “classic” to mean – I have little idea what. Perhaps “embarrassing” or “ignorant.” Certainly not “classic.”

Do you want to speak good English well? Don’t trust the media to teach you.

Thanks for reading this classic article, written live by the iconic Robert the Robert.

The Face That Can Boil You To Death

Ideas have consequences. Harmful ideas have harmful consequences.

For several years I have tried to show people the weaknesses and dangers in the so-called LAW OF ATTRACTION, particularly as taught in the book and film THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne. Such notables as Oprah and Larry King mindlessly promoted some of the gurus in that book, such as James Arthur Ray.

James Ray uses the illustration of the genie in the lamp and “your wish is my command.” There is a power, he maintains, in the Universe that will grant us our wishes if we just put them out there….the Universe says, ‘Your wish is my command.’” THE SECRET, pp. 46, 89.

So do we conclude that three people who attended Ray’s sweat lodge wished for a painful death?  And 18 others wished for hospitalization? Mr. Ray himself must have wished to be arrested for manslaughter and civil lawsuits amounting to millions of dollars.

The irony of this sad situation is that Ray and his lawyers refer to this event as “an accident,” yet the Law of Attraction does not allow for “accidents.” Basically, it teaches that we get what we put out to the Universe. (Don’t ask me what Universe means here—it’s one of those esoteric, hazy words often used by self-help teachers.)

“Every great teacher who has ever walked the planet has told you that life was meant to be abundant.” THE SECRET, p. 148. So, James Ray is not a great teacher, for he has led trusting people into huge expenses, illness, delusion and even death.

He’s not the only one like that. There are so many other “gurus” who say much the same thing, touting the so-called “Law of Attraction” as the mantra for success. Although most of these teachers have not caused death to their participants, they have lead them to false hopes, racked-up credit card bills, and a belief in some magical formula for success.

Now, James Ray has been given the opportunity to show the “power to create your world.” He has been arrested for three counts of manslaughter. He is also being sued for millions of dollars by those wrongfully harmed. But, Mr. Ray, no problem–just send your positive thoughts into the Universe, rub that magic lamp, and these problems will just go away–and you might even get more abundance in in their place.

Here’s one of Ray’s favorite teachings: “I’d ask you, ‘Are the results you have in your life what you really want? And are they worthy of you?’ If they’re not worthy of you, then wouldn’t now be the right time to change those? Because you have the power to do that.” THE SECRET, pp. 164-5.

Ray and his attorneys blame others: “…the people who built the sweat lodge and the people who own the property where this occurred.” But they propose that the greatest blame rests on a “freak accident.” Said one attorney: “Mr. Ray claims that this is just a freak accident and takes not even a one percent responsibility for what happened.”

Ray’s modus operandi is simple: If good comes out of your teaching, it is from the Universe. If bad comes out of it, “It was an accident.”

Who is a Who and not a That.

Why do I make a big fuss about some grammar errors or changes in our English language?

It is not so much for the defense of correct grammar. It’s because there are some rules that have to do with attitudes toward personhood. My resolve is strengthened by the title of a book written by Yvonne Oswald called EVERY WORD HAS POWER. But even more so by the truth in the Gospel of John: “The word was made flesh.”

Years ago an unborn baby of unknown sex was generally referred to as “he” or “him.” That was a generic pronoun and could refer to either male or female. Then the libbers came and changed that to “it.” Even “manhole cover” became “utility cover.” Fortunately, it didn’t become an “it-hole cover!”

Special interest groups must first abrogate the humanity of people, make them appear less than human, before controlling them, or destroying their right to life. In wars, each side seeks to demean the personhood of the enemy so that killing them is easier on the conscience. To some extent, modern English has done that to unborn babies and, to a growing extent, to babies in their early years.

What does this change in pronouns signal? Infanticide—the killing of handicapped babies?

I predict that in time elderly folks who are severely handicapped will be referred to by the pronoun “it.” “I tried to talk to the Alzheimer’s patient, but it didn’t respond to my questions.” Seems far-fetched? About as far-fetched as if 50 years ago people would call a newborn baby an “it.”

We are approaching that itness, though, with sentences like: “I tried to talk to an Alzheimer’s patient that didn’t respond to my questions.” I hear the non-human pronoun that used frequently for humans, even in sermons from the pulpit.

Now we have a Bible translation—Today’s New International Bible—that is supposed to be gender friendly. Why? Because some modern folks are no longer able to accept “he” as a generic pronoun to describe someone whose gender we don’t know or who may not have a gender. That’s why to me it is correct to refer to God as “He,” not because God is male but because he is neither male nor female.

When an unborn baby becomes “it,” abortion is easier on the conscience than if one referred to the baby as a “him” or “her.” It is just easier to kill an “it” than a “him” or “her.”

I’ve seen a growing trend among journalists, commentators, preachers and politicians to refer to a child up to two years old as an “it.” I’ve even seen Christian writers fall into this habit, even if they know the gender of the child. Is that laying the groundwork for infanticide, killing of born babies with defects? After all, if the child is an “it,” infanticide can’t be murder.

The use of the relative pronoun “that” is now also supplanting the use of “who.” A simple rule: “Who” refers back to a person and sometimes a pet. “That” refers back to a thing, event or idea. To refer to a person as a “that” is to call him an “it.”

“The carpenter WHO built my cabinet was one of the best. The cabinet THAT he built was a beautiful one.”

If we want to maintain the personhood of people, we need to describe them in terms referring to people, not things.

If we honor God’s creation of mankind and his redemption of man (used in the generic here), then we should honor people with the human pronoun “who.”

What about “whom?” I’ll let that go, for it is now acceptable to use “who” for both subjective and objective cases. I’m all right with “I’m happy that you gave the ring to whoever wanted it. He is the person who I referred to.” That use doesn’t lessen the idea of personhood.

It’s near midnight—so now I’m off to bed to join the woman that is sleeping!

A SHARP MIND ALL YOUR LIFE

Alzheimer’s…dementia…memory loss…fuzzy thinking—all frightening terms, not just for older folks but even for today’s younger adults.

Are these conditions unavoidable, a crap shoot in something called life, a penalty for growing old, a result of mixed-up DNA, an inheritance from our parents and grandparents? It’s estimated that one out of eight of today’s “Baby Boomers” will develop Alzheimer’s. That’s scary.

Lifestyle, of course, has much to do with the disabilities we earn as we grow older. But there are other reasons for some diseases.

Let’s investigate something more positive—how to avoid or lessen the impact of brain drain.

Most media has ignored an astounding discovery. In the last few years researchers discovered that nicotinamide can restore memory loss, even from Alzheimer’s. Dr. David G. Williams writes extensively about this in his ALTERNATIVES newsletter, February 2009. I’ve also researched other sources. I am convinced that this protocol could help without causing any harm.

Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., also published a similar article his March 2009 Clinical Nutrition and Healing newsletter –http://ahha.org/Alzheimers.htm

During this last year, I’ve been on the nicotinamide regimen as Dr. Williams recommended. I believe my memory and my creatively has sharpened substantially. In November, I even wrote a novel of 50,000+ words. Some days I got physically tired long before my mind wanted to rest.

My 87-year-old mother-in-law has also been using nicotinamide and she reports positive results.

Nicotinamide is also known as niacinamide, an inexpensive water-soluble vitamin part of the B-group. A year’s supply should cost less than $40. Don’t confuse this vitamin with niacin, which could cause a flushing effect.

Dr. Kim Green at the University of California at Irvine did one study on mice with Alzheimer’s. After using his treatment for just four months, he declared, “Cognitively, they were cured. They performed as if they’d never developed the disease.”

Dr. Green also added: “The vitamin completely prevented cognitive decline associated with the disease, bringing them back to the level they’d be at if they didn’t have the pathology.” In his study, he also found that the vitamin improved memory and behavior in the control group of mice without Alzheimer’s. On www.pubmed.gov, there were 16 other current studies reported, all showing benefits of niacinamide supplementation.

OK, you say, that’s mice, not humans. There are ongoing studies now with humans. It’ll be months before we know the findings. But here’s the main point: this vitamin is cheap and with no harmful side effects, but with the potential of many benefits.

Dr. Williams’ concludes: “If I had a friend or family member with the disease, or if I were predisposed to Alzheimer’s…I would immediately start taking higher doses of niacinamide. And remember, the research also strongly suggests that it could improve memory in healthy individuals as well.”

Dr. William Kaufman was a pioneer in the 1930s and 40s in researching niacinamide in regards to problems associated with its deficiency, such as arthritis as well as mental acuity. “He discovered that many of the physical and mental problems associated with ‘normal’ aging are actually the result of inadequate amounts of niacinamide in the diet.”

But here’s one problem. Being water-soluble, this vitamin was absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and central nervous system. The benefits peaked after about 90 minutes and were almost gone within three hours. So one would have to take it at least every three hours. The recommended amount is 250 mg. However, even ingesting it less often could benefit people, especially those who don’t have mental deterioration as yet.

I have a handy dispenser on my desk and carry it with me when I go away, even for half a day. I hardly ever miss taking a tablet on time—after all, it does improve your ability to remember!

You can order it from www.swansonvitamins.com – 250 caps of 250 mg. for less than $4. At six a day, that’ll last you 40 days—ten cents a day. If you want preservative-free, you can buy them at www.freedavitamins.com – 500 caps of 250 mg for about $20. (I have no connection with these companies and get no commissions.)

Of course, no single food supplement is the answer. A total wellness lifestyle is. The right supplements just make that lifestyle more effective.

Let me know your thoughts and experience with this niacinamide regimen.

Proverbs 3:7-8: “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.”

Since Erma Bombeck died, I haven’t yet found any advice columnist worth reading. She is the Solomon for today’s world. Here’s her “Ten Rules to Live By.”

1. Never have more children than you have car windows!
2. Gravity always wins. [Your bathroom mirror tells you that when the sags appear.] Accept that.
3. Never loan your car to someone to whom you have given birth.
4. Pick your friends carefully. A “friend” never goes on a diet when you’re fat.
5. Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.
6. Given a choice between the man of your dreams and a plumber, choose the latter. Men who can fix your toilet on Sundays are hard to come by!
7. Know the difference between success and fame. Success is Mother Teresa. Fame is Madonna!
8. Never be in a hurry to terminate a marriage. Remember, you may need this man or woman someday to complete a sentence for you.
9. There are no guarantees in marriage. If that’s what you’re looking for, go live with a Sears battery.
10. Never go to your class reunion pregnant. If you do, they’ll think that’s all you’ve been doing since you graduated!

That tenth one doesn’t apply to me. So I’ll redesign it.

Never go to a class reunion wearing a toupee. If you do, they’ll think you’re a trapper!

“All of us have moments in out lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them.” – Erma Bombeck (1927 – 1996).

Proverbs 1:7: “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Does higher education turn fools into wise people? Does learning to chug-a-lug beer and party through the night lead to true knowledge? Not all college students are like that, of course. Many are.

According to Lady Wisdom (Solomon), the fear of the Lord is the only cure for foolishness.

I write this on April Fool’s Day. That leads me to think of the times I’ve been a fool, and hopefully avoid being foolish in the future. But no confessions right now. It’s the wrong day to be so serious.

Many writers and philosophers have chimed in on foolishness.

• It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt. –Mark Twain
• Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything. – Frank Dane.
• However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire him. — Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
• [Politicians] never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. — Thomas Reed . (This is not true of all politicians. I know of at least two who are rather wise.)
• Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and higher education positively fortifies it. –Stephen Vizinczey, An Innocent Millionaire.
• Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. — Elizabeth Gaskell
• Fools rush in where fools have been before. – Unknown. (Experience doesn’t always cure foolishness.)
• Looking foolish does the spirit good. — John Updike . (Of course—some people consider their foolishness to be wisdom.)
• Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. — Mark Twain
• A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. — William Blake
• A fool must now and then be right by chance. — Cowper
• Lord, what fools these mortals be! – William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
• The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. — Mark Twain

Lady Wisdom–the Proverbs–urge us to be wise by following God. Why not follow the Highest Source of wisdom and let it rub off on you? Why be a fool 365.25 days of the year? Start seeking wisdom today, even if it’s Fool’s Day. Much more important, it’s also “the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:21).

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” Romans 11:33, RSV Bible.

Proverbs 20:17: “Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth.”

Have you ever had a “sand sandwich?” Perhaps at the beach, a little sand got into your picnic lunch. It’s crunchy, isn’t it?

More and more cheaters are now eating “sand-wiches.” Bernard Madoff facing life in prison for his $50-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. AIG executives facing the public’s backlash for their “bonuses.” And the list goes on and on.

In his book, Winners Never Cheat, John Huntsman tells about his grandsons’ G3 Club, which they began and put on by themselves, without adults present. Some rules: (1) You have to be at least six years old; (2) you can’t fall asleep in meetings; (3) mustn’t wet your pants; (4) or crawl under the table.

Then there are the G3 ethical rules.

1. Do what you’re supposed to do when told.

2. Be honest and kind.

3. Never tell lies.

4. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

Oh, if only older kids would follow those rules—older all the way up to the ages of those in governmental positions…and kings, queens and dictators too! And those in care of our money and taxes and healthcare. Educators, too, and students writing term papers and taking exams. Athletes who might take performance-enhancing drugs.

The laws of a nation might help to keep the rationalizers and the unfair manipulators in check. But the greatness of any nation is not so much in its laws but in the laws written on the citizens’ hearts. Decency and generosity, putting the other person first, are not governed by laws but by living ethics within the character.

That’s what the G3 kids were expressing. To play and live “honorably and splendidly” at any age.

“Life to me is the greatest of all games. The danger lies in treating it as a trivial game, a game to be taken lightly, and a game in which the rules don’t matter much. The rules matter a great deal. The game has to be played fairly or it is no game at all. And even to win the game is not the chief end. The chief end is to win it honorably and splendidly.” – Ernest Shackleton, Antarctica explorer (1874–1922).

Proverbs 1:20-23: “Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate: ‘How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge? Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.”

Some years ago, a TV commercial declared, “You can’t fool Mother Nature!” That applied to a substitute for butter. Viewers resonated with the message because it was much bigger than about butter—it was about everything!

Solomon likewise personified Wisdom as a woman who implores people to listen to her, who opens up her heart to anyone who would learn from her. But few really listen. Most listen to impersonators, “women” who pretend to offer happiness and riches and gratification.

If only Lady Wisdom would entertain us more, educate us less! Like TV sitcoms and dramas, unreal “reality TV,” variety and talk shows, sports, movies, radio, popular music, even news programs and documentaries. Then add the MP3 players, internet and video games. Whew!
But the entertainment world gives most people what they want, and they want more and more of what they’re getting, only more violent, sexy, controversial, crude.

Lady Wisdom sings and dances here and there—but most people change the channel, look elsewhere. We don’t think of ourselves as simpletons because we can name most of the stars of any current TV program, describe the episodes in detail, and laugh at The Simpsons and South Park.

The drama programs propound relativism, humanism, nihilism, philosophies far removed from God. The fleeting tears they manipulate in our eyes often make us feel we care about others and have done something to help them. We inwardly cry against injustice and unfairness. But there are few actions beyond that—except to block out time to watch the next episode.

That’s my rant. I’m not a hermit, and I watch some of that stuff too. But more and more I’m hearing a woman’s voice calling to me, wanting to draw closer to me, wanting an intimate relationship. She’s quite a talker! Serious talk too. But straight to my heart, my mind.

She promises she’ll make me wise. Practical and spiritual wisdom. I could use more of both.

“Don’t you wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There’s one marked ‘Brightness,’ but it doesn’t work.” – Gallagher

Proverbs 1:10,18,19: “My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!…these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.”

Leonard was a friend of mine in seventh grade. I had moved recently from a farm in Manitoba, he was city boy and knew his way around. That meant he knew how to shoplift, steal from cars, smoke (and inhale), and kiss girls! I was ignorant of all of that. But it didn’t remain that way.

It’s seems to be the way of “sinners” to want others to join them in their ways. Maybe it makes them feel important or less guilty. Or gives them a sense of companionship. “Honor among thieves” sort of thing. So I joined Leonard in a few of his heists. And once he made a girl kiss me—but it felt much like slobber. And as for the few things I stole, I was never happy with them.

Fortunately in high school, I found a few friends who had higher standards.

Our society frowns on outright thievery. But so many have found ways to justify their stealing, and to have others join them. “Everyone’s doing it” has become a way to make us feel less guilty about our sins, even satisfied that we’re not so bad.

Then there’s stealing on a large scale that’s just a “way of doing business.” Our world is now suffering a recession, perhaps soon a depression, because financial wizards found a way to legally steal billions of dollars. They’ve done this through “creative financing” of houses for those who couldn’t afford it, of bundling loans to sell to banks.

It seems that the whole business world enticed consumers into buying too much, borrowing too much, investing unwisely. Why? Not just for exorbitant profits, but also to win the game, to do as well or better than others in the same game.

A few years ago some investment “expert” tried to get me into his deal. Even though I told him repeatedly that it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t give up. I heard some of the commotion from his “boiler room.” There was a contest going on! And if I had said yes, then this expert would’ve gotten another prize!

Marketing has become a game—where the seller is the winner and the buyer is a loser. And for the winner there are accolades from his associates and awards from the sales manager and company.

Have you noticed how much “on your side” these sellers are, whether offering you credit cards, investments, timeshares, business opportunities? Why do people fall to scam artists? Because the scammer has perfected his “friend-to-friend” style. So too with many sales people. And they’re “your friends” not to help you but to help themselves. They are sinners.

This is not to judge all sales people in the same category; some offer a genuine worthwhile service that you might need. But I’ve found a workable rule: All sales people are sinners! At least that’s a good place to begin when dealing with them. Don’t be eager to join them.

Except here’s a problem. What about me, when I try to sell someone on something? Do I have a saint or sinner attitude? Scary question—and I’ll have to examine myself. These Proverbs help.

“Criminal: A person with predatory instincts who has not sufficient capital to form a corporation.” – Howard Scott (1926 - )

Proverbs 1:8-9: “My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.”

I was raised (reared) in a rather poor farm home in Manitoba, and my parents didn’t go beyond grade school. There were some important lessons I learned from them. First, persistence. You couldn’t farm without trying again and again to turn dirt into profit and pasture into milk money. Persistence also in borrowing, for year after year my parents had to go to the bank in the springtime for “seed money.”

Second, I learned selection. Not everything the adults tried to teach us was wisdom. Yet, in spite of their “old ways and thinking,” they generally wanted their children to “get an education.”

A few important rules for life I learned by imitation; a few by rebellion, doing the opposite. And the rest, it seems, either by experimentation or from “parents” such as mentors, teachers, and friends.
I’m still learning, un-learning and re-learning. I wish I had studied the Proverbs much earlier in life. I don’t recollect anyone telling me to do so, until I read Steven Scott’s book, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived.

I just didn’t have a Solomon as a father to teach me about a successful life, as did his son. Perhaps even if I had, I would’ve rebelled, as did some of Solomon’s descendants. Even Solomon himself lost his way for a while.

But now I’m so thankful that I have all this wisdom available, and that I can more intelligently select the teachings of others that reflect the same foundation. I’m even listening to my grown children and learning important lessons from them—perhaps they’ve learned wisdom in some things by doing the opposite of what I did!

I’m trusting that within a few years, by my seventieth birthday, I’ll finally have that “crown of grace and chain of honor.”

If you’re younger, even in your teens or childhood, why not start now? It’s really no fun or profit to go through much of life getting detoured by wrong paths. Proverbs help us to read the signposts correctly. And to have the courage and strength to obey them.

“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.” — Thomas H. Huxley (1825-1895).