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.”

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.

Life is energy! That’s what hit me as I watched The Buddy Holly Story on TV…again. “There’s a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on!” That song, written by Jerry Lee Lewis, set the theme for Holly’s work and short life.

Buddy Holly 1936 - 1959

Energy—enthusiasm—excitement. Just three guys, Buddy Holly and The Crickets, produced so much excitement that the music world would never be the same. And they did it without all the pyrotechnics and sound equipment that today’s rock groups use. They were at the beginning of a major movement in music that is still going on—forty years later.

What do we need to get some of that kind of “shaking”? Some of today’s biggest successes started with just a an idea and wisdom. And energy—“a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on.” But it was more than senseless enthusiasm. That shaking had rhythm, harmony, purpose, a message. All that working together produced “celebration.”

We have everything we need to cause a whole lot of shaking or celebration. Like the Energizer Bunny, we have charged-up batteries. We have opportunities to shake up our attitudes and rearrange them so we can be real movers in today’s world. We can shake up our ideas of living and produce new sounds that shake up and rearrange our attitudes for the better.

We can shake up the old ways of looking at health and illness, ways that have proven to be so deficient in the past centuries. We can help to shake the old ways into a rhythm and harmony that produce healing and vitality.

Such energy comes from having highest values in our purpose, mission and method. We can’t “fake it ‘til we make it.” We can make it because, as Solomon counsels, it is true right from the start.

Buddy Holly did not look like a music star—he was scrawny, with buckteeth, thick glasses, shy demeanor. But his love of music, his inventive style and willingness to take risks made him a star. Was he a great guitarist? He said, “All you need to know is three chords!” Was he a great singer? Not a Caruso or Elvis Presley, but rather tinny in voice. But he had—you guessed it! ENERGY!

That’s why I’m so thankful for each of you who shares a better way with people in need of wholeness and a life-enhancing purpose in life.

Let’s keep our enthusiasm (“God in us”) heading toward “a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on.”

“Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.” – Sarah Bernhardt (1844 – 1923).

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).

“We reap what we sow,” said St. Paul (see Galatians 2:7). But Jesus told a parable of an enemy coming at night and sowing the honest farmer’s field with weed seeds. See Matthew 13:25-29. So it’s true that we attract what we plant—unless others interfere. Then we have problems to deal with in the harvest.

Hundreds of millions of people suffered severely and tens of thousands died horrible deaths during the awful wars of the last century. Why? Our proverb above points out why. Not because of good people’s wrong thoughts—but because of evil people deeds. The Law of Destruction interferes with the so-called Law of Attraction.

As I consider the meaning of Memorial Day, I’m led to the thought that all wars, and many competitive sporting events (types of war) give clear evidence that the Law of Attraction, particularly as propounded in THE SECRET, is a lie. In wars and competitive sports we generally have two opposing sides, both considering theirs to be right and that they will win.

Even in the last few days before his suicide, Hitler still envisioned victory! And when he didn’t achieve it, he blamed the German people for their weakness and Germany’s loss.

We have the NBA finals going on now. With thousands of others, I cheered for the Blazers. A lot of energy flowed to “The Universe” for their victory. Blazer players had confidence that they would win. What happened? Did the Houston Rockets’ fans and players have MORE confidence, send more energy to wherever? Or did they just play a little better with more experienced and talented players? Or did the referees favor the Rockets? [This last explanation isn't supposed to count in the Law of Attraction, according to THE SECRET, because no outside forces can affect the outcome of the energy you send out into the Universe ."]

In THE SECRET, there’s enough truth to trick even discerning readers to believe the whole package. If there’s enough honey on the stale donut, the first few bites might taste good. But when you start to masticate and notice the inner taste, you realize that it’s stale and unappetizing. And the best part of that kind of donut is the hole!

The best part of THE SECRET is what’s been left out—realistic truth.

For your comments on this series, thanks again. You’ve helped me sharpen my thinking.
My blogs from now on will be thoughts more on practical daily life, so I might not refer to the Law of Attraction much anymore. The more I read and re-read THE SECRET, the more upset I became with its errors. It was developing negative energy within me, and I don’t need that!

“I see America, not in the setting sun of a black night of despair ahead of us, I see America in the crimson light of a rising sun fresh from the burning, creative hand of God. I see great days ahead, great days possible to men and women of will and vision.” – Carl Sandburg (1878 – 1967).

Solomon here makes an observation, not a prescription. Of all the times in Israel’s history, his reign was the most peaceful.

My first memory of war was when I was three or four years old. My dad came home from town with a newspaper in his overcoat pocket. He showed it to us, and it had headlines and photos of the war in Europe. Dad also listened to a battery-operated radio to get news about the war, the bombings in Britain, the losses and advances in Europe.

Outside, we played war. We repeated, “Hitler can’t take Canada, Hitler can’t take France, If Hitler comes to Canada, We’ll kick him in the pants!”

In our rare trips to Winnipeg, we sometimes ate at the New Moon Café. A man came around the tables selling cards, much like baseball cards, with ghastly pictures of soldiers killing soldiers with bayonets, depicting the Germans as being without mercy.

Robert E. Lee in 1862, at the Battle of Fredericksburg, said: “It is well that war is so terrible—otherwise we would grow too fond of it.” Often, during this Memorial Day weekend, those removed from war by a generation of two, celebrate the holiday with fondness and forget the purpose. Shopping and eating replace stopping and thanking.

During this weekend, we need to remember the fallen from all nations, the people who died and those wounded because of wars. We need to remember so that we will seek peace above all else.

The two world wars were appalling in just the deaths alone. WORLD WAR I – over 16,500,000 killed. United States lost 113,465 people in battle; Canada lost 66,944.

WORLD WAR II – over 73,700,000 killed, 3.71% of the population of the countries involved. Of that, the Third Reich countries of Austria, Germany and ethnic Germans in other countries lost 7,338,500 people – 8.7% of their population. Japan lost 2,700,000 or 3.78% of their population.

United States lost 418,500 people—0.32% of its population—and Canada lost 45,300—0.40% of its population. A very small percentage when compared with some other nations. Yet, a dear loss to families and friends. I remember the tears shed by families when news of their loss came to them.

So we remember. We thank. We sing our national anthems. But let’s sing in a way that does not make us feel superior to other nations, but one with them in the sorrow of our common losses.

“There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory; but, boys, it is all hell.” — General William Tecumseh Sherman to the graduating class of Michigan Military Academy, April 11, 1880.

You might have to do some slanted thinking to tie in my title with today’s lesson of wisdom. I think you’ll get the connection, though. Even the most way-out Law of Attraction teachers would.

A story told often is of the devoted shepherd who cared for his sheep. Even if he had a flock of a hundred, if one sheep were missing, he’d go out in search for it no matter what dangers to himself. “There Were Ninety and Nine” is a gospel song that echoes that image.

So many of the teachers of The Law of Attraction, as found in the book and DVD THE SECRET, focus so much on achieving one’s own goals that they virtually ignore the lost sheep. In short, much selfishness rings through in their teachings.

For instance, in the DVD version, Lisa Nichols, one of the star teachers, says, “It’s not your job to make the world a better place.” What is your job? She says it’s to make yourself a more successful person, attracting the power of the Universe to deliver your wishes to you.

But let’s consider Irena Sendler. If it hadn’t been for her, at least 2,500 Jewish boys and girls would’ve been murdered in the Nazi death camps. Perhaps Irena didn’t think of “making the world a better place.” But she definitely thought about saving children ready to be tortured and killed. [Please see my previous post on this.]

Irena was a Polish Roman Catholic social worker in Nazi-controlled Warsaw in World War II. She and a colleague, dressed in nurses’ uniforms, went into the ghetto of over 500,000 Jews, herded there by the Germans. The two nurses brought food, clothes and a vaccine against typhoid, a great threat to thousands. But the greatest threat was the Nazi grand scheme—to herd most of these Jews to the Treblinka death camp.

Irena became part of the escape network. Some children were transported out of the ghetto in coffins, suitcases, sacks, and even a mechanic’s toolbox. Some escaped through the sewer system beneath the city.

Irena witnessed the heartbreak of parents trusting their children to others. She promised to do her best to reunite them after the war. So she kept a notebook with the children’s names—over 2,500 of them.

Eventually, the Nazis captured Irena, but she would not reveal her partners. For this she suffered beatings, broken limbs, and even a death sentence. Only through the help of a kind guard was she able to escape.

If Lisa Nichols and other self-sufficient gurus of THE SECRET were to counsel Irena, what would they say? “Irena, it is not your job to save these children. They attracted this upon themselves through their thinking. Don’t interfere.”

So, what is the THE SECRET’S secret of removing lint from one’s navel? “Send positive thoughts out into the Universe. The Universe will remove the lint. It is not your business to make your navel a better place.”

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960.