Chapter 1: Sunday, January 7 Rick Players looked up from his snowmobile at the jagged peaks of the Rockies. A cold wind stung his cheeks, and he smiled at its bite. It was the last afternoon of his twin teenage sons’ winter break. For this day only, Rick had ignored his job as CEO of PlayLand, the toy company his family owned. Just one afternoon with his boys. That’s all he wanted. Well, if he were honest, he wanted out of the job altogether. He hadn’t realized when he took over from his father that leading PlayLand would cost him his freedo ...continued...

Once again it's “Deja vu all over again.” Never ending white entitlement, delusional history and the usual threats of violence are now playing out at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oregon, one of the more important bird and wildlife sanctuaries in the country and located in an isolated corner of Oregon. Malheur is being occupied by a handful of white (Christian?) terrorists with the apparent and enthusiastic support of ISIS no less. The Refuge, however, happens to belong to all the people of the United States. But like a shopworn moral ...continued...

I was born on November 14, 1933 at 1307 Rhomberg Avenue at around 6 AM during the middle of the depression. As most of the birth's at that time, it was not at a hospital. Dr. Bacon was our family doctor and he was present at my birth. Dr. Palen, who was related to Pop, was just coming up the stairs when I left out my first cry. Paul was downstairs and Dr. Palen told Paul that he had the baby in his bag. I think Paul believed that for decades. Mom says she always wanted a black haired baby and she got one in me as I had a lot of it. ...continued...

Cultural competence has a great deal of meaning to me especially after taking this class. I define cultural competence by having the ability to be cultural aware of the differences of other cultures than of your own. It has a major impact on health care in our country because there are so many different groups and cultures of other people besides your own. I feel one is an ideal health care provider when they continually educate themselves on how to be culturally competent and understanding of others. I feel being culturally competent means making sure a patient you are working with understand ...continued...

Orcs hate Elves with a passion. (from Lord of the Rings by J. R.R. Tolkien) “Home home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play” According to the Center for Biological Diversity, Wildlife Services, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has killed, through gassing, poisoning and strangulation by snare, 27 million native animals since 1996, including more than 1 million in 2014. The animals have included prairie dogs, gray wolves, mountain lions, black bears, foxes, coyotes and even bald eagles, and possibly a few domestic cats. ...continued...

This chapter was written years ago. I'm in a better place now but still fight the on going battle of SPS.... In 2002 I first noticed how my back and legs were getting stiff more often and lasted longer. A few years before this, I did suffer a accident to my tailbone causing it to break. It took 6 months for a full recuperation. I attributed a lot of what I had the numbness, tingling and burning sensation to this for years. In 2003 I started to get full numbness and tingling in the arms, hands, head and partial face. None of this occurred all at once but intervals but occu ...continued...

Epic day, epic adventure, epic team. Pole reached at 2:45 am central time. Updates coming... ...continued...

Buying Stuff Presented @ a KC Writers Group Reader Function I enrolled in a comedy writing class at UMKC in Kansas City a couple of years ago and this is a version of my script that was broadcast on a local radio station. Writing comedy is a difficult venue. I say that in case you don’t think what have composed is funny. Today I’m going to tal ...continued...

Prologue: She could’ve asked him what he was doing. Where he was going. But she wasn’t stupid. Through glazed eyes, she watched from the doorway while Aaron tossed clothes into the open suitcase in the middle of the sagging bed. His face was hard, his jaw set. Though an icy silence hung between them, Mandi sensed that hot rage simmered just below the surface. And that it could erupt her direction at any moment. But he didn’t look at her, didn’t speak to her. Why should he? What was there to say? There’d been ...continued...

On his special day, He wants me to attend his birthday, he always remind me that I need to attend his birthday and I promise him that I will be there... therefore I feel so special on his birthday... We drink in that evening after that we go to bar and have some more drinks and eat more foods... But something went wrong and I'm shock of what I see it happened I meet his girl friends that I didnt saw before... Due to alcohol I feel so jealous immidiately but still I manage my posture on that day... 1am in the morning I ask per ...continued...

It was already New Year and I tried to find him... But there is no sign of him... I tried to cover my tears with a smile just to celebrate my New Year with a smile... I talk to my cousin and tell her that I will find him so that I can greet him and kiss him like we always do... But I found nothing so I go to bed early and cry without hesitation... I feel that I was been betrayed... He dont tell me where he going and I dont know also where he have been... I cried until I get tired of crying and I found myself sleeping... I woke up early in the morning and decided to fix myself and go ...continued...

I think my dad worked as jantior because he has little edction, my mom was looking job when i am 5th grader. she is ladndeist that means she is dryer for people clothes. that's not hard, also she use machices to do her job and i been her workplace two times . First i have a doctor's appiontment and second, my middle school was 2 hours dely. I love to work with my father because he said I can spend on vending machines to buy hot chips i loved. My mom's boss said i am emlpoy. ...continued...

~~A BOOKWORM AT GIRL SCOUT CAMP In the 1950’s my family moved from a little Missouri town to the small town in Indiana where my father grew up. We lived with our grandparents for a few months while my father started a new job and we found a house to rent. My little brother and sister, ages six and five respectively, roamed my grandparents’ big back yard and the neighborhood, but I asked if I might read the old books I saw in the parlor bookcases. My grandmother, usually so strict about us not touching her possessions, gave me permission. I read from books that far exceeded my s ...continued...

The lesson should be constantly enforced that, though the people support the government, the government should not support the people. (President Grover Cleveland, while vetoing a bill offering financial aid to the poor, 1887) Collyfoxing By coincidence I happened to see a YouTube video put up by Jon Ritzheimer a few weeks back, one of the gang leaders that occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and who is now in jail. He stood in front of a table piled high with dozens of dildos that his detractors had sent. What struck me, however, was the seemin ...continued...

I love the bumper sticker that reads “Put something exciting between your legs.” In 1961 I bought a 1942 Harley for fifty dollars. I had to do it in secret because my father said I could only have a motorcycle over his dead body. One morning my father was having coffee at the local drug store with Mr. Wood, who had a son, Billy, who was a classmate of mine. “Frank,” he says, “my son wants to buy a motorcycle. I told him that no father in his right mind would ever let his son get something as dangerous as a motorcycle. Then he tells me, your son has one, so it must ...continued...