21Feb 2011 by CJ

On This President’s Day – God Bless America

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
"God Bless America - land that I love." Yesterday, I was scrolling through my iPod for something fresh to listen to, but I couldn’t find anything. I don’t know how that’s possible with a thousand songs always at my fingertips, but nothing was really appealing to me. I guess I was in one of those moods, where the sounds amplified through my car speakers annoys me more than soothes me. I finally landed on Celine Dion’s memorable version of Irving Berlin’s 1918 patriotic song, “God Bless America” – which Berlin wrote while serving in the US Army at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York. Much like Christmas tunes, it’s not the kind of music I typically listen to on my way to and from work, but it had been a…
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18Feb 2011 by CJ

Athlete Salaries are Disrespectful to Hard Working Americans

Information & Education, Life & Living
Recently, I stumbled upon an interesting fact about baseball great Babe Ruth and other athlete salaries. It’s been reported that Ruth earned a higher salary during the Great Depression of the 1930’s then President Hoover - publicly defending his $75,000 earnings by saying, “Why not? I had a better year than President Hoover did.” While professional baseball players are skilled at the game they’re playing, I’m not sure their salaries should be more than someone guiding our country through one of the most difficult times in history. Think about this – our current president earns some $400,000 a year - seems like a lot of money, right? Hold on to your hats folks. In 2010, Derek Jeter of the Yankees earned almost $23 million, the average player’s salary among the…
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17Feb 2011 by CJ

Making a home for yourself has more to do with memories

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
Today, so many of us define ourselves by our careers, our possessions and even our homes. But what if “home” was never a place at all? I found these inspiring words by author Tad Williams. “Never make your home in a place.  Make a home for yourself inside your own head.  You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things.  That way it will go with you wherever you journey.” I take solace in his words when thinking about the “homes” of my past, which I still see vividly if I close my eyes. People and places which are no longer a part of my everyday existence are still alive and well in my heart – always. I…
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15Feb 2011 by CJ

Racism is still everywhere even in places you wouldn’t expect

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
As a graphic designer for a large newspaper group, I’ve been asked to do some crazy things over the years. But I never thought I'd find a bit of racism in the mix. There was the time a sales rep asked if I could take a dentist’s picture and close the gap between his two front teeth – ironic, huh? Another was adamant about placing party hats on the heads of lobsters in a tank – though I suspect they had no reason to celebrate. But my favorite had to be this past Thanksgiving – when I was asked to put everything from dumb bells to a bottle of beer in the hands of a smiling turkey. That was just weird. While I’d never consider the above creations worthy of…
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14Feb 2011 by CJ

A week without snow is a happy occasion indeed

Life & Living
We’ve gone an entire week without any significant snow. There’s no arguing that a fresh, undisturbed snowfall is truly a thing of beauty. But after the snow plows and salt trucks have passed by a dozen or so times and neighborhood dogs have left their calling cards on the mounds, it’s not really all that nice to look at anymore. Each day we take notice of the icy mounds getting a little smaller, and dirtier, when we come home from work – praying that the worst of winter’s fury is finally over. Not so fast. I remember one Easter in mid-April building a snowman with rabbit ears so anything’s possible. The other day I was walking outside, tired of being cooped up in the house like an Eskimo trapped in…
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