SCREW YOU BITCH

July 21, 2014 by Ace in Personal Development, Politics | Leave a comment

Well, it got your attention but would you consider it communication?

There’s a big difference between a conversation and the collective monologue. Most people have an us and them mentality and they find comfort when they’re in the “Us” community then rely on talking points when conversing with “Them”. Usually the person is not listening, but rather thinking of what their come back is going to be. That’s the collective monologue. It takes real courage to walk on the other side and try to understand the opposing paradigm from their Point of View (POV).

I use to be an election team leader for one of the most liberal Presidential candidates not named Barack Obama, but George McGovern. I practically lived at the campaign center. It’s funny because Ronald Reagan was a registered Dem at one time. I was still a Dem until I got out of the Navy at the beginning of Jimmy Carter. In 1980 I was still a Dem that voted for Kennedy in the Primaries, then Reagan in the November election.

This is the first time I’ve ever confessed voting for Kennedy. I guess it was because I really liked his brothers, who would probably be Tea party candidates by today’s definition of liberal. (Remember, ask not what your country can do for you)?

Also remember that when you hear our fearless leader blaming his shortcomings on 1/3 of the political system. Leading means you show others the way. It’s not taking a walk and hoping people will follow you. You have to have trust to be a leader. You have to be confident to be a leader. You have to have the best interest of your followers in mind to be a good leader.

AGENDA 21

I don’t think there is anything wrong with making “Big Money”. But I’m afraid Big Money (aka Soros/Koch bros) are trying to rule the world. They’re buying elections. They’re creating “cult of personalities”. Those who are already rich hate America with few exceptions.Bill Clinton (Sex scandal aside) was the last true president we had. Bush 41 and 43 as well as Obama have done a tremendous job of making the rich richer and the middle class chained to serfdom. It’s Agenda 21. (Or the new world Order) The cycle has got to be broken. A country divided cannot stand.

PROGRESSIVES HAVE RUINED LIBERALISM

Obama has ruined what was once a perfectly healthy alternative. The principles that the Democrats once stood for have been abandoned and coopted by socialists. Just as Both Bush’s ruined the Republican Party. We haven’t had a true Leader since Reagan. William Jefferson Clinton was what one might call a reluctant leader. Compared to the last two Presidents, I would call him a reluctant hero. In politics today it’s not about Party D vs. Party R. It’s about Money A vs. Money B. Sometime soon we need to get back to respecting the Constitution no matter WHO DOES IT.

EBAY FOR DUMMIES

July 20, 2014 by Ace in Arts and Entertainment, Culture, Media, Personal Development | Leave a comment

Understand that EBAY can be an addiction is the same genre as gambling. The key to gambling is knowing how much you are absolutely willing to lose then walk away. (Take it from a person who lives in Nevada). The same strategy goes for EBAY. The only difference is that on EBAY, they have one of a kind items you can’t find down at the local Wal-Mart. Sometimes EBAY has that perfect Part for a 1968 Jaguar. Still, you need to know how much is too much.

THE .99 cent opening Bid

Let’s start with the .99 cent opening bid. This is one of the greatest auctions but you need to exercise patience. Fools will come in and bid 5.00 on an item that you feel is worth 45.00. Now if everybody plays the game right, nobody will bid until the last minute of the auction. This is when you need to know how much you’re willing to pay. If the someone else has bid and driven the price from .99 to 5.00, then you know he or she has bid 5.01 or more. So in the last minute (Or last 11 seconds) you bid 45.00 hoping the other bidders only bid 25.01 and you get it for 26.01. (By the way, never lose a bid over a penny. Always bid XX.01 or what ever your lucky number is. Many will bid 25.01 so bid XX.02 you get the Idea. Now if two bidders have bid the price up to around 40.00 at the close of the auction. You have to decide how much you really want this and are willing to pay for it.

*NOTE: It’s very easy to let your ego allow you to spend way too much for the 45.00 Jaguar floor mat. If one bidder has the attitude that nobody is going to out bid him and bids 100.00 for the 45.00 part, (Thinking that he doesn’t care if someone bids 50.00) and you bid 100.01 for the same 45.00 part. You just bought yourself a floor mat for 100.00. Congratulations.

On the other hand if this is the only one you’ve seen ever on EBAY, and all of the numbers check out, feel free to be a little more liberal with your bid at 11 seconds left.

How much am I willing to pay?

I advise people never to bid on something unless they have a track record of what they sell for. NOT WHAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING. You hear that all the time on Pawn Stars: “Well I’ve seen them on line for 250.00″. But did it sell for that price? Probably not. (You don’t know how many times I see people asking 279.00 for something I just paid 89.00 for. I laugh and say they’re F’n crazy)

I recently used my knowledge of what things sell for to wait out a seller. He had an Item that I knew was rare, but he was asking about 50.00 too much for it. (Or that I was willing to pay). I PM’d him and said, I’m willing to go 130.00 plus 10.00 shipping. He was asking 179.95 plus 20 shipping. I knew that if one of these came up for .99 cents, the bidding would get to about 100.00 and the real collectors that knew how rare it was, would put in there final bid at 130 – 140. I use to sell these items and I knew what they went for (not counting the stupid people) I told myself that as a rule they would go for 120.00 but being since it was rare, I would go as high as 140 out the door. So I waited as he kept relisting this Item. I felt that a serious collector might have bout this when he finally lowered the price to 130 plus 20 shipping. 150 was still 10 more than I wanted to pay. So after he relisted it the 6th or 7th time; I sent him another offer of 140 out the door. By now, he’s lost a considerable amount of money by relisting it. He was eager to relist it at 130 plus 10 shipping. He was happy, I was happy and hopefully it will arrive in one piece.

On Items that frequently are listed, you need to see what the final sell price is and never exceed it. I said to the seller of the Item above that if I paid him his price, someone wood list one for .99 cents and the bidders would take it up to what I wanted to pay. But do your home work and see what the item is selling for before you bid or BUY IT NOW.

KNOWING THE NUMBERS

The opening bid or buy it now price is the number most people look at. But there are other numbers that are even more important.

1. Shipping. Some scumbags will give you a low buy it now price and hope you don’t look at the insane shipping and handling price. If the shipping is way out of line, you don’t want to do business with that seller. Also, if you don’t look at the cost of shipping until check out, you may find that the 45.00 floor mats are going to cost you 90.00 when you throw in the 45.00 shipping. All of a sudden, Napa parts doesn’t look so bad.

2. Area Code. What I really mean is location. China has developed a bad reputations for sending you the wrong size, then putting the responsibility on you to send it back. The only problems I’ve had as a buyer on EBAY have been from mainland China. If the seller looks like they are from China but have an L.A. or Toronto address, it’s really important that you check the next number. (BTW, I’ve had good luck with western Europe. (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and the U.K.) But even when buying from overseas, I don’t buy expensive items.

3. Seller’s Feedback Score. This is a very important number. No matter how sweet the deal looks, if the seller has less than 98.5 positive feedback, READ HIS NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. I use to sell and got tagged with a negative from a scammer that EBAY sided with. Which is why I no longer sell on EBAY. So again, it depends on how bad you need the item. If the seller was left a negative feedback and the buyer said: “Seller is Jerk, avoid at all cost”, you can ignore those 90% of the time. Those are usually answered by the seller with something like : “Buyer can send the item back if not happy”. The more immature the buyer sounds, the more I will trust the seller. What I do look for are Immature comments from the seller. Things like: “Buyer is a jerk and I’ve blocked him”. Or: “Buyer is a loser that can’t read English”. When the seller is unprofessional in their comments and try to make you think the buyer is psychotic, it’s usually the seller you need to look out for. I’ve actually paid more for something because the seller’s comments were unprofessional and immature.

4. Doesn’t take Paypal. I don’t think Paypal is the greatest institution in the world, but if you’re going to play on EBAY, you’re playing Russian Roulette if you do a transaction without going through a 3rd party that will refund your money. That’s the only thing they’re really good for. Plus, it’s much harder to rip off your I.D. by going through Paypal. Sure they may get the Credit card or account number linked to Paypal, but if you’re smart, you won’t keep much money in that account.

EBAY IS AN ADDICTION

Check out this Weird Al Video called “EBAY:

You have no Idea how true this Weird Al video is.

One last bit of advice. Feel free to talk to the seller before you buy. Ask a lot of questions. AND if you how much an Item sells for, and they RARELY COME UP FOR AUCTION. If the opening bid is .99 cents and you know they sell for over $200.00, Tell the sell right away that you’ll give him or her $200.00 if they take it down and do a special private Buy it now Auction for you. It works almost every time. Sure one may come up down the road a few bucks cheaper, but if you know in your heart it’s worth $200.00, give it to them. I bought my favorite piece to my collection that way. I’ve seen them for 199.00 and I think an opening price of 149,00 but in the end, it could have been 300.00. I would also say that if you are a collector of anything, if you watch the sell prices, you’ll see that EBAY is just like the stock market or Real Estate. If you collect Franklin Mint plates, you’ll see how certain plates hold their value while others drop or climb.

Know what they sell for and Know what you’re willing to pay. That’s the Key.

(And avoid bad sellers at all costs)

WHY WE WANT TO BELIEVE

July 19, 2014 by Ace in Paranormal, Personal Development, Spiritual Relilgion | Leave a comment

“I want to believe” ~ Agent Mulder (X-Files)

“My God doesn’t need a flying Saucer to get from here to there”. ~ Sideshow George AKA Giorgio A. Tsoukalos

As much as humans ask: “Why are we here”? The other question that often accompanies that is: “What’s next” and there is very good reason for mankind’s expectations. Pediatricians as well as primary care physicians will tell you that most people do not have much memory recall prior to the age of four years of age.

Those who study Metaphysics say that children who claim to have a past life lose their ability to recall their past life at the ages of four to six.

Why do we think there is another dimension that comes after this life? Because we’ve already made one transition that we are aware of. When we were safely tucked away in the warmth of our mother’s uterus, we had everything we needed. We were attached to our mother (our creator) by way of the umbilical cord. In the same manner, many humans say we are attached to our spiritual creator by our soul.

When we were separated from the world of the womb, we didn’t know there was another world waiting for us. For all our pre-natal minds knew; we would cease to exist once separated from the umbilical cord. But it wasn’t so. Our new life was just beginning.

So having gone through this life after Birth transition it’s only natural to anticipate a life after death transition. We search for that transition which will relieve our minds. This is why we look at the “Paranormal” as a possible answer to this “Next level” transition. Some think we are the descendants of Ancient Aliens that will come to take us home to the star system Sirius. In the constellation Orion.

Many believe in the religious afterlife. HEAVEN! You’ll find a lot of competition down this avenue of thinking. In fact there are some religions that will send you into the afterlife if you disagree with them. They are currently waging war on everyone in the middle-east as we speak.

An ancient belief that is gaining traction again is the thought of “Re-incarnation”. As much as this idea is shot down by biblical worshippers, one must remember that the Idea of re-incarnation was popular 2014 years ago. Jesus asked Peter at the end of Mark 8:27: “Who do they say I am”? Did you ever wonder what Jesus meant by this? And look at Peter’s answer: “Some say you’re John the Baptist. Some say Elijah others say one of the prophets”. I believe Jesus asked his disciples this because re-incarnation was a popular belief 2000 years ago. I have no idea how the concept of re-incarnation works other than your soul comes back in another body. So you’re not really living twice. You’re living once as one person, then again as someone else. Thus, one life per person as the scriptures say. Look at it this way, if the rules said a horse could race once at the tracks per day yet the jockey raced Seattle Slew in the fifth, then He raced Sea Biscuit in the seventh, the rules were obeyed.

THE STRING THEORY

The string theory says that there are multiple dimensions of universal existence that can actually intersect. This would explain life elsewhere but not life after our current life. Unless of course we’re born into another world in another universe that intersects ours. ………..naw me neither.

THE AUTHOR’S PERSONAL BELIEF SYSTEM

Personally, I do believe. I believe that after we die, our energy goes someplace that was prepared for us. It’s the same energy that operates our brain. It’s the same energy that shows compassion or hatred. I might add that there are probably various places that our energy can be sent. Could it be Heaven and Hell? Sure. Could it be an infinite number of dimensions? Why not? I cannot see how the creator of this magnificent human body could have any limitations imposed on Him that he hasn’t willfully allowed. If you want to worship a negative entity (Satan), I’m sure there’s a place for you. This comes from my translation of the New Testament or Holy Bible assembled in 325A.D. by the counsel of Nicea. I believe that part of the Holy Trinity named “Jesus” MUST KNOW YOU.

If you are special, I’ve heard of a place called the seventh realm of Heaven. What can I say? It must be pretty awesome. To me, I believe in the Holy Trinity. This doesn’t mean I don’t believe in UFOs or re-incarnation. I have no idea how it works and I would warn you to avoid anyone who claims to know.

CRYING AND OTHER CHILDHOOD LUXERIES

July 19, 2014 by Ace in Personal Development | Leave a comment

Childhood Luxuries probably start with having someone else doing everything for you. But once you achieve the ability to feed yourself, wipe your own ass and work the remote control yourself, you still have certain luxuries which aren’t often afforded to the adult. We learn as infants, before we have developed a vocabulary, that crying is a physical/vocal plea for help. It doesn’t matter if it comes from having a wet diaper, a dry baby bottle or divorce papers, crying is the first program you install into your brain to cope with life’s issues.

EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS

Temper tantrums are not exclusively endemic to children. Some of the biggest temper tantrums I’ve ever seen were by the most ignorant congressional representatives on the house floor, or by the head of marketing at board meetings.

Recess use to be great. 15 minutes every 2 hours to go outside and swing like a jungle creature on the “Monkey bars” (Can I still say that)? It was like physical counseling. In 6th grade I had a girlfriend. We passed notes back and forth in class that usually read: “I like you, do you like me”? “Will you be my girlfriend”? Talk about low maintenance romance. Now you’re expected to “Hook up” and arrange a time when your parents are gone. (How times have changed)

I now firmly believe that what came naturally, and kept us somewhat healthy as children was the ability to cry spontaneously.

One morning I heard my neighbor’s grandchild crying outside of her house. I could see she was trying to hide her tears. At first I felt really bad for her. I mean; how can an adult human with a beating heart not feel emotion for a child crying? Then the analytical/conservative cartoon character in me popped his head in and said: “Ah she’s probably a spoiled little brat that didn’t get the new X-box game or whatever the new “gotta have” material object is”.

Then my higher-self descended on me and said: “What a wonderful thing”. The ability to externalize something you perceive to be wrong or a misdeed. Maybe dealing with the disappointment was in progress. Perhaps she realized that she may never get to meet Justin Bieber. I don’t know.

EXTERNALIZING ANGST AS AN ADULT

I honestly think that as adults, there’s a fine line between physically letting our emotions play out, suppressing them while living in denial, or just having a self-pity party. Once you get to where you can allow yourself to cry, it becomes almost impossible to control “when” and “where” you begin to cry. I was talking to my boss and something was said that opened the lacrimal flood gates. In a choked up voice I said excuse me and I ran to the nearest restroom and locked myself in. If you ever get to this point, be sure and carry a lot of Visine with you.

I don’t think kids have true pity parties. (Separating the tantrum from the crying) To them, the crying is real but it’s often a ploy to get their way. They don’t realize that not getting to see Justin Bieber is not the end of the world. But the hurt is still there.

I think as adults, we suppress a lot of REAL hurt. As men, we suppress 99.99% of the pain as we’re expected to buck up and “Be a man”. We try to deal with it by submerging our life into our work. We justify our displeasure by saying” ‘Things could have been worse”. We secretly self-medicate with Alcohol, Drugs, meaningless sex or Television. It’s ironic how as children a warm baby bottle will soothe the pain, while as adults, a cold 12oz. bottle will do the same thing. (for a while). Suppressing emotional pain is like putting a lid on a chimney. The smoke will find cracks and work its’ way out. They call this being “moody”. Sometimes they call it going postal.

Sometimes a good cry is all we really need.

Life is a collection of bad YouTube Videos

July 19, 2014 by Ace in Culture, Personal Development, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I was going to make a YouTube video of a re-creation of my memories of my mom driving off with another man while leaving me on the side walk alone. It’s not one of my more proud moments, but nonetheless it’s there in the back (sometimes front) of my mind. And like YouTube, I can’t erase it.

In real life, there are certain triggers like this that set off an emotional chain reaction.

FATHER OF MINE

Ya I was that little kid watching his parent drive off. But in my case it was my mom leaving with another man. What seemed to be a large happy family (I thought) living in a huge country ranch house, became my father and I living in a two bedroom apartment. At least it had a swimming pool. But back in the 60s, men didn’t do all of the domestic things that needed to be done. I went a semester in 6^th grade without electricity in our apartment. Not because we were poor, but because my father had more important things to do. My brother and sister went on their own and it seemed like everyone left. I had to learn from my friends when school sign ups were and pick my classes. It sucks falling in between the cracks. Now they have social workers that would have wiped my ass and send me to counseling.

I know we all have our own mental YouTube videos that we can’t erase or keep from playing.

Why is it that the painful Videos seem to outweigh the happy videos? I have to really stop and purposefully think about the happy ones. But the painful ones seem to come out of nowhere, knocking on my conscious mind’s door. Before you know it, the 10 second commercial has passed and you’re reliving something really hurtful like something that was said in an ugly divorce. Maybe it’s rejection from someone you thought you loved. You walk away saying: “Well at least I know what it’s like to give love”. You also have a decade or two worth of mental YouTube videos in your mind just waiting for some trigger object to hit play. It could be something as simple as watching a mom buy school clothes for an ungrateful son.

I guess if our painful memories were really YouTube Videos that popped up and started playing, before long we would just hit the close button as if we were sending something to the Norton Spam folder, but we can’t.

But with anything in life, it all depends on your emotional bank account.

Listen to this, Sociologist claim that we want to watch the mental video because the pain that it invokes keeps the relationship alive. In a way, it keeps the abandoning parent alive. It keeps the rejecting mate “present”. In a self-destructive sort of way, we want to hold on to every last memory good or bad. In some cases, it’s so bad that when you lose something insignificant (like a cheap ink pen) you’ll keep looking for it until you find it. Psychiatrists say this is a common practice. Deep down in the seeds of your unhappiness is a mental “loss prevention program”. You’ve lost a parent or both and you can’t stand losing anything else, even if it’s a damn ninety nine cent Gel pen. Searching for it makes you feel like you can do something about the loss of a loved one. You also get a dopamine release when you find it.

But reality hits and you’re still an orphan. Oh well…..

It’s how Scientists say it works. Don’t ask me for answers. I spend nights going through my emotional play lists.

THE 10 GREATEST SPORTS MOVIES

July 18, 2014 by Ace in Arts and Entertainment, Sports | Leave a comment

#10 The Natural 1984 – Baseball has a reputation as being a sedate relaxing sport that is somewhat like fishing. Those who love the sport can enjoy a 1-0 Pitching duel as much as a homerun derby. Baseball has always been “The Poetic” sport. It’s true Americana. Books like “The Boys of Summer” romanticize the sport. “The Natural” is more of a baseball portrait as it is a movie. In fact the movie can be boring at times. But this movie is just so damn beautiful. The Knights are one of the most well-known fictional sport teams that has had a successful merchandise market. (Selling Flannel Knights uniforms) Notable line: “Pick me a good bat Bobby”.

#9 Miracle on Ice – 1981 In the 1980 Olympics The U.S. Hockey team pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Earlier in 1980, in an exhibition game, the Russian Olympic team beat the NHL All-Star team. So there was only one word that defined the 1980 Russian team. “Unbeatable”. Notable line: “I’m not looking for the best players. I’m looking for the right players”.(Spoken by coach Herb Brooks)I need to add that the few Russian friends I have told me that the 1980 Soviet team was told to throw the game by the Russian Mafia. This is very plausible and did ruin the movie for me.

#8 Rudy – 1993 Daniel E. Ruettiger “Rudy” grew up in a steel mill town that family generations worked at. The program went like this, finish high school sign up for work at the steel mill, drink beer on Saturdays while watching the Notre Dame fighting Irish down at the neighborhood pub. Retire at 65 with a gold watch and pension. But Rudy had a dream. (Those damn dreams). He wants to play for Notre Dame and not just watch them with a beer in his hand.

This movie is a true story about a boy who realized his dream at the cost of alienating his family and his would be fiancé. There’s only one major problem, (Well a couple) Rudy doesn’t have the grades to get into Notre Dame, and he’s half the size of the average college football player. This movie will make you feel warm and want to cry for Rudy, or it will depress you and make you want to cry about your own life. Notable line: “Come on, hit me damn it”. (When a larger player go easy on little Rudy)

#7 Cool Runnings – 1993 In the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics the world was pulling for what seemed to be a novelty. A teamed that was comprised of all black Jamaicans and a Canadian coach. Cool Runnings is not just a story about the Jamaican Bobsled Team, but about redemption and the eventual fulfillment of their dreams. It’s a story about a former bobsledder that illegally added weight to his bob sled, only to be strip of his medal and shamed into obscurity and a young Jamaican runner who injured himself in earlier Olympic trials. Notable line: “Jamaica’s got demselves a bobsled team mon”.

#6 Bull Durham 1988 – Up until 1988, the world had no Idea of the life of a minor league baseball team. Bull Durham is a fictional story of Crash Davis who is a lifetime minor league record holder. It’s an entertaining movie if you can stand Susan Sarandon’s acting. To add conflict to what would be a mundane documentary as life on minor league buses, the AA class Durham Bulls get Crash Davis in a trade where he’s demoted back to double A ball to handle a first round pitching prospect with an arm that throws 100 miles per hour. Crash proves himself to be the star of the team, while the kid gets called up the same season and not Crash. The movie shows how life is unfair. It’s the old minor league veteran’s knowledge that gets the pitching prospect called up. Once called up Durham has no use for an aging minor leaguer. Notable line: “I’m not interested in any woman that’s interested in that boy”.

#5 The Winning Team – 1952 (AKA The Grover Cleveland Alexander Story) In 1911 Grover Cleveland Alexander is a farmer who is blessed with a great pitching arm. But he’s also blessed with a supportive wife (Doris Day) who has her own dreams of Grover being a farmer and the two having children and living life as farmers. When given the chance to pitch against a professional team, Alexander throws a 3 hitter. The professional team offers Grover (Played by Ronald Reagan) a professional contract. The farmer convinces his fiancé that with the money he makes playing professional baseball, they’ll be able to buy a farm in no time. Ronald Reagan does an excellent job playing a ball player going through the ups and downs of injuries and meteoric stardom. This is a true story. Parts for the script were provided by Mrs. Alexander. Notable Line: “I’d love to pitch for your team but I’m going to be a farmer”.

#4 The Rookie-2002 In 1983 the fourth pick of the first round of the June draft in Major League Baseball; The Milwaukee Brewers chose Left handed pitcher Jim Morris from San Angelo University. Again, Jimmy was a kid who lived/loved baseball. The son of a senior enlisted Navy recruiter who had little compassion for dreams or dreamers. He was constantly moving from duty station to duty station. In 1986 after signing a minor league contract with the Brewers, Morris suffered a shoulder injury and possibly an elbow tendon tear. (I cannot find documentation on this but Morris’ comeback success is not unusual for those who have successful Tommy John surgery. (Elbow tendon reconstruction)

13 years later at the age of 35, Morris is coaching a high school baseball team and during one practice, his catcher asks him if he wants to throw a few. Morris has a habit of going out to an old baseball diamond by an abandoned oil field and throws a bucket of baseballs just to relax. His high school catcher sees him and invites him to throw to a real catcher. After a few soft tosses, his catcher says: “Come on coach, BRING IT”. Morris lets go of a 90 plus mile per hour fast ball that leaves everyone watching, jaw-dropping speechless.

The team knows how good he is and during a motivational speech about having dreams, his team says: “What about you coach”? End of speech! The team makes Morris a deal. If they win the district championship, he’ll try out for a professional baseball team. The team wins and Morris finds himself at a baseball tryout throwing 90 miles per hour. In 1999, Jim Morris threw his first inning in the majors for the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out the side with fastballs. This movie is about a second chance at your dreams. Notable Line: “How do you expect to go anywhere in life unless you have dreams”? (This was part of his motivational speech to his team).

#3 Pride of the Yankees 1942 (AKA The Lou Gehrig Story)The son of German immigrants to the United States, the young Lou Gehrig is always playing sandlot baseball. The Gehrig kid can hit the ball so far, he breaks shop windows. (Even the police comment on what power the young kid has). The movie is written around the personal life of Hall of Famer and legendary Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig. The same Lou Gehrig that had the dubious honor of having a fatal neural/skeletal disease named after him. Walter Brennan plays a big role in this movie. He’s the sports announcer that acts as the voice for the shy Gehrig while Babe Ruth (in person) does his own marketing. Much of the movie is about the Love between Lou and his wife, Lou and the city of New York and Lou and his non-believing parents. Most significantly, the movie is about the love between Lou and Baseball. Notable line: “Give it to me straight doc. I’m a man that likes to know his batting average”.

#2 The Longest Yard 1974 The “original” Longest Yard will make you sad, make you cry, will scare you, make you wet your pants laughing and will have you rooting. This is the fictional story of an all-star quarterback that gets prison time for taking his girlfriend’s Sports car. Burt Reynolds is easily at his finest in The Longest yard. The warden of the prison (Played by Eddie Albert) that Paul” The Wrecking” Crew ends up in, has pulled many strings to get the all-star quarterback into his correctional facility. The warden has a semi-pro team made up of the guards and wants Crew to coach the team. Reynolds’ character says: “I just want to do my time and I’m out of here”. This creates animosity between Albert and Reynolds then Crew eventually caves into the Warden’s demands that Crew put together a team of the inmates to play the guards. It was the Semi-Pros vs. The Cons. Burt Reynolds puts together a motivated team that is actually beating the warden’s team. Albert uses his power as warden to extort Crew at half-time into throwing the game. When the hero says: “I can’t do that”. The warden responds: “Why not? You’ve done it before”. Paul Crew was suspected of shaving points off of big games for gambling purposes. NOTABLE EXCHANGE: “Why did you do it”? ” Do what”? “You know, shave all those points off of those games. You could have killed a man, stole your momma’s pension check or robbed a bank and none of us would have cared, but shaving points off of a football game, man that’s just un-American”.

#1 Field Of Dreams 1989- All of us go through life with an unfulfilled issue with one parent (Author unknown). This movie combines all of the elements of all of the previously mentioned storylines with one exception, they add the element of science fiction. (Similar to Damn Yankees) Ray Kinsella is a former rebellious hippie from Berkeley who was the son of a former major league catcher for the Yankees who died before he could reconcile his differences with his father. Women may not get this and I might be misogynistic by saying this, but, there is a special bond between a son and dad playing catch. You don’t have to talk. You don’t need a reason. But it bonds father and son. Just as many say the father/daughter relationship is special, so is the bond that comes from playing catch with your dad. In Field of Dreams, the young Ray Kinsella is at war with his father and says: “He could never respect a man whose hero was a criminal”. (Referring to Shoeless Joe Jackson) Kinsella knew Jackson was not a criminal but spewed this just to be hurtful. When asked: “But you knew Joe Jackson was innocent”, Kinsella responds, yeah but the son of a bitch up and died before I could take it back”.

A voice coming from Ray’s corn field tells him to plow down his crops and build a baseball diamond. It was the ever so famous line: “If you build it; They will come”. The voice also tells him to: “Go the distance” which is followed by a dream Ray and his wife both have about Ray and a famous writer from Boston going to a game at Fenway Park. The writer “Terrence Mann” played by the great actor James Earl Jones is supposed to be J.D. Salinger in real life as Ray Kinsella often refers to his life of teenage angst. He also refers to reading “Catcher in the Rye”.

Once the field is built, it become inhabited by the ghosts of Baseball’s past, including shoeless Joe Jackson.

This movie has a wonderful soundtrack. It has photography that rivals that of “The Natural”, and it has Burt Lancaster. The Field actually exists in Dyersville, Iowa. I believe this to be the greatest sports movie of all time. Ironically, the movie has little to do with Baseball, but Baseball is the vehicle that makes the plot work. It’s a movie about Parent/child relationships. It’s a movie about redemption and of course it is a Field about dreams.

NOTABLE MENTION: “WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP”. There really are no wonderful movies about Basketball that don’t include Bugs Bunny. But in 1992 Warner Brothers teamed Woody Harrelson with Wesley Snipes for a fictional movie about a white and black 2 on 2 basketball team from Venice Beach in L.A. It’s well worth the money, and yes Woody can slam dunk. It would have made the list but it would have come in at #11. I just wanted to represent as many sports as possible. NOTABLE LINE: “We goin’ to Sizzler; We goin’ to Sizzler”

JOHNNY WINTER PASSES AT 70

July 17, 2014 by Ace in Arts and Entertainment | Leave a comment

It was like learning to swim or ride a bike. If you listen to my earlier albums you can hear the heavy influence of two other guitarists. Alvin Lee and Johnny Winter. God took Alvin back in March of 2013. I was stunned. It was Alvin’s show stealing performance at Woodstock that made me want to be a rock and roll blues guitarist. After learning my craft, I grew very fond of this albino guitarist that could play lead guitar and sing so naturally. It was Johnny Winter. (Edgar’s brother). So in a very OCD type fashion, I studied these two guitarists’ recordings “Note for Note”. On my first two albums you can hear them. Especially my first album called “Cowboy Hat Blues” which was dedicated to those blues masters that performed with a cowboy hat. (Johnny Winter, SRV, Freddie King etc…) To this day, you can still hear those riffs that I practiced over and over again, until I could do it without thinking.

The two albums I can play note for note are Johnny Winter Captured live (Minus the Slide parts) and Alvin Lee’s/Ten Years After’s “Rock and Roll Music to the world”. I would stay up all night with the head phones on playing those riffs, backing up the record, then doing it again until I figured it out.

In 1975, I realized that I could keep up with my heroes. I was fast. Then I had a strange epiphany. I realized that all of my playing was really fast. In fact, the Wave Magazine as late as 2005 said: “If you like Loud, FAST, unapologetically confrontational Rock, Ace is your man”!

Enter The Guitar Player Album of the Year for 1975. Robin Trower’s “Bridge of Sigh”. It was slow juicy, almost psychedelic Blues Rock. Just listening to these long bending sustains on his guitar opened my eyes to a new element of guitar called “Tone”. This “balanced out my sound.

Johnny’s first band was Rick Derringer’s band “The McCoys”. (Hang on Sloopy) So last night before I went to bed, Rick’s wife told me that she had heard but wasn’t sure of the news that Johnny passed on tour. I went to sleep praying it was just a bad rumor. This morning Fox had a short article on Johnny’s passing. They said he passed on tour in Zurich Austria on the final leg of the tour.

So for almost 40 years, these 3 musicians were the foundation of what would be MY signature sound. But Johnny was always the most entertaining. I was in Japan in 1976 and I saw Johnny with many of the world’s greatest blues shredders around him. Guys like Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. One by one they just quit playing and formed a circle around Johnny and watched the master play. Johnny was a guitarist’s Guitarist. Even Jimi Hendrix looked up to Johnny.

We’ll miss you sweet Papa John. Rest in Peace.

ACE’S CRUSHES THEN & NOW

July 16, 2014 by Ace in Arts and Entertainment, Culture, Hot Chicks | Leave a comment

It’s easy to use public figures as examples, (because most people can appreciate the change) however the same principles apply to you and I.

Back when Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong was looking forward to being the first man on the moon, many young boys were watching Marta Kristin in her tight Lost in Spacesuit while finding a mysterious need to rub on the living room floor (The same way a dog drags its’ butt across the carpet. Somehow the reproductive mechanism in our brain and our reproductive organ were communicating with each other.

I wanted to examine the flaws of choosing a life partner based on physical attraction. When we’re growing up (And I’m speaking for myself) we don’t have a parent helping, nor would a rebellious teen want a parent picking your dates for you. Oh how I could have used a parent or two back in the 60s.

Rule No. 1 What you see is not what you get. Plus, if you get that über-attractive person, be prepared for the competition. As I learned after my first (and only) Divorce, the next bus is in ten minutes and people who broker in attractive people are always looking for the chance to upgrade. This is called looking for the bigger better deal or the “BBD”.

Rule No. 2 We don’t want what we don’t have. We want what we can’t have. The reason Cindy Crawford didn’t make my list, is because I always use her as an example when discussing man’s inherent need to hunt. I use to say: “If I had Cindy Crawford, I would want the next pretty face who came along, like Elle MacPherson”.

Rule No. 3 each day after birth is one day closer to death. The pedals of the beautiful rose will inevitably wilt and its’ beauty will in time, be gone. “Yet the memory of giving the Rose to that someone special makes the rose live forever”.

Finally; I can’t emphasize enough the importance of learning to live alone and to love yourself. Someone else’s love will not make you happy until you are able to love yourself. Most of us think of that principle backwards. They think running a marathon will get them in shape. The truth is the marathon will kill you if you haven’t trained. (Alone). The marathon may tear your hamstrings but it won’t take your house and half of your stuff.

So let’s see what would have happened had I married the TV/Movie/Models I had crushes on growing up. These beautiful people are in the order of how much of an effect their looks had on who I chose as a date/mate

* NOTE: I chose fair pics which I felt gave the star credit for how they would probably be seen in public. They’re not publicity photos of the stars in their 60’s, but I did choose pics with make-up and their hair done. I hate the tabloids that show “Now” pics of stars who just woke up with a hangover. (And NO Kirsty Ally did not make the list).

10. Goldie Hawn born in 1945

Yes, the girl from laugh in. She was on TV every week dancing in a cage with graffiti all over her body. I believe that her stable relationship with Kurt Russell helped her maintain her beauty. Ms. Hawn is 68 years old.

9. Cheryl Tiegs born in 1947

One of the first “Supermodels”. What was the difference between a model and a “Supermodel”? You knew the name of the model. The main issue with supermodels is that unless they can act, their stock only goes down with age. The smart ones use the modeling contract to go to Stanford or Harvard and invest in their future. The shallow ones speed up the aging process by going to Hollywood parties every night in search of a millionaire whom they can make ½ millionaires. This in the end is detrimental to their self-esteem because their only accomplishment was that they were beautiful at one time. Ms. Tiegs like many good natured models, has only gone through 4 spouses and keeps herself busy by promoting “Green” activities. I might add that collagen lip injections have not served her well. I also suspect by the indentations on the sides of her cheeks that a few years ago, she had a face lift. The giveaway indentation is a suture that tightens the muscle in the face. (I could be wrong)

8. Marta Kristen born in 1945

The sexy one from lost in space. Ms. Kristen born Birgit Annalisa Rusanen, despite the odds of being a WWII ophan, (Her mother was from Oslo Norway and her father was a soldier who died in the German Army in WWII. Sadly, Marta was born in February of 1945 and WWII would end in May the same year. Marta Kristen was married twice. The first lasting 11 years from 1963 to 1974 and her current husband whom she’s been married to since 1974. She looks great at 69.

7. Christie Brinkley born in 1954

Ms. Brinkley is one smart woman. Besides breaking 4 hearts (Not counting the 3 children she has) she was smart with her money. She’s worth about 80 million (mostly from real estate) and is known mostly for 3 accomplishments. She was on the cover of early sports Illustrated swim suit issues and was once Mrs. Billy Joel. (Having one child between them named Alexa). Her other notable moment was starring in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” with Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. Chevy Chase is quoted as saying: “Christie is such a nice girl but a horrible actress”. When she was asked if Christie had any flaws as a bikini model, the director of the Sports Illustrated said quickly and quietly: “She has no butt”. Christie looks fabulous at 60.

6. Vanna White aka Vanna Marie Rosich. Born in 1957

God taketh away and god giveth. Vanna was the daughter of Puerto Rican, Miguel Angel Rosich, who bolted when Vanna was born. Vanna’s mother remarried a real estate agent named Herbert Stackley White. Vanna was adopted by her stepfather and took his last name. By the way, Mr. White’s sales territory is what is now known as “North Myrtle Beach”.

In 1982 Vanna was chosen by Merve Griffin to turn numbers on the famous TV Game show “The Wheel of Fortune”. “Wheel” was one of the only, if not THE only show where people tuned in just to see what the Beautiful Vanna was wearing. Vanna was married once.

I don’t say this with any hint of malice, but Vanna has not aged well. This strikes me as unusual as her childhood was not one of poverty. She was a star at 23 doing very little. She did suffer tragedy when she lost her fiancé in a plane crash in 1986. Typically, women with Latin ancestry age well. Perhaps Vanna being in the public’s eye since 1982 (32 years) has had an effect. Vanna is only 57 and looks older than Christie Brinkley at 60.

*NOTE Farrah Faucet would have been in this spot. But I will not speak of the dead as she was dealing with issues at the time of her death. I will say, that in the military, there wasn’t one barracks or locker that did not have the one piece bathing suit poster of Farrah.

5. Cheryl Ladd born in 1951

Speaking of angels and poster girls turned actress; the actress that replaced Farrah in Charlie’s Angel’s was Cheryl Ladd. Ms. Ladd moved to Hollywood and landed a part as a singing “voice over” for the animated movie “Josie and the Pussycats”. She’s been married twice and has one child. She is still married to her husband of 33 years. Kudos Ms. Ladd. Ms. Ladd is of German ancestry on both sides of her family. It’s my observations that German women are like meteors. They are so beautiful but find it so hard to maintain that look of youth. What I find most attractive about Ms. Ladd is her loyalty to her husband of 33 years. Congratulations poster girl.

4. Heather Locklear born in 1961

Born in Los Angeles and attended UCLA, Heather is everything I would warn my sons against. In her defense; she did “attend” UCLA. She grew up in Thousand Oaks in the northern San Fernando Valley. She’s an L.A. girl. She married two rock stars. It’s hard to live the Rock Star life and try and keep your health in line. (Keith Richards) She was incredibly Beautiful/Sexy by any standards. She is part English/Scottish and German. But the years of exposure to L.A. is apparent as she is only 52. Given the choice between this one time Hollywood goddess and Chery Ladd (10 years her senior) I would have to pick the elder.

3. Bess Armstrong aka Elizabeth Key Armstrong born in 1953

In 1983 Spielberg released the 3^rd Jaws movie in 3D. My heart was stolen by this beautiful nobody in a wet suit. Of course she co-starred in this awful movie with Dennis Quaid (who seems to be synonymous with women Ace has a crush on). Bess would go on to be the queen of many B movies in the 80s after landing the part of the young sexy object of a midlife crisis in the multi-award winning Alan Alda directed movie “The Four Seasons”. She was married for 1 year between 83 and 84. In 1985 she would marry John Fiedler, the man she is still married to. She rates so high on this list because for being almost 61, she looks almost as wonderful as she did 30 years ago.

2. Pam Dawber born in 1951

Most of you know Pam as “Mindy” from Robin William’s debut TV Show “Mork and Mindy”. Ms. Dawber is 62. I only have one comment.

“DAMN YOU MARK HARMON”.

1. Meg Ryan born in 1961

The only reason Meg makes the top of this incredible list is because in the 80s, she wasn’t sexy, but very, very attractive. She played roles of the woman that every guy wanted to meet. She would marry and have a child with Dennis Quaid between the years of 1991 and 2001. In the 90s I read articles about Ms. Ryan’s personal life and she is far from the sweet character, “Sally” (whom Harry met) or the lovable co-star in Tom Hanks’ hit movies “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve got mail”.

Meg Ryan is one of more dangerous types of female personalities you want to meet. (The same principle goes for men) They are noticed for their “Girl next door” attraction. After a while, they want to be as sexy as Heather Locklear or Cheryl Ladd. So to feed this insecurity (Which is the underlying issue) a perfectly lovely woman turns to a plastic surgeon. Meg tried filling the emptiness in her heart with fake breasts, collagen lips, (which first coined the term “duck lips”) and alleged cheek implants.

One gossip writer wrote quite eloquently: She had the looks to age gracefully”.

Ms. Ryan who is half Irish and half Polish could have still been getting the roles she was casted for. I doubt she could get a contract for Geico commercials now. So sad.

PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY VS. WILLFUL IGNORANCE

July 14, 2014 by Ace in Politics | Leave a comment

The term “Plausible Deniability came to the public’s eye in President Reagan’s last term as president when the Iran Contra affair had surfaced. When President Reagan heard of the deal to sell arms to Iran to fight Saddam Hussein (Who was using poisonous gas to kill the Kurds in the north) in exchange for cash to support the contra-rebels in Nicaragua, He denied that it had even happene

Once Reagan got to the truth, he addressed the American people and said that he was wrong in what the U.S. was doing and was never told about this “scandal”. Contrast this to the Obama circus.

There comes a point when plausible deniability becomes irresponsible and willful ignorance. The phrase: “Just do what you have to do and don’t tell me about it” is the Obama version of plausible deniability. It would be my guess that everyone in the Administration has a signed blank check book. Nobody has ever been fired but allowed to take paid “time off”.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me 11 times and you’re a sociopathic liar. The term: “I heard about it on the news the same time you did is equivalent to saying: “I’m just as dumb and ignorant about this issue as you are”. Obama is using the Cloward and Piven strategy of starting so many fires, you can’t focus on one. When the whole Sierra Nevada mountain range is on fire and the people of Yosemite and Truckee are fleeing their homes, who is going to stop a bank robbery in Placerville? I’m using this as an example. If you overwhelm the system, who’s going to focus on a dead Ambassador in Libya? Who’s going to bring up 40 dead Veterans at a time like this? (When we have 60 thousand illegal children crossing the border. Who’s going to notice that the other 80% are adults and gang members or Islamic cells?

Personally I’m tired as hell of the talking heads like Bill O’Reilly who keep asking: “Charles, is the president ignorant or incompetent”? Bill refuses to admit as Dinesh D’Souza claims, it’s all by design. Yes Obama is doing this, or allowing it to be done by design.

How come nobody is reporting how Valerie Jarrett met with leaders of the illegal immigrant activists off of the White House grounds? The activists were Illegal and wanted to speak with Obama, but were turned away because of their illegal status. Notice they were not detained or handed over to ICE. They were turned away and later met with White House chief of Staff Valerie Jarrett.

FIGHTING THE INCORRIGIBLE

July 13, 2014 by Ace in Culture, Media, Politics | Leave a comment

In WWII, we saw Japan use the Kamikaze pilot who was ordered to give his life and use his plane as a weapon of destruction. September 11^th2001 comes to mind. Towards the end of WWII Hitler ordered the brilliant Aces of what remained of an over worked Lüftwaffe in April of 1945, to give their lives to take down B-17s and B-24s that were killing German civilians. Lüftwaffe heroes such as Heinrich Erhler gave their lives to take down one last B-17 in the attack on Berlin. In Germany, it had become an act of self-defense, in the Pacific it was an act of aggression. Japan was attacking the U.S. Navy in battles in the Philippines and other areas across the South Pacific theater of battle.

(These children should be playing with stuffed animals and Tonka Toys.)

In Iraq and Afghanistan, everyone is a potential suicidal IED. Only the term INCORRIGIBLE can describe this egregious lack of appreciation for human life. This Muslim culture’s lack of respect for humanity is only outdone by the hypocrisy of the Palestinians who use children as human shields, then have the fucking audacity to say that Israel or Americans are committing war crimes by bombing “innocent children”. The same innocent children these psychotic killers strap bombs to. We are dealing with a truly satanic regime in the Middle East. They multiply like fleas or termites and do far more damage per capita.

We seem to have a worldwide war of the “have-nots” attacking the “Haves”. Perhaps, invading the haves is a better word. Central America and Mexico are not capable of bringing their standard of living up to that of the U.S. so instead of developing a thriving economy, they create a pile of donkey feces and cry that they’re refugees from their own shit holes.

Is it in their DNA? In Albert Schweitzer’s book “African Notebook”, he spends two chapters discussing the differences between Blacks and Whites. I believe that what he is really talking about is cultural differences. For most Americans, even the most hardened criminals; I believe would find it hard to strap a bomb to a toddler and send it into a café to kill 30 of their enemy. It’s not in our American culture. Yet most communist or Muslim countries seem to find no issues with this and just call it jihad.

In the swamp; you cannot negotiate with Alligators. In the ocean, you cannot negotiate with Sharks. They will eat you. Albert Schweitzer wrote this in the 1^st edition of his book: “African Notebook”

“I have given my life to try to alleviate the sufferings of Africa. There is something that all white men who have lived here like I must learn and know: that these individuals are a sub-race. They have neither the intellectual, mental, or emotional abilities to equate or to share equally with white men in any function of our civilization. I have given my life to try to bring them the advantages which our civilization must offer, but I have become well aware that we must retain this status: the superior and they the inferior. For whenever a white man seeks to live among them as their equals they will either destroy him or devour him and they will destroy all of his work. Let white men from anywhere in the world, who would come to Africa remember that you must continually retain this status; you the master and they the inferior like children that you would help or teach. Never fraternize with them as equals. Never accept them as your social equals or they will devour you. They will destroy you.”

The Nobel prize winner (Schweitzer) was giving a stern warning to those who would follow him, using heavy admonishments. The point in referencing Schweitzer is that he was claiming that there are cultural differences that we need to be aware of. In America and parts of Europe, we want to proclaim all men equal. And all men are entitled to equal unalienable God given rights. But not all men are culturally equal. I believe this was Dr. Schweitzer’s point. We need to remember this when engaging illegal immigrants or fighting the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Hamas or their affiliates. We are not fighting the English of the 18^th century. The enemy does not line up and shoot at you wearing the same colors. We need to understand the culture of the enemy and fight them on their battle field.

Only then will we see respect and a modicum of co-operation.

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Monthly Archives: July 2014