Sunday, December 14, 2014

Sunday 14th December 2014…the second grand slam!!!

We had a huge rain storm about 4am in the morning but when I woke up the skies were clear and today was the big tennis event that I spent some time organizing….so this morning no Sunday hike instead I had lovely poached eggs whilst watching a very entertaining soccer game from England.

Then I made sure that everything was in place for the tennis slam but my plans were thwarted when at noon, 2 hours before we were to start,  I received a call from the owners of the tennis courts informing me that the heavy rain during the night put the courts under water and they would not be dry by time we needed to play.

This was such a shock as I had spent a lot of time in preparation for the event 12 players were all set to attend…two of the participants Carolyn and Mary pat are members of a private golf and tennis club just outside of town so I called Carolyn and asked if it might be possible for her and Mary pat to get us into the club and use their wonderful facilities…..5 minutes later Carolyn called back and it was all arranged.

So I went down to the original courts and waited for everyone to arrive and then directed them to the new location  so glad this all worked out thanks girls!!!!

So there we were 12 ardent tennis players 5 women and 7 men and as I was the organizer MY RULES!!!!…..the first rule was only green or red attire could be worn in the sprit of Christmas

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Do I look cute or not!!!!!

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Mary pat!!!!

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Fred being warned what might happen if he throws his racquet!!!!

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Diane and Rob!!

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The boys waiting to get on the courts!!

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I had bottles to take drug tests….swear jar, thank you Martha for contributing and everyone abided by the green red rule….so we drew for partners and I was stuck with Carolyn(kidding) and then we played to 4 games and we all played each other…it was so much fun almost three hours and I forgot to mention I used my new racquet it was awesome photos tomorrow…the facilities are top notch and everyone had so much fun and Martha and Bruce were the eventual winners!!!!!!

We then all drove to the restaurant La Frontera where I had booked and the two owners put on a fantastic spread…the room looked so nice and the food which consisted of salad and rolls and a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings and to end the night pumpkin pie….it was wonderful thanks so much Noren and Jerry!!!!

Sorry I did not take many photos

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The winners Martha in the blue and Bruce with the goatee!!!!

All the poinsettias that you see I had bought and brought them to the restaurant earlier and Noren had them around they looked so lovely and after dinner I presented the owners and all the ladies with a poinsettia to take home.

This was a lot of work but I so enjoy doing things like this and we had such a wonderful time I have some very special friends I am so lucky.

To cap the night off I asked each of the players to bring with them a wrapped Christmas gift for either a boy or girl…and they all did and these gifts I shall put with the other hundreds of gifts that we distribute to the less fortunate kids in the campo  on Three Kings day but more on that in a few weeks… thank you every one for being so cooperative… it was we all said the perfect way to start the Christmas season and we all felt so blessed!!!

Had an incredible and wonderful long soak in the tub with Epsom salts…………..and now tea and a cookie…..it was a great day!!!

 

Man issues in the States at this time!!!

Michael Brown: The workings of the grand jury explained

Darren Wilson, left, Michael Brown, right

The grand jury has decided not to indict Darren Wilson, the white police office who shot and killed the black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri on 9 August.

The shooting led to days of clashes between protesters and police in Ferguson, and there was further unrest following the decision.

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What is a grand jury?

In many countries, the decision to indict someone for a crime comes down to the opinion of a single judge who reviews the evidence and decides whether or not it is sufficient.

But in the United States, a grand jury of ordinary citizens who represent the community is often used to decide whether there is enough evidence to pursue a prosecution.

Police face off with demonstrators as protests continue in the wake of 18-year-old Michael Brown"s death on October 22, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri.

While all states have provisions to allow for grand juries, only around half use them, with other states preferring to rely on a preliminary hearing to determine whether or not to indict a defendant.

Grand jury members may be called for duty for months at a time, but need only appear in court for a few days out of every month.

Usually the only lawyer present in grand jury hearings is the prosecutor, who will present evidence. The jury has the power to request to see and hear any evidence it wants.

Grand jury proceedings are conducted behind closed doors to encourage witnesses to speak freely and to protect the defendant's reputation in case the jury does not indict.

Even though a grand jury may decide not to indict, a prosecutor could still bring the defendant to trial if they think they have a strong enough case.

 

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Who is the grand jury in this case?

There are 12 randomly picked citizens in this Missouri grand jury - six white men, three white women, one black man and two black women.

The grand jury was based in the justice centre in Clayton, Missouri.

This jury had been hearing evidence in this case since 20 August.

Demonstrators holds a sign on October, 11 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri, as they protest the shooting death of Michael Brown.

It was given until 7 January to complete proceedings.

Normally a grand jury would meet just once a week, but in this case the jury had been meeting more frequently.

This was because instead of considering an overview of the case as presented by the prosecutor, jurors were asked to act as co-investigators and consider all evidence available.

Analysts say this approach is allowed under law and it is often used in high-profile indictments.

 

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What charges did the grand jury consider?

The grand jury was deciding whether Officer Wilson should be charged with any one of four possible crimes: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter.

It also had the option of charging the policeman with armed criminal action, if it could prove he was carrying a loaded firearm with the intent to commit a felony.

Nine out of the 12 members of this jury would have had to vote yes to indict Officer Wilson.

A woman walks by a memorial set up for Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, October 10, 2014. Brown was killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Analysts said if Officer Wilson could establish he had a "reasonable" fear for his own safety or the safety of others when he shot Brown, then he would be able to argue successfully that he was acting in self-defence under Missouri law.

 

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Why is this grand jury controversial?

Brown's family and his supporters complained about the secrecy surrounding the grand jury's proceedings.

However, grand juries typically meet behind closed doors to assess evidence.

Protesters in Ferguson with signs calling for the removal of the prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, from the case.

The prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, was criticised for being biased because his own father, a policeman, was shot and killed by a black man in 1964.

Many protestors were concerned that Mr McCulloch was not impartial and called for the appointment of a new special prosecutor to replace him.

Yashi Kochi!!!!

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Saturday 13th December 2014…..you guessed it sports day!!!!

The usual breakfast whilst watching a live soccer game from England and then off to the courts for two great hours of tennis and the sun was out the whole time a wonderful way to start the weekend…..from tennis I went to get Little Bluey a full spa treatment she looks like new now.  I then went into town to do some chores before coming home and relaxing for the afternoon I started to sit out in the back yard but the clouds soon formed and it seemed a thunderstorm was imminent.

The storm never really came and I decided it was time for a long hot soak in the tub and had dinner and then first another soccer game and then the finale of the night a hockey game from Canada…….I am such a sports bum……

In over 8 years of doing this blog I tend to stay away from any topics of a sexual nature unless of course you deem those photos of me I sometimes to post to excite my older female readers………I also never comment on religion or politics as this is not  the right forum for that but now I challenge every one of you to search You tube music and put in Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill Grand old Opry standing ovation and listen to the song without a tear coming to your eye…go on try I challenge you!!!!!!

 

Another interesting local article…

Mexico minister defends luxury home purchase

Mexican Finance Minister Luis Videgaray Luis Videgaray says the home purchase was carried out with "honesty and legality"

 

Mexican Finance Minister Luis Videgaray has gone on national TV and radio to defend how he bought his luxury home.

His appearance follows Wall Street Journal reports that he bought the home from a construction firm whose parent company had won large public contracts.

Mr Videgaray is not accused of anything illegal and he says he will neither sell his home nor step down.

The affair comes in the wake of a similar case involving President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Last month, Mr Pena Nieto's wife was forced to sell a $7m (£4.4m) house she had bought from the same company and also made a televised address explaining the source of her income.

The Wall Street Journal says it has seen property records that show Mr Videgaray bought a luxurious home in Malinalco in the central State of Mexico from Bienes Raices H&G.

The firm's owner, Juan Armando Hinojosa, has other companies which have won public works projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars during President Pena Nieto's time in office, the newspaper says.

In a radio interview, Mr Videgaray said the home purchase was carried out with "honesty and legality".

President Enrique Pena Nieto and First Lady Angelica Rivera. 3 Dec 2014 President Pena Nieto and First Lady Angelica Rivera have also been embroiled in a row over a luxury home

The transaction took place before Mr Videgaray was finance minister.

"There was no conflict of interest," he said in a written response to the Journal.

"I did the deal when I was not holding public office and the deal was within market parameters."

However, BBC Mexico correspondent Will Grant says there are uncomfortable questions for the government and Mr Videgaray personally.

Among them are why he chose to finance the property through a minor mortgage lender belonging to Juan Armando Hinojosa, rather than a major Mexican financial institution.

Mr Videgaray has suggested that the government's reform agenda has disturbed vested interests in Mexico and that is why details of his personal finances are coming to light.

Mr Pena Nieto is facing the lowest popularity ratings of any president for many years, recent polls show.

He has faced severe criticism over his handling of the disappearance of 43 students in Iguala who were allegedly abducted by local police and handed over to a gang who murdered them

 

Yachi Kochi!!!!!

Friday, December 12, 2014

Friday 12th December 2014……not a real Pearson day!!!!!

Not my usual Pearson day as I had to make some plans first of all Catalina the lady who comes to clean the house on Saturday mornings called and asked if she could come this morning and that was fine by me so she came whilst I was in town doing some chores…..the streets are abound with happy smiling faces…lots of loud music and just a  wonderful festive spirit in the air…even though this is not my favorite time of the year it is hard not to get caught up in the celebrations…

I came home and saw Catalina and gave her the Christmas bonus that all workers in Mexico by law are entitled to she was very thankful……..

Then in the afternoon I went for a hike down by the presa(lake) the water level is receding but it is still too high for me to take the normal path I go.

Sad to say I am having trouble with my camera it has been like it for a few weeks now it does not open properly and it is very frustrating as it sometimes takes me 5 minutes to get the lens opened…..I will check in town and see if anyone can look at it.

At 6.30pm I was invited back to Karen and Gregg’s house for dinner, I must have been a good boy when I was there last to get invited back.  Karen is a fantastic cook and the food and the company were wonderful…thanks……...

I have a busy but good weekend coming along…blessings to all!!

 

Celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe Day

Public celebrations, or fiestas, are held in honor of Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe, on December 12. Catholics from across Mexico and other countries pay pilgrimage to see an image of Mary (Virgen Morena), believed to be authentic, in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Children are dressed in traditional costumes and are blessed in churches. Thousands of people come to church to pray.

What's Open or Closed?

Our Lady of Guadalupe Day is not a federal public holiday Mexico, but it is a religious festival, so many streets, roads, and transport providers are busy on December 12. It is an optional holiday for some workers and a holiday for banks and other financial sector organizations. People intending on travelling via public transport in Mexico should check with public transit authorities on any timetable or route changes.

 

Did you know?

According to the story of the Lady of Guadalupe, Mary spoke in the Nahuatl language when she appeared to Diego. It is said that millions of indigenous people in Mexico were converted to Catholicism as a result of her appearance and miracle.

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  The old and the new Basilica in Mexico City where Mary is said to have aeared!!!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

From Wikipedia

 

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe


 

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Virgen de Guadalupe), is a title of the Virgin Mary associated with a celebrated pictorial image housed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in México City. The basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic site in the world, and the third-most visited sacred site in the world.[1][2]

Official Catholic accounts state that on the morning of December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw an apparition of a maiden at the Hill of Tepeyac, in what would become the town of Villa de Guadalupe in the suburbs of Mexico City. Speaking to him in the native Nahuatl language, the maiden asked that a church be built at that site in her honor; from her words, Juan Diego recognized the maiden as the Virgin Mary. Diego recounted the events to the Archbishop of Mexico City, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, who instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill, and ask the "lady" for a miraculous sign to prove her identity. The first sign was the Virgin healing Juan's uncle. The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill, where he found Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, blooming in December on the normally barren hilltop. The Virgin arranged the flowers in his tilma or cloak, and when Juan Diego opened his cloak before Bishop Zumárraga on December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and on the fabric was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.[3]

The tilma has become Mexico's most popular religious and cultural symbol, and has received widespread ecclesiastical and popular support. In the 19th century it became the rallying call of American-born Spaniards in New Spain, who saw the story of the apparition as legitimizing their own Mexican origin and infusing it with an almost messianic sense of mission and identity - thus also legitimizing their armed rebellion against Spain.[4][5]

Nevertheless, a number of elements, reviewed below, suggest that while the image may have inspired great devotion, the story connected to it is a pious invention. For this and other reasons, many Mexican clergymen have historically opposed the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Even recently some Catholic scholars, including the former curator of the basilica Monsignor Guillermo Schulemburg, have openly doubted the historical existence of Juan Diego. Schulemburg said in an interview that Juan Diego was "a symbol, not a reality", and that his canonization would be the “recognition of a cult. It is not recognition of the physical, real existence of a person.” Father Oscar Sanchez, in charge of Juan Diego's cause, [...] said that Father Schulenberg and two other priests who signed the letter have "zero credibility .... They have no authority."[6] Nonetheless, Juan Diego was canonized in 2002, under the name Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin

 

  Another article which I enjoyed!!

How elite sport can be a lonely, isolating and vulnerable place

By Tom Reynolds BBC Sport

Why does a top Premier League manager feel alone? How can you feel isolated, with no-one to turn to, in a bustling dressing room? Why can a jet-setting sporting lifestyle leave you feeling like a stranger in your own home?

Elite sport can appear a privileged profession, a chance to live out the childhood dreams of millions - and get paid for it.

But there is a darker side. For some the instability of life in the public spotlight can be as fraught as it is thrilling.

With the help of marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe, former Aston Villa and Germany footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger, ex-England cricketer Steve Harmison and world-renowned sports psychologist Dr Steve Peters, BBC Sport looks at the issue of loneliness in sport.

It's tough at the top

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers spends his day surrounded by players and coaching staff and making multi-million-pound decisions. Why, then, has he talked of the loneliness of command?

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Brendan Rodgers succeeded Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool boss in June 2012

Peters works with Rodgers and also counts five-time world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, the England football team and the ultra-successful British Cycling squad among his clients past and present.

"Being in charge or having responsibility can be isolating," says Peters, author of the best-selling book The Chimp Paradox.

"People at the top of organisations can find themselves in isolation and that is a lonely and vulnerable place, especially as there is a lot of criticism that potentially goes with it.

"Alongside this can be a feeling of being assessed publically, which can further add to a sense of isolation. It has parallels with other professions such as the police, doctors or teachers. Not having an acknowledgement of what you are going through can be very stressful and isolating."

The same feelings can afflict a sportsperson living a life where their every public move is forensically scrutinised.

"Some athletes get the feeling that the whole world is against them, especially when the media might be involved too," Peters notes. "They can feel that what is being written about them is unfair but is what people will believe. This may have a knock-on effect which can decrease self-esteem and create further feelings of being alone."

Desolate in the dressing room

The pressure of elite sport, as Peters points out, is not a problem for everyone - some people revel in it.

Former Aston Villa footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger

"Of course I am not talking to my team-mates - we talk about football, we don't talk about private matters"

For the majority of his career, that pursuit of success resonated with Hitzlsperger, who played for Aston Villa, West Ham, Everton, Stuttgart and Germany.

From making the Villa first team as a 19-year-old, to representing Germany at a World Cup and winning the Bundesliga with Stuttgart, football mostly brought happiness and a sense of inclusion.

But when personal issues started to take a more prominent role in his thoughts and motivations - earlier this year Hitzlsperger became the most prominent footballer to publicly reveal his homosexuality - the dressing room became a lonely place.

"Towards the end of my career when my private life became more and more important, I got that loneliness feeling," he said.

"There were times when I thought I would like to speak to someone but I can't. Of course I am not talking to my team-mates - we talk about football, we don't talk about private matters."

Isolation can lead to depression

Success is rarely a constant in sport. Failure, or the fear of it, is never far away.

Radcliffe experienced more highs and lows than most in her stellar career. After setting a marathon world record in 2003, which still stands, she arrived at the Athens Olympics the following year as favourite.

But the anticipated gold medal did not materialise, a combination of injury and stomach problems forcing her to drop out a few miles before the end. The negative media reaction left Radcliffe feeling isolated.

"After Athens was a difficult time for me because then it was really knowing who you could talk to," she said.

"That's when you learn who your best friends are and who you can open up to. You need to know they are not going to go to the media or abuse that trust of being able to share your inner thoughts, inner concerns and inner worries with them."

While Radcliffe wasn't affected to such lengths, psychologist Peters has experienced first-hand the link between the instability of a sportsperson's career and clinical depression.

Paula Radcliffe

Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe has experienced loneliness in her career

"I have had to treat a number of athletes for clinical depression resulting directly from the lifestyle that they are leading, their management of it and their own emotional responses," he says.

"There is little stable about the elite sports lifestyle and that, with potential isolation, can lead to depression."

A lonely life away - and back home

For former England fast bowler Harmison, the jet-setting lifestyle of a Test cricketer was part gift, part curse. Uncomfortable spending large periods away from home and his family responsibilities, the cricket field was a haven; his time off it something of a nightmare.

Steve Harmison

England fast bowler Steve Harmison struggled with loneliness due to cricket's demanding touring schedule

"Six and a half hours a day I was in a place I would not swap for the world - inside the boundary ropes in countries like India, Australia and the West Indies," he said. "For the other nine hours when I wasn't asleep, I was thinking 'I don't want to be here'."

Harmison is far from alone in struggling with the demands of travel. Two-time Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton - a disciple of Peters - detailed in her book Between the Lines how the loneliness of a Swiss training camp led to self-harm with a Swiss Army knife.

The feelings of isolation are not limited to life on the road. Peters has seen acute loneliness afflict elite athletes on their return home.

Steve Peters and Victoria Pendleton

Steve Peters has worked with two-time Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton

The place they spent months pining for is suddenly the most isolated of the lot.

"Not unusually after returning from a lengthy trip abroad, some athletes feel that they don't belong at home and that they don't have any roots," he said.

"Their partners or friends have moved on and have got on with their life without them. I have met a number of athletes who report feeling like a stranger in their own home."

Retirement - the loneliest time of all

Perhaps the most dangerous time for an elite sportsperson is when the moment comes to call it a day. The void of retirement can be acute.

Four-time World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty recently outlined the isolation. "You feel lonely when it's gone," he said. "I missed the banter and the social side.

"When I retired I felt I had no direction in life. For three years I wanted to forget who I was. I was depressed because I could no longer do the thing I was good at."

That disorientation is something Harmison remembers. "Retirement is like walking out of a supermarket with all your bags and not knowing where your car is," he says.

"I quickly got some media work and I am still part of the game but it can be a struggle for cricketers. The Professional Cricketers' Association do some great stuff for players because from a mental point of view when it ends it can be quite tough. I miss the dressing room."

Yashi Kochi!!!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Thursday 11th December 2014….tennis and Costco!!!!

Guess what!!!!!!! I played two hours of tennis this morning!!!!!! Again the sun decided not to show her or his face again but still enjoyed the game and it is only three days to the big grand Christmas slam of tennis I am organizing for Sunday…stayed tuned!!!!!

Had to do some chores in town after tennis and then came home and decided a Costco run was needed and picked up a couple items for friends….an uneventful journey and home by 6 o clock…..this evening just a quiet one before a busy weekend.

Tomorrow is the start of the holidays and celebrations for Christmas it promises to be an exciting time with parades and festivals

Sorry not a more entertaining read I promise to do better tomorrow!!!!

 

 

Interesting vote!!!!

A fan uses a cell phone to record a performance during the 2014 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee 4 June 2014

 

Canadian police can search the contents of a mobile phone after arrest, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled.

In a 4-3 decision, the court said a warrant was not needed as long as the search is directly related to the suspected crime and records are kept.

The dissenting judges argued phones were an "intensely personal and uniquely pervasive sphere of privacy".

The outcome is opposite from a similar case decided in the US Supreme Court in June.

In a unanimous decision, the US high court said searches of mobile phones must require a warrant, with few exceptions.

Canada's lower courts were previously divided on the issue.

'Overly complicated'

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the case of Kevin Fearon, who was convicted of robbery with a firearm after police searched his phone.

The search was made after he was arrested but before police had a warrant to search his vehicle and other belongings.

They found a draft text message in his phone with a picture of a gun and the words "We did it".

The high court dismissed Fearon's appeal against his conviction, but outlined rules for how police should handle mobile phone searches.

People walk outside the Supreme Court of Canada 15 October 2014 in Ottawa, Ontario. The decision was split 4-3

"In my view, we can achieve that balance with a rule that permits searches of cell phones incident to arrest, provided that the search - both what is searched and how it is searched - is strictly incidental to the arrest and that the police keep detailed notes of what has been searched and why," Justice Thomas Cromwell wrote in the opinion.

The three judges in the minority said existing law "already provides flexibility where there are exigent circumstances" for a warrantless search, including safety of the public or to prevent destruction of evidence, and should be limited to these instances.

"The intensely personal and uniquely pervasive sphere of privacy in our personal computers requires protection that is clear, practical and effective," Judge Andromache Karakatsanis wrote for the minority

The majority had provided an "overly complicated template" for police to follow, she added.

Yashi Kochi!!!!

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Wednesday 10th December 2014……the day flew by!!!!!

Well for the first time in weeks the sun did not make an appearance today…just cloudy and a bit cool but it did not stop me as my day was crazy busy……..first of all was my yoga class and from there to Marysol’s apartment for my Spanish class…this was a hard class for me and I did not think I did very well my memory is not great and I need so much work on my pronunciation…but going to stick with it.

From class I went straight to poker and three hours of fun with the guys and again I won…..admittedly only 30 pesos but as always a win is a win.

After poker I came home and showered and changed and back into town in Little Bluey as I stopped at the local chines restaurant where I had ordered food for the class party and after I picked it up went to the home of Maggie and Giff…..they are the teachers for the students on Thursday…….we all had a wonderful time with great food and conversation and games…it was so special to see them and again so proud of them all..the next class is not till January 12th…….

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It was a bus day but so nice to relax with the students tonight!!!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Story
The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for their story about this experiment.

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.00 When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth $3,500,000 dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing.

Tuesday 9th December 2014…….beautiful sunny and warm!!!!

I had trouble trying to post this last night I had included a long article about whales but eventually figured out for some reason the article was too long..strange this computer world!!!!

 

 

Just one of the more spectacular days weather wise at 8am it was warm and not a cloud in the sky and a perfect morning for two hours of tennis…you would think with all these games I play of tennis that I might be getting better….well…not sure but I do know that I enjoy every minute…….

After tennis had a few more chores in town to do to get ready for the class party tomorrow night and then came home for lunch and then back into town and to Rita’s casa for our usual chat and game of cards….Rita’s son Josh joined us I have enjoyed meeting him and he leaves early tomorrow morning but luckily for Rita her daughter Ali is arriving on Saturday for a few days….and just in case there is anyone out there interested Rita won the game again she is on a streak!!!!

This evening was another sports night with a hockey game followed by a soccer game from England I do get my fair share of spectator sports in during a week.

Today I was thinking about my friends…I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends in so many different countries and  e mail and skype is a great way to stay in touch with them all…you know who you are and I just wanted to let you know that you have been and continue to be a huge part of my life…thank you!!!!

 

 

 

Yashi Kochi!!!!

Wednesday 10th December 2014……test

test

Monday, December 08, 2014

Monday 8th December…the week begins….

With yoga at 9.30am and a great way to start the week stretching and making these old joints move around from there I went to my Spanish class and again I enjoyed the class so much I do find it hard but Marysol is such a wonderful teacher and slowly some of it is sinking in……did some chores in town and then home in time for lunch and to watch a live soccer game from England.

The rest of the afternoon I was getting ready for my last English class as Wednesday is the class party……

Tonight I had 12 of my friends attend class and what I did was to place each student with one of my friends and for them to talk to each other and ask each other questions relating to Christmas…I gave them about 20 minutes and then had each of my students come to the front and talk about their new friend and then I had my friends come to the front and talk about their new student friend…..sorry the photos are not very clear…

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I was one friend short so Victor had to interview Martha’s dog….kidding I let Victor interview me.

It was such a great experience for the students to hear 12 different accents and stories and for them to speak in front of strangers…all my friends were so impressed with the students and I was so proud of them because each one of them thanked  my friends for taking the time to come to class…..Mathew had a great idea and we finished the class by singing Silent Night….I had bought small poinsettias for each of my friends and the students gave them the plant after the interview…thanks so much it was a fitting way to end a wonderful semester!!!!

Now home and almost ready for bed….

Another interesting article I think…..from the BBC website!!!

Though many of them are presumed dead, exactly what happened to these high-profile personalities still remains unknown.

 

famous missing people

The Lost Roanoke Colony. The Dyatlov Pass Incident. The death of Natalie Wood. The Black Dahlia. The Bermuda Triangle. Bigfoot. Did Tony Soprano die at the end of "The Sopranos"?

We love a good unsolved mystery, and unexplained disappearances that have managed to baffle historians have also intrigued the general public. Unlike the FBI's decades-old search for the remains of a certain convict/labor organizer from Detroit, we've successfully managed to track down 15 missing people of note, including six particularly intriguing head-scratchers followed by a few more names that you may recognize.

In a majority of these cases, the unaccounted-for person was legally declared dead at some point, although their body has never been recovered and their whereabouts are still unknown. Some of these vanishings have been subject to massive search parties, wild speculation, media sensationalism, false accusations, dead ends, wrong turns and the occasional TV miniseries. Some are rather tragic. And in one famous instance, the identity of the AWOL individual was unknown even before he vanished into thin air (by jumping from a plane no less).

So cue up the appropriate music and join us as we delve into the realm of the mostly unknown.

Henry HudsonWho: Henry Hudson

Missing since: 1611

Where: James Bay, Canada

Henry Hudson (a.k.a. the famed British navigator who has a river, bay, straight, town, bridge, etc. named after him) must have been a rather pushy fellow to work for. His own crew — homesick, starving, half-frozen and unwilling to keep exploring after becoming trapped in ice for several months — set a determined Hudson, his teenage son and seven infirm and/or loyal-to-Hudson sailors adrift on a small, open boat in the middle of present-day Hudson Bay. Hudson and the other cast-offs were never seen or heard from again. (So much for talking things out with the HR department, eh?)

Not a whole lot of particulars are known about the mutiny that ended Hudson's fourth expedition as only a handful of the Discovery's crew survived the voyage back to England to stand trial. Arrested and charged with the murder of their captain, the mutinous crewmembers ended up escaping any kind of punishment and, to this day, it's generally believed that a marooned Hudson met his maker while aboard the tiny lifeboat. This scenario has been immortalized in a famous John Collier painting (pictured). (A fur-clad, ZZ Top-ish Hudson doesn't appear too thrilled in it.)

In his book, "Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson," esteemed history professor Peter Mancall highlights evidence that suggests Hudson could have been violently murdered by his crew and not forced into a small boat with a few others and left to die. The possibility that Hudson managed to survive the mutiny, changed his hair color and relocated to Rio de Janeiro where he lived out the rest of his life as a popular yet enigmatic lounge singer named "Bob Simpson" has been ruled out. And as for Hudson's doomed crew, you never know, they could have very well reemerged nearly 200 years later alongside a few other former disgruntled Hudson sailors – the crew of the Half Moon – as hirsute bowling enthusiasts living in New York's Catskill Mountains.

Amelia EarhartWho: Amelia Earhart

Missing since: 1937

Where: The Pacific Ocean

Pioneering aviatrix, author, teacher, magazine editor, celebrity fashion designer, cigarette spokesperson. In her short 39 years on this planet, Amelia Earhart managed to amass an impressive CV, but it was her mysterious disappearance while attempting a round-the-world flight that continues to intrigue to this day.

Although there are numerous theories, no one can be certain what really happened when Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanished over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937, while en route to Howland Island in a Lockheed Electra 10E, a disappearance that resulted in the most intensive — and expensive — search effort in American history up to that time. It's commonly believed that the Electra ran out of fuel and Earhart, who was declared dead in absentia in 1939, ditched the plane into the Pacific near Howland Island – the "crash and sink theory" — although there's been no shortage of wild myths and legends surrounding Earhart's disappearance. Most recently, researchers embarked on a $2.2 million expedition to prove that Earhart crashed her plane on the tiny island of Nikumaoro.

Our favorite Earhart disappearance legend, other than the one where she's employed to spy on the Japanese by F.D.R., has to be the one involving the iconic pilot pulling an Abbie Hoffman — a ludicrous scenario in which Earhart secretly completed the round-the-world flight but, tired of all the fame and fortune, decided to move to Monroe Township, N.J., and change her name to Irene Craigmile Bolam. Author Joe Klaas ran with this theory in his 1970 book, "Amelia Earhart Lives," and, as a result, the real Irene Craigmile Bolam was none too pleased. Bolam, a banker and amateur pilot, filed a $1.5 lawsuit and publisher McGraw-Hill quickly pulled Klaas' book after it was published.

Harold HoltWho: Harold Holt

Missing since: 1967

Where: Point Nepean, Victoria, Australia

It's not every day that a prime minister vanishes into the sea. However, just that happened on Dec. 17, 1967, when the 17th prime minister of Australia, Harold Holt, decided to go for a swim at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria. Following two days of exhaustive search efforts, the authorities declared that 59-year-old Holt, a skilled swimmer and longtime member of Parliament who had served as prime minister for less than two years, was presumed dead. His body was never recovered and it wasn't until 2005 that a coroner ruled the cause of death to be accidental drowning — he was either swept out to sea or eaten by shark — in a risky location known for strong rip currents. At the time of his disappearance, Holt was taking pain meds for a shoulder injury.

Not long after Holt went missing, the rumor mill started working overtime and speculation as to what exactly happened that fateful morning at Cheviot Beach continues to this day. Among the more wild myths, many fueled by the fact that Holt's disappearance was not followed by a formal inquiry and that has body was not found: he was abducted by a UFO; he faked his own death so that he could decamp with his mistress, Marjorie Gillespie; and, most famously, he deliberately swam out to sea where he was plucked from the water by a waiting Chinese submarine and whisked off to China. This ridiculous theory, in which Holt was revealed to be a communist and longtime secret agent for the People's Republic of China, surfaced in British journalist Anthony Grey's controversial 1983 book, "The Prime Minister Was a Spy." To this, Holt's wife Zara responded: "Harry? Chinese submarine? He didn't even like Chinese cooking."

Suicide is another theory tied to Holt's disappearance and was suggested in the 2007 documentary "Who Killed Harold Holt?" Several sources close to the late prime minister have adamantly denied that he suffered from bouts of depression or a mental illness.

Whatever the case, Holt will forever be remembered by a wickedly ironic recreation complex in the suburbs of Melbourne, the Harold Holt Swim Centre, and by the rhyming slang expression "do a Harry Holt." Translation: to bolt — to disappear abruptly.

Jimmy HoffaWho: Jimmy Hoffa

Missing since: 1975

Where: Bloomfield Township, Mich.

By now, it's been well established that Teamsters kingpin Jimmy Hoffa was offed by the mob after vanishing from the parking lot of a restaurant in suburban Detroit on July 30, 1975. But for decades, even after the super-corrupt union leader was declared dead in absentia a full eight years later, the question remains: what in the hell did they do with his body?

Hoffa's disappearance has yielded a delightfully sordid assortment of lore, lies and potential leads. Some have been pursed by the FBI, some have not, while most pertain to the whereabouts of his remains. Just a taste: entombed under Section 107 at the now-demolished Giants Stadium in New Jersey; hidden in the concrete foundation of Detroit's Renaissance Center; stashed under a horse barn; interred beneath the driveway of a suburban home; tossed into a swamp in Florida; buried under a backyard swimming pool in Bloomfield Hills. Other scenarios have seen Hoffa's body sent through a meat grinder, weighted down in a river, disintegrated at a fat-rendering plant, crushed in a car compactor, buried in a gravel pit, and, last but not least, stuffed into an oil drum and deposited at a toxic waste dump in New Jersey.

The latest entrant in the always-riveting game of Where in the World Is Jimmy Hoffa's Body? According to one source, he's interred in a shallow grave on a vacant lot in Oakland County, Mich., about 20 miles north of the restaurant where he was last seen alive. Apparently, this location was intended as a temporary dumping ground before Hoffa's body was transferred to a more relocation. That plan, however, fell through.

This revelation comes from Tony Zerilli, a reputed Detroit mob boss who was incarcerated at the time of Hoffa's disappearance. Zerilli told New York's NBC 4 News during a January 2013 interview: "I'm as certain as I could possibly be. If I had money, I'd like to bet a big sum of money that he's buried (there)." He adds: "I'd like to just prove to everybody that I'm not crazy." And on the topic of money and crazy, Zerilli is promoting his new, self-published book titled "Hoffa Found." As of publication, Hoffa's remains remain at large.

D.B. CooperWho: D.B. Cooper

Missing since: 1971

Where: Southwestern Washington state

D.B. who? Exactly.

Although the saga of a brazen air pirate known to the media as D.B. Cooper (he purchased his ticket under the alias of "Dan Cooper") may not be familiar to most young'ns, the aviation industry, the residents of Ariel, Wash. and — last but not least — the FBI, will never forget Thanksgiving Eve 1971 when a nattily attired gentleman skyjacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 bound for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Shortly after the 30-minute flight departed from Portland, Ore., Cooper disclosed to a flight attendant that he was in possession of explosives and demanded $200,000, four parachutes and a refueling truck upon landing at Sea-Tac.

Once the plane landed at Sea-Tac after circling for two hours while authorities made preparations, the ransom payout and parachutes were handed over and Cooper released Flight 305's passengers. The refueling process began, at which point Cooper revealed to the plane's pilot and a handful of other crew members his desired destination: Mexico City. About 30 minutes after the flight departed at 7:40 p.m., Cooper, wearing a parachute and in possession of the ransom money, leapt from the plane's aft airstair at 10,000 feet and into the night over southwestern Washington, near Mount St. Helens.

To this day, the identity of D.B. Cooper remains a mystery, and it's unclear if he even survived the jump. Still, in an ongoing effort to retire the nation's only unsolved skyjacking, the FBI has processed thousands of possible suspects including copycat hijacker Richard McCoy Jr., Seattle-based flight attendant Kenneth Christiansen and, most recently, a deceased engineering surveyor from Oregon named Lynn Doyle Cooper.

Numerous books, films, songs and TV show plotlines have been inspired by the legend of D.B. Cooper. Heck, he's been name-checked on everything from "30 Rock" to "Breaking Bad." And as you may have guessed, David Lynch named cherry pie-loving, black coffee-swilling FBI agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper from "Twin Peaks" after him. In August 2013, the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma plans to open an exhibit dedicated to the 1971 skyjacking. It's unclear if the man of the hour has any plans to attend.

Azaria ChamberlainWho: Azaria Chamberlain

Missing since: 1980

Where: Northern Territory, Australia

"G'day Mate."

"Let's throw another a shrimp on the barbie."

"That's not a knife. This is a knife."

"A dingo ate my baby!"

This is just a small sampling of (mostly unfortunate) phrases associated with the great country of Australia that have been embedded into the pop culture lexicon. And as for that last one, it really did happen — and Paul Hogan had nothing to do with it.

The 1980 disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain remains one of the most infamous, if not the most infamous, murder cases in Aussie history. And it wasn't until 2012 — 32 years, a super-sensational trial, several dramatic coronial inquests, demoralizing public scrutiny and a "Seinfeld" punchline later — that Azaria's beleaguered parents found closure when a coroner ruled that their 9-week-old daughter had indeed been snatched from an outback campsite near Uluru by a marauding wild dog.

Following Azaria's disappearance, her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, was tried and convicted for the murder of her infant daughter and sentenced to life in prison. She served three years before being released after a piece of Azaria's clothing was found, totally by chance, in a dingo's lair near the campsite. Two years later, the convictions against Lindy and her husband Michael were overturned and all charges were dropped. However, it wasn't until a fourth inquest in 2012 that an amended death certificate — a death certificate that legally backed the Chamberlains' initial claim that their daughter was taken from her tent by a dingo during the night and carried off into the wilderness and killed — for Azaria was finally issued.

And as for that famous phrase, it's actually a misquote from the 1988 Meryl Streep film, "A Cry in the Dark" in which Streep, playing Lindy Chamberlain, cries: "The dingo took my baby!"

Other notable people who disappeared:

Dorothy Arnold: Manhattan socialite and heiress. Disappeared December 1910 in New York City at the age of 25.

Jean Spangler: Actress and dancer. Disappeared October 1949, in Los Angeles at the age of 26.

Frank Morris

Frank Morris (pictured): Criminal. Disappeared June 1962, from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary along with John and Clarence Anglin at the age of 36.

Jim Thompson: American businessman. Disappeared March 1967 from the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, at the age of 61.

Sean Flynn: Freelance photojournalist and son of actor Errol Flynn. Disappeared April 1970 in Cambodia at the age of 28.

Oscar Zeta Acosta: Attorney, activist and traveling companion of Hunter S. Thompson. Disappeared 1974 in Mexico at the age of 39.

Richey Edwards: Guitarist, Manic Street Preachers. Disappeared February 1995 in London at the age of 27.

Bison Dele: Retired professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons. Disappeared July 2002 in Tahiti at the age of 32.

Yashi Kochi!!!

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