E.B.White's letter to a man who had lost all faith in humanity:

Dear Mr. Nadeau:

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

Sincerely,

E. B. White
http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/05/06/e-b-white-letters-of-note-book/

Happy New Year!

The White House- 2014: The Year In Photos by Pete D'Souza(great pics of PBO and family)

BREAKING:Debris spotted and a body found in search for missing plane

Search for missing plane suspended for a second night.

"Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence.

Three times is enemy action."
I don't know WTH is going on in and around Indonesian airspace, but something ain't right.
In addition, all the countries with spy satellites know more than they are telling.

Unarmed Man Is Charged With Wounding Bystanders Shot by Police Near Times Square

An unarmed, emotionally disturbed man shot at by the police as he was lurching around traffic near Times Square in September has been charged with assault, on the theory that he was responsible for bullet wounds suffered by two bystanders, according to an indictment unsealed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Wednesday.

The man, Glenn Broadnax, 35, of Brooklyn, created a disturbance on Sept. 14, wading into traffic at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue and throwing himself into the path of oncoming cars.

A curious crowd grew. Police officers arrived and tried to corral Mr. Broadnax, a 250-pound man. When he reached into his pants pocket, two officers, who, the police said, thought he was pulling a gun, opened fire, missing Mr. Broadnax, but hitting two nearby women. Finally, a police sergeant knocked Mr. Broadnax down with a Taser.

The shootings once again raised questions about the police use of firearms in crowded areas and drew comparisons to a shooting a year ago, when officers struck nine bystanders in front of the Empire State Building when they killed an armed murder suspect.

Initially Mr. Broadnax was arrested on misdemeanor charges of menacing, drug possession and resisting arrest. But the Manhattan district attorney’s office persuaded a grand jury to charge Mr. Broadnax with assault, a felony carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years. Specifically, the nine-count indictment unsealed on Wednesday said Mr. Broadnax “recklessly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death.”

“The defendant is the one that created the situation that injured innocent bystanders,” said an assistant district attorney, Shannon Lucey.
<snip>
More:http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/nyregion/unarmed-man-is-charged-with-wounding-bystanders-shot-by-police-near-times-square.html

They have lost their minds.
Charge the cops with reckless endangerment.

Lots of newbies showing up to lecture about cops and shootings.

Many seem to be here to PROVE that some act was justified and to proclaim that their posts are signs of sanity.
Guess what? I don't need lectures. I try to judge each response on its own merits. If I disagree with you I am not a nitwit. Your protestations to the contrary don't help or prove anything.

Go to Freeperville or back under the bridge from whence you came.

An NFL player performed a great charitable act:

Oakland Raiders just earned our All-Pro honors -- for incredible generosity.

The Raiders were visited recently by Ava Urrea, a 4-year-old who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- which interrupts normal blood flow through the heart. Ava, who has had 14 surgeries, got to hang with the players last week, received a signed helmet and all kinds of goodies and attended the team's game on Dec. 21. It was all arranged through the Touchdown Dreams children's charity run by Fox Sports reporter Jay Glazer.

But Watson went the extra yard -- well, way beyond that. He pulled Ava's father aside and told him he was donating a week's paycheck to the family.

Just how much money is that? Well, given Watson's $622,948 salary for this season, his weekly paycheck for the 17-week season comes out to almost $37,000 before taxes, according to Pro Football Talk. "With federal and California taxes consuming roughly half of that amount, the net check would have been in the range of $18,000," the outlet went on to note.
<snip>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/menelik-watson-heart-week-paycheck-donation_n_6366368.html

These players earn a lot of money. However, Watson is one who is on the very low end of the scale. His donation is a great deal more of what he gets than many who donate a lot more. There are many who quietly do good work.
Kudos to him!
Happy Holidays Menelik and Ava!

Pope in blistering critique of Vatican bureaucrats. BOOM!

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis issued a blistering critique Monday of the Vatican bureaucracy that serves him, denouncing how some people lust for power at all costs, live hypocritical double lives and suffer from "spiritual Alzheimer's" that has made them forget they're supposed to be joyful men of God.

Francis' Christmas greeting to the cardinals, bishops and priests who run the Holy See was no joyful exchange of holiday good wishes. Rather, it was a sobering catalog of 15 sins of the Curia that Francis said he hoped would be atoned for and cured in the New Year.

He had some zingers: How the "terrorism of gossip" can "kill the reputation of our colleagues and brothers in cold blood." How cliques can "enslave their members and become a cancer that threatens the harmony of the body" and eventually kill it by "friendly fire." About how those living hypocritical double lives are "typical of mediocre and progressive spiritual emptiness that no academic degree can fill."

"The Curia is called on to always improve itself and grow in communion, holiness and knowledge to fulfill its mission," Francis said. "But even it, as any human body, can suffer from ailments, dysfunctions, illnesses."

Francis, who is the first Latin American pope and never worked in the Italian-dominated Curia before he was elected, has not shied from complaining about the gossiping, careerism and bureaucratic power intrigues that afflict the Holy See. But as his reform agenda has gathered steam, he seemed even more emboldened to highlight what ails the institution.

The cardinals were not amused. The speech was met with tepid applause, and few were smiling as Francis listed one by one the 15 "Ailments of the Curia" that he had drawn up, complete with footnotes and Biblical references.
<snip>
More:http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_289563/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=8oUGCDL9

Merry Christmas to the bureaucracy!

The Pope is now taking on the heart of stasis and corruption in the heart of the Catholic Church. This is revolutionary. Nobody has dared question them or their power before. Whether you like him or not, he is truly shaking the church. Whether he ever softens on doctrine remains to be seen. However, rattling the core could help change at some point.

Danny Garvin passed last week. He deserves to be remembered!

A true hero of our LGBT movement died last week when Danny Garvin passed away after a struggle with hepatitis and cancer.

Danny helped give birth to our liberation when he fought in the Stonewall uprising. He was there that first night and several nights after, fighting in the streets, battling the police who had raided the Stonewall Inn.

At the time, Danny was a homeless youth. Many of the warriors who ignited our movement that night were homeless LGBT youths, who then, as now, made the West Village their home.

Over the past few years I've had the honor and joy of getting to know Danny as he has volunteered to advocate for the homeless LGBT youths of the Ali Forney Center. Last year he wrote to me about why he had such empathy for our kids: