Welcome to the Richardson High School Message Forum.
The Message Forum is an ongoing dialogue among classmates. The goal is to encourage friendly interaction, including interaction among classmates who really didn't know each other. Experience on the site has revealed that certain topics tend to cause friction and hard feelings, especially politics and religion.
Although politics and religion are not completely off-limits, classmates are asked to be positive in their posts and not to be too repetitive or allow a dialog to degenerate into an argument.
Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful! Click the "Post Response" button to add your entry to the forum.
They watch the spectacles called "fair and judicious" trials, like the one they just witnessed, of Gershkovitch, then observe the insane verdicts rendered, yet they say and do nothing at all. I know that they have no voices there, however it seems like they might do something, en masse, occasionally, to demonstrate anger about injustice, but maybe not. Maybe they have been oppressed for so long, they feel defeated and are hopeless of change.
Those are interesting thoughts to ponder. I too have been puzzled how the Russian people have grown to accept life under a dictator. How do people who seek to live a free life, settle for becoming persuaded and entangled in a society with little freedom and forced unity?
And then I got an interesting Biblical clue from both Revelation and EZEK 38:
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3and say, 'Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal.
Tragically, the Russian people have been sold a lie by a charismatic dictator, and like sheep, are stuck living in a geographic place marked by leaders of wickedness, and prophetically cursed and destined to Hell.
In the Bible's Revelation (20:7–10), God refers to Gog and Magog as evil forces that will join Satan in a final battle at the end of time. After Satan is bound and imprisoned for 1,000 years, he will be released and deceive the nations of the world, including Gog and Magog, into gathering in large numbers to attack Jerusalem and the saints. The verse says that the number of Gog and Magog will be like the sand of the sea.
Pivoting to our upcoming 55th Reunion…which I hope you will attend…we have only a few short months to gather as a Class for the last time.
We have these present days to build unity here, OTOS, and with those lurking classmates that in October may decide to join, and participate while we/they are still healthy enough to do so!
In the past month or so, I’ve seen the classmates OTOS boldly post here…hoping for inclusive unity.
And so with this post, I’m hopeful you, Jim, and others here will reciprocate by deciding to reach out warmly to all classmates...especially OTOS.
Our last chance to gather in unity is coming around again!
Isn't it strange to have comedy routines recorded on an LP album and sit around and listen to them? And for the record to become a best seller in the US?
I found them incredibly funny then and I still find them funny. And it still feels like I can repeat the entire routines because I listened to them so often. Great memories.
There was an album made of the Lyndon B. Johnson family dialogues of the family members talking together about all sorts of topics. The twangy, Southern drawl dialects were hysterical and entertaining, as well as hearing the rather crude subject matter Lyndon decided to talk about at the drop of a hat, as if it was totally acceptable to do so, to whomever was around at the time he had something to say. Lady Bird's voice was particularly funny, Southern lady mannerly, yet innocent and clueless at times.
Did anyone hear that album besides me?
It was a popular 'comical' gift to give at Christmas time in the sixties, just for fun. My Ft. Worth aunt and uncle bought the album to share with all of us at our house, one Christmas.
I think that album was a follow-up to Vaughn Meader's The First Family in which he and others impersonated the Kennedys. I have a copy of that album in one of many boxes with old albums.
The girl standing to Vaughn Meader's left........she's WAY too old for daughter Caroline Kennedy.......must be one of JFK's bimbos? Maybe one of the 2 White House secretaries nicknamed by the Secret Service "Fiddle" or "Faddle"? He used to swim naked with them in the White House pool.
I just heard minutes ago that the Democrats are now thinking of pairing Kamala Harris with Sherrod Brown in an effort to gain votes in Michigan and the Rust Belt states, since they are worried that J.D.Vance will be campaigning heavily in that area.
Biden served his Trojan Horse function for Obama's Marxist agenda, successfully implemented. Good riddance to the very worst Prez, BY FAR, in American history with all the damage he did - TONS of blood on his hands. So one Dem airhead gone and on to the next one.
Hope there's a Donald/Kamala debate! Without the massive voter fraud from 2020, the only lingering (BUT MAJOR) concern for November 5, ROTSA RUCK, DEMS!
The only 2 decent Dem Presidents in our nation's history, Truman & Kennedy, both were in our lifetimes. I think Obama was 2nd worst ever after his "protege" Biden.
HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY (PRESENT), HERR PROFESSOR DAVID!!
Yesterday was the 80th anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Hitler by Claus von Stauffenberg, who was executed in the very early morning 80 years ago today. So the failed assassination of Donald was 1 week shy of that anniversary.
Louis Nye was HILARIOUS (born Louis Neistat - like the late Jewish comedian Jack Carter replied in '76 when asked if he were related to the still-non-late Jimmy Carter, "I don't know. What did he change his name from?"). Died at 92.
I don't know Sherrod Brown very well, except that I've seen him around with Dems for a long time, and I've heard his gravelly voice speak a number of times on TV broadcasts. He seems to me to be a dyed-in-the-wool Midwestern Democrat, from Ohio, and seems to be a rather hard-nosed guy, well liked by most Democats. He knows a lot about the goings-on of the area, so he would be a good counteract to J.D. Vance's advancements. He might not even be willing to leave his Senate seat, so there's nothing much to project yet.
With Biden stepping down from re-election he put party first the country. second. Talked about saving demcracy they had a farce primary season with only Biden on the ballot. Then the party leaders forced out and now the party elite willselect the canadite.
If you’re willing to take a break from the US presidential headlines, I think you’ll truly enjoy this amazing 2020 Muslim concert filmed in Dubai starring Sami Yusuf…it is unique and like no other I’ve seen!
Like “The Sphere in Las Vegas”, the venue has exceptional world-class audio-visual technology, and the artists as musicians, singers, and dancers are amazing.
NOTE: captions are best at minute 11, and you’ll enjoy it best using high-quality speakers!
Enjoy….
It’s now exactly one month since my ‘Beyond the Stars’ event at Dubai EXPO. I’ve been quiet on social media while I was focused on the preparations and post-production phases of the concert, but I’m delighted to announce its release today!
Performing at Dubai EXPO last month was a truly unforgettable experience. The audiences, the musicians, the production team – everyone made what began as a singular vision into an astonishingly beautiful and multi-layered reality!
It must be remembered that the concert came together under the extremely challenging circumstances of Covid restrictions. It was the first concert for all of us since the pandemic started, and many layers of precautions were in place.
I give few concerts (even pre-pandemic) but I felt honoured to participate in the EXPO event whose theme – Connecting Minds, Creating the Future – is close to my heart. I opened the concert with a new composition, ‘Knowing One Another’, an instrumental work inspired by a Quranic verse that says in part: “… We have created you nations and tribes that you may come to know one another.” It’s a composition that speaks to the ways we interact and to the unitive power of music.
The remarkable musicians who brought my vision to life came from several countries and so even basic communication was not always easy with all the different languages represented. But their eloquence in the universal language – music – was crystal clear. There were no false steps, no mixed messages when they picked up their instruments. Each person was able to express the most subtle and intricate nuances of the soul, and be completely understood by the others. Knowing one another through music was the meaning of the concert, and it was incredible to see that ‘knowing’ taking place every day that we were together.
I believe the eight new pieces that I launched at this event are among my best and strongest works to date. I’m deeply moved by how well they have been received so far. Intended as a journey through the soundscape of the Silk Road, the works include Latin phrases and echoes of Gregorian chant, Andalusian mawwals, qawwali, Azerbaijani mugham, Sufi music and poetry from North Africa to India, and the poignant sounds of the Chinese erhu. The peoples of all these regions have given the world some of its greatest artistic traditions. Moving across these lands, I wanted to express how through music, people with unique stories and ways of viewing the world can recognise in one another the essential unity underlying their beautiful differences.
I composed the finale, ‘Beyond the Stars’, as an ode to Dubai/UAE, the region, and our human family. It’s a tribute to the promise and potential of this land and of us all as we join together to fulfil our destiny. The lyrics call to listeners to awaken from a dream of forgetfulness and find their shining hopes fulfilled as Sadalsuud, the star of spring, enables their transcendent rebirth. The Arabic lyrics are interwoven with the Swahili refrain, ‘Simama Ju’ (‘Rise Up’).
I want to express my deep thanks to the brilliant and dedicated show producers Artists in Motion for the absolutely stunning setting.
The concert was performed on two nights, October 22 & 23. The YouTube release is a compilation of the two performances, mixed and mastered for optimal quality.
It’s very likely that some of these pieces will be on my studio album ‘Ecstasy’ that will be launched in 2022. I’ll be giving more context for the new works from the Dubai EXPO performance now that the full concert has been released:
Some Republicans are saying that if Biden is not capable of serving for four more years, he is not capable of serving now and should resign. I think they should be careful what they wish for.
First, I am not sure that having Harris as president would be an improvement. My guess is that Biden's judgment is not diminished that much with regard to actions that allow reflection, i.e. "Give me a minute to think about that." I suspect that his ability to respond quickly is a much bigger problem. True, some issues may require quick action, and they could be critical, e.g. "Hmmm, should I push this button to intercept those Russian missiles?" But most decisions are mundane by comparison and philosophical. Of course, I wouldn't agree with most of what he would do, but my disagreement is based on political philosophy, not his mental acuity. Would Harris be any better? I doubt it. Plus, any change from the status quo generates uncertainty. Not good for the world or financial markets. (A change to Trump doesn't generate uncertainty, per se. You know what you're getting, whether you like it or not.)
Second, from a Republican standpoint, giving Harris an opportunity to serve as President gives her the opportunity to show that she might not be terrible. Maybe she raises her game to meet the moment. Or maybe she just doesn't do anything stupid. That means President Trump would compete against President Harris. Her record, albeit short, against his, which is controversial. Also, she has the woman/Black issue working in her favor, especially with women and Black people. Many people will say, "Well, she hasn't done anything terrible, so let's give her four more years."
Good news: Biden's limited abilities and energy are not drained by campaigning. Now he can spend more time as actual president ... between vacations in Wilmington and Rehobeth Beach.
Since the announcement that Biden stepped down from the campaign and it looks like Kamal Harris will be the new nominee, I have been bracing myself for the new GOP standard to demean her. Her voice will be "whinny". If she speaks up she will be accused of being "hormonal" or too harsh. The flock of MAGA's will mispronounce her name in an attempt to bring up her heritage and demean her mixed race background, all the while Trump has a foreign born wife and so does Vance. Early on I heard talk that "legally" she can't take over the campaign or the delegates, one nut case said she was not a US citizen! Speaker Johnson wants Biden to resign, just because he stepped down and got sick with Covid, I guess. Sounds panicky to me and downright petty. I hope my predictions are wrong. It would be nice to have two candidates that actually talk about their plans to improve things, how those plans will be implemented and how much they will cost us, the taxpayers. How much will it cost to round up and deport millions of illegals? How will that affect the economy, especially the Texas economy? Will Trump need to meet with Victor Orobon again to come up with a new plan now that Harris is in the running? I hear Victor went straight to Mar a Lago after jetting from the Kremlin right after meeting with Putin. What the hell are those three plotting?
I believe Sandra is being ironic. After commenting on what she believes are false and inappropriate accusations against Kamala, she illustrates her point by making similar false accusations against Trump.
Something I've been wondering now for about a month, is this:
Whose idea was it to schedule that infamous debate on June 27th?
Seems to me that the folks at the White House and West Wing KNEW WELL that allowing Biden to go onstage before the whole world, with NO NOTES or TELEPROMPTER would render the exact results that INDEED DID HAPPEN, and then.....what?
WHAT was the reasoning behind letting everyone know what kind of shape Biden was truly in, and what was the point of allowing all to find out the truth of knowing Biden had been 'highly managed' & controlled' by select "handlers/advisors," due to his being mostly incapable of executing the day-to-day work of being president....... AFTER three and one half years of deliberately hiding the truth from our citizens?
Was this whole senario a set-up.......and BY WHOM was it all 'set-up'?
I suppose the scheduled September debate is off, huh?
That's right, Janalu, it WAS a conspiracy. I got some wink wink text messages.
And just what is the standard of demeaning level the GOP allows? Seems pretty low to me...Or maybe they've hit it, gone way past, and are starting over again with a bar that can be lowered..call it Demeaning Standard II9
(I'm just teasing...but I am way within the Demo's standards...)
EXACTLY. The earliest debate ever was with the intention of letting the Dem voters know how far gone Biden was - the Dems/media had mostly successfully hidden it for 4 years. That's what surprised me about the debate response - the uninformed (don't watch FNC) didn't seem to know about Joe's condition that we knew about BEFORE the 2020 election (although his decline HAS been steep since then). And talking about some ridiculous Russian collusion with Trump now is further confirmation of that ignorance. Putin wants the Dem to win just like he did in 2016 & 2020. He and all the other Marxists/mullahs/totalitarians don't want another Trump administration. Duh. After the off-the-cliff-dive of the current administration, I think the only way Donald doesn't win is if either he IS assassinated somehow and/or the rampant Dem voter fraud is enough to sway the results as it was in 2020. Like the ignored-by-Biden-and-Kamala mayor of East Palestine, Ohio said at the Repubican convention, "I know fully well about train wrecks now, so we need to end the current Washington D.C. train wreck", or words to that effect.
