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.

Steve Keene

Hull,

After 10 days in quarantine with just me and food in the house I got the idea of putting together a skit for the next mini reunion.  When looking for back up dancers,I naturally thought of you.

Hull Barbee

Thanks Steve for your thoughtfulness........... most people don't know I went to New York after graduation and formed my own dance troupe .......... we were known as Billy Hull Barbee and his Solid Waist Dancers. 

Steve Keene

Hull,

You sure did get a round....  a round this, a round that.  I've picked up a lot of dancers, but you would be a challenge. (You'll pull your back out, kid.)

Lowell Tuttle

I thought it was 1,000,000 bc poster, so I checked andI was correct.  Tuttle memory strikes again.

I remember lots of shit.

David Cordell

Why don't our lady friends post beefcake photos? Not that I'd want to see them.... Don't tell me. It's a guy thing? Who'd'a thunk it?

I thought this might be interesting. First, a link to a Texas Monthly article, then a link to a free version of the book it discusses. Anyone want to provide a book review/summary?

https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/1918-flu-pandemic-novel-coronavirus/?utm_source=Texas+Monthly&utm_campaign=4b6bd20402-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_20_10_36_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_92f99d7313-4b6bd20402-53306599

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.184599/page/n9/mode/2up

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

David,

I have no ambition to read a book, however short on the influenza epidemic (pandemic) of 1918.  I am sure it is a good book, I read the review link you posted.  It is just that if I want a taste of the actual event, all I need do is shop for groceries.  I haven't posted this on social media like facebook, because I did not want to stoke fear or panic buying.  HEB in Hudson Oaks had a line several hundred feet long at 8:00 am on Monday morning.  I know I was there with Danny. They don't have special hours for seniors there like some chains, at least not then.  They were only allowing a few at a time to enter, so there was no telling how long the wait was.  We left.  I am also grossed out with spitters.  Yes, you read that right people (only men I have seen so far) who spit on the street or sidewalk.  I have seen it more that once and I wish to hell those idiots would stop, find a cup or quit dipping snuff.  Social distancing.  Sheesh.  We did get in at the local Albertson's.  It was clean, pleasant and not very well stocked.  I did get most items on my list.  There was only one package of chicken and it was dripping wet, we passed on that.  No pork, no toilet paper, no wet wipes, no paper towels.  Some sparce canned goods, one or two packages of spaghetti noddles.  If I scored what I wanted it felt like a small victory.  It seems like a week or so ago on either this forum or Tommy's I thought rationtioning at that time would be a good idea.  I second that idea.  We need rationing NOW.  Danny saw one man who filled his entire cart with of all things, cheese wiz.  I feel fairly certain he was a fast food vendor and his suppliers can't get him stocked either, so he cleared out the grocery store.  That tells me supplies are short and something should be done, and pretty quick or the ammo that sold out last week might be put to use.

Such pleasant thoughts on hump day. 

Oh well, this will all be over by Easter because the elderly will sacrifice for us all.  Elderly?  Oh crap that's me!

Jan Alexander

I am at a loss ......What is happening here. Seriously.  I blame my posting on being quarantined. Royce made me do it..

David Cordell

Watching Some Like It Hot on TCM. One of the really great comedies. Jack Lemon is fabulous, and Marilyn Monroe is ... well.... Marilyn Monroe on steroids. Let me think about that.  I'm not sure a woman on steroids is a good thing.

Martha went to Tom Thumb this morning. No paper goods. Plenty of barbeque sauce. Got the last bottle of hazelnut coffee creamer. We finally might make some progress on the stuff that's been in our big freezer since the millenium.

From a lurker:

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

David and All,

I am SO disgusted and deeply hurt by the Socialist wave of thought and adherence thereof, sweeping this country with evergrowing haste and harm!  It is the absolute ANTITHESIS of the goals and purpose of this fabulous country's founding!

It is such an evil scourge meant to almost totally erase what our ancestors created here!

Don't be fooled or tempted my fellow friends of the Class of '69!  You are too strong and wise to be swept up in the evilness, knowing, all of you, that our Almighty was with our Founders when they set up the greatest experiment ever, and wrote our Constitution with His guidance leading them.  It is so hideous to me, that there are among us those who wish to rewrite one of the greatest documents ever written, as well as wanting to erase the essence of the blood, sweat and tears of roiling determination to uphold OUR FOUNDATION as it was created to be forever, not just for a little more than two hundred years.  The destruction afoot is hideous to all those smart folks who lived here before us!  They are tossing and turning in their graves, I'm sure, being tortured by their own children!

Our fathers and uncles endured a hideous war in the early '40s, fighting to preserve what was built here, against advancing evilness, vileness, and occupation, not so that WE could just come along and whither it away, or whittle it away... our blessed liberty..... with socialist, Marxist/Leninist systems.  Those governing systems are the very systems our Founders fled and vowed to never repeat!  It is suggested to us that mystical belief systems birthed from mere, mortal men, seeking some great ethereal wisdom, are "the way to go" if we are to be properly informed.  Yet those admired gurus or philosophers were seemingly blinded by what was evident before them each day, in ordinary observances abounding.  Even the 'circle of life' that most children witness daily by observing the birds in their backyards, has evidently been too simplistic a life's lesson to be given much notice by these grand wizards, who appear to believe that life on Earth just happened, somehow...and the exact order of the universe noticed by Einstein, to be unexplainable to his exacting mind....well....they have no explanation....some coincidence perhaps....  These elitist fools espousing their fanciful, pretty-sounding thoughts, think that there is some grand scheme afloat, that only they, the worldliest and most knowledgeable among us can understand, as if the rest of us are close-minded, simpleton victims adhering to simpleton stories in old books, developed to satisfy the masses, to keep them quiet and pacified.

I say we Americans who understand what this country established years ago, totally agree with our Founding Father's wisdom, their guidance, and their determination to preserve what was established here, and we will not be led astray by fools among us.

Be sure to vote in November, because this country's future hangs perilously in the balance.

Steve Keene

Janalu,

Well said and so true.  It is people like you who will stand in the gap, being todays heroes and heroins, that will turn the tide and keep this nation a good intentioned, hopeful, charitable and God fearing nation that will stand like a shining beacon in the midst of so much darkness around us.

David Cordell

Anyone see any funny or at least non-dismal videos about the quarantine? Please share.

Here is one that might appeal to Les Mis fans

David Cordell

There are a lot of time-wasting, silly solutions being posted on the web to help us through these trying times. This one, however, from an engineer, shows ingenuity and promise.

Be sure to watch to the end.  It may be the answer to the TP shortage.

Karin Ridenour (Anderson)

Janalu,

Socialism/Leninism did not even exist until over 100 years after the founders established the US.

The founders were escaping Europe to have religious freedom from a state religion and were set on creating separation of state and religion.

Royce may be gone but the truth still exists.

Karin

David Cordell

 From a lurker

Memory Class:

An elderly couple had been experiencing declining memories, so they decided to take a power memory class where one is taught to remember things by association.

A few days after the class, the old man was outside talking with his neighbor about how much the class helped him.

"What was the name of the Instructor? " asked the neighbor.

"Oh, ummmm, let's see," the old man pondered.

"You know that flower, you know, the one that smells really nice but has those prickly thorns, what's that flower's name?"

"A rose? " asked the neighbor.

"Yes, that's it," replied the old man.

He then turned toward his house and shouted, "Hey, Rose, what's the name of the Instructor we took the memory class from?"

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Karin,

You missed my point.  My point was that the Founders wanted freedom.  Yes freedom for their religious beliefs, but also freedom from tryanny or rulers who forced them to obey, without having representation, or in other words, "having a say."  In those days that kind of rule and feudalism may not have been called socialism like it is called today, but what was then has led over the yrs. of time, to what is "today" and IT is not what our Founders wanted then, nor would they have wanted it in the country they were establishing, with the guidance of God inspiring them, (He wanting all men to be free) to be a heavily controlled society today.  Socialism of today takes men's freedoms from them, and forces them to adopt governmental ways they do not desire. (The Founders came later on after the original Pilgrim settlements, and quite a few of our Founders were from Virginia.....my favorite being G. Washington, who was very devout, wise, and very appropriate leader for our fledgling nation.  He and the other Founders wanted freedom for all with very limited government.)

Yes, I agree that facts matter, of course.  If I didn't get my wording exact, its because I'm not a super scholar, as you.  I apologize for that.  I've been an ordinary housewife, mother, and grandma for years, and my history memory is not what it was earlier, and wasn't "top of the class" even when I was a student.

I think those who know me know what I was saying in that particular post, and I don't believe that anyone who read that post is going to quote me EXACTLY, but rather may just agree with the point of the message, as Steve and Lance did.

But thank you Karin, for the correction.  I appreciate it! (I don't understand your focus on mistakes I make, while not pointing out mistakes others have made in their posts.  I've said many times I don't write as a scholar, but as an ordinary person.)

Do you have opinions about the encroachment of Socialism in this country, or the removal of God from our cherished customs and traditions? I, for one, would enjoy hearing your viewpoint.

As for Royce's corrections of me, I duly noted his corrections, and spoke with him on his private mail just days before he died.  We had a funny, playful conversation of friendship and respectfulness.  We ended our conversation with love in our hearts......  I was shocked and saddened to hear that he was suddenly gone.

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Heard a joke:

Two tigers were walking in the forest, one ahead of the other.  The rear tiger licked the derriere of the lead tiger and the lead tiger turned around to say, "Hey!  Don't do that!"

The tigers continued their walk, and again, after a while, the tiger at the back licked the derriere of the front tiger once again.  The front tiger, feeling irritated, turned around and said "Didn't you understand that I don't want you to lick me?  Stop it, okay?"

The tigers resumed their jaunt for a few minutes, when the following tiger decided to 'have another lick,' when the lead tiger, being extremely annoyed, turned back to say, "What is wrong with you?  Why can't you do as I ask?"

The rear tiger said, "Sorry, I ate a lawyer for lunch, and I'm just trying to get that taste out of my mouth...."

With a little reflection, I was supposing the moral of the story might be:  Don't use a tiger's derriere as a breath mint.

Ron Knight

I forwarded an email from my brother who had gotten an email from a nurse friend to several of you today. The topic was to STOP taking NSAIDS and IBUPHROPEN. Apparently there is a link with these pain killers and the effects they have if you are infected with COVID 19. From preliminary studies they seem to enhance the COVID 19 virus. From the email my brother sent to me, ALL death patients that had an autopsy with confirmed COVID 19 also had Ibuprohen or NSAIDS in their system. The premise is we take pain killers to reduce the fever. The nurse states that fever is a warning sign that something is wrong. And further says, we can live with fever up to 105 to 106. We should go to the hospital if the fever continues. However, by taking the pain killers we mask the underlying reason of the fever. In the case of COVID 19, these pain killers are used by the COVID 19 virus to increase the deadly affects of the disease.

THERE IS NO confirmation from the CDC of this, but just a warning from this nurse to be vigilant and aware. I, myself have curtailed the use - JUST to be on the safe side.

On a different note - What is up with our weather in ASHEVILLE, NC. 85 degrees today. That's a typical high in the middle of the summer!!!

And - the Mayor of Asheville has called a curfew on the city at 8:00 pm each night until 6:00 am for the next 8 weeks. People are losing their jobs right and left. Asheville is a tourist destination with a BIG emphasis on music entertainment, ie Austin, TX.

I am a fortunate one compared to many here. I am retired and have cash flow. I know where my next meal is coming from. Let's pray for those less fortunate. I don't think this is going to be an eight week thing. I believe this will last into the fall of this year.

God Bless all of ya'll

David Cordell

More advice on COVID-19

Steve Keene

Janalu,

My daughter the attorney takes offense at that joke.

Steve

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Yes, I can understand why she would.  No tiger would ever eat her, as she would charm her way into the tiger's heart and he would curl up next to her with the affection of a lap kitty.

I enjoyed your George Bernard Shaw quote for those two 'lefties.'   G. B Shaw was something else, wasn't he?  I'll bet he didn't have too many dates.

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

An interesting invention:

Have you heard about the mechanical, prosthetical device that is like an exoskeleton apparatus, taking on the walking motion of human legs, paralyzed by a spinal injury?   It is a fantastic invention to see, indeed!

The exoskeleton is actually robotic.  The robots, such as ReWalk's Exo-Suit, Ekso Bionic's Ekso NR and Cyberdyne's Hybrid Assisted Limbs, can help even the most sedentary of all patients.

The number of people who are candidates for exoskeletons is about 300,000 and growing by about 18,000 each year.

The ReWalk is controlled through a wristwatch and reacts to sensors on the torso so it can sense when a patient tilts from one side to another, moving the feet accordingly.

Cyberdyne has a similar care model.  Their exoskeleton, nicknamed HAL, is used at the Brooke Rehabilitation center in Jacksonville, Florida.  This device operates based on the wearer's intentions, whereas others work off of weight shift.

HAL, short for Hybrid Assisted Limbs, is a suit with small electrodes that attach to the leg muscles.  The wearer's brain sends signals through the patient's body and then electrodes pick up those signals and transmit them to the robot.  The robot moves based on what those signals say to do.  So when a patient thinks about moving forward, they can take a step forward.

Amazing!  Wish I had developed that!  Pretty cool, huh?

Russ Stovall

Janalu;

Thank you and well said.  

Shannon Burnham (Kirby)

IMG_3348.mov

From Stay at Home in California - we have grocery delivered, wipe everything down with lysol soaked towels and leave non perishable goods in the garage for 24 hrs on a cleaned surface. There is no TP, clorox wipes, tissues or paper towels in the stores but there is wine!

Martha Mize (Mareth)

Dear Precious RHS 69ers,

My  29-year-old son who is an Internal Medicine doctor just called me and gave me a good talking to about the virus.  He knows that I haven't been taking this situation as seriously as I should and that I have always taken my good health for granted.

He told me the virus is projected to peak in the US in 1 to 2 weeks, killing thouands of people.  He said that  people we know are going to die--that got my attention.

He said people over 65 are at great risk, as you already know.  Even though we don't act like we are over 65, we are!

I love all of you and I want to see you again and again, so thanks for taking all the precautions, which hopefully will alter the predicted trajectory.

Martha Mize (Mareth)

When I asked my son about the Disturbed Concert we are planning on going to on May 24th in Dallas, he said even a Distrubed Concert is not worth dying for.  As Woody Allen said in one of his movies, "Hey, who's the adult here?"