BEING TOUGH

BRAVO TO THE TOUGH GUYS

     It takes special character to evince toughness in 

the face of the winds of adversity.

 Photo by Daniel Ochoa E Olza/AP

   Juan Jose Padilla is tough.  You may disapprove of his sport

 Photo by Elena Munoz/AP

and you may even think of him as a fool, but you can not deny his courage.  The picture above was taken in October as he was being gored by the bull he was fighting.  He was severely injured and disfigured.  That he even survived surprised many.

 Photo by Daniel Ochoa Ed Olza/AP

     This is the 38 year old Spanish bull fighter back at work this week. Five months after narrowly escaping death, Padilla returned to the ring.

 Photo by Daniel Ochoa De Olza/AP

Photo by Daniel Ochoa De Olza/AP

     He did it he said because of the "...need to win, to triumph, to be a better man."

     Too bad Ernest Hemingway wasn't around to see a 

genuine article. 

      Juan Jose Padilla's comeback offers a perfect 

transition to one of my favorite Presidential Quotes.

Teddy Roosevelt

April 23, 1910 at the Sorbonne, Paris.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. 

Hat's Off to another tough guy

     I've posted previously about Bob Foster, my friend and former colleague, who is in the midst of a bone marrow transplant in his recovery from leukemia.  Bob is not only tough, he demonstrates great humor and wit in the midst of battle.  Here's one of his daily postings, from just a couple of days ago.

Healthcare is like an artichoke (Sorry about the vegetable choice for the metaphor. I don’t like onions.) The longer you are treated for a condition, the more you finally learn the “why”.

I am gobbling down 3,200 mg of magnesium per day. Yet, I remain magnesium deficient. At this moment, I am receiving another 2,000 mg by IV. (That’s 5,200 mg for those of you listening in Loma Linda.)  

An anti-rejection drug (Don’t you wish a drug could have prevented rejection when you were dating in high school?)prevents some magnesium absorption. Got it. But that much? No.

This afternoon I learned engrafting cells consume mega amounts of magnesium and potassium to make new blood cells. Holy catfish! Those little buggers are ravenous. They must be grinding out new cells at warp speed. (“Make it so, Number One.” –Jean Luc Picard)  And God is Number One. 

Thank you, Jesus. Rev up that IV pump. Hand me the bloomin' pills. Engraft on, Lord.

I am crying with gratitude. Folks, your prayers are being answered. Was there ever any doubt?  

Here's a toast to all who battle on with courage and 
conviction, be the foe disease, a bull, a bully, an ideologue, a racist, sexist, ageist, corruption, poverty, or ignorance.
DAY BOOK

A TOUGH CHOP

See you down the trail.

GLEEKS, A HERO SHOT & OBAMA GET'S DOWN

RYAN MURPHY IS A GENIUS

     It takes extraordinary skill to mix teen suicide, sexual identity, bullying and the lethal potential of texting and driving and make it entertaining and joyful.  
     Murphy's Fox network hit Glee does that and more.  The jury is still out on the texting matter, it was last night's "winter finale" and we'll wait until April to learn "Quinn's"fate. But week after week we are treated to marvelous and even mind blowing entertainment ensembles of song and dance, all the while the through line of the soap like drama series embraces weighty matters with intelligence and a bold honesty that is hard to find anywhere else on network television.  

      Glee is not only one of the best programs, it is one of the most important because of the issues it confronts and it's primary target audience, generations much younger than us boomers. Murphy is a hot property with a string of hits but I feel a special kinship.  He's an Indiana lad.  His mother Andy and late father Jim were Indiana friends.  Andy, an extraordinary woman, and I have collaborated on writer's conferences, book promotion and other matters.
      If you haven't seen Glee, you've missed one of the best
shows in television history. Get with it, become a Gleek.

ANOTHER HERO

     I love this shot of John Glen, taken after his historic flight in February 1962.  This started making its way around the net and I thought it should be posted here in case you missed it.

     I remember listening to the launch and the flight while in a Owen Fisher's biology class.  It was a nerve wracking 15 minutes, but like many of you I sensed a new possibility after the successful flight of the first American in space.  

     Glen remains an advocate for space exploration.  I'm on board with that and continue to admire this true hero.  I think this picture represents "cool!"

ANOTHER KIND OF COOL

Get down Mr. Prez

Here's a great scene from the White House Blues Concert

What a great show it must have been!

DAY BOOK

 JUST A COOL WINTER DAY AT THE BEACH

Moonstone Beach at Shamel Park

Radio legend Mike Griffin and Toshi

A gathering.

See you down the trail.

GOOD FOR GAGA

UNLIKELY PARTNERS TEAM

TO BATTLE BULLYS

Joel Page Reuters

It is buried under news of the G-20 Summit and 

the continuing Occupy movement, but it may

have more personal significance in the lives of

many youth than any other news of the day.

Lady Gaga has teamed with the John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the California Endowment and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University to launch the Born this Way foundation.

The nonprofit will deal with youth empowerment, self confidence, well being, mentoring, career development and one of the most critical issues of youth development bullying.

The name of the foundation of course is from her

hit song-born this way.

Gaga is a reigning superstar of pop culture.

Her creative expression seems limitless.

The long form video of Born this Way can be

compared to a Tolkien or CS Lewis style fantasy and allegory of good and evil.

Gaga says it like it is and while that outrages some,

her effort with this new foundation attacks one of

the evils of our age. Her statement says it well.

"Together we hope to establish a standard of 

bravery and kindness, as well as a community

worldwide that protects and nurtures others

in the face of bullying and abandonment."

Can't the world use a little more nurturing, bravery

and kindness?  She commands attention and

good for her for taking on an issue she could

simply ignore.  An act of bravery and kindness

in itself.

 See you down the trail.