note to self- assassinations-1968 chronology

JANUARY 30- the tet offensive begins
FEBRUARY 27 Walter Cronkite announced his disenchantment with the war
MARCH 12 Eugene McCarthy, an obscure senator running on an antiwar platform, humbled Lyndon Johnson in the New Hampshire primary
MARCH 16 Robert Kennedy entered the presidential race, also in opposition to LBJ's war
MARCH 31 Johnson announced he would not run for reelection (remembering he took the presidency after Bobby's brother John F Kennedy was assassinated in Nov '63)
APRIL 4 Martin Luther King, Jr wa assassinated in Memphis; civil disturbances broke out in cities across the nation, including it's capitol
JUNE 5 , just after midnight, after accepting victory in California primary, Robert F Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He died a day later
AUGUST 26-29 at the Democratic convention in Chicago, supporters of McCarthy and the fallen Kennedy refused to cooperate in the nomination of Lyndon Johnson's vice president, Hubert Humphrey, as the Democratic candidate for president. Americans watched in amazement and horror as anarchy filled the hall, and violence, between young antiwar demonstrators and Chicago police officers, surrounded it.
There are MANY directions any study of these events can go, and I wanted to make sure I could refer back to this so I wouldn't leave anything out. I can certainly see why Johnson didn't wanna run. For one thing, he was already blamed by many JFK conspiracists, and he couldn't gain the presidency again by the assassination of JFK's brother- that is, if he could know that it was gonna happen (clears throat).

WHAT IS A LIFETIME (American)

THESE ARE THE AVERAGES, FOR THE AVERAGE AMERICAN
LIFE EXPECTANCY: 78.5 years, or 2,475,576,000 seconds
WORDS SPOKEN:123,205,750 FRIENDSHIPS: 1,700
DREAMS:104,390 BATHS: 7,163 ( this number doesn't include showers) SOAP:656 bars
BEEF (includes veal) CONSUMED: 4.5 cows per person CHICKEN: 1,201 per person
POTATOES: 5130 pounds CHOCOLATE: enough for 10,354 average sized bars
BAKED BEANS:845 cans FARTS: 35,815 liters of wind TOOTHPASTE: 276 tubes
SHAMPOO: 198 bottles BEER: 10,351 pints WINE: 1,694 bottles
SEX: 4239 times HOLIDAYS: 59 trips VOMIT PRODUCED: 149 liters
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PEOPLE TODAY:
10 % of all human beings EVER BORN, from what we estimate about the population during prehistoric times through til today, are alive right now at this moment.
A person with HEXADECTYLISM has 6 fingers and/or toes on one or both hands/feet.
A poll of 3000 Americans found that the majority, a full 41%, fear public speaking more than anything else. (As Jerry Seinfeld noted, more Americans named this than they did death; so most had rather be in the coffin than deliver the eulogy.) The next-largest named was a fear of heights - 32%.
(Expanding out away from only America now,) A Saudi Arabian woman can obtain a divorce if her husband doesn't give her coffee. (I can sympathize. I luvs me some coffee.)
About 10% of the world is left-handed.

SHELL BUTTERFLY MAGNETS

You'll need pairs of shells, like mussel, clam, or oyster. For antennae you can use twigs, broom straw, dried grasses, or pipe cleaners. Also get a length of thread, scissors, paint or markers, and tacky glue.
YOu may glue finished butterflies on magnets, barrettes, or jewelry brooch backings, or tie thread around the middle and hang them up. Paint or decorate the shells, with matching designs on each side. Let the swirls and texture of the shells inspire you. Glue the antennae on and you're done.

PINE CONE BIRD FEEDER

You'll need: a pine cone, peanut butter, bird seed, about 12 inches of string, table knife, popsicle stick, shallow pan
Use knife or a stick to spread peanut butter all over the pine cone, being sure to get in between the scales. Put some birdseed in the pan and roll the pine cone around in it til its well coated. Tie string around the end and hang outside from a tree branch.
Or, if you wish, or don't have a pine cone, you may use an empty toilet paper roll in its place. Or cut out corrugated cardboard into shapes - like maybe a cat - and put the peanut butter and seed on this. Then the birds can pick on the cat for a change.

DRIFTWOOD SCULPTURE

While collecting pieces of driftwood from oceans, rivers, lakes, woods and streams, also look for shells,leaves, twigs, moss, stones, etc. Clean the driftwood by rubbing with old rags or brush. Choose flat pieces for the base and build up from ther, gluing securely. Add whatever you like.

STONE CRITTERS

Rinse stones and dry them. Look at their colors, sizes, and shapes for ideas. Use to make paperweights, doorstops, yard ornaments or garden sculpture, refrigerator magnets, knick-knacks, etc. Tiny decorated pebbles can be glued to magnets, pin backs for jewelry, or barrettes. To fasten stones together to create animal ears, arms and legs, tails, etc., dab silicone sealer or tacky glue on stones and hold til set. Use paints or permanent markers to decorate or draw on eyes and such. Glue broom straws or dry grass for whiskers. Old leather scraps make good tongues, ears. Large rocks can be painted like ladybugs or turtles for the garden. Look not only for the entire body of an animal in the stone's natural lines, but also for just the heads of animals such as are easily identifiable by the head alone.

PEBBLE TRIVET AND COASTERS

You need small smooth flat pebbles, quart jar lid for each coaster (like a mayo jar lid), large metal lid for each trivet (such as with wide mouth lids for gallon jars), plaster of paris, acrylic finish or acrylic floor wax
Mix plaster by directions. When it starts to get thick, spoon into jar lids til half full. Select pretty pebbles and press into plaster - you may do so at random, or create a design. The plaster may squeeze up and out of the lid, but it can be wiped away later. Let plaster harden, then use old socks and rags to wipe away any messes. Throw the rags away - they won't come clean in the wash. Brush a coat of acrylic finish or acrylic floor wax on. You may want to glue felt scraps on the bottom to prevent scratches on furniture.

NATURAL WALL PLAQUE (or sit on desk or table)

You'll need a slab of tree bark; assorted decorative items such as dry moss, leaves, seed pods, feathers, cones, shells, etc; tacky glue; thin wire.
Lay bark on work area and decide which side you'll use. Arrange items til you're pleased. You may create an image, such as a bird, or a collage, or beach items, flower arrangement - be creative and let your imagination flow. When satisfied, glue items in place, attach wire to back for hanging. YOu may also nail or glue on a loop cut from a soda pop 6 pack holder.
Instead of a wall hanging, you may use smaller, thicker pieces of bark or wood, or even small branches to make bookends and knick-knacks to sit on tables, etc.

CRAYON REVIVALS

You'll need old crayons,paper cupcake liners, an old clean soup can, muffin tin (used to mold new crayons - if you have something heat-proof that's more suitable, use it), saucepan
Peel the paper off and sort crayons by color. You may blend colors to make different colors if you wish; a list follows this recipie. Pinch top of can to create a pouring spout so the melted crayons pour out neater and easier. Careful with the sharp edge of the can. Fill can about half full of broken crayons. The smaller the fragments, the faster they'll melt. Fill saucepan about half full of water and heat to boiling, then turn temp down to medium or lower. Put the can of crayons inside the saucepan so that the hot water melts the crayons, instead of putting them on direct heat - which is dangerous. Crayon wax, and all types of wax, is flammable, so its very important not to apply too much heat. This is like using a double-boiler, but the crayons would ruin the pan they melt in. The soup can is disposable.
When melted, pour into wax paper inside the mold or muffin tin. Pour about 1/2 inch in each. You may add swirls of a different color to this, or, wait til its cooled and set and then add another layer, different color.
Candy molds can be used instead of the tins, as can some old make-up tubes and containers. Look around, be creative.
COLORS TO MIX:
ADD WHITE to any color to lighten it - the more white you add, the lighter the color.
WHITE plus RED = PINK RED plus YELLOW = ORANGE
RED plus BLUE=PURPLE BLUE plus YELLOW=GREEN
YELLOW,BLUE, and RED= BROWN
Mixing these in varying amounts creates different shades. Out of the three primary colors of blue, yellow, and red, the combinations of colors is amazing=all the colors the human eye can see are created of these, plus white.
RED plus BLUE = PURPLE

CAUGHT SPEEDING

(said to be a true story)

The cop had been sitting for hours with his radar gun, looking for speeders.
There had been several accidents on this section of highway in the last couple months, and the mayor said he wanted to see more tickets from the area, to try to slow drivers down. Finally, a kid went speeding by. The cop pulled him over, walked up to his window, and said,"Son, I've been waiting for you all day."
The kid replied, "Yeah? Well, I got here as fast as I could."
When the cop finished laughing, he let the kid go with a stern warning, and no ticket.

CRAFTS, CHILD APPROPRIATE: PINE CONE OWL STRUCTURE

small pine cones, felt scraps, glue and scissors, small branch, tin can with pebbles and soil
For each owl cut two 1-inch circles from felt for the eyes. Make a center in the eye by gluing smaller circles of felt or using marker. Add a little upside down triangle beak. Decorate a can and fill with soil and/or pebbles. Insert base of branch. Several little owls look nice glued to the branches. be careful working with tin can not to cut yourself. Crimp down the edges and/or cover with fabric or something similar in decorating the can to cover the sharp edges to prevent cuts.

CRAFTS FOR KIDS: PEANUT PEOPLE

peanuts in the shell, fine tip felt markers, glue, scissors, bits of stuffing, feathers, sequins, scraps of fabric, googly eyes, tiny puff balls, and similar items you like.
Some peanuts make wonderful babies, some tall, others chubby, round folks. Draw details on face and clothing with markers. Add scraps for clothes, hats, robes, capes, etc. Glue on bits of embroidery thread, puff balls, or feathers for hair. Use bits of cotton for beards. You can make family groups by gluing several nuts to a piece of driftwood or bark-looks great on a bookcase. Use a nail to poke holes in the body for arms and legs using pipe cleaners or twigs. Use tacky glue or hot glue gun. Of course, be sure you help your child, only allowing them to do what's appropriate for their age group.

SWEET DREAMS PILLOW- how to make

Place inside a pillowcase 1 cup dried flower petals (recommended are chamomile, apple and/or orange blossom, lavendar, rose, jasmine, gardenia. Any will do though, as long as its fragrant), 1/2 cup dried mint (any type mint will be fine), 1 tbsp crushed cloves (ok to use cloves from the spice section of grocery if you need), 2 pieces of closely woven fabric (to prevent fine herbs from getting through) about 6" x 6", needle, thread, scissors, ribbon or lace for trim (optional), large bowl to mix herbs.
Gently mix herbs and petals in the bowl. With outsides of fabric facing each other, sew pillow together, leaving 1 side open for turning and filling. Turn right side out and fill with herb mixture. sew closed. Decorate if you wish, as you wish.
You may, of course, make this in any size you like, increasing or decreasing the herbs and petals. it may be placed inside a pillow or pillowcase as a sachet. The pleasant aroma will often help one fall asleep faster, sleep better, and/or have pleasant dreams, by stimulating relevant areas of the brain, on which scent has a strong effect.

QUOTES

THOMAS JEFFERSON: " Banks are more dangerous than standing armies." ( A "standing army" is defined as "a permanent army of paid soldiers"; a type of army, not really made of citizens with the people's causes and protection as its purpose. They are more along the lines of Hitler's SS - an army with the rulers' interests in mind, meant to keep the powers protected against the people.)

MUHAMMED ALI: (Ali delivered this at his Harvard graduation. Supposedly its the shortest quote in the English language. Its definitely short and sweet, but THINK about it.) "Me, we."
ALSO FROM ALI: "Its hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am." BUT HE ALSO SAID: "It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."

MAYA ANGELOU: "We really are 15 countries, and its remarkable that each of us thinks we represent the REAL America. The Midwesterner in Kansas, the black American in Durham - both are certain that they are the real American."

THOMAS JEFFERSON: "An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."
"Democracy is 51% of the people taking away the rights of the other 49%."
"God forbid we should ever be 20 years without a rebellion."
"I have no ambition to govern men. It is a painful and thankless office."
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
"I have the consolation of having added nothing to my private fortune during my public service, and of retiring with hands as clean as they are empty."
"I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical."
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wastion the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"If the people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." (Ever notice that tho people seem to be living longer, they feel worse during that long lifetime?)
"Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong."
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock."
"Information is the currency of democracy." (And people who choose to remain ignorant will be ruled by those who know. Awareness and participation are the price of democracy.)
"It is error alone which needs the support of government. The truth can stand up for itself."
"It is in our lives, not in our words, that our religion must be read."
"Never trouble another for what you can do yourself."
"No government should ever be without censors, and where the press is FREE, no one ever will." (Unfortunately, the media cannot be trusted to tell the whole truth and nothing but truth today - everyone has an agenda to push.)
"No man will ever bring out of the Presidency the reputation which carries him into it... To myself, personally, it brings nothing but increasing drudgery and daily loss of friends."
"Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances." (Yet so many today think they have to show out and be bad. Loudness has nothing to do with being right.)
"Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he MUST more approve of the homage of reason than that blindfold of fear." (At another time he repeated this statement, but he changed the word "fear" to "faith")
"Say nothing of my religion. It is known to God and myself alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life: if it (my life) has been honest and dutiful to society, the religion which regulated it cannot be a bad one."
"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."
"The beauty of the 2nd amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it."
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are WILLING to work and give to those who would NOT." (This has nothing to do with helping those who are truly in need- only the lazy who look for a free ride, as if life and everyone else owes them something for existing.)
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurous to others." (And it has no right to protect me from myself, nor to make laws based on opinions, not facts.)
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilence."
(The exact meaning of the 2nd amendment has been debated. Falsely. Its a matter of public record EXACTLY what the founding fathers meant:) "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." (And remember, Jefferson is the author of the bulk of the Constitution.)
"The Tree of Liberty must be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
"The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our 1st objective."
"There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people."
"We confide in our strength, without boasting of it; we respect that (strength) of others,without fearing it."

UNKNOWN: "Truth is always the strongest argument."

THOMAS JEFFERSON: (yes again. What can I say - I'm a big fan. And this should've been included previously.)
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...Whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends it is the right of the people to abolish it, and to institute a new government." (Note the right is for the PURSUIT of happiness - the right to do whatever you need to do to try to achieve happiness, as long as it doesn't take away from anyone else. He does not say we have the right to guaranteed happiness - just the pursuit of it. That's a huge difference that some people just do not seem to understand.)

(I DIDN'T NOTE THE SOURCES OF THESE - I'M SURE A SEARCH WOULD PROVIDE THIS INFO IF NEEDED);
Suspicion haunts the guilty mind.

He jests at scars who never felt a wound.

Beware of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.

When pride begins, love ceases.

A habit of sneering marks the egotist, or the fool, or the knave, or all three.

Common and vulgar people ascribe all ill that THEY feel to others.

The fawning, sneaking, and flattering hypocrite, that will do, or be, anything for his own advantage.

Fate steals along with silent tread, Found oftenest in what we least dread, Frowns in the storm with angry brow, But in the sunshine strikes the blow.

We should often be ashamed of our very best actions, if the world only saw the motives which caused them.

One believes easily that which one hopes for earnestly.

SURE SIGNS YOU'RE BURNED OUT FROM WORK

1. You're so tired you now answer the phone, "Hell".
2. Friends call to see how you've been, and you immediately scream, "Get off my back!"
3. You wake up to discover your bed's on fire, but go back to sleep because you just don't care.
4. You have so much on your mind that you've forgotten how to pee.
5. Visions of the coming weekend help you get through Monday.
6. You sleep more at work than at home.
7. You leave for a night out and instinctively take your I.D. badge.
8. Your day planner exploded a week ago.
9. You think about how relaxing it would be if you were in jail right now.

APES AND COMPANY POLICY-(told to me as real)

Take 5 apes and put them together in a large cage, with a set of steps in the center of the cage, and above the steps, a banana- hung so an ape must climb the steps to get the banana. Soon, one of the apes will attempt to climb the steps to get the banana. When this happens, immediately hose ALL of the apes with cold water. Its fine if more than one ape goes after the banana; the important thing is that, no matter how many or who, all of the apes get sprayed with the cold water. Having repeated this a couple or 3 times or so, the wet apes will no longer want the banana.
NOW, remove one of the apes (and maybe dry it), and replace it with a dry newcomer- one who has not seen the action at all. The newcomer will try to climb the steps to get the banana. And when he/she does try, he/she will be mobbed and prevented from doing so, as the other apes know what the newcomer does not know- about the cold water hosing. Another attempt at the banana by the newcomer, and again, the other apes will not allow it!
Now replace another wet, experienced ape with another dry newcomer who has not seen what's been going on. The 2nd, newest ape will try to get the banana, only to be attacked by the others, INCLUDING THE 1st NEW APE who has never been sprayed, who was himself prevented from getting the banana. He or she has no idea WHY he's stopping the new ape, but it seems to be the done thing.
Continue replacing the original, wet apes with dry apes one at a time, til all 5 apes in the cage are "new", dry apes, of which none were ever wet by the cold water, nor have they seen any of the others get hosed. But all of them have been prevented from getting the banana. Though none of them have any idea WHY, none of them will ever approach the steps and banana. If you asked them why, they'd say "Because that's the way it's always been around here."
That is how company policy begins.

RECIPIES FOR TEA BLENDS- homeopathic

NOTE- You should never take any type of medicine, including herbals, unless you're sure its safe. Check with your health care professional for diagnosis, possible contradictions with other meds you take, possible complications of taking the home remedy, etc. Many people think herbal remedies are completely safe. While they GENERALLY are much safer and milder than pharmaceutical drugs, this is not always the case, for various reasons. Also, as with any treatment, results will vary among different people- what works well for one may not work well, or at all, for another. Side effects are usually mild or non-existant, but this is not always the case. In a nutshell, I'm not responsible for any results of anyone trying these recipies- they likely won't hurt, and may help a little or a lot, but I do not guarantee anything. And once again, you should never attempt to self-diagnose, and always check with your physician before starting any new treatment.

NOTE: these are ingredients only. If you aren't familiar with preparation of herbal teas, do a search on it- there are many good sources of info on the subject.
Also, you don't have to use every herb listed. Use what you have or can easily get. You may experiment to find how much of each herb to use, according to best results and to your taste- if its horrid tasting and you can't drink it, it won't help, obviously. Each listed herb is good for the condition, so any combo is valid. But each works in different ways and has different properties, as well as other uses. So try different combos and amounts til you find what works best for you.
ALSO be sure you know what you're using. You may grow herbs yourself, but be sure its the variety used for medicinal purposes- or buy them from a reputable seller.

arthritis: white willow bark (tho its MUCH weaker, this is the original source of aspirin. If you cannot tolerate aspirin, or if you're on any blood thinners- anti-coagulants - do not use white willow bark); yarrrow; buckthorn bark; angelica root; black cohosh; valerian; rue; scullcap

NOTE: When an ingredient is any type of BARK, this means the inner bark- not the rough, dirty outer bark.

AWAKENED VITALITY: gota kola, ginseng, peppermint, damiana, rosemary, eucalyptus, black tea base (this IS a necessary ingredient. Black tea is regular, everyday tea as is used to made iced tea)

PLEASANT DREAMS: catnip, mugwort, oakmoss, lavendar, linden, chamomile, mistletoe (be sure its the right kind of mistletoe, not the poisonous variety.)

HEADACHE: white willow bark, basil, lemon balm, cayenne, chamomile, ginger, marjoram, parsley, peppermint

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: angelica root, mistletoe, sassafras, marshmallow root, licorice root. (NOBODY should take this as a replacement for prescribed blood pressure drugs. ALWAYS FOLLOW DOCTOR RECOMMENDATIONS, AND NEVER USE HERB REMEDIES IN PLACE OF PRESCRIBED MEDS FOR ANY SERIOUS OR LIFE THREATENING CONDITION)

BODY BUILDER (IMMUNITY): wormwood, sage, speedwell, licorice root, ginseng, heal all, pau d'arce, echinacea

LOVER'S TEA (APHRODESIAC): lavendar, jasmine, lady's mantle, peach tree leaves, damiana, myrtle, clove

MEMORY: ginseng, gotu kola, rose hips, rosemary

CALM COMFORT: linden, lavendar, chamomile, clove, rosemary, valerian(if you can stand the horrible odor of valerian. I can't- I never use it. The one time I tried it, I kept it stored in a zip-lock bag, inside another zip-lock, inside a metal canister with a very tight lid, and this was tied up in 2 plastic grocery bags. Its sorta like very old, ripe gym socks of someone with a severe problem- except valerian is STRONGER.And it does linger.)

PAIN: St john's wort (be careful using this- photosensitive. You can sunburn very fast. I got a sunburn in the winter, in the afternoon, by sitting in sunlight thru a window for 15 minutes.), white willlow bark, cayenne, arnica, jasmine, clove

NOTE: DON'T TAKE ST JOHN'S WORT OR VALERIAN IF YOU'RE TAKING ANY TYPE OF ANTI-DEPRESSANT. THESE BOTH HAVE ANTI-DEPRESSANT PROPERTIES AND MAY INTERFERE WITH YOUR TREATMENT SERIOUSLY

PROSPERITY (hm. that's what the thing says. not my recipie. lets say it gets your brain aimed toward prospering???) moneywort, meadowsweet, parsley, sage, mistletoe, basil, rose hips, clover, black tea base (necessary).

PSYCHIC (using same reasoning as for prosperity tea above, but for paying attention to instincts and intuition): rosemary, clove, eyebright, rue, mistletoe, oakmoss, elecampane

COLDS & RESPIRATORY: slippery elm, elecampane, comfrey, hyssop, vervain, licorice root, wild cherry bark, orange chip (?), coltsfoot

SINGER'S TEA ( calm and heal throat- soothes): wild cherry, licorice root, slippery elm, fennel seed, sweet orange and cassia chips (yep, chips - some of these are hand-written and i wasn't sure)

TONIC: sage, thyme, hyssop, spearmint, wormwood, marjoram, ginseng,

DIGESTIVE: mullein, corn silk, peppermint, calendula, comfrey

PMS & MENOPAUSE: ladys mantle, jasmine, motherwort, hyssop, arnica, red raspberry


MEDICINAL DECOCTIONS:

COUGHS & PULMONORY COMPLAINTS: 1 teaspoon balm of filead buds ; 1 pint of rainwater (bottled water probably be cleaner nowadays). Mix and infuse for 30 minutes

FOR REMOVING GRIPPING PAINS AND IRRITATION. EXCELLENT FOR CHILDREN: CATNIP TEA- 1 oz catnip leaves and flowers, 1/2 oz brown sugar, 1 tbsp milk, 1 pint boiling water. Infuse 25 minutes; strain.

FOR LOSS OF APPETITE AND DEBILITY: 1 oz wood betony, 1 oz barberry bark, 1 oz bogbean. Boil 15 min in 1/2 gallon water. Sweeten with honey and let cool. Then stir in 2 tsp of good Brewers Yeast. Let the whole stand 12 hours. Skim off tip and bottle the rest. Label carefully with date, ingredients, and uses. Don't use for 24 hours. Dosage: ad lib (as you please)