Not Exactly The Way Therapists Train People To Use Them

Gimme A Beat!

My son has found rap.  It is a difficult thing as a modern parent to listen to rap.  I should qualify that my son is only 8.5 years old.  Most rap music is written for the 18+ plus crowd based on the lyrics they use.  In my personal opinion, most rappers are weak lyricists.  When writing it's easy to just start throwing F bombs around.  Its lazy writing, if you ask me.  We grew up hearing "American Pie" , "Come Sail Away", and "Hotel California" just to name a few.  Like most kids they are drawn to things their parents hate.  We liked rock our parents liked crooners, their parents liked big band.  We probably could go all the way back to when cavemen banged on rocks and their parents said, "Stop making those rocks roll!"

I try to be open minded.  I used to hate it all.  However, when my son asks if he can download a song I will listen to it and decide if its appropriate.  I've come to like songs by Bruno Mars, B.o.B., Lupe Fiasco and a few others.

Jimmy wants and is trying to write a rap of his own.  I've decided to help him when he gets stuck creatively.  For inspiration I pulled out some old poems I wrote as a youth.  These date back to the 70's.

Sunken Ships

A ship is a boat

They float

Sometimes they sink

Their owners turn pink

There was the "Titanic"

Now look in the Atlantic

Look at the "Bismark"

Its decks are all dark

There was the "Andre Doria"

Its on the ocean flooria

Math

Math is fun

So is the sun

We can add

When we are not mad

We can subtract

When we are in tact

We can multiply

When we don't cry

And we can divide

When we don't hide

So math is not pushing

When you have it with Cushing

The End

By

Mark

"The Ploch"

(Cushing was my 6th Grade Math teacher.  This might have been a brown nose attempt.)

OK, so these may not be rap material, but that's OK by me.  I liked writing poetry, still do.  I hope to digitize my writings soon.  I wrote just as my brother did.  He's got some great stuff too.  We even collaborated a few times.  Our epic parody to "T'was The Night Before Christmas" was as viral has things could be in the late 70's.  We pushed our luck the next year by creating a sequel.  It was flat and predictable.  I think our last combined effort was our Gram's eulogy.  We each took turns putting it together.  I had a lot of pride writing about my Grandmother.

Writing should be fun.  This is what I'm trying to pass on to my son.  He's still at the "writing is a chore" stage.  When he has written, he's done quite well.  I also feel writing should be a positive moment for the reader.  Rap music tends to make me feel uncomfortable and negative.  I can only imagine what young people are feeling being that they can't understand how to process those negative messages.

I promise to share my early poetry.  Feel free to share yours too.  Send it to me at mark@plochdesigns.com.  Maybe we can get the eyes of a song writer to make a platinum selling song.

Whitney Houston, When We Learn?

I'm sorry for Whitney Houston death. I never like seeing God given talent wasted. Her gift was used and abused by all around her merely to make money. Even in her death, the streets were lined by parasites selling all things "Whitney". Her soul may be at piece, but God help those that pushed her down the path of Hell. Is your money worth it?

Multi Tasker or Control Freak

It's cooler to be a loner with technology, the internet and your mother's basement.

I Don't Have The Strength Part 2

I Don't Have The Strength Part 2

My last blog was in support of a cancer curing doctor.  Today, I'm going to criticize doctors that perpetuate the cancer of negativity.  

Wait, stop.  

That's not fair of me to single out doctors.  This message is going to be sent to a much larger audience, everybody.

A few weeks ago we watched a Hallmark TV movie called, A Smile As Big As The Moon.  It dramatically tells the story of a Special Needs classroom that has the want and desire to go to Space Camp.

The story takes places in 1989.  When I say Special Needs classroom I'm referring to high school aged students with mental challenges ranging from anger management, ADD, ADHD, OCD, Tourettes Syndrome to kids with Downs Syndrome.  These kids are kept together in a classroom away from the general school population.  And when I say Space Camp, I mean the place where very smart kids go to pretend to be real astronauts, with as real as it gets space shuttle simulators.  

In 1989 the teacher of the "special" students, Michael Kersjes, has an idea to take his class to Space Camp.  The directors of Space Camp had never had any "special" students come through their program.  Only at the persistence of Kersjes did Space Camp allow the project to move forward.  Kersjes, unfortunately, had little to no support from his own school.  Not to spoil the ending, but things end beautifully and a new door of opportunities opens for students with special needs at Space Camp.

This story took place in 1989 just five years after I graduated from high school.  I saw first hand how some kids got pushed aside because they don't appear to be somebody that might excel in the "real world".  I was lucky.  I had parents who expected nothing less from me or for me.  I had teachers who saw I could achieve.  Some of these same teachers I would get in trouble with defending the rights of other "special" students to be given a chance.  Sometimes I'd win, sometimes I didn't, at least a voice was being raised.

Unfortunately, 23 years later there still exists the mindset that "special" people can't achieve beyond a very low bar of expectations.

Case in point, Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham.  Born with Spina Bifida.  His doctors painted a grim lifelong existence of being forever dependent on his parents.

His parents decided to let him be a boy.  Watch how dependent he is now.

I remember a visitor we had in grade school once.  The man was in wheelchair, but he could drive a car.  My brain opened up wide that day with possibilities.  Some 18 years later I did finally get approved to drive a modified van.

My point.  Don't sell people short on life.  Though I highlighted the "special" people of the world this philosophy can relate to anyone.  Keep all your negativity to yourself.  I don't have the strength to deal with the dream squashers of the world.  If you never try, you'll never know what can be possible for you or others.

By the way, we are ALL "special".

I Don't Have The Strength Anymore

Happy, um, New Year!  Weeeeeeee, um, wooooo.

I realize my blogging has been kidnapped by Facebook.  I realize my tremendously insightful wisdom has been reduced to mindless little quips throughout each given day.  I apologize to my throngs of readers who don't subscribe to Facebook.

Ok,  I apologize to my throng of readers who don't subscribe to Facebook.

ALRIGHT!

I apologize to my 23 readers who don't subscribe to Facebook, though I realize its more like 7.  Let's not get lost in the statistics shall we.

Despite my lack for blogging, I have continued to think, that's the smoke you smell.  The sharing of my thoughts is where I think I bore you.  However, I've had some thoughts that I felt were quite worthy of sharing.  You let me know if I'm curing your insomnia.

Awhile ago a cousin of mine had informed me of a documentary called "Burzynski".  A film detailing the struggle of Stanislaw R. Burzynski.  A doctor who just might be sitting on a cure for cancer.  Let me repeat that.

A CURE FOR CANCER

Now, instead of celebrating his tremendous discoveries the FDA, Food & Drug Administration, has spent over $60 million dollars trying to stop him from practicing forever.  That seems odd.  Why try to stop him, you may ask?  All you need to do is follow the money.  Drug companies pay the FDA to review their drugs.  When approved, the drug companies sell their drugs for Billions.  Drugs they use to fight cancer.  No cancer, no need for cancer fighting drugs.  No cancer fighting drugs no Billions.  The math leads me to believe Dr. Burzynski might be on to something.  

I've done the research and his findings merit serious widespread considerations.  I even checked Quackwatch.org, a website setup to keep an eye on medical "Quackery".  I found a many listings stating Burzynski is a fraud.  Many of the claims link back to the '90's when the FDA was pushing hard to him, but nothing current or conclusive.  Yet, they never show that even though the FDA tried 5 times to stop him, the courts, Congress, AND U.S. Supreme Court said there was no evidence to support the FDA's claims.

There's another website,  The Burzynski Patient Group.  This is a group of current and past patients trying to spread the facts about Dr. Burzynski.  How many frauds have websites trying to protect them?  At this site, you can watch the Burzynski documentary for yourself.  I encourage you to watch this movie.  I don't know anyone who has not been touched by cancer.  It is a cruel existence that needs to be fought and won.  We can't just assume that by wearing pink and walking we're helping.  

Please make others aware that a cure for cancer might be at hand.  Don't let greed hide the truths being told.   I don't have the strength to fight stupid greedy bastards on my own.  Ironically, if the news of Dr. Burzynski's success were to spread like cancer, cancer could actually be beaten.