Doug Dillon's Blog, page 3
July 24, 2018
Mr. Rogers Movie: Remedy for Troubled Times
Enzian Theater, Winter Park, FL
As my wife, Barbara, and I exited the Enzian Theater in Winter Park, Florida, we both breathed a deep sigh of nostalgia, peace and even hope. We had just viewed the Mr. Rogers movie, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Growing up, our children loved Mr. Rogers and his wonderful TV programs for kids, and now our 3-year-old granddaughter was happily watching them on Netflix. So our motivation in going to see the Mr. Rogers movie was just to take a warm and comfy trip down memory lane. And, in turn, we were well rewarded with Morgan Neville’s beautifully done documentary.
But our extremely positive feelings after the movie went far beyond the film itself. It was as if we had been released from some sort of negative internal pressure and then filled with genuine goodness. And as we talked about that, we realized how we both felt cleansed and then gifted with gems of wisdom that transcended the confines of the Enzian Theater.
What we discovered was that the Mr. Rogers movie had, at least temporarily, punctured our rising dismay at the horrific cultural and political divisions running rampant in the United States of America. Suddenly, the life’s work of a gentle, kind, compassionate yet dedicated ordained minister from Pittsburg spoke not only to children but to the current and future adult world as well.
Mr. Rogers speaks to adults, those who once were children populating his neighborhood.
The Mr. Rogers messages of unconditional love, accepting every person just as they are, generosity, and helping others, are simply basic to our humanity. This is how the man stated it so eloquently when he spoke at Dartmouth College in 2002, shortly before his death in 2003:
“When I say it’s you I like, I’m talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.”
Fred Rogers and his neighbors
Sadly, the divisions in this country have been steadily rising over the last several decades and have exploded and solidified to such a degree as to make positive national problem solving all but impossible. I suppose that’s why Barb and I sensed a ray of hope after viewing the Mr. Rogers movie and still do. Surely the vast majority of American’s could agree on those simple but crucial principles set forth by a deeply insightful teacher of young children when he started his TV shows back in 1968.
If that agreement could truly happen and grow over time, it might well have the power to help bind the nation together as never before, be a wonderful example to our children, bridge cultural divides, elect leaders who hold Mr. Roger’s principles dear to their hearts and even rid us of leaders who do not adhere to such ideals.
And if you think that such kindness, generosity and compassion wouldn’t hold up in the rugged, nasty world of today’s politics, don’t be fooled. Watch the following video closely as Fred Rogers appeared before a rancorous Senate Subcommittee on Communication way back on May 1, 1969, as he spoke his quiet truth to power when critical funding for PBS was at stake. The result was no less than astounding, especially after the chairman had previously dismissed with prejudice many other PBS supporters:
As of this writing, the Mr. Rogers movie, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, is showing only in select theaters across the United States. Hopefully, it will get a wider viewing very soon. Even so, if you can possibly find where it’s playing, I urge you with all my heart to make that happen. You won’t be sorry and perhaps you’ll come away from that film sharing some of the same feelings Barb and I had when we left the Enzian Theater.
Tom Hanks will play Fred Rogers in You Are My Friend
Now, you might not have heard about this, but Tom Hanks will be playing Mr. Rogers in a Hollywood film coming out in October of 2019 by Tristar Pictures titled, You Are My Friend. Rather than centering on the public Mr. Rogers persona, however, this film focuses on how the life of a reporter changed forever after meeting Fred Rogers.
Folks, when Hollywood bets big bucks on such a story, you know it’s more than likely it will truly resonate with the American public. And just maybe the combination of a beautiful Mr. Rogers documentary and a related Hollywood drama will raise the consciousness of Americans enough to usher in a new era of positive public discourse and decision-making. Let’s not only hope this could be so, let’s make it so. Share this article and spread the good word about the Mr. Rogers movie.
In case you would like to delve a little deeper into the Mr. Rogers phenomenon, I’ve listed some sources below that can at least point you in some interesting directions. Enjoy.
About Fred Rogers and His Life’s Work
About Fred Rogers (The Fred Rogers Center)
Here are 5 things you might not know about Mister Rogers
Books
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers September, 2018 by Maxwell King is the CEO of the Pittsburgh Foundation. After a career in journalism, including eight years as editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, King served as president of the Pittsburgh-based Heinz Endowments for nearly a decade.
The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember October, 2003 by Fred Rogers.
Topic Specific Articles
How a Documentary About Mister Rogers Turns Him Into a Rock Star for Our Time
Marielle Heller insists Tom Hanks’ ‘beautiful’ Mr. Rogers movie ‘not a biopic,’ reveals plot details
Take the Next Trolley to ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’
You Are My Friend (The Tom Hanks movie for 2019)
Videos
Top 10 Mr. Rogers Moments That’ll Make You Nostalgic
Why the lessons of Mister Rogers never go away
Other Related Articles
The post Mr. Rogers Movie: Remedy for Troubled Times appeared first on Doug Dillon.
July 16, 2018
Weird Thing to See Near St. Augustine, Florida
Out in the Atlantic Ocean, 22 miles southeast of St. Augustine, Florida, the water boils. But it is a boiling created by pressure rather than heat. This weird thing boaters see 2.5 miles off Crescent Beach, Florida on a calm day is a fascinating quirk of nature where a freshwater submarine spring wells up through the salt water.
Found in various parts of the world, this boiling effect has intrigued scientists and visitors to Florida alike since the latter part of the 19th century. Looking more like an oil slick than anything, this large patch of calm surface area in the rippling ocean is the result of a strong column of fresh water gushing out of a hole 59 feet down.
Crescent Beach, Florida
For many years, people have speculated as to whether or not such coastal subterranean springs might be able to proide fresh water to nearby land areas. The conclussion has always been that the high cost of such ventures simply woudn’t allow them to happen. But as populations continue to increase and outstrip freshwater resources, such as in Florida, such an option may eventually become more viable.
A fun freak of nature for boaters to ride through, when it is visible, this weird thing in Florida’s waters is also a magnet to divers. For them, it’s a special thrill to explore an area where fresh and salt water collide in such a dynamic manner.
According to old tourist books from the late 1800’s, it appears that the freshwater flow isn’t quite as forceful as it used to be. Even so, 11,000 gallons rush upward through the sea every second. And although the ocean bottom there is at a depth of 59 feet, the actual spring vent itself is is 124 feet below the surface with a bottom trough diameter of 82 feet.
A Crescent Beach area resort
And so, if you’re visiting old St. Augustine one of these days, hop on down highway A1A south to Crescent Beach, rent a boat or hire a guide, and see for yourself, that weird thing in the ocean.
For further information
Crescent Beach Submarine Spring
Fresh water in the Atlantic Ocean?
Re-examining the Submarine Spring off Crescent Beach, Florida
Other weird things relating to St. Augustine, Florida
A Pirate’s Near-Death Experience: St. Augustine, FL
Haunted Lighthouse, St. Augustine, FL
The post Weird Thing to See Near St. Augustine, Florida appeared first on Doug Dillon.
Historic Map: St. Augustine, FL 1885-1886
Trilogy book covers
The St. Augustine Trilogy is my young adult series set in St. Augustine, FL. And since time travel to 1886 in relation to that old city s part of those stories, I needed to know what the please actually looked like back then. So after a great deal of research at the local historical society’s excellent research library, I created my own St. Augustine historic map.
Now that map is really a combination of several I reviewed, but most of it is based upon Webb’s Jacksonville and East and South Florida Consolidated Directory – 1886. In those days, St. Augustine had around 4,352 people. The mayor was John Long and the City Marshall was John Papino.
The old boat basin looking back towards the cathedral tower, as well as the old Ponce de Leon Hotel, Flagler College today.
The PDF link below will allow you to see my full color St. Augustine historic map across your computer screen so that you can pick out the details and read the location labels. Note that there was no bridge across the Matanzas River in those days. So if you love St. Augustine and enjoy maps, this is my gift to you. Enjoy.
See links below for related and extended information
Constitution Plaza: St. Augustine, FL
Haunted Lighth0use: St. Augustine, FL
St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library
St. Augustine, FL: Maria Sanchez Creek and Lake
St. Augustine – old maps online
St. Augustine,FL: St. George Street
The post Historic Map: St. Augustine, FL 1885-1886 appeared first on Doug Dillon.
July 2, 2018
Shame: Rubio Fails Children of Asylum Seekers
Marco Rubio fails children of asylum seekers every day that goes by since his June 22, 2018 speech. Although Florida’s junior Senator’s words that day were mostly logical and reasonable, near the end, he stepped off a cliff and plummeted into shame.
On the Senate floor, Rubio’s intent was to show support for the Republican Party’s plan to stop separating families at the border. But what he eventually did was to demonize those families who are fleeing terror in Central America. Demonize? When did seeking asylum in the United States become a crime? With Senator Rubio’s family history, he should know better.
So what did the Senator say that could cause so much damage? For starters, he compared the parents of child asylum seekers to
People who lose their homes because of mortgage default and
U.S. citizens who commit serious crimes, get incarcerated and lose their children
In essence, he validated separating kids even younger than 1-year old from their parents and negated the long-held U.S. policy of treating asylum seekers with respect and compassion. And then knowing his words must sound like that, he tried to say that’s not what he meant. Really? See his comments below, right after he compared asylum seekers to people who lose their homes through mortgage default:
“Every single day, even as I speak some adult in this country is going to be arrested and this adult is going to jail, perhaps for many years, and their children are not going to be able to see them now.
“Now, I’m not claiming that someone who commits a horrible crime in America is the same as someone who crosses our border. My point is to you is that happens every day so it doesn’t diminish it. But no one is suggesting that we should no longer arrest anyone or apply the law to people if it would divide them from their families – because the jails are full of people who have been divided from their families.
“I make these points not as comparison. I’m not saying being evicted from your home and crossing the border is the same thing. I’m not saying committing a serious crime that condemns you to years in jail and crossing the border is the same thing.”
As if that weren’t enough, Rubio actually excused the unforgivable Trump administration policy that made this horrendous family destruction and jailing of children possible. How did he do this? By telling the world how U.S. ways in these situations aren’t so bad because they don’t compare to the truly barbaric methods some other countries treat people. See below for his exact words:
“What I am saying is that off times the application of the law leads to results that trouble our hearts. But we recognize that if we didn’t apply the law, the alternative is as bad if not worse.
“Every sovereign country in the world has laws and a process and most of them enforce their laws in ways that are much more barbaric than anything that you’ll ever be accused of having done in the United States.”
Really? Have we sunk so low as a nation as to excuse one of the worst U.S. government actions in the nation’s history by what other nations do? Again, Rubio fails children of asylum seekers misserably.
Below, you will find the speech on video. See and hear for yourself how Rubio fails children of asylum seekers. The speech is 23 minutes long, but you can shorten it to just the areas of real concern by adjusting one of the two time settings to start at 19:51 minutes:
When Rubio fails children of asylum seeker so blatantly, it is time for Floridians, and others, to confront Senator Rubio with his words and intentions. To contact him by email, phone, and letter. Yes, all three, if possible. Here’s the link to his website where you will find each of his offices and contact information.
https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/
The link to a website of an excellent legal organization leading the fight immigration causes, is listed below. They can always use some support:
Americans for Immigration Justice
And if you would like further information on separating families at the border and related issues, see the links below:
Children separated from parents cry at U.S. detention center (Mercury News – Video)
Quotes About Children (DougDillon.com)
The facts about Trump’s policy of separating families at the border (Washington Post)
Trump’s influence on young people (DougDillon.com)
Why separating kids from parents is a form of torture (CNN)
100 Trump Words to Describe Him and His Presidency? (DougDillon.com)
June 23, 2018
Shame: Rubio Fails Children of Asylum Seekers
Marco Rubio fails children of asylum seekers every day that goes by since his June 22, 2018 speech. Although Florida’s junior Senator’s words that day were mostly logical and reasonable, near the end, he stepped off a cliff and plummeted into shame.
On the Senate floor, Rubio’s intent was to show support for the Republican Party’s plan to stop separating families at the border. But what he eventually did was to demonize those families who are fleeing terror in Central America. Demonize? When did seeking asylum in the United States become a crime? With Senator Rubio’s family history, he should know better.
So what did the Senator say that could cause so much damage? For starters, he compared the parents of child asylum seekers to
People who lose their homes because of mortgage default and
U.S. citizens who commit serious crimes, get incarcerated and lose their children
In essence, he validated separating kids even younger than 1-year old from their parents and negated the long-held U.S. policy of treating asylum seekers with respect and compassion. And then knowing his words must sound like that, he tried to say that’s not what he meant. Really? See his comments below, right after he compared asylum seekers to people who lose their homes through mortgage default:
“Every single day, even as I speak some adult in this country is going to be arrested and this adult is going to jail, perhaps for many years, and their children are not going to be able to see them now.
“Now, I’m not claiming that someone who commits a horrible crime in America is the same as someone who crosses our border. My point is to you is that happens every day so it doesn’t diminish it. But no one is suggesting that we should no longer arrest anyone or apply the law to people if it would divide them from their families – because the jails are full of people who have been divided from their families.
“I make these points not as comparison. I’m not saying being evicted from your home and crossing the border is the same thing. I’m not saying committing a serious crime that condemns you to years in jail and crossing the border is the same thing.”
As if that weren’t enough, Rubio actually excused the unforgivable Trump administration policy that made this horrendous family destruction and jailing of children possible. How did he do this? By telling the world how U.S. ways in these situations aren’t so bad because they don’t compare to the truly barbaric methods some other countries treat people. See below for his exact words:
“What I am saying is that off times the application of the law leads to results that trouble our hearts. But we recognize that if we didn’t apply the law, the alternative is as bad if not worse.
“Every sovereign country in the world has laws and a process and most of them enforce their laws in ways that are much more barbaric than anything that you’ll ever be accused of having done in the United States.”
Really? Have we sunk so low as a nation as to excuse one of the worst U.S. government actions in the nation’s history by what other nations do? Again, Rubio fails children of asylum seekers misserably.
Below, you will find the speech on video. See and hear for yourself how Rubio fails children of asylum seekers. The speech is 23 minutes long, but you can shorten it to just the areas of real concern by adjusting one of the two time settings to start at 19:51 minutes:
When Rubio fails children of asylum seeker so blatantly, it is time for Floridians, and others, to confront Senator Rubio with his words and intentions. To contact him by email, phone, and letter. Yes, all three, if possible. Here’s the link to his website where you will find each of his offices and contact information.
https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/
The link to a website of an excellent legal organization leading the fight immigration causes, is listed below. They can always use some support:
Americans for Immigration Justice
And if you would like further information on separating families at the border and related issues, see the links below:
Children separated from parents cry at U.S. detention center (Mercury News – Video)
Quotes About Children (DougDillon.com)
The facts about Trump’s policy of separating families at the border (Washington Post)
Trump’s influence on young people (DougDillon.com)
Why separating kids from parents is a form of torture (CNN)
100 Trump Words to Describe Him and His Presidency? (DougDillon.com)
The post Shame: Rubio Fails Children of Asylum Seekers appeared first on Welcome to the Worlds of Doug Dillon.
March 17, 2018
Quotes About Children
Kids: Understanding. Loving. Nurturing. Learning from.
What you will see in this post is a blending of my own observations about children, from the perspective of a father, grandfather and educator, with thoughts about kids from famous people. It’s an interesting mix, one that I hope might stimulate your thinking and stir your compassion.
If I don’t assign a person’s name to a quote, you will know it’s one of mine. But no matter what, please feel free to use any of this information in whatever manner you might find beneficial.
Oh, keep teenagers in mind as you review this list. Many of these quotes apply equally to them. Sometimes when we say the word children, we only think of the little guys.
Children are our connections to all that is.
If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all. – Pearl S. Buck
There is no place for guns in schools.
“A child needs your love most when he deserves it least.” – Erma Bombeck
“Kids don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” – Jim Henson
Kids know a lot more than you think.
“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” – Anne Frank
Read to a child today.“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” – Frederick Douglass
Reading to a child is an investment in the future.
“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Take a walk in the rain with a child & become young again.
“Your children need your presence more than your presents.” – Jesse Jackson
Pretend with a child and learn what life is really all about.
“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.” – Khalil Gibran
See the infinity of existence in the eyes of a child.
“The soul is healed by being with children.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Lead a child to knowledge and learn lessons you will never forget.
“Children are educated by what the grown-up is and not by his talk.” – Carl Jung
Sitting close to a child in silence is sometimes the best communications of all.“One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Enter a child’s world today and discover missing pieces of yourself.
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela
Dance with a child and feel the rhythms of the universe.
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” – James A. Baldwin
Play with a child and receive more than you can possibly give.
“Never have more children than you have car windows.” – Erma BombeckListen to children and make wondrous connections with them.
“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” – Alex Haley
Teach a child to think and enrich the world.
“Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” – Walt Disney
Draw with a child and help her construct the future.
“Parents were invented to make children happy by giving them something to ignore.” – Ogden Nash
Laugh with a child and feel a pure essence of being.
“Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.” –Sitting Bull
Singing with a child unites two souls on a common journey.
“This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands.” – Barack Obama
Ask children questions and then listen carefully no matter what they say.“Adults are obsolete children.” – Dr. Seuss
Color with a child and add to the brightness of existence.
“If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do matters very much.” – Jackie Kennedy
Imagine with a child and watch the unfolding of exquisite potential.
“You see a child play, and it is so close to seeing an artist paint, for in play a child says things without uttering a word. You can see how he solves his problems. You can also see what’s wrong. Young children, especially, have enormous creativity, and whatever’s in them rises to the surface in free play.” – Erik Erikson
Write with a child and teach her the full magic of words.
“
Being considerate of others will take your children further in life than any college degree.” – Marian Wright EdelmanProtect a child and build for the future.
“Tell the children the truth.” – Bob Marley
Walk with a child and see the world through his eyes.
“A child is a curly dimpled lunatic.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Kneel to speak to a child so you can see eye-to-eye.
“There are only two things a child will share willingly — communicable diseases and his mother’s age.” – Dr. Benjamin Spock
Tell a child a story and bring joy to her life.
“Having a two-year-old is like having a blender that you don’t have the top for.” -Jerry Seinfeld
Plan an event with a child and watch her grow.“Your children will see what you’re all about by what you live rather than what you say.” – Wayne Dyer
Give a child the gift of your full and undivided presence.
“A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Paint with a child and watch the world around you come alive.
“For unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Love a child and bring the world into being
“Pretty much all the honest truth telling there is in the world is done by children.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Kids’ picture books rock. Read one to a child today.
“I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.” – Harry S. Truman
Share the holidays with a child and become a kid again.
“If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses.” – Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheChildren mirror the behaviors they see and hear. Watch yourself!
“There never was a child so lovely, but his mother was glad to get him asleep.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Take a magical walk thru a toy store with a child and find pure joy.
“If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.” – C.G. Jung
Hug a child and warm your heart.
“Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy.” – Robert A HeinleinBehind the eyes of a child lies the timelessness of the human soul.
“If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” – Rachel Carson
Children are the treasured hope of the world.
“Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home.” – Phyllis Diller
Fish with a child and bring joy to his heart.
Showing a child the stars puts her in touch with the essence of existence.
Hitting a child teaches them disrespect and violence.
Give a child the gift of your full attention and reap the rewards.
Play with a child and watch the time stretch in fascinating and unimaginable ways.
Find images in a cloud with a child and create lasting memories.
Enter a child’s imaginary world and become a welcomed partner.Take a child to the library and connect him to the richness of books.
Be silly with a child and contact a lost part of yourself.
Kids can see through you so be careful what you say and how you do things.
Here are some interesting links to children’s organizations you may or may not have heard about:
Child Welfare League Association
The post Quotes About Children appeared first on Welcome to the Worlds of Doug Dillon.
February 20, 2018
Parkland Students Take Much Needed Action
Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida, #NeverAgain, gun control, AR-15, Pulse nightclub, Columbine High School
And on the killing goes. Really? Will we never wake up as a nation and stop this madness. Will we allow the NRA to rule us forever? Is this the world my granddaughter will inherit?
Yet again another horrific shooting, this one 2 miles from where an old high school buddy lives in Parkland, FL. His wife wife’s sons had even known the shooter at one time. Really? That’s just too close to home.
It isn’t just this one shooting that is close to home, sad to say. Twice a month, I drive by the old Pulse nightclub here in the Orlando area where in 2016, 49 people died and 58 were wounded. I shudder every time I make that trip.
And back in 1999, my stepsister’s daughter cowered in a barricaded classroom with other students as 2 killers rampaged through Columbine High School in Colorado. Look how far we haven’t come.
So for me, that’s 3 linkages to 3 of the worst mass killings in our nation’s history, 2 of them schools. I still find it hard to believe, but then I think of all such shootings in recent memory and how many people still living have been impacted by them even slightly. The number must be astronomical and yet nothing changes and it is getting even worse.
But I tell you what. Those wonderful, strong, smart, articulate and dedicated kids from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School just might begin to truly turn the tide. They have started their #NeverAgain movement and today, busloads of them are heading to Tallahassee, hellbent on influencing our state legislators to at least change the accessibility of AR-15 assault rifles to young people age 18 to 20.
And on March 24, they will be leading a Washington, DC national protest in cooperation with the Everytown for Gun Safety organization.
God bless them! If there is to be a change in our gun laws, and in other much needed aspects of our society, it will be their generation that could very well make such things happen.
So please, whatever your age or political persuasion, do your part to help them and the entire nation. Together we can make a difference. See below for informational and action links.
Action Links
Everytown for Gun Safety website (Donations needed)
Informational Links
Students push for #never again National Gun Control Movement (CBS News – Face the Nation/YouTube)
Survivors of the Parkland School shooting demand change (CBS News/YouTube)
Florida school shooting survivors to confront state lawmakers (CBS News.com)
Jimmy Kimmel on shooting in Parkland, FL (ABC.com/YouTube)
How the survivors of the Parkland school shooting began the Never Again movement (The New Yorker.com)
The Parkland massacre sparked a renewed debate over gun control. What’s next? (The Washington Post.com)
The post Parkland Students Take Much Needed Action appeared first on Welcome to the Worlds of Doug Dillon.
January 3, 2018
A 1956 Florida UFO Sighting Revisited
Pensacola, Orlando, Air Force, Project Blue Book, Captain Ruppelt, George Gaines, Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program, Foo Fighters
Got a call from my old friend, George Gaines, just before 2017 winked out of existence. We hadn’t been in direct contact for quite a few years and this was our chance to get reconnected.
Howard Middle School, Orlando, FL
George and I started teaching together at Howard Middle School in Orlando back in 1966. Turned out we discovered both our fathers, veterans of WWII, had flown B24 bombers out of England, his dad for the Navy and mine for the Army Air Corps, but both through the 8th Air Force.
In that December phone call, I told George that at a later date, I would love to talk to him about the new revelations by the Air Force in relation to their recent 10-year continuing investigation o UFOs titled, Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program.
I brought this up because long ago, George had told my wife and me a fascinating story about a Pensacola UFO sighting he had made in 1956 at the age of 12 and a visit he had several days later by two Air Force officers.
Against his mother’s wishes, he mailed a written report to Eglin Air Force base which resulted in him being grilled by those two officers for over 7 hours. Very strange,especially since they also brought with them films and great big photo albums for him to review. All because of an interesting, but definitely not a close encounter of the third kind by a 12-year-old kid.
In response to my request, George astounded me by saying that since we last discussed this topic, he had made a couple of very enlightening discoveries. One was the fact that he found a synopsis of his `956 meeting with the military gentelmen in the online archive for the Air Forces’ Project Blue Book. In that synopsis, was a rather clumsy debunking of what he saw. And then when George went back to the Blue Book site to check that report once again, he found that the file was now missing.
Second, George did a visual search of photos on the Internet regarding Project Blue Book and UFOs to see if he could identify the Air Force Captain and Lieutenant who had visited him in 1956. To his amazement, he found that the Captain was none other than Edward J Ruppelt, the first director of Project Blue Book. Yup, the man himself. The Lieutenant was Ruppelt’s assistant was Ruppelt’s assistant during the Blue Book days.
But, the thing is, George said, his research on Ruppelt showed him leaving the Blue Book project in 1953 and retiring soon after. So why was he showing up in uniform and conducting such an intensive onsite interview of a seventh grader in 1956? George’s conclusion is that Ruppelt never really left government service and something else was going on. Perhaps, George concluded, his sighting just happened to fit into whatever larger event or events that Ruppelt was already investigating.
So there you have it in a nutshell. George’s radio interview was recorded on YouTube in audio mode and you will see it below, available for you to hear for yourself. I suggest it is well worth listening to if you are interested in all the details. George Gaines is a solid, honest guy with a doctorate in educational psychology and who has held many responisble positions in his life. You can take what he said to the bank.
Oh, a couple of more things about the following online interview: 1. George doesn’t actually join the conversation until about 17 minutes into the broadcast. So you might want to put your cursor on the left side of the progress bar and drag it, the red part, out towards the right and stop at 17 minutes when George appears. And 2. Towards the end of the interview, you will hear George discussing a conversation he had with his father about Foo Fighters during WWII and his dad’s very intense and telling reaction when discussing UFOs after WWII. Very interesting.
And after the segment with George below, I’ve included two videos relating to the current Air Force disclosures about their recent UFO investigations as well as a couple of useful links.
Enjoy.
The former director of the Air Force’s Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program interviewed on CNN in December 2017.
A video released by the Air Force as part of their recent UFO project disclosure.
Links
That Secret Government Program to Track UFOs? It’s Not the First (airspacemag.com)
Former Navy pilot describes UFO encounter studied by secret Pentagon program (washingtonpost.com)
Aliens, flying discs and sightings — oh my! A short history of UFOs in America (cnn.com)
Project Blue Book Online Archive (archives.gov)
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December 26, 2017
Bear Visit in the Orlando Area
Central Florida, Seminole County, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Markham Woods, Little Wekiva River
Yup, there are black bears around here. Of course, this was their territory long before we humans decided to invade. It seems, though, that the more of the natural world we lose in Central Florida, the more bear/human interaction increases. And sometimes those encounters can turn dangerous.
People mistakenly feed these beautiful creatures and/or don’t take proper precautions by making their garbage cans inaccessible. That may be why at Christmas in 2017 my family and I saw our first direct evidence of a bear visit in our backyard which borders on the Little Wekiva River. We’ve lived in this house for 40 years and only now have we had sort of a “close encounter.”
Using pictures I took at the scene, I’ll take you through what I’ve been able to piece together. And at the end of all that, you’ll find some great informational links, including videos.
So from what I can tell, our visitor was following the river and came up the bank towards our house.
There it encountered our 4 foot high chain link fence. BUT, I had piled a lot of hurricane tree debris just on the other side of the fence, making for an unintended but wonderful bear incline access point. And since the top bar of that fence had been broken by yet another hurricane, our visitor rolled right over the thing. You can see where it was bent.
The bear then ambled into the yard where it evidently ran into a huge tree limb that hurricane Irma had deposited between our house and the side wood fence. I had been waiting to get the limb cut up until after the first of the year when prices went down so I nailed a white rag up there to keep from running into it.
I guess the bear didn’t like the my rag, because we found it on the ground with strings of fabric hanging from the branch.
After that, our visitor walked along a path parallel and close to the house where we have banana plants. There, right in front of the porch door, the bear pushed two of the plants to the ground and shredded one almost completely. We found claw marks all over. 
It almost looks as if he/it was trying to get at bugs or larvae inside the plant.
Oh, and, a bite had been taken out of a green banana. Only one. I’m thinking ripeness might have something to do with the single nibble.
And on to the next banana plant on another path heading back down towards the river. After flattening that one, our bear grabbed the bird feeder, pulled it to the ground and permanently bent the tall metal rod it was attached to.
The feeder didn’t contain any seed, but obviously our visitor knew about such contraptions and had great 
expectations. We’re now going to have to reconsider whether or not to keep offering snacks to the small critters if that’ll attract the big ones.
Hmmm. Guess I need to be a bit more wary going out in the back yard at night. That’s a new one after living here so long but . . .
Here’s the promised info:
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission – overview of FL Black Bears
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission – Bear Habitats map
Interactive map – Central Florida siting locations
The path of destruction
Videos
Bears in a local swimming pool
Florida black bears on the move
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November 20, 2017
Trump’s Influence on Young People
Donald Trump’s influence. The appearance of Donald Trump on the campaign trail, and now as president, has unquestionably been a disruptive force in the United States. Voting age Trump supporters see that as a good thing while a solid majority of adult Americans view it with great dismay and anxiety at best. The result, of course, has been a rapid deepening and solidification of the great cultural/political chasm between those two factions.
As problematic as that situation has been, and is for most adults in this country, it might well be that
young people are the ones most deeply and negatively affected. Parents, educators and child mental health experts are increasingly in agreement, saying that the effect president Donald Trump is having on kids is already severe and shows signs of worsening.
Sadly, some school-age children are even emulating the President. This has resulted in an increase in youthful bullying and hate speech. The Southern Poverty Law Center surveyed 2,000 K-12 teachers in order to study this developing issue and discovered that the ascendancy of Donald Trump has had a “profound negative effect on children and classrooms, especially in schools with high populations of minority children.”
This phenomenon now even has it’s own name: “The Trump Effect.”
It seems that Mr. Trump’s demeanor, words, actions and rallies are giving license for susceptible kids to act out their worst impulses. These youngsters watch intolerance, bullying, name calling and inflammatory speech erupting from the President of the United States and think that’s okay to emulate. And even when corrected by caring adults, they say, “The President did/said that! Why can’t I?”
In March of 2017, Huffington Post published an article by Dr. Gene Beresin, Executive Director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital titled, “Trump’s Behaviors: A Child Psychiatrists’ Perspective.”
In that article, Dr. Beresin declined to assess the President’s mental health status, but what he did was to create a fictional 16-year-old male patient, based upon his years of psychiatric practice, who exhibits some of Donald Trump’s traits. Here they are:
This patient:
Lies
Publicly bullies other in a hurtful way
Hangs out with bad kids who manipulate him
Has to be the center of attention
Violates sexual boundaries and denies wrongdoing
Takes no responsibility for his misbehavior
Defies rules and authority impulsively
If slighted . . . seeks revenge and makes everyone scared of retaliation
Dr. Beresin states that these traits are somewhat normal for a preschooler but in a teenager, are extremely problematic. And if they are problematic in a teenager, they certainly are problematic for the President of the United States who then also serves as a role model for America’s youth.
To see how this all plays out in real life, consider the following incidents taken from three different states:
California: A white middle school student said to a black classmate: “Now that Trump won, you’re going back to Africa where you belong.”
Kentucky: An Hispanic third-grade girl was chased around the classroom by a white boy who yelled, “Build the wall! Build the wall.”
Florida: White high school students, after a football game, shouted, “Donald Trump! Donald Trump!” at the students from the opposing side who happened to be African American.
Minority students of color have mainly been the targets of such incidents. The result for them has been a rise in fear, the development of physical problems, and reduced ability to function in school. The question then arises as to the effect these situations might also be having on non- participating white students who are witnessing the type of events just described.
It may be too soon in the Trump administration to know the full extent of the president’s behavior on our young people. But as the 2017-2018 school year rolls on, perhaps we will get a clearer picture of what the future holds, not just for our kids, but eventually for our entire society as our youngsters mature into adults.
For Further Information
Videos
7 Ways Donald Trump Is Damaging Our Children (Popsugar Entertainment 2:07)
How Trump’s rhetoric is affecting students (CNN Money 4:49)
Kids React to Trump before the election (FBE 9:14)
The Trump effect is hitting children (Huff Post 2:10)
Trump signs kids hat, then throws it (The Young Turks 2:13)
Articles
Countering the Trump Effect: Tips for Schools (Dignity in Schools.org)
Don’t Shield Your Kids From Donald Trump (Salon.com)
How Educational Children’s Books Are Explaining President Trump (The New Yorker.com)
Kids are quoting Trump to bully their classmates? (Buzzfeed.com)
The ‘Trump Effect’ is contaminating our kids — and could resonate for years (The Washington Post.com)
The Trump Effect Part 1 (Psychology Today.com)
Trump’s Behavior: A Child Psychiatrist’s Perspective (Huffington Post.com)
Trump’s War on Children (Children’s Defense.Org)
Why child anxiety is on the rise in Trump’s America (Newsweek.com)
100 Trump Words to Describe Him and His Presidency
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