Free Parking?

I traveled to Springfield yesterday to find more Looking For Lincoln signs. I had some early success at the Illinois National Guard Military museum.

But when I traveled to the Great Western Depot, I found tons of UHaul trucks. I couldn't videotape signs with these beheamoths in the way. It runied any chance for me to videotape signs. So if someone knows how to park near the military museum, I would be very grateful. Thanks.

Pray and it all goes away.

I often scoff at preachers who say this. What do they know? Obviously they don't know the inner workings of God and Jesus. It's not the praying part that I disagree with. Obviously I pray to God just as much as the next Christian. But I'm not a fool. Uttering a prayer won't magically fix your car. Uttering a prayer won't miraculously pay your grocery bill. And uttering prayers certainly didn't stop the Romans from invading Jerusalem in 70 A. D.

God is not a normal 24 hour a day customer support line. It's this simple. If you know nothing about auto mechanics, God is not going to help you land an auto mechanics job. End of story. If you can't cook your own meals, why would you think God would land you a culinary occupation? God is not going to let you pursue a truck driving job when you have poor eyesight. And you're not going to acquire a corporate managerial position if you've never graduated high school.

And the same is true when it comes to bullyism. Just because you pray doesn't mean that your bully is going to magically disappear before your eyes. It doesn't happen like that. Some people waste their entire lives bullying others. And sometimes God permits this to happen. Why? Because there are things we can do to put an end to this kind of bullying, but we refuse to do so.

Studying God's Holy Bible is a very good habit to get into. It corrects your attitude towards the things you experience in life. It's a great thing to have in a time of trouble. But the Bible doesn't teach you how to fix a car. Nor does it teach you how to prepare fine culinary dishes. The Bible teaches you how to turn a house into a God respecting home, but it doesn't tell you how to build the house in the first place. The Bible should be the center of your education, but it shouldn't be the only thing you learn from. God doesn't forbid you to read a mathematics book. God doesn't forbid you to learn a second language. God doesn't forbid you to build a computer. And God doesn't mind if you study Accounting.

So open your academic books and study them carefully. And watch my videos if you start having problems learing the material in the books.

Reading is for primitives.

I hear it all the time. Reading is so outdated. Give me a video instead. Who has time to read anyway. Well, if you become infirmed or ill in any way, you will have plenty of time to read. I assure you of this.

It's people who don't read that often get the short end of the stick. After all, Illinois just raised their income taxes and now are trying to force employers to raise the minimum wage. If you don't read, you probably won't know any of this. And this can drastically affect your pocketbook.

If you don't read your instruction manuals, you will probably destroy the nice merchandise you own. I could go on and on, but I have to say reading is important.

So if you know how to read, do it often. You only hurt yourself if you don't.

Real Music Please....

Years ago I enjoyed watching the Grammy Awards. Who in their right mind wouldn't have enjoyed it. Elton John, Billy Joel, Pat Benetar, and Arithra Franklin made timeless hits and were all recognized for their achievements. Back then Rock and Roll was a sound to remember.

But not today. When the highlight of an awards show is when they roll the deceased credits, I begin to wonder what happened to the awards show. In fact, I wonder what happened to Rock and Roll.

I think American Idol and MTV killed real rock and roll. I will miss it terribly. Good thing someone invented the MP3 player. Now I can return to the good days of Rock and Roll.

Who was Jack?

Jack was an insecure guy. He needed professional help. Whenever people taunted him, he had to show off just to show how manly he was. The crowd taunted him by saying, "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Jack jump over the candlestick." So Jack, being as insecure as he always was, took the dare.

So what happened to Jack? Well, Jack was nimble and Jack was quick. He did indeed jump over that candlestick. Unfortunately he didn't know that the wax had melted all over the floor. So he slipped on the wax and broke his hip.

Jack was rushed to the hospital where all the king's horses and all the king's men with great difficulty put Jack back together again. Thus, Jack was no longer nimble and was no longer quick. But he was still handsome. And this got him into more trouble.

You guessed it. He met and married Jill. They bought a plantation and built a nice ranch house. And yes, they had a well where they could collect water. Now the ranch did indeed have indoor plumbing and both of them took advantage of this. But when it came time to care for their livestock, they fetched the water from the well on top of the hill. But Jack was still as careless as he always was. Yes, he fell down the hill and broke his crown. And Jill, being as careless as Jack, fell off the hill too.

Since this incident occurred, their medical insurance rates have skyrocketed. Neither of them climb up the hill anymore. They almost had to sell thier plantation due to their medical co-pays. And now you know what happened to poor Jack.

Not open 24 hours a day.

I'm telling everyone this to improve the shopping experince for not only my customers but for all customers in general.

It may surprise some people when they find out that not all stores are open 24 hours a day. But the truth is that not every company is owned by Wal-Mart. And if you look long and hard, you may still find some Wal-Marts that aren't open 24 hours a day. That would indeed be a tough find, but if you really looked hard, I bet you would find one or two.

But does that stop people from trying to shop when a store is about to close for the night? Heck no. I hear it all the time. "I just have to get one little thing before you close." Then you find the customer still strolling through your store long after you've locked the doors.

I hate to burst your bubble, but some stores do close before midnight. If you don't understand the concept of a store closing for the evening, just work in retail for a few weeks. Then you will understand. You wouldn't expect a factory worker to continue working after an eight hour shift, would you?

Retail workers fully understand the concept of customer service. And we do our best to provide it when we are working. I personally enjoy the company of my customers and I eagerly look for them to walk through my store. But as far as I'm concerned, there is a limit to good customer service. I know there is a clock to beat and I try my best to help you beat that clock. But there is only so much I can do. And will blaming me for your short lunch break or your lack of time to accomplish a task improve your situaiton? I think not.

Take pity on your store clerks. They may not look like they are working hard, but they really are. Don't assume that when an item is out on the shelf that it's in the stockroom and we are just too lazy to put it out. The recent shifts in the economy have left our stockrooms a little more bare. Sometimes the item you're looking for is indeed in the stockroom, but sometimes it isn't. And making us feel bad because it's not in the stockroom won't get you the item any faster.

Remember, store clerks usually aren't the ones ordering the merchandise. That job is usually left to the managers. So if you are upset about not finding an item, tell the manager. You will make more progress doing this than ranting to a store clerk.

And when a store clerk does go the extra mile for you, don't take it for granted. Do take a moment and tell their manager about your good customer service. If you don't, they may not go the extra mile for you again. And that's the last thing you want. Managers often do reward employees for good customer service. And when you don't tell anyone about the good experience you had with the store clerk, the store clerk doesn't get his reward.

I always look forward to seeing the bright, smiling faces of my customers and I do miss them when they don't walk through the doors. And I want to make their shopping experience as pleasant as possible. And remember, I'm your basic mischevious clown. I tend to do silly things to help put a smile on the faces of all my customers. Maybe I will get a chance one day to put a smile on your face. I look forward to trying.

The Pricing Gun.

I'm sure that anyone near or over my age will remember the old pricing guns. Some retail shops still use pricing guns. But UPC's have made pricing guns nearly obsolete. Yet there are people in the world that still examine products to see where the price sticker is.

I hate to say it, but those days are for the most part long behind us. Just as lead has disappeared from gasoline and checks have virtually disappered from our pocketbooks, pricing stickers are slowly disappearing from our store shelves. Fighting the change is an effort in futility. This change will happen whether we like it or not.

I deal with people everyday who insist that 35mm film will be around forever. They used to say the same thing of 110mm film, wide roll film, and polaroid instant pictures. Where are they now? Well....

The days of pricing guns is for the most part over. As I said before, fighting it is just a futile effort. So before you give in to your desire to complain to the manager for lack of pricing stickers, just remember that technology has taken over and it's not going to change back anytime soon. In other words, like it or no, get used to it.

Relay For Life`

Once again I will attend the Relay For Life that is being hosted by the Richland Community College. I videotaped last year's event and I will do the same this year. I've told many YouTube channels about my video footage, but very few seemed to be interested in my presentation.

I think the reason for this is because I have so many videos on my channel. That's why I put the footage in a playlist. That should help some people find my footage. But there are others who still can't find my footage. They don't know how to find a YouTube playlist. This is kinda silly. But if anyone wants to find my Relay For Life footage, I will tell you how to do it.

On my main page you will see the name of my YouTube channel. Just to the right of that you will see the words All, Uploads, Favorites, and Playlists. Click the word Playlists. Then you will see the playlist with my Relay For Life videos. I hope this helps you find my videos. If not, just leave me a note and I will help you find the footage. Thanks.

Snow

I can't tell you how many retailers will pummel you with ads that try to convince you how wonderful winter is. Well here is the truth.

If you are a kid or a kid at heart, snowmen and snowball fights are wonderful. And icicles are truly pretty to look at. And when people erect their Christmas decorations, I say, "How pretty." I've even videotaped Christmas displays and posted them on my YouTube account. Skiing is fun and so is ice skating. And riding on a sled can be a real blast. For those who own snowmobiles, fun is just a gas tank away. And let's not forget those brave souls who ice fish. But that's as far as I go with winter.

For evryone else, winter is a true time of dread. There's the increasing darkness, the cold, and all that snow that you have to shovel. And let's not forget the ice that you can slip on. Driving becomes trecherous. And who enjoys staying indoors for long periods of time? The power flickers on and off. You feel like sleeping all the time. And let's not forget cold and flu season. Really, who enjoys being ill and obtaining flu shots? And who needs all this aggravation?

So at this point I say snow, snow go away. Come back next Christmas and be sure not to stay long.

Souvenier

Do you remember the Groundhog Day Snowstorm of 2011? Do you remember that traffic ticket you acquired when you tried to drive in conditions that Eskimos wouldn't walk in? That's a bad memory for you. Or is it?

Hang on to that traffic ticket folks. You have a souvenier. In ten years that traffice could be auctioned off on Ebay for lots of money. And save that tow bill. That will be worth a lot too. Did your car get impounded because of the weather? That's yet another souvenier. And what about that shovel that you broke trying to move the snow? Remember that backbreaking work that caused the shovel to break? Now you have a souvenier. Auction it on Ebay. See how much money you can make. You might be surprised.

Who cares about owning the T-shirt? You have better souveniers. People will thank you for years to come for saving such historical artifacts.

Rest In Peace

I paused my life for just a moment. Over the past two years I've subscribed to many channels on YouTube. Little did I realize that 50 of them had fallen off the dusty trail. Some of these channels just threw in the towel. Others had violated so many of YouTube's rules that YouTube had to remove them from the internet. But no matter what happened, they are gone. I say, Rest In Peace.

Will I walk away quietly? No. I came to YouTube for a reason. Even today people are facing eviction and starvation. And I simply can't ignore that fact. If I quit, people could become homeless and hungry. And I won't have that on my consicenc.

The one thing to remember about YouTube is if you are going to participate in the community, you need to be in it for the long haul. Winners never quit and quitters never win. Are people going to pick on you? Of course. But you can't just sit back and let them do it. You have to let them know what they did wrong and if it's serious enough, you have to block them. It's a long struggle, but you can succeed. I did and I'm still succeeding.

There are two types of people in this world. Those that put up and those that shut up. You have to ask yourself which one you are. The mentality of my father's side of the family was that it was better to die than lose. And if you're fighting for the right causes, then their mentality is a good mentality to live by. I personally won't give up until everyone has a fair chance at a decent education. You have my word.

Winter Storm 2011 Part 1.wmv

Video Response Wars 2.wmv

Disrespectful Comments

When a person operates a YouTube channel, that person should expect some negative commentary. It just comes with the territory. I totally understand this. I personally don't accept every friend invite that I get. And I know that not everyone likes my channel. Some have even told me how boring my channel is. That's okay. In some ways I agree with them. If you want an exciting channel, there are plenty of YouTube channels that can accomodate you.

But being disrespectful to a channel operator is just wrong. Thrusting expletives into the face of someone who was nice enough to offer you a subscription is just rude. If you don't like a person's video, don't hesitate to tell them. But tell them respectfully. I've respectfully told some people that I didn't like their videos. And I've had some people tell me about their dislike of my videos. But it was always done with the respect of the person involved.

I will say this only once. If you disrespect me in a comment or a video, I will block you. That is guaranteed. I will not tolerate cyber-bullying on my channel. I know some people think that's cute, but it's rude and cruel. I've dealt with many bullies in my lifetime and I will not tolerate them. Period!

As for my nicer subscribers, I welcome you to my channel. Thank you for watching.

Italian Lesson 1.rm

Euclid B1 P1

Movavi Video Converter

Video Response Wars.rm

Cross Multiplication.wmv

Conductor Of Electricity

When I was a kid in school, my mother made we wear sweaters that helped me conduct electricty. I remember being in an art class with a pure metal sink. Every winter I would try to wash my hands in the sink. I built up such a charge each winter that when I just touched the sink people could see the electricty I was producing.

Now that I'm older, I don't wear such electric conductive sweaters and I don't conduct electricity as much. But from time to time I wear my hooded sweatshirt. And I can see the sparks flying.

So if you ever see me on the street, beware. I might give you a truly shocking experience. I've also learned that if you disassemble a disposable camera in just the right way, you can give yourself instant CPR.

Too many cameras.

It's vital that every American pauses for a few moments when their commander and chief is delivering a speech. Especially if that speech is the state of the union. Knowing where our country stands and where our country is going should be of the upmost importance of every American. However, a speech like that shouldn't be treated like a message from the emergency broadcast system.

Of course I watched the speech. And I found it very interesting. But the one thing I didn't want to watch after working for five hours was this speech. Yet one of my favorite programs was preempted because our president was delivering a speech. Is this the fault of our commander and chief? Of course not. But broadcasters today need to realize that most people have cable television service. Most of us have internet access and we can look up this speech at our convenience. And with the evolution of digital television, the need for multiple channels to display the president speaking is just no longer there.

So I say to the major broacasters of America. Of course there is a need for every American to watch such speeches. But do we have to broadcast it on every single channel in America at the same time? Let the news channels do their job. I would be disappointed if they didn't broadcast such an important speech. But the major networks in America need to offer us alternate programming choices. As I said before, people like me who work long days are not interested in listening to speeches when they leave their workplaces.

We live in a modern society. We need to act like it. If I don't want to watch a speech at a particular period of time, I shouldn't have to. So broadcasters, I send you this message. Let your news network show important speeches and let the rest of us have an option to watch something else.

Beware the new car radio.

Do you think that new car radio is a bargain? Think again. Remember that bell that used to ring when you were about to leave your keys in your ignition or when you were about to leave your lights on? That may disappear when you install your new radio.

I found this out the hard way when I left my lights on twice in my car. Sure my car has running lights which switch on whenever it becomes dark or stormy outside. But sometimes the precipitation is so light or the sun is just bright enough to keep your lights off. Then you turn them on manually to compensate for your situation. This is when you make the mistake. Of course driving sleepy doesn't help either. It gets worse when you habitually rely on your automatic lights. You just stop thinking about turning your lights off. That's a big mistake.

So before you have a new radio installed in your car, make sure to talk to your mechanic about the ding dong that might disappear in your car. Otherwise you may have major battery trouble in the near future. Lesson Learned.

Sadness, crime of the century.

Is it a crime to be sad in America today? Some people might try to convince you of that. They constantly demand that you think about all the things you have and never think a sad thought.

But how do you know if you're happy if you've never been sad? Nobody likes sad songs? I disagree with Ronnie Milsap. Sad songs can be more honest than many of the songs that play on radio stations today. I don't know many people today that can be happy 24 hours of the day and night. And when they say they are, I tend not to believe them. It's totally healthy to be sad sometimes. Sometimes you are going to be angry, sometimes you're going to be happy, and sometimes you're going to be sad. Being sad is not a federal crime and you don't need pills to make it go away. Being sad is not a fatal illness, despite what others may tell you.

The only time sadness becomes a problem is when you're unable to overcome it. Feeling sadness once in a while is healthy, but feeling it all the time is truly unhealthy. Sadness should be like a wave in the ocean. It rolls across you and then it goes away. If it stays put, you should seek some type of professional help. But if you feel sad on one particular day, then don't worry about it. Like I said, it's perfectly healthy for you to feel sad sometimes.

Do I feel sad sometimes? You bet. But I never let it overwhelm me. That's the difference.

Weather Conferences

The first time you attend a weather conferecne, you will learn a lot. You get the chance to become part of something really important. Though lightning, floods, and even forest fires are dangerous, they are not nearly as life threatening as tornadoes. Why do I say that? Because unlike lightning, floods, and fires, tornadoes are very unpredictable. You never know when that funnel is going to descend from the sky.

Let's face it. If you see smoke nearby, you should consider that a forest fire is not far away. If you see black clouds in the sky, you should consider that lightning isn't far off. And if you see rain coming down in buckets, you might check your media outlets for possible flood warnings. Even Hurricanes can be sighted from miles away. But tornadoes are different. Not every storm contains a tornado. And even when one does, you might not know where it is right off the bat. And worse yet, you may not know where it's going. That could be ever more dangerous. A tornado can hit one house and leave the other one untouched. So despite the statistics, I say tornadoes are the most deadly weather phenomenon. Their unpredictability makes them truly deadly.

The reason more people die from floods and lightning is because they are just being foolish when those weather phenomenon are present. A little common sense could prevent these kind of deaths. I know many people will disagree with me, but if they examine the evidence more carefully, they will see I'm right.

I plan to attend a weather conference soon. I hear there is one in Shelbyville, Illinois in April. If you attend such a conference, you won't regret it.

Why don't I regularly blog?

Since I started my YouTube channel two years ago, I've been slammed with many intellectual questions. These days I find it hard to work 35 hours a week and do massive research for my educational videos. If I had a work from home job, I would probably blog on a regular basis. But working in retail saps a lot of energy. So that's why I don't regularly blog.

As I near some vacation days, I will try to blog more regularly. I don't think I will do this on YouTube because it takes too long to record videos, compress videos, and then upload videos to YouTube. But I will try to blog here.

Video Game Background Music

When many people start creating their own music they immediately post it on YouTube. Well that's fine and dandy, but often that doesn't earn them very much money. Even if you earn a few dollars though partnership with YouTube, that won't pay the bills.

Granted there are a few musicians who make it to the top. Take Justin Bieber for example. But even he occasionally faces the difficulty of constantly appeasing his audience. One day he will have to reinvent himself just to keep himself on top of the music scene.

Having a music career should be a wonderful experience for anyone who pursues it. But for many it just won't pay the bills. Therefore, I suggest musicians create background music for video games. The video game industry is booming and making money from this line of work should be rather easy. The royalties alone should be able to pay the bills while you figure out where you will perform your next concert. This way you won't have to worry about merchandising when you're creating your next multi-million dollar song.

So if you are a musician, take some time and create background music for video games. You won't regret it.