Wednesday, May 17, 2006

TOPIC: A Story of Kindness
The following is a representative story. It likely never happened in the way the story is told. BUT, the heart of the story is real -- and true...
One day a woman was walking down the street when she spied a beggar sitting on the corner. The man was elderly, unshaven, and ragged. As he sat there, pedestrians walked by him giving him dirty looks. They clearly wanted nothing to do with him because of who he was -- a dirty, homeless man. But when she saw him, the woman was moved to compassion.
It was very cold that day and the man had his tattered coat -- more like an old suit coat rather than a warm coat -- wrapped around him. She stopped and looked down. "
Sir?" she asked. "Are you all right?" The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even, white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "
Are you hungry?" she asked. "No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone."
Just then a policeman came up. "
Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked. "No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?" The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"
See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"
Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything." "This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. "
What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?"
"
This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered. "Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business." Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "
Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"
Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"
And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?" "What business is that of yours?"
"
I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"
Oh." The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"
No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"
Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"
Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "
I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer." The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"
That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this." She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "
I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."
"
I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"
Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"
I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "
Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"
I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be all right."
"
So you started your own business?" Old Jack said. "I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered."
She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "
When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet And if you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "
How can I ever thank you," he said.
"
Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus. He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "
Thank you for all your help, officer," she said. "On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And... And thank you for the coffee." She frowned. "I forgot to ask you whether you used cream or sugar. That's black." The officer looked at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand. "Yes, I do take cream and sugar -- perhaps more sugar than is good for me." He patted his ample stomach.
"
I'm sorry," she said. "I don't need it now," he replied smiling. "I've got the feeling that this coffee you bought me is going to taste as sweet as sugar."
Would you be someone's "good samaritan" today? THINK about it! Then, act on the idea...

Monday, May 15, 2006

QOTD: When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators. -- P. J. O'Rourke

Friday, May 12, 2006

TOPIC: RSS Feed
I am starting an RSS feed for The Sope-Bocks. Please bear with me as I work out the details of the feed and syndicating it to the aggregators and ping sites. THANKS!

Thursday, May 11, 2006

TOPIC: Censorship is one thing; what Yahoo.com did is another!
Censorship is not reason enough to keep U.S. tech companies from doing business with foreign powers. That said, what Yahoo has apparently done in China steps way over the line. The company gave the Chinese government the draft of a dissident's e-mail, cause enough to send him off to jail for four years. Following some laws one might not agree with is one thing, but this level of privacy invasion, and with these consequences, should make Yahoo hang its head in shame.

Add to this the FACT that Yahoo Groups is one of the largest purveyors of child pornography on the Internet. Folks, it is high time we all DUMP YAHOO!
IOW, it's time to:
Dump Yahoo stock!
Cancel our yahoo.com email accounts!
Find another homepage!
Unsubscribe from ALL Yahoo Groups!

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

QOTD: The world will keep going, whether you're on top of it or under it. -- Thelma-"Good Times "

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

OnThisDay: May 9th
1502 - Columbus left Spain on his 4th & final trip to New World
1754 - First newspaper cartoon in America-divided snake "Join or die"
1899 - Lawn mower patented
1914 - President Wilson proclaims Mother's Day
1962 - Beatles sign their 1st contract with EMI Parlophone
1962 - Laser beam successfully bounced off Moon for 1st time

Monday, May 08, 2006

TOPIC: A tribute to my brother, Steven
Steven was born in North Carolina on May 8, 1967. He was more than any brother could ask for -- fun, loving, cheerful, and giving. I was his older brother. Steven was a good child, with a decidedly mischeivous nature. He obeyed our parents, for the most part, yet had his own "spirit" and determination. He was handsome and smart -- with a personality that everyone who knew him, loved. He would have turned 39 years old -- a middle-aged man -- today.
Unfortunately, I write in the past tense because Steven is no longer with us. He was hit by a car (and killed instantly) while attending a friend's birthday party on September 24, 1974. Steven was just 7 years old. While it is hard to remember many small details about my little brother, I do remember what a great kid he was.
My life changed that day in 1974. Some things have never gotten back to "normal". Others have. Steven was my only brother. He was my best friend. I know he rests with God in Heaven today. I look forward to seeing him again some day.
Happy (would-be) Birthday Steven!
You may be gone, but you are NOT forgotten!

Sunday, May 07, 2006

QOTD: Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. -- Mark Twain

Saturday, May 06, 2006

TOPIC: Psssst, We're Snake Keepers
Does that sound odd to ya? It would have to me several months ago. After all, we're a family of conservative professionals -- living in rural NC. And, aren't all those "snake people" weirdos with tatoos, mohawks and goth-wear?
NAH! In fact, me and the kids attended the Carolina Reptiles and Exotic Animals Show in Raleigh earlier today. We already had one corn snake as a pet (along with other animals). Today, we got into the "snake keeper" thing BIG time! My son got a black/white banded California king snake for his birthday (next month). My youngest daughter got a baby "normal" corn snake as her very own pet. And I acquired a male, yearling ball python of my very own. VERY COOL!
Now, we have four vivariums housing the four non-venomous snakes. To make sure we learn all we can about our new pets, I joined RedTailBoa.net -- one of the foremost websites for herp lovers. A couple other good forums for snakes, lizards, turtles, etc. are: kingsnake.com and FaunaClassifieds.com. Check 'em out. ENJOY!

Friday, May 05, 2006

TOPIC: Immigrants vs. Illegal Aliens
The word game has started -- and the liberal media seems to be winning. Since the illegal alien debate came to a head a couple of weeks ago, the far left has been pummeling us with the generic term "immigrants". They're talking about immigrants' rights, immigrant populations and (seldom) undocumented immigrants. The problem with their speech is that seem to forget the illegal part -- the part that goes against several federal statutes, not to mention some state and local ordinances. Anyone in this country without permission from the government is an ILLEGAL ALIEN.
Don't mix words and don't get brainwashed by the left. These people are not here legally, they have no citizen's rights in this country. They are ILLEGAL -- and they are ALIENS to citizenry here. They need to either GO HOME or get their paperwork started and emigrate the proper and LEGAL way.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

BlogOfTheDay: Gizmodo
Offering equal time to PC and Mac technophiles and their related gadgets, Gizmodo, "The gadget weblog", is way cool. Gizmodo offers short blubs about new accessories, peripherals, services, software and even cellphones. Take a few minutes each week and peruse Gizmodo. You might find something to satisfy the geek in you!