Monday, March 11, 2013

A Deed from the heart...can and will raise the soul

I owe a big thank you to the large contingency that supported a drive for a foundation called St Baldrick's.
For those who do not know what St. Baldrick's is...here is a brief description

St. Baldrick's Foundation is a childhood cancer charity funding research to help find cures for children with cancer. The Foundation raises money for childhood cancer research primarily through head-shaving events. Volunteers, sponsored by family, friends and employers, shave their heads in solidarity with children who typically lose their hair during cancer treatment. Events have taken place in all 50 US states and 28 countries. Since 2000, St. Baldrick's Foundation volunteers have organized nearly 4,200 head-shaving events and shaved over 190,500 heads, raising over $118 million for life-saving childhood cancer research.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation became a non-profit organization in 2005 and makes grants to research organizations that meet stringent criteria and share the Foundation’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and emphasis on research. St. Baldrick’s research grants help fill crucial funding gaps at medical institutions where children are treated for cancer, ensuring the finest care for every child. Since 2005, St. Baldrick's has awarded over 100 Fellow and Scholar awards, to develop the childhood cancer research experts of tomorrow. St Albert the Great School in Louisville, Kentucky was the first school in the world to ever host an event, they have inspired schools worldwide.
The concept of St. Baldrick's was devised in 1999 by three Irish-American reinsurance executives from New York City, and grew from a single event to a nationwide effort in a relatively short period of time; it is now claimed to be the world's first and largest volunteer fundraiser for childhood cancer research. The founders decided to turn their St. Patrick's Day party into a benefit for pediatric oncology research by shaving their heads, thereby showing solidarity with children undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Therefore, the name of the Foundation is a play on the words Bald and Patrick - going bald on St. Patrick’s Day, led to St. Baldrick’s.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity.

My efforts raised somewhere around forty five hundred dollars (and climbing after the event). Since my hair measured well beyond a foot long, I donated my hair to another foundation called Locks of Love. For those that do not know about Locks of Love....here is a brief description.

Locks of Love is a non-profit charity based in the United States. The organization accepts donations of human hair and money, with the stated intention of making wigs for needy children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition in Canada and the USA.

This event brought a handful of my friends to witness my hair clipping followed by my shaving. One curious thing I observed...
In this Pub,
Somewhere around eight in the evening...
There was this troupe of young children...THERE....waiting to shave their own heads to support their friends and loved ones who are stricken with Cancer...
These children watched in amazement, as this gigantic man cut his hair and shaved his head in support for their cause....
At the time, I was the ONLY adult getting my head shaved.
This band of children...
Yelled and hollered in their support and approval.

Thank you all
and you all be blessed!


For your viewing pleasure...
St Baldrick's Day in Smithtown 9 March 2013

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=o9bk_YqKPk0&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Do9bk_YqKPk0%26feature%3Dyoutu.be



http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=o9bk_YqKPk0&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Do9bk_YqKPk0%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

Friday, March 8, 2013

How Was Your Day?


What's today, I say?  My voice is gruff, yet my tone is lightly flavored with twinge of jade...
Wet, blinding white snow saturates my field of view.
My slush soaked sneakers seal my frozen socks to my feet...each step I take, releases a small splatter of water...
Swoosh and Splat
My legs are cold, my nose is red...
Why did I wear shorts today?  Why must I?
Today...is much like every day...
Another day closer to my grave, another day to change my chance...
For better,
For worse!!!
Life hath no mercy on any soul,
Life plays favorites...ONLY from a distance

The deafening dull loud vroom of the vacuum...a sound that ricochets off of the Cathedral ceiling
An Excruciating noise...monstrous and unforgiving
Damn...I can't think...
Of all the preposterous and Ridiculous meaningless thoughts that crowd my mind...
From the empirical and obscure...all the way to mystical nonsense that creates fantasy and wonder
Weaving a sense
Of how to dress
How to think...
If only...that vacuum would shut up....

Volume does speak
In a voice that sometimes screams
While on...
Other days,
It teases with comfort and delight

The fireplace dances with a flame...
A tango that mesmerizes and soothes my active mind
Peace...at last...
The vacuum long ago ceased,
As did the snow, the rain...and everything in between
In my simplest dialect...
My sincerest wish
Whispers words
Of a long, played out day

Cement walls, decorated with shelves that house
Bottles upon bottles
Of Many, Many red wines
They call this cellar home

I pray, only to a Godless plate
Which keeps me company
Reminiscing of a short lived past....
and I think of how
I shared another day
With a thankless world
And unforgiving hypocritical society...
That often blames the innocent
And rewards the guilty

If I was special
I would take a seat with fate
...and have a cup of tea
Devise a faith...fairer than fair

Ah, if only...
If only my mystical nonsense
Had merit

Unjust or Not...I do not shed my sweat, nor my tear...
I will not hold my breathe and rely
What I will do is...
Hold a faith for my fate to be fair

Man vs Snowy Roof

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/08/man-falls-off-cabin-roof-while-shoveling-snow-and-it-ends-in-the-best-way-possible/

Cop vs Drunks

http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/videos/cop-punches-woman/


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/nj-cop-punches-woman_n_2818914.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Plumber vs Electrician

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=mViO9mnCTBo&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmViO9mnCTBo