I am so lucky to know someone as wonderful
as Dot. She is my
role model on how to age gracefully. Of
course,
Dot is from the old school of being an honorable, civilized,
law-abiding
citizen. Everything
she does shows love and respect to all around her.
My most favorite thing about Dot is she would always, always
stand to
greet anyone who enters the room. This one little thing makes you
feel so appreciated, respected, welcomed, happy, peaceful, safe, and any
other kind word you can think of. Standing always shows respect. When
you can see it is an effort to do so and someone still
stands it is
especially meaningful.
Dot said she always wanted to get her hug.
It has just been within the last 6 months that Dot is not
able to stand.
Dot never complains even when she has something to complain
about.
One time she broke a tooth off but never complained. I asked didn’t the
sharp edge hurt. She
replied “I’m not looking for trouble.”
How one dresses shows respect to fellow family members and
to the outside world.
Dorothy has always had her hair done every
Saturday. Her
daughter Joan always makes sure her mother
is dressed nicely everyday even if it is just casual
clothes. It is part
of their every day routine.
Within the past 15 years, Dot has gone through a broken arm,
a broken
hip, a broken tooth, she is hard of hearing and has lost
most of her
eyesight. This past
February she spent three days in the hospital with
pneumonia. She is now
on oxygen, but she is getting better.
Dorothy Theis is such a loving, wonderful person all her
grandchildren
decided they could not stand the idea of their grandmother
going to a
nursing home. They
have all banded together and are taking turns providing
round the clock care at home. They hire a nurse for the night hours and
during the day, she is always surrounded by family members.
For the last 22 years, it has been my pleasure to have such
a wonderful friend
and role model as Dorothy Theis. I especially love her children, Joan, Mary,
and Lois, who have
become like sisters to me. We are all
bridge players.
As a result of knowing Dorothy Theis, I will do my best to
not criticize or
complain and I will
stand to greet you if at all possible.
Happy Birthday, Dorothy!
Dorothy practiced all the information in our book “A Year of
Good Manners”
by Margery Sinclair and Jan Polk, before it was even
written.
www.ayearofgoodmanners.com $27.95
www.janpolk.com Artist
Last night I visited with my friends Tom and Judy Cook. Tom is a semi- retired physician in his early 70s. Now that he is semi- retired, he only works 4 days a week practicing medicine, volunteers 40 hours a week, and sits on a medical board. He still hunts, fishes, jogs, works on his 500 acre farm raising and harvesting an acre of flowers, taps 800 trees a year to make maple syrup, cuts 100 cords of wood a year, plants 2000 trees a year, makes cider, reads, sells antiques with his wife,
mows his own lawn, shovels his driveway, spends plenty of time with his grandchildren.
In Tom’s spare time he writes his memoirs. He said they are for his grandchildren only and not to be published. He wants them to know who he is. How lucky are those grandchildren!!!
Tom began writing 25 years ago. A few years ago, wife Judy had all his drafts printed and bound as a surprise gift to Tom. He continues to write.
One of his recent short stories is about a purposeful life. Tom was raised on a farm and trained to be busy at all times; to work and contribute to your family and your community. He remembers how good it felt to try to please your mother and your father by accomplishing tasks around the house and the farm. He knows the satisfaction that results from hard work and being a contributing member to family and society. He is not comfortable doing nothing.
Tom says in today’s life (2010), people are no longer taught how to be responsible for their own actions and how to entertain themselves. They are too dependant on sitting around the computer all day, texting, socializing, watching TV and having a good time but they do not know how to depend on themselves or how to be a contributing member of society. They are also missing the joys of and satisfaction of working hard and reaping the rewards of creating a better life.
In Tom’s days as a child, children were to be seen and not heard. They were to keep their ears and eyes open and learn from the adults.
I agree with Tom. Today far too many people are looking for the government to do everything for them or they are using illegal drugs to escape from life. Children have parents who want to be their “friends”
rather than a real “parent” which means to be an honorable, respected, civilized, trustworthy role model.
People don’t understand why they are not really happy. When you are spoiled, things cannot always go your way; therefore, you will always be irritable at some point. The real answer is to depend on yourself, work hard, be respectful to self and others and enjoy the fruits of your own labor. No one can give you confidence or common sense; it is a by-product that comes from being an honest, trustworthy person who knows how to be a hard working, respectful, civilized law-abiding citizen. Confidence and common sense comes from your own actions not from others.
For their 50th Wedding Anniversary, Tom wrote a story about his wife Judy. What better gift could a wife have than to know how her husband feels about her and their life together for 50 years and to have it in writing? No I didn’t get to read this story……..…it is for the grandchildren. But I do know Judy liked it.
Today, Tom and Judy both gave me permission to use their names.
They also gave me the book to read:
“Stories for My Children & Grandchildren.” by Tom Cook.
I hope one day this will be a published book and you, my
readers, will also be able to read it. We so desperately need
great role models for our young people and. unfortunately,
our politicians and athletes need some good role models too.
I invite you to read our book: “A Year of Good Manners” by
Margery Sinclair and Jan Polk. It will give you a purposeful life
and the reasons to do so. It is easy to hold yourself to a higher
standard when you know how.
Place: Dream Big Dreams,
Hosts: Jim and Jan Polk, (
Margery Sinclair (
Attendees: Linda and Larry Raasch (
IL), Lynn and Duane Chanay (
Elaine and Dave Schuckers (
College
(
Virginia Spencer (
Q&A after
the screening via Speaker Phone from
Writer,
Producer, Director: Justin Eugene Evans
Category:
Drama/Feature/War
Writers: Justin
Eugene Evans and Catherine Doughty
Cast: James Cromwell as Howard Simons
Michael
Scovotti as CIA Agent Robert Harper
Michael
Wincott as Mr. Greenglass
Ross Marquand
as KGB Agent Nikolai Dzerzhinsky
Jan Polk and
Margery Sinclair are great friends and business partners.
As average
movie-goers outside of the filming industry, our group was privileged
to learn
about the behind he scenes activities from Margery and some of Justin’s
ground breaking
tips on how to come in on budget when
making a movie.
Some
interesting information about the movie:
They had over 10,000 applicants
for this
movie including some well know actors.
Justin acquired his set, an
abandoned
prison in
before he even began writing the story line.
He and his
partner wrote each scene as they sat in each location of the prison.
This allowed
them to know exactly how to write the scene and know at the time
if it would
work or not thereby eliminating a lot of expensive retakes. They could actually
see how the
actors would enter, interact, and exit.
Justin
reserved the abandoned prison for 8 weeks knowing it would take 6 weeks to
shoot
the film
allowing for one week set up and one week take down. He stated major motion
picture
houses would reserve such a space for 3 months in order to produce one day of
shooting.
Justin and
his team explored the prison for many months before filming began.
They
discovered all the intricate, secret workings of a prison because one of
his staff
discovered a locked door and picked the lock.
Margery
Sinclair was involved with the project from beginning to
end. She was on set during the filming. One scene shows puddles on the
floor…….Margery
made those puddles! Even though the
prison was
old, and
abandoned, some scenes required being aged even more. Splashed
coffee on the
walls did the trick. When coffee dries,
it looks like rust.
Margery said all the
fake blood tasted like mint. Apparently,
fake blood comes
in many
flavors from bubble gum to peppermint. A
lot of the splattered blood
was added by
computer graphics. The background of
added
computer graphic. The movie is so well
made, these items are not
readily apparent
to average movie goers.
All the foul
language was not in the script but added by the actors.
Keeping in mind this is a movie about CIA, KGB, Guns,
War, Secrets,
Treason,
etc. Justin Eugene Evans says “This is
not a sweet, tender, movie.”
One of the
things I, Jan Polk, especially liked about “
is “Nikolai’s”
humorous handling of the foul language and stating
that “only
American’s use such bad language all the time and it
is
disrespectful.” Right on. We need to be reminded of this more
often than we
are and it didn’t hurt the movie in the least, in fact, I think
it helped.
Margery said
all the buzz at the festivals was everyone wanted to know
where Justin
found a Russian who could speak such good English.
In actuality,
Margery’s Russian friend read the entire script
in English
using her Russian accent. This was given to Ross. Ross
also took
Russian
lessons on his own without being asked to do so. Initiative always pays off.
I think Director Justin Eugene Evans has discovered a
great new actor in
Ross Marquand
and look forward to watching his career as well as
Justin’s.
One more
interesting fact about the premier…and it has nothing to do with
the
movie. The Q&A was via speaker phone
and was hard to understand.
One of the
guests, Dave Schuckers, suggested we put the phone in a deep
ceramic bowl
(that had been used for popcorn).
Amazingly, the transmission
became very
audible and easy to understand. Who
knew? Thanks, Dave!
I invite you to visit the website of the San Diego Film
Festival 2009 to see
a clip of “A Lonely Place For Dying” by Writer/Director Justin Eugene Evans
and Executive
Producer Margery Sinclair.
We wish much
success to Justin Eugene Evans and to my favorite
“Russian”
Ross Marquand.
Margery Sinclair, in addition to being Executive Producer of
A Lonely Place for
Dying, is also author and co-publisher of “A Year of Good Manners”
by Margery
Sinclair and Jan Polk. $27.95 available for purchase at
www.ayearofgoodmanners.com and www.margerysinclair.com and www.janpolk.com
I thought
Margery should have had a copy of “A Year of Good Manners”
laying around
in one of the scenes or in the credits.
She and Justin
said it was
set in 1972 and they wanted to stay true to the set.
I say this is
where “artist’s license” comes in. I
also think this is where
we, as the
public, can have an impact. Write the
various producers/directors of
movies and
tell them you would like to see a copy of
“A Year of Good
Manners”
inconspicuously placed in their movies, credits or outtakes.
Jan Polk’s
Great American Flower Collection (GAFC) floral images in
“A Year of
Good Manners” carries a symbolic message
to treat
yourself with respect. Margery
Sinclair’s words tell you how to
treat others
with respect and the reasons why.
Please let us
know what you think.
One last
interesting tidbit: During production, as an April fool’s day joke,
Margery
Sinclair changed one letter in the title and rewrote the script to be
entirely
opposite of the film “
Place
Can you change
just one
letter and have an entirely new title?
An honorable person who will not
lie, cheat, or steal.
A civilized person who shows
consideration and respect
to him/herself and all other people.
If your valentine is all pretty packaging even
with plenty of money
but none of the above core values of a civilized society, you won’t
be happy for very long. Remember, pretty fades! You can live
with honor, love, respect, and
kindness for a long, long time.
A perfect gift for your valentine would be
for YOU to read
“A Year of Good Manners” by Margery
Sinclair and Jan Polk,
available for purchase for $27.95 at
a bird” as they advertise on their cover.
“Snowbirds collaborate for exhibition in Foley” by Brian
Kelly, PNJ Writer and Photographer is a
three page article in Vol 26,
Issue 4 Feb 12-25, 2010, Pages 5, 6, and 7.
We also are listed on the front page as *Artist Profile: The Three Impressionists of L.A. We invite you to read
the entire article on
www.thepelicanonline.com
The Three Impressionists of L.A. are Jan Polk (www.janpolk.com), Barbara Grey,
and Joanne B. Hall (www.joannebhall.com).
If you know our work or have seen our current February show
“Alabama Connections” at
we invite you to go to the Pensacola
News Journal website, read our article, and leave a comment about our show:
You still have time to see the show. It is up till February 27, 2010 at
Foley Al. 36535 Hours: M-F 10-4; Sat 11-2 p.m.
Read our bios at: www.foleyartcenter.com under featured
artists.
Jan Polk, Barbara Grey, and Joanne B. Hall would have
understood why
no one would come out on such an unpleasant evening. The Three
Impressionists were delighted to be greeted by 40 friends
and new
acquaintances who ventured out to see their show “Alabama
Connections”
at the
I would like to thank
all my
to
get to the show. You
are dear friends and I appreciate your support.
Jan
Jan Polk, Barbara Grey, and Joanne B. Hall are the featured artists for the month of February, 2010,
in the main gallery at Foley Performing Arts Association.
We invite you to come meet the artists tonight, February 4 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Jan Polk will also autograph
copies of “A Year of Good Manners” by Margery Sinclair and Jan Polk, $27.95
Our show “Alabama Connections”
features over 60 original, fine art, plein air (in the open air) oil paintings from Baldwin County and Beyond.
You may have seen
the three artists out painting on locations throughout lower Alabama. Most recently they have been to the historic
Swift-Coles home from the mid 1880s and Safe Harbor Seafood as well as Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, AL.
Note cards by the artists will also be available.
The show is at the Foley Art Center,116 W. Laurel Street, Foley, AL. 36535
Hours: M-F 10 - 4 p.m. Sat 11 - 2 p.m.
You will be delighted to see this show.
Artist bios are on the Foley Art Center Website.
Please let us know how you liked the show.
Another cyber bullying case ends in a child
taking her own life. Why? Kids, in fact we all,
adults as well, seem to know how to be mean.
It must be a gene for self-preservation. That doesn’t
excuse the behavior or make it ok.
In a civilized society, however, we must be TAUGHT how
to get along, respect each other, and work together for
the good of the whole society.
Nothing says we have to like each other. If you are
a Christian, we are commanded to love one another
but that still doesn’t say you have to like them.
It is a parent’s civic duty to teach civilized behavior to
their child.
It is a child’s civic duty to learn civilized behavior.
A child’s life is not all fun and games with no responsibilities.
A child’s job is to learn how to become an adult in training
for adulthood with the ability to control their own life after
the age of 21. As a parent you must model this behavior for your
child. All adults are role models for children. There are
always consequences for any behavior. Sometimes good,
sometimes bad, but always consequences.
An honorable, civilized person who is willing to work
hard, should be highly regarded. Instead, in today’s
world the emphasis appears to be placed on good looks,
how sexy you are, and what money can buy. The media
never conveys the consequences of these actions. There are
still consequences for all actions.
We need to get back to the core values of our society,
the values that made America the greatest and strongest
nation on earth. No one gave us this title, we earned it and we
worked hard for it and we fought for it. We The
(Honorable) People and our Elected Government
Officials worked together for the good of all
free people.
Who is responsible for bullying? A child over the age
of 12 is old enough to be responsible for their own
actions. They are old enough to know right from
wrong. There should be some personal consequences
for their actions…good or bad.
The parent of an underaged bully are also responsible. The trouble
is the bully usually learns the behavior from ones
own parent. All adults over the age of 18 have a civic duty
to behave in a civilized manner and to protect children.
Children over the age of 18 have a civic duty to learn civilized
behavior on their own if they were not fortunate enough to have
parents teach them this information.
It amazes me how many people refuse to believe how powerful
respect and manners, the core values of our society, are. Respect
and manners are not just for the hoity toity. They are for everyone
of every economic level in our society. They are the first tools that
should be learned by everyone. We all want to be treated
with respect. It is our common bond. When you know what is
expected of you and why, it becomes much easier to disregard the
taunts of bullies. It is easier to not give the bully any credence.
All civilized people should come to the aid of a fellow citizen who
is being bullied. Just stand behind a bullied person to let the bullies
know they are out of line.
And why dose everyone think there are no rules on the internet just
because it is a new medium? If it is has anything to do with another
human being, all rules of civilized behavior are to be expected to be used.
They apply equally to children, men and women.
We all have a civic duty to behave in an honorable, civilized, law abiding
manner.
The information in our book “A Year of Good Manners” by Margery Sinclair
and Jan Polk, $27.95, gives you all the information you need to develop into
an honorable, self-confident, likeable person with common sense. This book
will help you develop skills that will set you apart from the immoral, untrained,
and uncivilized. These are the most basic skills needed to navigate your family,
school, social and business lives.
The government cannot do it for you. You must be take responsibility for your own
life and for your children. It is easy to hold yourself to a higher standard when you
know how and why. In addition, Margery Sinclair says “Good Mannners are Good
Business.”
If you need a gift for a special teacher, we recommend giving a copy of
“A Year of Good Manners.” Teachers can never have too many copies.
They will have them to give to children who need special guidance.
One thing that makes one feel better is to know someone respects you and
wants to help you
I am not writing about bullying to sell books. I am writing to offer a solution
to a bullying problem.. The government cannot do this for us or it would have
been done years ago. Bullying is a people problem with a people solution.
Teachers are closest to bullying in schools. Parents are the next closest.
On their salaries, teachers cannot afford to buy this book for every child that
needs it. Please help them out.
Buy one book for yourself and one book for a teacher.
If you are being bullied, please read this book.
www.ayearofgoodmanners.com $27.95 purchase your copy here
I have no children but I hear from friends and see on the
news that the young
(20s-30s) people think it will be great for all to get free
health care and be
taken care of by the government. I even hear some of the young people even
think socialism is OK.
Common sense and
reality say there is no “free lunch.”
The fact is someone has to pay for it. Someone in power (whether it be the
government in a socialist nation or the Private Sector
Company Owners in a
capitalistic nation who worked hard to earn their money) will always have more than those who
do not work. Remember…. anything “free”
from the government is never
free, you have to give up some of your freedoms and the right to control your
own life.
A lot of us, and I am hoping it is the majority of us, still
prefer to be honorable, self-governed, civilized, English speaking citizens who
like to give something back in return
for the blessings of living in a free country where we can
stand on our own;
we do not like to have something taken from us and then have
the government decide
how to spend our
money. There is a need for Government
but only if they are
honest and working for the good of all the people in our
country and not just their own careers or their own party.
Those of us who have lived long enough know that every
freedom we enjoy
today was not free.
We had to fight and give our best people to
earn these freedoms and to keep them. We can only do it because the majority
of our people are honorable people. When we lose our sacred honor, all will
be lost.
It all boils down to the fact the government cannot do
everything for us.
Two planes were saved
by ordinary, honorable citizens, willing to risk their own
lives to save the lives of others. That is how it is in
honorable,
self- sufficient, self-governed, civilized citizens who take
care of ourselves , our
families, our communities and those who need help. We do this because we
want to, we do this because we have a civic duty to give
something back and not because the government says we have to. We do this because we are honorable, free
people who respect each other and the rule of law.
There will be those who say we are wrong.. These same people didn’t want to
believe the stories of the Holocaust during WWII. There are still some who say
the Holocaust never happened. There are people who will look you in the eye
and
lie to you. Know
your sources….trust only the honorable.
Following is a series of emails with my friend Herta
Pfeiffer. Her husband
Jacob Pfeiffer is also a friend and wonderful artist. I invite you to visit his
website to see his
extraordinary paintings……www.jacobpfeiffer.com
Subject: Re: 1938
Date: 1/14/2010 11:35:35 A.M. Central Standard Time
From: hpfeiffer@
To: janpolk
He says it is OK … hope it makes people appreciate what
they have in this country. Herta
On Jan 13, 2010, at 9:10 PM, janpolk wrote:
Hi Herta. Do you mind
if I post this info on my blog? I would
link to Jacob’s website.
Jan
In a message dated 1/13/2010 6:55:20 P.M. Central Standard
Time, hpfeiffer@ writes:
Note: My husband,
Jacob, who fled to
from Russian occupied
with his mother in 1948, fled to the
American Sector of Austria … the Iron Curtain separated it from the Russian
sector … Everyone who fled to freedom from the Communists knew to get to the
American sector of the country. Crossing
through the policed Iron
Curtain was usually a dangerous undertaking.
Jacob and his mom stayed (hid out) with a farmer on the
Russian side, where his mother worked for the farmer’s wife as cook and seamstress, and 12 year old
Jacob did chores around the house, or helped with the animals.
The farmer’s wife loaned Jacob’s mom her passport; she had to wear a scarf and dark glasses,
faking a tooth ache, in order to cross the bridge which separated the two
Austrias … she supposedly “needed to cross over to go to a dentist.”
The farmer’s daughter rode Jacob across on the handlebars of
her bicycle; the Russians allowed
children to cross over the bridge, but not adults. They reunited with Jacob’s father on the
other side of the bridge. (The war had ended in 1945,
when Hitler was finally defeated. However, the Russians held on to
“their” portion of
another 10 years.)
I guess that is why most immigrants to the
are such patriotic Americans. They know
who they have to thank for liberating them, and they know
how easily freedom can be lost. H.
Begin forwarded message:
Subject: Fwd: Fw: Fwd: FW: 1938
TOO OFTEN WE FORGET
BEWARE-We already have some similarities!
This is a fascinating account of politcal
You may see some similarities.
1938
–Land of “The Sound of Music” Story
Fri, 11/20/09, Marjorie Lynn Ferrell wrote:
Friends, I had the opportunity to hear Kitty Werthmann speak
at the Eagle Forum national conference a couple of months back. She told a powerful story about what it was
like growing up under Hitler.
America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t
Let Freedom Slip Away
By: Kitty Werthmann
What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably
never heard or will ever read in history books.
I believe that I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took
tanks and guns; it would distort history.
We elected him by a landslide – 98% of the vote. I’ve never read that in any American
publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler
just rolled in with his tanks and took
In 1938,
was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third
of our workforce was unemployed. We had
25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates.
Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy
daily. Young people were going from
house to house begging for food. Not
that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed
in helping people in need. Every day we
cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people –
about 30 daily.
The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were
fighting each other. Blocks and blocks
of cities like
, and
destroyed. The people became desperate
and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they
wanted.
We looked to our neighbor on the north,
Hitler had been in power since 1933. We
had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high
standard of living. Nothing was ever
said about persecution of any group — Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was
happy. We wanted the same way of life in
. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment
and help for the family. Hitler also
said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms
back. Ninety-eight percent of the
population voted to annex
to
and have Hitler for our ruler.
We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the
streets and had candlelight parades. The
new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.
After the election, German officials were appointed, and
like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order.
Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work
was created through the Public Work Service.
Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married
Austrian women did not work outside the home.
An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support
his family. Many women in the teaching
profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been
required to give up for marriage.
Hitler Targets Education – Eliminates Religious Instruction
for Children:
Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school. The population was predominantly Catholic, so
we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I
walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture
hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and
told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang “Deutschland, Deutschland,
Uber Alles,” and had physical education.
Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory
attendance. Parents were not pleased
about the sudden change in curriculum.
They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff
letter of warning the first time. The
second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they
would be subject to jail. The first two
hours consisted of political indoctrination.
The rest of the day we had sports.
As time went along, we loved it.
Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our
parents about the wonderful time we had.
My mother was very unhappy.
When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me
in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do
that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly
any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination. I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate
it. Every once in a while, on holidays,
I went home. I would go back to my old
friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to
me. They lived without religion. By that time unwed mothers were glorified for
having a baby for Hitler. It seemed
strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great
deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic
philosophy.
Equal Rights Hits Home:
In 1939, the war started and a food bank was
established. All food was rationed and
could only be purchased using food stamps.
At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you
didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you
starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any
marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.
Soon after this, the draft was implemented. It was compulsory for young people, male and
female, to give one year to the labor corps.
During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they
returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners
and participated in the signal corps.
After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the
front lines. When I go back to
visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because
they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. Three months before I turned 18, I was
severely injured in an air raid attack.
I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor
corps and into military service.
Hitler Restructured the Family Through Daycare:
When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the
government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages 4 weeks to
school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the
total care of the government. The state
raised a whole generation of children.
There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people
highly trained in child psychology. By
this time, no one talked about equal rights.
We knew we had been had.
Health Care and Small Business Suffer Under Government
Controls:
Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the
After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the
people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived
at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time,
the hospitals were full. If you needed
elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was
poured into socialized medicine.
Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors
left
and emigrated to other countries.
As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our
income. Newlyweds immediately received a
$1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the
government and college tuition was subsidized.
Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing,
and housing.
We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had
square tables. Government officials told
him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump
themselves on the corners. Then they
said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy
business with a snack bar. He couldn’t
meet all the demands. Soon, he went out
of business. If the government owned the
large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.
We had consumer protection.
We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially
abolished. We had a planning agency
specially designed for farmers. The
agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, then tell the farmers what
to produce, and how to produce it.
“Mercy Killing” Redefined:
In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the
villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed
off with snow, causing people to be isolated.
So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15
mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual
work. I knew one, named Vincent, very
well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw
Vincent and others getting into a van. I
asked my superior where they were going.
She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach
them a trade, and to read and write. The
families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not
visit for 6 months. They were told
visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.
As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these
people died a natural, merciful death.
The villagers were not fooled. We
suspected what was happening. Those
people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.
The Final Steps - Gun Laws:
Next came gun registration.
People were getting injured by guns.
Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few)
was by matching serial numbers on guns.
Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police
station to register their firearms. Not
long after-wards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in
their guns. The authorities already knew
who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.
No more freedom of speech.
Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not
only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.
Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from
1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in
would have fought to the last breath.
Instead, we had creeping gradualism.
Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable
that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.
After World War II, Russian troops occupied
. Women were raped, preteen to
elderly. The press never wrote about
this either. When the Soviets left in
1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the
process. They sawed down whole orchards
of fruit, and what they couldn’t destroy, they burned. We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the
population barricaded themselves in their houses. Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the
troops mobilized. Those who couldn’t,
paid the price. There is a monument in
to those women who were massacred by the Russians. This is an eye witness account.
“It’s true….those of us who sailed past the Statue of
Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.
America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t
Let Freedom Slip Away
“After
, There is No Place to Go”
our common bond.
May you discover honor and peace within yourself.
Some of us need to make friends with our hair.
Some of us need to leave for appointments earlier.
keep them safe. They
are fighting for the right to
life for all people and to protect our American values
which allow us to be free people able to take care
of ourselves and each other.
Some words of wisdom from my friend Karen Owen:
“Love Many,
Trust Few, and ALWAYS Paddle Your
Own Canoe.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 ! ! !
Trust in our Lord and respect yourself.
We wish you the Merriest of Christmases and a blessed holiday season.
If you are with your family, speak English and live in the United States, you
are already blessed.
Jan and Jim
www.ayearofgoodmanners.com
This holiday season,
With the holidays fast approaching, children everywhere are excited for Santa Claus to arrive. So what could be better than a personalized phone call from Kris Kringle himself?
Give any child a special holiday treat this year when they hear Santa on the phone. The call shows up as coming from the North Pole, so your child will “know it’s real.” And Santa actually says the child’s first name during the message, like it was meant just for them.
You can reserve a call in no time:
1. Visit the Call from Santa Website
2. Choose one of four different messages
3. Select from hundreds of boys’ and girls’ names
4. Decide when you want the call to be made
And the call is free, as our way of saying thank you and Happy Holidays.
Read additional details and Request your call from Santa here:
http://www.cincinnatibell.com/consumer/holiday/
Congratulations to my sister-in-law, Jan Polk (Mrs. John) from Hattiesburg, MS. Her website
http://www.jubileekeepsakes.com/ just came on line today. She offers “special gifts for special occasions.”
Visit her site now and you still have time to receive the items before Christmas…..free shipping!
Jubilee Keepsakes offers gifts for children including jewelry. Her specialty item is the First Birthday
Cake Knife.
Jan invites you to begin a tradition by giving this Keepsake First Birthday Cake Knife
to be used on the baby’s First Birthday and every year there after. Then, on another
special occasion, use the Birthday Knife to cut their wedding cake.
Tell her that her sister-in-law, Jan Polk (Mrs. Jim), sent you.
Merry Christmas! and Happy Holidays!
http://www.jubileekeepsakes.com/ ……..Special Gifts for Special Occasions
http://www.janpolk.com/22901/index.html ……………….Original Fine Art, Note Cards and
“A Year of Good Manners” by Margery Sinclair and Jan Polk, Artist, perpetual calendar.
, use the Birthday Knife to cut their wedding cake.
Begin a tradition by giving this Keepsake First Birthday Cake Knife to be used on the baby’s First Birthday and every year there after. Then, on another special occasion, use the Birthday Knife to cut their wedding cake.
Mark your calendar now and plan to attend “Light up the Arts” at Orange Beach Art Center.
The Friends of the Arts are hosting the second annual Light Up The Arts Christmas Party. The party will be held on December 11, at 6:00 p.m. at the Orange
A live auction by the Coastal Auction Company will be a part of the evening’s festivities. First edition hand blown pieces made by our resident artist
The
The art center is located at
to join Friends of the Arts call 251-981-2787 or visit www. orangebeachartcenter.com.
All of the proceeds of Light Up The Arts go to promote the educational and other programming at the OBAC.
My husband Jim and I will be at the Christmas Party. We invite you to bring your family and friends and join us!
This applies to everyone. Older people know this. Younger people eventually learn it sooner or later.
A honorable person will not lie, cheat, or steal even when the opportunity presents itself. If someone is
not honorable, you can’t trust them. If they cheat with you, they will cheat against you. Accept it or treat
yourself with respect and find yourself an honorable mate. In America, everyone is entitled to freedom.
No one has the right to control anyone else……of course, the exception is Parents and they have a
civic duty to teach their children to be honorable, respectful, civilized, law abiding adults.
Our book, “A Year of Good Manners” by Margery Sinclair and Jan Polk, has 365 tips on how to recognize
when someone is treating you with respect.
www.ayearofgoodmanners.com $27.95/copy
XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.
How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.
This takes just 10 seconds and it’s a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you’s.
Thanks for taking to time to support our military!
*********************************************
The above is an email that has been circulating on the internet. You may have received it already. Rather than clog up your
mailbox, I decided to post it on my blog. I sent a thank you note to our soldiers. I hope you will too.
I checked with my favorite truth or fiction source and they say it is true that Xerox is performing this free service. Thank you Xerox and Snopes.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/letssaythanks.asp
Please keep our soldiers in your prayers. Freedom is not free. Don’t neglect them.
Thank you Veterans for all you do in the name of freedom! They fought as proud Americans in the name of God.We are here because our Veterans are here. They are willing to put their life on the line for our freedoms. A way to repay each Veteran, is to thank them by being an honorable, civilized, self-governed, law abiding person. Veterans belive in We The People being free people which means we each must be self-reliant, self-governed, hard working, honorable people who respect life and each other. They have fought for our freedom and the right to be independent without Government being in every aspect of our lives. Don’t be so willing to give up the freedoms that our Veterans have worked so hard to maintain. God Bless our Veterans and Thank You.
One way to thank a Veteran is to give up illegal drugs. Illegal drug money is what is funding our terrorist enemies.
Jan Polk, Painter of the Great American Flower Collection
will be signing books Saturday, November 21, 2009 at UC Campus
from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Community Craft and Art Fair on the UC campus will be held Saturday,
November 21. 1:00– 6: 00 p.m. It is being sponsored by the UC
Community
Along with her book “A Year of Good Manners” by Margery Sinclair and Jan Polk,
$27.95 ea., Jan will also have GAFC prints and Note Cards of her paintings of local
Time for holiday shopping. Please come join us and bring your friends.
The event will be held rain or shine as it is an indoor event held at the beautiful
UC
UC Niehoff Urban Studio
The
2728 (Short)
Cincinnati
Parking is available on the street.
We celebrate the important purpose of Veterans Day:
A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their
patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve
and sacrifice for the common good.
Some details about our Our Nation’s Veterans:
Of the 25 million veterans currently alive, nearly three
of every four served during a war or an official period
of hostility. About a quarter of the nation’s population –
approximately 70 million people — are potentially eligible
for VA benefits and services because they are
veterans, family members or survivors of veterans.
The above information is taken from this website:
http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp
Our veterans are trained to be the very best and
strongest of warriors. They know about honor, loyalty,
and following the rules of the military and the chain
of command. They know about sacrifice and working
as a team.
When they come back home and retire from military life,
they have to relearn the rules of civilized society. Military
rules do not always blend with civilized society’s rules.
Conflict occurs within families, depression develops,
divorce is a possibility. Our veterans are still our heroes.
We all want to be treated with respect, veterans or not.
Our book, “A Year of Good Manners” by Margery Sinclair
and Jan Polk ($27.95) lists 365 common everyday
courtesies. Peacefulness and Common sense develop as a
result of knowing this information.
Jan Polk’s GAFC “respect series” floral images remind you to treat yourself with respect. Margery Sinclair’s words tell you how to treat others with respect and why.
Following are just a few of the tips from our 180 page book. If you find this information helpful, you will want to read all 365 tips. AYOGM can be purchased ($27.95 ea.) at my website www.ayearofgoodmanners.com
Please let me know if you are a veteran. Thank you for your service.
January 6 A knowledge of etiquette is the road to good
manners. Behave decently to others, show consideration when there is conflict, and maintain composure when displeased. Knowing etiquette makes you feel relaxed and confident.
February 5 Ladies don’t always go first. A gentleman leads the way to the dance floor. He also gets into the back seat of a taxi first and slides across to the far side so the lady can sit down gracefully. He descends a narrow staircase first, and precedes her into a revolving door to get it started.
March 24 Never discount the “likeability factor.” When people like you, partly because of your good manners, they are more likely to give you a break in other areas. A likeable person can be charmingly eccentric; an unlikeable person just seems weird.
March 26 Say “Good Morning” to all members of the family seen before noon. Use a pleasant voice. It’s not just the words. It’s also the music. The same words can sound sincere or sarcastic, depending on your tone of voice.
May 12 The drill for meeting new people is easy: stand up straight, smile, look at their eyes, shake hands, say hello, and give your name. It helps to know what is expected. Either men or women can extend their hand first.
May 24 Music outdoors can quickly become a public nuisance. Your radio can instantly upset a neighbor who wants to read, paint, or meditate. Even when musical tastes are in agreement, the problem is volume. Noise heard outside the property where it originates is usually too loud.
October 31 Good manners are the great equalizer. They apply to everyone, are free and available to all. They are the opposite of being elitist, arbitrary, and artificial. When society refuses to obey the practical rules of etiquette that govern behavior, rudeness and thoughtlessness will prevail.
Dec 1 True sportsmanship requires you to control your temper. Keep your mind on the game, not on your feelings. Don’t complain of illness after losing, or criticize other players. Be a gracious winner.
If you can’t take sports with good will, you should
avoid them.
Dec 23 Replace “but” with “and” in your conservations. If you say, “You are doing a good job, but…….” they only remember the second half of your sentence. For a more positive effect try, “I love you, and I wish you had better table manners.”
Dec 24 Always thank the person who holds the door for you. This action has nothing to do the male/female rolls. Whoever gets to the door first opens it for the next person. Gender also doesn’t count on elevators; the person nearest the door exists first.
Dec 30 Ladies and gentlemen expect to be treated with respect, and that is what they give and get back. Politeness is an attitude – about feeling good, looking good, and doing good. Hold yourself to a higher standard.
Dec 31 Showing respect for yourself and others allows you to receive the respect you deserve.