StumbleUpon | Jack-Benny's blog posts

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/34540187/

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:22:42 -0700

~ Being Alive ~

The only reason for living is being fully alive;
and you can't be fully alive if you are crushed by secret fear,
and bullied with the threat: Get money, or eat dirt! -
and forced to do a thousand mean things meaner than your nature,
and forced to clutch on to possessions in the hope they'll make you feel safe,
and forced to watch everyone that comes near you, lest they've come to do you down.

Without a bit of common trust in one another, we can't live.
In the end, we go insane.
It is the penalty of fear and meanness, being meaner than our natures are.

To be alive, you've got to feel a generous flow,
and under a competitive system that is impossible, really.
The world is waiting for a great new movement of generosity,
or for a great wave of death.
We must change the system, and make living free to all men,
or we must see men die, and then die ourselves.

-- D.H. Lawrence, 1929

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/32845724/

Fri, 15 May 2009 16:26:50 -0700

Well, this move was better than I thought, and worse than I thought. My 'net connection was ready and waiting the day I moved in, but this unpacking and setting up house, just never ends.

Moving is for the whippersnappers ;-/

Well, back to some stumbling.....

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/32644741/

Thu, 07 May 2009 20:29:24 -0700

I know I haven't been around here much lately, so apologies to all those looking for a response from me.

Tomorrow is moving day for me, which won't be too bad, but, I don't think I'll be able to get back online as soon as I'd hoped. It may only be a few days, but probably more like a week, or more.

I'll be back as soon as I can.

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/30235019/

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:34:53 -0800

Hey gang, I know you all think of today as Valentines' Day
or something, but it's also a more important day;

* Jack Bennys' Birthday *

No, not mine, mine was a couple of weeks ago, but the real ones'.

In honor of his birth, here's a few old radio shows in MP3, featuring his birthday episodes:

This show first aired Feb 14th 1937

~ Jack's Birthday ~

This one aired on Feb 16th 1941

~ Surprise Birthday Party ~

This show aired on Feb 14th 1943

~ From Toronto ~

And this show was on Feb 16th 1947

~ Jack's Birthday Party ~

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/28909915/

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:26:42 -0800

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/28879140/

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:50:48 -0800

*I suppose I could wish for a lot of things; world peace, reversal of global warming, public servants who actually serve the public....or at least serve time.

I could wish an end to poverty, pestilence, and part-time cop-wannabes. Hell, while I'm at it, I could wish for an end to the need for any cops at all. That would be nice wouldn't it?

But no, none of them would do for my one wish. Not even a wish for SU to refrain in trying to appease everyone with constant changes of scenery.

My one over-riding wish for the New Year is just to be left alone!!

No, I'm NOT talking about you guys. You guys I can handle. You're no better or worse than I. We're even. No, I refer to the Gods. Yes, "them". The ones who might have inspired the quote:

"Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first call promising."

Perhaps you've heard a different variation, no matter, "they" are the ones.

They sap me. They bleed me. They choke me. But I still survive!

The first battle of the war was won by a very young yours truly. My pre-ordained destiny was not to my liking, so I re-ordered the stars, and re-ordained what was for me, to be.

This, you may guess, was NOT to their liking.

Since, they've conspired towards my destruction. Shadowing me. Waiting for every opportunity to seize the moment at which to strike. But I was strong. I knew of their distaste for my kind. I knew their plans, and devised counters. I was far-sighted enough to avoid their many snares. Still they try. Yet still, I survive.

There've been many battles. Much blood spilt. I grow old and weary before my time. But survive I will.

The last, a decade-long battle, I lost. It cost everything I had. Everything! Yet, my defiance of their control of the Matrix, has not ended, and thus, neither has the war, since I still surive!!

I'm no kid anymore, though. My joints make noises of their own now. My eyes fail me. My knees dream of replacement. My heart no longer pumps with the enthusiasm of youth. Arthritis is attempting a beachhead. And AARP is already sending me mailings. My wits? I still have a few (I like to think). And therein lies the key. The prize. The real end-game. My wits. My mind. That's what the Gods wanted from me all along.

But they couldn't get it then, and can't have it now. It's mine. They have no rightful claim to it.

I wish "them" to leave me be in the coming New Year. I wish them to keep their conformity to themselves. I wish them to keep their mob-mentality out of my way. I wish them to simply tend their lemming-like sheeple, and leave me the hell alone to be what "I" intend for me to be.

I know it's a fruitless wish, but I can dream can't I?

And my dreams belong to me, not "them"!

Well, that's my hopeless wish. I don't do resolutions, so don't look for any here. But I guess if you bothered to read all this crap the least I could do in return is wish you a nice Holiday, so here it is.....

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/28851507/

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:58:01 -0800

*Here are some links to two more OTR holiday shows from the Jack Benny program.

The first, dated December 31st 1939, where Jack and his cast members discuss their plans for New Years Eve. Unfortunately, someones' plans go awry in...

~~ What Are Ya Doin' New Year's Eve mp3 (30:09) ~~

The second one, which aired on December 29 1940, begins with a flash back of the week before where Jack tries to decorate his Christmas tree, while on a train. It ends with a skit where Jack plays Father Time and welcomes the Baby New Year, in...

~~ Father Time Rides Again mp3 (28:43) ~~

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/28784261/

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:06:55 -0800

*As we near the end of another year, lets look back to what Stumble blogs looked like in the horse n' buggy days.....

From the Internet Archive webpages' WayBack Machine, here's a link to what my blog looked like on...

~~ Jun 04, 2003 ~~

Sorry, but I had to use TinyURL for these links, SU doesn't like the Archives' results links.

Bit o' trivia: Though my "Stumbling Since" shows March 25th 2003, I actually became a Stumbler sometime in Sept/Oct of '02. Back then, we weren't bugged or forced to create a profile, so I've been here longer than the official record.

On to a year later when my blog looked like this...

~~ Jun 09, 2004 ~~

This is what it looked like back on...

~~ Sep 03, 2005 ~~

Note how few members there were years ago.

Even so, there was a 'spirit' that just doesn't seem to be around any more. I think it began to lose it's flavor sometime after users were able to create their own groups, and we were no longer able to keep track of all our friends' posts, unless we joined tons and tons of groups. There was more of a family atmosphere when only the core forums existed.

The core was a lot more informal and permissive, since 'off topic' was less of the crime it is today. I swore off the core sometime after we were able to create our own user groups, out of frustration from what I saw as managements' over-reliance on technological solutions to SUs' social conflict issues. They'd rather spend weeks devising code (and then bitch about how it took them away from more important work) to solve a problem that could have been settled with one quick sentence. But that was back when there were only three of them running the place. Understandably, they had little time to interact with us unless it was important, but that allowed small conflagrations to grow for days/weeks into big ones, when just a quick note would've put a stop to it all. Oh well.

I miss giving my contributions to the cause, but grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of what's grown into the SU we know today.

Didn't mean to ramble on. Anyway...

With these archived views of the old days, you can see why many veteran Stumblers have found themselves frustrated with all the crap now filling up our blogs, and long for the much less cluttered days of old. I guess it's just the price of fame, and trying to please the "MySpace" masses.

Wonder what the New Year will bring.......

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/28792986/

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:28:10 -0800

*Here are a couple of holiday shows from Fibber McGee & Molly...

This first one is from December 24th 1946. In this show, we find Fibber...

~~ Fixing Broken Toys For Needy Children.mp3 6.5M ~~

This next show aired on December 31st 1946 is entitled...

~~ New Years Eve Party With Fred Waring.mp3 6.4M ~~

http://Jack-Benny.stumbleupon.com/review/28765245/

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:08:30 -0800

*This time we go back to December 31st, 1944 were we find The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show.

Their guest is Charles Laughton who joins them in a skit for a....

**New Years Party Play.mp3 6.4M**