The Brick

I received the below in an e-mail from my friend and former neighbor Robbie MacNeal, who at age 19 was involved in an automobile accident that left him a quadriplegic. His strength to overcome is phenomenal, he is into writing poetry, and is getting by as good as he can. The Brick!!! Read It. Read this today and don't delete it if you are too busy!! You'll see why. THE BRICK A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said. 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.' Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.' Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and May God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! Push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not. Thought for the Day: If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you a sunrise every morning Face it, friend - He is crazy about you! Send this to every 'beautiful person' you wish to bless. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. Read this line very slowly and let it sink in. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Pass this message to seven people except you and me. You will receive a miracle tomorrow (just do it)! And to think I bitch about everything from the price of fuel to why my refrigerator isn't working to why my life sucks. No. My life is in my own hands. God allows it,and if anyone is to blame for my failures and depression and bitching,it is me. Maybe we all should think about what we have and what we could have happen to us. Cheers.

St Cyril's To Stay Open For Years To Come

Yes it is true, according to a friend of mine. Thanks to a group who will be sponsoring them, My former school will stay open for hopefully years to come. It never could have been possible without the following short list. Tommy Geromichalos Gil Spencer Linda Reilly Paul Thomas "Jeannie" The Make a Wish foundation There are hundreds of other people and businesses who without their generous donations, Tommy's dream would have never have come true. The sponsor is as yet unidentified, but deals in Catholic charities. More to follow. Cheers.

Creeps Too Close For Comfort

Marshal Guns Down Suspect Victim, who was wanted for violating supervised release, reportedly pulled a gun before being shot. By Rose Quinn rquinn@delcotimes.com Delaware County District Attorney G. Michael Green, left, and John Patrignani, acting chief deputy of the U.S. Marshal’s Service in Philadelphia, answer questions after Friday’s shooting. CLIFTON HEIGHTS — A member of the U.S. Marshal’s Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force shot and killed a man who pulled a gun from his waistband during a confrontation Friday, authorities said. The official cause and manner of the death of Joseph Mitchell, 24, was under investigation by the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office, while the Delaware County District Attorney’s Special Prosecution Unit was investigating the circumstances of the shooting, namely justification of use of lethal force. Read full story here.. So this happened a few blocks from our home and really close to Clifton Field, where children were surely playing as they had the day off. More and more it seems that thugs just have to carry sidearms (actually stuffed down their waistbands)in order to what, act cool? I'm sure someone will come forth and say that the guy was shot dead in cold blood, that he didn't have a gun and that the cops planted one on him. The rise in crime and criminals carrying guns only makes me worry more about my Mother who is trapped in Stonehurst. That former decent place to live is now a war zone, with blatant drug deals going on. Don't believe me? Go park at the 7 -11 on Guliford Rd on any given evening, and bring your camera. I guess I'll have to lend my Mom my Ithaca 37. Or move in.

Fortunate One

I was going to post my thoughts about how my life is sucking so badly, until I came across the above. And to think that I complain about being left handed?

The Blue Plane

I was digging thru some old e-mails (I have some dating back ten years) and came across one from a certain Michael Dolan. Interesting read. P.s. Is the plane still there?

Nutcases in Berkeley

I'm no favorite fan of this "War" at all, but don't these losers have something better to do? Since when can a town ban the Marines? The recruiters are only doing their job.

PA H.B. 904 Is Crucial To A Healthy Pennsylvania.

I saw this on the Save Ardmore website and want to spread the word. PA H.B. 904 Would Allow A Temporary Development Moratorium in YOUR Community. Call YOUR elected representatives in PA today! We feel that this is an election issue for Pennsylvanians and Pennsylvania communities that should not be buried. This thing has been languishing in Appropriations since early December, 2007! Contrary to what certain lobbying factions in Pennsylvania like the Pennsylvania Builders Association want citizens to believe, PA HB 904 is bi-partisan legislation that allows communities under the gun to take a breath, and take a second look at development issues that plague them. It also allows developers to take a second look and can it be said it could perhaps give them the time they need to go back into the community and get a better project together that all can live with?

Super Bowl XLII

I'm not at all a Giants fan, but the cheating Patriots need to lose and lose big. Eagles? Maybe they"ll get their house in order by next season. Cheers.

Dems in Delco - Time to Change Your Party

If you really want change in America, you"ll change your party affiliation to Republican and vote for Ron Paul in the April 22nd Primary. Hillary and Obama have no chance to become President. That leaves Ron Paul, a true consertative that is for All Americans.The MSM is against Paul because they and their handlers fear him. That is why Ron Paul is scarely mentioned on TV and the Newspapers. From Ron Paul's Web Site: In Pennsylvania, only registered Republican voters can vote for Ron Paul in the April 22, 2008 primary, or sign and circulate petitions to place Ron Paul and Ron Paul GOP convention delegate candidates on the ballot. Petitioning begins January 22, 2008 and ends February 12, 2008. If you are not already a registered Republican, we need you to register Republican as soon as possible. It’s easy: Download, print and fill out this form and mail it to your County Voter Registration Office (addresses on the back). Important: after you send in this form, make sure you get confirmation back from your local Voter Registration Office, that you have been registered as a Republican. Cheers.

Dementia Breakthru ?

As one who has a Mother who is "labeled" by certain people as having Dementia, I thought this article would be of some help. The helmet that could turn back the symptoms of Alzheimer's By DAVID DERBYSHIRE An experimental helmet which scientists say could reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease within weeks of being used is to be tried out on patients. The strange-looking headgear - which has to be worn for ten minutes every day - bathes the brain with infra-red light and stimulates the growth of brain cells. Its creators believe it could reverse the symptoms of dementia - such as memory loss and anxiety - after only four weeks. Alzheimer's disease charities last night described the treatment as "potentially life- changing" - but stressed that the research was still at the very early stages. Lead researcher at the University of Sunderland Dr Abdel Ennaceur and Durham University s Dr Paul Chazot are pictured with Dr Gordon Dougal and a prototype cognitive helmet Around 700,000 Britons have dementia, with around 500,000 suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The helmet is the creation of Dr Gordon Dougal, a director of Virulite, a medical research company based in County Durham. It follows a study at the University of Sunderland which found infra-red light can reverse memory loss in mice. Dr Dougal claims that only ten minutes under the hat a day is enough to have an effect. "Currently all you can do with dementia is to slow down the rate of decay - this new process will not only stop that rate of decay but partially reverse it," he said. Low level infra-red red is thought to stimulate the growth of cells of all types of tissue and encourage their repair. It is able to penetrate the skin and even get through the skull. "The implications of this research at Sunderland are enormous - so much so that in the future we could be able to affect and change the rate at which our bodies age," he said. "We age because our cells lose the desire to regenerate and repair themselves. This ultimately results in cell death and decline of the organ functions - for the brain resulting in memory decay and deterioration in general intellectual performance. "But what if there was a technology that told the cells to repair themselves and that technology was something as simple as a specific wavelength of light?" The study at Sunderland found that exposing middle-aged mice to infrared light for six minutes a day for ten days improved their performance in a three-dimensional maze. In the human trials, due to start this summer, the scientists will use levels of infra-red that occur naturally in sunlight. Neuroscientist Paul Chazot, who helped carry out the research, said: "The results are completely new - this has never been looked at before." An Alzheimer's Society spokesman said: "A treatment that reverses the effects of dementia rather than just temporarily halting its symptoms could change the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people. We look forward to further research to determine whether this technique could help improve cognition in humans." Now how about a helmet that keeps you from doing DRUGS?