Interview with God by Reata Strickland.
I dreamed I had an interview with God. 'So you would like to interview me?', God asked. 'If you have the time', I said. God smiled: 'My time is eternity. What questions do you have in mind for me?' 'What surprises you most about humankind ...?' God answered: 'That they get bored with childhood. They rush to grow up and then long to be children again. That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and die as if they had never lived.' God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while. And then I asked: 'As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?' God replied with a smile: 'To learn they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is let themselves be loved. To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least. To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and it takes many years to heal them. To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness. To learn that there are persons who love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings. To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently. To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others. But that they must forgive themselves. And to learn that I am here always.' (Flash Version here)

Snippets:
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Photography: Mary Hegarty Neschke: local photographer in Milford, CT. Lighthouse pictures.
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Book: Robert Bach: Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970). A story about a seagull who notices that he is different from the rest of the flock. He breaks out of his familiar environment and becomes a philosophical leader.
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Politics: U.S. Presidential Election 2004: Electoral Vote Predictor as a map and Excel spreadsheet. Calculated from state polls. Updated daily. Great resource.
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Recreation: Sunken Meadow State Park (1266 acres), near Kings Park, Long Island, NY. Nice beach on the North side of Long Island. History (Source): 1920s: The park's original area (520 acres) acquired from George and Antoinette Lamb. 1930: Park opens. Started up by Robert Moses. 1992: Park renamed 'Governor Alfred E. Smith/ Sunken Meadow State Park' to honor Smith's role in promoting Long Island's park system while governor of New York in the 1920's.
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Language: Plutocracy: Government system where wealth is the principal basis of power (from the Greek ploutos meaning wealth). From Wikipedia.
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Games: The History of Scrabble; invented by Alfred Butts in 1948.
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Movie: The Gold Rush (1925, re-issued with narration by Charlie Chaplin in 1942) ; directed by Charles Chaplin; w/ Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, Georgia Hale. Silent movie classic about the Tramp in search of gold and romance in the Klondyke in 1898. My rating: 7 out of 10. Also watch: The Kid (1921).
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Life: Distillery: Etter in Zug, Switzerland. Cherry schnaps (and other fruits) in mouthblown glass bottles.
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Music: Ashlee Simpson: Pieces Of Me (Sg); from the CD 'Autobiography'
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Literature: Bestselling 20th-Century American Literature at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Also: Outline of American Literature by Kathryn VanSpanckeren, Key Sites on American Literature (a wealth of information!) at the U.S. Department of State, and the Norton Anthology of American Literature.
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The War Wagon (1967) w/ John Wayne, Kirk Douglas. A man falsely imprisoned for three years returns to get back what belongs to him and take revenge. Cheesy Western comedy with lots of action. Predictable. My rating 4 out of 10.
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Web: Schaller & Weber, Gold Metal Meat Products. Make sure to turn on sound, and enjoy the Schuetzenliesl!
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Geography: 50 American States. Concise listings for every state.
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Theater: Theater Listings in NYC: Theater Mania
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Music: E.G. Kight: Blues Singer, Track: 'Sad, Sad Sunday' from the CD 'Southern Comfort'.
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Movie: The Magnificent Seven (1960): Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Horst Buchholz. Seven gunfighters help to defend an oppressed Mexican peasant village. Great cast. Famous original music by Elmer Bernstein that was later used in Marlboro TV ads. Film is entertaining. Good acting. Simple story. My rating 5 out of 10
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