Trouble in the Ukraine – Part One

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[caption id="attachment_2416" align="aligncenter" width="504"] Map of Ukraine and Europe[/caption]

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Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. For the past several months I have watched the people of the Ukraine battle elements of the corrupt government. From the pages of Time I have seen the street-by-street fighting in Kiev. To date, hundreds of ‘protesters’ have lost their lives at the hands of militant members of the now defunct government. I say “defunct government” because Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has been chased from the capital, ousted by the people.

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President Viktor Yanukovych is now sought refuge in the city of Rostov-on-Don, near the southwestern border with Ukraine and about 700 miles south of Moscow. In a statement he gave, today, he makes it clear that he wants Russia to return is Presidency to him.

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Giving a press conference in Rostov-on-Don Ex-President Yankovych said:

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“As soon as this meeting takes place, I will understand his attitude. ... It would not be correct now for me to speak about what Russia should do now. ... Russia must use all its possibilities in order to overcome this chaos, this terror which today is taking place in Ukraine. It is difficult for me to say what can come about,…”[1]

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Showing his hand Yankovych said:

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“"I consider that Russia must and has to act,"[2]

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The international community, on the other hand, favor self-rule in the Ukraine. Aye, there’s the rub. The riots, in the streets of Kiev and other major Ukrainian cities, are between the ‘rebels’ (actually they are the people of Ukraine that favor joining the European Union and the ouster of President Yankovych), and the military of Ukraine. In just the past two months hundreds of protesters have given their lives in the pursuit of self-rule in the Ukraine.

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“The sights of bullet-riddled bodies slumped amid smoldering debris, some of them shot in the head, and screaming medics carrying the dead and wounded to emergency clinics, including one in a hotel lobby, shocked the country and the world. The opposition said that at least 70 and as many as 100 people had been killed, while municipal authorities put the day’s death toll at 39.”[3]

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The majority of the people, not in power, seek a democratic Ukraine becoming a part of the larger European Union. Where those in power and a ever decreasing minority of the people want strong ties with Russia. The Ukraine has, for decades, had strong cultural and governmental ties with Russia. They speak the same language and have been close allies, since the formation of the former U.S.S.R.. The, just ousted, President and government sought to crush the people that sought membership in the European Union. Labeling them rebels and revolutionaries in the state controlled media.

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[caption id="attachment_2417" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Russia and the Ukraine[/caption]

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America, from the beginning of the conflict, has stood by the people of the Ukraine and for membership in the European Union. The people (rebels by the state run media… and certain media outlets abroad) have made inroads towards self-rule and the ouster of the hardliner Russian sympathizers. Even to the point of chasing a member of the ousted Parliament through the streets;

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“SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine – A Ukrainian member of parliament arrived in this Crimean city Friday evening only to be jeered and chased through the streets by angry pro-Russian demonstrators.

As the most high profile representative of the Maidan movement to come to the Crimea peninsula since the conflict began, Petro Poroshenko attempted to enter the Crimean parliament to start a dialogue with officials.” [4]

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Just moments ago President Obama made a statement, from the White House, to the White House press corps. The President was making his statement, in support of the people of the Ukraine, and in response to reports that Russia has upped the ante and escalated the conflict by:

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“On Friday afternoon, the regular flight from Moscow touched down in the Crimean capital of Simferopol, in the south of Ukraine, carrying the leader of a Russian motorcycle gang known as the Night Wolves. Alexander Zoldostanov, an old friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was wearing his usual get-up – a flaming wolf’s head stenciled onto his black leather vest – but for once he was not the most intimidating figure on the scene…”[5]

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Russian President Putin is obviously working to apply more pressure on the ‘rebels’ and support the ousted government. Using this “biker gang” in the stead of actual Russian military forces. You see, Putin realizes that as soon as Russian military forces are involved the international community will quickly draw parallels between his use of troops in Georgia.(See Russian-Georgia War “The Russia–Georgia War of 2008 (also known as the 2008 South Ossetia War, Five-Day War or August War) was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and the separatist South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other.”[6] )

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For many, especially those of the newly installed government of the Ukraine, Russia has already brought military troops into the conflict.

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“That, at least, is what they looked like to Ukraine’s new leadership, which was vaulted to power only a week ago after overthrowing President Viktor Yanukovych. In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Ukraine’s acting Interior Minister, Arsen Avakov, called the presence of these troops a “military invasion and occupation,” claiming the troops were part of a Russian military force. But Moscow refused to confirm or deny that. In a statement Friday evening, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it had informed the Ukrainian authorities that Russian military vehicles and troops would be moving around the Crimea “to ensure the security of the presence of the Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine.” The statement added that Russia saw no need to consult further with Ukrainian authorities about the movement of its military assets in the Crimea, which usually houses at least 13,000 troops and dozens of ships at the base in Sevastopol. Beyond that base, however, they normally need the permission of Ukrainian authorities to move around.”[7]

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My Dear Readers I have hesitated in writing about this conflict. I can hesitate no longer. Today, I will not publish the horrific pictures coming out of Kiev. As editor of this blog… I work tirelessly to make sure that young readers can come here and read my work. Having said, I have yet to publish (at any time during the past four years) violent images. For all parents that number among My Dear Readers? I will give you a warning. Within the next week… I fear that I will no longer be able to accurately represent the situation on the Ukraine without publishing images… from said conflict.

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[caption id="attachment_2418" align="aligncenter" width="624"] Map of the Ukraine[/caption]

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If you are a parent and know that your young adult of child reads my blog? I suggest that you preview any upcoming articles I may publish about this conflict in the Ukraine. Trust me; I will work to make my selections ‘in good taste’. I genuinely respect all of you My Dear Readers and your children. For the past four years I have never published anything I would not want my own child of 10-14 to view or read. However, my standards may differ from yours and I want to show you the up most respect by publishing this warning.

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My Dear Readers, America was once as the Ukraine is today. As France stood by our fledgling democracy, I feel America should stand by and for the people of the Ukraine and their pursuit for self-rule. I freely admit my bias in this conflict. I will do my best to write and report in the most fair and balanced way possible. As the days and weeks pass, I will do my best to make timely updates on this conflict.

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Having said, if there is news on this conflict I will break my scheduled articles to make way for any said update. I will resume my regularly scheduled articles just as soon as is possible. Today was a ‘Free’ day. In that I give myself Fridays to publish what ever strikes my fancy. Today, this struck my fancy.

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As I am still recuperating I am going to make this article short, in that I will stop for today. I will make sure that I update this article just as soon as there is any breaking news. Thank you for your time and your consideration.

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

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Thank you!

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

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[1]http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/28/world/europe/russia-ukraine-yanukovych-speech/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[2] http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/28/world/europe/russia-ukraine-yanukovych-speech/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[3]http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/world/europe/ukraine.html?_r=0

[4]http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-mp-chased-through-crimean-citys-streets-n41481

[5]http://world.time.com/2014/02/28/crimea-russia-putin-night-wolves/

[6]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Georgia_war

[7]http://world.time.com/2014/02/28/crimea-russia-putin-night-wolves/

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California Gets Relief From Drought

               Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. I just had to come out of my rest and recovery for this announcement. Today, early this morning, it started raining here in Orange County! Here is the forecast from NOAA (National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration):

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          “FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
 
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A BEAUTIFUL AND INTENSE PACIFIC STORM
SYSTEM APPROACHING THE CALIFORNIA COAST THIS MORNING...NEAR 35.8
NORTH AND 131.26 WEST.  THE BLENDED PRECIPITABLE WATER IMAGERY FROM
1545Z SHOWS VALUES OF 1.2 INCHES OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...WHICH IS
DOWN SLIGHTLY FROM THE 12Z KNKX SOUNDING VALUE OF 1.25 INCHES.  THE
VAD WIND PROFILE FROM KSOX SHOWS 50 KTS WINDS AT 4000 FEET...WITH
THE VAD WIND PROFILE FROM KNKX SHOWING 35 KTS OF WIND AT 2000 FEET.
THESE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE TODAY...ENHANCING THE
OROGRAPHIC PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE SOUTHERN COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES
TODAY.  AT THIS TIME...THE COMPOSITE RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS WIDESPREAD
LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN ACROSS THE REGION.  HOWEVER...A BAND OF MUCH
STRONGER SHOWERS IS NOW MOVING ONSHORE ACROSS ORANGE COUNTY...WITH
EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE.  THIS BAND IS EXTENDING FROM THE
SAN DIMAS AREA SOUTH TO CHINO HILLS...YORBA LINDA...TUSTIN...AND
IRVINE TO LAGUNA BEACH.  STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS AS WELL AS HEAVY
RAIN AND LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING WILL BE LIKELY WITH THIS LINE OF
SHOWERS...WITH PEAK GUSTS OF 35 TO 40 MPH ALREADY REPORTED WITH THIS
LINE.  MEANWHILE...SNOW LEVELS THIS MORNING HAVE INCREASED TO AROUND
9000 FEET...WITH SNOW ONLY POSSIBLE ABOVE THE HIGHEST PEAKS.
HOWEVER...SNOW LEVELS WILL SLOWLY LOWER TODAY BEHIND THE COLD
FRONT...TO AROUND 6500 LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
 
NEEDLESS TO SAY...IT WILL BE A WET AND SOGGY DAY TODAY...WITH STRONG
AND GUSTY WINDS POSSIBLE.  OUR LOCAL WRF SHOWS 850 MB WINDS RANGING
BETWEEN 40 AND 55 KTS THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH THE HIGHEST GUSTS
ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE VALLEYS RANGING BETWEEN 40 AND 50
MPH...WHILE GUSTS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS COULD EASILY SEE
GUSTS RANGING BETWEEN 65 AND 80 MPH.  THE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS
WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY...AS THE LAPSE RATES BEGIN TO
STEEPEN.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY
RAIN AND URBAN FLOODING AS WELL AS FLASH FLOODING.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING STRAIGHT
LINE WINDS AS WELL AS ISOLATED WATER SPOUTS OR TORNADOES.
 
ANOTHER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ON
SATURDAY.  THEREFORE...THE SHOWERS AND THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY...BUT WILL LIKELY BE MORE SHOWERY IN NATURE.
THESE SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MODERATE IN NATURE...WITH PERIODS
OF HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE.  FLASH FLOODING WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BE
POSSIBLE.  THE WINDS WILL STILL BE STRONG...BUT NOT AS STRONG AS
TODAY.  SHOWERS WILL THEN GRADUALLY TAPER OFF ON SUNDAY...WITH DRY
AND WARMER CONDITIONS DEVELOPING FOR THE WEEKEND.”[1]
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This is a much needed break from the persistent dome of high pressure that was parked over most of California for the past fourteen months. Whereas an inch of precipitation today, and another one or two tomorrow is not going to make much of a dent in our drought conditions, it felt good to wake up this morning to rain. .
When I finally got out of bed (yes, I slept in due to the rain) it was still raining, and a cloud of depression began to break in my head. Growing up in Southeast Texas (in the 60’s and 70’s) I grew very accustom to regular and drenching rain. When I go without rain for a long period of time, like 14 months, I get depressed. Yeah, funny that… the opposite of other people. Gloomy weather makes the average person depressed, it has the opposite effect on your truly.
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So, it looks like I am going to have today and tomorrow with some rain and overcast conditions. That will, hopefully, bring out the writer in me.  Yes, I have been strangely absent for the past week. I know! The illness that I fell prey took a real and substantial toll on me. I have been resting and recuperating, and thinking of just how to proceed with my blog. 
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Now, I do not want to change anything… except maybe give the blog a theme and a direction. I do not want to write politics 24/7. It is not in my nature to be political all the time, that and I fear it would act to separate me from many of my regular readers. A little politics, blended nicely and balanced is fine for everyone. That is my goal, when it comes to that venue. I very much enjoy writing about Mars. I have brought back The Mars Report (recently) and that has greatly increased readership. I do not intend to drop that particular series of articles. 
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I ask for feedback… as I have many times before, and hope that you My Dear Readers tell me what you would like to read. I plan on bringing more of ‘The Adventures of Princess Nadia’… well, excerpts. You all know that I have every intention of turning that work into a published novel. So, I was thinking… over the past week… of a publication schedule. A rotation of article types. Here is what I was thinking;
 
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·        Mondays – The Mars Report
·        Tuesdays – Political Faire
·        Wednesdays – The Adventures of Princess Nadia (or other young adult fiction/SciFi)
·        Thursdays – Horror (a little something new I have been working on)
·        Friday – Free writing. A continuation of politics or that week’s top article. 
·        Saturday – Science
·        Sunday – A Week In Review and Sunday Funnies
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Mind you this is still in the formative stages… but I would like to go this direction with my blog. I am adding a little science to the mix… and some horror. I have written horror stories since I was about six or seven years old. As a young boy I enjoyed horror novels and horror stories (I had a collection of paperbacks, they were the ‘Playboy’ collections. Each paperback had a genre that it focused on. I enjoyed the horror stories that were published by Playboy). So, I have been writing some horror stories, mostly short stories, over the past three months. With the return of the rain… and generally gloomy weather, my mood for writing horror has returned. Nothing graphically violent, but there will be blood.

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Well, the rain has stopped and so must I. The news? It looks like the ridge of high pressure has… relented, at least for the next couple of days. When I have more information I will publish. I do not want to say that the persistent ridge has broken, before I know that to be true. I am glad for the rain… in any amount for any length of time.

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

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Thank you!

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

 

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[1]http://www.nws.noaa.gov/view/prodsByState.php?state=CA&prodtype=discussion

A Week in Fevers and Sickness

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[caption id="attachment_2203" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Daniel Hanning of The Other Shoe[/caption]

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            Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Well, I am not back to 100%, that is going to take some time. Although, I wanted to talk to you, My Dear Readers, for a moment. First, to everyone that has shown support over the past two weeks. I would like to express a deep and heartfelt “Thank you!” It is only through the kindness and generosity of others that I am here today and on the mend. Very special thanks to my friend from across the pond, Ian Cottier.  I ate, for the first time in days, thanks to his generosity.

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First, what I had was an acute bacterial infection of the upper respiratory system. This pathogen was acquired, most likely, via my roommate and caregiver, Allen. He works at a local Kohl’s department store and he remembers a customer, a traveler from Israel, that displayed a raspy cough, while in line. Money… and jet speed international travel are going to be the new ‘lice on rats’ of the next Black Plague.

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This pathogen started its assault on Saturday February the 15^th. Yes, I was still writing at that point, good catch! Honestly, My Dear Readers, I tried to keep writing through the life of this pathogen, but was unable towards the end. Your readership means the world to me, and I know that your need for content is voracious. I have reviewed the traffic reports, and last week is a huge hole in a month of tremendous traffic. I diligently worked to publish nearly fifty articles in a period of five weeks, and it showed.

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I just couldn’t have planned this sickness; one never can plan on when they will fall ill. However, for my traffic and future viability of my blog, this was the worst possible time for me to fall ill. I managed to write and publish the regular articles; ‘A Week in Review’ and ‘Sunday Funnies’ on the 14^th and 15^th. However, on Monday the 17^th  (through waves of fever and a growing altered state of mind) I managed to publish two more articles about the California Drought and an insanely persistent dome of high pressure.

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By Monday noon I reached 102.4-degree temp and had begun coughing up something that looked with cream of wheat with ketchup missed in. I feared for the worst, both about my health and the health of this blog. For the next hour, or so, I rode the fence of setting up three or four articles to ‘re-publish’ on a schedule. At one PM, Monday the 17^th, I knew I was going to be unable to write or publish for at least a week… and I was right. This is one of the times where I would give anything to have a partner/writer or editor here at The Other Shoe. I have asked a couple of people, that I genuinely trust (and that have not used friendship as a toy to play with for their entertainment).

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My Dear Readers I respect your need for new and timely content. For the most part, I am able to meet (and often exceed) your needs. Starting the 17^th of this month I failed to meet that need. By 3PM on the 17^th my fever reached 103 degrees and my body became a playing field for all types of fever related symptoms. Monday night, I did not sleep for more than a half an hour at a time. My coughing became very raspy, each breath rattled in my chest like bones in a bag. My muscles ached, my head split with pain. About 3AM I actually broke down in tears out of fear of failure.

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Tuesday I awoke at 4AM (after sleeping less than an hour) to Allen preparing to leave for his very last day of his work-release program. Since October of last year, Tuesdays Allen spent working for the county of Orange. He rose, every Tuesday, at 4AM and spent nine hours working at a community service location. As much as I (genuinely) needed Allen at my side, he had to leave me alone with my; fever, chills, coughing, aches, pains and a total lack of food.

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I neither resented his departure or the circumstance, it was a reality I learned to live through. I wished him well, when he walked out the door. By 6AM my fever was on the rise reaching 101.8 before the sun rose. At 10AM I was torn between hunger pains, and coughing so hard it caused black circles under my eyes (I looked like a raccoon). When it came time for my noon medications my fever was 103.6 degrees. I began slipping in and out of an altered state of awareness, and reality. It is somewhere around this time, and when my temp peaked that day at 104.2 degrees, that I had my (I use this word for a lack of a better word… available to me right now) vision.

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Tuesday is when… … … I saw Princess Nadia for the first time since her passing. Now, My Dear Readers, I fully understand that Princess Nadia s dead, I buried her myself. Even though, it was Tuesday February 18^th, 2014 at approximately 2PM that I honestly had a discussion with my beloved little girl.

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I am planning on sharing that experience tomorrow… or the next day in another article. I sustained a fever of 104 (or greater) for the next three hours. It was not until 5PM that my fever fell to 103.8 degrees. My Dear Readers, The fear I felt (during this time) was palatable. I was genuinely afraid. Afraid that the extended time spent suffering with this abnormally high fever might well... do damage to my organs… or worse, my brain. When Allen came home, and walked through the door… now I did not tell him this, then… I have yet to tell him… if he reads this article will be when he finds out. I did not recognize Allen… at all.

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I did not recognize the room I was living. It looked like a storage room, and not the apartment I was currently renting. I had so lost my sense of time, I honestly thought we had been evicted (for this apartment) and forced to move into a storage… facility. The room looked half the size I knew it to be, the doorway that leads to our kitchen and bathroom areas? I did not see the doorway, I saw a wall. I saw our HDTV, I heard the sound… I could not see the images on the screen. We have several prints on the walls, if you have watched any of the recent videos (since October of 2013) you have seen the prints.

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On Tuesday evening? They looked like large red and black squares on the wall. I saw nothing of the images. Having not recognized Allen, when he came in the door, I climbed into bed… pulled the covers over my head… and silently wept into the pillow, fearing who had I just let into my home?!?!? My Dear Readers I honestly was in fear that I had let a stranger into my home and that my safety was at risk.

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I have not mentioned this to anyone. This is the first I have written about this week… and what went on in my fever-addled brain. I have yet to tell Allen, but he will find out.. most likely tonight, when he reads this article. I am going to take a break… writing this... was upset me. Thinking about telling this story… and writing this story, are two different things. Please check back tomorrow, for more of this story.

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

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Thank YOU!

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]

 

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

Out of the Darkness, Into the Dawn

            Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. I am so very happy to be able, physically able, to ride again. Beginning a week ago today, February 15, 2014 I have been stricken ill. I had fallen prey to an acute bacterial upper respiratory infection. Let me tell you, My Dear Readers, that I have not been this sick in more than a decade. Another thing? Fighting this kind of infection at 50+ years of age is substantially more difficult than fighting the same infection at 40 something. Had it not been for the timely intervention in my care by my primary care physician, Dr. Gorlick. I would likely still be deep in the throes of this terrible bacterial infection.

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I am slowly, but surely, regaining strength and stamina. Whereas nothing in life would make me happier than to write a couple of 7, 10 or 12 page articles for you, My Dear Readers. I am completely bereft of the physical ability to use in my previous levels. Had I not been stricken with this disease I would have, likely, not realized just how much I had been writing in the past month. Prior to falling into the altered consciousness that comes with prolonged high fevers, I took a look back over the past several weeks at my work.

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Much to my surprise, I quickly realized that in the past 4 to 6 weeks I have written, edited and published nearly 50 articles. Just last week we finally culminated the celebration of my 350^th article here at The Other Shoe. We now, My Dear Readers, a rapidly approaching 390 articles. The fourth anniversary of this blog is in just over three weeks. As we luck may have it, it appears as though I could well be publishing my 400^th article at the very same time we celebrate the fourth anniversary of this blog. Should that occur, My Dear Readers, at the same time as it appears it will I can guarantee you I will most likely have a seven part review and engage an entire week of reviewing all the 400 articles I have written, edited and published in the past four years.

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This week, however, I have a story to tell you about the origin and nature of the disease I just baffled. An experience, for the lack of a better word a vision, I had while in the throes of 104 104.2° temperature. And, lastly, I hope to devoted article to a growing disease within our great nation. A disease, not much unlike cancer at first, many Americans choose to ignore… Are even claim it does not exist. I am not talking about the acute bacterial upper respiratory infection, and talking of a much darker much more insidious disease that is running rampant in our great nation.

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The next two weeks may well challenge some of my readers. Challenge them with facts figures numbers charts proof of something gravely insidious. Unfortunately I have already encountered some that Stephen the discussion of this topic is an affront to their delicate sensibilities. I cannot be bothered with such ignorance. I cannot be hampered by the disingenuous nature of their Shocker Surprise. My Dear Readers I have faith that the vast majority of you will continue to read and continue to be followers of this blog and my writing. I have a great deal of faith in you, My Dear Readers.

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Now, with what little strength and stamina I have waning going to do a quick introduction for the nine minute video I have embedded into this publication. The video is an update for all of you that concern yourselves with my safety my welfare and my health. Quite honestly I do not feel it was enough for me just to write a few words to let you know I was on the mend. Nay, that is not nearly enough for you My Dear Readers. You deserve more, and more is exactly what I will give you.

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The video shows you the state that I’m currently in, and how this brutal disease is left me. I wanted to show everyone that I’m breathing I can set up right and that I’m ready just build strength beginning to gauge my readers. As well as the video, I would like to extend a deep and heartfelt “Thank you!” to my good friend Ian Cottier in England. Ian read that I was going without food, while battling this terrible infection. Without food and without hopes of obtaining any food least someone reach out and lend me a hand.

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When my temperature reached 104.2, he reached out and lent more than just a helping hand. He assisted in me obtaining food, and went further. He helped me retire some debt that had plagued me, and removed a huge and crippling rock that had been pressing on me, and my health. It is a true friend indeed that sees a friend in need and puts aside their needs to help that friend, indeed. I did not call and ask him for help. I did not call anyone and ask for help. That is my greatest weakness, the ability to reach out from under extreme circumstance, and ask for assistance. He saw my need. He saw my deteriorating health. He reached out to me, from across a great sea, and lifted a tremendous weight away from me. I am forever in his debt.

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Ironic, that in the same week I lost what I thought was a ‘good friend’… and in the same week found great friendship from thousands of miles away form a man I have never met face to face.

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It is with that thought I leave you, My Dear Readers, to view the following video of a recovering me.

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Enjoy!

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/kE6lmOh89pk]

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

In Sickness

 

[caption id="attachment_2203" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Daniel Hanning of The Other Shoe[/caption]

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            Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. I am writing to apologize for… not writing. I am suffering with a sever upper respiratory  infection, it feels like there is lava in my lungs. This started on Sunday, and yesterday I had, at about noon, a temp of 104.2 degrees. I was disoriented, unfamiliar with my surroundings, and completely miserable.

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Today, the fever is back down around 102.4.  My sides still hurt greatly, my lungs full of something that looks like cream of wheat with ketchup mixed in. I cannot write, it has taken me the better part of an hour just to get this done.

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I will get back to writing as soon as I can. I know that the strees of my finances, pressure to perform, and lack of daily meals, much less proper nutrition are causative reasons for the severity of this infection. I am still not eating, even though I am sick.

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Thank you for all your support.

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

The California Drought - The Desalination Solution

The California Drought - The Desalination Solution

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Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Well, it is now about four hours since I was here last time. I managed to rest for about three and a half to four of those hours, I did not sleep. Unfortunately for me I have come down with an upper respiratory infection. I have a raspy cough that burns like lava in my lungs. When I do expectorate, it tastes of blood. JOY!

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Regardless, I saw something on a news feed I follow that pertains to the drought here in California. I am going to try and rest, the rest of the day, but felt compelled to share this information with you, MY Dear Readers, prior to spending the rest of the morning, afternoon… day coughing. My frigging ears hurt! I touch them, and they hurt. [I know don’t touch them… lol]

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As the title of this article indicates the state of California is in the process of turning hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into a desalination plant. This is proven science, and they have been doing this in Saudi Arabia for (I think) a couple of decades, or more). However, it is very costly. .

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On top of the One Billion dollar price tag, the plant uses tremendous amounts of electricity for the process.

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“The process, however, is energy intensive and thus expensive, making it practical only in places where energy is cheap, such as the oil-rich Middle East.”[1]

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Now, this is the second desalination plant currently under construction in California. The first is in San Diego county and construction of that plant started in the late 90’s.

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“In the early 1990s, fears that a drought-induced limit to imported water could leave San Diego County with just a trickle from its scarce local supply prompted the regional water agency to include desalination as part of its long-term strategy, according to Bob Yamada, a planning manager with the San Diego County Water Authority. Today, the county's Carlsbad Desalination Project under construction is the largest seawater desalter in the Western Hemisphere.”[2]

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Get this, My Dear Readers, the plant’s final construction cost will run over One Billion dollars. Yet, it will provide only 7% of the county’s water requirements! That is really pricey for something that will only cover less than 10% of your fresh water needs. Now, do I need to tell you just who that water will get diverted too? Yes, the wealthy will be the only ones that can afford this pricey desalinated water. As evidenced by this Iquote:

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“The water authority is locked into a 30-year deal with the plant's developer, Poseidon Water, to purchase desalted water for about $2,000 an acre foot in 2012 dollars. That's nearly twice as expensive as the current rate for imported water and will add $5 to $7 per month to ratepayers' bills, which is about a 10 percent hike.”[3]

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This makes the desalinated water substantially more expensive that the water San Diego County has been importing, for decades, on top of the billion-dollar price tag for the plant. Then, there is the Other Shoe:

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“The Charles Meyer Desalination Facility in Santa Barbara, Calif. is something of a time capsule from the early 1990s when it was completed at a cost of $34 million. It only operated for a few months and has remained dormant for over twenty years.”[4]

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“Although the plant was permitted and constructed in just two years, it was never brought online. The rains returned and filled area reservoirs just as the desalter was completed. "It was really a challenge to continue and run and operate the facility given the much cheaper surface water,"[5]

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That sound you hear? That is the sound of The Other Shoe… dropping.

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In my humble opinion, the state of California will forever be plagued with droughts. The archeological record shows that California has spent the majority of antiquity cycling through 200 + year droughts. It is hubris (and a uninformed or ill-informed scientific mind) that would dismiss the geologic and archeological records out of hand. Whereas, the northern part of this insanely persistent dome of high pressure has relented in Northern California? There are no indications that the same will hold true, anytime soon, here in Southern California.

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[caption id="attachment_2396" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Desalination Plant in Northern California[/caption]

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Well, I am running a 101 degree temp, my throat is sore, I am coughing… a raspy deathlike cough and I am really ill. It comes as no surprise to me. Combine; the financial pressures of the past six months, the insane writing and publishing schedule (even with my Speech to text program), and the running evening temperature spikes of the past six months and you get one sick Danny.

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Jeepers, how I wish I lived close to someone that gave a hoot and a holler. I could really use some hot chicken soup! ROFLOL…

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I am going to endeavor to rest, My Dear Readers. I have done my absolute best to write and publish… keep you informed and even entertained.

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

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Thank YOU!

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

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[1]http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/parched-california-pours-mega-millions-desalination-tech-n28066

[2]http://www.nbcnews.com/#/science/environment/parched-california-pours-mega-millions-desalination-tech-n28066

[3]http://www.nbcnews.com/#/science/environment/parched-california-pours-mega-millions-desalination-tech-n28066

[4]http://www.nbcnews.com/#/science/environment/parched-california-pours-mega-millions-desalination-tech-n28066

[5]http://www.nbcnews.com/#/science/environment/parched-california-pours-mega-millions-desalination-tech-n28066

California Drought Update 2-16-14

            Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. When I wrote and published ‘The Great Californian Exodus’ (my initial article about the California drought and the insanely persistent ridge of high pressure responsible for the drought) I promised to post updates as they happened. Welcome, My Dear Readers, to the first of those updates. It is 4AM on Monday 2/17/14 and I am completely unable to sleep. My pain and hunger are working to rob me of much needed sleep.

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Not being one to sit idle, or waste time better spent working, I decided to see if there was any ‘news’ on this ridge of high pressure. Low and behold, there is!

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        “The good news, weather-wise, is that the ridge of high-pressure air over California that's blocked rainstorms for months seems to be breaking up in some places…. "It's breaking down slightly," he said.”[1]

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The ‘breakup’ has happened primarily in Northern California. It allowed some rainstorms through, last weekend, to Northern California. It is estimated that perhaps as much as 15 inches was allowed through to dump in the Northern California area. This could, possibly, help to break the grip on the ridge, here in Southern California, by lowering overall temperatures. However, there is no evidence (so far) to indicate that is indeed the case.

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Summing up, I am going to share a graphic that I found, this morning, that helps you My Dear Readers to visualize the severity of our drought. I am always one for including visual aids as they really can help a reader gain insight into the topic, and they help break up a page, too.

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[caption id="attachment_2391" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Average Yearly rainfall California adn the drought[/caption]

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Now, it is 4AM… and I am going to shut down my computer… and close my eyes. Even if I cannot get any sleep, at least I can rest my eyes, and maybe my back and neck… some. I hope that I have helped give you, My Dear Readers, a little more insight into the severity of our drought. As well, I really do try my hardest to keep my word, when I give it, regardless of what I gave my word over and what cost it may take on me. I am a man of my word, pain or not.

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

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Thank YOU!

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

 

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[1]http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/02/14/42239/drought-update-hope-in-sight-for-northern-californ/

Sunday Funnies February 16, 2014

                Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Including this article I will have written and published a total of eight articles in the past seven days. My Dear Readers I am working just as hard as I can, and I have the shooting pains in my neck and left arm as evidence. I am used to working, while in pain; I have been doing it since 2003. Therefore, I apologize for the delay in posting this edition. The pain… and the hunger are taking a terrible toll. My attitude is hard and indifferent… and my temper is short. Hunger mixed with terrible pain will do that to a soul.  

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Enough about me, on to ‘Sunday Funnies’! My little boy, Alexander R Hanning, is one of the light(s) in my life. Just holding him brings a smile to my face. When you watch this video, and others of Alex, watch his mouth. Alexander is my first rat to do this, but he talks all the time! His little lips are moving all the time. He grinds and pops, growls and barks, from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to sleep. He even ‘talks’ when he is asleep.

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All rat (especially the breed ‘Fancy Rats’) ‘talk’to each other, and their humans. ‘Fancy rats’ communicate with a series of; grinding, pops, gnashing and even little barks. Even the wild breed, rattus rattus and rattus norvegicus, communicate with each other. In the wild they limit themselves to just the pops and grinding, I have mentioned. However, when ‘fancy rats’ spend time with humans? They begin to vocalize more and more. Honestly, I really do believe that all my rat, since Nakita, have worked hard to try and… speak!

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Enough of the ‘backstory’, now without further adieu ‘Sunday Funnies’ with Alexander!

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ENJOY!

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 [youtube=http://youtu.be/AvZfJTFnNeM]

(Alexander Enjoing Freshetta Pizza Back in November of 2013)

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

A Week in Review - February 15th, 2014

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[caption id="attachment_2203" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Daniel Hanning of The Other Shoe[/caption]

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            Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. With the coming of the weekend, and Saturday, comes ‘A Week in Review’ at The Other Shoe. For everyone that is just too darn busy to get around and read my blog, during the week. Every single weekend I publish this article, to help you get caught up. You will find here, all in one place, links and excerpts from all my published work over the past seven days.

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This, the second full week of the month of February, has found me quite busy. I have, working through pain in my neck and arms as well as the pain and light headedness that accompanies the lack of food, managed to publish another seven articles in seven days. If I am not very much mistaken this makes the forth week, in a row, that I have managed to publish seven or more articles in seven days.

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If my pain were used as a measure, then yes this is the forth week in a row at this pace. Think of it, in just under a month I have published another twenty-eight articles here at The Other Shoe. A sustained pace, like that, through out a year could nearly double my measure of articles in just one year! However, it is not the number of articles that should be the measure of a good author. No, rather, it should be the quality of those works. If ‘Like’s be the measure of the quality of my works, then I am not only prolific I am proficient, too.

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In just one week I have; written a scientific work about an insanely persistent ridge of high pressure, concluded a week long celebration of my 350^th publication, revisited an article about a collection I own, delved into the impermanent nature of Republican politics, and shared images from our sister planet Mars. I topped off that litany of varying works with a very personal piece, sharing more of my childhood via a memory of a Valentine’s Day of great importance. I do not often share memories, or occurrences, from my past. In that regard I am quite tight-lipped and hold my cards close to my chest.

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It is not out of shame, nor do I have anything to hide. I am just not the kind of guy that goes around sharing family remembrances or tales from my childhood. Ask anyone that I grew up with, or went to high school. I am quite gregarious and love telling a good tale, I am just quite guarded when it comes to family. Recently, when I was writing and publishing ‘The Story of Daniel’ I found out, much to my surprise, that I had never really talked about my father with any of my friends. I am certainly not ashamed of my father. Quite the contrary, my father is a great source of pride for me. He was a man from humble beginnings, short on education early in life. That made good in his adult years and accomplished more than most men of his time. Like his son, Danny, he was an autodidact, and could teach himself with out the aid of others, just be reading and researching material on a subject.

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That is how I learned; HTML, DOS, computer repair, software coding, and computer hardware repair and upgrades just to name a few. I am very proud that I share this ability with my father. However, it was not my father that I wrote about this week here at The Other Shoe. No, it was his father that took the stage in one article published this week.

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That makes for a very nice segway into the meat of the matter. So, now without further adieu I bring you ‘A Week in Review’!

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• ·        Sunday Funnies – February 9th, 2014 : “Just like a dog or a cat, Alexander is playing ‘Tug-of-War’ with me. He is a set of ‘Dog Tags’ that came with some PC FPS game, ‘War Rocks’. That somehow I have managed to keep these fake dog tags over the years. Alexander wants to play with these dog tags. Now, in all the years I have owned rats, and ‘Fancy Rats’ I have never encountered one that actually plays.” Now, this is not a “Stop the presses” moment, and then again it is out of the ordinary. This week’s ‘Sunday Funnies’ showcased Alexander R Hanning PLAYING ‘Tug-of-War’ with his father, Danny. I had a little pseudo-dog tag necklace, and I was dragging one end on the bed. Alex came running after it, grabbed it in his teeth and started pulling. Like a puppy with a sock, suddenly Alexander and I were engaged in a tug-of-war! All of my rats have played to one extent or another. They play ‘Hide-and-Seek’ with my hands, ‘Peak-a-Boo’, and other games that small human children would play. However, this was the very first time that any rat I owned played with an object, and the first time a rat played for an extended period. This shows two things; an extended ability to concentrate on a single task and the ability to ‘see’ an object as a ‘play toy’. These are the signs of a developing higher consciousness, being self-aware. Seeing himself as a living entity and that he and I can have, and cause, effect on our environments and the objects therein. Surprise, surprise, ‘Fancy Rats’ are evolving. Just like humans, before, they are eating what we do and the brains are evolving. It is like ‘Planet of the Apes’ only with rats!


• ·        The Great Californian Exodus : “California was a desert. Let me say that again, the area we now call California was a desert. In just the past millennium (actually dating back to 850 AD) California has experienced; one drought that lasted two-hundred-forty years (240) followed, just fifty-years (50) later by another drought lasting one-hundred eighty years! A little quick math will tell you that in a single period of four-hundred-seventy (470) years the area known as California spent four-hundred-twenty (420) in drought! “ Looking back on this article, I have only one regret. That I did not put the word ‘Drought’ in the title. If I had, searching on Google would have brought a LOT of traffic (much needed traffic) to my blog this week. Otherwise, I am pretty darn happy with this article, all in all. Not many people are/were talking about this insanely persistent ridge of high pressure when I published this article. Now, more and more people and media outlets are getting in on the action. FYI Since the publication of this article the ridge of high pressure has not moved. The drought conditions, here in California, are worsening. With every wildfire we are forced to use much needed water to put out fires. If the forecast models are correct, for later this year, we could be looking at a record number of wildfires. California does not have the water to fight these wildfires. If left unchecked, this year’s wildfires could scorch substantial swaths of land and do billions of dollars worth of property damage. As I indicated in the article, I am keeping tabs on this situation and I will keep you, My Dear Readers, up to date. I will do my best to share pictures of any wildfires and keep a running total of land damaged by fires and property values, too.


• ·        Disneyland 50th Anniversary Annual Passholders Plates and Pins : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today I am making a departure from my usual faire, and format. Necessity dictates that I push the limits of my creativity, and what I am willing to part with… in order to pay rent, and perhaps to keep my cellular phone. I am posting this article, again, and the items for sale at eBay in hopes of doing just that, pay my rent and keep my cell phone. I am not greedy, nor is my heart filled with avarice. To merely desire three meals in a given day, instead of the one. That is not greed. To desire to keep one’s only means of communication, with which to find solace of the soul by talking with long lost friends. Surely this is not greed?” This article was originally written and published during, and as a part of, my Indiegogo campaign to raise money for my power chair. Thankfully, I was able to raise the much needed funds without selling these highly valued personal items. Since the day these plates and pins were brought into my home, I have dreamed of the day I would be able to showcase them in a China cabinet or the like. The desert plates are a sight to behold. Gold trim along the edges and made of fine China. Each design was taken from attributes of the park or from movies. There is a “Blue Fairy’ plate, a tribute to the Blue Fairy in ‘Pinocchio’. As well, there is a ‘Tinker Bell’ plate as a tribute to Tinker Bell from ‘Peter Pan’. My Dear Readers, I cannot tell you the sadness and personal pain I feel having to relinquish these items without ever having fully enjoyed. I never had a chance to see them in a China cabinet… proudly displayed for all to see and enjoy. I am sorry… but this time period… in my life… is the saddest and most difficult… ever.


• ·        350th Article at The Other Shoe – Conclusion : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today I am here to culminate my celebration of the publication of Three Hundred-Fifty articles published at The Other Shoe. I am deeply moved by the huge number of ‘Likes’ the five parts of this series received. Not since my publication of ‘The Story of Daniel’ and my first publications of ‘The Mars Report’ have I seen traffic this brisk, and enjoyment this marked. I work tirelessly, each and every week, on the publications here at The Other Shoe. Most times I work having eaten little, for weeks at a time. Every day I write in spite of terrific pain. Regardless of my hunger and regardless of my pain I work because I value you, My Dear Readers, and I value your time and your consideration.” This article was a review of the five works that I wrote, and published, as homage to my first 350 articles published here at The Other Shoe. I have embedded links to the five articles and included an excerpt from each, too. At the end, of each of the five, I added some personal thoughts about that part. This whole 350^th celebration gave me a chance to look back over my body of work, so far. My Dear Readers, I have come a long way. In the past four years I have improved my writing style, managed to greatly extend the length of my works and still keep my readers engaged, and I am most happy to announce that my readership is at an all time high. My work is read in fifty nations world wide. In jus the past year my traffic has exceed the previous year in number of visits, time spent reading, and expanded demographics. This is not only improved my self-esteem, it gives me evidence of the viability of my blog. Much needed information when I go to raise the needed funds, later this year… IF I manage to keep a roof over my head till then… when I register my own URL and take The Other Shoe out on its own. I have the readership, I have the material, I have the ability to create engaging content on a regular basis… I just need to stay alive.


• ·        Will Republicans Overthrow the Speaker? : “That is why, now in the cloak rooms and hallways of the offices of the House of Representatives and the Senate, radical members of the Republican party are cloistered evaluating their chances of a coup d’etat of Speaker Boehner. From what I am reading, and hearing through the grape vine. The Club for Growth was the first of these Tea Party linked groups to put their feet in the water of a coup.” This was my only political work, this week. I might have managed to keep completely free of political works, this week. If not for the grumbling, of the fringe, of a coup d’etat by Republicans of their Speaker. Yes, I have some readers… that are greatly upset at my political writings. They tell me “You are not fair… because you do not point out all of President Obama’s failings…”… “You make fun of Republicans…” The later, is only half-truth. I need not “make fun” of Republicans, in that they are messing up so much so often that just reporting the facts… upsets the party loyal. I refuse to write about Benghazi for the simple fact that writing about it is ‘Beating a Dead Dog’. ALL of the investigations are OVER, and there is NO ‘smoking gun’. I refuse to give voice to the, many, failed ‘Witch Hunts’ of Rep. Issa. He has wasted more than enough money to feed all the starving children in all 50 states for three months. Out of all the investigations? Not once did he find corruption that lead to the President. That did not stop him from saying, at the beginning of each failed invertiagtion, “This is another Watergate” and “This will go right to the White House”. Am I the only person that actually read “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”?


• The Mars Report – February 13, 2014 : “Well, we made it through the gap, and there was something different on the other side. However, before we get to the surprise for this edition, I want to share another discovery that Curiosity made since last we met. We all know that Curiosity is a rock hound, among other roles. Well, Curiosity has scored a great rock find, by the name of Harrison.” Well, I am happy to announce, “I did it!’ I  managed to string two editions back to back and continue where I left off, the week before. Like the cowboy serials of my childhood, when you came back to The Mars Report this week, we took up where we left off last week. Last week Curiosity was at the entrance to the ‘Dingo Gap’ and this week we catch up with Curiosity having passed through the ‘Dingo Gap’! Along the way Curiosity traversed its very first sand dune! That was a major teat and trial of the design and construction of the rover Curiosity, and it passed with flying colors. Not to give too much of the article away, IF you go and take a look you will se the first ‘movie’ from Mars! You have to see it to believe it, and your eyes. This was a great edition of The Mars Report. I am very happy that I rejoined the mission and started publishing the much loved series. .


• A Valentine’s Day Tale : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, Friday February 14^th, 2014 is Valentine’s Day for most people here in America. However, today holds a different provenance, for yours truly. When I was a very young boy, I would guess I was six or seven. My paternal Grandfather was visiting our home, Cecil Hanning.” This article is not what you might expect, from a Valentine’s Day article. This is not a love story, nor is it a love letter. Honestly, this is a real departure for me, My Dear Readers. You all know that I do not write about… myself… much. I mentioned that fact in the introduction to this article. People had classes with me every year, all through high school, and still to this day do not understand me and treat me poorly because of that fact. This week I lost a friendship, which meant a lot to me. Obviously, it meant little of nothing at all to this person. Least they would not, TWICE, end the friendship without discussion of any kind and without warning. Looking at that from a distance… that is sophomoric, yes? In middle school and maybe up till the tenth grade, people would befriend and then de-friend as casual as changing one’s underwear. It is not until we get older and gain judgment and maturity that we end the practice of ‘Fair-Weather Friendships’, and the emotional harm they do. However, it was this sophomoric act that helped trigger a memory. Trigger a memory of my paternal grandfather’s telling of a tale of social consequence. If you want to know more, you will simply have to read the article.

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That brings us to the end of the review part of this edition of ‘A Week in Review’. I have to tell you, each time I publish this article I feel a great deal of pride. One more week I have managed to publish enough work to merit the creation and publication of this article. That is a real accomplishment, and I find a sense of pride. I would like to thank all of those that have stood by me yet another week. In spite of, of due to, my foibles and shortcomings you keep coming. I have never, and will never, claim to be perfect. I am a man with the strength of his convictions, and the convictions of my beliefs. In modern day America, that is an ever increasing rare breed.

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Another week of loss, and another week of gain. I lost a difficult friendship with a person that found solace in continuing to judge and correct me. However, earlier in this week I was reunited with one of my very best friends from high school. Bobby Duncan and I have managed to reconnect with the help of James Coate (take a bow, James). I am happy to know that Bobby is still a good friend, and that he and I have a chance at renewing and rebuilding a great friendship. I will make the efforts to reach out to him, and to help rekindle that friendship.

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In closing, I am going to cut this short. My pain… it is getting worse, again. Yes, the new pain medication is/was helping a lot. That is until I took the relief and used it to push my writing and publishing… too far. Saturday and Sunday I will be resting. This article will automatically publish on Saturday. Sunday I will post links to this week’s best, and rest. I dislike belaboring a point. However, my lack of proper diet, due to a genuine lack of financial resources, is taking more of a toll on me. Physically and mentally, so much so that I fear I might not be able to write of publish… much next week.

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I want to, and I have the ideas and the material and have already made outlines for several articles. I just cannot muster the strength and concentration. If I may? Please, consider purchasing one of my prized personal possessions at eBay. The link is below. Barring that… I am not above asking you, My Dear Readers, to please contribute to my PayPal account so that I might purchase food… I sincerely apologize for ending this terrific article with a plea for assistance. However, I cannot allow pride to stand between my needs… and your potential generosity.

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Thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your support. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for coming here and reading my work. Thank you!

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

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P.S. I am still without much food in my home. I do my best, honest I really do. I am not lying about how much money I make… I do not lie about the lack of food I suffer. I sincerely apologize for even mentioning this problem. However, it was a good friend that told me… “Danny, if you don’t tell people your needs… there is no way those that want to help, know when they CAN help.” I am asking for help. I have written in many articles how to help. One way is to click the link below to my eBay Store for The Other Shoe. Please… if you can… Please do help.

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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="225"] The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning[/caption]

 

            

A Valentine's Day Tale

A Valentine's Day Tale - A Time We Must Never Forget by Daniel Hanning

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[caption id="attachment_2203" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Daniel Hanning of The Other Shoe[/caption]

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            Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, Friday February 14^th, 2014 is Valentine’s Day for most people here in America. However, today holds a different provenance, for yours truly.  When I was a very young boy, I would guess I was six or seven. My paternal Grandfather was visiting our home, Cecil Hanning.  

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He did not visit us, since we had moved from Foster street, closer to downtown Houston. Therefore, when he visited I was always wanting to spend the most time with him. Grandfather Hanning.. was very sad , on this Valentine’s Day. I could see it in his eyes, I felt it in him when I hugged. There was a great sadness in him, and… being the diligent young grandson… I wanted to help lift his sadness. That act, of a very young Danny would… forever change Valentine’s day… for me.

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I apologize, that if upon reading, that my retelling to this tale… might color your Valentine’s Day. For many, that grew up with me... back in Houston and later in Pearland do not know of this day. Today, you learn more about me… my family… my upbringing… my family’s past. While living on Foster street, in Houston, my Grandfather would take me into the basement of our home and tell me… of the Jewish heritage our family… mostly ignored.

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My paternal grandfather was separated from my paternal grandmother. Drink, and the making of and distribution of alcohol, was the impetuous for their separation. My grandfather still drank, but not today. Today, he took me into the backyard and we sat under a great cottonwood tree, in the corner of the backyard. I was six… it was February, so this would have been 1964. Our President Kennedy had been lost to the world, just months before.

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It was on February 14^th, 1964 that my paternal grandfather told me of another time. A time past, but one he feared might well return. That return is why at such a young age or six years old, my grandfather sat me under our cottonwood tree and explained to me… ‘The Final Solution’[1].

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  MY father was a late convert to the Jewish faith. However, do not mistake is conversion later in life for a lack of understanding of his new faith. He left his Catholic childhood, and upbringing, to join in marriage with the woman is his dreams, my paternal grandmother. She was Jewish, born and raised in an area referred to as The Black Forest in northern Germany. They met on the streets of New York City, both in their early twenties and both newly minted American Immigrants. So much, my paternal grandfather, loved his soon to be wife, he embraced her religion and converted to Judaism.

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On that Valentine’s Day I spent several hours in my backyard listening intently to my grandfather tell a tale of Nationalism and angry division. He explained how a wounded Germany sought to heal it’s wounds by engaging in a state of “Super Nationalism”. Then, how the Brown Shirts and later many elements of the Nationalized party sought to make the Jewish people a scapegoat for all their hard feelings. How this nationalist fervor was quickly transformed into angry dividing prejudge. How quickly that translated into the greatest slaughter of a people in modern times.

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Remember, the time was early 1964. America was divided, itself, on the issue of equality for African America’s right of the vote. He would sit at home, alone, and watch as these people were set upon by dogs. Had fire hoses turned upon them, and even hanged in public gatherings. He did not focus of the brutality of the great Holocaust he sought to draw lines. Lines between a national frame of mind and the corresponding, following, grave actions.

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You see, My Dear Readers, Valentine’s Day could not pass without him thinking of his “Jewish bride” (his words) without thinking of the great anger, and the dividing power of prejudice that brought his people to the very edge of extinction. He drew parallels between how America ignored Germany’s enslavement, then extinction of the Jewish people for years and years. Then he drew lines, again, between America’s intentional ignorance of wrongdoing, to that he saw… again, today. (1964)

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The shank of the day was gone, and I remember seeing an urgency in his face, and his words, towards the end. MY father would soon be home from work, and he would not be allowed to spend time alone with me, once my father arrived. I never understood why, but my father did not like me spending time alone with my paternal grandfather. On this day, I remember wishing time would slow, just for my grandfather to have time… time to tell me what was weighing on his so.

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The next thirty minutes will never leave me; they are engrained into my very soul. He warned me, with remembrances of his childhood and as a young man at the time of ‘The Final Solution’. How America stood silent, while millions of his people were firs enslaved, then marched into gas chambers. He spoke like every work mattered more than the last. He spoke with an urgency, yet reverence that I have never heard again. What did he warn me of?

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 Cecil, on that Valentine’s Day cautioned me. To watch for a nation, gripped in greed and drowning in reoccurring flows of nationalism. He did not say “it might happen again some day”. No, his words of warning were much more… precise, much more severe. On that fateful Valentine’s Day my paternal grandfather charged me with a task. A task that will follow me through out my life. The task of watching for a time when our nation is both gripped in greed and avarice. A time when, either due invasion or war, is gripped with waves of nationalism.

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Cecil, on that day, told me that it would happen again. That mankind is a creature destined to repeat his greatest sins, time and again. That I should watch for a time, when greed and avarice are seen as desirable attributes. Following, or at the same time, as a nation drowning in flows of nationalism…  A pride in our country not earned by act or inclusiveness of all citizens. No, a nationalism born out of division. That when, not if, I see these two occurrences… To guard my words.

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It was at this time that my father came into the backyard, home from work. He took me up, into his arms, and brought my grandfather and me into the house. We had dinner, later that night, and then my father drove his father home. Later, my father, he would ask me what we were talking about. I told him just stories about his time with his wife, my grandmother. I did not want to worry my father. You see, it was not his charge that was given on that fateful Valentine’s Day. The charge. Was mine.

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

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Thank YOU!

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[1]http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005151