Appearances

Some wit once said,"You can't judge a book by its' cover".Another said," Image is everything".
Today, is Sunday in the USA and nationally-televised Sunday Morning TV
'heads' bobble up and down, to and fro'and "monday morning quarterback" about this past 'Year In Politics'.The 'sneering heads' then paint the future political landscape and exhibit it on National TV as 'self-serving snippets of privately-
conceived masterpieces of intellect'.The 'heads' appear 'significantly smug and
brilliantly inept !'. Now, isn't that the definition of a clown !!

Pick 'em Clean !

'Alright boys !! Pick 'em clean! And don't leave nothing to chance! After all,
I'm yo' Daddy! Who will tell you if I don't ? The ladies will thank you for it !'
No, this is not a quote from an old Bogart movie.The fictitious quote comes from
a real life drama, involving this old hoboclown the other day in Mickey D's.
There I was, in all my regal ineptitude at the fast food counter ordering a burger,fries and a coke.The tab came to "six dollars and fifteen cents". I fished around in my pocket to find some real cash money; pulled out seven dollars,put back the one and dug deeper for fifteen-cents. Proud of myself,I stuck out my chest (as ten other customers looked on) and handed the pretty young lady cashier the money.She looked down at the money ,shrieked and yelled," Oh! What did he give me ? " Thirty -two eyes, including my pair looked at her trembling hands as she shook loose what looked like a tiny rubber spider, or a cootie.To my embarassment,I quickly apologized,'Sorry, ...just some pocket lint'. The pretty little thing breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and said,"Oh, that's OK ". Already blushing without my red nose, I wanted to roar in laughter but the twenty other customers were already doing that.
I haven't pulled a rubber spider trick on the ladies in years and really never expected the embarassing pocket lint.So, I'm passing this note of advice to all you
young clowns: When you turn the hands of the clock back in the Fall and change the
smoke detector batteries (like the Philadelphia Fire Department advises) also
remove the pocket lint from all your pockets. Better yet, just remove all your pocket
lints whenever you clean your belly button and pick your toes...the ladies will love you for it !!

The House Mouse

I was nearly hypnotized as I watched the wretched,worn and weary House Mouse
struggle to have a Happy Thanksgiving.Disappointed and aged by world-wide greed and grief,the old mouse could not leave his boarded up mouse hole.You see, the house in which he lived was in foreclosure.The bank had changed the locks,boarded up the windows and even tacked his mouse hole shut.The old mouse could only get one whitened whisker through the hole.He had one piece of very old cheese left and was in for a very bleak Thanksgiving Holiday.He wished for a miracle and suddenly a praying mantis descended into his hole on a single ray of sunshine.The mantis prayed with him for the miracle.Mysteriously,Ida the spider appeared in his old hole in the wall and decorated it with with her very best silk.A petite ladybug arrived and adorned his old hole with green garnishing.A carpet beetle cut a rug for a small comfortable bed.Five lightning bugs pulled up and hung their lights around the mouse's hole.Twelve carpenter ants made a small dining table on which a tomato worm and a potato bug laid their harvests. Whisper,the house tom cat, arrived and donated a hairball,shaped into a tiny pillow for the old mouse.Finally, a neighboring woodpecker arrived and pecked a new opening in the boarded up hole.Now,the old mouse could celebrate his last Thanksgiving at his old house: he was thankful for the old adage that friends in need- were friends in deed.

Waves

'Waves are wondrous Natural events! Just as the tides rush in and out, waves come and they go.Some people ride them.Others listen to them; while many will wait them out.Others will simply watch them.Some waves get stirred up and become angry.Others
become placid and still unexpectedly.Usually,the waves make the Man and not the other way around!'
Quote by Flash Mc Cool

The Magic of Honest Banking

'Good citizenship is an honest bank.
Make your bank honest by giving it less public interest!'

You can view some more interesting quotes that expose the "nature
of private bankers" at


http://bankingwhistleblower.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/famous-quotes-expose-the-true-nature-of-private-bankers/

Your Dog, My Money

'Today's money acts just like a dog.
It won't come,stay or roll-over
and stays in the toilet!'
-Flash Mc Cool

When Nature Calls

This morning at my breakfast stop,the cook to my right was wrapping my bacon and egg sandwich.The cashier to my left asked if I wanted my usual " small tea with sugar lemon".I turned left and told her, 'yes'. I turned right to get my sandwich from the cook and as I was about to turn left to pay my bill for my tea and sandwich,I heard the noise of a small motorized wheelchair.A young quadriplegic brother rolled up beside me.I looked at him and said,'What's up ?'. He replied," OK...I need a large cup". I gave him a curious glance.He then whispered,"I have to P". I urgently turned to the cashier to pay for my tea and told her to add a 'large cup' to my tab. The cashier asked,"What's that ?" I replied,'I'm sorry.I need a large empty cup for the gentleman in the wheelchair and I will pay for it'. She gave me a knowing glance and hastened the transfer of the cup of tea and a large empty paper cup with a large plastic lid cover. Sensing that the man could now handle his own affairs,I gave him the cup and the lid cover because they came as a pair.The man graciously smiled and quipped,"I don't need the lid."

D.C. March important for all Americans

Again,in Philadelphia,PA USA,my daily perch on the park bench was magnificent!There wasn't a cloud in the sky! So,in the interest of civility and public service,I crafted another pop quiz for all the young squirrels in my summer school class-

This following quotation was made about the D.C. march to the Lincoln Memorial.
"...The end result should benefit all Americans.
The crusaders marched without wages,riches or rank.They carried their
hopes,dreams,ambitions,talents and toil and placed them at the seat of
government for the world to see.
Through this gesture they intended to raise the standards of living,justice,
dignity,self-determined cultural worthiness and preservation, and to foster
economic self-sufficiency through a self-actualizing work ethic and
a re-commitment to themselves...and humanity."
Who made the aformentioned quote?
A) Glenn Beck
B) Martin Luther King
C) Sarah Palin
D) Al Sharpton
E) None of the above
All of you squirrels who get the correct answer, will get the chance to share your
profound jibberish at the next congressional session as guest filibusters.Afterall, your small-minded views will make ordinary arguments appear brilliant!

The correct answer is E.The quotation was made several days before the Million Man March of October 16,1995 by Norman Johnson and was published as a Guest Opinion
in the Friday, October 20,1995 Philadelphia Daily News.

Eerie Sunday-Flash Forward to 2018

A few days ago,I had a conversation about hiking and exercising in (Germantown)Philadelphia,PA,USA with a neighbor.We talked about short cuts in reaching the picturesque areas in the park. I had one trail to enter the Wissahickon Valley Park area and he had several.The talk led to his mention of a group of Hermits who settled into the caves in the area in the late 1600s. I thought of the area and the cave in which I filmed the short film,Flash Mc Cool:Imagination.I had never researched the history of the area before I filmed the short film there but when near the film location I saw a small plaque about a hermit cave near the film location area.The hermit area with the sign was gated and locked. One eighth of a mile away was our film location, with a cave set on a hill.This was the site of the opening and closing scenes for my short film.
Today, I recalled the conversation with my neighbor and looked up some information about the hermits in the Wissahickon Valley Park area.The site was

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wissahickon_Creek

The irony of what I learned is eerie.Not only was I filming in a spiritual
area for the historical hermitage but also in a spiritual area for the Lenape
(i.e. "the people" ) Delaware Indians.The famous historical area was also
cited by Edgar Allen Poe, John Greenleaf Whittier and even Mark Twain.The entire
matter becomes stranger when, after the 2004 debut of my short film from September
2004 to December 2004 at The Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia,PA,
the Bryn Mawr Film Institute in January 2006 and the Ohio Sandy Valley Short film festival in March,2007, I learned that M. Night Shyamalan also recently shot some scenes for The Last Airbender in the same Wissahickon Valley Park.
Curiously, I had also designed this blogsite with meditative and mystical references.
Was this a mere coincidence? Or were the forces of Nature truly operative in the
design of this blog ? I invite you to read about the park in the above wikipedia link and tell me!
Somehow my closing scene in my short film is more magical than I thought.
 _________
The above was  blogged in 2010 . Now, in 2018 I learned of an area of houses that were built atop an
ash-filled waterfall. Yup, just at the top of Washington Lane near Wayne Ave bridge, there was a waterfall
and stream where Native Americans  watered their horses back in the day.I understand that the
PA Historical  Museum has  old photographs of the area with the Indians on horseback.

I will take the time to research the legend and give some feedback later. In  the meantime,
check out the following link,

http://www.lucinedistribution.com/Flash%20McCool.html
to see what happened to the legend of
Flash Mc Cool .

"Static Kill" economic job losses !

While BP performed the "static kill" on the gulf oil well to "push the well oil back down to its' original resevoir", instinct pointed the way for my trusty K-9,Butterfly-pup.
Florence Stovel Shinn's famous quote says it all,
" Instinct is a spiritual faculty and does not explain but simply points the way."

Near our cave in Philadelphia,PA USA ,Butterfly-pup dug up an old manuscript of the
World War II industries.We examined the document and learned that the unemployment
of the great depression made a dramatic turnabout when the World War II industries
began.Employment climbed steeply some 40% when the government entered defense contracts and put massive numbers of unemployed workers back to work.
The little K-9's instinct jump-started my intuitive sense and I imagined government contracts as a "static kill" of bleeding economic job losses-pushing the unemployment down below recession levels and raising employment to stimulate a sluggish economy !
In essence, the "static kill" (with government contracts) is essentially declaring
war on unemployment to boost job creation and re-vitalize the economy,a national security priority!
'But remember,fictional hoboclowns and their k-9 dogs are only dreamers whose noses
can only point the way. Real people and politicians have to do the math.'

Of First Families and Stool Pidgeons

There I was sunning my bozo, hoboclown brain on the park bench on Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia,PA, USA. Suddenly, the ruffling sound of wings broke the serene meditative silence. It was my two stool pidgeon buddies, Ace and Kite, deliverying the 'Tale of 2 Cities News'. The news drop contained the lowdown on Queen Elizabeth II July 6,2010 "Cost-Conscious Trip to North America With Visit to U.N. and Ground Zero" and the 8/6/2010 article on," Michelle Obama's Lavish Spain Vacation Sparking Criticism". Harry Potter never had it so good! I paid Ace and Kite with a left-over hot dog roll and a piece of Philly soft-pretzel for their hot tips.In a flash, they were airborne in flight to their next job.
I skimmed the articles and saw something about the Queen praising the UN and the
other mentioning Michelle Obama's planned vacation trip to visit King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia at their summer palace. Both articles had a lot of verbiage about
money, expenses and the merits of such trips.My read is that 'first families are institutions and when institutions travel, they travel expensively.It's unavoidable
and when institutions meet with other institutions it's generally beneficial for
both institutional cultures and politics.But, who am I to dare say this?I am only a big, red-nosed, bone-headed,silly, fictional hoboclown detective sitting on a bench passing the time of day.Ace and Kite scratched the addresses of the two
articles in the dirt.Real people can read them for themselves at
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=11097746 and
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/06/michelle-obamas-lavish-spain-vacation-sparking-

The Presidential Trivia Quiz

After studying my tricks on the bench,I decided to do some hoboclown sleuthing and
made a presidential pop quiz for the squirrels in my summer class-
Which of the following statements did President Obama make at his last
White House Press Conference and at his first State of The Union Address?
A) If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River,
the headline that afternoon would read: "President Can't Swim."
B) The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads
nothing but newspapers.
C) Get your facts first,then you can distort 'em as much as you please.
D) Neither A nor B nor C

For all you squirrels who looked over your buddy's shoulder for the answer,
the correct answer is D. Statement A is attributed to Lyndon B. Johnson.
Statement B is attributed to Thomas Jefferson.Statement C is attributed to
Mark Twain.You can find these quotes and more at www.quotegarden.com/media.html
and don't take any nuts with you!

Celebration ??

Today,after a nearly 15 day heat wave of 90 plus degrees with a 107 degrees heat index in Philadelphia,PA USA a torrential downpour of rain (with 40 mile per hour winds) drenched the area and broke the oppressive humidity.This called for a celebration.So, there I was; sniffing,stirring,pouring,cooking and drooling over my festive hot meal of a plum tomato, salmon with long grain wild rice (flavored with roasted garlic and olive) with baby carrots and radishes to be chased by a half cup of cold orange juice.I had been eating only cold stuff during this heat spell. As I let my meal cool,I heard a commotion outside and went to investigate.
I sat on my rock and watched two juvenile squirrels celebrating the break in the heat wave in their very own way; climbing,flipping,dragging,rolling,rubbing and scratching against the nearby soaking-wet tree branches and tree trunks.They were gleefully getting 'wet bark grooming and massages' as a relief from the long hot spell of humid weather.As I sat back and watched the squirrels in amazement,my mind wandered off and I wondered how I would like a 'wet bark grooming massage'.
I looked around and the squirrels were gone.In the distance, all I could hear was, sniffing,stirring,pouring and burping! I guess the squirrels couldn't resist their thoughts of wonder either and decided to politely wash and groom before dining.

Happy Surreal Fathers' Day

A few days ago, I received a parcel post box at my cave.Not expecting the delivery,I
first looked for white powder and smoke.Then,I listened for a ticking sound.I wondered if I should call the fiction world's hazmat team ? I noticed the $8.09 postage and the sender,Paul Yates.Now, I'm really worried! To me, Paul Yates is a
cross between Alfred Hitchcock,Rod Serling and Stephen King.
With my trusty K-9, butterfly pup, and a 6'5" clown bodyguard beside me,I gingerly
opened the box. There it was! A body map (jacket cover) of the 2010 International Surrealist Film Festival memorabilia DVD and a glittering trophy of a female aiming a rifle.A brief follow-up investigation turned up the following facts from American Film Institute Director/Writer, Paul Sanchez Yates,
" ...I would say you have the "BRETON" Award for this year's fest.Your work is great
and I hope to see much more of it in the future and for next year."

If any of your dads look like the guys in our group photo, you're OK with me!
Signed,
Flash Mc Cool

Father's Day Tribute

In the USA,today is Father's Day.My boss,Flash Mc Cool,fictional hoboclown detective,
told me to dig up a fossil to celebrate Father's Day.I looked at prime time TV news this morning and did see a lot of bone-headed commentary that made it obvious that mankind's collective wisdom could fit inside a thimble.It seems like the man-made
tricks of ignorance cross political party lines and talk show guests and commentators.I can't bring this bone-headed nonsense back to my boss to celebrate Father's Day with. So, I gnawed into a study of Father Time. Father Time has a good track record of hindsight and foresight. While no man, political party,private entrepreneur,government administration nor media has been able to stop a volcanic
eruption nor a Tsunami, Father Time seems to know exactly what to do over many centuries to keep life forms thriving in the aftermath of such disasters.
The man-made Gulf Oil spill disaster should warn mankind to not tamper with Mother Nature nor Father Time. Mother Nature and Father Time need to be afforded more respect.Today, is a good day to start!

Lights Out!

NOW, and as a young hoboclown I've been totally fascinated by the fireflies. In Philadelphia,PA USA we called them "Lightning Bugs". This month (for the next few weeks) is a prime time for lightning bugs in this area. I've been working on this invention to light my entire body up at will and literally glow in the dark. That would be totally cool.Can you imagine what you could do with all that 'self-glo stuff'? Entomologists have fancy words for the 'stuff' and 'process'that lightning bugs use to glow or flash: luciferase and bioluminescence.
As young hoboclown kids, we used to put the 'stuff' on our fingers to make glow rings.They lasted a short while until they dimmed out. If you were afraid of the dark at night and couldn't sleep the grand hoboclown would have you drink a small
cup of milk and honey and tell you to get in bed and stare at ten lightning bugs inside a small mayo jar covered with a tin screw cap punched with tiny airholes.When the lightning bugs' lights went out,so did yours!

The Nature of Money

Money comes and goes.Usually sooner than later.It's a dynamic thing;
like when your favorite uncle pops in on you and just when you're having FUN he's gone in the blink of an eye!Uncle Ernie had a dynamic too-as soon as the money came in he made-off with it.
My latest twit reads,dear favorite uncs (Abe,Alexander,Andy,Ulysses and Ben):
U guyz can pop n on me anytime.Just enter by the ATM.

When It Pays To Follow

'Sometimes it pays to follow your right mind! Great leaders were once loyal followers!
Solutions tend to follow problems. Therefore,problems lead to jobs.For every problem,there is a solution.One might work at describing the problem.Another might create tools to solve the problem while someone else will list or catalog the problem.Sometimes I've followed so many problems that I've created too many jobs for myself! Close your eyes,open your mind and see wonderful prospects that were once invisible! That little ripple in the water might just become a wave
of opportunity!'

Little Soldiers Can Fight The Gulf Oil Spill War

In the USA today,a solemn remembrance and tribute takes place for fallen heroes of all wars fought by US veterans.Parades,memorial services,TV documentaries,film
screenings and more pervade small town and large US cities activities on this day.
The challenges, battles and wars of the past lay the foundation for the strength and courage of future generations to survive when the going gets tough.
Today's global conflicts involve many challenges and battles fought in other arenas than combat zones.Sometimes the challenge requires a battle of wits, a merging of ideas or gathering of talents and skill to combat mortal enemies of ignorance,famine,
natural disasters and fear.
In the USA today, a small but significant battle is raging against a virulent oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico.Life in those regions is literally threatened by the toxic effects of the oil spill on the food chain and economic sustenance of the people in the region.Animal and human family survival is at stake.
You do not have to live in the region to help fight the calamity! If you have an idea
or a solution to battle the oil spill, enlist your talents,skill, knowledge and creativity and do your part!
Children can make a difference too by learning about the issues and developing
knowledge and skills for future benefit of our natural animal and human resources.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has an excellent on line classroom energy
presentation with lesson plan,games and interactive modules at
http://www.classroom-energy.org/about_us.html

At this site, you can learn about
oil drilling and the tools, equipment and methods used. Who knows? You may be able
to invent safer methods of gas and oil exploration!

Haarlem Hommie Tries To Stop Gulf Oil Leak

Hi Guyz! My fictional doggy brain is at it again.While my boss,fictional hoboclown
detective,Flash Mc Cool, was chillin' in his cave watching Colin Powell on today's
"This Week" TV Show in the USA, I was working the 2010 Gulf Oil leak case.Colin Powell,the retired four-star US Army General,former US Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State, described the Gulf oil leak as an economic,ecological,
and public trust issue with political implications beyond the disaster of the oil leak itself. He believes the President should bring all the appropriate US resources possible to address the ravaging impact of the oil leak and to give the people in the affected region hope and a return to normalcy.
I began to track down a rumor of a kid from Haarlem, who was on his way to the Gulf of Mexico to stop the oil leak.As the story goes,the 8 year old boy was on his way home and about to break into a run when he heard the sound of trickling water.He saw a small hole in a dike through which a "tiny stream was flowing". He reached the hole
and stuck his, "chubby little finger..in (and) the flowing was stopped". The boy heard about the Gulf oil leak and was on his way to stop the oil leak with his fat
stubby finger. However, as he neared Arizona he was turned back because he did not have a green card!
Actually guyz,I made part of this story up. When you're a K-9 assistant to a fictional hoboclown detective,you develop a vivid imagination.However, Colin Powell is real.You can watch his interview on the "This Week" sunday morning broadcast.
As for the kid from Haarlem, you can read all about his heroic story of Hope at
http://members.chello.nl/m.jong9/map12/hansbrinker.html
As for me, it's Memorial Day weekend and I'm going to lay in the cool corner of Flash Mc Cool's cave with a nice juicy B-B-Q flavored bone .

Gulf Oil Spill Faux Commentary

Hi guys! I'm back! I'm the dog-breathed, investigative K-9 assistant to Flash Mc Cool,fictional hoboclown detective.With the Administration being accused of not doing enough to solve the Gulf Oil Spill problem,the U.S. Department of Imagination,
Office of Emergency Creativity, has dispatched investigative consultant, Flash Mc Cool, to assist in the location of solutions to the problem. My boss had me scratch around the surface of the issue like most critics.I found that the Earth was alive! With a face like this,would I lie to you? Afterall,I am man's non-partisan Best friend! If the Earth is alive, then the ocean surface oil spill should be treated like a medical emergency.I'll bet two bones and my favorite old shoe that Dr. Gregory House can solve the problem.He and his super-charged team of medical diagnosticians can solve the problem in a one hour episode.The Earth is bleeding out.Medical genius,Dr. House, will fire up all the imaging techniques, find the source,the cause and the fix the problem! I don't care too much for Dr. House's
arrogant bed side manner but I love the cute little producer.She's a real Fox!

How To Find Yourself

Last night I used a hand-held GPS for the first time.
It's extremely comforting to know your precise location when you are lost!

Green Technology for Oil Spills is Already Here!

Have no fear! Old fictional hoboclown detective,Flash Mc Cool, is here.Internet clues have led me to Mother Nature's Green Technology that can naturally sop up oil spills!If the old clown can find this, you would think that Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard would be on it like fat on a hog!
Actually, a Copyrighted article written by Rachel Kaufman and published May 11,2010 for National Geographic News,laid out the green technology breakthroughs on fighting oil spills. Flash Mc Cool will not steal Ms. Kaufman and National Geographic News
thunder.Mother nature might get upset with that!So,I humbly refer all my blog readers to the article written by Ms. Kaufmann, entitled, 3 Future Oil-Spill Fighters: Sponges, Superbugs, and Herders. Now, to see if I can find some money to help these guys out so they can sop up the oil swill and put Louisiana back to work!!
I'd donate my treasure chest of play money but a "fat thumb " on Wall Street took that a few days ago!
<"news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100511-science-environment-gulf-oil-s">

Companies and the public can submit clean-up ideas or offer volunteer assistance at the following links
http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/techsolution.html

www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

or telephone the Joint Information Center (JOC) at (281) 366-5511

Fortune Cookie

'He who talks trash should clean up his own act.'
-Flash Mc Cool

Internet Blues

Listen up!I'm the fictional hoboclown detective who lives in a cave.That's the cool side of my facade!When I leave my cave I hang out on the Internet.I don't mean to be frosty but cribbin' on the internet is rough!It can get downright craggy:
Internet spiders crawling all over your site.Google Ads jumping out all over your stuff;linking this and that!Youtube flicks in ya face all day! Tryin' to find your DNA !That makes me salty yo!
Now hear this, all you web-crawling spidering bots, searching my stuff.Bring Miranda with you next time you pull me over!As for you litle tadpoles, remember my webby is deep! Don't wrinkle my brow you little slicks! Back off and give me some space!
Yield or make tracks!!
You don't need to know my rank! Forget that! I rank tough-stout and strappin' and don't forget, I got crawler traps up in here!
Now,take a deep breath, relax and give me five real ones for pullin' your coat!

The Power of One

'All the world's nuclear might cannot match the power of a real mom'
- Flash Mc Cool Quote

If your mom is upset today, send her the following link to help her chill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP5GUJSmdok

Happy World Laughter Day !

The brain is hot-wired to make us laugh! When things don't compute or registers
in strange ways that we are not accustomed to, we laugh.Sometimes we laugh when
our slow thoughts or even super quick thoughts realize that someone or some thing has actually out-foxed us.Somehow foxes get credit for being clever! As a fictional
hoboclown detective,I often laugh at myself when I nab myself engaging in ludicrous thoughts.A case in point is my daily quest to eventually run into that super feminine
model who posed for the shapely model in the body world store window! What a dunce I am ! The chances of my running into that model is slim to none. Then again, 'slim' ain't bad. May 2nd is World laughter Day. So, do like His Laughness does and get your laugh ON!!

Old Bones and Hot Potatoes

You would think that a fictional hoboclown's best friend would unashamedly salivate over a fare of old bones and hot potatoes.Not so! At least not in the state of Arizona,U.S.A. According to wikipedia, the Arizona state motto is,"Ditat Deus, latin for," God enriches" .Arizona's fertile immigration history has enriched the state tremendously since the state's $15 million US dollars purchase from Mexico.Old bones of contention have been dug up by the new Arizona Immigration Law(a really hot potato!)I don't think I wanna chew on any of that!
Historical records indicated that the 1860 census for Arizona was," 6,482 (4,040 "indians",21 "free colored",2,421 "white") .More recently,a "2005-2007 "American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau" noted that 59% of Arizona's population were, "white americans" with 29% listed as "Latinos (of any race).In 2010, illegal immigrants were said to constitute an estimated, " 7.9% of the population (the
second highest percentage of any state in the nation)".Reading the history of Arizona and patrolling the four-sided fence around this state is more than my tiny k-9 mind and legs can bear.As for the old bones,I think the humans want me to bury them again!

Grounded

My avian buddies just flew in for a long visit after being grounded by the Icelandic
volcano eruption that suspended air travel on 6 continents.They laughed and poked fun at the,"Gravity grunts" stuck in airport terminals.They asked,"why don't they just do like we do? Grab a sack of birdseed and wait until the ash plume settles on the ground. Better yet,just kick back,preen a few feathers and watch some Flash Mc Cool mini videos on Blinkx.com".
My irreverent,fair- weathered,feathered friends love to poke fun at humans who frequently snort,"What goes up must come down". To soar greater heights,you must be well-grounded.Take some down time and meditate at this blogsite.You never know
what might lift you UP !

My secret of Flash Mc Cool:Something's Fishy Here

This humble DVD, screened at The 2010 International Surrealist Film Festival in Los Angeles,CA on March 21,2010, can be reviewed at https://www.createspace.com/206825 .
While writing the script,I decided to show how the lines between dreams and reality overlap and how this Art House surrealistic short film could draw on real life objects, colorful artistic imagery and contemporary symbolism.Those who have viewed the short film excerpt,"Loved" the story.While kids liked the physical comedy and antics, young adults perceived the short story as a 'thinking man's gem as the dreamlike non-sequiturs were unraveled'.The film images were carried out on an intellectual level but in dreamlike fashion.Also, for more impact and fun the viewers were intentionally given an opportunity to conjure up their own personal emotional response and meaning to the story and its' ending.What resulted was a sense of wonder and whether that feeling of Deja vu really happens only to the viewer or to others as well and whether the experience was merely dreamed or imagined.As a movie fan myself,I loved how Alfred Hitchcock pulled off the same effect in his movie classics.

The Possum,The Beggar and The Stranger ?

My hobo-like trek into town this morning riddled me with mixed emotions.In the woods,
just behind the communter train platform,a lone possum was busy foraging amongst the thorny thickets, soft moss and the early spring shrubbery.The white triangular face with the whiskered snout and long ratty tail creeped me out!But there was no conversation here.The train arrived.I bid farewell to the possum and boarded the train.At the Market East Gallery, the perennial four foot tall,beggar gnome with his balding head,bushy eyebrows and foot-long white beard was still working the crowd for change before the security guard could run him off.Fifteen feet away from the beggar gnome was a ballardeer,strumming his guitar and playing a harmonica.He had a donation box on the floor.Somehow his presence and beggar's box was more acceptable than beggar gnome.As he sang and played his music,beggar gnome quietly extended his hand as hundreds of commuters passed by. After my morning coffee,I left my table,walked pass beggar gnome and the balladeer and headed towards the newsstand.I bought my newspaper, came back pass the balladeer and was heading towards the escalator when I spotted beggar gnome taking a thick wad of
greenbacks out of his beggar's pocket.As he wrapped a rubberband around the wad of
greenbacks, his eyes caught mine.No words were exchanged as I passed by him and stepped on the escalator.Yet, a lot was said in that encounter.I left the Gallery at street level and one-half block down, a tall lanky stranger with coarse features
approached me and said, " 96 cents would help me get a micky D's coffee to get started for the day". I reached into my pocket and peeled off a dollar bill and as I was handing it to him he said," I didn't know your church closed." He gave the name of my previous church, then called my given name and added,"The church was boarded up;closed for almost 20 years". How did the 'stranger' know the name of my previous church and my first name? I looked at him and asked his name.He said," John.I used to live at 19th and Persimmon Street..." My mind travelled back neary 25 years and I recalled a young 'John' who used to be strung out on drugs despite neighbor's attempts to help him. Quickly, "John" was walking away towards mickey D's and yelling my first name to thank me! He couldn't modulate his voice and to other strangers walking by he appeared as simply a loud, incoherently rambling street person.To me, he was a former young friend and hommie that I and many other old friends had tried to help.A lot was said in that conversation with,'the stranger'.

Coincidence ?

Some very talented Directors were winners yesterday at The 2010 International Surrealist Festival ! I feel honored to have been selected to screen Flash Mc Cool.
While reviewing the results this evening I happened upon the Flash Mc Cool Cool Song Clip Video for Shockwaves NME Awards 2010. Very strange! New Musical Express or NME
apparently had selected the Cool Song Video to assist their on line promotion of the
Shockwaves Awards in February,2010.The Awards took place at the 02 Academy Brixton in London on February 24,2010. Now,usually consolation prizes come after your competition.In this instance the old hoboclown got a consolation prize before his March 2010 competiton and didn't know it! As you know,hoboclowns often get things backwards.The
Universe is a strange place.Is this a coincidence? Nah.
You can see the consolation prize by googling, Flash Mc Cool Cool Song Clip Video for
Shockwaves NME Awards 2010 .

The Surreal Hollywood Gathering

Hi everybody! The news is just in.Flash Mc Cool and Dr. Trash will be joining their
surreal family at The 2010 International Surrealist Film Festival in Hollywood,Los Angeles, CA! See the line-up and read the blurbs at the following link.The happenings are going to be verrryy strange...
The festival will screen a 10 minute clip of the 41minute film,Flash Mc Cool:
Something's Fishy Here

http://theinternationalsurrealistfilmfestival.com/about.html

I will be seeing some of my surreal brothers and sisters from around the world!
Just to name a few;there will be surrealist film entries from: Argentina,Germany and the Czech Republic just to name a few!

Be Quiet Be Still It's Surreal!

Sometimes you have to be quiet and still to see,hear,feel and sense what is
stirring around you.I decided to be very still and quiet this morning and after a short breakfast I checked my email.A message read,"Congratulations! Flash
Mc Cool has been accepted into the International Surrealist Film Festival
2010 ! The message was from Paul Sanchez Yates,American Film Institute Director/Writer.The Festival is on March 21st in Los Angeles, CA. Yes,this morning was surreal !
Anyone interested can check out the ISFF 2010 at
www.theinternationalsurrealistfilmfestival.com
Now,be quiet,be still and feel the vibes that wish me well!

US Politics 101 for K-9s

Now listen here dawgs!I'm more than just a pooper snooper.As the best friend of Flash Mc Cool,fictional hoboclown detective,I have more scents than most men and a
pedigree that the best Ivy league university in the US cannot top! From time to time
I do peek at my boss's notes before we go hunting.Last night, Flash Mc Cool planned his search for truth and insight about the current US political landscape.At the newspeakdictionary.com I didn't find any foxes but I did turn up some clever quotes on the issues:
"If you tell the truth,you don't have to remember anything"
-Mark Twain
"A conservative is a liberal who has been mugged"
-Unknown
"A liberal is a conservative who has been arrested"
-Tom Wolfe
"It makes no difference who you vote for-the two parties
are really one party representing 4 percent of the people"
-Gore Vidal
"I don't care who does the electing just so long as I do the nominating"
-William "Boss" Tweed
"If everybody is thinking alike,then somebody isn't thinking"
-General George Patton
OK Guyz, after you chew on that,you can lay down,roll over and play dead.

Happy Valentine's Day

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Can't you see
I've fallen for you!

The Definition of Middle Class

As a hoboclown detective I don't get the chance to define many things but I do snoop around and sometimes land on a good one.You're in the middle class when you're somewhere between gettin' promoted and being left down.

Flash Mc Cool's Famous Quotes on Work,Money,Credit and Economics

Not willing to share my blogsite with the twitter,twatter of tiny little twits,I share the following profoundly coined wordisms instead,
'If you don't have a Lincoln,a Benjamin will do just fine!'

'A lifetime job is as elusive as the Man in the Moon'

' The flavor of economics is Green...pour it on!'

'Grow a Money tree and live off your own interests'

'Forget the fungus! Try work;it'll grow on you !'

'Money stinks! Somehow the odor doesn't bother me!'

'Caution! Banking on pensions can be hazardous to your wealth!'

'Credit is fool's gold on plastic'

'A Platinum credit card is fool's gold on steroids'

'A perfect credit rating is a fool's goal'

The Haiti Earthquake:Chaos,Opposites and Hope

Thoughts about Opposites and Chaos gently nudged me awake this morning.After a night of fitful sleep,resulting from the past several days of the disastrous news of anguish,turmoil and strife in Haiti,my mind was fixated on a momentary reflection on the nature of the Universe,its chaos and order and more comforting thoughts.No matter where your clock is in the Universe,every second is marked by Chaos and Order.
Opposites seem to create Order out of Chaos.Or, perhaps it is the Order that creates the Opposites ? For instance, wherever there is Pain,there is some Joy.Wherever there is Death,there is Life.Wherever there is Tragedy,there is Triumph. Our human awareness of Opposites,creates Hope.As an imaginary hoboclown,if I did not Laugh,I would Cry.

While War wages on in Afghanistan and Iraq,Humanitarian Efforts are waged around the world to help a devastated country of Haitian people.The two scenarios are Opposites
that foster Hope in Mankind.

After riding the commuter train into town this brisk Saturday morning in Philadelphia, PA,USA, I read an exceptional Philadelphia Daily News Column by Solomon Jones. The columnist has no red nose and is the Real Life Opposite of an
Imaginary Clown.I therefore, defer to his insightful report,"In Haiti's Agony,a
time to show the power of love ". I could not find better words to describe what is happening in Haiti today and how the situation brings Hope to mankind. You can read Solomon Jones's powerful piece at,http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20100116_Solomon_Jones__In_Haiti_s_agony__a_time_to_show_the_power_of_love.html

Impact!

Haiti is the kind of place that makes an impact on you without the devastation of a major earthquake.Off and on,I would see scenes of " Haitian boat people" trying to make it to a better life.Not too long ago, the writer for Flash mc Cool was told by his former elementary school teachers that a mere "two hundred dollars would educate a Haitian elementary school child for one full year"! And so, the donation was on its way! Sometimes Nature takes a step and Mankind must follow to find the real jewels of Life! You can ask questions about Who makes Nature do what it does later! Seize the moment to follow a path to collective enrichment!

Nimble Quotes by Flash Mc Cool

'In Nature,every form of Life is employed
and for Mankind,pure unemployment is an unadulterated lie'
-By Flash Mc Cool
'A truly honest man-made Authority
will forego an investigation
and immediately place itself under arrest'
-By Flash Mc Cool
'A lightning strike
is just Mother Nature's left jab'
-By Flash Mc Cool
'The fastest man alive
cannot outrun his quickest lie,
that is determined to catch up with him '
-By Flash Mc Cool

New Word For A New Year

Happy 2010! I find it useful to learn a new word every now and then.If you're looking for meaning to Life,check out the word,C-a-p-a-c-i-t-y.Find one definition of Capacity at http://www.brainyquote.com/words/ca/capacity141030.html,
"Ability;power pertaining to,or resulting from,the possession of strength,wealth,or talent;possibility of being or of doing".
My New Year's Resolution is to help at least one Life form ( human,animal or plant Life)to thrive for one full day by utilizing
'my capacity' .
How could you use your capacity to help Universal Life Forms strive better for one day in 2010 ?