Ever hear. . .

. . . of Foreign Accent syndrome?

Karen Butler is from Oregon, not England. When asked where she got her accent, she says from her dental surgeon.

In 2009 Butler, a 56-year-old tax consultant in Toledo, Ore., awoke from denture implant surgery with an accent that's a bit British with a Transylvanian twang, and it just sort of stuck.

"I had just had surgery, so at first we assumed it was because of all of the swelling," said Butler. "But within a week the swelling went down and the accent stayed."

Butler has foreign accent syndrome -- a condition so rare that only about 60 cases have been documented worldwide. Often preceded by a small stroke, the new drawl is thought to stem from a minor injury to a tiny area of the brain responsible for language pattern and tone.

"This is a very small part of the brain that controls the articulation and the intonation of speech that's affected, and that's why it's so rare," said Dr. Ted Lowenkopf, a neurologist and medical director of Providence Stroke Center in Portland, Ore., in an interview with ABC News affiliate KATU. "The chances to hit such a small area are more than a million to one in a stroke."





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How can people be so heartless. . .

. . . says James Rado's lyrics from EASY TO BE HARD from the musical HAIR. These lyrics occurred upon hearing a portion of a BBC radio program where Hank Thomas, one of the original Freedom Riders talk about the horrible things he and others experienced in the pre-civlil rights south. Below is from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/13533144. Read about Hank's experiences. I don't think you can help but be moved.

"Fifty years after the so-called Freedom Riders risked their lives trying to break the practice of segregating people on the US public transport system, the veteran activists have reunited to inspire a new generation.

"We changed American history," says Bob Filner, now a California congressman. "And we should do the same thing today."

Just across the road from Filner is the old Greyhound station where he and hundreds of other Freedom Riders were arrested in the summer of 1961.

This week, many of them have come back to Jackson, Mississippi to mark the anniversary of their remarkable journey - desegregating buses, lunch counters and restrooms all the way from Washington to New Orleans.

But in the bars and meeting rooms, discussions move swiftly from the achievements of yesterday, to the problems of today.

"I don't care whether the issue is healthcare or housing or the environment, we should be applying non-violent, direct action to these struggles," says Filner. . ."



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The Revolution. . .

. . . will not be televised.

Never was.
Never will.

Gill Scott Heron, R.I.P.





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There were times. . .

. . . when I felt that I had ALWAYS taken accordion lessons. Then there were times when I felt that I would never be allowed to STOP taking them. But through the twenty-twenty vision of hindsight, they were ten years well spent on lessons which exposed me to a wealth of musical variety with an initiation to and education in music theory.

Somewhere around my last year of lessons, an unusual development regarding the operation of the Maryland Accordion Institute occurred. My friend, and fellow accordion student of Greek descent, possessing an appropriately lengthy Greek name and who we knew affectionately as Jimmy, purchased the operation. As I was about seventeen years of age at the time, I was understandably astounded at #1, the fact that Jimmy had the financial resources to purchase an entire business AND #2, the fact that Jimmy had the intellectual capability, the drive, motivation and just plain chutzpah to take on such a gargantuan challenge at this tender age. Jimmy was probably several years my senior, but just the same, truly quite an intelligent, thoughtful, practical and generally resourceful young man. And while he may have had the financial assistance of some older adults, he was, by all means, up to such a challenge. By that time in the life-span of the Institute and the current tastes and trends in popular culture, the Institute and accordion lessons in general, were already on their way OUT. But this was by no means a reflection on the talents and abilities of my friend Jimmy when it came to running the Maryland Accordion Institute. His great display of maturity in the whole affair made me proud of him and of myself as well, if only by association with my mature and sophisticated friend.

And the association was briefly more that simply friendship. Jimmy asked me to handle some musical affairs at the Institute during his vacation. This would mean unlocking the building, performing the duties of an instructor and handling the subsequent cash transactions. I was flattered to be asked, eager to prove the wisdom of his choice and filled with new and exorbitant amounts of self esteem at my new, responsible and lofty position even though it was only a temporary, vacation fill-in position.




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The Comedy Continues. . .

News From "E Online". . .

"The former half-term governor of Alaska will be the subject of a documentary developed at her suggestion by conservative filmmaker Stephen Bannon. Called "The Undefeated", the doc is said to tout her purported political strengths and just possibly set the stage for a presidential run. . . Calling the film "The Undefeated" -- which comes from a John Wayne movie -- may be a little ironic, however, given Palin's ticket lost the last election."



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Yeah. . .

. . . it's just me.

One of my older original compositions, Harrissinny, inspired by our youngest son; conventional, yet elements of radicalism. Just when it seems predictable, it goes off the far left end, without warning and with lots of humor. (Just like him. That's why I love it.)



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With all due respect. . .

. . . and in all honesty, very little respect is really due to those who make little to no use of the grey matter between their ears which has evolved (yes, conservative Virginia- EVOLVED) into the formidable organ it is today. . .

anyone who took Mr. Harold Camping seriously will SURELY know better than to even listen to his latest apologetic (or is it a non-apologetic). . . look here. . .

(from Buzzflash.com)
Unlike a Rained Out Ball Game, Harold Camping Offers No Refunds to Rapture Contributors

"On Monday evening, May 23 -- two days after Judgment Day failed to materialize -- Harold Camping stepped up to Family Radio's "Open Forum" mic and basically declared "Mission Accomplished." Coming only a day after he admitted to being "flabbergasted" by events, Camping's rambling and discombobulated statement maintained that the end of the world had been postponed until October 21, because "God is a loving and merciful God" he would not allow "long term suffering for anyone."

On October 21, the world will end quickly, Camping said, without any build up."

(PUH - LEEEEEEEEZZZZE!!!!!)

A very wise man (Christopher Hitchens) once said. . .

"Exceptional claims demand exceptional evidence."

"Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely soley upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake."

Time to go back to ( or check into) the home, Harold. About 50% of those older than 85 years of age suffer from some form of dimentia. It cannot be ignored. It certainly should NOT be pandered to. WHAT DO YOU THINK??

Gotta leave you with a little music. . .




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