CURRENT EVENTS
Death of Nancy Reagan
(Source: CNN) Former first lady Nancy Reagan, who joined her husband on a storybook journey from Hollywood to the White House, died Sunday.
She was 94 [and] died at her home in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure [ ].
“Mrs. Reagan will be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004. [ ]
As first lady during Ronald Reagan’s eight years in the White House, she was known as the “Just say no” spokeswoman of anti-drug campaigns, and as a fierce protector of her husband, both personally and politically. When Ronald Reagan was shot in a 1981 assassination attempt, Nancy Reagan never left the hospital where the president was treated until he was released [ ].
After she and her husband left Washington, she became his protector again as he struggled with Alzheimer’s disease until his death in 2004. After his death, she remained a staunch guardian of his image and legacy.
Tues., Mar. 1, Lord of the Dance
Folks, this was the third time over the last 20 years, that I saw Lord of the Dance and it has changed to reflect today’s technology, but it remains a great show and I urge you to see it, even if you have seen it before.
However, if you can’t see Lord of the Dance, I suggest you do what Carol did and see the less expensive Ord of the Dance.
PHYSICAL TRAITS
Honor Thy Temple
In Chapter 1 of my book, I stress the importance of diet in achieving an extraordinary life style. So please give some thought to what you are eating.
CHARACTER TRAITS
The Foundation for Being Extraordinary
In chapter 17 of my book, I mention you should be meticulous in telling the truth, but to not use that as authorization to be cruel.
SOCIAL TRAITS
Getting Along with Others
The focus of Chapter 25 of my book is on being trustworthy and trusting others, at least until they prove themselves untrustworthy.
LEARNING TRAITS
Growth Keeps You Extraordinary
In Chapter 37 I discuss how extraordinary people use their time wisely. We all receive the same twenty-four hours each day, but some make so much of that time and others make so little of it.
Miscellaneous
The Odds & Ends of Being Extraordinary
In Chapter 29 of my book, I warn about addictions. There are all kinds of additions.
SELF-HELP BOOKS
The Warrior Within
by John Little
I believe this book lives up to what it says on the cover, “The philosophies of Bruce Lee to better understand the world around you and achieve a rewarding life.”
Here is a taste from the book to whet your appetite. “On the one hand, there is natural instinct and on the other is control. You are to combine the two in harmony. For if you cultivate only one dimension, say natural instinct, you will be very unscientific. If you have the other to the extreme, you become all of a sudden a mechanical man, no longer a human being.
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
IL POSTINO
How good is this movie. Well, the lead actor put off a heart operation to be in this film. He died before filming was over. I saw the film and thought the lead actor made a good decision.
If you ever wondered what was the deal with poetry, this film will show you in an entertaining way.
Warning, the version I saw was in Italian with English subtitles. That will turn some of you off. Please don’t feel bad if you decide not to watch this film because of the subtitles, since you probably wouldn’t like it anyway.
LAST WEEK’S POLL – Encouragement
The first of last week’s two polls asked about you encouraging others.
And outstanding 76% of you have encouraged someone in the last week. That is absolutely fantastic. Another 19% of you have encouraged someone in the last two weeks and the remaining 5% have encouraged someone in the last month.
The second of last week’s two polls asked about you receiving encouragement.
Fifty percent of you have received encouragement from someone in the last week. Another 22% of us , I am sorry to say have not received encouragement in a while. While still another 17% of you have received encouragement within the last two weeks. The remaining 11% of you have received encouragement in the last month.
THIS WEEK POLL – St. Patrick’s Day
This weeks poll is on your St. Patrick’s Day plans.
MUSIC OF THE WEEK
This week I started to show a February 1958 video of a dance called the Stroll. I recall watching it on American Bandstand after I got home from school each week day. I thought it was so cool, but then I recall in the 70s how much I enjoyed watching an updated version of the Stroll on Soul Train. I did a search to find that version. To my surprise, I found someone had already put these two versions of the Stroll together. I hope you get half as much of a kick out of this stroll down memory lane as I did.
Soul train vs. The Stroll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wwlz1FGNu8
ART OF THE WEEK
La Chateau des Pyrenees (translation: The Castle of the Pyrenees)
by René Magritte
René Magritte is my favorite artist, although I believe he considered himself a philosopher, who just happen to communicate via painting rather than words. I have had a copy of this painting hanging in my home for decades.
La Chateau des Pyrenees [ ] is truly a surreal painting. The Chateau (castle) sits perched on top of a large mountain floating above a large body of water. [ ]
The levitation of such a large rock literally defies gravity. There are some points to consider here. By the fact that the mountain is in the air, it has no foundation. It was once part of the Earth yet it is now separate. How does one enter such a castle? There is no path up the mountain. It is unreachable by land and by sea. It can only be reached by air and by the imagination.
It is always important to consider the title of any painting, in this case, La Chateau des Pyrenees. Something can always be learned from a painting’s title. The Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. Etymology: According to Greek mythology the Pyrenees are named after Pyrene (fire in Greek) the daughter of Bebryx, who was raped by Hercules. She got pregnant and, the next morning, Hercules was drunk in a slumber. She then stabbed him, and went into hiding. Bebryx, thinking her dead and not knowing exactly where she was, built a great tomb for her; the Pyrenees. [ ]
The concept of a floating city appears repeatedly in science fiction literature and drama. In the Star Trek episode, “The Cloud Minders (1969),” Stratos is a fictional floating city on the planet Ardana and ruled by High Advisor Plasus. And the Cloud City is a floating city on Bespin, a fictional planet in the Star Wars universe managed by Lando Calrissian (Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back; 1980).
(Source: http://rene-magritte-paintings.blogspot.com/2009/11/la-chateau-des-pyrenees.html )
EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE
Bill Murray
Can there be any doubt that the fellow who was in two of my favorite movies, Groundhog Day and Scrooged is an extraordinary person.
I did a number of internet searches and the story below about Bill Murray appears to me to be true and his actions do not surprise me.
Would not the world be a wonderful place if we all did acts like this.
THIS WEEK’S JOKE
Warning & Disclaimer – Guys, this blog is not a substitute for advice from qualified professions and I expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects, damages, or other negative consequences arising from the following advice 🙂
BLOG
I always appreciate those that leave comments on my weekly posts, since it encourages me to continue these posts. Thank you Spiritual Journey, Carol, Judith, Elizabeth and Glenda for commenting on last week’s post.
Leaving a comment is easy, just click on “Leave A Comment”, which is immediately below the title of this week’s post. And if instead of seeing “Leave A Comment”, you see “# Comments”, just click on that and scroll down to leave your comment.
I now have two more people or 40 in all, who are following this blog, thanks to Elizabeth & Glenda, who started following this blog last week. It is easy to follow, just click in the side bar area where it says “Follow Harmony Books & Films, LLC”.
I also have 61 people who have liked my Harmony Books & Films Facebook page. Again, it is easy enough to like my Facebook page, just click in the side bar area where there is a little photo of the cover of my book.
If you think this blog has any merit, please pass it on to your friends. Thank you Joanne and Pat for sharing last week’s post on Facebook. Hopefully, more of you will continue to share this blog with others.
And I am please to report that for the month of February 2015 this blog had 153 views and for February 2016 we had 579 views or well over three times the amount of views.
MY BOOK
If you know someone who is trying to change their life or that needs to change their life, please consider my book.
For those of you into reading books on a Kindle, the Kindle version of my book is $4.95.
My book is available on-line from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million.
And if you have read my book, please leave an evaluation of it on Amazon. Thank you.
http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Ordinary-Are-You/dp/0990388697
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Im-Tired-Being-Ordinary/Wm-Allen/9780990388692?id=6429711012885
Harmony Books & Films, LLC 
Soul does come out when the beat is strong. Just the way some folks were made.
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I sort of like that 1958 style, I think I could do that. Thanks again for commenting Carolyn. Over the years, I have found you always have the best perspectives.
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