"July Fourth: Independence Together," Wall Street Journal, (July 3, 1996)
The way we celebrate our holidays tells volumes about the values to which we are committed. Over the last decades, in many
suburbs, patriotic parades of bands playing Sousa marches, veterans carrying tattered flags and fire departments proudly
displaying the community's shiny new truck have been replaced by barbecues in backyards and an additional day on the
beach. We no longer measure the day by the number of flags raised from rooftops and verandahs or the length of patriotic
speeches, but by the pounds of hot dogs consumed, beer lapped up and, above all, the record of people killed driving under
the influence. Even if there is a concert in the commons, it is likely to be an imitation Beach Boys ("cruising with a girl. .
."),Van Halen or maybe Brahms. Fireworks still abound, but their colors are not necessarily red, white and blue. While in
small-town America and in working neighborhoods glimpses of the traditional Fourth, celebrated on Main Street, can still be
caught, in many upscale communities it is a day friends hang out with each other, at home or at a private picnic.
The fact that the glorious Fourth has been recast in many parts of the country should not particularly faze us; it has been in flux
from its inception, as Diana Karter Appelbaum details in her study "The Glorious Fourth." The early celebrations of
Independence Day were religious, frequently ending with a communal dinner in a church, following John Adams's dictum of
commemorating the day with "solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty." In the generations that followed, the Fourth was
gradually secularized; military parades grew in prominence, only to be overtaken by car races and golf tournaments. In the
19th century, the holiday often served to highlight the growing role of the U.S. as a technological and economic power. In
1817, the Fourth marked the beginning of the construction of the Erie Canal; nine years later, the Pennsylvania Grand Canal;
and nine more years later, the inauguration of the Boston & Worcester Railroad. As patriotism declined in the 1960s, concern
with safety in public spaces rose, and suburbanization gained, the patriotic Fourth waned.
What can we make next out of the Fourth? There is some yearning to recapture the holiday as an expression of our shared
values, to prevent Independence Day from becoming merely another R & R day. Flags already fly more often than during the
alienated days of the war in Vietnam, and marching bands are again in vogue-although they hint that a new Fourth may be in
our future, a day of unity for the diverse America that we have become. These days, bands that differ greatly in their racial
and ethnic composition often march in the same step, playing a rather similar mix of tunes. Marchers carry flags that display
their particular ethnic heritage, whether they are Italian, Israeli, - or Puerto Rican, as well as Old Glory, as if saying you can
be proud of your origins and be a loyal American. Recent Fourth of July parades have been led by multicolor honor guards
carrying the colors, followed by fife-and-drum corps all wearing traditional American uniforms, faces as varied as the
rainbow.
Once we put our minds to it, we are sure to find other ways of stating that one can be both a loyal American and proud of
one's particular heritage. Imagine a group of Americans standing on the steps of a town hall, reading the Declaration of
Independence, in one accent after another. Orators may embrace the theme that while we came in many ships we now ride in
the same boat. The Fourth may become the day new immigrants are sworn in as American citizens. To point to community
service as the new shared American frontier, those who newly volunteered to serve in the AmeriCorps might take their oath
on. this day, and high-school students who completed their community service might march down Main Street, surely to
thunderous applause.
Other communities may seek to emulate Ontario, Calif., which sets a 2-mile-long picnic table on their main street around
which all members of the community can feast. Suburbanites may close their side street for the day, to allow unfettered block
parties. In one way or another, people would be drawn from their private yards and apartments back into shared public
spaces, to be united, at least for the day. Nations do not have one birthday; they need to be continuously reborn.

Mr. Etzioni is university professor at George Washington University, author of "The Spirit of Community" (Simon &
Schuster, 1993) and founder of The Communitarian Network.
 

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:
There are no classes scheduled for Tuesday July 4, 2000.  The regular Tuesday Newbies sessions will resume 7/11/2000.

You might want to check with the KCnet desk for other classes scheduled for this summer.

CLICK HERE to go to the where am I pictures!

INTERESTING SITES:

A VOTE FOR ANGEL IS A VOTE FOR "CUTE"

Of course you are interested in how Angel is doing in the  Petsmart's "Cutest Pet." contest.  She is a beautiful Rag Doll cat  and resides with Jane and Jesse Long. This is her third week in the contest and she is ranked 5th out of 44 cats. It is permissible to vote once each week.  So I guess she has more actual supporters than Jane, Jesse and me. You can help Angel by accessing Petsmart and voting for her.  www.rascalsangel.pages.petsmart.com/index.htm

ASK THE DREAM DOCTOR
This site is dedicated to helping you understand your unconscious mind by examining your dreams. The dreams are sorted by subjects, such as romance, men's, and women's. Each section contains a collection of dreams submitted by individuals and interpretations of those dreams. There's even a section covering rare "lucid dreams," where people realize they're in a dream, but don't wake up. The Daily Dream is a feature where readers can submit a dream and let the Dream Doctor (Charles McPhee, author and sleep researcher) help them uncover its underlying meaning. And if you aren't dreaming enough, maybe it's because you aren't sleeping well.  There are plenty of suggestions to help you sleep better and a whole section explaining Sleep Disorders. Sweet dreams!
www.dreamdoctor.com

STILL IN THE DREAM CATAGORY - "UP IN THE CLOUDS" - LOOKITSA
Look, in the sky... it's a bird, no a plane, it's Superman... or maybe that was just a cloud shaped like Superman. This site is devoted to empowering your imagination with clouds. For children, clouds are magical and inspirational. Where a cloud might cause an adult to start imagining muddy footprints on the new living room carpet, a child might envision a dragon. This site is an invitation to daydream, and you don't even need to be near a window. It features dozens of photos of cloud formations, with new selections added each week. Click on a tiny cloud photo and it blows up to full screen proportions, complete with commentary by the person who submitted it.  There's even a Grow Your Own Cloud kit, but we don't  recommend it. There's just no substitute for the real thing!
www.lookitsa.com

THEN THERE IS THE "I DREAM OF" CATAGORY!
Some of us dream of "Jeannie" with the Light Brown Hair" or Barbara Eden the "I dream of Jeannie" geni and some of us Dream of "Norma Jean."
THE OFFICIAL MARILYN MONROE WEB SITE:
Marilyn may be gone, but her memory lives on, especially on the Web. This official site is elegantly designed and overflowing with all things Marilyn. Read a detailed biography of Norma Jean Mortenson, a Los Angeles native discovered by an Army journalist. Learn all about her favorite things, including colors, books, poets, and stores. There's even a page full of surprisingly quotable Marilyn quotes. Browse through her extensive list of silver screen appearances. And what Marilyn Monroe site would be complete without a glamorous photo album?
An editorial aside from Mike:  The Photo Album section is for those of us who are literally challenged, suffer from the printed word deficit syndrome so to speak.
If you find yourself hooked, or maybe even inlove, then join the fan club. Yes, it's still growing!
www.marilynmonroe.com

THIS WEEK'S MEDICAL SITE:  Medical is a bit of a stretch but it is kinda like medical and some phobias give one nightmares.
THE PHOBIA LIST
Fredd Culbertson started collecting names of phobias back when the Internet was an obscure network used by scientists and the military. His Web site features the fruits of his labor with over 500 known phobias culled from reference books and medical papers. The phobias are listed both alphabetically and by subject. Go ahead, it's easy to diagnose yourself. Afraid of unlucky number 13? You have Triskadekaphobia. I knew that one from playing pool.  Spend too much time in front of your computer? Then perhaps you have Stasiphobia the fear of standing up. Many people would say the federal government is experiencing epidemic levels of  Phronemophobia, the fear of thinking. Once you've spent some time with the list, read a brief explanation on how phobias are named or read through a collection of famous quotes relating to fear. Unless, of course, you have Phobophobia.
www.sonic.net/~fredd/phobia1.html

Here is a site to download your animated name to use in your emails and web pages.
www.cranium.co.nz/yna/names-m.html

This is not the run of the mill backyard waterscape from Lowes or the local shrub shop.  This is a beautiful lakescape.  Thanks to Jim Rockwell.
www.justsaywow.com/todayp.htm

AND NOW THE WEEKLY FUN SITES:
www.justsaywow.com/ahandtohold.htm
www.justsaywow.com/thisland.htm
www.justsaywow.com/independence.htm
www.justsaywow.com/thingstodo.htmIf you only access one of these choose this one-It's a HOOT!

DIDJA  KNOW?:
THIRST
Ever wonder which part of the body signals that it needs more water?
Thirst has to do with the amount of salt in the bloodstream. Our blood prefers to keep a fixed percentage of salt in it and is not interested in changing this mix. The body has a mechanism that signals the kidneys to absorb any excess salt. In absorbing the excess salt, much water is taken away from the body tissues. This causes the body to crave more water to replace the water that was absorbed.
The sense of thirst is caused by stimulation of cells in the pharynx (the tube that connects the mouth and nasal passage with the esophagus) caused by the loss of water from the cells with which nerve endings are in contact. The decrease in the concentration of water in the blood causes a drying of the lining of the pharynx because of a decreased salivary secretion. This causes the urge to drink.

LOOKING FORWARD TO FOOTBALL
Some of us true fans are already thinking about the football season. Well, here's a preseason statistic that you won't find in the papers:
We can't forget those that sacrifice themselves for the game--namely, the cow. Did you realize that it takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with a single season's worth of footballs?
I suppose the players enjoy the steaks too

HERE WE ARE BACK IN THE CLOUDS-HOW MANY TYPES OF CLOUDS ARE THERE?
There are 10: cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus, altocumulus, altostratus, nimbostratus, stratocumulus, stratus, cumulus, cumulonimbus. Each of these clouds has adifferent shape and internal structure.

HOW FAST IS THE CONTINENTAL DRIFT?
 The plates (solid segments of the earth's crust and upper mantle) that consist mostly of continents move at an average
speed of about 2 centimeters per year. Europe and North America are moving apart at about this speed. The plates that
are mostly under the oceans move faster, at an average speed of about 10 centimeters per year. It has been 200 millionyears since the original supercontinent, Pangaea, broke up into the continents we know today.

WHO INVENTED THE ROSARY?
The practice of using a string of knots or beads as a memory aid in prayer, developed long before the time of Christ, was
popularized among Catholics in the twelfth century by Saint Dominic of Spain, founder of the Dominican order. The word
rosary may come from one of two sources: the early practice of carving rosary beads from rosewood (and calling them
"wreaths of roses"); or the French word for bead, rosaire.

WHAT GAVE TIMES SQUARE ITS NAME?
It was named for the 1903 building that was headquarters for the New York Times. The building, located at the intersection
of Seventh Avenue, Forty-second Street, and Broadway, trans-mitted news by the band of electric lights that ran across
the top of the building. New York Newsday now occupies the spot and still flashes headlines as its predecessor did.

"No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't."
     --Marilyn Monroe

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."
     --Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"Think wrongly if you please, but in all cases think for yourself."
     --Doris Lessing

"The greatest general is he who makes the fewest mistakes."
     --Napoleon

"Great things are accomplished by talented people who believe they will accomplish them."
     --Warren Bennis

"I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within.  It is there all the time."
     --Anna Freud

"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to
circumstance."
     --Bruce Barton

THIS WEEK'S CUTIES:
A former friend of mine was married to a great gal; unfortunately, he had to put up with his wife's mother who was a very cranky and spiteful person. In the morning when my buddy got up to go to work, his mother-in-law would
sneak around a hallway corner and hiss at him, "If you don't treat my daughter right when I die I'll dig up from
the grave and haunt you!"
When the poor guy would stop in for lunch, his mother-in-law would blurt out while hiding behind a drape, "If you don't treat my daughter right when I die, I'll dig up from the grave and haunt you. Alas, in the evening while having a well-deserved cocktail, my friend's mother-in-law would pop up from behind the bar and say, "If you don't treat my daughter right when I die, I'll dig up from the grave and haunt you."
Well, I happened to bump into my buddy a month ago and while having a beer I asked him how his mother-in-law was
feeling. He said, she isn't feeling anything; she died two months ago!" I quickly asked him if he was worried about her ominous threat?
He said, "Heck, no! I buried her face down; let her dig; I don't care!"

Actress Jane Wyman tells of her most embarrassing moment, which happened when she was entertaining some very special
guests.
After making sure the entire house was in order, she put a note on the guest towels which read, "If you use these, I will murder you." It was intended for her husband. In the haste of her preparations, she forgot to remove the note.
When the guests had departed, she found the towels--and the note--exactly as she had left them."

THINGS THAT IT TOOK ME 50 YEARS TO LEARN--from Judy Garner via Bud Casselberry
 1. Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a  laxative on the same night.
 2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential,  that word would be "committee-meetings".
 3. There is a very fine line between "hobby"and "mental illness."
 4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
 5. And when God, who created the entire universe with all of its glories, decides to deliver a message to humanity, He WILL NOT use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle.
 6. You should not confuse your career with your life.
 7. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take  it too seriously.
 8. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command.  Very often, that individual is crazy.
 9. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
10. Never lick a steak knife.
11. Take out the fortune before you eat the cookie.
12. The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.
13. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
14. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
15. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is
age 11.
16. "The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
17. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy  people who are not in them.
18. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter,  is not a nice  person.
19. Your friends love you, anyway.

Three Big Smiles from Bud Casselberry
Three dead bodies turn up at the mortuary, all with very big smiles on their faces. The coroner calls the police to
show them what's happened. A Detective Inspector is sent and is taken straight to the first body.
"Bob Smith, 60, died of heart failure while with his
girlfriend. That explains the enormous smile, Inspector,"
says the coroner.
The Inspector is taken to the second dead man. "Jim Brady,
25, won five thousand dollars on the lottery, spent it all on
whiskey. He died of alcohol poisoning, hence the smile."
"Nothing unusual here," thinks the Inspector, and asks to
be shown the last body.
"Ah," says the coroner, "this is the most unusual one. Craig
Jackson, 30, struck by lightning."
"Why is he smiling, then?" inquires the Inspector.
To which the coroner replies, "He thought he was having
his picture taken."

I hope you enjoyed this communication and can attend one or more of the sessions scheduled for this week.
 
 

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