Dr. Jim's Whims

1/12/26:

Here is a riddle:

I am an elderly male human being who is abrasive, aggravating, aggressive, animal-hating, anti-environment, authoritarian, autocratic, bossy, chauvinistic, cheating, corrupt, dictatorial, fascist, grandiose, greedy, headline-grabbing, immoral, infamous, irrational, irritating, lying, misleading, misogynistic, narcissistic, pedophilic, power-hungry, racist, self-centered, self-serving, sexist, sociopathic, temperamental, threatening, ugly, unethical, untrustworthy, vengeful, vindictive, white supremacist, and xenophobic. 

Who am I?  (His identity may be easy to deduce or guess.)  What is to be done about him and his sycophants?  (That question is not easy to answer.)

A new year has dawned and for good news we grope;

Reading too deeply can cause us to mope.

Instead keep the faith in pursuit of some hope

That with patience and skill we’ll be able to cope.  

The reigning is gaining, a king is our thing.

Democracy’s waning; we can’t hear freedom ring.

Corruption is rampant, richer over poorer.

There’s no end in sight to our government horror.

Fascism in fashion? Is that not your passion?

Then steer clear of most news; cling to local good views.

Let’s all keep up hope, and not simply mope.

Let’s find ways to cope. Should we all cave in? Nope!

Are you lucky to live near a beach?
Where relief from the heat’s within reach?
Ocean, pond, river, lake,
You need not ever bake,
Now that climate change’s been ruled a fake.

Our environment’s cooking for sure,
And scientists know the best cure.
Government disagrees;
Climate control must freeze,
Overheating birds, people, and trees.

Oil, gas, and coal must rule the roost,
Giving billionaires a further boost.
We will have smoky air
And big storms everywhere
Plunging sane persons into despair.

Must our planet surrender all hope?
Will U.S. elect ‘nother dope?
Conserve what you can
Of Mother Nature’s Plan
To extend our blessed Earth’s lifespan.

Summer is here, it’s time for a cheer

And maybe a taste of craft beer;

The fawns have arrived, they’re new baby deer

That hunker down with much to fear.

Soon we will hear the big whoosh and the boom

Of skyrockets lighting the gloom;

Our poor dogs will fear they do not know whom

So they’ll cower in corner of room.

Our next holiday is the Fourth of July

The birthday of our proud nation;

We’ll attend parades and wear red, white, and blue,

And shout “No Kings” against coronation.

And so Dr. Jim, with his wits far too dim,

Will play his drum with Island Band;

We’ll entertain masses of both lads and lasses —

Live music’s much better than canned.

Let’s hope that we all can manage to stay cool

As the summer sun beats down on us.

Drink plenty of water, eat good food as fuel

And you’ll have no sound reason to cuss.  

Our Nation

The people are expressing mass agitation

Worried about what’s happening to our nation

And wondering what the future will bring.

Democracy is facing fast disintegration

In the face of fascist determination

To refuse to let freedom still ring.

Dictators of the world work hard to unite

With propaganda composed by the extreme right

Without insight of how it is wrong.

Citizens are duped by the sound and the sight

Of a charismatic leader deluded by might

Whose falsities force them to go along.

And how do I react to our national plight?

I open this laptop and continue to write

Though I’m wary of how our dear government might

Take exception and make my words go out of sight.

Let’s hope that the forces that now cause this blight

Will minimize damage and fade into the night.  

My Books

With the aid of Citi of Books, my nonfiction work, On Target: Comparative Challenges of Sports & Games, has been relaunched.  It’s a comprehensive examination and fun analysis of many facets of athletics.  It is available in paperback and electronic editions at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and perhaps at a bookstore near you.  

Also re-released is my novel, Holy Rollers.  This crime fiction is spiced with elements of golf, psychology, aikido, romance, and humor.  Its relaunch has begun with promotion at three big conferences called “The East Literary Gathering 2025” in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, China.  Publishers and readers alike will have the opportunity to acquire my novel.  HR will also be displayed at the annual American Library Association show in Philadelphia.  Hopefully, its availability and readership will soon increase.  

Am I a Poet and Do I Know It?  

Poetry teachers and poets proclaim the plaudits of writing free verse.  

I appreciate the beauty of it, yet I feel that I’d need to rehearse.

I cannot resist the lure of my composing some rhyming line-by-line,

Maybe because that is true of most music for which I habitually pine.

I’d like now to write a true uplifting message to lift our heads out of the fog;

I want my few readers to know that I try to be helpful here within this blog.

There are so many things going wrong in this world that it can be hard to see right.

Yet we also have much to feel thankful for; be grateful for both day and night.

Yin and yang symbolize what we retain as values of philosophy Taoism,

With an eye to the past, and one straight ahead, we also embrace here-and-now-ism.

Life is black and white, with swirling of gray, with issues we see multi-sided,

So make up your mind, leave bad times behind, and decide that life’s best abided.  

We may feel grateful for research about psych,
Since gratitude just got a big thumbs-up hike;
It doesn’t take brilliance
To improve resilience,
Just give thanks for the features of life that you like.

In Japanese, Ai means harmony, connection, joining, blending, oneness; ki refers to nature, life force, power, energy; do is a path or way of life. Aikido is known as a nonviolent art of self-defense which includes many complex facets. However, the most common literal translation of aikido is “way of life through harmony with nature”. One of its most common credos is “loving protection of all living things.” Not only do aikido practitioners look out for #1, using self-protection when threatened by danger, but we also learn rescue and bystander intervention techniques by which to help others in need. Aikido teaches ethical behavior and appreciation of the value and beauty of nature.

Human beings, by virtue of our superior intelligence and abundant skill sets, are at the top of the food chain. There are dangerous beasts and poisonous plants that could injure or even kill us, but we generally rule most forces of nature. Unfortunately, too many people take human dominance too far. We tend to feel entitled and justified to capture, kill, use, and/or eat nearly all plant and animal life that we encounter. We chop down forests, that remove toxic carbon dioxide and emit life-giving oxygen, in order to produce lumber for construction and paper for consumption. We apply unhealthy chemicals to edible plants in order to maximize production of them. We hunt and harvest animals without regard to their rights to life and threats of extinction. Led by misguided government policies, we seem determined to consume every living thing other than our own species as if our goal is to reside on a barren planet that is fully devoid of plant and animal life.

People who train aikido and related arts of self-defense learn not only how to practice in the dojo, but also how to apply guiding principles of the art to our everyday lives. In an argument, disagreement, or threatening situation, it is best to apply “least force necessary” in order to protect oneself yet not necessarily harm another human being (or animal). We may blend with and acknowledge another person’s viewpoint before asserting our own. It is okay to agree to disagree without needing to impose a win-lose conclusion. We need not employ a narcissistic standard to ethnic and racial differences; all peoples of the world live on our garden planet — abundant with water, land, and natural resources — that warrants our protection and preservation. An attitude of disrespect and animosity toward our fellow human beings, as well as the beautiful creatures that share our living spaces, is self-defeating. Peaceful coexistence, not war, should be our standard of excellence.

Money does not grow on trees

Pollen may not always cause sneeze

We don’t always wheeze in a breeze

Only sometimes may we do as we please

We do not catch every disease

We need not fear all wasps and bees

Nor must we all replace our knees

But we clearly seize without using our keys that Dr. Jim rhymes with far too much ease!  

3/30/25:

From this blog I’ve been gone since 2021;

It’s about time that my whims get re-begun.

I’m still well & alive

With mind like a beehive,

Better now than never I’ll resume writing fun.

Writing ’bout politics I’ll likely avoid

Since at least half my readers may hence feel annoyed.

It’s better we’re vocal

About events local

‘Cause we have but one life to be oft’ enjoyed.

Positive psychology is what’s here and now;

Mindful good humor is part of the Tao.

We’re best optimistic

‘Stead of pessimistic,

Expecting good gives us both the why and how.

One goal that most folks have is their self-control,

To steer their own fate toward an important goal.

We hope that we know

How to go with the flow

To achieve great heights — not fall in rabbit hole.

“According to my watch the time is now; the past is dead and gone.

Don’t try to explain it, just nod your head — breathe in, breathe out, move on.”

(Jimmy Buffett)

Going to the Dog:

O thine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the food
Your tail it is a-wagging and you’re in a hungry mood
It is only your Purina but to you it still tastes good
Tommy, breakfast now is served.

Healthful Thoughts:
The keys to daily living unlock all you need to know
About work and play so every day ends with inner glow.
It’s common sense the best defense against stress is to move,
For mind and body exercise can keep us in the groove.
Food is fuel so don’t be foolish when it comes to chow;
Plant-based meals can power us through future, not just now.
One-third of life is best spent lying down and fast asleep;
Stretching, coping, socializing help us health to keep.
The Golden Rule is precious no matter how it is applied,
So seek justice and peace to make your life a nice smooth ride.
Follow the science, not just the money, to choose what to do;
Then for a hundred years folks will sing “Happy Birthday to You”.
Take care of Earth, a garden planet special as they come;
Keep animals, trees, air, and water safe from actions dumb.

Mr. Meant To has a comrade
And his name is Didn’t Do
Have you ever chance to meet them?
Did they ever call on you?
These two fellows lived together
In the house of Never Win
And I am told that it is haunted
By the ghost of Might Have Been
— author unknown (John Wooden?)