Check Out These Hubs

I am doing pretty good on HubPages, even better than I thought. I have earned just over $8 on Adsense so far and have been getting increasing numbers of visitors. I am working on creating backlinks occasionally and trying to drive traffic. Here are some links to some of the lesser viewed hubs that I would like to get out there.

Why You Should Invest in Silver
Gold and Silver as a Store of Wealth
Budgets Suck

Thanks for reading and consider buying something from Amazon.

My KFC Diatribe

We went on vacation for 2 weeks in the Orlando area and rented a 6 bedroom vacation home. We arrived Sunday afternoon after driving part of the way on Saturday. Arriving at the house about 5 pm, we decided that we would get KFC and bring it back to the house, eat dinner, and then do the grocery shopping afterwards.

I looked up the nearest KFC on my phone using the Verizon VZ Navigator program. I like it a lot although it will tend to lose the GPS signal periodically. I tried typing in Kentucky Fried Chicken, but couldn’t find one. I knew we had passed one and wanted to know if there was a closer location since it was about 6 miles away. So I typed in KFC and found it. I don’t know what it is with all the abbreviations these days. McD, KFC, RBK, MTN Dew. I’m a little older and remember when “Mountain” and all the others used to be spelled out. I guess you save some money when you don’t use vowels.

Anyway, I went to the KFC and got a 20 piece meal with 5 large sides. Half original recipe and half grilled. I like the grilled chicken. I just wish the pieces at KFC were bigger. It’s like they are serving Cornish Hens or pygmy chickens. Well, after driving back to the house, I discovered that they had left out the large potato wedges. I wasn’t too happy. I called the number on the receipt, and they said if I came back, I could get them.

So, I drove back to Store #W750261 at 5680 W US Highway 192 in Kissimmee, Florida to pick up my large potato wedges. When I got there, the young man acted put out that I would bother to come back and get something I had paid. Boy, was I annoyed. You would think they would have offered me something for my trouble. It certainly wasn’t my mistake. Plus, they were out of ketchup. How does a fast food restaurant run out of ketchup? Come on.

I am really upset about the quality of customer service in the United States today. Maybe it has something to do with the younger generation that typically works in fast food? I just don’t know. But, I have to double check my orders frequently and will often find mistakes. I should have known better and should have checked the order myself. I thought about calling the toll free number on the receipt and offering my comments. Rather, I decided to post this diatribe. I will probably have more of an impact and definitely makes me fell better.

Humming on Hubpages

Well, I have been working hard the last month on Hubpages (with the exception of my time on vacation). I have found that I like Hubpages much better than Squidoo. It seems at Squidoo your articles have to be ranked in the top 85,000 to even have any chance at earning some money. That makes it too difficult for me to compete just starting out with limited amounts of time.

Hubpages, on the other hand, allows you to keep any money from Google Adsense. I have earned almost $7 so far in 6 weeks. I suspect that number will increase as I continue to publish hubs. Furthermore, the traffic is nice. I have gotten over 800 views which could actually be considered kind of low for what some people can do. But I'm still satisfied.

Here are a few of my hubs that discuss such topics as:
Trading Stocks Like Jesse Livermore
Investing in Gold
Heat Exhaustion Safety Tips
Swimmers Ear
Covered Calls

I cover many other topics as well. Feel free to stop by and read some of my helpful articles.

Hubpages and Squidoo (click on this title)

I just recently signed up for Hubpages and Squidoo. They are sites that allow you to make your own mini web page. Hubpages calls them Hubs and Squidoo calls them lenses. It is really simple to make a page about topics that interest you and publish it to the web. They have modules that place ads and other revenue sources next to your content. So far, I have to say that I am much more impressed with Hubpages. I have gotten 34 views in just a few days vs only 1 at Squidoo. Of course, neither site has made any money yet. I certainly don't expect to make a ton, but it would be nice if I could get about $20/month eventually. I am going to try and make about 100 Hubs over the next year and about the same number of lenses (if any traffic ever shows up). I may just go with the site that is working the best. Anyway, it will be an interesting experiment to see what happens. Besides, even if I don't make anything, I am having fun and learning. Just click on the title and you can go to my Hubpages profile.

Wipeout is Hilarious

I am sitting here watching this new show called Wipeout on the DVR. It is pretty funny. It reminds me of that show on G4 called Ninja Warrior. The contestants all compete against an obstacle course that looks very difficult. In the finals, the rolling barrels reminded me of Donkey Kong. You ought to check out the show for a good laugh now and again. I don't think it can last more than one or two seasons, though. I can see it getting old after awhile. But, for now, it is pretty funny.

As you can see, I have been pretty busy with little time to post. Softball is going well. The spring season is over, and we finished with a record of 7-3. We are off to a 1-0 start in the summer league. I was fairly sore yesterday since we played a double header on Sunday night. Actually, it was just my shoulder that was sore. It's not like I am getting old or anything.

I am still stuck around 204 lbs. I hope to be around 203 this week when I weigh in with Vee. I need to focus for the next few days and drink more water and stop eating chips and salsa. Ok, time to watch another episode of Wipeout. I love the DVR that is with Dish Network. My biggest complaint is that we lose the satellite with bad weather. But, I love skipping commercials. I can watch an hour show in 45 min or so. And a football game in an hour by skipping the huddles. Time to watch.

Softball Season Officially Begun

Spring softball season has officially started since we played the first game last night. It was pretty cold, about 38 degrees at the most with some wind involved which made it feel colder. But once we started, I didn't notice the temperature. I had a pretty good game defensively, and the offense wasn't terrible but wasn't stellar, either. We did end up winning 11-7. It is nice to get that first win under our belt. I am hoping it is an indication of things to come. I am also expecting that the weather will be much warmer next week.

The rest of the weekend was busy with soccer games (or I should say game since one got cancelled) and a gymnastics meet. That was the last meet of the season, but they still practice year round. That keeps things busy, but at least it eliminates the travelling, so we can replace that with travelling for soccer. It is shaping up to be a busy summer again.

NCAA Bracket Contest--Free to Register! Win Cash!

Pleben.com is having an NCAA bracket contest. Register for free at Pleben.com, and I will send you the information on how to enter. There will be cash prizes, and there is no purchase necessary. Of course, if you want to subscribe to the social network that is good too. I am hoping to get lots of entries so we can have a competitive contest. Be sure to tell all your friends about the contest and about Pleben.com. For more about Pleben, see the previous blog entry.

Ad Free Social Network

Well, it looks like Pleben.com is finished earlier than the anticipated March 1st launch. It is 99.9% ready now, and people can begin signing up. In case you don't know, I have developed an ad-free social network called Pleben.com. Revenues come from an annual subscription of $25. Five dollars will go to charity. Our default charity is the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. If you wish, however, you can designate a charity on your profile. When a minimum of 25 have designated that charity, I will send them a check.

Five dollars of the subscription will go to prizes for contests and possibly scholarships if we get enough teenager interest in the site. Some of the prizes will be random drawings and others will be competitive type contests like stock picking contest for example. The remainder will be for costs associated with the site, marketing, upgrades to technology, etc. I figure it will be a long time, if ever, that I would even consider taking a salary.

I would hope that eventually we might be able to get a fair number of subscribers so that we can offer some meaningful cash prizes. Our first drawing will be for $1000 when we hit 1000 subscribers. A $1 million prize will be available at 1 million subscribers with many levels in between. See the FAQ for details on this. I hope people will check out the site and email me with any questions at pleben.com@gmail.com. Also, feel free to sign up and check out what we have to offer. By getting in early, you will have a good opportunity to win some money.

Cheaters Never Prosper

Boy, I heard that saying a lot when I was growing up. I don't know exactly where it comes from, other than my mom. However, now I have the chance to share it with my 11 year old son, now that the outcome of the SuperBowl is known. He doesn't know many of the details about what is being called "Spy-Gate" in the press. All he knows is that the Patriots "cheated" and because of that, he wanted the Giants to win. It probably helped that Eli is Peyton's brother, and my son is a Colts and Chargers fan. Now I can use the SuperBowl to illustrate that time tested principle. I don't have to worry about explaining that there are circumstances where "cheaters" will win anyway, that maybe they just aren't getting caught, and that the end justifies the means. That would certainly make things complicated.

How much better it is now that the Giants won! Things are incredibly easy for even an 11 year old to understand. Justice has been served. So, now when I explain the concept and pass along that saying that has been handed down through the generations, he will understand it well. Now, if I can only find out where it comes from....

Vee and American Gladiators

Well, I did my usual Thursday afternoon workout with Vee at Exercise, Inc. It was a pretty good workout consisting of rows, chest press, leg curls, extension lumbar, and leg press. I was excited on the leg curls since my right knee didn't hurt at all. I was also pleased that I had lost 1 lb. Now I am at 201 lb, closing in on my under 200 goal. Next stop: 190.

There is an open tryout for the American Gladiators in Chicago on Saturday (tomorrow). Vee has looked up the information for the testing and been practicing and working on the drills. He could end up a competitor or even a Gladiator. I think he would make a kick-butt gladiator. He even has the name for it...VEE. Sounds scary to me, don't you think. I wish him lots of luck. It would be cool to see him on TV. I did put him on YouTube and lots of people have seen him there. That's all for now.

Done with Golf Trip

I'm done with the golf trip and back home again. Getting back to the everyday routine. Overall, I played OK. I suppose I could have played better, and I could have played worse. Next year, I will go to the driving range a few more times before heading south. Maybe that might have made a difference. Sorry for the short post. It is late and I don't have much to say.

Golf Trip Update

Well, it is Monday evening. We have played 4 out of our 6 days of golf in South Carolina. It is very cold here (but colder at home). It rained on us the entire time on Saturday in 40 degree weather. I was absolutely soaked afterwards. About 40% of the group didn't even play. I ended up shooting a 103 which wasn't bad considering I couldn't feel my hands or feet for most of the day. Sunday, while still cold, was sunny and felt much better. The course was in good shape too, considering all the rain from the day before. But it was still cart path only which added some time to the round. We still got done about halftime of the Patriots-Chargers game.

My son likes the Chargers as well as the Colts. I am sure he was disappointed. It would have been nice to see what they would have done had LT played. Maybe the outcome would have been different, or maybe it wouldn't.

On Sunday, I shot a 98. Not bad, but it could have been better. I had a crow steal a protein bar out of my cart as I was putting on the 10th hole. I saw them milling around the other cart, so I took my half eaten protein bar and wrapped it back up in the package, thinking they couldn't get to it. It turns out the crow picked up the package in his beak and flew off with it. As soon as he got it, about ten others starting chasing him around. He landed and put it down on the fairway, fought some of them off, then picked it back up and flew away with the others in hot pursuit. It was a pretty funny sight.

Today was again sunny but cold. I had 8 penalty strokes since for some reason my typical slice off the tee left and all I had was this nasty hook into the woods. I ended up shooting a 102. Oh well. So much for the PGA.

Finally, today was MLK day. He was killed before I was born, but I am glad that we remember and honor him. He was a great man. I hope that despite the physical and cultural differences that exist between all human beings, we can remember that we are all God's children and treat one another with the respect deserving of God's creation.

Golf Trip in South Carolina

I am with my brother-in-law and 16 other guys for our annual January golf trip in South Carolina. I shot fairly well for me today. I was striking the ball fairly well despite not having played since October. I did go to the driving range on Wednesday. During summers at home, I usually shoot somewhere between 95 and 105. My goal down here is to keep it under 100. Shot 97 today with 4 penalties.

Unfortunately, the weather is a little chilly. Today is likely to be our best weather day with a high of around 50. It was overcast and 40's in the morning but by about 2 pm we did get to see the sun. Tomorrow, we are anticipating mid 40's and rain (up to 1 in). I hope it doesn't rain. The good thing is that my golf game is not affected by the weather since it isn't the greatest anyway. I just hope I can feel my fingers and toes at the end of the day.

The hotel has wireless internet which seems like a major advance considering where we are. This is the first year my brother-in-law hasn't had to step out into the parking lot to get a cellular signal. Right now we are watching 1 vs 100 on the 19-in tube TV. Some guy just risked $250,000 and lost. Ouch. That is worse than 3 putting.

Pleben.com

I am starting a website called Pleben.com. Pleben comes from the Latin term for the common citizenry with an –n tacked on the end (like American). I took a little liberty with the spelling since many domains had already been taken. Pleben.com will be on-line March 1, 2008 and is a social network with a slightly different business model than most, if not all, other social networks.

First, we will charge an annual subscription fee of $25. There are several reasons I selected a fee based social network. First of all, there will be no advertising on Pleben.com so subscriptions will be the only source of revenue for quite some time. We may, from time to time, enter into partnerships or sponsorships for some of our contests, which I will discuss later. I also feel that a subscription will increase the quality of the network. I think it will be unlikely that many will sign up just to have an account without being an active participant. I would also like to think that a subscription will leave a paper trail related to billing and might actually increase security for the site’s users, which might be a concern with free networks.

Secondly, I would like to give back to the users and society to make the virtual world and physical world a better place. I plan on giving between 10 and 20% of revenues to charity. If I can keep costs down, 20% will be the ideal. I would like the members of Pleben.com to become actively involved in philanthropy in their own communities as well. I look forward to being able to discuss these efforts on the site. I plan to give back to the users through contests. A similar portion of revenues, 10 to 20%, will be used as prizes in contests. These contests will be initiated once certain membership levels have been obtained. Of course, not everyone will win, and this isn’t an easy way to make passive income like I am seeing in these “ponzi” social networks. These will be contests like the McDonald’s Monopoly game.

Finally, if Pleben.com eventually attracts enough attention to warrant private investors or an IPO, I will take 50% of the proceeds over $50 million and begin giving away $1 million prizes at regular intervals. Of course, as subscriptions are renewed or added, additional prize money and charitable contributions will be available.

I am posting this to get the name of the website out prior to the official launch. The website itself is still being developed but should be finished on time and ready on March 1st. I would also appreciate any comments or insight that anybody might have and would be pleased to answer any questions.

Gymnastics and Football -- Redux

Unfortunately, we have two gymnastics meets today in two different locations. We had one yesterday afternoon, and I had to DVR the football games. I was home by 6 pm and was able to catch up to live TV during the Packers game. What a great game in the snow! Brett Favre doesn't have many years left. It would be nice to see him win another SuperBowl if the Colts don't make it there.

Today, however, I will be driving to Chicago for my son's meet. His 2 favorite teams are the Chargers and the Colts. We will be on the road during the game. We will DVR it, but will likely listen to it and know the score before actually seeing it. What a shame the meet is during that time instead of yesterday. Oh well, I just hope I don't get hurt wearing my Bob Sanders jersey in Bear country. Wish me luck.

You Could Win A Car!

I am starting a website (actually paying to have it developed since I don't know enough about that stuff) and plan to give away prizes. There will be more detail as the official launch date of March 1st gets closer. One of the prizes I plan to give away is a car. There will be a special drawing for anyone who reads this blog and puts in a special code on the website.

So, if anyone is interested in this, send your email address to kgcaroffer@gmail.com and, as we get closer to March 1st, I will send more info. Also, share this with your friends and contacts. I am trying to generate interest by word of mouth only. There will be no advertising. Also, I will not sell your email address. Thanks.

Thought This Was Worthwhile

I got this in my email today and thought I'd share. It speaks for itself.


The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a church, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where is the America we knew go to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.
She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.


Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards.
Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Vee and Exercise, Inc

Today was my day to workout with Vee. At weigh-in, I ended up gaining 1 pound during the holidays. Not bad considering all the junk I have been eating. Now that things are getting back to a regular schedule, I should be able to continue losing some weight. My goal will be to get to 200 pounds by the end of January from 204.2. I think it is doable. Today, he had me start on negative chin-ups with 40 lbs. The first few were real good...nice and slow. I did 5 that way and did 2 with just my body weight. Then it was on to chest press. Next it was leg curls. I had been able to do the entire stack of 200 lbs until I hurt my knee while refereeing soccer in the spring. It hurt most of the year. I am just getting back to the point where it doesn't hurt (it used to hurt just driving). I was able to do 180 on that.

Next, I went to the leg press. I was able to do 520 lbs for 1 minute 20 secs. My goal is to do the whole stack of 600 lbs in the next 2-3 years. A lot of it depends on what exercises I have done prior to the leg press. We finished with leg adductors (inner thighs). I was pretty much spent by then.

I mentioned that I would ask Vee about some of his workout history. He has been doing the high intensity in slow motion (I guess superslow has been trademarked--here is a link to the founder Ken Hutchins's site http://www.superslow.com/) exercising for 4 years exclusively now. He used to do the regular type of weight training, but has since gotten bigger and stronger over the past 4 years. I know it has helped me quite a bit. I have included another portion of his work-out...the leg extension.

Coach Roland Dies

I was saddened to learn last night that my college football coach, Dennis Roland, passed away after a battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I never played football until college. We were at a small college and nobody was cut from the team, but Coach Roland allowed me to try my hand at something new. I appreciated that more than I can describe. I never felt as though I was very athletic, although I was fairly quick. I was second quickest on the team behind the starting tailback (I could run a under a 4.4 40 yd dash and had a 36 inch vertical but wasn't very big). I worked hard and ended up on the kickoff coverage team my sophomore year.

Anyway, Coach Roland was a big guy but not profoundly obese. He was tall and wide. He had played offensive lineman in his day. It turns out he was only 11 years older than I am although in college every adult seems somewhat ancient. He had a knack of inspiring people to do their best without being degrading to his players. I think that was his biggest asset. He also surrounded himself with coaches who shared that philosophy of motivation through positive reinforcement. You just wanted to go out and give everything you had because you wanted to do your best for him, not because you were afraid, but you just didn't want to disappoint him.

I had heard he was somewhat ill about a month ago, but didn't realize he had cancer. I regret not having called him. I don't know what it would have done. I like remembering him as young and strong on the football field. I feel like a little part of me has passed with him, but I will always remember. Even though I hadn't seen him in a long time, I will miss him. My prayers will be going out to his family.

Subprime Hits Home

We had agreed to purchase another rental house and had a signed purchase agreement with the seller, but we had not arranged financing. Since we have other rental houses and since we felt that the bust wasn't too bad here in central Indiana, we didn't think financing would be all that different from the last several years. Central Indiana never really participated in the huge increase in home values. Thus, we didn't think there would be a bust.

Well, apparently the tightening of lending standards is hitting everywhere. We had talked to someone from Countrywide and it turns out that many of the loan products are gone. We were being offered products like 11.25% for 40% down on a purchase price between 100,000 and 120,000. Can you believe it? So, I guess we won't be doing anything for awhile except tuning up the personal balance sheet and waiting for the real estate/subprime mess to blow over.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas yesterday. We had a ton of chaos in our house with 6 adults, 7 children, and 3 dogs. It was very noisy and chaotic during the opening of presents. Trash was everywhere. I am sure everyone had a good time, though. One of the nicest things about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays is getting together with family and just hanging out.

We played lots of games yesterday. Games on the computer, board games, video games. It was nice to relax and forget about the concerns of everyday life for a day. Of course, today it's back to work, pay the bills, get the oil changed in the car, and clean up from yesterday. But, I try to be thankful for everything we have and enjoy while I am able. It won't be long, relatively speaking, and the kids will be grown and out of the house. Then holidays might end up being too quiet. So, here's to noise.

Oldest Daughter

Ok. So my oldest daughter wanted me to write something about her since she felt the rest of the blog was boring. This is the same one who asked us how long the CBS news program "60 minutes" was on. She does know some good blonde jokes, though. Now that I have written about you, you can stop bugging me about it.

In the meantime, I continue to learn a lot about the internet since I am considering a venture in that area. As things get going, I may post more. It is amazing the amount of information that needs to be considered.

Yesterday, I worked out again. Did not lose any weight, but didn't gain any either. I am getting close to my end of year goal but don't think I will quite make it. I am making progress, however. Otherwise, I don't have much to say. I have been quite busy but not with anything very exciting.

Learning on the Internet

It is truly amazing the amount of information that can be found on the internet. Two weeks ago, I had little idea that it was so easy to publish and create a blog on the internet. In doing this, I have also been looking up information about hosting and domain names. I have learned about the registering process and how domain names expire. The best thing is that I am able to do this over a wireless connection while watching Monday Night Football. Minnesota is beating Chicago by a touchdown with 2:45 left in the 4th quarter. It's nice to sit down after a very long day. Maybe tomorrow I will have something more profound.

Butch O'Hare

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood cold: a squadron of Japanese aircraft were speeding their way toward the American fleet. The American fighters were gone on a sortie, the fleet was all but defenseless He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger.

There was only one thing to do . He must somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He
had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29.

His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was "Fast Eddie's" son

"Fast Eddie"

I received the following story in my email today:

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Fast Eddie." He was his lawyer for a good reason Fast Eddie was very good! In fact, Fast Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but also, Fast Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Fast Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Fast Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was
withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Fast Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. He wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Fast Eddie reached a difficult decision. He wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.

So, he testified.. Within the year, Fast Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay.

Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read:

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.

The rest will be posted tomorrow.