Communist Vladimir Lenin

In downtown Seattle there is a statue of communist Vladimir Lenin that stands 16 feet tall. 

The statue was originally on display in Czechoslovakia in the late 1980's, but shipped to Seattle Washington in 1994 after an American found it in a scrapyard in 1993. 

A teacher in Washington told friends and the media that he found a homeless man living inside the hollowed bronze statue. 

The goal of English teacher Lewis E. Carpenter was to keep it for its artistic merit. Carpenter also wanted to display the statue of Lenin in front of a Slovak restaurant in his hometown of Issaquah, Washington. However, he died in a car wreck before building his restaurant which means the statue never went up. In fact, the statue made it from Czechoslovakia to America shortly after his death.

In the end, the statue was delivered and the family of Carpenter planned to sell it and have it melted down.

However, the owner of a foundry in Seattle decided to have it displayed in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington. 

In 1995, it was unveiled at the corner of Evanston Avenue North and North 34th Street. In 1996, it was moved up to Fremont Place and North 36th Avenue. 

In case you are wondering how much such a statue of a communist goes for... it is for sale with a price-tag of $250,000 on it. Yes, it is still for sale. 

On a side note, the English teacher who died before his dream was realized had to take out a new mortgage on his home to pay for the statue to be shipped overseas. That shipping rang in at $70,000. The cost of the statute however, free. 

I guess my question, art or not, why would you want a 16 foot communist leader in front of any business? Especially one that is believed to be behind mass killings during his rule over the Soviet Union. That is likely why ever since the statue went up in Washington State, people have painted blood on Lenin's hand and mouth.

Ocoee River

There was lots of action on the Ocoee River this weekend. The river flows through the Southern Appalachian Mountains of the Southeastern United States. Whitewater competitions got underway this past Friday.

Hear the complete story below (5 Min and 45 Sec)....

Gold mining in Alaska

Mining for gold in Alaska was once what made Alaska a place to explore. It put the once nearly deserted state that has the land mass of most countries on the map.

You can find remnants of Alaska's past in areas like Juneau still sitting deep in the woods. This mining car is one of several historical reminders that Juneau was part of the writing of Alaskan history when it comes to gold.

For Alaska, the gold boom started in 1870 or so with the first big loot being discovered in Juneau. 

The busy streets below

The hustle and bustle on a Saturday night in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”

— Socrates

Just sitting around smoking weed

On the streets in Canada he was smoking his weed, but then again... he knows what he is doing because as you can see his sign shows that he is a doctor.

His hat read, “Police Box.” The Police Box is a public callbox to call police or for members of the police department to use to contact their headquarters. They were used between the late 1890's up until the 1920's in both America and in the UK. It was also used as a miniature police office for officers to fill out reports in.

In case you are curious, Canada was the second nation in the world to legalize marijuana. It became legal under "The Cannabis Act." 

Broke Back, but Sober... Laughter Wins

His Starbucks Coffee had the name Patricia on it, his leftover food on his chair to the left of his foot was handed to him by a passerby, he broke his back.... but, he had humor and sobriety on his side.

Jason, who is on the streets of Seattle, Washington, knows that laughter helps him and others make it through the ups and downs in life.

A 2017 article in Forbes Magazine by David DiSalvo highlighted the pros to laughing and feeling good noting:

1. Laughter is an endorphin releaser

2. Laughter forms social bonds

3. Laughter fosters brain connectivity

4. Women typically laugh 126% more than men

5. Men usually instigate laughter

6. Laughter activates the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin

7. Laughter helps your heart... it has an anti-inflammatory

“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Continue to learn. Play with abandon. Choose with no regret. Laugh! Do what you love. Love as if this is all there is.”

— Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey

Aspire and Inspire

He is blind, but stands singing while skillfully playing his guitar at Pikes Place Market in Seattle. He is known as Strumming Blind Chad.

Success is not about money, it is about inspiring and aspiring to reach your goals, your potential. Perhaps that means learning to play a guitar when you are blind, learning to stand before others and sing... or in Chad's case, both.

“Don’t just create; create to change; change to improve; improve to increase. Aspire to inspire.
Don’t just fit in; make it a point to brighten your corner.”

— Israelmore Ayivor

Help for the widowed and disabled

Today I got a phone call from Fox 17 asking to meet at Select Inn to visit with Kathy, who was told she has to be out of the hotel by Tuesday morning at 11 after they extended her stay from the original ouster date of Friday. Keep in mind, it is not about rent being paid as it is always paid. It is instead about cleanliness.

After interviewing Kathy, who talked about her urgent need of getting into the government assisted Westbrook Towers or else she will be on the street Tuesday, Matt Alvarez (Fox 17) spoke to the manager. After that talk, things changed.

You may recall, Kathy is the woman with Cerebral Palsy who lost her husband about 6 months ago. The two once lived in the hotel together.

In closing, Kathy will be allowed to stay at the Select Inn, enjoy their free breakfast for nightly guest as long as someone can volunteer to help with the following, perhaps a church small group project for the next 6 to 9 months?

1. Help with bathing (wheelchair bound)
2. Help cleaning her room
3. Paying for / delivering a small amount of groceries

Photo: Kathy listens intensely as the manager of the hotel on South Church Street talks to Fox 17.

Can you stomach the past?

I always find it so intriguing how others have all the answers on what to do, right from wrong, how you should feel vs. how you really feel, etc. I wonder how so many people know so much about others?

He was standing quietly against a wall of windows, barely audible as he asked those who smirked past him, “Do you have any change?” I failed to see even one person stop to simply ask why he needed the money.

If anyone did ask, they would learn the elderly gentleman has a place to stay, but his entire social security check went to the monthly cost. He had no money to eat. It was that simple... money to eat.

If you asked a passerby one might state, “That's what his food stamp or EBT card is for.” Then, the senior citizen might reply, “But, $15 is not enough to eat more than four meals on - if I shop for the most valuable deals.” Of course, that is only if he has a card.

It is to easy to assume you have the answers to the problems, the life obstacles, the aliments or the cures for another until you live their life both the past and the present. But, make sure you are able to stomach their past.

“Respect other people’s feelings. It might mean nothing to you, but it could mean everything to them.”

— Roy T. Bennett

The Mounains

Alaska... “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” ― John Muir, Our National Parks

The Amazing Mountains

The mountains in Alaska jut from the earth sharply and are kissed by the crisp cold air as the warmer air below makes its way up. Snow from the top then mixes with the warmer air on its trickle down and creates even more fog, preventing you from seeing the peeks.

Naturalist and father of our National Parks once stated, John Muir stated, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” No truer words were spoken as he was considered a “Wilderness Prophet,” which was his nickname. Muir was one of the true explorers of Alaska in search of beauty, which he became engulfed in.

He was put there to make you smile

I never know what I will see as I step from town to town. But, I never imagined that those who are homeless in Seattle, Washington would have such positive attitudes and great senses of humor. It was as if they were put in place to make those who passed smile.

“A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.”

— Laura Ingalls Wilder

Amazing Alaska

Some mornings you wake up barely breathing. The next morning you wake up to see what takes your breath away.

"The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see." - Albert Einstein

Photo: I took this in Alaska - Twin mountain tops high above the frigid ocean #alaska, #sonyalpha