As
smells can evoke one's memories (popcorn makes me think about sex…it's
from my teen years) certain sounds may provoke reactions from one's
quiver of emotions.
The sounds of multiple gunshots could evoke fear in some. The sound of a cell phone going off in a movie theater could provoke irritation in others. A loud plane overhead may evoke different emotions in different places. Historically,
the sound of a factory whistle, indicating quitting time, evokes a
whole series of emotions: Relief, pride, happiness, or dread of going
home. (Personally, when ever I hear a foghorn, I have to go pee.)
When you hear a cat purring, which emotion do you feel? What do you feel when you hear a train whistle? When you hear a school bell ring, does any particular emotion come to mind? Sounds activate one's inner feelings. A
myriad of sounds completes the foundation of our lives. Poets and
playwrights have set their scenes with sounds like: neighborhood ice
cream truck chiming, wind blowing, clocks ticking, and the ever present
rooster crowing. These are sounds that can react with things deep inside us. What’s your favorite sound? What sounds do you hate?
There's one sound that represents freedom in America more than anything else to me: The sounds of BASEBALL.
Of course, the sounds of the Star Spangled Banner call to mind our country, whether it's sung in English or Spanish. By the way, have you ever heard our national anthem sung in Estonian? Hysterical!
To me, having visited some thirty-eight countries in my wanderings, the sounds that best represent the freedoms in my America come from our homeland's favorite pastime. Kids yelling, vendors hawking and fans cheering are only parts of this experience. Bat hitting ball, ball thudding into mitts and teammates encouraging each other, can only add to this eclectic mixture. Stadium
announcers, TV and radio play-by-plays, cries of "Charge!" and other
organ music make this a blend of audio that drills straight into my own
personal "feelings" factory. Isn't it the same for everybody else? I wish it could be.
These
days, with planes crashing into buildings, and cultures repeatedly
crashing into one another, it's comforting to have a place where one
can escape from the horrible sounds of our world. It's nice to have a happy spot when other spots aren't that way, don’t you think?
When
I can't go to a baseball game, I try to see, or listen to one on TV.
Amazingly, every game, every time, all of those sounds show up, just
like it was their damn job or something. It's a fact we can count on. If things are OK in America,
somebody, somewhere is playing baseball. To this old scribe, this game
and its sounds best exemplify our spirit of freedom in these United States.
If you can spare the time, try to listen to a baseball game the next
chance you get! You can have some peanuts and Cracker-Jacks. You can
even yell at the umpire. That's freedom! Can you hear it now?
Politics
Factzone: The truth about Kim Jong Il
Kim Jong Il, the leader of the free world, has decided to move on to more fertile grounds, leaving with us just the memories of 8-color rainbows, singing Korean women and couple of nuclear weapons. But who was this man whose next ambition would have been to get the next Nobel Peace prize? Here are just a few facts you should know about.
more
Top 5 Conspiracy Theories Related to John F. Kennedy's Assassination
26.Aug 2011
Since just after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, conspiracy theories abou...read
ISRAEL KEEPING GHADDAFI AFLOAT
10.Mar 2011
...read
Glen Beck Is NOT the Anti-Christ!
10.Mar 2011
Hurtful and fiery rhetoric is now media’s default setting! This slippery and m...read
Recipe for A REVOLUTION! (10 easy steps - try not to get burned!)
28.Feb 2011
Rebellion is cooking in the air. People are mad as hell, and not going to take...read
Opinion
World governments charged with criminal negligence (in response to Megaupload case)
EARTH (thecheers.org) - Federal authorities of the universe have charged the governments of all the countries in the world as well as the operators actually in power in these countries with operating a criminal enterprise, the Galaxy warriors announced Today.
more
The Great OSCARS 2011 – or so it would seem
5.Mar 2011
So, how exciting......a morning off, the Academy Awards. I wish I could say the...read
Top 7 Expensive Bordellos. Prostitution: Shakedown, Tier Down, and Priced Out
31.Jan 2011
According to a report of the Washington DC-based US Department of State, The Ph...read
The Great Secret and Reason for the JFK Assassination
11.Oct 2010
The great question is why the great secret? On June 4 1963, President Kennedy s...read
Don't Do it! The 3 Worst Times to Get Tattoos
4.Oct 2010
As a general rule, tattoos gotten after 2 am are a bad idea. But in a bigger pi...read
|
Travel
Travel Warning 13 September 2010 - DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN
13.Sep 2010
TRAVELWISE has been watching the situation in Iran for some months in relation ...read
more
TRAVELWISE TRAVEL ADVISORY 5th June 2010. DO NOT TRAVEL TO ISRAEL.
5.Jun 2010
Given the recent incident whereby the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, used...read
TRAVELWISE. 16 APRIL 2010. EUROPEAN TRAVEL ALTERNATIVES
16.Apr 2010
Travelwise issues the following advice in relation to cancelled flights to, fro...read
TRAVELWISE 6 APRIL 2010. AUSTRALIAN AIR TRAVEL. THE BEST WAYS TO TRAVEL BY AIR IN AUSTRALIA.
5.Apr 2010
Regular readers might have seen and read the various advisory and no-fly notice...read
TRAVELWISE 2 APRIL 2010. QANTAS.
2.Apr 2010
Some concerns have been raised in relation to some of the maintenance practices...read
No Payoff From the Playoffs
$16.50 will Get Anyone in the Hall Mr McGwire
Stupid Athlete Tricks
Think Big! Think the World's Largest International Trade Show
Top 9 cool laptop accessories for laptop geeks
Twittering: I'm not that interesting
Cheers
|
