Okay, Got it!

By Cliff Harrison

If you want to want a modern company from the crow's nest and see it move full speed ahead toward an ice field watch Google & Company.

Google has sold itself like a two-bit whore on a street with one-dollar tricks.

Google was once a superb company, one to be greatly admired and appreciated. That appreciation came mostly from its simplicity of use. Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger mentioned in their book Simple Church how Google and other companies succeeded because of their simple design particularly the home page of the Goggle search engine page. Unfortunately a new class of fools has taken over the helm of once great ship.

The new captain and the new crew of the Goggle empire has lead it into the cold, cold waters more destructive than the North Atlantic was to the great Titanic. The Titanic, which sank just one-hundred years ago on 15 April 1912, was warned of the impending dangers just as Google has been warned. At twenty minutes to midnight the Titanic, just four days into her maiden voyage, hit an iceberg and sank two hours later. Evidence in the history books shows the captain and the crew of the Titanic were warned repeatedly of impending icebergs. In fact, ship after ship after ship tried to warn those at the helm of the Titanic it was on a grave, collision course with a gigantic ice field.

Ignorance soon placed the Titanic at the bottom of the sea. Google will soon be laying at the bottom of the technology sea as well. It is inevitable. An ice field lays ahead for Google's giant empire. That ice field is going to tear Google apart from bow to stern. People are up in the crow's nest screaming at the Google crew ICEBERGS AHEAD! Their screams fall upon deaf ears.

Thousands, literally thousands of comments are made on YouTube where Goggle announced changes to their e-mail server, Gmail. The video Gmail's New Look posted by Google has at this writing 23,776,552 hits. 49,929 dislikes have been registered. That's a lot of people screaming, "ICEBERG AHEAD!" Of course, a number of people like the new changes which put the ship in the peculiar predicament of "Full speed ahead!" and "Reverse the engines!"

Across the board, if you are a big user of Goggle services like I am, Gmail, Blogger, YouTube, Google+, Google Search Engine, AdSense which is now AdWords, Google Chrome, and other services you come to rely on a fixed way of doing things so that you can function in your day and do things without relearning everything. Well, Goggle for some reason beyond intelligent thinking decided to tamper with its existing system. That tampering has virtually destroyed Google.

Big Brother has arrived and his name is Google.

I've had AOL journals, Microsoft Spaces and many other social networks. I don't intend to loose anymore work due to corporate ignorance in the technology business. I don't bed down with whores or communist and I don't see any course other than a direct course with a path of ice fields directly ahead for Google. I can not see Google surviving the next five or ten years. They've taken a wrench to things that weren't broken and that playing around amounts to letting a kid play in the engine room of a very expensive machinery. The end results are going to be very costly for Google.

Google has in my opinion, not only made too many changes across the board, they have involved themselves in political arenas they do not belong. It is fine to express political opinion, but it is not fine to force those opinions on your viewers or to counter those using your system with adverse political images.

In addition Google has created a monster spy machine in which they use the information gathered, your private information, for use in the sale and marketing of third-party interests. The government can easily obtain such information by any insider who desires to forward it.

I'm no longer interested in being a part of Google's large family. I operate over 200 blogs, a number of e-mails, constantly use the Google search Engine, YouTube and other Google services. I will begin withdrawing those uses. I will withdraw my usage until they become zero. There are a lot of fish in the sea. Google by no means is the only fish in the sea.

All of my Google-based blogs along with their respective e-mails and other services will begin being moved to my self-hosted websites until such a time no Goggle services will be used by me or my affiliates. It will be a slow and long process, but it will eventually be complete. I don't expect Google services to survive a future much longer than a decade and that is the long shot. I would bet they will hit the iceberg in half that time and sink as quickly as the Titanic did on the fateful, chilly night a hundred years ago.

If not the last, this will be one of the last post on the Blogger service for the Homeward Bound "Voices from the Streets." The Homeward Bound Publishing Group including all of the blogs in the River Organization Network, Christian River Network, Homeward Bound Group, and many others will all be incorporated and consolidated into my network of self-hosted websites.

Once I've got the destination sites set up I'll post a link to direct all traffic there.

The Google decision is not the only reason for my consolidating the networks. My health and the ability to continue or finish what I had previous planned to commit to has greatly been altered due to my poor health. it will be much easier commanding all of the blogs and e-mails from a self-hosted service and not have to worry about the drastic continued changes like Microsoft, AOL, and Google seems to want to employ.

Keep your eyes peeled for ice fields and stay alert in the crows nest; it's going to be a cold swim if you don't.

Interview Video

Food Not Bombs - Las Vegas from Michael Zayas on Vimeo.

Five Feet from the Finish Line

The Devil & Me
By Cliff Harrison

I shouldn't let the cat out of the bag and go spoiling a good story prematurely, but I'll tell you why I chose the title, "Five Feet from the Finish Line."  That's what it feels like.

One of the stories I'll publish one day in an up and coming installment of The Devil & Me is about a snowmobile race I was in back in the 70s. There I was leading the pack darn near a half a lap ahead of the nearest snowmobile coming up on the finishing line. Five feet before the finish line my drive belt broke, stopping me dead in my tracks.

There I sat unable to even push my sled across the line for a win. I was clearly ahead for most of the race and I only had sixty inches to cross the finish line and be the winner to take home the trophy. Sixty inches!

I just shook hands with the devil and thanked him as sled after sled passed me by as if poking fun at me for being that close to a winner only to be the worst loser of the entire race--dead last.

I feel like that now. Five feet from the finish line.

I've got so many writing projects that I just know are winners but I can't even get up enough energy to get them put together and published in the organized order they need to be in. Five feet from the finish line is where I am at stuck with a broken drive belt that went just like that.

I guess today I'll make more than one entry in my journal.

I can see the finish line. I can touch the finish line. I just can't get across the finish line. It's like in my mind as if I'm a cowboy in one of those old western movies and I'm crawling in the desert trying to reach the watering hole that is really nothing but a mirage while buzzards circle overhead. I'm just about there. But almost isn't good enough and those birds of prey are starting to call out to one another communicating about the bodacious dinner that's coming up.

Better men than me would have committed suicide by now. Just end it. Put themselves out of their misery. But not me. I like hanging around and giving the devil a hard time.

There are too many demons in this world to just up and leave them. It's more fun hanging around and making their life miserable like they do God's Children.

So, I guess I'll just have to plug along and do what work I can. My writing could be so much better if I didn't have this demon inside of me holding me back while draining my energy.

Well, what do you know? I meant this to be an entry for my journal. But you know what? I just wrote a piece for The Devil & Me. Why not? Maybe I can push my sled over the finish line.

The Devil & Me is a syndicated column by Cliff Harrison

I Hate Change!

Common Sense
by Cliff Harrison

Bank of America tried it. Wells Fargo tried it. Verizon “Can you hear me now?” Wireless tried it. Countless other big corporations tried it. And the public revolted. Change. Everybody says they want change. But nobody wants change. No, not really.

Google, AdSense; no, AdSense changed to AdWord, Blogger, YouTube, Yahoo!, they’re all making change. Change that is disturbing their customers. More change more tempers flare. More change more people drop the big 1% corporation they love to hate.

Microsoft, oh, don’t get me going.

I do like the changes YouTube made. I especially love their new music “mix” where you can play consecutive songs by the same artist. The one thing YouTube needs to add is the ability to “repeat” a song, like all music players have. I like repeating good songs. You see, I like sticking with what I know. I like sticking with what isn’t broken. I like sticking with what works. I like sticking with what I like. The changes made at YouTube aren’t so drastic that someone who liked the “old version” isn’t satisfied.

Why can’t all America’s corporations learn that?

One thing that never has changed, and it’s Microsoft “Change Daily” is the word processor spell checker. I spelled AdSense the way Google spells AdSense.

No matter how many times I click “ignore” it keeps coming back with the red line under the word indicating it is misspelled. Pssssst! Try clicking “ignore all”. Oh, my God! I thought that read ignorance.

“Ignore all” isn’t available every time, often only “ignore” is. And it keeps coming back.

They seem to change the stuff that works well and they don’t change the stuff that doesn’t work. The problem we have in America is we have too many geeks employed. If we had more geeks in our soup-kitchen lines maybe they’d change the soup-kitchen and give us something decent to eat and leave the rest of the stuff alone.

As I publish this I review the YouTube video that came with the Gmail “New Look”. 41,052 people voted they “liked” the video, meaning they liked the change while a whooping 36,300 disliked the video/change. That is the largest dislike I have ever seen on any YouTube video, nearly 50% of the voters rejected it.

I sort of felt bad after I sent a nasty comment to the geeks for changing Gmail but I don’t feel bad now, read the comments thousands of pissed users posted in the video comments.

I bet tomorrow we’ll hear a lot of the same thing we heard from Bank of American, Wells Fargo and Version Wireless, “Gmail dumps new look for old version after user revolt.”

After you send in a message for ‘feedback’ you are taken to a ‘help’ page which shows all of the Google help centers as if now they want to help you when before you had to pull your hair out in order to get help.

When you go to the menu page you can’t even find AdWord anymore. You have to hunt for it. It used to be first on the list. Google screwed up AdWord so much I’m about to pull the plug on any Goggle product, just like I did Yahoo! and Microsoft. Ignorant idiots!

Google started out a simple company with user friendly features. They should have left well enough alone.

By the way, spam has increased a thousand folds on Gmail.

The only changes Google ought to be making is they ought to fire everybody companywide from top to bottom except the YouTube division.

There is no common sense at Google.

If Google was Bank of America it would be bankrupt.

I rest my case!

Common Sense is a syndicated column by Cliff Harrison.

Homeless Boy Steals The Talent Show

This kid has talent. Another Susan Boyle? Another Ted Williams? Of course.
He not only has a touching story, he has touching talent.

Sung-bong Choi

By Cliff Harrison

I’m praying and hopeful that the family of Richard Smith may find peace and comfort from God on this Thanksgiving Day. I pray the results of their search here in Las Vegas this Thanksgiving weekend is a successful one. My heart goes out for them and for their missing loved one.


It is my life conviction that all homeless people become homeward bound.

Rising out of Poverty

From the Dark Shadows of Destitution to the Limelight of Professional Football.

Rising out of Poverty. A story of achievement. The story of Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver James Jones rise from homelessness to championship.

The James Jones Story FOX SPORTS



Today the Packers play the Lions. Go Packers....

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Need Your Help

Missing Veteran

I need your help people. We know Rick is currently in the Las Vegas Area. Let’s find him and bring him home. We leave no one behind. Thanks.

Richard "Rick" Allen Smith

I had pulled down the photo and flier of Rick Smith because we though we had located Rick, but his family said the homeless man we thought was Rick was not him. So, our search goes on. I've reposted his photo and an updated flier is posted below. We'll currycomb Las Vegas until we find him for we leave no comrades behind.

If you see Rick please contact his mother Belinda Mayer bmayer58@gmail.com

Richard (Rick) Allen Smith
DOB: June 16, 1972
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 145
Hair: Dirty Blond/Light Brown
Eyes: Hazel/Green
Complexion: Ruddy
Veteran US Army.
Distinguishing Marks: Large Spinal Scar from Lumbar Fusion Surgery.
Needs Medical Care to remove metal plate and screws from back.

Frequents 10 A.M. feeding Catholic Charities, Is a loner, Is quiet, Walks with his head down, Stays in NLV area, Last known to be hanging out at 7-11 corner of Bonanza and NLV Blvd. Current photo taken August 9, 2011 by NLVPD. Last seen by Salvation Army Security walking toward Catholic Charities down Owens in early Sept 2011. Has been in Las Vegas since summer of 2009. Contact: (mother) Belinda Mayer, 10407 N 38th Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85051, or e-mail bmayer58@gmail.com

Homelessness is a destructive thing in the lives of the homeless and their family. Finding a missing love one can be a trying and exhausting experience filled with a roller coaster of emotions. Both the homeless and their family suffer a great deal.

The Sun Sets on Veterans Day 11-11-11

By Cliff Harrison

As the sun goes down, let us not forget those who served and gave their all. Again, thanks for those who have worn the uniform of the United States military. Thank you veterans, to all of you, those gone, those serving, those who have served and to those who live on the streets of America homeless because they have no home. And especially, those veterans who died on America's streets homeless because the county you fought for didn't care enough for you to give you a home, thank you. Thank you.

Veterans Day 11-11-11





In honor and memory of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Paul E. Phelps

Veterans Day Freedom's Not Free

I know this is a Memorial Day video by The Great Americans, Rivoli Revue, but today is a great day to listen to it again. For those of you who have never heard this moving song it's tim you did.