Friday, May 22, 2009

Helpful Hanks Handy Hints Summertime Memorial Day Column 08052209


Honoring our Vets


Hello All Helpful Hank here,

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. A chance for every citizen to honor our veterans. My father was a vet of the Korean War. (The pre cursor to the Vietnam War.) Though I myself am not an advocate of war, I will always support our troops. People do what they feel they have to do. As a teenager just out of High School I tried to enlist in the Army but my father was having none of it. I was eighteen and I thought that was that what could he do? Plenty…. Because I have some disabilities, he was able to go down to the recruiting office and get me un-recruited. He explained me later what he had seen in Korea. He told me he did not want me to be left with such images. I am grateful to my father. It wasn’t that he was against the war; He just didn’t want his son to have to fight in one if he could avoid it. (Later one of my foster brothers would fight in Desert Storm and my Nephew has served four or for terms in Iraq.)
The men and women join with good intentions; they are fighting for our freedom. For that, they should be commended as their hearts are in the right place. Personally, I believe that there can be justified wars. (WWI WWII) Even though war is tragic it can and the toll can be high, it can prevent a much worse fate. World War II is a prime example of this. I must also say I feel wars are becoming a rather archaic way of settling disputes between nations and countries. This in no means should negate the fact that women and men, our children, sons and daughters are fighting battles for what they believe is the betterment of all people. So this Memorial day Say a prayer or keep a thought of safe return for a solider and a veteran. Remember, until there are no more wars and the last Veteran has passed away there will always be a need to remember what veterans of war fought for Our Freedom is.

Summertime, Summertime

Summertime is just around the corner, kids get out of school, families have reunions, picnics and trips to the park. Here are some fun ways to enjoy your gatherings that are inexpensive or free to do during your summer whether you are a kid or a grown-up.
Some of these activities I remember from when I was a child others I have just discovered.
Suitcase Game
A new game I just learned about (On Good Morning America of all places.) The Object of the game is for each member of the team to put all the clothes in the suitcase on. How it works is you have teams of two. They line up on a field or grass area. (If anyone should fall the won’t get hurt.) Each team has two suitcases. One team member sprints over to where the other team member is, opens the suitcase up that the other team member has puts on the clothes in the suitcase over their own clothes and races back with the suitcase. Once back, the other teammate does the same. The first team, with each team member back in his or her original place wins the race. This can be adapted to a kids version, Adults only version or mixed adults and kids. The beauty of this game is you can make it as difficult or easy as possible. You can also substitute a suitcase for a bag as well.

It’s A Cakewalk

When I was a kid in elementary school, we would have a cakewalk at the annual school fair. How it works is you have your guest bring a one layer or two-layer cake any kind (Ice Cream cakes not recommended.) each cake should be on some sort of dish. Then your participants form a circle. Each participant holds the cake and platter on top of his or her head. They all have a mark that they are on. (If it is not windy paper plates work well for the mark.)As the music starts they walk around the circle. One mark is removed. When the music stops anyone not on a mark or who drops their cake is out. (If someone has dropped their cake their mark is removed as well) The last person standing is the winner. The surviving cakes become dessert for your guest. (Livelier music makes for a better game. You can also substitute bowls of water for cakes, which can be lots of fun watching the water spill and participants getting wet, as well as a nice way to cool down in the summer heat.)

Treasure Hunt

This is an easy thing to set up and again is a good game for all ages. It takes a little more prep time then some other games though. Here’s how it works. You work either as an individual or in teams. Each team or individual is given their first clue and once they find the object in their first clue it leads them to the second clue. They must find all the clues and return them to whom ever you have collecting them. The first person or team to collect all the clues and turn them in wins. (You can also have them collect they objects that their clue is attached to. Who says Easter egg hunts are just for Easter.

If you have any summer time games you would like to suggest drop me an e-mail at askhelpfulhank@gmail.com

Day Of Decision" coming soon
One last thing I would like to mention is the up coming Supreme Court decision on same gender marriage. We are looking at the decision being handed down on Tuesday May 26th. If you would like to participate in the celebration or the re-doubling of our efforts to make same gender marriage a reality in the state of California then here is a site that you can check out to see what is happening in your town. http://dayofdecision.wetpaint.com/page/Locations Any financial support you can give these folks is greatly appreciated. Though financial support is needed what is needed as well are volunteers and people to show up at these rallies.

Well that’s all for now folks. Helpful Hank signing off until next time. And remember we can’t have true equality until we all have true equality. After all isn’t that what our soldier’s fight for and what our veterans fought for Freedom and Equality for all.

Keep cool wear sunscreen and have fun after all that’s what summer time is for having fun.

Helpful Hank.

Helpful Hanks Hints:

Summertime doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. Hot dogs Hamburgers and corn on the cob are simple fare that are sure to please. I like to put out my Cherry tomatoes that grow in my garden as a snack. Water Mellon is inexpensive and easy to prepare. Instead of Soda How about Ice tea and lemonade mix in a little food coloring with your batch of lemonade to create colorful looking lemonade.

Unusable pieces of fabric can be good for writing your treasure hunt clues on just cut into wide strips and write on the side that your writing is most visible. You can also give your treasure hunt a theme. How about “The Amazing Race" as a theme? If you want to get real elaborate you could set it up so that each team has a decoder (A chart that matches a number symbol or letter to each letter of the alphabet.) and they have to decode the symbols numbers or letters to figure out what clue says.

Helpful Hank can be reached at askhelpfulhank@gmail.com

Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Next Stop Iowa

Next Stop Iowa


Hello All Helpful Hank Here,

I would like to talk about a subject that I feel personally connected to. That is the decision just handed down in Iowa and Vermont to allow same gender marriage. The decision to allow same gender marriage in Iowa and Vermont is a victory for all. For me personally it is validating.

I have to say I was a bit surprised at the out come. No offense to Iowa but I have never really thought of it as a progressive state. If Americas heartland can come to terms with the separation of church and state creating equality for all then there is hope. Iowa and Vermont clearly see that discrimination is not acceptable on any level.

Marriage Equality transcends just the right to marry whom you want, it legitimized our very being, our families that we have, and our community. Once we have marriage equality across the United States, bans on adoption to Same Gender couples like the one in Arkansas won’t matter. Same gender couple will be able to marry and adopt. Laws like Arkansas’ prop 11 will go by the way side, as they were specifically put into place to stop adoption by same gender couples with the guise of making it seem that they are not discriminating.

Studies show that there are markedly no real differences in the development of children who are raised in a household with same gender parent verses opposite gender parents. The only real difference that was discovered was that children of same gendered parents do not feel as confined to typical gender specific roles when it comes to life and careers. This vastly opens up options for these children, as they become adults. I also think that another benefit is that this children go up to not just tolerate different types of people but rather accept the differences in people and celebrate those difference as well as to see that our differences are one of the things take make us the same.

What was particularly profound for me in the Iowa decision was the passage near the end.

The court said: "that while many oppose marriage for religious reasons, religion cannot justify a law excluding gay people from marriage. State government can have no religious views, the opinion says, either directly or indirectly expressed through its legislation. This proposition, the Court goes on to say, is the essence of the separation of church and state."




Finally two more states that get it. Sure, we have had to push and shove to get equality and we will continue to have to do so. However, we should let this strengthen our resolve; we all need to do what we can to move forward towards total equality. Whether we are stuffing envelopes, participating in local really and marches for marriage equality and adoption rights, or we are able to participate nationally. We all need to be a part of it. We must never forget that when one American looses their rights because of who they are, or who they love, all American’s are at risk of loosing their rights. One final thought. Marriage can only be de-valued by the two people in it.

Note as I was writing this blog post Maine ended up enacting laws granting same Gender couple the right to marry. Another victory for equality. Another state that gets it

Site to find out more about the recent court decisions in Iowa, Vermont and Maine

Vermont: http://www.vermont.gov/portal/search.php?q=Same+Sex+Marriage

Iowa; http://iowa.google.cdc.nicusa.com/search?q=Same+Sex+Marriage&btnG=Search&output=xml_no_dtd&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&ie=UTF-8&client=iowa&oe=UTF-8&proxystylesheet=iowa&site=iowa

Maine at the writing of this had no official information on Same Gender Marriage

Travel Time

We are coming up on that time of year for many, travel time. Summer comes around kids get out of school and as it was with my family growing up; it is time for a vacation. Travel restrictions for the airlines have relaxed a bit but, the alert level seems to stay around Orange. Recently it seem that more and more people are planning vacations and flights through on-line sites such as Travelocity, Price Line and other discount sites. One of my friends used Price line to plan her trip home to Canada with her daughter. She was able to secure her flight and a car through Price Line. Her total cost for airfare and car rental was less $800.00 for the two of them. Now they didn’t have to take a hotel as they are staying with family. Right now, they airlines are trying to get our business so it is the ideal time to plan a getaway. Price Line has a feature that allows you to negotiate your price for everything from flight to car and hotel stays. Travelocity has a site dedicated to gay travel

There are many different sites that you can use for planning a vacation some charge a fee some don’t but overall it they are a good way to book travel. Just remember discount travel will give you more bang for your buck while on vacation as the money you save you can use to make your vacation even better then you thought it could be.

Where ever go on vacation Travel safely and remember to check with the airlines to make sure that your flight is not delayed. You can also go to the Transportation Security Administration site (TSA) at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm to find out the latest travel restrictions.

Sites to Check Out for travel
Gay Travelocity http://leisure.travelocity.com/Promotions/0,,TRAVELOCITY%7C935%7Cgaytravel,00.html you can also book travel through Travelocity on my site PS Community Networking at http://www.pscnetworking.com/

Price Line http://www.priceline.com/ you can also click on the Price Line link at my site PS Community Networking at http://www.pscnetworking.com/

Fun Maps http://www.funmaps.com/

Gay.com http://www.gay.com/

As always thanks for reading what I have to say. I welcome your letters and questions

Regards and safe travel,

Helpful Hank

Helpful Hanks Tips:
Make a list of what you are taking on your trip so you don’t forget anything

When using Price Lines Negotiator feature give yourself enough time to use it effectively and get your best deal.

Keep your bags with in the weight restrictions going over can cost you over a hundred dollars as it did my younger brother on his recent trip.

If you plan to get married in any of the five states that allow Same Gender marriage find out what if any restrictions or requirements there may be for out of state couples wishing to get married.


Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow