You Need An "Advance Directive"... For FACEBOOK!!!

Here is an interesting bit of trivia for you.  What happens to your FaceBook account if you die before cancelling it?  Answer: Nothing. You FaceBook pages will literally stay active forever, or at least until the Internet itself passes into oblivion.

I hope you will not find this a morbid post, but this information was very interesting to me.  With FaceBook now being an internationally used social medium, there are millions, if not billions, of users.  I do not pretend to know how many people around the world use FaceBook, and I am not going to do the research.  But I have found that FaceBook itself estimates that around 8000 (that's EIGHT THOUSAND!!) users die each day.  The vast majority of those who die have made no arrangements to close their accounts.  Thus, your loved one's account will live on via the Internet, even outliving YOU!  This is true for YOUR account as well.

Here is some more trivia.  FaceBook estimates that there are over thirty million (30,000,000) accounts belonging to deceased persons, and these accounts are still active!  No, errant souls are not posting from beyond the grave, but the accounts are still active because only the owners can cancel them.  And most dead people do not have access to computers.  Why do not relatives simply suspend their loved one's account?  They CAN'T!  FaceBook privacy and access policies do not allow anyone other than the owner to take such action.  I do not know what the dead do to occupy their time, but I am reasonably certain FaceBook and the Internet are not two of their higher priorities. Meanwhile, their accounts live on. 

I suppose FaceBook could solve this problem by eliminating all accounts that receive no new posts within a certain period of time, but there is a problem with this.  If a deceased person is on one's "friends" list, the deceased person's account will continue to receive updates, thus keeping the dead person's account active.  On top of that, the various advertisements that target us (and ANNOY us) because of our "interests" on the Internet (shopping, surfing, YouTube, etc.) will continue to target a deceased person's account.  The result would be that deceased persons would continue to receive updates and status checks, so their accounts potentially would never...well...die.

FaceBook also faces another issue.  There are relatives of deceased FaceBook users who do not want Facebook to strike their loved ones' accounts, and FaceBook is aware of this.  There is major outrage with users ever time someone even JOKES that FaceBook will start charging a user fee (which they have every right to do - never mind our sense of "entitlement") to keep accounts open.  Just imagine the outrage if FaceBook were to openly remove the accounts of deceased users.  Talk about a PR gaff!!

Actually, not to worry.  There are at least TWO things a FaceBook user can do "just in case."  I know...no one wants to think about "just in case," but remember...over 8,000 users die every day, the world over.  And we know that people are killed in car accidents every day, or on the job.  And many people die of natural causes every day.  If you want your FaceBook account to live on, I suppose you may simply do nothing.  In the event of your passing from this earthly vale, your account will remain active.  But suppose you want your FaceBook activity to cease when YOU do.  The simplest way to assure your account "rests in peace" with you (although this idea might TERRIFY some people) is to leave your password with one or two trusted friends.  Then, in the event of your death your friends would close your account for you.  I know what you are thinking, and yes, they would be able to access your account.  Ah, the risks we take just to live in this modern world!

If the idea of a friend having account level access to your FaceBook page frightens you, there is an alternative.  FaceBook will allow an account holder to designate a "legacy contact" to manage the your account after your demise.  That's right...a legacy contact.  Someone you love and trust would be able to maintain your account as an Ememorial.  Messages of respect, love, and sympathy could be added to the deceased user's page, and the legacy contact would be able to moderate these messages, including the elimination of messages that are objectionable for whatever reasons.   The legacy contact would not have the ability to delete the deceased person's account unless that power was so-granted by the deceased..er...PRIOR to his or her demise. 

Oh the wonders of this world.  We have powers of attorney, wills, living wills, advance medical directives, and NOW...we have advanced directives...for FaceBook!!  I guess wonders will never cease.  Well, I have to go now.  I have to line up a legacy contact!

And God Bless America

credit for information:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/what-happens-your-social-media-7801415

We Learn Something New Everyday - Even If It Is Something "Old."

I am sure as you were growing up you must have heard it said many times: You learn something new everyday.  I heard this all the way through elementary school, all the way the through junior high, and all the way through high school.  If my teachers weren't repeating this slogan, my parents were.  Then people at work, and my friends and loved ones.  And alas, I have repeated this myself.  It is stuck in our collective "head."  Yet it IS true, we DO learn something new every day.

That something we learn does not have to be academic or scientific.  It could be something more mundane, something "ordinary."  For instance, today I learned that Karen Carpenter sang a song called "The Rainbow Connection."  Before today, I had never heard this song, even though I was a child of the '70's and had gone through school listening to the Carpenters.  And I listened the to the Carpenters for years after school. Yet somehow I missed this one.

Here is an excerpt from the song, with lyrics that seem to sum up Karen's life, and the search for something that she never seemed to find in this world, even though she made so many of us happy with her beautiful voice and her velvety renditions of this and other songs:

Who said that every wish
Would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star
Somebody thought of that
And someone believed it
And look what it's done so far

What's so amazing
That keeps us stargazing
And what do we think we might see
Someday we'll find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers, and me

All of us under its spell, we know that it's probably magic

Have you been half asleep?
And have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name
Is this the sweet sound
That called the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same

I've heard it too many times to ignore it
It's something that I'm supposed to be
Someday we'll find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me

It almost seems like Karen herself could have written these lyrics, or at least that songwriter had Karen in mind.  In fact, neither of these were the case.

"The Rainbow Connection" was written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher for, of all things, "The Muppet Movie" in 1979.  "Kermit the Frog" provided the voice for the song.  So this was a song written for children, but it is so deep, if you consider the lyrics for very long.  And if you love Karen Carpenter, you may have realized that she was searching for something she never found.  Along with that, she was looking for control, and apparently only felt that the only thing she could control was her body weight, so control it she did.

In the latter part of Karen's musical career, she sang songs of longing, and there was a definite quality of longing in her voice.  Karen longed for her mother's love, and finally just for her mother's approval.  Karen (and others) believed that Mrs. Carpenter doled her love on Richard, leaving Karen in the background and feeling unloved.  Richard loved Karen, but controlled her musical career while she was one half of The Carpenters.  Karen's failed attempt at a solo career seemed to emphasize Richard's control over that aspect of her life.

One big thing that Karen longed for was a family.  She married a man who seemed to be of about the same wealth as she, and who seemed loving to her.  Above all, this man (Thomas Burris) promised to Karen the chance to have a family.  Just before the wedding, however, Burris confessed to Karen that he had undergone a vasectomy some years earlier.  Karen was shattered and betrayed.  She went to her mother and told her that she wanted to cancel the wedding.  Agnes Carpenter, a very "proper" woman (and very controlling of her family, as well) told Karen that the wedding WOULD HAPPEN.  Invitations were sent, gifts had been purchased, and the Press would be there.  Mrs. Carpenter told Karen she WOULD MARRY and that was that.  Karen was married to Burris in 1980.

Karen Carpenter sang of love, sang of happiness, of the grand possibilities awaiting newlyweds, but she herself never found that love; neither from her mother or from her husband.  Meanwhile, Karen was losing her battle with anorexia nervosa, and bulimia.  In fact, her husband, on the day he walked out of the marriage in 1982, called Karen a "bag of bones" and told Richard, "I'm leaving.  YOU can have her!"  Divorce proceedings began shortly afterwards.

I've heard it too many times to ignore it
It's something that I'm supposed to be

Someday we'll find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me

So today I heard this song for the first time.  I learned something new, something not academic or scientific.  I heard this old song for the first time, and to me it was a new song.  I still to this day cannot get over how beautiful was Karen's voice, even at a time when she was critically ill and was probably beyond the point of no return.  The song was released in 2001 but I missed it somewhere along the way, listening to mostly country and old rock music at that time.  But today, in 2016, I am so happy that I "discovered" this song.  I have added it to my favorites in Pandora.

I still listen to the Carpenters, but even more so to Karen singing her blues-y songs released during her "failed" solo career.  I am not sure who labelled her solo time as "failure" because her music was so beautiful and so haunting.  I know, the money did not roll in as expected, but I do not believe that was Karen's motivation anyway.  I think she was voicing her desire for that "something" that she just was not able to find in this life.  But I also believe she knew she was giving a gift to millions of people, and I hope she found some pleasure in knowing the magnitude of that gift.

So today I was glad to "learn something new" even though it was something "old."  I received a beautiful song from a beautiful, yet troubled lady...a beautiful and haunting gift.  I hope you will listen to it as well.  Even better, I hope you already know and love this song. 

Thank you, Karen.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTb9-eDmvKQ   

A Look At "The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior"

First I would like to say "hello" to a reader from the Guadeloupe Islands.  I have to admit I was caught flat-footed, because I have never heard of the Guadeloupe Islands.  These are a group of islands located in the Lesser Antilles, and are a French protectorate or possession, something like that.  A very beautiful place.  So here is a big shout out to my friends in the Guadeloupe Islands!

Now to today's story:

Several years ago I saw a book in a local store that sort of caught my interest.  This book was titled The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman.  This book was first published in 1980.  In its first publishing, the book sold only modest numbers and sat on the shelf for several years, but in 2006 the book was republished through H.J. Kramer Publishing.  Apparently Kramer Publishing was just the shot in the arm Millman's book needed, through better publicity and marketing.  In any case, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior shot up on the New York Times Bestseller list, and has sold over two million copies since.

The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, as a title, intrigued me way back in about 2004 or so, and I took this book off the shelf.  I read a few words of the book then read the jacket.  At that point I noticed that the author stated that his book was a "fictionalized" account of real events, and also that he had added "metaphoric" illustrations that had also been more or less "made up" to make some of the ideas "more clear" to the reader.  At that point I put the book down and went looking for some "true" books.  I thought, as I walked away, HOW can a more or less fictional book be of any use to one who was looking for "good advice" on life, such as Napoleon Hill or Steve Covey might offer?

I frequent book stores and online book sellers, so over the next few years I saw The Way of the Peaceful Warrior many times, and I was occasionally tempted to pick up the book again,  but I always replaced it and bought something else instead.  Until last week.

Last week I purchased The Way of the Peaceful Warrior as an audible book.  I am not sure what I was expecting, maybe some light and fun entertainment.  So while I was at work, I listened to this book on my Kindle.  After listening to it for a few minutes, I found I was not able to "put it down," or rather, to stop listening.  Once I got past the idea that parts of the book were "fictionalized accounts," I found that this book touched me right down to the soul and marrow, and articulated thoughts and ideas that I felt were true, but could not really spell them out for myself.

I suppose with book sales of over 2,000,000 I should have picked up this book a long time ago.  The Way of the Peaceful Warrior had spoken to so many other people as well, both over time and around the world.  I found that this book is now available in at least twenty-nine languages.

Of many thoughts this book expressed, three especially hit home with me.  First, the idea that the only time we really have is NOW, and the only place we really have is HERE.  Several times in the book, the character known as Socrates asked Millman, "What time is it?"  Eventually Millman learned that answer was "now," not yesterday, not tomorrow, not five years from now, but only "now."  Socrates also asked, "Where are you?"  Millman learned that he was "here," not somewhere someday, but "here and now."  Simple concepts really, but profound as well.

I have known the above statements to be true for some time, yet, just as the sky is blue, these concepts were so obvious that I ignored them, forgot about them.  But think about it.  The only time we really have is "now."  This is important, because if we dwell on the past, whether we have regrets or good memories, failures or great accomplishments, if we dwell on such we tend to miss what is going on now, and therefore we are not actually focused on the present.  And if we are focused on what we might get someday, or what we wish we might have someday, we miss what we have today, right now, and fail to appreciate our lives as much as we might. 

The only place we are is here.  Again, a simple thought, yet such a profound idea.  We fail to appreciate where we are in life right now, because we are busy pursuing "more and better" that we will get someday, or we are busy trying to forget where we were "yesterday," how bad we had it, how people may have treated us.  Again, this kind of thinking means that we do not appreciate where we are now...and where we are now is the only place we really know that we will be.  Well, that is my idea, but Dan Millman expresses it so much better and enlightens us so much more in his book.

Finally, I came across a really profound idea that Millman shows us in his book, but which is so obvious in life that few of us embrace it.  It is the idea of being happy HERE and NOW, even when or if THERE IS NO REASON to be happy.  Simple, right?  But what if you are not doing the job you WANT to do?  What if you are not "rich" or "famous?"  What if you don't have the fine house you want yet?  What if you are not making as much as you are worth?  Maybe you are driving a ten-year old Chevrolet and you WANT a new Cadillac CTS.  Millman shows us, in this book, how to be happy in the moment (NOW) with what we have and with our life circumstances (HERE). 

A fictionalized book?  Yes, it must be, because of some of the strange things that happen in this story.  Made up details?  Yes, there are things in the book that are clearly fiction.  It put me off at one time, and I am sorry it did.  Even in the little time that has passed since I read this book, I feel the changes in my life.  I feel less tension, less anger, less desire to get more, or to get "ahead."  I wish I had bought this book years ago, but after reading it, I am not dwelling on the fact that I did not by it back then and start applying these principles years ago.  I acknowledge that I did not buy the book, but I have it now and I have it here.  No need for regret, just the need to be happy in the moment.

Well, this is my take on The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.  Today's post is certainly not a book review, in the usual sense, nor is it an analysis of Millman's philosophy.  It is just my way of letting you know that I recommend this book if you have not read it already, and my way of sharing with you a few of the profound ideas which will now be my keys to life, to living happy HERE and NOW.

Dan Millman has published several books since The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and I intend to read some or all of these books as time permits.  But even if I never get to read these other books, I have profited already from reading Millman's first publication.  I hope you too will read this book.  Maybe you beat me to it.  Good.  I hope you got as much out of it as I did.  I will be listening to it again and again in the next few days to get more and to re-emphasize what I learned in the first reading.

I have chosen to be a Peaceful Warrior; therefore you will see fewer rants over things for which I have no control and cannot change, and more emphasis on the good things in this life, and in the life to come.

Thank you for reading this, and may God bless you.  And God Bless America.

Indiana Woman Leaves Children With Grandparents, Vanishes, Found 42 Years Later - In Texas!

An acquaintance and I were discussing the above headline a couple days ago.  The name of the woman is not that important to this blog, and she had lived under an assumed name for decades, so I will not use her real name in this post.  The important part of this discussion was my colleague's opinion that this case paralleled that of Kathy Munday, who disappeared at or near her husband's residence near Sanger, Texas in 2004, just after Christmas.  Kathy's last known destination was her husband's residence.  In fact, her car was found in his driveway; Kathy, however, was never seen again.  To this very day her body has not been found.

My acquaintance remarked that it was actually a good thing Kathy's husband (whose name I refuse to write here as it does not even warrant that much attention) had his conviction overturned, because, based on the story of the Indiana woman being located four decades after she went "missing," there was reason to believe that Kathy might be found at some point, and might be found ALIVE!.  Everyone hoped for that, but with the passing years that outcome seems unlikely to me, and I have several reasons to feel this way.

When we look at the Indiana case, we see some significant differences from Kathy's disappearance.  First, the woman from Indiana DELIVERED her children to her parents for safekeeping, indicating she had done at least some planning in advance of her disappearance.  Not only did she leave the children, the woman I will call LuAnn also provided her parents with a legal document in which she signed away her parental rights to her parents.  Again, planning before she disappeared.  LuAnn also spent several hours in her home town gathering supplies before she left.  She also discussed with her parents, and with her peers, that she felt she was too young and irresponsible to raise three children alone.  She did not return home after talking with her parents.  Her parents never suspected foul play and told the police as much when they made the missing person report.  Her friends never suspected foul play but were concerned that something MIGHT happen to her on the way to wherever she was going.  LuAnn was possibly seen at least two more times in other states as she drove and hitch-hiked south.  The trail went cold in Georgia, and there was not really that big of a search for her anyway, since she had obviously left voluntarily and had broken no laws in the process.

Contrast the above to Kathy's disappearance.  First, Kathy went to a known destination with a known plan as well.  Kathy's only plan was to meet her soon-to-be ex-husband and get the divorce papers signed, then return to her home and her children.  Kathy, a school teacher, did not tell ANYONE that she was leaving Sanger.  But she told SEVERAL people that she believed she was going to be very happy in her new life away from her abusive husband.  Kathy DID NOT take her children to her parents or her in-laws.  Why?  Because she intended to come home THAT NIGHT.  Unlike LuAnn, Kathy did not spend several hours collecting supplies for an expected road trip, nor did she provide a legal document turning her children over to her parents or husband.  Nor did Kathy ever express the idea that she was not able or willing to care for her children.  Kathy did not remove any money from her bank account - either the night she disappeared nor at any time afterwards.  And most telling of all, Kathy's car NEVER left her husband's house.

Another difference in the two cases is that Kathy's husband was known to be very hostile to the idea of splitting half his wealth and property with her.  This being the case, he would have been very aware of his final moments with Kathy, including watching her drive away from his house after he signed the divorce papers.  This was a very important moment, albeit a NEGATIVE moment, and the reasonable person in this same situation would recall nearly every moment.  These hours would be ETCHED into a person's mind for the rest of his life.  But what would did he tell the police? 

"Uhh...gee...I saw her drive away.  I do not know WHY her car is BACK in my driveway."  Or at least words similar to this.

No, I told my acquaintance, these two situations are vastly different.  In the one case, a woman could not face the idea and the reality of raising three children out of wedlock, a very serious and stigmatic situation in the early seventies.  In this case the mother planned her disappearance right down to the document giving legal custody of her children to her parents.  And most important, there was no one with a motive to see her dead. 

In the other case, no planning whatsoever to be gone more than a couple of hours.  No messages to parents and friends that Kathy was leaving her children.  No planning for expenses and supplies for a quick trip out of town.  Instead, Kathy had every reason to return home.  Her children were waiting for her.  Once she had the papers signed, a new life was waiting for her.  Financially, a windfall was waiting for her.  Most of all, Kathy and her children would no longer face the possibility of abuse at the hands of her husband.

I hope that Kathy is alive and well somewhere, although why she would leave her children and her life behind is unfathomable to me.  But Kathy Munday is most likely in a better place than this world, I suspect with her mother, and that belief brings comfort to Kathy's friends and loved ones. 

These two cases are not similar in the least; therefore, I fear very much that Kathy has been dead for some time, and that a person knows exactly how she died and where her body is.  Someday I hope that person does the right thing, but only time will tell.

Kathy will never be forgotten, and the light she brought to this world, to so many people, has not been dimmed in the least by the thing that was done to her.

Chief Gilbert Horn, Sr., and Chief Joe Medicine Crow

Just last week Chief  Gilbert Horn Sr., honorary chief of the Assinibione Tribe of Montana passed away.  He was 92, and was a decorated WW II hero, one of the famous Code Talkers.  Chief Gilbert served a nation that in so many ways denied this man his own heritage and dignity. 

Then, on Sunday (April 3) another famous Native American, Joe Medicine Crow, the last surviving war chief of the Crow nation, crossed from this life into the next.  Chief Joe was also a decorated WW II veteran and served his adopted nation with honor in that war.  Chief Joe was unique among his people in that he earned graduate college degrees, one of the few Native Americans of his generation to attend college.

Chief Joe never truly adopted "White ways" but did help his people adjust and conform where necessary, while holding on to the old ways.  He was described by people over the years as a man of two worlds.  He was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Obama.  This honor is the civilian version of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and as such is the highest civilian honor this nation has to offer.

The passing of the these two men, along with their fellow World War II colleagues, represents the twilight of an era, the end of our "Greatest Generation."  I am not sure how many World War II veterans remain alive as of today, but one of our nation's greatest treasures is fading quickly.  How they will be missed, and how they inspired us.

Native Americans who opted to serve in America's wars are inspiring as well.  Many, if not MOST, of these men were treated poorly by their White neighbors before and after the war, and possibly DURING the war as well.  And to be sure, they had nothing to gain by helping America fight another war.  But these Native Americans took the high road, for many different reasons, and stood strong for this nation when they were needed.  And there may have been another reason as well.  It may have been that many Native Americans of that time knew that they would only have the one opportunity to prove themselves in war - a matter of pride with many Native Americans even after they were "conquered" and placed on reservations after the various Indian Wars.

These two great men, Chief Gilbert Horn, Sr., and Chief Joe Medicine Crow, deserve the honors they respectively received, and they deserve to be honored through the years when people talk about the history of this nation and that of Native America.

Thank you Chief Gilbert and Chief Joe for your service and your accomplishments, and may God Bless America.

A Favorite Bible Verse - One of Many

There are many passages in the Bible that I can say are my favorite, but actually it would be hard to pinpoint ONE verse and say that verse was my favorite over all the others.  But one verse that is definitely at the top of my list is:

Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your lap. For with the same measure that you measure it shall be measured to you again.


The Good Shepherd in this verse says so much.  And money is not even mentioned at all.  We have so many things to give beside our money - although it is important to give our money as well, both to our church and to those things we find worthy within the community.  But there is so much more in this verse.

First, the Good Shepherd just says GIVE.  By saying this word, He does NOT say some other things, like, first see how much is in the bank before you give.  He does not say give only if you think you have enough food or whatever else on hand. He does not say give only if you have a great talent at something.  He just says GIVE.

But immediately He tells us this: and it shall be given unto you.  Whatever it is that you have decided to give, money, time, love, compassion, hand labor, visitation, food, whatever is, it will then be given unto you.  And not even a "dollar for dollar" match, not even "whatever you gave, you will get THAT back."  Instead, the Good Shepherd promises that we will receive back in "good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and RUNNING OVER (my emphasis) shall MEN (my emphasis again) give unto your lap.

We can expect that if we give, whatever we give, in our faith and gratitude to the Lord, we will receive blessings ourselves, both from God and from men.  If we have only a little food to share, share it.  If we have only a little money to share, share that.  But share it out of faith and out of cheerfulness and gratitude, knowing that you be blessed as well.

Then the Good Shepherd said, "For with the same measure that you measure it shall be measured to you again."

Do not fear to give, do not give with a grudging heart...for in the SAME MEASURE THAT YOU MEASURE it will be measured BACK to you.  I believe that if you give freely and from the heart, whatever it is you are called to give, you will receive blessing in return both from men and from God, and God will not hold back.

In the time of Jesus, there were merchants who measured seed, flour, grain, or other commodities, and these merchants would sometimes use little tricks, in their greed, to save money and to cheat their customer.  One particular method was to measure meal or flour and not press the meal or flour, leaving air gaps in the measure.  A person might have paid for a given amount of flour, but when the package of flour was taken home and opened, the person found he had paid for as much air as he had flour. 

The Lord will wants us to share our blessings with others, and He wants us to do so without fear, without greed, without selfishness.  Instead He wants us to give out of our faith in Him.  In so doing, we will receive from God and men that full measure in return, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

Yes, this is one of my favorite verses of all.  I hope it may be one of yours as well.

May God bless you, and may God Bless America

Land Mine! Oh, I Thought It Was Just A Cannon Ball

Those were probably the exact words expressed by Matt Bell, of Hot Springs, Arkansas on Thursday afternoon when he learned that his "cannon ball" was actually a potentially explosive land mine.

On Wednesday, March 30, Matt Bell was supervising his work crew at an excavation site in Danville, Arkansas, about 65 miles from Little Rock, when one of the workers dug up a rusted round object and TOSSED IT a few feet away.  Mr. Bell saw the object and realized that it was an artifact, a cannon ball, to be precise.  No one else wanted the cannon ball, so Bell, who knew that several battles had been fought around Danville during the Civil War, decided to take the cannon ball home.  After the work day, Bell placed the cannon ball in the back seat of his pickup, securing it with a seat belt so that it would not roll around.  He then drove back to his home in Hot Springs, took the cannon ball out of his pickup and placed it on a table in his living room.

The next day Bell examined the cannon ball in a little more detail.  On this second examination he noticed that there was a protrusion, a "nipple," if you will, that was not present on most cannon balls.  At least that is what Bell thought.  So he loaded then cannon ball back into his pickup and drove across town to a museum where his friend worked as curator.  For reasons not made clear in the news article, Bell left the cannon ball secured in his pickup.  When the curator went to look at cannon ball, Bell pointed out the small nipple.  This caught the curator's attention immediately. 

Back inside the museum the curator produced a photograph of what appeared to be a cannon ball except that it had that same odd nipple on it.  The curator explained that what Matt Bell had found was not a cannon ball at all, but a land mine that was used in during the Civil War, mostly by Confederate forces.  Oh, THAT explains the small protrusion on the "cannon ball."  The interesting thing here is that now Bell knew he was hauling a landmine that could potentially have a broken trigger, but he still took the mine back to his home.  Finally good judgment prevailed over the joy of having a unique Civil War relic.  Bell called the Hot Springs police.

Long story short, the police came, followed by the Air Force EOD team based in Little Rock.  The EOD removed that land mine and destroyed it at a nearby landfill.

Oh, that's the short ending.

The long ending is that when the police found out that Bell had a land mine that held nearly thirty pounds of explosives, and I assume, while waiting for EOD to arrive, the police evacuated the neighborhood around the Bell home, with the help of the Hot Springs Fire Department.  Only after all the houses around had been cleared of occupants could the Air Force EOD squad remove that land mine.  I wonder if Matt Bell's wife told him NOT to bring home any more cannon balls.  Especially I bet she told him not to put the next one on the nice coffee table.  The good news is that no one was injured.  I have to wonder if the various agencies involved will bill Matt Bell for the costs associated with the evacuation and the demolition.

There is a good lesson here, in all seriousness. If you find an explosive, even an old piece of ordinance, call the police.  Do not handle the explosive yourself. 

And may God Bless America.