It occurred to me......

Blagojevich Babble Bubble Bauble Burp

2011-06-27T19:03:00.000-05:00

The verdict is in. YEAH!
http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20110627/US.Blagojevich.Trial/?cid=hero_media

That buzz in your ears may not be static

2011-06-01T11:59:00.001-05:00

Well once again the question of how safe are cell phones is again front and center. The question of whether cell phones can cause cancer is not new; however, it shouldn't necessarily be ignored. As with so many studies today, there are a million points of view and looking for an ultimate "one size fits all" answer is probably unrealistic.

We certainly don't expect to start seeing people flinging their cell phones in the trash as we run away screaming wildly into the wind. Cell phones are such an integral part of our lives today. I am old enough to remember when phones were tethered to a wall by a cord. I remember reading an article many years ago that predicted someday we would have one universal phone number and we would carry it with us wherever we went. Wow! How crazy were they!!

Until there is further evidence, I am going to tend to believe that cell phones are most harmful today because people can't take their eyes off them while driving or walking down the street and talkers end up driving into someone else or off the road.

Certainly for this reason and for the possible health problems, it make sense to try and use devices which allow people to keep the phones away from the side of their head and allow their eyes to stay focused up and forward. Let's utilize some common sense while we learn more.

I love the technology, but I don't let it control my life. Having said that, I do have an internet store for those seeking to get the best value for their money. Come visit or tell your friends about 21st Century Solutions. FREE PHONES. FREE SHIPPING. We have all the major players and more.

21st Century Solutions

The store is always open.

A time to pause

2011-05-29T17:00:00.000-05:00

No matter how right or wrong our government is when it comes to conflict, wars, dealing with hostile governments, the fact remains it is our dedicated service personnel who carry out the mission. From the in-family war 150 years ago to the current struggles in the Middle East, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the unfailing dedication of those who serve our country then and now.

Let us honor them not only in the parades, memorial services and gatherings of the day, but by our daily behavior that affirms the ideals of this county; the freedom to choose.

The freedom to choose is about more than the selfishly perceived right of doing whatever we please. The responsibility of our freedom is refraining from saying and doing those things to others which we would find harmful or threatening if done to us.

Our only guaranteed right in writing is:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

An individual's right to "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness" cannot be at the expense of some other person's hope for the same. The right "to do" is accompanied by the equal responsibility to "refrain from doing". This is what we should fight for every day, month and year as Americans. In defending ourselves against those who wish to deny us our right to choose, we should not allow ourselves to become them.

So, thank you to all those who have fought and sacrificed for our ability to continue working to form this "more perfect union." May the choices we make honor the choices you made.

Running out of time

2011-05-20T20:43:00.001-05:00

It has just occurred to me that before I've had a chance to grasp the dynamics of blogging, I am running out of time. In less than 24 hours, all this effort will be for naught. The world is coming to an end. I guess I won't worry about getting the oil changed in my car tomorrow.

I have no doubt this world as we know it will come to an end.......................................... someday. However, I tend to think when it happens, I will have long been gone and my ashes will have served as inadequate mulch for a small piece of this planet.

For those who believe the clues to this end-time are found in holy books, you would think their dieties, as omnipotent as they are, would find more believable messengers. I mean, geez, they have the pick of the litter, don't they?

I guess we will know at 6:01pm tomorrow. Oh, yes! Does it matter which time zone you are in?

Gone from my sight, but not my mind

2011-05-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

I just realized it has been 30 days since my last post. The day of my last post, April 15th, was the 2nd anniversary of my mother's death. I miss her greatly and though she is with me everyday, I miss not being able to sit down and have time to talk like we used to. I remember her talking about how fast time passed. Minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years merged and blended until it all became a blur for her. She was 94 when she died Despite, or maybe because of her dementia, she demonstrated a joy and happiness far beyond the abilities of those living around her could muster.

Mom lived a principled and purposeful live. Often she quoted the well-known biblical phrase, "There is a time for every purpose under heaven." She, however, would turn that and continue that "everything we do is tied a purpose." In other words, for every decision and action we make, there should be a purpose underlying it, and that purpose, in her mind, should be for selflessly teaching, improving and bettering the people involved and the world around us.

We should discipline our children not because we wish to cause them pain, but because they need to learn appropriate behaviors so they can stand on their own. We learn to do tasks that are unpleasant at times because that is the way life is at times; unpleasant. Life does not accommodate us, we must learn to adapt and adjust to life.

Mom was firm in her belief that you should live your life "on purpose." But she would be greatly baffled by the purposes behind the way some parents are raising children today. I can imagine her disgust at the mother giving her 8 year old daughter Botox injections. My mom would shutter at the lack of backbone in many of today's parents.

Love you Mom. The tea kettle is always ready for a surprise visit.

You're talkin' to who??????

2011-04-15T22:43:00.002-05:00

A couple of evenings ago, my wife reminded me we were out of coffee, just after having returning from the grocery store. Being the ever good servant and wanting to have a hot cup myself in the morning, I returned to the local store, picked up our favorite brand and headed to the check-out. There was a small line, and I stepped in behind a woman who seemed to be carrying on a conversation with the cashier. It only took a moment to realize her conversation wasn't with the cashier, but with her ear; that is, she was on her cell phone, talking into one of those Star Trek-looking earpieces.

I amazingly watched this lady go through her whole check-out process talking to someone maybe miles away. She completely ignored the cashier other than to nod or gesture in response to an attempted conversation by the cashier. How rude!

I appreciate the power of a cell phone; its ability to keep you connected regardless of where you are standing. However, I never imagined how a phone would have the power to disconnect and provide the rationalization for poor manners and behavior which we would not have tolerated not so long ago.

I work for a school that conducts live classes. One of the largest challenges in administrating and managing classes revolves around trying to regulate the usage of cell phones. Students sit in class and text. A cell phone vibrates and that person gets up and walks out of the classroom. We post signs and verbally remind people that cell phones must be turned off, but to no avail. The responses are varied but underlying each is the attitude of entitlement that says, "How dare you!"

What happened to manners? What happened to being connected to and engaged with the people around whom you stand? What happened to being respectful and courteous to those around us? What happened to manners? Oh, I'm sorry. Were you on the phone? It makes me yearn for the days when a phone was tied to a wall by a wire.

Medicine Man

2011-04-04T21:21:00.000-05:00

This evening while watching the network news, I watched 3 successive commercials for prescription medicines. Following that was a news segment on people who suffer a physical addiction to food in the same way a drug addict is addicted to drugs. They are able to see how the brain reacts in the same way to both stimulants. Immediately following that story, they went to commercial and guess what it was; another prescription medicine.

Is it any wonder we have a national drug problem? How did mankind ever make it this far without all the pharmaceutical wonder drugs? Whatever your ill, they've got a pill. If you don't have a pain, you're not listening hard enough. Just ask your doctor. He has the solution for every bodily pollution, courtesy of the local pharmaceutical sales rep.

So what really is the difference between many doctors and your local street pusher? A diploma?

It's Saturday night and nothing much is happening

2011-04-02T20:47:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is several days down the road from my first post, and I have no better idea of where this is going. It has been a beautiful Saturday, sunny skies and about 70 degree weather. I spent most of the morning working on the front gate to our community with a couple other men.

Would you like for me to share the wonders of serving on the board of directors of a homeowners association? Yea, I didn't think so.

Tonight I am watching the semi-finals of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. This is truly some of the best sports performances every year. Congratulations to Butler! Right now Kentucky has all they can handle from UConn. Monday night will be a great night of basketball.

May you be blessed with sunny weather tomorrow!

Starting a Blog

2011-03-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

Starting a Blog is somewhat like being born, only worse. When most of us were born, there likely were two people standing around witnessing our entrance, ready to whack us so we would scream bloody-murder and ingest our first breath of air. Poor Mom, looking through tear-filled eyes, peered between her legs like a hunter looking down the sites of his gun, trying to bring a target into focus.

Starting a Blog, however, is like being born alone in space. "No one can hear you scream!" Where do I begin? How do I begin? What do I want to talk about? Why do I think anyone cares about what I may say? Why am I asking all these questions?

"To boldly go where this mind has not gone before." Maybe I am at a stage in life where I am comfortable with myself and hope I may share some thoughts which may bring a nod; a smile; a bit of anger or some reaction which may further some understanding of why we are who we are and why we do what we do.

It is not brain surgery. It is not unique. It is a choice. It is a first step. Care to share the journey?