Republicans And Democrats – A Definition

  “You see a Republican moves slowly. They are what we call conservatives. A conservative is a man who has plenty of money and doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t always have plenty of money. A Democrat is a fellow who never had any, but doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t have some.” – Will Rogers, 26 March 1933 Will certainly had it right about things of politics in his day and it is almost weird that the same hold true eighty years later.  The rich continue to get richer and the poor are almost exponentially increase month … Continue reading Republicans And Democrats – A Definition

A Little Vanity Goes A Long Way….

You’re so vain I bet you think this song is about you, don’t you?   This quote came from a song by Carly Simon in 1972.  I don’t think of myself as being very vain, but aren’t we all vain to one degree or another?  What is vanity? According to one dictionary I have it is:  characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. All of us take pride in our accomplishments and rightfully so but when that we get carried away with it then it becomes a problem.  An excessive degree of vanity some say is the … Continue reading A Little Vanity Goes A Long Way….

We Are Just Cheap…

  We are a nation who puts top priority on everything being cheap. No, that doesn’t apply to our military. We throw so much money into our war machines their top priority has to be figuring out how to spend it all. But since there are so many outstretched hands  wanting to relieve us of our hard-paid tax dollars  that even ends up not a big problem. Getting back to the topic at hand. Among our European neighbors we in the U.S. are mostly known for the shabby goods we readily accept.  Don’t get me wrong, we know quality when … Continue reading We Are Just Cheap…

Red Letter Christians..

While I am on hiatus I highly recommend that you go over to RedLetterChristians for your daily dose of living Christ’s words in your life. I think my blog here actually precedes them but being a considerably size org they do a much better job than I ever could. Click on the logo above to go there. They ask for a donation but it is absolutely not needed to get onto their frequent posts. It is inspiring to see all the examples of those who read Christ’s words and actually take them to heart.  When I come back here I … Continue reading Red Letter Christians..

Being Contented…..

“If we only stopped to realize that it is really, after all, the little things that count, why, we would be a wiser and more contented race.” – Will Rogers, 18 November 1923 I hear your words Will but I have trouble putting them into practice.  I know that life is the little things that happen while we are waiting for something else. I try to sit back and enjoy the “simple” things but somehow that eludes me. I promise to, like you did in the photo to the right, just sit back and rock away some today and to … Continue reading Being Contented…..

The Me Generation….

The incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for the generation that’s now 65 or older, according to the National Institutes of Health; 58% more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982. Millennials got so many participation trophies growing up that a recent study showed that 40% believe they should be promoted every two years, regardless of performance They are fame-obsessed: three times as many middle school girls want to grow up to be a personal assistant to a famous person as want to … Continue reading The Me Generation….

Lost Energy….

I want to apologize to those of you who read this blog. It seems I have just lost the energy to continue to post here on a regular basis. The futility of convincing some to look at Jesus’ words in a different light has simply become too exhausting for me. Convincing people to concentrate on “being” a Christian as apposed to just believing certain things is more than I can handle right now. While I will continue to do my best in being a better follower of Jesus Christ and that means listening to his words and doing my best … Continue reading Lost Energy….

China’s Place in the World….

Three years ago, Liu wrote a best-selling book called China Dream: Great Power Thinking and Strategic Positioning of China in the Post-American Age. In his hawkish tome, Liu explained that China needed a strong, martial leader and offered advice for his resurgent nation: “When China is threatened, it has no choice but to use war to protect its right to rise, to break through America’s military containment.”….. A nation that half a century ago counted Albania as one of its few trading partners is now the world’s second largest economy–and could eclipse the U.S. as the biggest within five years. … Continue reading China’s Place in the World….

It’s Time For You To Leave…..

  Two members of the liberal group Progress Kentucky have been identified as the secret recorders of a strategy session for the reelection campaign of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the top Republican in the Senate. The Feb. 2 audio recording, which was leaked to Mother Jones magazine and posted online Tuesday, revealed plans by the McConnell campaign to go after actress Ashley Judd over her mental health struggles and religious views, had she decided to run against Senator McConnell. Ms. Judd has since decided not to run. Source: McConnell secret tape: Liberal group blamed, but Ashley Judd still an issue … Continue reading It’s Time For You To Leave…..

Nonprofit hospital makes billions…

America’s hospitals have been growing. The bigger they get, the more power they have — to set prices and force insurers to pay more. Patients foot the bill via higher premiums, copays, and deductibles. It’s one factor behind the nation’s increasing health care costs…. According to an audited financial statement, UPMC made $948 million in profits from 2011-2012. And while tax returns show it spends just two percent of its yearly budget on charity care…. Jeffrey Romoff, makes almost $6 million a year. That makes him the highest paid CEO of any large nonprofit hospital in the U.S., according to … Continue reading Nonprofit hospital makes billions…

Just What Is Boredom….

I seem to talk about boredom pretty frequently on this blog but I have never tried to specify just what that means to me. So let’s do a little of that for this post.  As usual we will go to Wikipedia; here are some bits and pieces: Boredom is an emotional state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do… The first recorded use of the word boredom is in the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens, written in 1852 There are three types of boredom, all of which involve problems of engagement of attention. These include times when we are prevented from engaging in … Continue reading Just What Is Boredom….

A Bored Mind Is A Moody Mind….

The title of this post is a quote from a not very famous person but it has some deep meaning for me. Actually it is something I wrote in my personal journal about a year ago. :)  I often times like to look back to what I wrote about the previous year just to compare to where I am now. Last year I was just getting over some rather troubled times. I often wonder if I am living my life as fully and fruitfully as I desire. The feeling of a lack of personal accomplishment often drives me to various … Continue reading A Bored Mind Is A Moody Mind….

Mislabeling the Word of God – Red Letter Christians

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1, ESV The Bible is not the “Word of God.” It is inspired by the Holy Spirit. It contains words of God. It even talks about the Word of God… but it is still not THE Word of God. The Word of God is actually Jesus Christ. Not the words of Jesus, but Christ himself. This little misunderstanding has created a whole heap of confusion about the point Christianity and how we are to use Scripture in our lives. While I … Continue reading Mislabeling the Word of God – Red Letter Christians

Authorization for Use of Military Force: a blank check for war….

A handful of Democratic and Republican senators are considering a rewrite of 60 of the most consequential words to ever pass through Congress. The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed after the attacks of 11 September 2001, and provides the legal cornerstone for the so-called US “war on terror”. Only one brave Congress member opposed it. It allows the US government to wage war at anytime, any place and on anyone deemed a threat to national security – with remarkably little evidence needed. via Authorization for Use of Military Force: a blank check for war without end | … Continue reading Authorization for Use of Military Force: a blank check for war….

Hospital Billing Varies Wildly….

A hospital in Livingston, N.J., charged $70,712 on average to implant a pacemaker, while a hospital in nearby Rahway, N.J., charged $101,945.In Saint Augustine, Fla., one hospital typically billed nearly $40,000 to remove a gallbladder using minimally invasive surgery, while one in Orange Park, Fla., charged $91,000. In one hospital in Dallas, the average bill for treating simple pneumonia was $14,610, while another there charged over $38,000… Source: Hospital Billing Varies Wildly, U.S. Data Shows – NYTimes.com. I must admit that I have been lazy in regard to studying and reporting on how hospitals are at least partially responsible for the … Continue reading Hospital Billing Varies Wildly….

The Tipping Point…..

Scientific monitors reported that the gas had reached an average daily level that surpassed 400 parts per million — just an odometer moment in one sense, but also a sobering reminder that decades of efforts to bring human-produced emissions under control are faltering. The best available evidence suggests the amount of the gas in the air has not been this high for at least three million years, before humans evolved, and scientists believe the rise portends large changes in the climate and the level of the sea. “It symbolizes that so far we have failed miserably in tackling this problem,” … Continue reading The Tipping Point…..

Common People….

  Nobody wants to be called Common People, especially common people.” – Will Rogers, 21 June 1925 Let’s face it, no one likes to think that they are common. We all like to see ourselves as different from everyone else. As teenagers we spend an inordinate amount to time to make ourselves different. So much so that teenagers all end up being pretty common. :) About the worst insult you can give anyone is to call them common.  Many of us refuse to believe in statistical analysis that can show in advance what we think or who we will vote … Continue reading Common People….

Five Reasons Christian Parents “Lose” Their Children

Here are the five greatest reasons parents “lose” their children from Christianity: 1) Falling into the temptation of using religion to control their children through guilt and shame. — “Jesus is watching you!” Even the best parents can find themselves wanting some divine backup in a conflict with their children. However, using God for intimidation in a conflict with children has two major issues. First, it means children are associating God as “against them.” Second, it means that the parent is not building a personal relationship of trust with the child. 2) The parents seem to be afraid of the world, … Continue reading Five Reasons Christian Parents “Lose” Their Children

Jesus Was A Radical…..

Jesus says some stuff in the inaugural speech of his ministry that really upsets the status quo of both the religious and non-religious.  In essence, he says, “If you are to follow me as King of this newly inaugurated Kingdom of God, you will need to start loving your enemies as much as yourself.  You will need to start getting creative in how you deal with your oppressors in order to choose the way of love and reconciliation rather than the way of revenge and contempt.  In fact, when you live as peacemakers, you best reflect what it looks like … Continue reading Jesus Was A Radical…..

Being Made Irrelevant….

China’s leaders never tire of saying it: Asian giants India and Chin What would happen if countries in the same region started to trust each other? What would happen if they made in a priority to do  business together and to act in their self interests?  What would happen if they decided to try to solve the regions problem among them selves?  Those are questions that should strike fear in all the power brokers in Washington and elsewhere in our country. China and India are regional neighbors who collectively have 2,700,000,000 people or about ten times the population of the … Continue reading Being Made Irrelevant….