The “Great American Desert” as it was called at the time was opened up for settlement in 1862 by President Lincoln. The picture here was taken almost thirty years ago so I don’t really remember exactly where it was. Since … Continue reading Sod…
Fear is perhaps the most dominant emotion in our society today and it seems especially among white population in the southern States. Everyone outside that area recognizes that the “red” States are for the most part very conservative, rural, and fundamentalist Christian. When I came across this article over at Red Letter Christians it got my attention because it was from a woman who I would guess is from the South. She seems to genuinely want to help all southerners realize that much of their fears are not from themselves but from the lessons they have learned from those who came before … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Our Fears…
Borough of Manhattan, NYC I spent the better part of a week in Manhattan last year and took many pictures. This one is typical of most of them. This two by ten mile island is home to over 1.6 million … Continue reading Manhattan…
Of course this is my virtual desktop and not my physical one. Although they both represent my cluttered existence I guess. Chaos … Good News as far as complacency is concerned. Continue reading My Messy Desktop
By almost every measure, the Super Bowl is the single most popular sporting event in America today. More than 112 million people tuned in to last year’s game, making it the highest-rated television program of all time…. The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend more than $12 billion on food, drink, game-related merchandise, and electronics — including 7.5 million new televisions — for game day. In all, 1.2 billion chicken wings, 79 million pounds of guacamole, 32 million slices of pizza, and 11.2 million pounds of potato chips will be consumed on Feb. 1, and it will all be … Continue reading How the Super Bowl ate America
Multnomah Falls, Oregon There is something mesmerizing about watching a water falls. This one in Oregon is perhaps the highest in America. Continue reading Falling Water…
My wife and I watched a DVR copy of the recent TV movie entitled “Amish Grace” last night. This is the movie about the man who shot ten girls in an Amish school house a few years back and then took his own life. Six of the girls died. The main theme of the movie was about forgiveness and not letting hate overpower you. The Amish community in Pennsylvania where it happened quickly forgave the man who committed the act and even helped the family of the murderer cope with the tragedy. As I have mentioned in the past the … Continue reading If God is Love Where Does Hate Come From?
Lexington, KY – Shaker Village The “Tree of Life” is a well-known Shaker symbol created by Hannah Cohoon at the Hancock Village in 1845. It reminds me of the Bible verse about the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians). Continue reading Tree of Life…
I wonder what this structure has been during its life? Continue reading These Old Barns…
Yeah, as usual more guns are the answer…. but maybe the only one in this situation. ;) Thanks Chan Lowe for giving me a chuckle today Continue reading A Snippet Here, A Snippet There…
I recently read an article in my small town newspaper that our local library is getting ready to sell a $2,000,000 bond to increase and modernize its building space. This took me somewhat by surprise. In the age of budget cuts and downsizing it seemed strange that a library would get more funding when they say we don’t have enough to even fix our potholes on my county road. But then again bonds are something to be paid off in the future so the current public office holders don’t worry about them much. In this electronic age where Wikipedia is a couple … Continue reading More Money for the Library When There is not Enough to Fix Potholes??
Washington DC – Smithsonian What could be more American than the “Spirit of St. Louis”. Continue reading The Spirit…
You hear the weatherman talk about fronts all the time but I have never seen one as distinct as this one take in Ottawa Canada a few years ago. I wonder it is a northern exposure thing? Continue reading A Real Front…
Concierge care was originally conceived before Obamacare, and it revved up in response to the Great Recession as an escape hatch for doctors fleeing the status quo. The existing fee-for-service system pays caregivers a certain amount for each test, diagnosis and procedure–which, according to critics, encourages overtreatment instead of preventive wellness care. Qliance, along with a growing number of similar operations, aims to be more than an escape. It seeks to be the answer to the quest of health care reformers: healthier patients at a lower cost. Fix the way primary-care doctors are paid, the Blisses argue, and we can … Continue reading Cutting Out the Middle Man….
Youngstown, OH – Creativity Lets look at another pic from my Youngstown Historical Center visit. It isn’t immediately obvious what you are looking at so I will explain it. Working in the steel mills is dirty business so when the … Continue reading American Ingenuity..
Dearborn, MI – Hoosier Cabinet Indiana is known as the Hoosier State and the Hoosier Cabinet was once its most recognizable product. Hoosier cabinets were the baking center for many homes throughout the nation when bread was not readily available in … Continue reading Hoosier Cabinets…
This is a self-portrait of me and my hubby in downtown Louisville. It is untouched from the original Continue reading Self Portrait…
One of my resolutions for this year is to be more tolerant of other people’s beliefs. I do believe that Islam and those who follow it have a right to believe what they want about God. I also know that all the nuts out there today killing in the name of Islam are only using the religion as an excuse for rationalizing their ingrained hatred of so much of the world. I believe they no more represent the billions of Islamic followers than the KKK represents Christianity. But the problem with that is very much as shown in Paul Combs … Continue reading The Silence Is Deafening…
I see where the Greeks elected a new government this week to help them reduce austerity that was forced upon them by the European Union bailout. This reminded me of a book I read a few years ago entitled “Boomerang” by Michael Lewis. One chapter in the book was about Greece. The book is very enlightening and well written. Here are some selected snippets about Greece. The average government job pays almost three times the average private-sector job. The national railroad has annual revenues of 100 million euros against an annual wage bill of 400 million, plus 300 million euros … Continue reading About Those Greeks…
Jersey Shore, NJ When most people think of New Jersey that think of the mafia and gangsters but when people in the area think of it they think of the Jersey Shore. The State has done a good job of … Continue reading Jersey Shore…
Republican proponents insisted the new legislation would reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses and spur creation of new jobs. SOURCE: Houses passes bill easing rules regulating Wall Street – Yahoo News. I think every one of those GOPers in this new congress need to have the words above tattooed on their foreheads. Ok more realistically written on a Post-It note and stuck on the foreheads. I’m sure that mantra is going to be their reason for every bill they pass in the coming two years as it has been for the last couple of decades. But as usual there is … Continue reading Houses passes bill easing rules regulating Wall Street
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 