Cleaner Minds….

What we need is cleaner minds and dirtier fingernails. – February 28, 1928  Will Rogers This quote came to mind recently while I was reading an article on the USA Today website. As usual the comments at the end of the article were 95% dissing either the author of the article, the content, or other commentors.  I seldom wander below the bottom of most articles for this reason but for this one I was inclined to put a comment there. It would have been a constructive criticism. But after a quick review of what was already there I decided my … Continue reading Cleaner Minds….

Future of Technology – Foldable electric car debuts in Europe

Source:  Future of Technology – Foldable electric car debuts in Europe. The concept is based on the electric CityCar created by researchers at the MIT Media Lab, and commercialized by a consortium of automotive companies in the Basque region of Spain…. The MIT Media Lab envisions the cars finding a home in car-share programs where members drive any available ride around the city and parking at widely distributed charging stations.   The cars have a reported range of 100 km (62 miles) per charge, making them well suited for in-city driving in compact European cities already accustomed to small, fuel-efficient vehicles. … Continue reading Future of Technology – Foldable electric car debuts in Europe

Military Giants…..

The U.S. lately seems to have fallen into the logic that a massive and overwhelming military is necessary to maintain our country’s security.  History has proven that logic faulty again and again but we seem unable to learn that lesson.  Lets go back to David and Goliath. Goliath was the big military giant with all the current day military weapons and David was just a kid with a slingshot. We all know how that one ended. Let’s use that analogy and compare it to where we are today. If we take any other countries military capabilities and compare it to ours and … Continue reading Military Giants…..

The Happiness of Not Having Things….

“Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.”  – Elise Boulding The above words by Elise Boulding have a very deep and spiritual meaning to me. The very core of our capitalism here in the U.S. is about having things. Without our constant desire to have more than we have our very way of life would be … Continue reading The Happiness of Not Having Things….

The best God joke ever …

Source:  The best God joke ever – and its mine! | Stage | The Guardian. Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Dont do it!” He said, “Nobody loves me.” I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?” He said, “A Christian.” I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?” He said, “Protestant.” I said, “Me, too! What franchise?” He said, “Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?” He said, “Northern Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative … Continue reading The best God joke ever …

The “Perfect” Job for Tomorrow..

There are all kinds of people around today who hand out advice on what jobs will be the most secure in today’s world environment. They say things like nursing  and such can’t be outsourced to another country. But there is now a trend to have surgeries performed in other countries for a fraction of the cost here in the U.S. so I’m not so sure that even nursing is a secure occupation for the future. But I think, if things continue on the way they are now, I have the absolute surest job for tomorrow. It doesn’t take a lot … Continue reading The “Perfect” Job for Tomorrow..

Pieces of a Puzzle….

I think I am freaking out with this puzzle stuff (ha)! First I started working jigsaw puzzles for pretty much the first time in my life and now I am seeing puzzle analogies all around me.  When I put the last piece of a recent jigsaw puzzle into place I thought of how it represents life in general. The world is really just one gigantic picture puzzle and all five billion of us on this earth right now are simply pieces that make up the current story.  Pieces come and go but the overall puzzle remains pretty much the same. … Continue reading Pieces of a Puzzle….

This is a Puzzle??

I never thought I would see the day I had a few weeks ago. What happened is a puzzle to me.  I never thought I would react the way I did.  Okay, I don’t want to make this into some big mystery (but I kinda did) so I will just come out and say it. My wife has gotten me into working picture puzzles. She has been doing that throughout our 25+ year marriage. She spends hours upon hours sitting at her hobby table working puzzles. She no longer considers anything less than 2,000 pieces to be a challenge.  I … Continue reading This is a Puzzle??

About James…

In order to make sure you are aware of who wrote one of the most important letters in the Christian Bible I deem it appropriate to make this post primarily about James, the brother of Jesus himself. Some may not realize the history of the person around which I have been quoting as inspiration.  Here is part of what Glo – The Bible for the Digital World says about him:  The author identifies himself as James ( 1:1 ); he was probably the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem council ( Ac 15 ). Four men in … Continue reading About James…

Early Christians and War….

During my extensive three-year study of Christianity one of the things I learned was that during the early years of Christianity when a Roman soldier wanted to be a Christian the first thing he had to do was to find a new occupation. Early Christians believed that the collected words of Jesus, their founder, and being a warrior were not compatible. There are many places in the Bible where Jesus commented about soldiers. The most prevalent one was “Those who live by the sword die by the sword”. Jesus just did not condone violence in those around him. I know there are … Continue reading Early Christians and War….

Daring ’em to Make Good…

We elect our Presidents, be they Republican or Democrat, then go home and start daring ’em to make good. – April 1, 1935  Will Rogers Sometimes I can really get down to that deep thinking. I mean the pure foundational stuff.  I think what Will said above is foundational stuff for a democracy. We elect our presidents and all the other people’s representative and then go home and dare them to get it right!  This worked pretty well for the first two centuries of our existence. There were a few duds during that period but generally the people we elected … Continue reading Daring ’em to Make Good…

Having Our Say…..

Behind me in my study is a twelve-foot wall of bookshelves containing many of the books I have read over the years. In order to make room for new ones I regularly clean out all the “technology” books that no longer have any significance. Since I am now back in the Macintosh fold all of the Windows books have been removed. During this latest round of cleaning up I came across a book I have read several times and will now read again. I don’t know if I have posted a recommended reading list here before but if I haven’t … Continue reading Having Our Say…..

Its Got To Come From Somewhere….

  The difference between the rich and the poor grows greater every year. Our distribution of wealth is getting more uneven all the time. A man can make a million and he is on every page in the morning. But it never tells who gave up that million he got. You can’t get money without taking it from someone.  – 1933 Will Rogers This is one of the most provocative quotes I have in my collection from Will Rogers. Given the statistics that show in the last ten years that the wealth of the 1%ers has more than doubled while … Continue reading Its Got To Come From Somewhere….

I Can Hear the Clock Ticking…….

  It seems that even though I am deaf I can loudly hear the clock of my life ticking away lately. For that reason I have started up yet another list. If you ask my wife she will tell you that I am first and foremost a “list keeper”. I have lists for so many things I need a list of my lists just to remember them all.  But this particular list may just prove to be the most important one I have made in a while. My latest list is entitled “Things to Do Before I Die”. I know the … Continue reading I Can Hear the Clock Ticking…….

James and the Battle Within…

  What causes fights and quarrels  among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle  within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill.  You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive,  because you ask with wrong motives,  that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.   These words are from the Epistle of James chapter 4.  James was thought to be the brother of Jesus so he probably knew him almost … Continue reading James and the Battle Within…

God Is….

I am by no means a sports fan but it was hard to not know about all the mania around Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos lately. There was much talk about how it was written that God had destined the Broncos to win the Superbowl this year.  The reason for this belief is that Tebow is a very visual Christian who is not afraid to show his faith in the public sphere. For that reason many Christians have latched onto him. He, not the preachers or theologians, seems to be the rock star of Christianity lately. In this country … Continue reading God Is….

Defining Evangelicals…

I have had a Sojourners membership for a number of years now and enjoy the monthly magazine. One reason is that it shows me that I am not alone out there in believing what I do about Christianity.  Jim Wallis, who is the editor-in-chief of the magazine always has an editorial at the beginning of each issue.  This month is was about how the word “evangelical” means to the world in general.  In the editorial Jim opens with the following words: Here we go again. Presidential elections are coming, and the role of ‘evangelicals’ is predictably becoming a hot political … Continue reading Defining Evangelicals…

U.S. drinking is up, but …

Source: U.S. drinking is up, but tastes, norms vary – USATODAY.com. Consumption of alcohol hit a 25-year high in 2010, when 67% of Americans reported drinking alcoholic beverages, according to a Gallup poll. That’s a level unseen since the late 1970s, when 71% of Americans said they drank. I could have told people this condition years ago. Yeah people want to drown their sorrows when things get bad and the last ten years have been pretty bad at least to those of us who don’t have $million accounts.  Just before I turn down my country road I pass “Skidrow  Bar & … Continue reading U.S. drinking is up, but …