Yin/Yang And Creativity….

Many of the world’s greatest inventions are credited to Americans, from the telephone to the computer. Anesthesia, the miracle of painless surgery, is among the greatest gifts that American medicine has given to humanity. The invention of the safety device on passenger elevators by Elisha Otis in 1852 led to the construction of skyscrapers and encouraged metropolitan growth around the world. Nylon , the first man-made synthetic fiber, invented by the du Pont company, has forever changed the lives of people around the world. The impact of Bill Gates’ MS-DOS is not even measurable. Some attribute Americans’ genius to their … Continue reading Yin/Yang And Creativity….

Senate backs bill to improve health care for vets

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who drafted the bill with Sanders, called the bill “a beginning — not an end — to the efforts that must be taken” to address the crisis affecting veterans’ health care…. The Senate bill, like the House measure approved Tuesday, would let veterans facing long delays for appointments or living more than 40 miles from a VA facility choose to get care from non-agency providers for the next two years. Some veterans already get outside care, but the process is cumbersome and riddled with delays, veterans and their advocates say. SOURCE: Senate backs bill to improve … Continue reading Senate backs bill to improve health care for vets

Our National Anthem….

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? I don’t imagine there are many citizens of this country who don’t know the words above by heart. They are … Continue reading Our National Anthem….

How Did The Mostly "Empty" States Become States??

I have heard the statistic that the people in congress who represent less than 10% of the population are the ones who are stifling most of the legislative progress needed in this country.  I am thoroughly aligned with the concept of “The tyranny of the majority” where it is necessary to prevent the majority of people from doing substantial harm to a minority group simply by their majority status. But now it seems that we must fear the “tyranny of the minority”.  Did our founding fathers intend for so few of us to have so much control? I think not… … Continue reading How Did The Mostly "Empty" States Become States??

Those Words…

We ask all Republicans to come together to defeat extremist Hollywood liberal Allison Lundergan Grimes this fall.” SOURCE: Conservative Groups Spin a Loss in Kentucky Senate Primary – ABC News. I see where Mitch McConnell escaped the attempted siege of the Senate Minority leader recently. The words above are part of his victory speech. Even though this quote is about politics, this post is not in that vein but instead about the loaded words some choose to use in their rhetoric. With some people you can tell right up front what their worldview is all about with just a few … Continue reading Those Words…

Today I Celebrate…

Today I celebrate the anniversary of one of the major milestones in my life.  Forty four years ago as a young naive recently graduated engineer I left the Purdue University campus to take my place in the corporate world. It was a very different world back then than what it is now. Corporate Loyalty  – I would over the years become very loyal to the company brand. I wouldn’t think of going to a competitor even if doing so would save me a few bucks.  I was proudly part of an institution that valued my contributions. The 1970s were a … Continue reading Today I Celebrate…

NYC….

We will soon be off to another visit to New York City. It is on my wife’s bucket list to see the 911 Memorial and to visit Central Park one more time.  We lived in central New Jersey between 1996 and 2000. Over that time we made several visits escorting relatives into the city. Our last trip to the World Trade Center was in January 2000 when we ate at the “Windows to the World” restaurant at the top of one of the towers. I pulled some photos of WTC and Central Park out of our archive to commemorate our … Continue reading NYC….

VA Epilogue..

As an addendum to Monday’s post about VA hospitals I see where Senator John McCain and Senator Bernie Sanders have a bill before the Senate to allow veterans access to the Medicare system when they can’t get appointments with a VA hospital or live more than 40 miles from a facility. This could be the first step in actually accomplishing my proposal of merging the VA with Medicare and then of course eventually to single payer system.  At the least veterans should be able to choose which system they want to provide their healthcare. Who knows…. Maybe someday… Continue reading VA Epilogue..

The Yin/Yang Differences Between America And Asia – Dreams

Nothing is more distinctive than Americans’ disbelief in impossibilities. Every day Americans receive invitations to dream big dreams, and they give the traditional exuberant American answer, “Why not!” In contrast, many Asians believe that things happen as a result of fate: their success or failure in life, work, and marriage is determined by the year, month , date, hour, and place of their birth. Because they believe that their futures were laid out at birth, many people passively accept undesirable conditions rather than try to shape or alter their destinies. Interestingly, in Chinese, the word for destiny consists of two … Continue reading The Yin/Yang Differences Between America And Asia – Dreams

Want to Retire Early? Ditch the Middle-Class Mindset…

Meet the Johnsons, a family of five recently profiled by The Washington Post. The Johnsons live in Culpepper, Va., and bring in $90,000 per year — a full 55% above the median household income for the town. Based on this alone, you might think mom and dad are prime candidates to retire early. Then again, the family has to pay the bills. All three daughters have a computer in their room, the family shares a laptop and three iPads, satellite TV is available on three flat-screens throughout the house, and all family members except the youngest have a cellphone. Their … Continue reading Want to Retire Early? Ditch the Middle-Class Mindset…

VA Hospital Problems….

Shinseki reiterated other steps he’s taken, including putting the leadership at the Phoenix facility on leave and ordering a “nationwide audit of all other major VA health care facilities to ensure understanding of, and compliance with, our appointment policy.” Some question whether removing Shinseki would address the core problems at the VA or simply serve as a distraction for now.”Is him resigning going to get us to the bottom of the problem? Is it going to help us find out what’s really going on?,” asked House Speaker John Boehner, the chamber’s top Republican, adding that his answer so far was … Continue reading VA Hospital Problems….

Christianity is Political…

I am going to spend the next seven summer Sundays talking about one post from a fellow blogger. That blogger is Stephen Mattson. He is one of my favorite writers over at Red Letter Christians. He is a relatively young man who has wisdom way beyond his years. He is also able to express himself in plain and simple yet very effective words. I certainly admire him for that. The post I will be critiquing is entitled “7 Misconceptions about Christianity”. I believe these seven things are so endemic of what has happened to Christ’s church over my lifetime.  It … Continue reading Christianity is Political…

Fox News’s Old Viewership Is Getting Even Older

The New York Times took a look at the results for Bill O’Reilly’s show, which remains popular with overall audience of 2.1 million viewers. But in the key demographic, he averaged just 313,000 viewers, a small percentage of his overall pull. His show’s median viewer age is now 72.1, which is a high. That’s part of a trend. Fox News’s viewership is aging out of that key demographic, even as the overall median age of cable news viewers remains high SOURCE: Fox News’s Old Viewership Is Getting Even Older – Yahoo News. I’m sure that anyone who has read anything … Continue reading Fox News’s Old Viewership Is Getting Even Older

Yin and Yang – The Basic Charactistics….

    The above graphic gives a pretty simple view of yin and yang.  The characteristics on the left side are Yang and the right side Yin. As indicated a healthy balance is required for a happy life. Too much of either Yin or Yang is toxic. I must admit that I have modified this graph in that I removed the words Masculine and Feminine and replace them with Yin and Yang. In the Asian culture Yang is identified as male characteristics and Yin as female. Things are changing in that part of the world but it is still a … Continue reading Yin and Yang – The Basic Charactistics….