Not Your City Slicker Lawn…

I guess it is officially Spring now as all the country yard flowers and in full bloom. Now I know all you city slickers out there call my flowers as shown here weeds but you got to get over that idea. ;)  God just didn’t intend that only one variety of his creation was to appear on your front yard.  But I do have to admit that my wife gets on me from time to time about how our lawn seems to have everything but grass growing on it. Living in the country means putting up with all the critters … Continue reading Not Your City Slicker Lawn…

The Times They Are A Changing….

Come gather ’round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’ Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won’t come again And don’t speak too soon For the wheel’s still in spin And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’ For the loser now will be later to win For … Continue reading The Times They Are A Changing….

Millennials: Anti-Social, Selfish, & Afraid?

We are a generation that is able to pick and choose the best ideas and aspects from many different groups and systems and embrace them in our own lives and thinking. And this has never been a possibility for any other generation in the history of humankind. This does make us a generally skeptical generation. We don’t just drink the Kool Aid. That doesn’t mean we lack commitment to a community, but it does mean millennial communities will look radically different than those of previous generations. This doesn’t mean millennials are against structure, but rather against structures that dictate how … Continue reading Millennials: Anti-Social, Selfish, & Afraid?

Being A Christian…

We have made of Christianity a complicated, contradictory amalgamation of fear, fantasy, patriotism, self-justification and self-congratulations that would baffle anyone who knew the dusty Galilean founder. We can’t decide (or agree) if ‘being a Christian’ is something we do or have or believe. Most of us can’t even explain or define it to ourselves. But most of us do have the certainty that our religion is better than that other religion. And for many of us, our deepest faith is not in how true our faith is but in how false the other faith must be…. We are like the … Continue reading Being A Christian…

It Seems Obvious To Me…..

“As a result of [Supreme Court] rulings, the Second Amendment, which was adopted to protect the states from federal interference with their power to ensure that their militias were ‘well regulated,’ has given federal judges the ultimate power to determine the validity of state regulations of both civilian and militia-related uses of arms. That anomalous result can be avoided by adding five words to the text of the Second Amendment to make it unambiguously conform to the original intent of the draftsmen. As so amended, it would read: ‘A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free … Continue reading It Seems Obvious To Me…..

Anatomy of a bully

Home-grown bullies More than half of Americans believe incivility in our society is on the rise and expected to worsen in coming years, according to Weber Shandwick’s 2011 annual survey on incivility. The climate of unbridled rudeness is evident in politics, pop culture, music, media, big business, work, schools, and now, the internet – just about all aspects of our culture. And incivility breeds bullies. Among those surveyed, 65% believed overall incivility worsened with the recent financial crisis and recession. But, the seeds of incivility were sown in American history since before the Salem Witch Trials. American bullying is a … Continue reading Anatomy of a bully

Gun Silencers Are Suddenly Selling Like Hot Cakes…

The silencer buying frenzy is the second wave of gun-related purchases in the last two years. After the Newtown massacre, gun owners feared that a weapons ban would be enacted and rushed to buy assault rifles. Now that last year’s push for universal background checks has failed, gun owners have a lot of guns on their hands, and are outfitting them with gadgets including silencers, flashlights, laser scopes, stocks, pistol grips and rail systems. via Gun Silencers Are Suddenly Selling Like Hot Cakes | TIME.com. Now you can kill your neighbor without anyone hearing you. We can’t seem to get … Continue reading Gun Silencers Are Suddenly Selling Like Hot Cakes…

Along Racial Lines….

Republican proposals, such as cutting food stamps and assuming the guilt of minorities and the mentally ill who are in jail, appeal to the rich, he said. “Those kind of things just exalt the higher class, which is the whites, and they draw a subtle, but very effective racial line throughout the South,” Carter said. SOURCE: Jimmy Carter: Southern White Men Turn To The GOP Because Of ‘Race’. I think that Jimmy Carter and I have something in common. As we have gotten older we speak our minds more than when we were younger. To me it is kind of … Continue reading Along Racial Lines….

More Americans see middle class status slipping

WASHINGTON (AP) — A sense of belonging to the middle class occupies a cherished place in America. It conjures images of self-sufficient people with stable jobs and pleasant homes working toward prosperity. Yet nearly five years after the Great Recession ended, more people are coming to the painful realization that they’re no longer part of it. They are former professionals now stocking shelves at grocery stores, retirees struggling with rising costs and people working part-time jobs but desperate for full-time pay. Such setbacks have emerged in economic statistics for several years. Now they’re affecting how Americans think of themselves. SOURCE: … Continue reading More Americans see middle class status slipping

5 Tech Products That Will Be Dead in 5 Years

Here are five tech products we predict will go the way of the dodo in the next half-decade. SOURCE:  5 Tech Products That Will Be Dead in 5 Years | TIME.com. It is amazing how quickly things, especially electronic things, change in today’s world. I can remember all the fury about moving to digital transmissions for television signals. There were many opponents to it when it was happening. But, as is the case for much of this type of progress now that it has happened we wonder why we waited so long. I am convinced that eventually the same thing … Continue reading 5 Tech Products That Will Be Dead in 5 Years

A Tale of Two Cities….

It’s known as one of the most exclusive places on earth, the home of the rich and spectacularly rich.  Orange County, Calif.’s, reputation only grew when the TV crews started rolling in several years ago. But “The Real Housewives of Orange County” and the teens of “Laguna Beach” failed to mention a major piece of the O.C. drama. The county is also among the top 10 in the U.S. for childhood food insecurity…. Along with the yacht clubs and average home prices of nearly $2 million in some spots, Orange County also has more than 150,000 children who don’t know … Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities….