You are what you do, not what you say… Continue reading Actions Speak….

Fine dining at Michelin-starred restaurants around the world can come at a price. But what you get for those high price tags (which can often be accompanied by sticker shock) are outstanding dining experiences that can take you to a castle in Switzerland or to an underwater culinary experience in the Maldives. From Japan to Europe to the Big Apple, luxe dining menus are often designed tasting courses paired with wines, which substantially adds to the consumer’s bottom line. SOURCE:  10 most expensive restaurants in the world. I guess there are people, especially the 1%er who don’t mind plunking down … Continue reading 10 most expensive restaurants in the world

  Are you a builder of walls or windmills? Continue reading Winds Of Change….

“Went down last night to a world’s championship wrestling match. Us movie actors are advised to go there by our producers so we can learn how to act. It was a fine show, everybody enjoyed it, but wrestling managements are overlooking an extra big revenue, for folks would pay even more to see them rehearse with each other before the match.” – Will Rogers, 25 July 1935 This quote brought back a very distant memory for me. I can recall with I was about ten years old watching my grandmother yelling at the very small TV screen in their living … Continue reading Rehearsing…

The one thing these old boys with a big navy are scared of, and that’s submarines. They are always claiming they are inhuman and not a civilized mode of warfare. It would be rather interesting to see published the names of weapons that are considered a pleasure to be shot by.    – Will Rogers, 30 April 1935 Of course submarines have been replaced by drones as being not civilized mode of warfare today.  At least that is what those who have been shot by drones say. Will was just not much of a fan of our war machine. I … Continue reading A Pleasure To Be Shot By….

I have readily admitted here that I am no snob about television. My wife and I usually watch a couple of hours of our favorite programs nightly. That is just how I relax  and let my brain cools down at the end of many days. We have a digital video recorder that records our favorite shows so we can watch them whenever we want. With the DVR I can speed through three minutes of commercials in about four seconds so I usually only get a very fleeting glimpse of all those advertisements. I have also recently discovered streaming video which is … Continue reading Viagra and the American Male…

 Who Are We to Judge the Poor? Americans are horrible savers. On average, we save less than 5% of all our earned income. Despite this, we routinely think of the poor as people who deserve their lowly status. “They squander their money away on drugs, alcohol, and bad habits!” is a common excuse for not giving anything directly to the poor. The truth is, we probably aren’t that much better with our resources. While we complain about the habits of the homeless, we go to the movies, buy new clothes, watch Netflix, eat junk food, and squander our income. The … Continue reading Helping The Poor – Reason 3

I see where it was 50 years ago this week that President Johnson declared “war on poverty”.  This resulted in many social justice issues being addressed. Among them were:  Social Security Act 1965 (Created Medicare and Medicaid) – July 19, 1965 Food Stamp Act of 1964- August 31, 1964 The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 which created the Community Action Program, Job Corps and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), centerpiece of the “war on poverty” – August 20, 1964 Elementary and Secondary Education Act – April 11, 1965 By today’s standard, which are pretty low indeed, it was remarkable … Continue reading War On Poverty… Solved…

Things are finally starting to thaw out here in the Midwest. The temperature actually got into the 20s yesterday and is supposed to break freezing today. But there is still much ice to contend with. As a matter of fact we now have a new lawn ornament in our front yard as a result of the ice. Here is the story behind that. Our neighbor from across the road knows that ice and I are a treacherous combination so she usually get our mail for us during these conditions. She is seventy-six years old but refuses to admit it. She … Continue reading The Big Thaw….

Cooking is one of my passions. I have always enjoyed it since I started cooking for my dad, brother and me at the age of ten years. Mom decided to look for greener pastures, which she found, and left us on our own.  I didn’t really know much about cooking so I learned as I went. Dad, growing up on a pig farm, knew how to make a pretty wicked pork chop and he learned how to make milk gravy on toast in the army during WWII. The soldiers called it “shit on the shingle” back then. (Like always I … Continue reading Its Own Real Estate….

The funny thing about Michael Galinsky’s photographs of malls, taken during a road trip across the U.S. in the winter of 1989, is not the feathered and hair-sprayed hair, the pleated and pegged jeans, the high-tops and acid wash, the puffy chests in too-small or over-sized tank tops. It’s not the whiff of Mrs. Field’s cookies, Orange Julius, and Chick-fil-A waffle fries. It’s not the fluorescent lights and pained efforts to bring the outdoors in: rubber plants, umbrellas hovering in food courts, faux snow fluffed, not falling, over Christmas scenes. That dusty, dim glow. The funny thing is, looking at … Continue reading Flashback to the Timeless Malls of the 1980s…

“No man has had a happier life than I have led; a happier life in every way.” -President Theodore Roosevelt On the 95th anniversary of your death, here is to you Teddy. You took on the 1% of your day and busted all the trusts that had taken over the country. You brought some sanity back to the capitalist system. If only we could clone you today…. Continue reading Here Is To You Teddy…

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This map shows just how far down this cold weather goes today.  We are at -14 right now with a wind chill of -40! Our neighbors across the road power went down yesterday and it is still out but ours was OK, thank the Lord. They moved in with family in town. The lady next to them also lost power; she will be our guest for the next few days until sanity returns.. These are the rare times when it is dangerous for us senior citizens to be living in the countryside. I hope all my other neighbors are … Continue reading COLD!!!!!

I don’t pretend to know Shane Claiborne on a personal level but he is one of my heroes in life because he lives his faith instead of just saying the words. I have been inspired and encouraged by all of this books. I embrace more of his beliefs than almost anyone I can think of. When I came across his “14 hopes for 2014” I found a some more to add to my list. Here they are: SQUASH NEGATIVITY.  I commit to shut down murmuring and cynicism and gossip and slander and all forms of passive aggression (even on the … Continue reading New Years Resolutions I Share With Shane….

It is uncomfortable for us to welcome different people in our lives. We have to not only deal with learning new things, new ideas, and new patterns of behavior but we also have to deal with our own fears, insecurities, and prejudices. That is why is so much easier to justify distancing ourselves from other people under pretence that they are just “bad.” Our “God Box” Is Shaped According to the People Who Make Us Feel Good When life gets messy, hard, or lonely we tend to go through “religious change.” When our original religious views and “God box” no … Continue reading Using The God Box to Keep People Out

I don’t know about where you are at but we are getting ready for a wallapoluzza here in Indiana.  Snow and -15 degree temps following!!  I am hunkering down with my posts-to-write list and a few picture puzzles. Now if my electricity and internet connection don’t go out I am ready. BTW… The title above is the State song. Here is hoping that it is better where you are. Continue reading Back Home Again In Indiana…

Happy New Year 2014 Lets get the baby started and pray for the best. Continue reading Happy New Years!!!

To all my nonbelieving, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity. SOURCE:  What if Jesus Meant All That Stuff? – Red Letter Christians. Just a quick note to all my Christian friends out there and even the ones who are not, I impeach you to click on … Continue reading A Good Way To Finish Off the Year…

    Continue reading It’s About Time….

“Area 10 basically serves clients who, for whatever reason, are really struggling to age successfully or live successfully in their homes. We provide them with the support and service they need in order to live comfortable and safe lives at home,” she began. “We serve older adults and people with disabilities in Owen County, our youngest client is six and our oldest client in Owen County is 95. We have literally hundreds of clients in Owen County.” SOURCE:  Area 10 Looking To Continue …. I don’t know what it is called in your area but I’m pretty sure you also have … Continue reading Agency on Aging….

  For all you Baby Boomers out there be sure to tune into the next episode of American Experience entitled 1964. See a You-Tube preview here.  It airs on January 14 on most PBS stations.   Continue reading For All You Baby Boomers….

1)      Jesus Calls Us to Help the Poor Jesus wants us to help the poor—without qualifications! He doesn’t command us to help just the responsible poor, the Christian poor, the likeable poor, the sober poor, or the hardworking poor, He calls us to love and help everyone—no matter what! I t’s amazing how we’re quick to recognize that God loves us unequivocally, that His grace covers all of our sins, and yet we put so many stipulations on helping the poor. If we accept God’s infinite mercy in our lives but refuse to pass it along to others—whether we think … Continue reading Helping The Poor – Reason 1

Given all the snow, ice, and sub-freezing temperatures lately it is hard to get my mind around today being the first day of winter!  Was all that really Fall??  I kind of think it has something to do with global warming screwing up all the atmospheric condition of the world. But, I am not a climatologist so what do I know? I always have mixed feelings about living in a northern State and having to face some pretty severe weather conditions. I often dream of being somewhere where is it warm instead of freezing my ### off. But then again … Continue reading Today Winter Begins……

In psychology and logic, rationalization (also known as making excuses) is a defense mechanism in which perceived controversial behaviors or feelings are logically justified and explained in a rational or logical manner in order to avoid any true explanation, and are made consciously tolerable – or even admirable and superior – by plausible means. Rationalization encourages irrational or unacceptable behavior, motives, or feelings and often involves ad hoc hypothesizing. This process ranges from fully conscious (e.g. to present an external defense against ridicule from others) to mostly subconscious (e.g. to create a block against internal feelings of guilt). People rationalize … Continue reading Rationalization (making excuses) ….

A slew of reports over the last two weeks detailing cases of U.S. armed drones killing civilians signaled a new wave of outrage over the unregulated use of drones by the U.S. There was one report from the United Nations, another from Human Rights Watch, and one from Amnesty International. The uproar—and the sense that Washington has done little to make more transparent its use of drones—culminated in a debate Friday at the UN. But a parallel movement has emerged to make sure that a different and perhaps more terrifying technology never makes it this far. The Campaign to Stop … Continue reading The Campaign to Kill Killer Robots Gains Steam…

  Being highly influenced by the Quaker faith I throughly believe in the “light of God in every person”. No one’s life should be considered less than other. We need to quit calling taking innocent lives as “collateral damage” and call it what it is….. Continue reading Some Lives Matter Less Than Others…..

  As she is currently in my Inspiration Hall of Fame I must admit that Elizabeth Warren inspires me. She seems to really care about all the people instead of just the biggest donors. She says things that need to be said but are just too bold for many to say. I see where the Tyco CEO who was convicted of looting billions from his company is soon to be out on parole. I also know that there are millions who will spend the rest of their lives behind bars because they had a little too much cocaine in their … Continue reading Fundamentally Wrong…