Category: XX – Everything Else

Misc things that sprout in my mind

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Simplify…

RJ Walters

The last few years the concept of simplicity has been a major theme for me.  I have spent much of the last year decluttering my life and all the stuff I have unnecessarily collected. That included a closet of clothes never worn in several years and a 30×60 foot barn with decades worth of accumulated junk. For some reason I now find it much more satisfying to live a cleaner life without so much stuff.  I don’t know if this is because I can see the end of the tunnel or if this has been a lifelong endeavor that is … Continue reading Simplify…

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I’m Dreaming Of Pittsburgh

RJ Walters

  When I came across these pictures in my database I began dreaming of Pittsburgh and particularly the Heinz Museum. Don’t miss it if you are in the area.  Pittsburgh is different from any other major city I have visited. It has a raw edge to it that is a legacy of it steel industry heritage. Click on any picture to see a larger slideshow. Continue reading I’m Dreaming Of Pittsburgh

Life On The Margins, XX - Everything ElseLeave a comment

Feminine vs Macho…

RJ Walters

   This is Part 2 of 10 of My Venture Into Asperger’s.  In my previous post I reported how I was a late-bloomer in the relationship field. This time I want to talk about feminine and ‘macho’ things. Even as a young child macho was a very negative trait to me.  Simply speaking I hated it.  I’m sure the word macho means different things to different people so to the right is the definition that I use. IN my mind macho is almost synonymous with being a bully. There is nothing manly about it. I knew being a boy I was supposed to be macho but the … Continue reading Feminine vs Macho…

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Stop Using Sign Language Interpreters…

RJ Walters

The title above may seem strange coming from a deaf man but I really do think we have to stop using sign language interpreters for public announcements.  Its time to move on to better ways. Way better ways… The facts show us that the ASL interpreters who are often behind a public official announcing something is understood by less that 20% of the people who are deaf and less than 2% of those who have hearing impairments.  But there is a technology that is understood by probably 90%+ of that population. That technology is captioning.  It is cheap, it is … Continue reading Stop Using Sign Language Interpreters…

Philosophical Thoughts, XX - Everything ElseLeave a comment

Teach theology, not religion

RJ Walters

The quotes below come from input from Irish high school students when asked about having religious studies in their school system. The wisdom of these kids’ words are way beyond their years. By giving all children the opportunity to learn about the beliefs and values of diverse groups in society, the government would be providing for their education in some of the liberal democratic values on which the State itself is based. They include openness to a range of views along with inclusive and respectful citizenship. MANUS CHARLETON Perhaps, as religion is one of the greatest causes of conflict in … Continue reading Teach theology, not religion

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Why Not A Trampoline??

RJ Walters

When George Bush  in 2000 said he was a “compassionate conservative”, my first thought was there is no such thing. But then after some thoughtful meditation I had to take back those words. I must admit that compassion, at least beyond a minimum level, seems to be pretty far away from most in the GOP. They seem to be much more concerned about the top 1% than the bottom 20%. Its been a while since I collected the quote below but I’m pretty sure it came from Jim Wallis at Sojourners just before he retired from that organization. When my … Continue reading Why Not A Trampoline??

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When You Think Of Indiana??

RJ Walters

   I know that most people from outside the Midwest probably can’t even put Indiana in the right place on the U.S. map.  But I think when asked “How would describe Indiana?” the answer many would give is that it is a cornfield with lights.  I admit that for the most part Indiana is kind of boring.  It doesn’t have an ocean or mighty mountains. But it does touch (barely) a Great Lake and the part where I reside is pretty hilly. On my recent uRV trip I took the quintessential picture of Indiana and thought it deserves its own … Continue reading When You Think Of Indiana??

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Congressional Pensions??

RJ Walters

When our founders set up our government their intention was that its citizens would come to the nation’s capital for a period of time  to contribute to the running of the people’s business and would then return to their normal lives.  Of course that is not what is happening today. There are way too many people  in our congress who are now collecting very lucrative pensions even after even relatively short terms in congress. There are those like Strom Thurmond, who have been there for decades and seem to want to die in office. John McCain first comes to mind … Continue reading Congressional Pensions??

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Welcome To Flat Rock…

RJ Walters

My latest micro-RV (uRV) trip was to Madison Indiana which is on the Ohio River east of Louisville. As usual I took county and state roads during my 400 mile trek. One of the towns that intrigued me was Flat Rock Indiana.  I’m sure it was once a thriving rural town in the area. There is a gravel pit near the town as the only traffic through the town while I was there were loaded dump trucks. (as usual click on any picture to see a larger view slideshow) I think there were still a few houses occupied in the … Continue reading Welcome To Flat Rock…

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The Next Step

RJ Walters

Amazon is growing in leaps and bounds so it just makes sense that they start their own air delivery system both big and small. In order to control costs end-to-end processes are required and that is just what Amazon is doing. I have been a pretty constant Amazon customer for the past 15 years or so.  I wish I could say that I have also been a stockholder for that period but this seems to be another example of lost opportunities for me.  :)  I simply like the convenience of getting what I need without gassing up the car and driving … Continue reading The Next Step

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Swiss Heritage Village – Berne Indiana

RJ Walters

  On one of my recent uRV trips to northeastern Indiana I visited the Swiss Heritage Village. It was recommended to me by the tourist information center in the city of Berne.  I was not aware that there was a strong Swiss presence in that part of the State. Here are some pictures of that visit. (Click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view) I felt very privileged that Phil Montgomery who is a docent at the village gave me a personal tour. The info about the area was very interesting and the buildings were well restored for their appropriate time … Continue reading Swiss Heritage Village – Berne Indiana

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Nothing New Under The Sun…

RJ Walters

I think the title above came from Solomon but for me it refers to my uRV (micro-RV).  I have spent the last couple of years putting stickers and saying on the camper cap. I think it looks pretty unique.   But then I ran across the following picture from the Nationa Museum of American History. I really didn’t think I was the first to put messages on my vehicle but didn’t know it had been done almost 200 years ago.  Kind of neat if you ask me. Continue reading Nothing New Under The Sun…

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We Have Come To The Point….

RJ Walters

Change, change, change… that seems to be our world today. While I for the most part embrace change I don’t like change simply for changes sake. That according to the source below seems to be almost where many are as technology consumers. dIn 1984 when PCs were first on the scene I quickly embraced the technology.  But I also quickly discovered that there were many things I wanted to do with the technology that were just not possible in those years.  The hardware was just too limiting to accomplish my dreams. As time went by computing power seemed to double  year … Continue reading We Have Come To The Point….

Life On The Margins, ReduxLeave a comment

Caught Between Two Worlds….

RJ Walters

This post is part of my continuing study of the Autism spectrum and particularly Asperger’s Syndrome. I am stuck between two worlds in my life.  I am a deaf man who lives almost exclusively in the hearing world but neither the hearing world or the deaf world considers me a homeboy.  I am seldom around other deaf people so I can’t speak for them but since almost 80% of us deafies are like me in that they went deaf later in life ways maybe I do.  One of my goals via this blog and a few other forums, is to help the … Continue reading Caught Between Two Worlds….

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Grand Ole Opry…

RJ Walters

 Country music has never been my friend but in 1012 when we were in the area we visited the Grand Old Opry, or at least the early version of if. It was fascinating to see this almost eighty year old building that had been the start of so many country and blue grass artists. Here are some pictures of that visit. As usual click on any picture to see a larger slideshow version. Since my mind can no longer wrap itself around the sound of musical instruments this media hasn’t much meaning to me anymore but this Nashville building was … Continue reading Grand Ole Opry…

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Managing Our Money…

RJ Walters

If I am known for anything here at RJsCorner is it my contrarian view of many things. Managing my money is one of them.  I know there are many blogs out their that strongly advise us to seek out financial planners to manage our money.  Supposedly they take a percentage of our assets each year in order to invest our money where it will get the highest earnings. I admit that for the seventeenth year of my retirement from the corporate world I have yet to use a financial planner.  One of the reasons is cited in the quote above. In the … Continue reading Managing Our Money…

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Perpetual Utterance of Self-Applause

RJ Walters

I love reading about the history of America and some of the best critiques come from outside our country. Two of my favorite quotes comes from the idea of the “Tyranny of the Majority”.  That is when the majority in our country tends to deny basic civil rights to various minority groups. Of course the most glaring one is slavery but there is also the murder of millions of native Americans during the conquest of their native lands. The term “Tyranny of the Majority” was widely employed in mid-nineteenth-century America in conjunction with a series of moral questions (Sabbath, temperance, racial equality) that … Continue reading Perpetual Utterance of Self-Applause

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About Brexit and the British.. And How We are NOT Like Them

RJ Walters

241 years ago we were part of the Great British Empire. We were loyal, although complaining, citizens. Then we chose to go our own way and eventually after a four year rebellion got our way. We still have common bonds with GB but we are also markedly different. One of the major differences is that we are a nation of immigrants and Great Britain is a nation embedded in aristocracy. We until recently have a classless nation. We don’t hold people in higher esteem just because of what name they have. America became known as the land of opportunity. A place where … Continue reading About Brexit and the British.. And How We are NOT Like Them