We all think we know what propaganda is but until I saw the show on PBS entitled “The Brain with Brian Eagleman” did I understand just how invasive it is. Propaganda allows us to do very dark things that we never imagined possible. Here is a quote from the episode “Why Do I Need You”. But there is a darker side. For every “in group” there is an “out group”. Dr. Eagleman’s labs  has show that belonging to an “in group” means that at an unconscious level our brains care less about members of the “out group. He journeys to … Continue reading Propaganda…

I can’t believe that we were on our honeymoon thirty years ago. We were both over forty and said by the time we reach our thirtieth anniversary we won’t even realize it as we will both be senile. Our 3oth will be here in a few weeks, we have less hair and more wrinkles and pounds but  we remember it as if it were yesterday… :) Continue reading I’m Dreaming About… Our Honeymoon

   Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite places to visit. I have been there on four separate occasions. If you want to get a hands-on view of early American history this is the place to get it. This picture was taken during my 1988 visit. I wonder what kind of men those boys grew up to be? Continue reading Colonial Williamsburg…

I took this picture about 30 years ago from the top of the Haleakalā Volcano in Maui Hawaii while on my honeymoon. It is the epitome of beauty to me. Almost surreal… I was a naive kid of 40 back then. It is amazing how much I have learned and continue to learn since… :) Continue reading Haleakalā Volcano

My friend over at the blog CountingDucks  gave me a mini-epiphany today with his latest post. When describing his grandparents he could have just as well described my wife and I. On occasion I wear my tee-shirt with the following words on it just to bug my wife.  “If a man says something and no women are around, is he still wrong!” Even after ten years it still raises a comment or two. I have to say up front here that I had very early life experience with the opposite sex. I didn’t really get into any serious relationship until … Continue reading The Mystery of Women…

Here I am about four weeks away from my visit to Disney World. Being on my bucket list I have high expectations for this visit. Our Magic Bands came in the mail today. These are wristwatch like  rf identifiers we will use for everything from getting into our hotel rooms and the parks to charging everything we buy there. It couldn’t be easier.  As usual they are of a very high quality. So far I have found that the folks of DW treat their customers exceptionally well. I know I am only one of the 50,000 or so people who … Continue reading Disney World Crowds..

  Being that I will soon be in Disney World so for whatever reason Jiminy Cricket popped up in my mind. For those of you who are younger than 60 or so maybe you need a refresher on who I am talking about. Jiminy Cricket was a inspirational character in the 1940 Disney film Pinocchio. Some say that was the epitome of animated films. It was about a puppet who wanted to be a real boy. I think I was maybe five or six when I saw it.  I had seen cartoons before in the theaters but since we didn’t … Continue reading When You Wish Upon A Star…

When I was in the corporate world for thirty years I frequently traveled by air. The first trips in 1970 were pleasant. The business traveler was king of the sky. But as the years progressed flying become more and more burdensome. My last business trip by air in 2000 was a pain-in-the…  In the fifteen years hence I have made very few trips to airports. Instead I now take road trips. Yeah, road trips might take a little longer, although with all the security stuff sometimes not. But if you really want to see just how wonderful and diverse this … Continue reading I’m Dreaming about Road Trips

Getting old it not for sissies!   This is a saying that all of us over 60 know well. You might say 70 or even 80 but eventually it becomes a reality for all of us. I often say that after I turned 60 my warranty expired as that is when physical things started to go wrong.  But that is not the topic for this post. Instead it is about the Joys of life and how they become more intense as we age. That might be a surprising statement to some but after I explain I suspect you will be … Continue reading As I Get Older…

Ewe, Me, and the Apple Tree The minute I saw this framed picture in the shop I knew I had to have it.  Its play on words and simplicity simply spoke to me.   :) Continue reading EWE, Me, and the Apple Tree

One of my hobbies (yeah I have many) is to take photos of group pictures from past generations I find in my travels and elsewhere. This one is from the Indiana Historical Society publication. The right side middle picture was taken in 1916. I enjoy zooming in on these type pictures and trying to imagine what one person’s life in that group was like. Getting the details for this has only been possible in the digital world for a few years now. it was not until picture capacity size exceeded 10 megabytes or so that minute details could be seen. … Continue reading Pictures of the Past..

We all have heroes that we admire in life. They have done some extraordinary things to merit our attention. One of my heroes is Thomas Jefferson. The words he penned during his life had a very distinct effect on how our country was formed. One of those things was his “abomination” for slavery. He knew it was a major flaw in his world. BUT… While Jefferson was appalled by slavery it did not reflect into actions. As the sign found in Monticello says he had 110 slaves on his estate and only freed two in his lifetime. He just didn’t … Continue reading About Our Heroes…

Oh the Good Ole Days…… Some are saying that W’s appearance at Jeb’s rally in South Carolina was the reason for his dismal showing there.   I guess I am not the only one with Bush fatigue…  We need to turn the page, however ugly it might get… Continue reading An Ounce of Truth

I have been a DirecTV customer for fifteen years now and have seen a lot of change, some of it even improvements, over the years. I am one of their loyal customers primarily because they have no competition in my neighborhood.  One of the new things they implemented in the latest update is if you have multiple episodes of a particular TV show recorded and you finish watching one they will automatically turn on the next episode if you don’t tell them otherwise within three seconds or so.  I have tried to tell them that I don’t want that option … Continue reading Binge Watching..

  Chan Lowe is one of my favorite editorial cartoonists. He just seems to know my mind and moods. Give me Spring flooding anytime….. Continue reading Winter’s Depression…

This is going to be one of my silly posts but with a foundation of seriousness. I know when I was in high school many years ago there was a clique system revolving around high school sports and physical prowess.  There were the jocks and then everyone else. The intellectuals just didn’t have much respect, especially among the girls. I was definitely in the nerd category even if it wasn’t defined as such back then. But then we nerds did have our own group even if it was not popular among the high school population as a whole. I wonder … Continue reading The Jock vs Nerds…. And The Nerds Won…