The Latest GOP Debate
This editorial cartoon sums it up for me. I’m not crazy about Hillary but she certainly beats all the GOP alternatives right now. Continue reading The Latest GOP Debate
Life in Bronze…
I want to re-visit an institution in Omaha Nebraska that we visited in 2012. This time with a focus on the many bronzes they have throughout the museum. The building was originally the passenger train depot for the city and all the bronzes show the activity as it probably was 80 years ago. Click on any of the pictures below to see an enlarged slideshow view. Continue reading Life in Bronze…
Merging Two Media Events…. Halarious
Thanks Gary Varel for making my morning…LOL… Continue reading Merging Two Media Events…. Halarious
Great Sand Dunes NP
Just a quick post to give you a shot of the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. We visited there in the Spring. One of my regrets for that vacation is that we didn’t spend the night there to see the Milky Way. It is supposed to be fantastic. Continue reading Great Sand Dunes NP
House On The Rock…
As mentioned in the text on Wiki about House on the Rock, it probably is not well known outside of the Midwest. I have visited there on two occasions years apart and was equally amazed by the place each time. Here is a little about the story of its creator the house. The House on the Rock, originally opened in 1959, is a complex of architecturally unique rooms, streets, gardens and shops designed by Alex Jordan, Jr. It is located north of Dodgeville, a city in Iowa County, south of Spring Green, Wisconsin and is a regional tourist attraction…. Both … Continue reading House On The Rock…
GDL…
I was browsing through my photo archive and decided to pull out some pics from my Guadalajara Mexico trip of twenty years ago. (how could it be that long ago!!; seems almost like yesterday). I spent quite a lot of time there in the 1990s on business. The “America” in the category is not just the United States but also includes Canada and Mexico. I love both of those countries as well as my own. I did it a little differently this time as I added some captions to indicate why I picked these particular pictures. As usual click on … Continue reading GDL…
Strengthening marriage?
A lot of Americans believe quite deeply that many of our societal and economic ills can be traced back to the crumbling institution of marriage. But even if you take that as an article of faith, “fixing” marriage is a problem with no ready solution…. Source: Can America really ‘strengthen marriage’?. I admit I was drawn more to this article because of the graphic above than its subject but once I started reading I found that it appears no one really knows how to fix marriage. Not the Conservatives, not the progressives. To many of our millennials and beyond it … Continue reading Strengthening marriage?
The Christmas Story…. Of Fear
Before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the angels proclaimed “peace on earth, good will to all people.” We imagine the scene as a silent night–all calm, all bright. But Matthew’s gospel tells a different story. A paranoid puppet king commit outrageous acts of terror when he heard rumors of Jesus’ birth. A hit was put out on every boy under the age of two. In a world ruled by people like Herrod, all was not calm. All was not bright. Folks kept their heads down in darkness, praying to make it through. Mary and Joseph were afraid, and for good … Continue reading The Christmas Story…. Of Fear
And The Difference Is…
Des Moines Creativity
I love the colorful circles outside the planetarium in Des Moines. They are very creative. But I am most attracted to architectural features like the inside of the dome. There is just something about architectural symmetry that draws me in. Continue reading Des Moines Creativity
Making Sense of Change…
When I came across the quote above I knew nothing of Alan W. Watts. But, as usual I got on Wiki to learn more. This guy was quite a character in life. It just seemed that once he was doing something for any extended period of time he got bored with it an moved on to something else. It seems he re-invented himself a dozen times in his 58 years of life. Here is a quote from one of the reviewers of his autobiography In My Own Way on Amazon. Early on, he set out to be an independent intellectual, … Continue reading Making Sense of Change…
Judging The Past By The Criteria Of The Present..
I saw a short snippet on the PBS Newshour a while ago about a drive to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name for several Princeton building because of his not rejecting racism strongly enough in his times. This is very much in line with my latest favorite words found in the title of this post. It is easy to look to the past with the wisdom of hindsight but in my mind it is simply not valid to do that. For you sports nuts out there this is often called “Monday morning quarterbacking”. It easy to see problems when you take them … Continue reading Judging The Past By The Criteria Of The Present..
Which Came First??
“Which came first, the chicken or the egg??” has been the question of the day for as long as I remember. But I have a different version now. Which came first a ranting populace or radical right radio?? Lets look at that question some in this post. I know that Rush Limbaugh has been around a long time now. He has made millions of bucks ranting about almost everything. I also know that there is a faction within our population who simply adore him and listen to him constantly. He is without a doubt their hero. He has been so … Continue reading Which Came First??
Good Guys With Guns???
“The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.” LaPierre and gun-rights advocates point to research that supports this argument, chiefly a 1994 study by Gary Kleck, a Florida State University criminologist. Based on a telephone survey of about 6,000 people, Kleck concluded that guns are used defensively to stop a range of crimes, from simple assault to burglary to rape, up to 2.5 million times a year. But other academics and statisticians have criticized Kleck’s conclusions, saying he relied on firearms owners’ self-reporting their defensive gun use — problematic … Continue reading Good Guys With Guns???
Looking Beyond Self…
Danforth’s new book argues that religion does have a place in politics, but in a different manner than we’ve seen in recent years. What’s missing in the modern political world, Danforth writes, is “the commitment to look beyond the self and serve the public good” — something encouraged by religion. Source: The positive role religion can play in politics | Minnesota Public Radio News For more than a decade, John Danforth, who is also an ordained Episcopal priest, has written extensively on the negative use of religion as a divisive force in American politics. Now he turns to the positive, … Continue reading Looking Beyond Self…
No Room In the Inn…
When Is ENOUGH, ENOUGH
The epidemic of gun violence in America has become the new normal. We can’t just blame it on the brokenness of the world, pray for peace, and move on, worried that anything more will be seen as politicizing tragedy. What is tragic is that those who have the ability to DO something about this crisis refuse to offer more than simplistic sentiments on Twitter before getting caught in a circular argument about our rights as Americans…. Tell your elected officials that while the NRA may give them a positive rating — and bankroll their campaigns — they’re failing the American … Continue reading When Is ENOUGH, ENOUGH
Why Are We Crippling Obamacare with Private Insurance Companies When Medicare Can Do The Job??
A threat by the nation’s largest health insurer to pull out of ObamaCare is a sign of the industry’s growing angst about the viability of the federal exchanges, sources close to the industry say. UnitedHealthcare’s warning sent new shockwaves across the healthcare sector after weeks of mounting anxiety among private insurers whose participation in the exchanges is critical to the viability of the president’s signature law. In the last month alone, insurers have learned that the Obama administration has significantly lowered its expectations for new customers and will have far fewer federal dollars to help cushion insurer losses. Source: New … Continue reading Why Are We Crippling Obamacare with Private Insurance Companies When Medicare Can Do The Job??
Troubled Souls….
Mr Cummings, who taught me English at school was an almost registered “Odd Man.” You could see even then, and I was about eleven when he taught me, that most of his conversations were with himself, which he engaged you in if you were in his room or class, but they were not quiet conversations. He was always urgent, engaged, non-conformist and anxious not to waste a breath on just getting by…. He made me realize that troubled people are often the bravest and most determined people you will meet. That for them to wake up and live an unexceptional … Continue reading Troubled Souls….
It’s Not About Race….
OK, I think the title probably got your attention. Maybe I should have said it is not totally or even mostly about race. Prejudices and discrimination in this country come from a myriad of sources. With this post I won’t try to convince you that any particular one is greater magnitude than the others but only that it exists on many different arenas. I will give you several different examples but will say that I believe there is one cause for most of it. It’s about physical differences and handicaps — As a deaf man for almost thirty years I … Continue reading It’s Not About Race….
To Be Old and Wise….
I have been playing around with the header of RJ’sCorner for a few days now. I hope at least a few of you guys notice the improvements. The saying above is new to the header. It is about wisdom and how it is only accomplished through years of experiencing the dichotomies of life. I am one who appreciates the wisdom of those who have lived a long time on this earth. They have probably experienced things that I have not. They have lessons to teach. One of my favorite books is Having Our Say – The Delaney Sister’ First 100 … Continue reading To Be Old and Wise….
RJ's Corner 