This is an interesting quiz that is said to melt down politics to its essentials. They say over 22 million people have taken the quiz. I showed it above with my answers tagged. Can you guess where I ended up in the spectrum. Liberal you say?? You betcha….. To take the quiz yourself just click on the image above… Continue reading A Political Quiz…
Dresden OH – Longaberger Basket Factory Who doesn’t need a basket once in a while. The Longaberger basket factory has been in Dresden for over one-hundred years and they make a very “American” basket. It is nice to see somethings … Continue reading Who Doesn't Need A Basket…
I want to bring over a slightly edited archive post from one of my other blogs at RedLetterLiving.net for this Sunday’s post. It is from March 13. I’m not sure who brought up the concept but it is about how churches are actually more like clubhouses than anything else. They are buildings that are built almost exclusively for their members comfort. Yes that comfort does bring in some to hear the message but that seems to be very secondary at best. I had a recent round of comments on this topic and it stirred up some heated words. It seems … Continue reading Everyone Needs A Clubhouse….
We spent a morning during our recent visit to NYC at the 911 Memorial. The original estimated cost of the facility was about $1 trillion but was eventually cut to $500 million. Like the Vietnam memorial the reflecting pools with all the names are soberly impressive. The new towers themselves are nice but not nearly as big as the WTC was. Except for the ticketing area the museum is totally below ground and it is BIG. It takes several hours to just manage the path through it. I heard that it was designed by committee and since they couldn’t decide … Continue reading NYC – 911 Memorial….
Pittsburgh PA – A real steelworker town Pittsburgh Pennsylvania is a town with its own unique character. The three rivers area when we visited there was not as clean or sophisticated as many other cities in the region but it … Continue reading A Rough and Gutsy Town…
Sometimes it takes a huge loss to remind you what you care about the most. Many of us, probably most, go about the humdrum of our daily lives without even realizing what is, or at least should be, important to us. We are just too used to trudging through the work week and looking to the weekend for some relief. And then comes that event that changes everything and shocks us back to show us what is important. In my college years I made up a placard with the words “Remember the future comes but a day at a time.” … Continue reading Sometimes It Takes….
Grand Canyon AZ What is more America than the Grand Canyon. The only other possibility might be the Statue of Liberty but since it was made in France I think this one wins out. I was there in 2005 for … Continue reading What's More America Than…
“Party Politics is the most narrow minded occupation in the World.” – Will Rogers, 29 March 1925 It is sad to say that this is probably more true today than even in Will’s Day. But then again the Republicans in Will’s day were fighting just as hard against Social Security and the WPA as they fight today against immigration, helping the poor and healthcare for all. So maybe nothing has really changed. Progress comes agonizingly slow when them GOPers have their fingers in the stew… Maybe not much faster with the Democrats but at least they do something… Continue reading Ain’t That The Truth….
Elnora IN – Annual Tractor Fest A common event in rural areas is the annual tractor exhibit. It seems everyone has an old tractor in their shed/barn/garage that they are working on and love to show their machine to everyone … Continue reading Old Time Tractors…
I laughed out loud. Couldn’t help it; I had just overheard Mr. Newport Beach say something about how Obamacare is an unmitigated disaster despite how, of course, it’s not, and if America were to somehow actually develop a health care system similar to, say, Canada’s, that would be the end of America for certain; we’d never recover from such a devastating blow. Or something. And then came the [president is the] “worst thing to ever happen” quip, and I couldn’t hold back They didn’t hear me, of course; the orgasmic thrum of their perfect lives drowned out my chuckle, and … Continue reading The Worst President Ever….
Apple and IBM are teaming up to bring iPhones and iPads to business customers, the two companies said in a surprise announcement Tuesday. In a wide-ranging partnership, the two tech giants that were bitter rivals for decades will create a suite of apps and services aimed at enterprise clients…. “For the first time ever we’re putting IBM’s renowned big data analytics at iOS users’ fingertips, which opens up a large market opportunity for Apple,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “We are delighted to be teaming with Apple, whose innovations have transformed our lives in ways we take … Continue reading Bitter Rivals….
Lexington KY – Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill I took this picture on my first visit to Pleasant Hill almost twenty years ago. It is a place at the very top of the center dwelling used to store out of … Continue reading The Perfect Picture….
Lexington KY – Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill The Shaker were all about symmetry. Everything was done in pairs. One side for women and the other for men. The other major characteristic was simplicity. They shunned away from adornment for … Continue reading Simplicity and Symmetry….
You want to be free. And as you start to feel that you are being corralled into a certain life, you kind of push against it. It may come out very strange, it may be interpreted wrong, but you’re trying to find out who you are.”….she lived with a deep fear of leading a “life half-lived.” “I realized that very young — that a life where you don’t live to your full potential, or you don’t experiment, or you’re afraid, or you hesitate, or there are things you know you should do but you just don’t get around to them, … Continue reading A Life Half Lived….
Lexington KY… Shake Village of Pleasant Hill One of my favorite places to visit. Shaker lives and their furniture style has influenced much in my life. If you want to get away for a very peaceful time stay at one … Continue reading A Peaceful Place For a Hectic Life…
We’re okay with accepting Jesus as our Savior, but we’re not so sure we want to follow him as our Lord because that might make things a little uncomfortable for us. Perhaps like many things in life it may not be what we want, but it’s exactly what we need. What I find heartbreaking is when pastors, priests and ministers don’t want to talk to their congregations about what Jesus actually taught because it might offend people who have relatives in the military. They’re often afraid to say anything that will result in a decrease in attendance or offering and … Continue reading A One Sided Coin….
Central Park in New York City has a strangle hold on my wife. It is the primary reason for adding NYC to her bucket list and therefore our recent visit. The first one here is one I snagged off the Internet, the rest are mine. The pictures were taken on a Sunday afternoon, perhaps the busiest time. Continue reading NYC – Central Park…
Due to these blurred role expectations for adults and children, grown-ups have become a dying breed in America. According to writer and speaker Robert Bly, one-third of adult Americans are actually half-adults. “We have become a nation of squabbling siblings. We have abandoned our children to day-care centers and our elders to old folks homes, while we, like Peter Pan, simply ‘won’t grow up.’” Bly describes a culture in which Americans tolerate no one above them and show no concern for anyone below them. John Powers of the Boston Globe has also bemoaned the fact that there are a lot … Continue reading Yin/Yang and American Culture…. Parent /Child Relationship
I had to clip this from a post of a friend on Facebook. One of the duties I didn’t know a husband had before I got married almost three decades ago was waiting for your wife. Shopping is just one of those areas where waiting is called for. When I go to a store I usually have a list of what I want. I find those particular things and then am ready to check out. My wife has a different strategy. She can spend 20 minutes looking at purses even though she has no need for a new one and … Continue reading Waiting For Wife….
The U.S. spends the most of any country on its health care system, and yet it ranked the lowest out of 11 industrialized nations in overall healthcare quality, according to a report published Monday by the Commonwealth Fund.The report, which covered the years 2011-2013, compared more than 80 indicators of U.S. health care spending, quality and performance to the likes of Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and Sweden, among other developed nations. The UK, which was ranked highest, blew the U.S. out of the water, despite the fact that the country spends less than half as … Continue reading US continues its losing streak in health care quality comparison
Americans tend to score poorly on financial literacy tests, but it’s not entirely their fault: School systems don’t generally require personal finance classes, and many parents feel ill-equipped to pass on big lessons about spending, saving and investing to their kids. Here are ten basic tenants you should know in order to navigate today’s financial world: You have to earn more than you spend. SOURCE: 10 Things Everyone Should Know About Money – Yahoo News. When I was in high school many decades ago we had various life skills courses that we were expected to take. I don’t specifically remember … Continue reading Personal Finance Classes???
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 