“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…

Having only a high school degree means a future of $15 bucks an hour or below. But only a quarter of students who enter community colleges actually graduate (the rates are only slightly better at 4 year schools). Meanwhile, many of them that do graduate have skills that aren’t suited to the jobs they’ll actually need. We’re graduating too many sports marketing experts, and not enough web programmers, and so on. SOURCE:  Foroohar: To Compete, America Needs 6-Year High Schools | TIME.com. Let’s face it having a high school diploma just doesn’t mean much anymore. I don’t know if that … Continue reading 6-Year High Schools….

We must recognize that Jesus’ life and teachings have no resemblance to the lifestyles we have set for ourselves. So we can go on using his name and ignoring his message . . . or we could start calling ourselves something different . . . or we could practice squeezing ourselves through the eye of a needle . . . or we could do the really hard thing – earn the label we have been wearing and heed his call. SOURCE:  Kathy Vestal: I Tithe…but should it go to my local church? | Red Letter Christians. Continue reading Heeding His Call….

Jesus Avoided Theological Certainty Within the New Testament, the people Jesus seemingly condemns the strongest — and most frequently — are the ones who have the greatest amount of theological certainty — the Pharisees. The spiritual leaders, the most prestigious religious institutions of the their day, the ones who were the most confident, the most sure and vocal about theology, were flat our wrong — and Jesus called them out on it. This should be a warning to us all. Much of Jesus\’ teaching was confusing, complex, and often created more questions than answers, and that\’s OK. Even His own … Continue reading Theological Certainty…..

I seem to be busy with other things right now so will see you later. I am currently off doing research for my new blog In Search Of America. Some call it vacation, I call it research :) Continue reading Busy Right Now….

I just needed permission to say ENOUGH! – ENOUGH to the frenzied rush to buy stuff for people who already have everything.”Enough to the myth that happiness must be purchased. Enough to an economy that is awarding CEOs salaries 500 times that of their workers and still manages to seduce people in poverty and wealth alike to give more money to these predatorial corporations. Enough to the American dream that now consumes over 40 percent of the world’s stuff with less than 6 percent of the world’s resources. Enough to a dream that would need four more planets if the … Continue reading Buy Nothing Day – Enough is Enough…

One of my neighbors is just an old-school type of guy. He continues to burn off the leaves around his house instead of composting them or using some other more environmentally friendly method of disposing them.  In many ways he continues to hang on to the ways of the past. He is radically conservative anti-Obama in a very Red State so he fits quite nicely in his environs; much more so than I do.  We seldom agree on things of a political nature. But…. despite our political, and often environmental, differences we continue to be good neighbors and pretty good … Continue reading Old School….

On the Senate floor Tuesday, Elizabeth Warren argued for the need to strengthen Social Security benefits, now that cuts to the program seem more likely. “With tens of millions of people more financially stressed as they approach retirement, with more and more people left out of the private retirement security system, and with the economic security of our families unraveling, Social Security is rapidly becoming the only lifeline that millions of seniors have to keep their heads above water,” Warren said. “And yet, instead of taking on the retirement crisis, instead of strengthening Social Security, some in Washington are actually fighting … Continue reading Run Elizabeth, Run….

This came in a calendar from my new friends over at Union for Concerned Scientists. I just gave them a donation.. Continue reading It’s Called Science……

Be forewarned that in this post I am attempting in some meager way to come to the defense of the Republican party that I seem to rail against so frequently. It is a mistake to link the current right-wing ideologues to the conservative movement or even the Republican party in general. They are not the same. The core of the Tea Party is libertarian in nature and focused on shutting down all forms of government and to destroy the American safety net that has been in place for the last century or so.  The conservative movement, of which in some … Continue reading Right Wing Ideologues And The Republican Party….

I often wonder just what has caused the gridlock that has dominated our national politics of the last few years.  Is the cause all those wing nuts that are now holding down seats in our congress? I want to believe that if we could just get rid of those guys everything might return to normal, whatever that is. But are those yahoos the cause or just a symptom of our problems? It is widely acknowledged that over 80% of both the Republican and Democratic members of congress are in safe districts. That is to say they they will get re-elected … Continue reading The Symptom Or The Cause????

In a country discouraged by last month’s health care rollout and corresponding widespread problems, Erin Kotecki Vest and her family are rejoicing. Obamacare will save them almost $19,000 each year. “When the president says no family should lose their home because someone got sick, no family should go bankrupt because somebody got sick, that is us. That is absolutely us.”  SOURCE: Obamacare to save family $18,900 | MSNBC. Continue reading Obamacare, What Is Seldom Heard….

I admit that I find the gospel of partnering with God for the healing of the world much, much harder than the gospel of God loves you and wants to give you a ticket to heaven. It’s harder emotionally, physically, financially, socially and culturally. It’s tiring. Without the Holy Spirit, without worship, without community I’d give up and go back to that old gospel. It was easier in those days, for sure. It was easier when it was about me and my blessing, my healing, my salvation and inviting other people to enjoy my amazing new life. It was much … Continue reading The ‘Other Gospel’ was easier

Since the First Century, if not before, the choice of people of faith has been between empire approved institutions or the individual or tiny group quest for peace, justice and personal, if not cultural, transformation. Could any of us even begin to imagine how different European (and world) history would have been if, instead of massive armed hordes of Crusaders, Christianity had been represented on the world’s stage by a dozen or so St. Francises? SOURCE:  Morf Morford | Christianity, Empire, and a USS Mother Teresa? | Red Letter Christians. Continue reading Christianity, Empire, and a USS Mother Teresa?

The snapshot above was from a Time Magazine article about the 25 best inventions for 2013. Many of the inventions they noted were pretty frivolous in nature but not this one.  Of course we all should have expected that our current drone program is only the beginning. There are trillions of dollars more to be made by our military industrial complex before drones have run their course. This is just a logical next step.  Before long we will be able to kill thousands of our enemies, along with those deemed “collateral damage”, and still make it home for supper!! And … Continue reading A World Gone Mad???

Continue reading Playing Chess With A Pigeon….

War Crimes and Misdemeanors HEY PRESIDENT OBAMA: The Nobel Peace Prize committee is calling. They want their medal back. The coveted award, which many felt was premature, at best, when bestowed during the president’s first year in office, was seriously tarnished in the eyes of many by his escalation of the war in Afghanistan and other military endeavors. But Obama’s role in waging drone warfare—particularly in Pakistan and Yemen—has made a mockery of the prize that Alfred Nobel said should go to the person “who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations.” Obama’s drone … Continue reading No Flesh In The Game……

“No man can be condemned for owning a dog. In fact you admire him, ’cause as long he’s got a dog he’s got a friend, and the poorer he gets the better friend he has.” – Will Rogers, 8 May 1927 Wouldn’t it be nice if, in some ways, we were more like our canine friends. They don’t judge us on how much money we make or how many friends we have on FaceBook. They simply love us for who we are. It doesn’t matter that we might be physically or mentally impaired in one way or another, or even … Continue reading Man’s Best Friend…

Legislators in Mexico City, the largest city in North America, are preparing to push through certain measures that would decriminalize and regulate the consumption of marijuana in the Mexican capital, a move that may speed pot legalization elsewhere in the continent SOURCE:  North America’s Largest City Moves to Legalize Pot | TIME.com. I want to warn you up front that this post has no deep knowledge behind it.  I have not studied all the statistics and history of legalizing marijuana, nor do I have any personal experiences with it. I am only speaking from my knowledge of history and what … Continue reading Legalizing Pot….

REENSBORO, N.C. Police say one person has been shot at North Carolina A&T State University, prompting a brief campus lockdown. Greensboro Police Department said in a statement Saturday night that “one or more” suspects were firing guns near McCain Hall on campus when one of the rounds struck 21-year-old Divine Eatman. SOURCE: 1 shot at North Carolina A&T State University – CBS News. Lockdown is a term commonly used in our prison system to mean that all prisoners are to be in their locked cells. It usually occurs when some form of violence occurs within the prison facility. Sadly it is … Continue reading Lockdown……

They say it’s the little things that matter. All the little moments that make up our day to day lives. We never seem to appreciate them, nor do we seem to acknowledge the long and impossible road behind us. We rarely stare in the rear view mirror to see what we’ve accomplished so far. We rarely enjoy the ride. We want to get to the destination as fast as possible. We don’t want any dead ends, we don’t want hours and hours of endless nothing. But the thing is, life’s just a matter of perspective. We become who we think … Continue reading Day to day lives….

Continue reading That’s What It Should Be All About….

When the votes are tallied in Virginia’s race for governor on Tuesday, over 300,000 citizens will be missing from the voting rolls – including 20% of the state’s black population. The reason is not low turnout or voter ID, but a growing and often invisible barrier to voting that is upending elections around the country. Over 5 million Americans are barred from voting because they have criminal records, according to a report this year from the Sentencing Project. The crackdown on ballot access is so intense, a majority of states actually bar former convicts from voting even after they are … Continue reading Ex-felons face barriers to voting rights