Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace with their children, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 30, 2013. Willem-Alexander is not only the monarch of the Netherlands but also the Dutch Caribbean territories of Curacao, Aruba and Saint Maarten. He holds several military titles but requested an honorable discharge. Source: Dutch Abdication: Willem-Alexander Becomes Europe’s Youngest Monarch | The Netherlands New King | TIME.com. I just can’t understand the allure of a monarchy but I know that many are infatuated with them.  My wife stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to see … Continue reading Monarchy……

Make your home more energy efficient. It could help reduce not only your utility bills, but also what you owe the IRS. You can make relatively easy and inexpensive upgrades, such as adding insulation or replacing leaky windows, and possibly receive a $500 tax credit on your 2013 tax return. More extensive — and expensive — alternative energy improvements will get you bigger tax breaks. These include installing solar energy, wind power, fuel cell or geothermal systems. Eligible home energy improvements in these areas could qualify for a tax credit equal to 30 percent of the cost, including installation, without … Continue reading Make home energy improvements….

I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. . . . It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government. – Thomas Jefferson  –Letter, 30 Jan. 1787, to statesman James Madison, speaking of Shays’ Rebellion They say that Shay’s Rebellion was one of the primary drivers for moving away from the weak Articles of Confederation to the U.S. Constitution a couple of years later.  Obviously Jefferson had some sympathies toward that rebellion. I don’t know much about that but I … Continue reading A Little Rebellion….

A century ago, people were dreaming of flying, trying and failing, falling on the ground. But why do people fall? Why do they continue to fight when all hope seems to be lost? I believe it is because it is in our nature to fight, to try to find something in the darkness of the things we do not understand, in the chaos that surrounds us…… Don’t over think it, don’t tell yourself what you are doing is more than what it is, don’t try to impress anyone. Don’t play it safe either. Simply write like yourself, and write exactly … Continue reading A Century Ago…

I was just out in the yard mowing my two and a half acres and started thinking about how I am more relaxed now that I have greatly reduced my diet of politics.  There is little that goes on in that world now that would spur anything other than frustrations. I have admitted that in 2008 I actively supported the candidacy of Barak Obama. His rhetoric was very inspiring to me. He gave me hope that he could affect the changes necessary to restore this country to some form of sanity. In the five years since that time I have … Continue reading Neither Party Deserves It….

Less than a week after the Supreme Court watered down the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a handful of states seemed poised to roll back the protections afforded to minorities by the 48-year-old law. Two hours after the decision, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced that a 2011 voter-ID law that federal courts found disproportionately burdened poor and minority voters would go into effect “immediately.” New redistricting maps, Abbott says, could swiftly follow. Source:  States Eye Voting Obstacles in Wake of High-Court Ruling | TIME.com. I am not really much of a Supreme Court watcher anymore but from what I know … Continue reading The Fox In Charge of the Hen House…

Whatever shape your world may take in the year 2000 A.D., we can all be fairly sure that it will be one world. Whether through war or through peace, the nations fifty years from now will have learned to enmesh their sovereignties into a single supreme authority. They will have learned to do so because, difficult as it may seem now, no other alternative exists. One world or none at all is the choice…. This trend toward world authority will be contested bitterly for many years, because national sovereignty is something all men cling to. But sooner or later a … Continue reading A 1950s View Of the World In 2000…

“A real self-made man would have to be one who had received no learning or knowledge, or assistance from any person or source.” – Will Rogers, 28 October 1923 I really appreciate your words here Will. There is really no such thing as a self made man.  I have run across so many people who proudly claim to be self made.  There is a definite whiff of arrogance in every one of them. There is even a car guy on cable that has those words tattooed on his fingers.  He proudly says he built his business totally on his own. … Continue reading Self Made…..

Excessive self-criticism tends to backfire, because it leads us to focus on our so-called failures instead of the “small ways that we could have improved,” says psychologist Tamar E. Chansky, PhD, author of Freeing Yourself From Anxiety. And over the long term, studies show, self trash-talk is associated with higher stress levels and even depression. Source:  9 Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic – ABC News. Being down on yourself is just a normal state for some and an occasional state for others. This seems especially true for  certain varieties of Christians who believe that all human beings are just … Continue reading Being Down On Yourself….

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Continue reading Happy July 4th…

In a Washington Post Op-Ed piece Wednesday, co-founder Mr. Zuckerberg wrote that today’s “economy is based primarily on knowledge and ideas – resources that are renewable…. In a knowledge economy, the most important resources are talented people.” Beyond helping to nudge the current debate, according to a statement released on Wednesday, the group’s goal is to “organize and engage the tech community in the issues where we can contribute to the national debate, on issues of vital importance to America’s ability to compete in the global knowledge economy.”… The country does not have enough skilled workers to fill industry’s needs, he says, and it sorely … Continue reading The Knowledge Economy….

But, virtually every night, I would also feel from those who came, along with that hunger, a very deep cynicism about social change even being possible. And when it came to Washington or Wall Street, the cynicism was overwhelming. Virtually no one trusts either our political system or marketplace to be fair, honest, moral, or even open to doing the right thing. Most Americans seem to believe that the primary institutions of our public life completely lack integrity. And sadly, that cynicism, for many, even extends to their churches or other religious institutions, which they don’t regard as playing an independent leadership role for … Continue reading Hitting the Nail on the Head….

Like other Republicans who have advocated a ‘bigger-tent’ philosophy for their party, US Senator Rand Paul says this doesn’t mean leaving behind strongly held principles Source: Rand Paul: ‘When Republican Party looks like the rest of America, we’ll win’ (+video) – CSMonitor.com. As any Madison Avenue type and he will tell you it is all about marketing. In other words you must show the masses what they want or what you want them to believe; they don’t have a clue themselves. I must admit that if you ignore much of Rand Paul’s libertarian philosophies about shutting down government he says things that … Continue reading Its All About Marketing….

  “You see a Republican moves slowly. They are what we call conservatives. A conservative is a man who has plenty of money and doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t always have plenty of money. A Democrat is a fellow who never had any, but doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t have some.” – Will Rogers, 26 March 1933 Will certainly had it right about things of politics in his day and it is almost weird that the same hold true eighty years later.  The rich continue to get richer and the poor are almost exponentially increase month … Continue reading Republicans And Democrats – A Definition

You’re so vain I bet you think this song is about you, don’t you?   This quote came from a song by Carly Simon in 1972.  I don’t think of myself as being very vain, but aren’t we all vain to one degree or another?  What is vanity? According to one dictionary I have it is:  characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. All of us take pride in our accomplishments and rightfully so but when that we get carried away with it then it becomes a problem.  An excessive degree of vanity some say is the … Continue reading A Little Vanity Goes A Long Way….

  We are a nation who puts top priority on everything being cheap. No, that doesn’t apply to our military. We throw so much money into our war machines their top priority has to be figuring out how to spend it all. But since there are so many outstretched hands  wanting to relieve us of our hard-paid tax dollars  that even ends up not a big problem. Getting back to the topic at hand. Among our European neighbors we in the U.S. are mostly known for the shabby goods we readily accept.  Don’t get me wrong, we know quality when … Continue reading We Are Just Cheap…

“If we only stopped to realize that it is really, after all, the little things that count, why, we would be a wiser and more contented race.” – Will Rogers, 18 November 1923 I hear your words Will but I have trouble putting them into practice.  I know that life is the little things that happen while we are waiting for something else. I try to sit back and enjoy the “simple” things but somehow that eludes me. I promise to, like you did in the photo to the right, just sit back and rock away some today and to … Continue reading Being Contented…..

The incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for the generation that’s now 65 or older, according to the National Institutes of Health; 58% more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982. Millennials got so many participation trophies growing up that a recent study showed that 40% believe they should be promoted every two years, regardless of performance They are fame-obsessed: three times as many middle school girls want to grow up to be a personal assistant to a famous person as want to … Continue reading The Me Generation….

I want to apologize to those of you who read this blog. It seems I have just lost the energy to continue to post here on a regular basis. The futility of convincing some to look at Jesus’ words in a different light has simply become too exhausting for me. Convincing people to concentrate on “being” a Christian as apposed to just believing certain things is more than I can handle right now. While I will continue to do my best in being a better follower of Jesus Christ and that means listening to his words and doing my best … Continue reading Lost Energy….

    I don’t know but I kind of think we are just too connected in the country.  “Stop and Smell the Roses” Continue reading Too Connected????

Three years ago, Liu wrote a best-selling book called China Dream: Great Power Thinking and Strategic Positioning of China in the Post-American Age. In his hawkish tome, Liu explained that China needed a strong, martial leader and offered advice for his resurgent nation: “When China is threatened, it has no choice but to use war to protect its right to rise, to break through America’s military containment.”….. A nation that half a century ago counted Albania as one of its few trading partners is now the world’s second largest economy–and could eclipse the U.S. as the biggest within five years. … Continue reading China’s Place in the World….

  Two members of the liberal group Progress Kentucky have been identified as the secret recorders of a strategy session for the reelection campaign of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the top Republican in the Senate. The Feb. 2 audio recording, which was leaked to Mother Jones magazine and posted online Tuesday, revealed plans by the McConnell campaign to go after actress Ashley Judd over her mental health struggles and religious views, had she decided to run against Senator McConnell. Ms. Judd has since decided not to run. Source: McConnell secret tape: Liberal group blamed, but Ashley Judd still an issue … Continue reading It’s Time For You To Leave…..

America’s hospitals have been growing. The bigger they get, the more power they have — to set prices and force insurers to pay more. Patients foot the bill via higher premiums, copays, and deductibles. It’s one factor behind the nation’s increasing health care costs…. According to an audited financial statement, UPMC made $948 million in profits from 2011-2012. And while tax returns show it spends just two percent of its yearly budget on charity care…. Jeffrey Romoff, makes almost $6 million a year. That makes him the highest paid CEO of any large nonprofit hospital in the U.S., according to … Continue reading Nonprofit hospital makes billions…

A handful of Democratic and Republican senators are considering a rewrite of 60 of the most consequential words to ever pass through Congress. The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed after the attacks of 11 September 2001, and provides the legal cornerstone for the so-called US “war on terror”. Only one brave Congress member opposed it. It allows the US government to wage war at anytime, any place and on anyone deemed a threat to national security – with remarkably little evidence needed. via Authorization for Use of Military Force: a blank check for war without end | … Continue reading Authorization for Use of Military Force: a blank check for war….

Scientific monitors reported that the gas had reached an average daily level that surpassed 400 parts per million — just an odometer moment in one sense, but also a sobering reminder that decades of efforts to bring human-produced emissions under control are faltering. The best available evidence suggests the amount of the gas in the air has not been this high for at least three million years, before humans evolved, and scientists believe the rise portends large changes in the climate and the level of the sea. “It symbolizes that so far we have failed miserably in tackling this problem,” … Continue reading The Tipping Point…..

Here are the five greatest reasons parents “lose” their children from Christianity: 1) Falling into the temptation of using religion to control their children through guilt and shame. — “Jesus is watching you!” Even the best parents can find themselves wanting some divine backup in a conflict with their children. However, using God for intimidation in a conflict with children has two major issues. First, it means children are associating God as “against them.” Second, it means that the parent is not building a personal relationship of trust with the child. 2) The parents seem to be afraid of the world, … Continue reading Five Reasons Christian Parents “Lose” Their Children

China’s leaders never tire of saying it: Asian giants India and Chin What would happen if countries in the same region started to trust each other? What would happen if they made in a priority to do  business together and to act in their self interests?  What would happen if they decided to try to solve the regions problem among them selves?  Those are questions that should strike fear in all the power brokers in Washington and elsewhere in our country. China and India are regional neighbors who collectively have 2,700,000,000 people or about ten times the population of the … Continue reading Being Made Irrelevant….

We spent the last two posts reviewing an article entitled “The Six Worst Things About American Christianity” from RedLetterChristians by Steven Mattson. Now that I have had a few days to digest these words I want to turn the article’s six points around to imagine them as lessons we U.S. Christians should learn. Here they are: 1) We must realize that no one has an exclusive connection with God  —  Much of what we know about early Christianity is the result of  a scribe writing down Christian stories that had been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of … Continue reading Six Lessons to Learn in U.S. Christianity….

I often wonder how our government survives, let alone efficiently, doing the people’s business. In the engineering world where I spent thirty years of my life there was an old saying “Design By Committee”. All of us engineers knew that the more people you have involved in solving a problem the less likely that you would come up with a good answer. Design by committee is similar to “Too many chefs spoil the pot” in the cooking world. The above cartoon shows us that this is also true with our current way of doing business in government circles. When you … Continue reading I Often Wonder…..

“A key issue is that we’re a more unequal society than all of the countries we looked at, and that creates a different work environment where people feel they may be penalized for taking time off,” Schmitt said in an interview. In the states, that fear at least partly reflects the widening gap between what top corporate managers earn and what rank-and-file workers bring home, Schmitt suggested. In the U.S., where corporate culture often seems to equate taking time off with slacking, many employees feel they are effectively penalized for going on vacation, as promotions and other rewards go to … Continue reading When it comes to vacations, the U.S. stinks…

Instead, three Syrias are emerging: one loyal to the government, to Iran and to Hezbollah; one dominated by Kurds with links to Kurdish separatists in Turkey and Iraq; and one with a Sunni majority that is heavily influenced by Islamists and jihadis…. “The only real outcome I see in the next 5 to 10 years is a series of cantons that agree to tactical cease-fires because they are tired of the bloodletting,” said Mr. Holliday, the analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. “That trajectory is in place, with or without Assad. Source: Pressure of War Is Causing Syria … Continue reading Sectarian Violence…. Cantons