Source:  Lew Says Republicans Should ’Get Over’ Health Law Debate – Businessweek In Massachusetts, where former Governor Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, implemented a similar law, just 1 percent of the population is subject to the penalty, Lew said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. As the White House Chief of Staff says in this article the Republicans in Congress need to get over it as far as ACA (American Care Act) is concerned and move on to something that will actually do some good for the country. They fought tooth and nail to repeal Social Security, … Continue reading Get Over It……

For that’s all there is to success is satisfaction. – July 29, 1928   Will Rogers It really is as simple as what Will says here. If you are satisfied with your life and what you do then you are a success. Some people equate success with how much money they earn. Some, especially those in Washington and corporate boardrooms equate it with how much power they have. Some say it is the number of Face book friends you have Most definitions of success are based on material goods. Having the right car, home, money in the bank is what … Continue reading Success…..

The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and miss it, but that it is too low and we hit it. – Michelangelo Michelangelo was certainly a guy who aimed high. He was so proficient in so many areas! Of course his most famous work today is probably the Sistine Chapel ceiling.  His quote here is as true today as it was in his days (1475 – 1564). My father, God rest his soul, just didn’t know how to aim high. He drifted from one low paying job to another. He just had … Continue reading Aiming Too Low….

Enjoy the fireworks if they haven’t been banned due to the drought conditions…… Continue reading Happy Independence Day…

Source: U.S. employers waiting and watching before hiring – USATODAY.com. Business has picked up. Yet American companies are too nervous to step up hiring.  The economy seems so gripped by uncertainties that many employers have decided to manage with the staff they have. They aren’t convinced their customer demand will keep growing. Or they worry that Europe’s festering debt crisis could infect the global economy. Or they aren’t sure what Congress will do, if anything, about taxes and spending in coming months. This kind of sounds like a catch-22 doesn’t it? Employers won’t hire until the economy comes back but consumers … Continue reading A Catch 22…..

Naming today’s age beginning with the word “Post” seems to be a dominant thing lately. Since I am doing a study of the history of the Christian church over at http://www.RedLetterLiving.net I am very familiar with the term Post-Christian. Here is what Wikipedia says about that: a post-Christian world is one where Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religion, but one that has, gradually over extended periods of time, assumed values, culture, and worldviews that are not necessarily Christian (and further may not necessarily reflect any world religion’s standpoint, or may represent a combination of either several religions or none). In my studies I can see … Continue reading Post Truth Politics……

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can become great   – Mark Twain While I never really appreciated many of Mark Twain’s books I do enjoy his quotes. They often give me inspiration. The one here is as true as they come. Often times when someone mentions some of their ambitions others tell them that you are not capable of such lofty things!  They say that you will only get hurt if you dream too big. Other might say you are … Continue reading Small People….

I am starting a new tradition here called Photo Saturday. I have a vacation portfolio of more than 10,000 pictures so I thought I would pull some out every Saturday. I hope you enjoy them. The SR-71 Blackbird has always been one of my favorite airplanes. This one is located at the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio. This is kind of a different view.  If you are interesting in the history of flight this museum is top rate. Continue reading Air Force Museum – SR 71

‎”Opportunity is missed by most people because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work”– Thomas Edison Thomas Edison certainly wasn’t one to shy away from work. Another of his famous quotes was. Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. People, no matter the period, have always dreamed of striking it rich; we want instant wealth with the least amount of work possible. That is what drives all the lotteries that currently rake in billions of dollars each year. That is what keeps all the casinos that are popping up in almost every State still growing. That is what keeps … Continue reading Opportunities….

Source: Windows 8: We kick the tyres on Redmond’s new tablet wheels • The Register. Why is it that the once innovative start-up companies turn into stodgy of slow-moving monoliths? Of course in my mind Microsoft is currently at the front of this pack. I remember when Windows first came out to compete with Apple products.  They were a young and brash bunch back then. They actually started the business by writing an operating system for the current monolith called IBM. The stories about how all the Microsoft guys would dare to show up in meetings between the two companies without … Continue reading Almost as Good As an iPad….

As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world — that is the myth of the atomic age — as in being able to remake ourselves — Gandhi Gandhi was a firm believer that small actions can result in big things. He spent much of his live doing small things but the result did remake the world. He managed to free India from British rule and he became the godfather of the idea of peaceful resistance which was later used by Martin Luther King and many others over the years. We all need … Continue reading Inspiring Words From Gandhi…

My wife is a worrier. That is just who she is. I have learned to accept that part of her character over the years.  Sometimes when she is not worrying she worries about not worrying enough. :) I only bring this up here to say I see the same thing in the U.S. stock market. They are just worrier who worry that they might miss something to worry about. Years ago the value of a stock was determined by the performance of the company. Now it seems to be more related to: how the EU is doing, what the unemployment … Continue reading Worriers….

Ok this is the close up post for this on-the-road series on Washington DC.  I missed a few days posts because of late night arrivals to the hotel and just being too tired after we got home yesterday. After we left DC on Monday we went to Baltimore Maryland’s Inner Harbor for a quick visit. We got there just after a celebration weekend for their part in the war of 1812. Fort McHenry there is where our national anthem was written during this war so they make a big deal out of that one. As a result of the celebration … Continue reading On-The-Road Washington DC

The first thought that comes to mind to describe today is CROWDED!!! Everywhere we went there was simply masses of people. I expected crowds, even on a Sunday, but not that many.  We started the day at Arlington Cemetery and caught the changing of the guard as soon as we arrived. It was a rather somber thing. But then again I think there were more live people there than there were dead ones. We actually missed the grave of JFK because there were people crowding around it we just didn’t see it.  I seems like it must have been downsized … Continue reading On-The-Road Washington DC Day 4

Today started at 5:00am. We left so early that we missed breakfast at the hotel but did make it to the White House before 8:00am as dictated by the security people there. They seem to be much more serious about their job than when I was there forty-seven years ago. :) We were only allowed to go through some of the rooms on the first floor but did manage to see everything between the East Room and the West Room. Was it worth getting up so early? I am not sure yet; I guess so…. After the White House today … Continue reading On-The-Road Washington DC Day 3

I think this cartoon says it all for me. Am I being too optimistic to think that we could get out of all the problems generated by the previous administration in less than four years? I was hoping for better than this… But as far a net worth, which for most of us is the value of our homes, is concerned I think any idiot could have seen the housing bubble burst long before it did.  At least many of us didn’t go into big debt based on that false value…. Continue reading Says It All….

I woke up this morning with a song attached to my brain. I know I dreamed about it last night but since I almost never remember what my dreams are I can’t give you the context. Here is the lyrics of the song;  I hope I don’t cause you to be humming it all day as I likely am: Sing, sing a song, Sing out loud, sing out strong, Sing of the good things, not bad, Sing of the happy, not sad . . . Sing, sing a song, Make it simple, to last your whole life long, Don’t worry that … Continue reading Sing….Sing a Song…..

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself –  Eleanor Roosevelt I have sure made my share of mistakes but haven’t we all? Sometimes I don’t but I like to believe that I learn from my mistakes and try not to make them again. But some mistakes creep up on me and I stubbornly refuse to admit that they are mistakes at all.  Instead I blame them on circumstance or outside factors or just plain dumb luck.  Let’s admit it, no one likes to admit mistakes. Eleanor Roosevelt was as most of … Continue reading From Eleanor…

Source:Rumor roundup: The next iPhone – Gadgetbox on msnbc.com. I will state up front here that after several failed attempts at having a cell phone I finally got and iPhone last October. It is everything I hoped it would be. My previous attempts at owning a cell phone proved less than expected. Since I am deaf almost all of my communications via cell is with text messaging. Sometimes my wife uses my phone for voice calls but not often.  One of my previous phones was so slooooow.., another insisted on losing its signal daily and then went into a battery … Continue reading The next iPhone …

There are only two kinds of people in the end; those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’ and those whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done’ –C.S. Lewis C.S. Lewis was one of my favorite authors and theologians in my early years. He had insight that few could match. I warmed to him maybe because he was a lay theologian, that is he had no formal training in theology. He was one of us who was unpolluted by the religious hierarchy. It all just came natural to him.  His writings gave me the courage to also … Continue reading Thy Will Be Done…