Category: LifeStyle

“Offer only good to new subscribers”

“Offer only good to new subscribers”

Customer loyalty used to be important to companies who offered subscriptions to whatever it was that they sold. This could be a magazine or cable TV.

How many times have you seen a cable TV ad offering the same service that you have for less money , “for new subscribers only?”

I had been with my cable TV provider for 16 years when I realized that by switching I could get faster internet, less expansive phones service with free long distance and oh yes, every premium channel offered for half the cost of what I was currently paying. This included offers that expired in 12 and 18 months but even after the promos expired, I would still be saving $100 or more.

There are other services like satellite radio. If you call up and use the magic word “cancel” you will you will transferred to “retention specialist” who has the flexibility to make you a better deal. Why don’t they offer you a better deal to begin with?

There are other subscription services that I pay for where special deals are offered to new customers, including books. Truthfully I would like the book offered but I am already a supporter / subscriber so, too bad. I would guess that if I were to call and cancel and then sign up again, I could get the book but that is rather disingenuous, not to mention a lot of trouble.

My power company on the other hand contacted me about the time my contract with them was to expire and offered me a better deal to re-sign up with them. Had I done nothing, it would have stayed with them by default so, if you want a good power company and cheaper electricity contact me via comment.

While I realize that “offer only good to new subscribers” has become the default way of doing business, I for one think that it “stinks on ice.”

-Best to you and those that you care about !

Life

Life is more than a box of cereal, or a board game that one might play on a rainy afternoon.

It amazes me that people will rise up and take on animal cruelty in such a vehement manner but, when it comes to human life, we seem more lackadaisical or indifferent.

The dichotomy that exists between animals and people are plenty.

A fetus is out of sight, not furry or cute and quite frankly treated like a disease.

Baby animals have some redeeming quality, even if they are some sort of featherless bird.

We will push our lawmakers to adopt strict laws on any sort of cruelty to animals but when it comes to human life we politicize it. All of the sudden a fetus becomes a political football used to paint the other side in some sort of negative light. This is anything but a proud moment in history and I truly believe that somewhere down the road we will be judged for this. It may simply be in the history books and unless the trend of re-writing history continues, our grandchildren will look back at this generation and ask, “What the hell were they thinking?”

A few days after insemination (about the time the women misses her period), a fetus has a heart beat and its own unique blood type. I would argue that this is when life starts. Birth control ok, morning after pill ok, termination up until the fetus has a heartbeat I could live with. After that it is simply killing a life that you don’t have the right to kill.

The simple facts are that your choice in this process is to “choose” to have protected sex or not. Whether your decisions produce a baby, or infects you with herpes or aids is now out of your hands. Choose to practice safe sex or know that there may be consequences for your actions.

The other issue that needs to be aired out is “death with dignity.” Currently if you or a loved one has some terminal incurable disease, you are pretty much left to die of “natural” causes. This is anything but natural in that you are deprived of food and water and your organs have to literally fail, one by one, until enough toxins build up in your body to cause the heart to stop. Since we have no idea what the person is feeling “as they can’t tell you” I would argue that our treatment of the ill needs to be changed. These people could last several days in this condition. Since we can’t talk with them, we have no idea what they feel, what they are thinking or what is going on!

We treat our damned criminals more humane than this!

The criminal is strapped to the gurney where an IV is installed. Through this IV at the time the order is given to execute the person, a chemical is given to sedate the person ( a general anesthesia). He or she is put to sleep much like you would be put to sleep for a medical procedure. After the person is asleep, more chemicals are given “paralytics as well as chemicals which stop the heart.” I stress that the criminal is not there for that procedure. Anyone who has ever been put under knows that the scariest parts are the unknowns and anticipating the procedure. I would suspect that the criminal’s worst part of this is taking that last walk into the death chamber, and being strapped to the gurney.

The argument is that death with dignity “could” become a slippery slope, in that anyone could elect to die whether they were terminally ill or not. If someone wants to die there are many ways to accomplish this and a loophole in some law should not stop us from offering assisted suicide to the terminally ill.

There is another argument in that these “death panels” that are actually in this unaffordable health care act, could be expanded to terminate a life that has reached some arbitrary cost to keep alive.

No person should have this power to decide for another if they are to live or die. Unless the patient assigns someone as a medical proxy; giving them the power knowing full well that they will let you go if the situation is that grim. If you create a living will and in that document your desire would be to die with dignity “morphine drip” that should be legal and allowed. With enough morphine the respiratory system shuts down. By the time that happens, the person has long since drifted away.

If no such document exist than the doctors should do everything in their power to keep you alive. I am referring to coma patients who cost a lot of money to take care of. We know that many people if given time will come out of a coma.

Medicine in the most general terms is a practice and why drugs work as they do or people live who should be dead is a mystery. Often times your doctor will prescribe medications to you that they have no clue how they work, they just do.

Until our medical acumen progresses to such a state that we understand much more, we should always error towards life.

As far as cruelty to animals…; I am vehemently against it. Hopefully Dante has a special place arranged for those who would harm animals.

-Best to you and those that you care about.

Taming Madness

While I try to keep in mind that life is about the journey and not the destination, often I find my-self in the perfect juxtaposition of chaos and tranquility. It is all about choices.

Do I engage the foolhardy, tilting at windmills, or do I take time to enjoy the serenity of the moment and not engage their madness and make it mine as well.

Life is about moments. When looked at as a whole, the task of determining your path is daunting. When however you realize that from one moment to the next, there are decisions; which determine how the next moment will play out.

Feeling that tension well up within your soul is a message, which bears paying attention to. Paying attention to details such as this can add years to your life and makes that life worth living. Ignoring them, conversely the opposite is true. All too often we feel that our destiny is in the hands of our circumstances. This is a lie that we tell ourselves in order to rationalize the decisions that we make. It is easy to place blame on our fellow travelers but you know in your heart that is not the case. You made the decision that put you where you are, not them.

From one moment to the next, pay attention to those choices. Is it madness or serenity which you seek? When in doubt, simply stop. Remove yourself from that environment and allow your mind to go blank for just a moment. The path ahead has many detours speed bumps and potholes. Not all roads are made of gold. If the road you chose turns out to be the wrong one, admit the error and turn around. Many of us fall into a trap of not wanting to admit the error and blindly plow ahead, doing the same thing day after day expecting different results. Turn Around..

While some religions and philosophies will argue that we have many lives and that we come back again and again until we get it right; I would argue that you are here, now, lets get it right this time, just in case this is the only time that you get. Turn around!

What I call mirror time is simply a way of examining yourself, not physically unless that helps you but more importantly your heart, the actions and decisions that you have made which have you in the place that you are in. When you take ownership of your actions, and your circumstances, then and only then can you dissect the minutes and decisions ahead to make course corrections. Own your stuff…

-Best to you and those that you care about.

Nobody Wins

We live in a world today that is much more hostile than yesterday, “speaking figuratively.”

We have an economy that is literally based on a house of cards for a foundation. The Feds are printing $40B a month ($1.1trillion a year) saturating our economy, devaluing our currency with every dollar that they print. With oil based on the US dollar, is it any wonder why gas cost so much? The “booming economy” is most certainly the same today as the dot com fiasco of a few years ago, when Enron was in the news.

We are not the only country playing this game, others including China are as well.

The economy is based on fabrications and we might as well try and spend monopoly money as that is what your greenback may very well look like in the not too distant future.

Those who survive this will most likely be that small subset of humanity who “lives off the grid” as it were. The people who live in the inner cities and who depend on the government for their existence will be in trouble when this house of cards falls. The Farmers in this country and others may survive as they know how to live without going to the local grocery store every other day for something. They also see the inside of a restaurant far less than the folks in the inner city as they simply don’t enjoy the disposable income that others do. When the bible talks about the meek inheriting the earth, one can’t help but wonder if he is talking about the farmers.

On top of the shaky economy we have small countries with the keys to Nukes! There are no winners if someone drops a nuke. Our defenses have most certainly been hardened to sustain an EMP, and a retaliation of biblical proportions would most certainly follow.

This exchange would involve other nations who have nukes as they will have certainly picked a side. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” While I have full confidence in the American Military and their ability to intercept any missile headed this way; the following actions would have serious repercussions worldwide.

Any exchange of missiles with the US would not only devastate the offending country (s); I am certain it would also trigger an economic meltdown worldwide. Everyone looses. Never mind the radiation that would be released to poison every man women and child in the entire world, as well the animals and vegetation.

I can visualize that last man standing, holding the key to a spent nuke, standing next to the shell of building, scorched from fire, with dead creatures and plant life all around him, with radioactive ash falling from the sky, declaring victory; as the blisters from radiation sickness bubble up on his body. We are truly that foolish! Nobody Wins!

When E=MC2 was discovered, Einstein wrote an impassioned letter to the president urging him not to use the bomb. That letter and is German heritage earned him a one way ticket out of the program. Oppenhiemer and others took over, and of course the rest is history. A nuclear device of a relatively low efficiency was created and dropped on our enemy, twice. If those were of a low efficiency, can you imagine what is around today?

An alliance of the superpowers is critical to keeping the peace, and our current administration does not seem to embrace that. Foreign policy is critical at this stage of the “game.” America needs to sort out who its friends are relatively quickly, and form that alliance that was so strong under previous administrations.

In retrospect, what is important to you? Is having a lot of money in the bank important? Is having a lot of gold in some small vault in your house important? What about food, water and guns? Add whisky and cigarettes to the food and water and you may have something. Why? That may very well be the new currency, if this comes down badly. Keep a good supply of your personal medications on hand; several days if not weeks of fresh water, and having some gas stored somewhere may not be a bad idea either. If they are that stupid to launch nukes, it really doesn’t make much difference. There will be no survivors, other than the cockroach. Mutually assured destruction, either by nukes or the economy or both; is not a cheery outcome.

While it is my fervent prayer that no one is stupid enough to pull the trigger, North Korea continues to be very provocative in its talks with media and other news outlets. Today they gave the Brits till the 10^th to get out of their country. What will be the spark?

-Best to you and those that you care about!

Technology, the Good the Bad and the Ugly

As someone who makes a living either by designing systems or complete data centers or managing or servicing same, I probably am more in tune with technology than the normal folk. That is not bragging, it is simply stating facts.

The other day while I was in the super market, upon checking out there was two long lines, waiting to check out. Employees could be seen wandering by, looking at the lines and then continuing on their way. This was a major chain grocery store.

The longest line was for the automated kiosk. As there were long lines of folks with overflowing carts at the one “regular” cashier I opted for the kiosk.

While I could go on about how we are loosing touch with our customers using things like kiosk, and lets face it the internet; kiosk in a grocery store are a mistake. While waiting my turn to “check out” , there was one middle aged lady wondering around from kiosk to kiosk, as the red light on top of each one blinked on a few second apart. That is not fair to the customer and certainly a terrible job for the lady. I personally vote with my feet.

There are too many different items and some are not even in the system. When the normal cashier has to obtain help, “price check” what do they expect us to do? “They” don’t care. They are saving the salaries of 4 employees, while getting you to do their work.

Other technology which is problematic is automated machines that call you. It is bad enough to call a company and have to “listen closely to our menu as our menu items have changed.” Weaving my way through automated machines or IVR’s, when I need customer service, just adds gasoline to the fire; and I install this stuff!

Now we have a constant stream of calls on a daily basis from an automated outgoing IVR trying to sell us something or “hold on for an important message!” The only positive to this is; I don’t really feel so bad hanging up on a machine. The problem with hanging up is that it simply puts your number back into the queue and calls you another time.

Technology replaces people, workers. There is a glut of un-employed people in this country and there is a plethora of new technology taking their place. While no businessman starts a business because he wants to employ people; employees are a necessary “evil,” or are they?

Technology also strips away our rights as citizens to expect some modicum of privacy. From backscatter radiation machines at the airport removing your clothes, to the “no warrant needed” to be wire tapped by just about anyone that wants to.

Some graduating high school kids ask me what I thought they should major in. I pointed them towards the medical field as I don’t see a kiosk doing this. There are of course in the works ways to contact a doctor over “Skype” or other such network. There is no telling what part of the world the call will go and as far as privacy, who knows. How does a doctor from 3000 miles away palpate your abdomen?

Lastly, I want to touch briefly on Drones. I find it inconceivable that we can be watched in more places than ever before. Cameras at every street corner with facial biometric ability to track whoever “they” want to is a little spooky. Law enforcement with remote control drones that they can fly over any place that they deem of interest and “look” down as to the goings on, possibly in your back yard or through your window.

It is not just law enforcement that has these but private citizens have them as well. Currently they are a bit pricey but as the technology becomes more accessible, the prices will come down enough so eventually the pimple faced kid next door will have the ability to fly a camera outside your window, or over your pool.

There are cameras on these drones that have such a high rate of magnification, they can see into your open window from blocks away and tell how many freckles you have on your bottom. There are also FLIR “infrared” cameras that can see heat signatures so you are not even safe to skinny dip in the dark of night!

Google has already proven that you really have no right to expect privacy in your own back yard as the satellite views of neighborhoods and so forth have been littered with people nude sunbathing.

Military drones are equipped with technology that from 17,500 feet can tell what kind, and color of the clothes that you are wearing. The drones for “use over the US,” are to be equipped with technology to tell if you are armed or, electronic surveillance of your cell phone.

If one wanted to get “off the grid” as it were, one would have to live like a caveman with no technology what so ever. Maybe we should find the Sasquatch and find out how they do it.

We are an overly litigious society and perhaps this is one law suite that needs to be fought, if for no other reason than to shine the spot light on a situation that is quickly coming upon us and will get out of hand in no time. I happen to believe that you do have a right to privacy in your home, your back yard, and if you own a lot of land, there too. Law abiding citizens should not have to worry about this sort of thing. I also happen to believe that any branch of law enforcement should be required to obtain a warrant before any type of wire tap, or flying some sort of camera over or around your property. We live in a new age and Orwell may have just missed it by thirty years.

-Best to you and those that you care about.

Social intercourse vs. Sexual Intercourse

Here in America our mores dictate that we must “own” the other person in order to enjoy them. By enjoy them I mean, enjoy their company, their wit, their laughter, the thing that makes them unique; possibly a giggle or some other affectation that you find appealing.

We choose our friends, we choose our mates; where is that line drawn between social intercourse and sexual intercourse?

While sexual intercourse “should be” one of the most intimate acts that we share as a people, somehow we have mixed that up with social intercourse. While one might lead to the other, I contend that we can enjoy many people on a social level, while maintaining that line between friend and sexual partner. I would also proffer that socially, we can enjoy the company of anyone, man or women in a social setting without setting off alarm bells that we are making a move on them, much like you can love someone and not be “in love” with them.

Clint Eastwood or “Dirty Harry” coined the phrase, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” As we traverse our day to day activities with others, we must be ever mindful of our limitations. Can we be with someone else socially and squelch our feelings or not develop them, in the first place? Much like spending time with your brother and or sister, can you keep it on that level?

MySpace and it’ successor Facebook; added a whole new complexity to social intercourse. Now we look for and find those that we lost contact with many years ago. We wonder what became of them, who they married, are they bald or fat and were they, successful or not. We also conjure up old memories of previous encounters. We speak with them often with a note or a “like” and we look at the pictures that they post, and maybe we wonder “what if?”

I would hazard a guess that Facebook is singularly responsible for more people seeking marital counseling today, than ever before. It may also be responsible for more marital issues than we know about as well. Is it ok to look up past boyfriends or girlfriends?

That answer is unique to you. There is no hard and fast rule on this and here is why. If you were a recovering alcoholic, the last thing that you would do is put yourself into a situation where alcohol is served. You would avoid situations where social drinking was the norm. If alcohol is not an issue for you, than socially drinking most probably will not be an issue. But how do you know? Drink enough and you may develop a problem.

Social intercourse with old friends works the same way. If there is a fear that you might be tempted to want to take it further, than by all means keep that sort of relationship at a distance.

I should point out that Facebook is simply a tool, if the issues that cause marital problems are there, Facebook simply makes it easier, just like people who have an addiction to pornography, the internet simply makes it easier.

I am reminded of the saying, “the grass is always greener.” Folks, men are men and women are women and other than the packaging; we are all pretty much the same. It is certainly ok to meet for dinner or what have you as couples, but just remember that the grass is not greener; and you should go home with the one that you came with. I would offer that you may not want to even do this, if your feelings for that person who you just found again were very strong. “To thine own self be true.”

Seeking a marriage tune-up every now and then is a good idea. In this day of social media, it may even be more germane as we are tempted even more. Most people are too proud to admit that they are growing apart. A lot of people will not even think about this as it is too “touchy feely” for them. Here is the truth about that, a relationship is all about “touchy feely,” and you were most certainly touchy feely at the onset of the relationship. Is it not worth exploring who you are at this point in your life to keep your marriage alive?

The rigors of everyday life wear you down. The routine becomes dull and boring and let’s face it a “rut.” Those who don’t seek help will eventually be easily distracted by an old flame, or perhaps a new one from work or some other place that you frequent, perhaps the gym or the golf course. Mid-life crisis is not only a theme for a movie but, a very real phenomenon.

You are with the person that you are with for a reason. Take some time to remember what attracted you to them, chances are whatever it was, is still there; simply buried under years of “routine.” Shaking the dust off a marriage by a special vacation, bringing home flowers for no reason, or making his favorite meal even though it is a lot of trouble, could be the start of dusting things off. It takes forgiveness, a willingness to save what you have, and the ability to look in the mirror and work on your own issues; and of course effort to try. Sounds a lot like love.. The counselor is simply a mediator to make your time and effort on this journey successful.

The sad truth is that even if you end up rupturing the nuptials, without repairing what is wrong in your life, you will sabotage a new relationship as well.

-Best to you and those that you care about!

Taxes and SEX?

It never ceases to amaze me at the absolute euphoria people exude, when they get their check from the IRS. Everything from a down payment on a new car or furniture or other household trappings are purchased. It maybe money spent towards a vacation, or maybe to pay off some credit card bill that you have had to carry a balance on. They seem to have forgotten that this was their money to begin with and that they are getting a small part of it back!

The parasites are also out to capitalize on your “good fortune” as well. Tax preparation services who only charge a “small percentage” to get you the most back from the “evil” IRS. Then there are the check cashing folks who only charge a “small percentage” to cash your government issued check. While there, the tellers will try and sell you lottery tickets instead of allowing you to take your money and run. There are businesses’ that will cash your check at their store, in hopes that you will buy stuff at their store. My favorite however this year is the “bunny ranch”

Dennis Hof who owns and runs a “legal brothel” in Nevada will cash your government issued checks by trading it for “bunny bucks.” He gives you two bunny bucks for one government dollar (so the story goes) which in today’s economy isn’t a bad trade except of course, the only place to spend bunny bucks is well on “professional services” at his brothel. www.bunnyranch.com

I personally would like (one) bunny buck, just to hang up next to my million dollar “fake bill” as that is what it is worth outside of the ranch. My hats off to his “entrepreneurial spirit.”

If your employer just gave you the money you earned, and then let you settle your taxes every two weeks with the different agencies both state and federal, we might hear a little louder scream from those who think that the government is currently doing a good job. The simple facts are that you never see it, everything happens behind the scenes through the payroll department. Unless you work in that department, you really have no clue how much of your weekly pay is going to someone else. They are simply numbers on a stub. Much like the “Paper or Plastic” article, that I wrote earlier, what you don’t handle you don’t really miss. It doesn’t make that much of an impact!

Consultants often do work that way. They are giving something called a 1099 which reports to the IRS that you were paid X amount of money and by April 15^th they have to come up with everything that is normally taken out of others paychecks and then some as there is the “self employment tax.” I would guess that those folks have a very keen understanding and appreciation of our “tax code.”

If you really want a wake up call, something to stir you inner emotions about the current tax code, do this. Add up all of the taxes and things taken out of your check everyweek. Next time you are at the bank, withdraw that amount, whatever it is and take it home and look at it. Count it a few times. Understand exactly how much you are giving away to “who knows where.” Now multiply that pile of money by 52 if you are a weekly employee and imagine what that pile of money would look like then!

Puts a little different spin on that windfall now doesn’t it. The simple facts are that revising the tax code is long over due. If you really want your head to explode start looking at how the government is spending your money. Really pay attention to where it is going and for what. Protracted wars fighting for people who hate Americans. Green power companies that go bankrupt after using all of the taxpayers money up. Million dollar golf outings to play with Tiger Woods. Sending tanks and aircraft to Egypt, to the Muslim Brotherhood. Who made that deal?

I could be wrong but I think his Ivory tower is so tall, that he really has lost sight of those that he is supposed to be working for. Maybe it is the thin air up there as I remember he had issues with that in Colorado during the 1rst debate.

According to the CCH Standard Tax Reporter, the U.S. tax code began with about 400 pages in 1913. Twenty-six years later there were still only 504 pages, but then it exploded to 8,200 pages by 1945. This blossom of growth was caused in part by finding ways to fund WWII.

It got to over 60,000 pages before the end of the first term of President George W. Bush, and it has now reached over 72,500 pages by the end of the third year of President Barack Obama’s current term of office. Politicians and bureaucrats are consistently adding or modifying this document, making it the monster that it is.

Does this seem like it is getting simpler to you?

In speaking with accountants who know this stuff they are left scratching their heads and searching through new books and guidelines to figure out the correct answer. The only people who can afford to do their own taxes are the people who don’t own a home, possibly rent and have no real property. Folks, we are going the wrong way with laws and taxes.

Every candidate running for office always talks about making it easier, flat tax and so forth and now you can see; that was never the plan. Today we learned that we will be printing $40 Billion a month with no end date. That works out to $1.1 Trillion a year! Feel your money shrinking yet? Wait till bread is $100 a loaf; then maybe the rest of the people will get the message.

-Best to you and those that you care about!

We The People, Man or Sheep and God?

Pondering that phrase for just a moment, one has to ask; just who are these “we the people?”

In order to answer that simple question, one must first know the person in the mirror, who are you? What do you stand for “if anything?” Why do you stand for that? What do you believe and more importantly, why do you believe it?

Frequently I ask people who profess a belief in God, why do you believe that there is a god? (Hint: I just do, is not an answer.)

The issue at the heart of the matter is simply this, if you cannot articulate why you believe in what you believe in, you can be easily manipulated. In fact, if you are a religious person and your faith is not grounded on solid principles and facts, and your understanding of scripture vs what someone tells you; When you most need it, it may not be there. When something happens to shake it, it could very well be shaken! Know why you believe what you believe.

When I ask the simple question “why”, it pisses people off. Why is this person a perfect candidate for this office over that guy? Mostly their answer is curt and they cannot respond intelligently; because there is no intelligent answer. They have chosen a team whether it be red or blue and the rest of the reasons be damned! That line of thinking has us $16 Trillion in debt and climbing!

Since we the people are a competitive lot, we are being played by those who understand who you are, better than you do. They understand how to play to your emotions, instead of your logic. If they played to your logic, they would loose as that would make you think. They would prefer that you don’t think. (Just drink your beer and watch your sitcoms and of course your Football, leave running “ruining” the country to us!)

They win by playing to your emotions and they do that by pointing out all that is wrong with the world and convince “we the people”, that it is the other guys fault. Which of course is not true; truth be known, it is the fault of a flawed system, and an apathetic country that has a broken “give a damn.”

So here is your challenge; next time one of your friends tells you how great their guy is, ask them why do they think that. Avoid getting excited, avoid profanity and finger pointing. Calmly and rationally ask, “Why do you think that?” The odds are good that they will not know why, and dismiss you as a trouble maker or use the phrase “we should not discuss politics, women’s-lib or religion,” as those subjects are too volatile. Note that I used women’s lib, as that was the phrase back then in the day, when this phrase was crafted, the real issue should be abortion.

The reason I want you to ask why is this, if enough people ask why, a small percentage of those asked may actually “think.” If enough people “think,” this country would be a much better place, and I for one want to leave it better than I found it. Don’t you?

These topics should be debated in the open and frequently. If we as a people cannot have an open discourse on these topics, we are doomed as a people. Why, because we can be manipulated. If these topics are used to scare people, “manipulate through fear,” than the assholes win!” If we openly and honestly discuss these topics with logic, rather than emotion, it is like turning the light on in an otherwise darkened room to prove to your child that there really is no monster under the bed. If we understand the topics and deal with them then “they” loose power over us.

Gay marriage is another hot button to manipulate the masses, and race is another. Don’t buy in to the company line, it is crap! Most people don’t give a dam about gay or straight. Love is great wherever you find it. Just don’t do it in my living room! A straight couple would use discretion and so should you. And race, Holy crap that issue died in the 60’s. The only people screaming about race are the black activist and certain Hollywood self-appointed assholes! This country needs someone to heal it, not to further divide it, stop with the race bating! I would hazard a guess that the largest racists out there are the ones screaming the loudest! Tune those assholes out too! Do not give them power over you! They don’t disserve it.

Don’t let small minded people stir the pot or have power over you. The majority of American’s are not racist, and are in fact ok with the issues talked about. Are there a few who have issues, certainly, but they are their issues, not yours. Don’t marry their crap! Don’t buy into the left’s rhetoric to scare the masses; it is simply that, crap!

There truly is a war on babies not only in this country, but in the whole of the world. Some babies are killed because they happen to be “a girl.” Some are killed because they would be an inconvenience, and still yet others are killed because the person had unprotected sex and is a child herself and does not want mommy and daddy to know that their little girl did the nasty with Bobby down the street. News flash, your parents were kids once and most probably made similar mistakes. (Have you ever done the math as to how old you are vs. how long mommy and daddy have been married? Oh wait, they don’t teach math anymore.)

I digress, Mistakes are a human condition, killing your baby is a mistake that will haunt you. You will have to live with your actions, for convenience sake, for the rest of your days, which would be far worse than telling your parents that you made a booboo albeit a big one. The guilt will either consume you and drive you to seek therapy for ever,( which is not cheap) or you will rationalize your actions away, several times a day until you build a habit of rationalizing that, and other bad behaviors as “ok.” The hard thing to do is often the right thing. Besides, your parent’s look of disappointment will disappear when the grandchild is born. They would have to be monsters if there were any other reaction. Parents love (or should love) their children unconditionally. If we were “persona non grata” for screwing up as a child, than maybe CPS is a better option.

Instead of throwing millions of tax dollars at planned parenthood (a baby killing machine,) maybe we should invest in a CPS type related business that provide safe places for mommies who made a mistake, and who happen to have the misfortune of having monsters for parents.

It is time that we should discuss these topics; we should debate them on their merits. They should not be political fodder as they currently are; they should be something that each state deals with through their constituents and the democratic process.

The issue with this is that each of these topics are so emotionally charged! That is why they are perfect tools for manipulating you. We need to shine the light on them, one by one and remove the emotional element from it and see it for what it is. It is only than can common sense be applied.

As children, we are manipulated by our emotions by our parents, teachers and other authority figures. Guilt, fear and the promise of reward, will manipulate most people. “If you do that you will get spanked, if I do this I will get candy!” “If you don’t go to bed, Santa will know it and will not bring you presents!” If you speed you will get a ticket. If you drink and drive you will go to jail (which you should,) and if you sin, you will go to hell for all eternity! Really? Do they ever stop manipulating you? Once you understand how you are manipulated guess what, you take the control away from them. And how do they control you again….”right, through your emotions.”

BTW any Christian should know that we are saved through the Grace of God, Jesus died for your and my sins and knowing this and confessing this will most certainly save you from that toasty place dreamed up by Dante.

Some religions/churches manipulate you in this fashion. When the coffers are lean they preach this.. Malachi 3:8 – Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.. Then it becomes time to guilt you, or play to your compassion for the starving kids in the Congo, help pay for someone’s kid that wants to go on some mission trip to the UK, as there are evidently no Christians there. This fund or that fund is getting low, please pray about it, and see what “god” calls you to do.

Last time I prayed about it, I distinctly heard a voice telling me to get money up for a mission trip to Hawaii, as the surfers there evidently really need to hear the word… Yeah right….

“Free advice here; before you go to church, write the check for the basket. Then leave the checkbook at home.” If you are like most people, donations are a budgeted item, and we are charged to be good stewards of our money, that includes what we give to charity. Don’t be guilted into giving more than you can afford. People are human, and without realizing what they are doing, will manipulate you through any means to reach a desired outcome, even if it is into your pocket book, leaving you in a bind. If your preacher or church has a habit of doing this, find another church. The preacher man is no closer to God than you are. He is in fact no more perfect than you are. He has studied the bible more than you, perhaps, understand church doctrine better than you, “perhaps,” but his prayers do not get to God any faster than yours. He in fact has no direct line to his Holiness! He is simply a man and he puts his pants on one leg at a time just as you do. You can respect him as your spiritual leader, but do not worship him, and realize that he has flaws, warts and an ego. There are more than enough tools out there to understand scripture yourself, look for the truth for yourself! One question you may want to ask your preacher, rabbi or what have you is… , you guessed it “why?” Why did you become a preacher, etc….

Some will say that they were called, but I find that answer too easy. Something else happened in their life somewhere in the past that led them here, which is ok; it is just one more way that one should know themselves. If I am to trust this man with shepherding me spiritually; I really need to know that he knows himself. Once you know who you are, than and only than can you be honest with yourself; and others. Honesty and Truth are two valuable commodities that are far too scarce in this world.

One of my pet peeves is going into a sanctuary, trying to get into the right frame of mind and spy on the wall one of those large thermometers made out of paper, with $$ signs on it. We are this close to our goal…. I am reminded of Jesus turning over the tables of the money changers and I too, develop righteous anger, and I depart! The sanctuary is just that, a sanctuary from the trappings of this world, and should not be a place of worldly things…in this case money! Money is nothing more than a tool, and end to a means. If your church is about money well, you should probably find another church. The only way to change bad behavior is not to accept it, or acknowledge it. Vote with your feet!

The truth can be daunting; it may not be what you expected. One must not look for the truth already “knowing what the truth is” but understand that it could be something totally different than what you expect. Use the scientific method, build a hypothesis from what you know, and what others may tell you; and then seek to prove it. Whatever it turns out to be, embrace it and move on.

C.S. Lewis set out to prove that there was no god. Through the process, he found God and is now one of the heroes of the faith! I can’t say this enough, Seek the truth!

Know why you believe what you believe. Find the truth and embrace it, no matter what the truth is. Remember that the “truth has no agenda, people usually do.”

-Best to you and those that you care about!

Choctaw Casino Grant Oklahoma

Choctaw Casino and Hotel, Grant Oklahoma

http://www.choctawcasinos.com/Grant.aspx

http://www.city-data.com/city/Southwest-Grant-Oklahoma.html

http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/97/03/Chapt6.html

http://www.don-williams.com/

http://www.thescooterstore.com

As Texas has not figured it out yet, there is plenty of revenue to be had by allowing Casinos for anyone wanting to throw their money away (be entertained by blinking lights and noises). Currently one must either travel to Oklahoma or Louisiana or further.

Don Williams was playing at the Casino in their attached “event center” just a few miles north of the Red River in Grant Oklahoma. We purchased the tickets a month and a half in advance and the seats were a mere 5 rows back from the stage. The seats were off to the extreme right of the stage so watching the entertainment meant turning your head at a constant 30 degree angle. The floor of the “event center” is not raised in the back meaning, the further back you are, you will most probably be looking at the back of someone’s head or worse, a cowboy hat.

We arrived early with a budget set aside for gambling. We found parking close by as someone was leaving however; there is ample parking if you don’t mind the walk. They do have a shuttle bus that is working the lots. They also offer Valet. I noticed police on bicycles checking the lots every few moments. The building was pretty full at 3pm on a Friday. There is smog inside as they allow smoking inside the building. Within minutes of being there my eyes started watering and nose starting running so I was off to the room to take some Benadryl. While the smog was not as bad as some that I have been in; if you are not a smoker beware.

All of the “one arm bandits” are computerized; simply meaning that there is probably more to it than simple “random results.” My guess is that not only are these things computerized, but they all attach to some sort of master server that keeps up with what is going on and who is doing what and at any given instant the owners/management know what is going on to the penny. The good new is that they are heavily regulated by the state to make sure that the games are honestly run.

If ever I were to describe a ZOMBIE, it would be “the people sitting at those machines” for hours on end transfixed on spinning wheels, blinking lights, and noises. I am not a betting man but, I would think that your odds of winning would be better playing something that was not computerized, like Black Jack, Keno or roulette or even Craps. I also noticed that the Scooter Store was well represented there as the average age of the gamblers had to be in the high 60’s.

The prose were that this was a clean well run establishment with security everywhere. There are hundreds of cameras, watching every thing. I felt fairly safe there and I would bet that if someone had picked a pocket, security would know who it was before they reached the parking lot.

The cons:

There are only two places to eat there so getting in to eat was an ordeal.

The Drinks, if they had alcohol in them; I would never have known it. Stick with bottled beer if you want something other than soda or water.

Soda was complimentary and self serve however; they only allowed you to get it in those small Styrofoam cups which hold about 8oz. including the ice and of course those things do not biodegrade easily or quickly. While I am not a “green freak” I would like to see them come up with a better solution.

As far as our gambling experience, knowing when to stop is key. We broke even, if not a little ahead on the money spent playing the machines.

As we were leaving the next day we watched people leaving who had been there all night.

The concert was good and Don Williams was as good as ever. They played less than 90 minutes, and it was to a sold out house. Interesting side note; people were taking video, pictures and what have you and it was evidently allowed! Here too there was enough security to handle a small mob. I think that if I ever want to change careers, being a security person for the event center would be cool as you get to go to all of the concerts!

No review would be complete without talking about the room. Finding a non-smoking room you need to go to the second floor as there is no smoking allowed on that floor at all. The bed was a little firm for my taste. The TV was an older flat screen regular definition. If you are used to high def this will get your attention. There is no refrigerator in the room and the biggest disappointment of the room was that there was no Wi-Fi. As well as no Wi-Fi, there was extremely limited cell service on ATT. We were on the edge network with one or two bars if you stood by the window.

One would think that the owners would have more pull with ATT and others to improve performance for their guests. There was local internet in the room if you brought a laptop with a cable.

The one thing that was noticeable in that it was odd to me was the smoke alarm. It had not one but two different “bright” LED’s that would strobe every few seconds. Every now and then they would stay on for one or two seconds and then go back to blinking every few seconds.

If you wonder why I am mentioning this here is why. When you pull the curtains and shut off the lights, those led’s in that alarm are noticeable big time! It is almost as if (and I am exaggerating) they were landing lights on a runway.

I also should mention something about the food. We ate at the restaurant that was not a buffet. The staff was confused at best and the line was very long. There were empty tables and I overheard one girl telling the hostess not to sit anyone in her section for another 5 minutes as she could not get to them. The hostess doubled as a busboy so this was very confusing to me in that the whole place seemed to be so polished and so well run as far their operations with everything else. The food was not something that I would recommend. It was several steps down from Chilies, if you like their food. I ordered the fish and chips. The fries were cool if not cold; and the fish was soaking in oil and warm. If they were not over burdened, I would have sent it back. As it was I ate a few bites and left it.

All in all I would go back. I would bring with me some small bottles of whatever I wanted to drink that could be added to soda. I would bring my laptop instead of an iPad and a network cable as I am not a gambler. I would make certain that I got the more expensive seat for the concert and I would shop early. I also think that I would learn more about non-computerized games as mentioned above, so I could gamble if I choose to with odds that are easily calculated.

As far as eating was concerned, I might be inclined to valet park and just drive into the nearest city and see what I could find. I would also make certain that I had plenty of Benadryl and I would make certain that I brought a plastic bag to put my clothes into when I returned back to the room as to not get the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke in the room or on my clean clothes. I would also not wear anything that needed to be dry-cleaned as to keep my laundering bill down.

One last mention here and that is about the staff, very friendly and very helpful. I realize that this Casino is a major employer for an otherwise severely impoverished area of the states for both Oklahoma and Texas.

If you are one of the ZOMBIES that I mentioned above, (which by the way I mean no derision or disrespect) or just someone like me has a casual interest in slot machines, this link is fascinating!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slot_machine

–Best to you and all those that you care about!

Love Boat or The Cruise from Hell

After the recent “cruise from hell” many of the people that I know have categorically stated that they will never set foot on a ship.

One can either choose to live their life or not. One can stay in the house and have their groceries delivered and never go outside or, one can take chances by leaving their home and going and doing the things that “normal” people do, and that includes going on a cruise.

The positives of a cruise far outweigh the possible negatives. Packing once, waking up in a new port of call most every day, having luxury food, entertainment and accommodations, without having to fool with going through the airport to get to all of the different locations. The airport with the added security of the body scanners and awkward pat downs by people with an unknown intellect and zero sense of humor, vs. waking up in a new place every day after dinning late, seeing a show and or gambling if that is your desire. Choice is pretty clear to me.

The simple facts are that “living” is a terminal condition. I tell people all the time that life is not about the destination, but the journey.

One of my favorite people of this era was Steve Irwin. He may not have lived to a ripe old age but, he lived his life! In the 44 years that he was here I would venture to say he lived more than most of us will live in 80 years. He lived with purpose and conviction and a moral compass that is not easily matched. We all should be so blessed to live like that.

The cruise from hell was not really all that bad in that no one died. Yes, people were inconvenienced but they were on their way back to port when the engine had issues. They had done all that there was to do other than take the last leg home. The crew was well trained and managed the situation very well from what the media reports. The people were refunded the cost of the cruise, were given an extra $500 and a free cruise in the future. They also have a story to tell. While we live in a litigious society, if I were on the jury with the facts as I understand them now, I would not find for them as they signed agreements stating what their legal recourse was before they ever got on board. I realize that this is harsh; I am sorry that they had such a bad last few days but; it is like living on the golf course, the view is nice but you end up with a few stray balls in your yard, or the occasional busted window. It is in fact the “rub of the green.” Unless negligence can be proved, I think that they were treated fairly.

That boat makes 44 voyages a year. 1 in 44 went south and by south, I mean badly.

Now having said that, if I were on the “Concordia” I would sue as that was pure negligence.

Bad things happen. How we manage the situation I think is a test of our character.

People are killed in accidents every day. While airplane travel is safe, accidents happen and people die. The simple facts are that there are risks to everything that you do. These people were stuck on the deck, sleeping under sheets stretched out like tents, having to share a bathroom with several hundred people. Yes that sucks but, they are alive to tell the story. Our soldiers, our children overseas are going through many times worse situations than these folks, should they sue?

I used to travel a lot for business. Once on a flight to California I was looking out of window and noticed fluid coming out of the wing. I called the flight attendant and quietly showed her what I was seeing. She thanked me and within moments the captain showed up, put his hand on my shoulder and leaned over so he could see out the window, looked at me and said nothing. His looks were all the communication that I needed. He patted my shoulder and quickly disappeared up the isle. Within moments we were doing something known as “S” turns to loose altitude. We ended up spending the day in Scottsdale at the airport while they repaired the plane. After finally landing in California that evening, the Captain was standing in the door to the cockpit, he reached past the flight attendant by the cabin door and shook my hand as I made my way to the door and said “thank you.” He and I and a select few; knew what had transpired that day.

I don’t know how that flight would have ended had I not called attention to the fluid coming out of the wing. That did not stop me from flying again however.

While I would not take up motorcycle riding as I have a rather keen understanding of statistics, I would not be worried about taking a cruise or flight.

-Best to you and those that you care about.