Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

It has been unusually hot!!! Sounds like time to find a fire hydrant, water or an ice cream treat.

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

This spring and early summer have been hotter than I can remember. We had a string of days that were 15 degrees or higher above normal.

We have had several 100+ days already this summer and July is not half over.

I think that it would be a good time for me to take a break and go on a vacation (warm but not hot, cool clear water to drink for relaxation and some yet to be determined ice cream delights.

So, I’m off for a while. Wishing you all a great summer. ALOHA 

I can hardly believe it is the middle of May (2010).

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Wow!

I took a break this past winter. I worked on some personal projects. Painting inside and outside, ripping out my master bath and pulling a “Bob Villa” style do-over. I patched my roof, tore down my pool.

This past March I went down to Charleston S.C. to attend a funeral. My aunt, the one who basically taught me to water ski and had the most infectious laugh, was gone physically.

I was a reality shock for me. She was only 16 years older than me. I felt as though my life was slipping away. I know it becomes natural to “feel mortality” but I was not ready yet. I muddled along until spring was warm and breezy.

I started working in the yard pulling weeds, cutting off pieces of trees that were damaged by a particularly wet and snowy winter.

I tore out flower beds, re-mulched and replanted the beds. I had carpet torn out and new carpet installed.

I did a big shake up of personal items. I took one room at a time (it did not matter to me….I am the project manager for this segment. I am the person responsible. THEN I MADE A BARGAIN. I said that if I could find currency with the object I would sent it over for review/reconditioning. If the item better served an older requirement or was of no particular use/advantage it got dumped.

I made the comment that if anything was special to somebody they should take a picture of it and then say goodbye to it.

That is kind of where I am today. Do I really need this and if so why?

This process takes away from the hoarding mentality. It provides mobility, saves time, resource and money.

With the pictures you may still conjure up the memories and feelings that are good or important.

Think about what is collected, why is it collected, what advantage it provides other than satisfaction of impulse. This is one reason retail grocery stores in particular place cute or tasty items next to the checkout stations. They count on the old queue concept that they analyze to their benefit. If they know the checkout line will consistently have 4-6 patrons waiting it becomes easier to move (sell) small items. Do the thought process fairly often on what, why, what and it becomes natural. You end up with a good system of inventory, storage facilities and usable materials. You also don’t have to spend days getting STUFF ready so you can spend all day on Saturday having a yard sale and/or donating the stuff that has kept you from finding many things you knew were out in the garage somewhere.

Time on the other hand is different. It is given freely, for a price, or is taken and becomes lost. Time is a lot of things but patience is not one of it’s better qualities. Time decides “how long” and gives no more. It is gone. Take close heed of your time. Once spent it can not be spent again.

Stop, find your quiet place, relax, decompress and allow any stress to leave your space.   Clear current thoughts. Breath. Repeat your key word like “OHM” over and over while watching your breathing pattern slow down. Now choose what you want to focus your mind and energy on. Solve some problem or create an easier solution or a safer solution or a more productive solution. You can even waste some time looking at those animals that seem to pop up every time you take some time to just be, to look at the clouds and say what better way to spend my time right now.

Take some time.

2009 Coming to an End

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

The year 2009 is coming to an end. Christmas is next week. A new decade starts January 1, 2010.

I have been playing songs on my computer in the background while I “worked”. A couple of weeks ago I came across an old music DVD I made from my Beatles “records”. I know it is hard to believe people still have them. They keep company with 8-track tapes.

While looking for some of the “old” great guitar players I ended up on YouTube.

I selected some of them to put onto my computer.

You can check out some of my “favorites” in this blog. Obviously that is hard to do when current music changes with the culture and thinking of the times. So I have made no special attempt to get my best-loved music in this blog. 

Click on the little piece of film on the left of the URL address line and watch the music video. Then do it again on the next URL address line down. Of course you can play the same one over if you want. You can even play more than one at a time though it probably distorts the physical and chemical process that works on your brain so you can hear and see.

You can of course go on reading the blog  while enjoying the music video or just read the blog entry and come back when you have some time to go into the music videos.

These will definitely make your day a little different. They are not the Christmas songs you start hearing before the goblins of Halloween have all been quietened.

Let It Be - Beatles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBPFvp750sc

Come Together - Beatles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vAqekT-GuA

Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNpkTY8kwFQ

Miss You - Rolling Stones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOf0FsA0Fio

Professional Concert Version - Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMjzxHzZnnI

Listen To The Music - Doobie Brothers

http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/music/watch/v294452pMYWAJkc

Why Worry - Dire Straits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im2SoltmZEc 

Cocaine (good music) Eric Clapton  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYS732zyYfU

Shout (professional looking concert) - Tears For Fears   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI9lo5BRJmg

I Shot The Sheriff - Eric 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10qLYy6hiFQ

George, Eric, Ringo, Elton (jammin)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aLLHFSM7i8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxEX__YXmDs  

John Lennon (Stand by Me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4_ghOG9JQM  

And now some music by one of my all-time favorites Michael Jackson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Z8k5ChsX8 

Michael Jackson said “make a better place for you and for me.” 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGwo6ZdEYMs

Two versions of the music video Earth Song follow; the second with Michael’s singing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Hcd60VoRM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FZcAzZOyOg  

Power to the this season, the year 2009, the decade, and music. Listen/watch these and see if you can remember some thoughts and memories or a time in your life associated with a particular song. When finished with a song just close the video (Apture software window) you are using to play the music video.You can repeat the song on the video software. “do it again” Dire Straits said in one of their best songs or you can come back to this post over and over to watch and to listen.  Enjoy the holiday season with whatever music makes you happy, gives you good memories or touches your soul. 

Give thanks to those who really do care for the environment, culture, mankind and how to best preserve our civilization. “Play it forward” because you can pass it on and know you are helping another person as you have been helped. A giving heart is what the Christmas season is for me other than the celebration of Christ’s birth. You can give of yourself whether you give material gifts or not. I have heard many times that helping others without expectation (other than knowing you made a difference) is what we could all do more often. The spirit is clearly moving and providing a tingling charge, like when you hear a song that makes you feel electric. Because it captures your soul and you have a profound sense of purpose,

I sometimes choke up myself and my skin starts to tingle and then feel as though I am being shocked by some low voltage electrical power source. A good power source for sure. There is a great feeling to see and hear a hit from our good times. It seems to identify you as having been right there “experiencing history”. I hope you enjoy these songs. They are meant to get into your head for a while, to make you smile.

Law of

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Attraction:

(roots in quantum physics)

Thoughts are energy. If you want to use this energy for your good read on and enjoy the moment.

Develop an appreciation for now, the present, today. Value the now. You are only a thought away from changing your whole life.

I have heard many times that you have to live on purpose. Without that you are like a boat with no motor, no power, no compass. The waves carry you wherever they may go without any regard to you or your dreams.

Stay away from self-defeating ways. Think of the good, the positive, your wants, needs and desires. There is awesome power in maintaining a positive mental attitude. The energy of thought can be used to contact the universal spirit, or conscious, and attract good. You can use the synchronicity of your being (your whole self) to attract the object of your attention.

The law of attraction also requires you to practice some things.

1. Know exactly what you want.

2. Ask the universal for it.

3. Feel, know, and see (visualize) the object of your desire is already yours.

4. And the hardest to understand is to be open to receive it and let go of (your attachment to) the outcome.

The universe will manifest your desires.

Deepak Chopra has a book you should read titled “The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire” (Harnessing the Infinite Power of coincidence). The book sets up and describes the self (soul) and the universal soul. The book refers to synchronicity in nature, desires and methods to obtain the level of consciousness making fulfillment more than (mere) coincidence. This coincidence is more like synchrodestiny and likened to the non-visible universe. The idea that we can only believe what is material or physical evaporates with the new concept (new to us) that the universe is pure potential. It can occur without space/time requirements. It is. Just like I am and you are.

Carl Jung is known for his development of synchronicity in analytical psychology. He described synchronicity as an “acasual connecting principle” and as an “acasual parallelism”. He felt the principle gave proof (or conclusive evidence) for his concepts of archetypes and the collective unconscious. He thought it was descriptive of the governing dynamic that underlies the complete human experience (and history) - social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. He also that individuation was required for a person to become whole. [another law] Individuation was the central concept of analytical psychology.

One of Jung’s favorite quotes on synchronicity was from “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll where the White Queen says to Alice “It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwords”. When I read that it led me to start thinking about an Alice and a Sally (mother and daughter, both important people in my life). Jung believed firmly that these “coincidences” happen all the time. I remember really liking the song by Police “Synchronicity” and a “music video” by Tom Petty about “Alice in Wonderland” and another song by Jefferson Airplane that my wife (former) played for me the first time I heard it. She was in Charleston, South Carolina and I called her from King Salmon, Alaska.  It was about 1:00 A.M. her time.

I also remember that cat asking Alice where she wanted to go and getting the response from Alice that she really did not know. This led to the cat saying then it really does not matter which way you go.  Atypical coincidences? Jung also emphasized the importance of harmony and balance, the whole person.   

There is an effort going on to find, witness, observe what is called the “God” boson. Particle colliders are set up to race “particles” faster and faster towards each other until they approach the speed of light. At that time the scientists will make the particles collide with each other to see what happens.   A collider is a type of a particle accelerator involving directed beams of particles. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. anyway some folks think this is a silly thing to do. maybe that is why the new one is way under ground and has taken so long to build and get ready to use.

In particle physics, bosons are particles which obey Bose–Einstein statistics; they are named after Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein. Another name for the unseen boson is the Higgs boson named after “theory” physics from Higgs and Einstein. The Higgs boson is the basic “force”, or unit, that is touted as the elemental basis of our universe.  

Einstein’s theory is now very well established as the correct description of motion of relativistic objects, that is those traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light.

Because most of us have little experience with objects moving at speeds near the speed of light, Einstein’s predictions may seem strange. However, many years of high energy physics experiments have thoroughly tested Einstein’s theory and shown that it fits all results to date.

From the SLAC website - In fact Einstein’s relationship tells us more, it says Energy and mass are interchangeable. Or, better said, rest mass is just one form of energy. For a compound object, the mass of the composite is not just the sum of the masses of the constituents but the sum of their energies, including kinetic, potential, and mass energy. The equation E=mc2 shows how to convert between energy units and mass units. Even a small mass corresponds to a significant amount of energy.

  • In the case of an atomic explosion, mass energy is released as kinetic energy of the resulting material, which has slightly less mass than the original material.
  • In any particle decay process, some of the initial mass energy becomes kinetic energy of the products. end SLAC para.

There is a simple “awesome” fact that a gram is equal to  24.9 million kilowatt-hours. 

From me, the question would be ”Is either real or it is electrical?” From a non layperson (nuclear, energy physics, particle) the initial “mass” energy becoming the kinetic energy of the products is probably a second-natured law. I do remember something about the human body creating energy converting “stuff” we eat and burning calories. Another law about energy.  

The total amount of mass–energy in a closed system remains constant because energy cannot be created or destroyed and, in all of its forms, trapped energy has mass. According to the theory of relativity, mass and energy as commonly understood are two names for the same thing, and one is not changed to the other. Rather, neither one appears without the other. When energy changes type and leaves a system, it takes its mass with it

I have also read that we basically will cause more chaos as human existence continues because we bring more disorder into our world by using up high-quality energy resources and then replace it with lower, or poor quality, energy. Sort of like I eat for energy and I release lower grade matter into the earth. Eventually the finite resources we use become depleted from the ecosystem.  

When we die our matter becomes CO. But where does our “real” energy go? I digress I guess but I believe that our energy does change as we leave our earthly plane. I think we become an infinite potentiality (again). 

I have been reading a lot about dark energy and it is awe-inspiring to me as a lay person. The concept is that at the instant of “the big bang” the calculated matter (mass) that created the universe only accounts for some 10% of what should be. This gives rise to the idea of some 90% not visible which was named dark energy/dark matter. Conceptually, the invisible has an infinite potential to become instantaneously whatever is needed. Sort of like kinetic, or resting, energy.

The idea of space/time not affecting everything is scary, voiding a lot of scientific laws. It is like watching “Flash Gordon” if anyone remembers that show. A later “space” movie came along that I watched probably 15 times over the years called “2001 A Space Odyssey “. The Space Odyssey series is a science fiction series of four novels and two films created from 1948 to 1997, primarily by the writer Arthur C. Clarke. Without thinking about it I named a major database and software project repository “HAL9000″, a coincidence I guess. Another example was a TV show called “Star Trek”. I believe I watched every segment or series installment. I even met some of the characters later in life while attending a computer show. My mind was captured by the information and specials from or about Carl Segan, especially a series about the brain and how it performed things like a computer system. All coincidental to me even having the idea of getting into computing (computers and systems). I went to take pre-entrance testing with a friend who wanted to get into the computer field. He didn’t pass the exams but I did. If I had not gone basically in support of him, I would not have even taken the computer field testing process. Another coincidence, maybe.    

My most “strange” feeling, other than feeling the presence of Picasso (one of my favorite painters) about a minute before I heard on the radio he had just died or hearing over the loud speaker at school while in chemistry class that Kennedy had been killed when not heard by anyone in the class until about a minute later when the message was repeated, come to think of it I have had a lot of these strange feelings (or coincidences). Oh, back to the strangest feeling I have had (so far). I remember having a shuttering inside when I read Chopra and Jung discussing many concurrent incarnations happening at the same time. Basically concurrent worlds unknown to each other. Though not totally messed up in the head I have had those same thoughts before about slightly out of sync (so we would not know it) worlds going on here at the same time.   

The concept of infinite potentialities is beyond most current thinking, but not for my mother. She went to school until the sixth grade before “staying home” while her sister continued school. She was helping the household by being home cleaning and cooking.

She had a simple thought or principle that she shared with me after we talked about a dream she had which bothered me. I asked her what I could do to prepare for things she “foresaw”. She said her dreams always came true though the meanings sometimes had to be uncovered (the subconscious talking to the conscious). She said that she had dreamed about me and my marriage but did not tell me.

Later she told me she dreamed of having another child but she knew that could not be true because she had an operation (hysterectomy). Then she found that she had contracted cancer (third generation at the same age) instead of being pregnant. She told me she had another dream that the news was the real reason for her dream. She was told she would have hard days ahead but she would not die of this cancer.

 Her doctor told me after some chemo and cobalt treatments the cancer had left a fairly large hole where good tissue was destroyed while trying to stop/kill the cancer. He said it had entered all her lymph-nodes and there was no chance for her to survive. His estimate was she had less than two months left, they had done everything possible to stop or kill the cancer to no avail. He said I should think about what I heard and decide whether to tell my family. I said no I won’t be telling them.

He had the family come to a conference room a couple of weeks later. He gave us all the “bad news”. He asked my sisters whether they had been having regular checkups since this was an obvious genetic concern. My sisters looked at each other and I could tell they had not really thought about that. My sister closest to my age said she had cancelled her checkup, my other sister said she had not scheduled one. The doctor told my sisters and my aunt (mother’s sister) they should now make it a clear priority.

Though I can’t remember the oncologist’s name he became a Christian because of my mother. The next week he said he noticed what appeared to be a glow around her head on his rounds and thought it was because his eyes were tired because he came by after his regular work schedule to see her. He thought he needed to get his eyes checked because that “glow” occured three days in a row.

 He heard the nurses talking about patients from several floors coming by to talk with her and ask for her prayers.

His next series of testing showed the cancer had stopped spreading. It had gone into “remission”. He asked me to come by on my way to see her and told me “this really is a miracle”, the cancer has stopped spreading.

He was the head of the cancer organisation at our medical university and state cancer society president during this period of time.

This is being shared as background for the wisdom my mother gave me. She said that in my life time people would actually be killing others over tennis shoes and the country would have a bad time like the depression was for her. I asked her what I could do to prepare for this. She said I could not prepare. She said all I could do is go forward trusting in God and “simply believe“. That is all you have to do. We never talked about it again.

I hope that you leave this article (blog post) with a reason to believe that anything really is possible.

With love and best wishes for you today.

  

               

When the mind knows whether you know or not.

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

The mind is a funny thing when it comes to finding something you have misplaced or awaking you with some knowledge or information. Thinking about something and then sitting for answers or ideas is a fundamental blessing. I call it the universal mind or master mind alliance.

It works. The unconscious augments or takes over a thought, problem or situation to come up with resolutions or answers that elude the consciousness.

It is akin to turning something over to God.

Self never provides lasting results. The ego, vanity, self-serving or uncaring will always suffer what is called hell. Eventually!

Positive thinking, persisting, doing, caring provide for lasting good shared with the universal.

Take this to heart and act accordingly.

Enlightened on this birthday

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

“Paraprhasing” my thinking managers guys: 

• Jack Welch created spectacular value at General Electric: How to create the culture and management behaviours that make for and maximise market leadership.

• Bill Gates built Microsoft into the enabling force of the software revolution: How to exploit your own vision of the future by taking tough, powerful decisions in the present.

• Andy Grove drove Intel to become a magnificent microprocessor machine: How to optimise the pay-offs from dynamic advantages - and from reacting to near-total failure.

• Warren Buffett created the greatest fortune ever derived from straight investment

• Peter Drucker created the genre of management writing and changed the way managers manage: How to master the crucial difference between the Efficient (good) and the Effective (critical).

• Stephen R Covey sold 10 million copies of The Seven Secrets of Highly Effective People: How to succeed in business by helping yourself to help other people to enjoy lasting success.

• Tom Peters sold 7 million copies of In Search of Excellence: How to keep pace with today’s changes in management that make performance fast, free and furiously good.

• Charles Handy has changed the way we think about management and society: How to transcend the traditional organisation and manager with better ways of life and thought.

I have read the above people’s writings and they have personally affected me mentally and physically in my approach and  actions.

My birthday today, September 23. As many people I started to go down memory lane. I looked at early pictures trying to get in touch with and “feel” the time when I got my “Davy coonskin hat” or my dog, bullet, or my first love, or my first car.

Then I shifted my thinking to about love, family, and work.

Physically, I have spent the last week organizing information for me. Mental, polyneuropathy, poor balance, digestive  processing (poor absorption of vitamins and minerals) are all equally disturbing. Some information follows:

Please note that if you click on the http links in this post you will have to use your browser page back function (like the back arrow on Internet Explorer) to return to this blog entry from the external link. 

http://www.mmbandt.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/cns-1.bmp

My doctors have explained “my” situation regarding affects of age, quality of life and expectations based on the genetics passed on from the “family tree”.

I was told that to some extent I could modify the affects of genetics by focusing on environmental aspects of living.

http://www.mmbandt.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/cns-2.bmp

I tried to follow the above diagram but it became a little fuzzy like the next picture.

http://www.mmbandt.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/cns-3.bmp

The underlying information was that I am “pre” disposed to diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, stroke, heart attack, mental conditions, a pot belly, cataracts, skin problems, like stucco keratosis, pattern baldness, graying hair, nervous system or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA axis) problems, neuroendocrinology, the inability to extract nutrients (process vitamins and minerals critical for health/maintenance) and last, but not least, the fact that hypothalamic development and response to an acute stressor is determined by pre-pubertal stress in early life.

One link I reference in trying to understand and track the main aspects is

(http:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothalamus)

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

The previous link is where I reviewed the connections and references with a certain amount of awe. I came from a thought, an energy pulse. I am part of the “I am”; my journey yet the self knowing, part of the One. What simplicity, what complexity. “Is or is not.” - Yoda in Star Wars. “Believe” is what my mother said so many years ago to me. Simply believe.

It is not about “self” or “id”. It is all about the soul, that part of all, that detachment from self, the inner peace detached from the outcome of events.

I could go on and on with the topic of time and energy, selflessness, unlimited incarnations, presence (force) in a rock, a tree, a plan. DNA, we have far fewer pairs/strings/genes than the monkey. Sameness as in a seed. It can be dormant and unchanged until an event takes place (watering). Then it turns into a something that is the same as (a seed of grass for example). Maybe that is where the old Bible saying came from when telling (people) to have the faith of a muster seed. Now I understand the real meaning. Even the mustard seed knows everything it needs to know.  

The universe is said to be made up of some 10% of what should have existed from the “big bang”. The other 90% is now called dark matter (because we can’t see it). I think it is all potentiation waiting to exist. Is this nonstuff waiting to instantly become whatever is needed? I believe so. See, I have always been what is called an existentialist. I have always been drawn to people like Carl Segan.

Happy Birthday to me…..and you have a nice day. See you soon.

108 degrees (with heat index)!

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

What difference does it make whether it is 97 degrees or 108 degrees when the normal temperature is 85 degrees? Not much is my thought. Heat is heat no matter whether you think of a cool breeze or an actual swim. It is still hot.

Another question: What is the difference between Chapter 13 bankruptcy and Chapter 7 bankruptcy? Not much if you are at a point where you have to say you can no longer maintain your financial stability. Bankrupt is bankrupt whether you think of a cool breeze or an actual swim. It is still financial collapse.

It is somewhat odd to me that there is almost 10 percent of the American working population not working and Washington is trying to bail people out by offering to give them up to $4500 for the car they have. In return they can get a new car. Can they pay it off? Will they lose their job? Is the government looking 7 to 10 years ahead, 20 years ahead? I think not. 

How will my children and their children come to terms with the decisions that cost them so much that it is very hard to imagine? 

Another topic that is hard to grasp is the idea that the government is looking to provide a “dignified way” for end-of-life choices. Does everyone think this is alright? Did they not so long ago think it terrible that there was a “Dr. K”? So much so that he went to jail for assisting. I don’t even want to bring up faith, family, religion or other human attributes.

I read the other day that scientists have spotted a tightly formed galaxy that is traveling a million miles an hour. None of them thought much about the fact that it was traveling at that speed. After all it was over thirteen billion miles away from Earth. 

Another topic that I thought was in this type of category is coffee. I read that tests have concluded that coffee can actually reverse Alzheimer’s. I remember not so long ago my doctor said “do not drink coffee because it will probably kill you.” Coffee was called the most used “drug” in the world. Now here is yet another example of a heat index if you will.

Time has a way of turning, of changing. Maybe that is why there are so many songs, written material and photographs on the topic.

All you have to do is look at photos of times past to see how quickly change occurs. Whether you look at photos of your youth, your children’s youth or extended family the picture becomes the same. Time is time!  

So the point of this is that most things really are relative. It is the person that makes the difference. Our unique self is different than any other, yet positive attitude makes many the same.

  

Commentary 2009 on a commentary from 2007

Monday, May 25th, 2009

May 2009, Memorial Day, is a good time for reflection. In this post I am referring to a post I made in 2007 mostly about technology. I also discussed the consumer situation that was going on in America.

Obama is the hot topic these days. A president articulate in speech and good at planning to get “immediate, correct” quick and popular results.

There was also a mountain of bank, finance, corporate, and personal greed and failure.

The financial solution seemed to be bailout, poor decisions, and “criminal” action.

My 2007 post also mentioned a then hard to believe credit card debt.

United States consumers have an eight trillion dollar ($8,000,000,000,000) credit card debt!

So here we are today having heard of “stimulus” plans to help the consumer economic situation.

Hear I am today with my credit card companies (those same banking bailout recipients) reducing my ability to plan the best way to help myself get my finances under control. After agreement on my limit and rate interest things have now changed.

Now I receive letters stating “due to the economic situation” my limit has been reduced and my minimum payment must go up, as well as, my percentage rate has been increased.

What kind of “relief” is this? No negotiation, and in some cases, causing problems when paying for something and being told the card has been rejected.

The worst I have had happen is that my interest has been raised and it applies to my current balance, as well as, any new purchases! But wait, they also are going to start charging an extra one percent on the balance. I thought that purchases were made at a given percentage. How can they now say that I have to pay more that I paid originally. Especially if it were a sale item that helped me and the seller by moving money around (helping the economy).

Was it not our federal government that started the “credit card capability”? Is it like us carrying an ever increasing federal deficit? Is it like social security that was not supposed to ever go higher that two percent? Is it like the government?

United States consumers have an eight trillion dollar ($8,000,000,000,000) credit card debt! I still find that figure unreal. Our federal government is adding some three trillion dollars to our debt. How are we consumers going to keep up with this when there is an approximately ten percent of us unemployed right now.It seems to me that the boat (US) is definitely headed into an uncharted journey that will possibly go down in the history of the world as a once powerful nation where anyone could succeed with ingenuity, hard work, and a government that supported all people.

Sometimes the only answer is a question

Monday, May 25th, 2009

I remember reading once that to find the real problem or the source of it is to ask why five times.

Why did this happen? What happened? What could I have done to circumvent the event? What can I learn from this to go foreword in my life’s journey?

Why did I think that the answer required five “why” questions and did the previous paragraph change my thinking?

Perhaps there is another way to approach the problem. Seek counsel!

Easter 2009

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

Easter 2009 is extra special this year.

A depressed world economy, many more unemployed, foreclosures, lost financial security and savings. Sounds pretty bleak.

However these events do not have any effect on the essence of man.

Christ died for us as unpure beings so that our “sins” could be washed away and not remembered ever.

Amasing thoughts that the “essential” us is never broken by the physical world. Being unaffected is not that hard to do. You only have to believe, only give up the “me” life.

Happy Easter.