Internet Weather

I was thinking this morning about how marvelous the internet is. How we can summon incredibly diverse information with only a few computer clicks.

The reason for my rumination on the internet is I had wanted to paint our front door. However, clouds loomed above us, moving on a familiar storm track. Since rain on fresh paint might not be a good thing, I decided to check the weather radar on the internet.

The radar showed that the storms were moving off shore and very shortly be gone. Great! I wanted to get that prime coat on the door today and if I didn't have the internet would have looked at the sky and decided that I had best delay the work.

Of course I got everything set up and just started to paint when thunder rolled across the area and it commenced to rain. Man, is the internet great or what?

Need a Name

Trying to think of a name for my new country. You see, I'm going to secede from the United Sates and become an independent dictatorship. As a dictator I will not reveal how many citizens live in my country, where we exist, or what deodorant we use.

What I am going to do is announce to the world that I have a nuclear armaments program underway. It will be so secret that the US intelligence services will never find it but not wanting to be found ignorant, will say they have some evidence it may be so.

I will then contact the pres and say I'm a nice dictator and if the US were to maybe pony up a few hundred million dollars (Euros would be better) I will only use my program for peaceful purposes.

Otherwise I might use my weapons against Rhode Island and Berkeley. Have already tested one and learned a little ammonia in water fired from a plastic revolver shaped receptacle works nicely in getting the feral cat off my porch. Got to use scientific terminology here to impress everyone.

Thanks AJ for the tip.

Dream Tickets

There is all this noise about a dream ticket - Obama and Clinton. Well folks, isn't it time to think outside of the box. There are other dream tickets out there! For example, how about Obama and Ron Paul? Or, McCain and Clinton? Obama and Sean Hannity? Its time for this nation to throw off the yoke of conventionalism and plow new furrows in the mud of politics! Surely, you can think of some wonderful dream tickets?

Blogs

When I just want to zone out, take a time out from my routine I browse blogs. I've mentioned this before. It only happens late in the evening or in the middle of the night. I do it because it gives me connection. Each blogger shares a piece of themselves, a piece of their soul.

Sometimes I'm amazed at the creativity, or sometimes it is simply sharing something they enjoy such as recipes. OK, I don't cook and do not study the recipes like I know some do, analyzing the ingredients and wondering how it would come out. I know some can even look at the recipe and say that's too much salt or vermouth. Not me so I move on but I understand.

All this reminds me of my humanity, of our connection as humans, and tells me that there are extremes but the vast majority - masses if you insist, are living life in love, happiness, anger, sadness, loneliness, frustration, joy, and more often in quiet desperation (the term is so accurate but I dislike it because it's negative). but living our lives the only way we know how. Shakespeare said:

"All the worlds a stage,
and all the men and women players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,"

That is each of us, here. Our blogs show a minuscule part of our stage, but all actors only show a small part. We go onto the stage, do our act, and return to our dressing room and our life. The best actors understand their part and relate to their audience. They live their part and if they do well, the audience gets it

Drambuie is Listed

Drambuie is listed on the internet. One of the major websites for yachts is Yacht World where you can see the listing.

The broker said she was the nicest IP 37' he had ever seen so that sounded good. I haven't gone through all the posted pictures (already seen the boat) but he clearly wants to show the boat off. Sometimes you only see one or two photos which may indicate the boat is in poor condition and they can't show much, preferring to get a buyer to look at it in person so they can try to sell them.

There is already someone interested in seeing the boat and I have mixed emotions. Now that it is on the market it would be nice to make a quick sale but I had sort of expected Drambuie to be around for awhile. This isn't easy.

Drambuie is Moving On, I hope

Yesterday I met with our yacht broker to officially list Drambuie for sail. It isn't the best time of year to list. Some folks are hesitant to do anything with the hurricane season. Further, our location is off the beaten track so will not have as many visitors. I could have moved it to a more popular location but by keeping it here can continue to use it and insure that it stays in good condition.

On a positive note, those who are seriously looking for an Island Packet will come. When I bought I traveled over the eastern seaboard in my search. This means people who do come are likely to be serious buyers. And, they are on a schedule and with an agenda that will not be influenced highly by time of year.

It will take months to sell in this market. The good news is the boat is in great shape, in fact, our broker said it is the best condition IP 37 he had ever seen.

The boat listing should be up in a day or two and I'll put the link in my blog.

PLEASE, do not anyone say that boat owners happiest days ware hen they buy the boat and again when they sell the boat! This has been a hard decision and I am not happy to be listing the boat and cannot be happy to see it sold. True, if this becomes a multi--year listing my relief will grow but I'm not happy selling my dream and the means that could see it realized. Being a sailor I might deck the person that says it.

Guess I better practice some people skills.

On Being Retired 1

I had thought at one time about writing a separate blog relating my experiences on becoming a retiree. I imagined a blog with advertising that was read by thousands and then, perhaps setting up a video site and making serious money.

When I was approaching retirement age I went online to find what others had written about their experience. There was plenty of information on saving for retirement but little about the actual experience of being retired or even about investing after retirement although there was some. Don't worry about the investing stuff if you are not comfortable handling your money, there are plenty of people out there that are.

I was trying to get into the mental set and visualize what it would be like. True, I wouldn't have to get up early to go to work and deal with those issues but what is retirement really like? Well if you really want to know, Send me $50 (worth every penny) for my new book "On Being Retired." Not sure when it will be published yet because one thing I've learned is that I'd like to continue earning money but don't want to commit my time and effort to it.

One basic thing I will share. Whatever you were before retirement, you will be after retirement. I was a "things to do" list maker, organized, and always felt I had to be battling to reduce the size of the list. I tired to live without the list but wasn't comfortable trying to remember what I had to get done, even if I could put it off for days or weeks. So now I make lists.

I also worried that I would be bored and not have much to occupy myself. Perhaps someone that was totally immersed in their work would struggle with that, I have had no problem. For me, it is sometimes an issue of wanting less to do.

I have other topics I can discuss about retiring and maybe will if I am so moved. I am retired though so I'll get to it when I get to it. Meanwhile, don't forget to send me your money.

I Voted

Seems like everyone I have spoken to about how we voted the other day thinks I cancelled their vote. That is power! I can now cancel every one's vote which must mean mine is the only one that counts.

That makes me tremble with the awesome responsibility.

I mention this so if you are thinking of voting again you need not bother, mine cancels yours so you shouldn't bother even taking the time to go to the polls.

Memory Trick

I have a simple little trick I've used over the years to help recall some one's name. It has been surprisingly effective. It works when I know I know the name and it's on the tip of my tongue.

When that happens I slowly go through the alphabet thinking of each letters sound. For example, "A" could be Ann or Arron or Aronquil, note how they have a similar sound.

It has saved my butt a bunch of times, just the other day I was trying to remember my wife's name and used this trick. Sure enough, Harriet's name jumped into my mind.

Crime Spree

I had no idea how serious the crime is in this area. I felt living in the Bible belt, in a semi-rural area we would be relatively safe. Such does not seem to be the case.

The weekly newspaper State Port Pilot publishes the "Sheriff's Report." It lists the officer reports for the previous week. One report really caught my eye. It seems some unscrupulous dastardly thief stole two cans of roach spray from a business. Value of the goods was placed at $5.25. Another business in the same block reports two packs of cigars stolen, valued at $600.

I'm not a cigar smoker but am a little surprised at the value of those two packs of cigars.

Always thought I'd make a good police detective with my superior analytical skills. Thinking about these thefts led me to a shrewed surmise that it was probably Bubba planning to go fishing. Roach spray for the bugs and cigars to relax while waiting for a bite.

Zeus

Given the children murdered by pit bulls in the Bay Area and the increasingly stringent laws related to their ownership, a news item about such an attack near Wilmington caught my eye.

It seems that a part pit bull part something dog had just bitten a third person since 2004. After the second attack, the dog was declared dangerous and got a tattoo. I wasn't certain whether this was rite of passage into the ranks of dangerous dogs or what the designation meant. Perhaps he had arrived at a new exalted level of dogdom. The dog received that status when its second victim complained.

Now the dog, Zeus, has bitten again. The dog is being released to its owner and if its third victim complains, a panel will review the circumstances and it dog may face further restrictions. That's it?

I am not a fan at all of these dangerous breeds. Their owner's always say how loving the animal is but that loving animal has a deserved reputation of violent attacks. Why own one? I admit that if I were living in a very dangerous neighborhood I might think about having one but that is seldom the case.

I really think people that own these dogs have psychological issues that go beyond their desire for protection. Anger? Perhaps. Meanwhile, Zeus has another notch on his collar and it may only a matter of time before his next attack seriously injures or kills a child.

Zeus lives in a mobile home park in a nearby suburb to Wilmington - I don't see it as being a dangerous environment.

Tests

Hazel is teaching at the local community college, Perhaps I should ask her this:

"If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?"

Obama's Special Interest

Hillary and Obama are advertising heavily here in North Carolina. Nice to know we are important. NC didn't push their primary up to January 1st and now it has paid off.

Anyway, noted that Obama is announcing in his ad that he "doesn't take money from oil companies." I guess he counts on us being ignorant that it is ILLEGAL for him to take money from oil companies and those of us that know it, won't feel insulted stupid claim. He doesn't say anything about taking money from oil executives though, and that is legal.

Barack Obama and The National Anthem

Last September Barack Obama was photographed during the National Anthem. He did not have his hand over his heart as he was supposed to. Today I received this email which had been copied to a multitude of people:

HELLO PEOPLE IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Maybe someone needs to tell OBAMA his actions are not acceptable and if he does not want to accept the AMERICAN way he should not be running for President of the UNITED STATES!!!!!!! If you LOVE your
Country and want to keep it FREE then send this to everyone in your
address book.

The following, all by itself, should sink Barack Obama's candidacy. He has said, 'As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides.' If he were to be President of the United States , exactly whose side would he represent?

From LtCol. Pete Ginn, USAF (Ret.).....


Hot on the heels of his explanation for why he no longer wears a flag pin, presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama was forced to explain why he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played.

According to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171, 'During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.'

'As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides,' Obama said. 'There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.'

'I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial.' - Barack Obama.

.........................................
Comment:
If someone had told me 64 years ago, as I was roaring down the runway in the
most beautiful airplane in the world, that I would see our country subjected to
one of the most disgusting Presidential elections imaginable, I would have told
them they were crazy as hell....
What in the world have we come to?

Ed Evans
MGySgt., USMC (Ret.) & Pastor


The internet provides a means of communication unparalleled in our history. With it, however, comes new responsibilities. One is to fairly evaluate and confirm the accuracy of the information before dessiminating it to thousands. Therefore go to snopes and see what they say.

I am not a Obama fan but it behooves me to validate the information I am given in order to make as fair and considered judgement I can. Blindly accepting scandulous rumor does an immense disservice to Obama, to myself and to our country.

Oh and by the way, I haven't always placed my hand over my heart during the National Anthem. Have you? If you didn't, does that mean you don't value the sacrifice of our service people or honor our country. C'mon, be reasonable.

You're Getting Old When...

People call you at 9 pm and ask if they woke you?

Who Loves You Most?

Put your dog and your wife in the trunk of the car. Leave them there for an hour and then let them out and see who is happiest to see you.

On Being A Manager

I recall the struggle I went through when faced with the dismissal of an employee. I'd worry that they wouldn't find another job, their ego would suffer, their family would suffer, etc. And, to be honest, how do to it gently so they wouldn't be hurt. Thus I tended to delay the inevitable at a cost to others.

As the years passed I came to have a different perspective. First was the evaluation. If the employee was sincerely trying and was simply, for some reason, unable to perform the job, I still sought to terminate them with compassion and gently as I could. If, on the other hand, they were showing me that they were deliberately undermining the company and employees through their behavior and actions - the end would come swiftly and with little gentleness. We are each responsible for our actions and behavior as adults.

The primary factor that I kept to the forefront of my mind was the other employees. Was I being fair to them to continue the employment of someone that couldn't or wouldn't do their job? I needed to respect those who showed maturity, integrity and effort.

Perhaps the person I was dismissing was trying to do their best, had a family to support, etc., these were never easy but I reminded myself the folks remaining had families and had their own life problems. A company is not a counseling center (normally) or there to support people beyond that which could reasonably be done and still achieve its profit making goals. A company not making a profit is not serving the needs of anyone.

What struck me was how relieved everyone else was when I did terminate the person. Either it was relief at having a dysfunctional personality out of their midst or relief that they no longer had to watch a train wreck in progress.

Therefore my mantra was, who am I supporting and respecting. Are they doing what must be done? It was never just me and the other person, it was the entire group.

Imponderable

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

A Great Website

Once in awhile I rearn of a website that belongs in the top 100 of my much most enjoyed. Its content is unique and of great value. Consider these:



Check it out.

Robotics

The science of robotics has coming a long way. When you consider the technical issues involved, advances displayed by this video are incredible. Check this out.


And, of course, others seek to compete and further the science. When that happens, new problems arise. I felt a pang of sympathy for the inventor of this robot.