Throwing in the carts via The Journal Gazette

Sunday's Journal-Gazette featured an article which enumerated the benefits of Fort Wayne's new recycling program. We have always participated in the city's recycling program after Fort Wayne's annexation of Aboite Township despite some reports that recycling might actually cost more in resources than it saves. I wasn't sure of all the pros and the cons, but I do believe that it is beneficial to minimize the waste being dumped in landfills.

As soon as the new single-container recycling program was announced, I signed up online immediately looking forward to it. When the new large recycling container was delivered, I was even more impressed. Apparently we are not alone given the participation rate far above what was anticipated and the apparent total success of the program so far resulting in financial benefits with savings and added income for the city.

My wife and I are empty nesters (okay not counting the two dogs and two cats) but we have very little trash any longer. Each week we have a 33-gallon trash bag not even full so it looks pretty lonely when I throw it in our garbage can. But every other week our recycling container is at least two-thirds full and often three-fourths full or more.

The recycling program is so easy I fail to see why anyone declines to participate.

Throwing in the carts | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN

Local cyclers will take part in cross-country Race for Congo benefit ride via The News-Sentinel

This story was in the Saturday evening edition of The News-Sentinel. The print version has a photo of two bikers, namely Joe Johns and Andrew Hoffman.

Local cyclers will take part in cross-country Race for Congo benefit ride via The News-Sentinel 07/30/11

Her Dad's Advice Resonates: Be Happy

Jill Adams has a column that appears in the News-Sentinel that I find interesting and sometimes thought-provoking. This is one such occasion. She begins "My Father was my hero" and that caught my attention after openly stating a number of times recently after my father's death that my father was my hero.

Her column has a very important lesson that I learned after I had the guts to go back to school while working full-time to earn a second bachelor's degree to become qualified to work in the field of IT that I love. I am blessed to have a job and career that I enjoy so much that I often really look forward to getting out of bed in the morning although I might seldom admit it.

I hope you enjoy her story as much as I did.

Life without bumper pads: Dad's advice resonates via The News-Sentinel

Dad's Gravesite Military Honors

It was only three days ago that we buried my Dad. It eerily seems longer ago than that. Returning to work on Tuesday morning did return some sense of normalcy to my life.

Dad was entitled by law to military honors at his gravesite by the Marine Corps. We were driven to the cemetery in the funeral limo. As we neared the site I was watching anxiously to see if the military representatives were indeed there. We rounded a bend in the drive and I was relieved to see two Marines standing at ease by the canopy. And it wasn't until I sat down next to Mom in the row of seats at Dad's casket that I noticed the Navy bugler off in the distance ahead of us slightly to our right.

Actually the first thing I did once I exited the limo before taking my seat was head for the two Marines. I didn't expect them to acknowledge me as they stood at ease ready to snap to salute when my Dad's casket would approach from the hearse. And they did not acknowledge me. I am not sure how much they knew about my Dad's military history, but I wanted to make sure they knew who it was they were there to honor.

I strode up to them from their right and never made eye contact with them and they never moved while I said "Gentlemen, I don't know how much you know about my Dad's military service to our country, but I want to make sure you know that my Dad was orphaned at the age of 12, managed to complete high school, then enlisted in the Marines, saw his first action at Iwo Jima at the age of 19, remained in the Pacific Theater until the end of World War II, and then served with our occupation forces in Japan. I cannot adequately express to you how much it means to my family to have you here to honor our Father as you are today."

I was committed to making sure they knew that because I have found in the past when other Marines are speaking with Dad and they find out that he served at Iwo Jima, he is held in such awe by other Marines because there is no more sacred ground to a member of USMC than Iwo Jima. And I wanted those Marines who were there to honor my Dad to also feel honored to perform the ceremony for a veteran of Iwo Jima and to know how much we appreciated their efforts to be there.

Following the religious part of the ceremony, the military ceremony began with the playing of Taps followed by the folding and presentation of the US flag to my Mother. I was seated to my Mother's left and one brother to her right. Unknown to me another brother recorded the entire ceremony and put in on YouTube. Here is a shortened version of the military honors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k3AphRMXJE&feature=player_embedded

The Navy bugler and the Marines were flawless in the performance of their duties including the words spoken to my Mother as she was presented the US flag that draped Dad's coffin.

"On behalf of the President of the United States, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's service to Country and Corps."

The 10 most walkable U.S. cities

I know this article will interest those who are concerned about urban planning, energy conservation, and all the related implications to our society going forward.

Indianapolis makes the opposite list of the 10 least walkable cities in the U.S. I would assume that Fort Wayne would rank much closer to Indianapolis than to New York.

The 10 most walkable U.S. cities from Amy Hoak's Home Economics via MarketWatch

Changing Doctors Again

One unpleasant task that I need to accomplish today is filling out another two-page medical questionnaire prior to my first appointment with my new doctor on Wednesday. It is a process that I have become used to over the last couple decades.

For the first several years after we returned to Fort Wayne I was seen by a General Practitioner. But when it became clear that I would need to find a new doctor for a number of reasons I inquired around and selected a young internist in the hope that he would become my primary care physician for the balance of my lifetime since he is much younger than I.

I thoroughly enjoyed our doctor-patient relationship for several years before receiving a letter from his office that he was leaving the practice to become a hospitalist, a doctor who specializes only in treating hospitalized patients where he continues his internal medicine specialty as well.

So approximately five years ago I once again faced the need to find another internist to be my primary care physician. Again I checked around with some friends in the medical community and found another internist with who I also became very comfortable. Unfortunately that ended this January when I received notification that he had to leave the practice of medicine due to his own medical issues. I was very saddened and said some prayers for him and his family. I know no details so I can only hope for the best for him.

This time I just decided to accept his recommendation that I become a patient of another internist in the same medical practice. I am hoping that my good fortune of having good primary care physicians continues beginning again on Wednesday. But since the Wednesday appointment is for my annual physical, I am assured that the first visit with him will not be entirely comfortable.

Steve Wynn Slams Obama On Business

Steve Wynn really lays it out there: "And I'm saying it bluntly, that this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business, and progress and job creation in my lifetime."


I think a lot of us have been thinking that businesses are simply sitting on the sidelines because it is virtually impossible to plan in this economic climate dictated by the policies of Obama, Reid, and Pelosi. I am guessing that Steve Wynn will be one of the few to so openly articulate it.


Obama is in a very difficult position. We see more evidence each month that his economic policies are destroying the chances for a real economic recovery and maybe his chances for reelection too. But to switch course now would admit that the last three years of his policies have been a colossal mistake. And I think he is committed to his policies to continue to win the support of those on the left regardless of how much economic pain and agony we suffer.

Wynn Slams Obama On Business via RealClearPolitics

Thomas Sowell On Good Things

Thomas Sowell again offers his common-sense adage that too much of a good thing is not a Good Thing. Unfortunately for US, politicians and the elites who know better than all of us always insist that we have to spend more and more money to have the Good Things regardless of the cost and with no regard to the eventual negative consequences even when they are foreseen.

Many of our environmental regulations were written based on technology at the time that would find substances in parts per million. Now we have the technology to find substances at levels in parts per billion. That doesn't mean that we have the technology to purify water or air to parts per billion, but environmentalists lobby and file lawsuits to force industry to do so when it is not possible or only possible at costs that would bankrupt industry costing jobs and more tax revenue despite no evidence that removing substances discovered at such minute levels is feasible or even helpful.

And often the truth is hidden to justify bad policies as Sowell points out with the percentage of mortgage applications that resulted in lenders being forced to fund mortgages for those who could in no way ever be expected to repay them. That resulted in the financial crisis that has devastated our economy hurting all of us greatly including those who the relaxed lending requirements were supposed to help in the first place.

Good Things by Thomas Sowell

Will Andy Cuomo Privately Hope Obama Loses in 2012

I know that the younger Cuomo is now Governor of New York State but I hadn't heard anything about his performance and his ambitions. Of course, the ambitions of any politician should be a given. But it will be interesting to see how strongly Cuomo backs Obama in 2012. He shouldn't have to do much to help Obama carry New York State. The far more interesting question would be whether or not behind the scenes Cuomo is looking to undercut Obama to further his own chances in 2016.

Obama's defeat next year could be a win for Cuomo in 2016 via NYPost

Chicago Mayor Emanuel is giving unions a clear choice

It looks like new Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is coming face to face with some real fiscal problems so he is confronting municipal unions with the choice of changes in rules and policies or severe layoffs.

Did you know Chicago municipal workers have a 35-hour workweek and are paid double-time for any hours over 35? And it sounds like this is just a minor opening skirmish compared to next year.

Don't be surprised if the union leaders choose layoffs.

Chicago Mayor Emanuel is giving unions a clear choice: perfectly reasonable work-rule changes or painful layoffs via Chicago Tribune

My Dad Is In Hospice Care

When I last updated you on my Dad's condition I had spoken with many people who helped me realize that the best option for Dad at this time is hospice care. That was Monday evening. Tuesday morning I lost track of the number of phone calls that took place between me, the hospital, the doctor, and the memory care facility where Mom and Dad have lived for almost two years. The hospital and I did reach a mutual understanding that there was nothing else the hospital can do for Dad at this time.


In my last update I expressed my expectation that bringing Dad back to the same apartment or even the same facility was probably not realistic. But that changed when I spoke with the Director of Mom and Dad's memory care facility and I expressed my concern about having them stay together especially with how the experience would affect Mom. The Director replied that I should focus only on Dad's comfort. She told me that he belongs in their facility because those are his familiar surroundings now. She told me that Dad might not know her name but he knows her face and he knows her voice. She told me just focus on Dad's comfort and left them worry about my Mom.


I could select any hospice program but their memory care facility is affiliated with one that I liked so I asked her to begin making arrangements. I called the hospital back and the lady who handles discharge arrangements scheduled him for a non-emergency transfer by ambulance that evening back to their memory care unit. This was all done before I had formalized anything with hospice. A hospice representative contacted me shortly after lunch and we agreed to meet at the memory care facility at 4:30 that afternoon. This all had taken place on Tuesday in the space of about six hours and I hadn't signed any hospice papers yet.

I did meet the hospice representative as scheduled when we reviewed the details and goals of the program and then I signed all the necessary papers and forms. When I checked Mom and Dad's apartment, their bed had already been removed along with Dad's recliner and one other chair to make room for a loaner single bed for Mom and Dad's hospital bed that was still being assembled. Then we waited for Dad's arrival.

Although he was scheduled for a 6:30 pm transfer, he was lowest priority as a non-emergency transfer. I stayed until shortly after 7:00 p.m. when I decided that I should go home. A nurse called me later Tuesday evening to tell me that he had arrived around 9:00 p.m. So despite my earlier conclusion this would not happen, we rejoice because Mom and Dad are still together after 62 years of marriage.

It might be best that I decided to leave earlier because it was a very emotional homecoming. Mom became very distraught when she saw Dad being wheeled into their apartment. The facility nurses and hospice nurses all assisted getting Dad to his hospital bed and hooked up to oxygen while at the same time getting Mom calmed down after about 30 minutes.

My wife and I visited Dad after I got off work Wednesday for about 30 minutes. He was fairly calm and relaxed and had much more color to his face and cheeks than during his hospital stay. But it was hard to communicate with him and difficult to determine how much he was even aware of us. But as we got ready to leave, I bent over him, kissed his forehead and whispered "I love you, Dad" and he immediately responded "I love you too."

I visited again for almost an hour after work on Friday and he was almost totally non-communicative. It is difficult for me to know if he in simply non-responsive or if he is sleeping. While I was there the nurses did spend some time with him as well.

Dad has been back at the memory care facility now under hospice for 72 hours. The hospice plan is still being developed and formalized as we go. The main concern for Dad is simply his physical comfort but I still want hospice to assist him in every way possible during his final journey. I have indicated to hospice that my biggest concern for them is to support Mom in whatever way they can during this very difficult period especially given her diminished mental capacity limiting her understanding of the situation and what is really going on.

I apologize for the long report but this is probably going to be the last update on my Dad for now. He qualifies for hospice because the medical judgment is that he has less than six months left with us. It could be less or it could be more. Only time will tell. And although this journey is very difficult for everyone in my family, I understand that this is what life is. This is the normal situation where I will one day bury each of my parents.

I have shared some of our private details and some of my private thoughts in the hope that it might help others understand and prepare for such events later in their lives. Having strong support within and without the family is crucial. If there is ever anything that I can do to assist anyone who is traveling this road, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Update on Dad

My Dad remains hospitalized this morning. Monday evening I had the opportunity to speak with several friends and trusted advisors, including the nurse-facilitator of my Alzheimer's support group and a surgeon friend whom I first met in Boy Scouts almost two decades ago.

After reviewing everything in my mind over and over again late last night I am convinced that Dad is writing his final chapter and it remains to be seen how many pages it will contain. I was told that the death process in Alzheimer's can be very ugly but I take some solace in hearing that it is usually harder on the loved ones than on the one who is dying.

Dad has been losing his mental faculties for years now and early this year it became apparent that Alzheimer's Disease is now ravaging his body as well. Although we could be wrong, it seems that we have reached the point where his brain no longer is totally able to direct the functioning of some critical physical processes. One system will start to shut down, and then another, and then another, until eventually the next one brings an end.

Dad is very weak so at some point you have to think the last ounce of strength and will to survive will ebb out of his body. But we just can't predict with any certainty when that will happen and how he will surrender his will to survive.

I am not sure how long it will be appropriate for him to remain in the hospital so I am beginning the process of getting him qualified for hospice. It is also clear that he cannot return to the memory care facility where he has been living with Mom for almost two years so they will now be separated for the first time in 62 years of marriage.

Hospice is necessary for Mom and for us as well because I have no idea how to handle this with Mom since she too is a victim of Alzheimer's Disease, just not as far along in the process.

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen...

“The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention…. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words."

- Rachel Naomi Remen via FranlinkCovey

I had an interesting experience last week while at work that demonstrates how important it is to believe that you are being listened to and being heard.

There are times that while performing my regular duties I am also responsible for taking calls to our internal help desk designed to assist employees with internal IT issues.

The help desk line rang with a call from another area code and I found myself talking to a lady from the Pacific Northwest who was irate because she has been getting calls to her home telephone at all hours of the day and night from a fax machine for two years and she just now found out how to tell where the faxes are coming from and they are coming from our campus main telephone number. I wasn't sure I believed the claim of two years duration but that didn't really matter.

I tried to sympathize with her and asked some questions to narrow down the possibilities for getting to the root of the problem since the main number doesn't help identify what department or fax machine was the source of the calls since our caller ID is the main listing number for every phone and fax on our campus. She remained upset threatening legal action and calling the FCC if we didn't fix it right now.

I tried to explain it isn't that easy to find in a big organization like ours. It wasn't going to be just like walking over to the light switch and turning it off. She said it has to be from marketing. I said probably but we have several marketing units all over the place.

She wanted to know my name and my number. I told her my name is Rick and she could keep using the same number she had just called, but she insisted she wanted my full name and my direct number. I told her that I wasn't going to do that but I was going to promise her that I will start an investigation with the appropriate manager immediately and that I would call her back soon. She finally relented and accepted that reluctantly.

We have a system for tracking our internal IT help desk issues so I created an incident within that system and immediately emailed it to the appropriate manager and with a copy to my manager. I searched our customer database for customer fax numbers and found no match with her home telephone number. I then walked to the manager to whom I had sent the email and gave him a verbal report conveying the urgency. He immediately got one of his people searching our fax software logs and he notified the heads of all our marketing groups of the problem asking them to start researching their records and processes now so we could stop this immediately.

I then returned to my desk and called the lady back. I explained to her that I didn't have the problem resolved yet but I explained to her what I had done, what tools we have at our disposal to identify the source, and then I gave her the incident number explaining further that if she wishes to call us back before we get back to her again she should refer to that incident number so that whoever answers her call could get right to the incident. Her attitude changed immediately. Just getting called back as I had promised and then giving her that incident number convinced the lady that her complaint had been heard, she was being listened to, and she was being taken seriously.

Fortunately for everyone involved the exact source of the problem was identified about two hours later. The manager mentioned above called the lady back himself and apologized to her for the inconvenience and provided her with his direct number if she should ever have a problem like that again.

My Dad

My Dad is a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. It has become clear within the last several months that he is now in the advanced stage of this horrific disease. So I not only see him slipping away mentally, but it also became apparent at the beginning of 2011 that the disease was also beginning to ravage him physically as well.

On Friday he began not feeling well and the nurses at the memory care facility where he and Mom now live (yes, she has Alzheimer's also) began taking the appropriate measures. This morning a nurse called to inform me that their doctor ordered an antibiotic that their pharmacy would deliver later today but she asked if I wanted to pick it up instead and bring it right out which I did.

I arrived around 11:00 a.m. expecting Dad to look really bad. I had become accustomed to seeing him getting weaker and more frail almost on a weekly basis. But when I went to their apartment and saw him I was almost in shock at how badly he looked.

Late this afternoon the nurses became even more concerned and called to suggest that I might want to take him to the emergency room. I am so grateful for the care those nurses give our parents. And this was the right decision. Although X-rays continue not to show any evidence, he has been hospitalized because all the medical personnel treating Dad are convinced, like the nurses where he resides, that he has pneumonia and they are treating him very aggressively for that because I think we all know how serious this can be for a man his age and especially in his weakened and frail condition.

The thing that I found out about me today is this. I have been grieving the loss of my father in stages for years now as he continues to slip away from us in this life in stages. With time I became accepting of that and I reached an acceptance of what we are dealing with and I know the inevitable outcome so I thought I pretty much had done most of my grieving. Today confronted with this new reality I have found that my grieving the loss of my Dad is not over and I still have a long way to go whenever that time comes.

The Elmendorf Rule by Charles Krauthammer via The Washington Post

Charles Krauthammer's opinion column for this Friday lays out the various steps our President has gone through with the budget, debt, and spending issues. When you look at all the steps he has taken back and forth, it is difficult to conclude that the President has any kind of a handle on what to do.

That uncertainty in and of itself gives businesses even more reason to hold steady or cut back their operations. With that it should be no surprise that the latest unemployment rate has risen to 9.2% and the job creation numbers for prior months have been revised downward.

I can only wonder how bad this economy will have to get before Obama's supporters begin to lose faith in him and his policies. How much economic pain are they willing to withstand before admitting that his brand of hope and change is change we needed to do without?

For his part Obama is in a very difficult position. He can either stand his ground and insist that things are getting better all the way until the 2012 election when everyone knows they aren't getting better with his brand of leadership. Or he can try to save his administration by shifting course away from his socialist policies and admit everything he has done with the economy and the budget has been wrong to try to convince the electorate that he should win reelection because of his flexibility in handling the economic crisis.

The Elmendorf Rule by Charles Krauthammer via The Washington Post

How the bubble destroyed the middle class

Rex Nutting on MarketWatch has authored this depressing column on the how and why of the disappearing middle class due to the housing bubble.

How the bubble destroyed the middle class by Rex Nutting via MarketWatch

Thomas Sowell on Greed

I have never understood why it is "greed" to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.

- Thomas Sowell

Legal Definition of Reasonable Doubt

I did not watch any of the Casey Anthony trial. I read none of the news accounts or reports beyond seeing the headlines. I found out that she was found not guilty of murder because of the torrent of shock and dismay in my Twitter stream after the verdict was handed down.


So this is not about Casey Anthony specifically. The Casey Anthony trial is probably less a part of this than the O.J. Simpson trial. What this is about is my concern that most citizens either don't understand the role and duties of a juror or are just not competent to serve as jurors. And that does not bode well for our criminal justice system.


How many jurors really understand the concept of reasonable doubt and how that differs from no doubt or absolute certainly? Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is proof of such a convincing character that you would be willing to rely and act upon it without hesitation in the most important of your own affairs. However, it does not mean an absolute certainty. (from http://www.lectlaw.com)


And therein lies a problem. Many jurors are not capable of logically thinking through evidence presented, especially in complex cases, to reach a decision based on the concept of reasonable doubt. I think many jurors who have any doubt at all are able to be manipulated by skilled defense attorneys into a finding of not guilty based on minimal doubt. Does it ever occur to them that you will always have some doubt unless you witnessed the criminal act? But that doesn't mean that you cannot convict based on the standard of reasonable doubt.


I think there is one more concept that make many jurors unqualified to serve in criminal trials. It is the concept of moral relativism. They are not capable of fairly judging the guilt of an accused criminal because they can't find fault with anyone. In the minds of many jurors, nobody is really responsible for bad, irresponsible, or criminal behavior. The accused always has an excuse in the minds of such jurors. He is from a broken home, or he was was abused as a child, or he was a victim of discrimination or disadvantages is some other way, or he was under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or whatever. Maybe they are concerned or worried that they would do the same as the accused in similar circumstances.


I fear that for these and other reasons many jurors are simply not capable of analyzing evidence presented and finding a criminal guilty in any case, even in cases where the prosecution has presented a solid and overwhelming case based on all the evidence. And that means our criminal justice system victimizes the victim and his or her family again when the verdict is announced. And the guilty walk leaving all of us at greater risk.

Why the Budgetary Game Is a Big Taxpayer Scam

Larry Kudlow reminds us all of this truism. Government spending never gets cut and it never goes down. The only thing really up for grabs, if history is any guide, is how fast or more slowly government spending will increase.

Dick Morris has stated that when Obama took office federal, state, and local governments were taxing away approximately 35% of the income generated in our economy. Under Obama that has increased to 44%!

Think of that. Now our governments are taking almost half of the income generated by our economy. Capitalism and free enterprise cannot long survive that. And maybe that really is the plan of those currently in power.

Why the Budgetary Game Is a Big Taxpayer Scam by Larry Kudlow

Obamacare Tragedy Primed To Further Explode the Deficit

Peter Ferrara lays out his analysis of how the Obamacare abomination is going to drive the deficit higher and higher beyond the official estimates that few really believed and how it is going to wreak havoc on the health care already in place for employees of companies who will drop current medical insurance and especially for those on Medicare who can least afford it.

"Finally, the Obamacare tax increases won’t raise nearly the revenues that CBO projected.  The capital gains tax rate would increase by close to 60 percent in 2013, with the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and Obamacare applying the Medicare payroll tax to capital gains as well. But over the last 40 years, every time the capital gains tax rate has been increased, revenues have declined."

And the projected revenue will never materialize because liberals have never figured this factor out. And the same applies to the taxation rate of dividends paid by corporations. Every time tax rates are raised on capital gains and dividends, revenues decrease because people change their behavior!

Obamacare Tragedy Primed To Further Explode the Deficit via American Spectator

Is Google+ about to transform the Web? via ZDNet

This column is a bit long but I found it quite interesting on how the author believes that Google+ has a real chance to change the way we use the web especially because of the way it will be used by what the author calls the digital influencers, those technocrats who are usually on the leading edge. See what you think.

Is Google+ about to transform the Web? via ZDNet

A Minority View by Walter Williams

The partial column below is copied from Walter Williams' column titled "Irksome Things" dated June 8, 2011. I like the title of his page "Minority View" since Walter is indeed a minority.

I copied the first part of the column which is the part of interest to me. If you want to read the entire column, take this link: Irksome Things

            There are a lot of things, large and small, that irk me. One of them is our tendency to evaluate a presidential candidate based on his intelligence or academic credentials. When Obama threw his hat in the ring, people thought he was articulate and smart and hailed his intellectual credentials. Just recently, when Newt Gingrich announced his candidacy, people hailed his intellectual credentials and smartness as well.

            By contrast, the intellectual elite and mainstream media people see Sarah Palin as stupid, a loose cannon and not to be trusted with our nuclear arsenal. There was another presidential candidate who was also held to be stupid and not to be trusted with our nuclear arsenal who ultimately became president -- Ronald Reagan. I don't put much stock into whether a political leader is smart or not because, as George Orwell explained, "Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them."

            All the evidence that I see is that academics and intellectuals have messed up the world. I challenge anyone to show me a major calamity that was engineered by a stupid, inarticulate person, but those caused by intelligent, articulate persons are too numerous to count, from the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Mao to Woodrow Wilson, FDR and Obama.

            My vision of a good presidential candidate is a person with ordinary intelligence but great respect and love for our Constitution. Maybe Palin's and Reagan's respect and love for our Constitution qualified them as dumb in the eyes of the mainstream media, intellectuals and academics.

How To Try To Get A Google+ Account via ZDNet

I am now in Google+ thanks to the efforts of Jon Swerens. Here is another take on how to get into Google+.

How to try to get a Google+ account | ZDNet

Now to get into learning more about how to set up and use Google+ to see how well it can work for me.

Exposing the Mindset of Modern Liberalism via Commentary Magazine

Whether you are liberal or conservative or anything else, this gives you some food for thought. Or just chew on this for a while.

Exposing the Mindset of Modern Liberalism via Commentary Magazine

One conclusion that I reach is that George Will is a genius still.

Why he switched from Dropbox to Windows Live Mesh via ZDNet

Many of you know from previous posts that I use Dropbox. I am not a power user but I have found Dropbox to be very helpful and convenient in making files available to me when I need them at home or at work or elsewhere on my laptop.

I don't have the need so I have never faced the decision on whether to place critical files or confidential files within my Dropbox folder in the cloud. I don't think critical files are an issue because I would still have them on my local drive. Confidential files are something else. I would not store files with confidential information like social security numbers, credit card numbers, online passwords, you get the idea.

But since I have written positively about my experience with Dropbox, I thought it would be appropriate in the interest of equal time to present this different viewpoint. I have not used and am not familiar with Windows Live Mesh.

Why I switched from Dropbox to Windows Live Mesh via ZDNet

Saving for the "Long Haul"

I still hope and plan to work several more years (God willing) but my wife is now retired as of last month. We were in position for her to retire due to sound planning and investment opportunities with our financial advisor, with hard work and sacrifice to save rather than spend through decades, and by just sticking to our plan to save even when it hurt. Our goal was simply to provide for ourselves to allow us to continue to enjoy our comfortable standard of living as long as we live without becoming a burden to our children and to society.

Sticking to the plan was very difficult when the market tanked a few years ago, but I stuck to my guns, didn't bail out of the market, and even doubled down by increasing our position in aggressive stocks. That all paid off big time as the market has recovered so now we are in a more defensive position trying to figure out how to protect what we have for the "Long Haul" (the basis for the name of my blog).

Fortunately a few years ago when the market tanked I had faith in the US economy and figured the market couldn't get much worse so there was no point in bailing out. For those younger than we trying to figure out what to do and how to do it, I admit that it is hard to be optimistic about our economy with this current administration. It seems one of two things has to be true. Either Obama is totally clueless on economics or he is so committed to the socialist agenda that we are seeing the results of exactly what he really had planned but dared not tell anyone before the election. And it might be both.

But despite all that negativity, you have to do something to prepare for the future and to protect the economic security that you want and need. The money will not be there for the government to do it for you. I know of no better prescription than getting and staying committed to a steady, boring plan of regular saving and investments that you allow to grow in a balanced portfolio over decades. You have to save until it hurts but the effect of compounded earnings over decades is rather remarkable.

The key is starting now if you haven't already and stay with it. There simply is no other way. If you haven't started, don't put it off any longer. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to meet your goals. Start now.

How to beat the market without even trying Mark Hulbert - MarketWatch

Is Russian 'Reset' Worth Kicking Allies To Curb?

I fail to understand Obama's logic in this entire matter resulting in negotiating away our missile defense against Iran in a futile effort to gain favor with Russia while at the same time throwing friendly nations under the bus. My frustration with Obama's foreign policy is his continuing insistence that we reward enemies for bad behavior and punish friends for good behavior.

Since I believe in the precepts of Econ101 which teaches that you get more of what you reward and less of what you penalize, I fear that in an ever increasingly dangerous world, we get more enemies and fewer friends. It just makes no sense to me.

In this column for Investors.com Woolsey and Heinrichs discuss the dangerous implications of this policy.

Is Russian 'Reset' Worth Kicking Allies To Curb? via Investors.com

IPFW Cheerleader Is Now Colts Cheerleader

This News-Sentinel story 2 local women set to cheer for Colts caught my attention when I noticed the mention of Lindsey who last academic year was an outstanding member of the IPFW cheerleading squad. I wish her success as she pursues her dream in Indianapolis and continues as a student at IUPUI.

Interestingly I also have a connection to Erin from Decatur through a co-worker.

North Dakota Has 3.2 Percent Unemployment

This is an interesting article about the boom times in North Dakota driven by both an energy boom and an agricultural boom. The articles discusses both the benefits and the challenges resulting from it.

North Dakota, Spurred by Energy and Ag Boom, Has 3.2 Percent Unemployment via Yahoo! Finance

Replacing Property as a Source of Wealth Creation by Michael Barone

Barone discusses how our nation began as a nation of land owners who built their wealth on farms subsidized by government. That was replaced by a nation of citizens whose wealth was based on home ownership in cities and later in suburbs subsidized by government. Both were undone by excesses of government going too far. Now how are we going to replace that?


Barone states "We are less likely to find success and accumulate wealth as small interchangeable cogs in very large machines and more likely to do so as unique contributors to nimble and adaptive enterprises. We can no longer rely on the brand names of our employers but must seek to establish brand names of our own."


I can't help but think how often I have read Scott Howard (@ScLoHo on Twitter) say how important it is for each of us to build our own brand.

RealClearPolitics - Replacing Property as a Source of Wealth Creation

Daniels reflects nation's shift from sacrifice to self - Kevin Leininger of The News-Sentinel

The day after Memorial Day Kevin Leininger of The News-Sentinel reflected on the decision of Mitch Daniels not to seek the office of President. Kevin notes the change in our nation from "we" to "me" and it is difficult for me to weigh this out intellectually. I remember reading that George Washington didn't wish to serve as President but he accepted out of his duty to country. So on that basis Daniels' decision looks to be selfish in the sense that he put himself and family above country.


But on the other hand, can you blame him? Why would any sane person put himself and especially his family through this ugly process of selecting a President that we have now? One of the problems we have as a nation is that those most qualified to lead our nation want nothing to do with that ugly process so we are left with those who want to become President at almost any cost and I'm not sure those are the ones that we really want to be leading our nation.


I admit to sadness at Daniels' decision not to run because I think he would make an excellent President and I think he would be very, very difficult for Obama to beat. Daniels has shown the guts to confront our out-of-control spending that by itself will end our nation as we know it.


Daniels would be one candidate that would not screw it up for the Republicans and I don't feel that comfortable with a lot of the other Republican candidates so far. And I believe it is critical for the future of our nation, for my children, and for my grandchildren that whomever the Republicans nominate must win.

Leininger concludes "Monday (Memorial Day), we honored the servicemen and women whose sacrifice, past and present, prove that the American flame continues to burn. Whether the rest of us have the courage to be enlightened by that flame as we confront the mess created by our flawed priorities remains to be seen, but Daniels' example is not an encouraging one."

Daniels reflects nation's shift from sacrifice to self | The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN

"The Pursuit Of" Are Three Very Important Words

Our Declaration of Independence contains very significant words that "all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It clearly states that we have the right to pursue happiness. It does not state that we have the right to happiness. But that distinction forms the basis for much of the political disconnect in our society today.


In this column Michael Goodwin makes the point which should be obvious that our founding fathers made it clear that each of us is entitled to life and liberty but they placed happiness in a different category. Each citizen has the right to pursue happiness but the results are up to each of us. We can either succeed or fail and the opportunity to do either is what has made this country great.


Goodwin states "But in the frenzy of our entitlement mania, where happiness is viewed as an 'unalienable Right,' we are losing the freedom to fail. That loss is a major factor in America's decline. Much of the unprecedented growth of government aims to protect people from the consequences of failure and the vagaries of life. For most of our history, it was a given that success and failure were two sides of the same coin -- and that both were necessary. The world was a nasty place, and for generations of newcomers, liberty was blessing enough. No more. Our culture now demands not just the chance for happiness, but also the result. Millions of Americans believe that are entitled to get what they want because they want it. They are not pursuing happiness. They are demanding it."

And he concludes with this warning that resonates with me because I am in the group that is told by leftists to give and give again and again the fruits of our labor to those who have not earned it but expect to benefit and prosper from my labors and sacrifices. And if I protest I am called mean and greedy.

Goodwin concludes "Should you dare protest, you are attacked as greedy. Insist that failure must have its consequences, and you are scolded for lacking compassion. Never mind that you lived with the old values, that you sacrificed and worked and saved for what you have. Now you must pay and pay again for those who didn't. Oh, and shut up about it, too. That is the fault line of America's culture war in 2011. Pray that the spirit and wisdom of the founders prevails. Otherwise, our nation won't."

Taking the pursuit out of the "pursuit of happiness" via NY Post

Should "America the Beautiful" Be Our National Anthem?

I see Parade Magazine is asking again today if "America the Beautiful" should become our National Anthem?

I am a traditionalist but I admit that I would not be disappointed if Congress made such a change. The Parade article points out that "The Star-Spangled Banner" is generally regarded to be the most difficult national anthem to sing. The range between low notes to the high notes especially is beyond the range of many people.

When I attended Fort Wayne Komets games as a youth, the crowd would often join the organist by singing the National Anthem, but I think that pretty much stopped once the Komets made it a practice to have a soloist sing The National Anthem. Tim Didier does a great job currently but my favorite has always been Tim Blaylock, a black baritone who sang The National Anthem for the Komets many, many years ago.

I thought it was thrilling to watch the beginning of the Stanley Cup telecasts from Vancouver, B.C. this year because soloist Mark Donnelly has made it a practice to invite the Vancouver crowd to join him in the singing of "Oh, Canada." If you didn't see any of those telecasts, here is what I am talking about.

Mark Donnelly performs Canadian Anthem prior to Game 7 6/15/11

I would love to see citizens of the United States sing our National Anthem like that. If making "America the Beautiful" our National Anthem promotes that, then I support making that change. And if the line "God shed His grace on thee" isn't popular with some people, well, I guess that would just be too bad.

What do you think?

Encouragement via Mark Schlereth's Official Website

Mark Schlereth is a former NFL offensive lineman who won Super Bowl rings while a member of both the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins. I now enjoy his commentary as an ESPN analyst so I check his personal blog occasionally to see what is on his mind about the NFL, his son's career as a major league pitcher, his family, his faith, and his motivational thoughts.

I nearly turned away from this particular entry as soon as I saw his reference to a chain email. I get them occasionally like I suppose everyone does. I might glance through them but I never forward them. Just as I was about to stop reading and close the browser tab I stopped when I noted below a reference to Alzheimer's Disease.

Since both my parents are living with Alzheimer's Disease I kept reading and I recognized a story that I have read or heard with some different details but the message is basically the same about this elderly gentleman and his wife who no longer recognizes him. But what sets this blog entry apart is Mark's account of what happened after he forwarded the email to some of his ESPN associates including one with whom he speaks only a few times a year. The rest of the story is very touching.

Encouragement | Mark Schlereth's Official Website

Dick Morris on Why Interest Rates Will Rise and What It Means for US

There is so much debate going on now about the national debt limit and government deficits, many people don't know what to believe. One thing that I believe is numbers. Statistics might be twisted to serve the agenda of those citing them, but numbers don't lie. And the math of our national debt is inescapable. Sooner or later there will be a reckoning and the longer we delay it the worse that reckoning will be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An1fiVw6NGQ