We're born waiting for our someone to feed us. If that doesn't happen it sets a certain set of responses within the infant. The conditioned response to crying-and-you-get-food reasonably soon makes the body's chemistry set up differently than in the infant that cries in pain and gets barely enough food, occasionally, to keep him alive. From then on, we wait for good weather, the next season, the next phone call, the next pay check, the next job, the next date and the list is pretty much endless throughout life.
However, one of the most poignant waits if for someone you love to hear your feelings. Without that connection, a relationship is never complete. Unfortunately, as was mentioned in the book Men Are From Mars; Women Are From Venus, men are fixers and often want to change the feelings assuming those are the problem rather than a result of a problem. A guy's response is often, "Stop feeling that way." (Easy for him to say because he has never responded in like fashion.) A greater problem arises when one waits for their partner to learn to do things their way rather than respecting what led to their partner feeling or doing as they do in the first place. So often they miss the damage done when they attempt to disqualify the feelings. They do not realize that the marriage is slowly falling apart. At time there is no acceptance that people will feel what they feel, with little control other than by insight and a new perception, even though they may nag, cajole, threaten or manipulate to get others to feel their way.
Our voting for public officials is a very similar set of dynamics. We wait to hear what the media says about candidates, ask all our friends (though we lose some who violently disagree with our political views). The media has become the Billy Mays of news delivery. We are told this news station is the best, what we will be about to see if we will only wait and not turn that dial, or the remote channel changer, or whatever we will be seeing later on the 'show'. Some of us wait to hear what the newscasters whom we have come to agree with and respect have to say.
In church some wait to hear a sermon, others wait for the sermon to be over! On the job we wait for the coffee break, lunch, or the end of the work day.
We wait to hit a certain age, to get over a cold, for the next meal, or to meet the one who will be special to us for the rest of our lives.
Some of us wait until we can go to bed for the night while others toss and turn and wait for it to be morning to get up and start a new day. We wait for bad news, good news, any news. We wait in check out lines, in the doctor's waiting room, for public transportation, for a room to heat up or cool down, for the computer to boot, the oven to heat, commercials to get over and traffic lights to turn green.
There is even a site that answers how much time a day we average in waiting. I can't imagine how that was figured out but don't plan to start counting the minutes of my own day given to waiting. Dr. Joyce Brothers answers questions regarding time spent waiting.
Published: June 16, 2009 08:54 pm Time spent waiting for nothing, or maybe something
By Johanna Mohringer Read a touching story here.
Waiting bothers some of us more than others. Some of us accept it more readily than the majority.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
AEGEAN COCKTAIL
There will be no great wisdom imparted today. Instead, a grandson and I invented a new drink, which I will share with you.
1/2 half ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
2 ounces Vodka
1 ounce Bols Blue Curacao
1 ounce Cointreau
We served it over the rocks...lots of rocks and a very large glass. I'm assuming some might prefer making it a shaker. Not only does it taste good but it looks exactly like the Aegean water.
We only needed one to become quite relaxed, enough for me to say it not only tastes good but it feels good, too.
1/2 half ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
2 ounces Vodka
1 ounce Bols Blue Curacao
1 ounce Cointreau
We served it over the rocks...lots of rocks and a very large glass. I'm assuming some might prefer making it a shaker. Not only does it taste good but it looks exactly like the Aegean water.
We only needed one to become quite relaxed, enough for me to say it not only tastes good but it feels good, too.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
DRINKING WATER FROM RESERVOIRS
When Quabbin Reservoir first became one, it was extremely well protected. There were no boaters permitted, no swimming, and no hiking around the perimeter for fear that hikers might not have porta-potty facilities and thus pollute the ground around.
However, since then, a group of dispossessed residents by Quabbin developers attest to visiting the reservoir on a yearly anniversary party basis where they claim to express their anger at the displacement by peeing into the water. As gross as this may sound, it may not be any worse than what the wildlife does to it. Nevertheless, it shows the carelessness that pervades our current society.
There are now pleasure boaters allowed. While not certain, I did not hear that they were limited to sail/wind power. It seems just another addition of pollution. Obviously, if purified, more junk has to be added, no doubt. Nevertheless, having tasted water in surrounding town that do not use Quabbin water, I have to admit the water from the reservoir makes excellent drinking water though not near the quality of good Vermont spring water.
To hear more about the latest threat to the water, click here.
For the story behind this, click here.
In Waltham there are other reservoirs that do not provide Waltham residents with their water supply. Directly adjacent to Route 95N/128, neither swimming nor bloating is allowed. However, one might ask about the pollution from the traffic off the highway. If anyone wonders about taking a cooling dip in one, check this site out that talks about the safety issues.
However, since then, a group of dispossessed residents by Quabbin developers attest to visiting the reservoir on a yearly anniversary party basis where they claim to express their anger at the displacement by peeing into the water. As gross as this may sound, it may not be any worse than what the wildlife does to it. Nevertheless, it shows the carelessness that pervades our current society.
There are now pleasure boaters allowed. While not certain, I did not hear that they were limited to sail/wind power. It seems just another addition of pollution. Obviously, if purified, more junk has to be added, no doubt. Nevertheless, having tasted water in surrounding town that do not use Quabbin water, I have to admit the water from the reservoir makes excellent drinking water though not near the quality of good Vermont spring water.
To hear more about the latest threat to the water, click here.
For the story behind this, click here.In Waltham there are other reservoirs that do not provide Waltham residents with their water supply. Directly adjacent to Route 95N/128, neither swimming nor bloating is allowed. However, one might ask about the pollution from the traffic off the highway. If anyone wonders about taking a cooling dip in one, check this site out that talks about the safety issues.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
HOW FAR DOES PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY EXTEND BEYOND THEMSELVES?
"Google is not liable for defamatory material that appears in its search results, a British judge has ruled, a decision that lawyers call significant because of the country’s reputation as a haven for libel claimants."
This raises the question as to just how liable is a provider for the means by which someone else supplies content. Apparently, the court has shown some sense. It is different, however, when the provider is in clear cognizance of the inappropriateness of content and ignores it, as in the recent case against Craig's List whose humans knew that prostitution was being pushed by some of their ads.
"Craigslist, the San Francisco-based online marketplace that's been around for nearly as long as the Web, has always hosted ads for prostitution. That supposedly changed earlier this month when the site closed its "erotic services" section, replacing it with an "adult services" page where posts must be pre-approved to ensure they don't offer sex for sale. For all appearances, the move is a concession to the panic over Philip Markoff, the accused "Craigslist Killer," who has been charged with the murder and assault of Erotic Services advertisers this April."
Attitudes and rules are constantly changing. Any of us who have ever been embarrassed by our parents or our children know that you can have no real control over whatever comes out of anyone's else's mouth. However, the reason that libel laws exist is that there are consequences to many printed inaccuracies. With television, it is worse since more people see the titillating mistakes but are often not apt to be around when the repercussions become overt.
As media grew from the 70s and on, this has been an interesting legal issue to follow. For a better understanding of what libel and slander are all about: go here. It is very clearly defined and it has not so much to do with what is said or written as it has to do with consequences of whatever was written or said.
Since we are a society protected to the right of free speech, we need to realize that not all speech is, in fact, free. When people speak opinions that can hurt careers or reputations on no foundation for what has been said but believed by virtue of who said it, that is when someone has crossed the line.
court standing up for media in the 80's
http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/trial-procedure-jurisdiction/7496430-1.html
This raises the question as to just how liable is a provider for the means by which someone else supplies content. Apparently, the court has shown some sense. It is different, however, when the provider is in clear cognizance of the inappropriateness of content and ignores it, as in the recent case against Craig's List whose humans knew that prostitution was being pushed by some of their ads.
"Craigslist, the San Francisco-based online marketplace that's been around for nearly as long as the Web, has always hosted ads for prostitution. That supposedly changed earlier this month when the site closed its "erotic services" section, replacing it with an "adult services" page where posts must be pre-approved to ensure they don't offer sex for sale. For all appearances, the move is a concession to the panic over Philip Markoff, the accused "Craigslist Killer," who has been charged with the murder and assault of Erotic Services advertisers this April."
Attitudes and rules are constantly changing. Any of us who have ever been embarrassed by our parents or our children know that you can have no real control over whatever comes out of anyone's else's mouth. However, the reason that libel laws exist is that there are consequences to many printed inaccuracies. With television, it is worse since more people see the titillating mistakes but are often not apt to be around when the repercussions become overt.
As media grew from the 70s and on, this has been an interesting legal issue to follow. For a better understanding of what libel and slander are all about: go here. It is very clearly defined and it has not so much to do with what is said or written as it has to do with consequences of whatever was written or said.
Since we are a society protected to the right of free speech, we need to realize that not all speech is, in fact, free. When people speak opinions that can hurt careers or reputations on no foundation for what has been said but believed by virtue of who said it, that is when someone has crossed the line.
court standing up for media in the 80's
http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/trial-procedure-jurisdiction/7496430-1.html
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
LOST IN THE CLOUD
The move to have more and more of your computer material, data, etc. stored on a distant storage space is being advanced. gmail, hotmail, yahoo, and others live in space but not your computer. Storage can be obtained for backups at what seem like pretty reasonable rates.
"EARLIER this month Google announced a new operating system called Chrome. It’s meant to transform personal computers and handheld devices into single-purpose windows to the Web. This is part of a larger trend: Chrome moves us further away from running code and storing our information on our own PCs toward doing everything online — also known as in “the cloud” — using whatever device is at hand."
Thinking on the odds of a private individual being a target for invasion as much as a facility which is known to be storing the contents of millions of computers, I'd lay odds on the safety of my own computer. Neither method is foolproof but somehow, knowing that I have backed my data up on separate external hard drives, gives me a sense (false or otherwise) of comfort and security.
Years ago I was promised a paper free world. It only took one computer glitch to make me realize that if you want to be sure of being able to refer to something sent to you or stored on your computer that is important to you, a hard copy back up is a necessity. If a document was written by a word processing version no longer available, you might as well forget it, but if it printed in hard copy...it is there for you. Some of you might question, "Will you have it if your house burns down or floods?" Probably not, but I feel safer knowing that notebooks with hard copy backups are more likely to survive time.
But, I am a pack rat and save more than any of my friends do. I archive jokes I liked, pictures, videotapes I have taken over the past 29 years (now on DVD), save books (and even re-read some of them), and wonder about people who move on to their future without ever looking backwards. I consider myself a product of every year I have lived and do not want to forget any of it!
"EARLIER this month Google announced a new operating system called Chrome. It’s meant to transform personal computers and handheld devices into single-purpose windows to the Web. This is part of a larger trend: Chrome moves us further away from running code and storing our information on our own PCs toward doing everything online — also known as in “the cloud” — using whatever device is at hand."
Thinking on the odds of a private individual being a target for invasion as much as a facility which is known to be storing the contents of millions of computers, I'd lay odds on the safety of my own computer. Neither method is foolproof but somehow, knowing that I have backed my data up on separate external hard drives, gives me a sense (false or otherwise) of comfort and security.
Years ago I was promised a paper free world. It only took one computer glitch to make me realize that if you want to be sure of being able to refer to something sent to you or stored on your computer that is important to you, a hard copy back up is a necessity. If a document was written by a word processing version no longer available, you might as well forget it, but if it printed in hard copy...it is there for you. Some of you might question, "Will you have it if your house burns down or floods?" Probably not, but I feel safer knowing that notebooks with hard copy backups are more likely to survive time.
But, I am a pack rat and save more than any of my friends do. I archive jokes I liked, pictures, videotapes I have taken over the past 29 years (now on DVD), save books (and even re-read some of them), and wonder about people who move on to their future without ever looking backwards. I consider myself a product of every year I have lived and do not want to forget any of it!
Monday, July 20, 2009
BONUSES AND INCENTIVES
Today, in the financial world, many bonuses are not gifts but a part of salary. The term 'bonus'in these situations is a complete misnomer. Nevertheless, Paul Krugman writes a wonderful Op-Ed in the NY Times on Goldman Sachs doing business as usual. You might find it interesting to read the whole article, but since some of you won't, here is a partial quote: "First, it tells us that Goldman is very good at what it does. Unfortunately, what it does is bad for America.
Second, it shows that Wall Street’s bad habits — above all, the system of compensation that helped cause the financial crisis — have not gone away.
Third, it shows that by rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely."
Once again, the discrepancy between the obscene bonuses of the CEOs and top executives should not be labeled the same as the grunts that help the businesses really survive. They get salaries that are called bonuses.
Additional reimbursement may come in the form of an incentive and may not be in the form of money. For example, some of us are old enough to remember the free glass with a tankful of gas and many other similar ways to draw people in as customers.
But one of the most frightening comes out of Kansas. Lest we forget the love affair many have with guns, there are armed militias in this country made of US terrorist citizens. Yet, we keep allowing them to obtain weapons to run a revolution against the government.
When will be have businesses be less deceiving in their recruitment of staff, or incentives given to their customer base? Let's hope it comes soon!
Second, it shows that Wall Street’s bad habits — above all, the system of compensation that helped cause the financial crisis — have not gone away.
Third, it shows that by rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely."
Once again, the discrepancy between the obscene bonuses of the CEOs and top executives should not be labeled the same as the grunts that help the businesses really survive. They get salaries that are called bonuses.
Additional reimbursement may come in the form of an incentive and may not be in the form of money. For example, some of us are old enough to remember the free glass with a tankful of gas and many other similar ways to draw people in as customers.
But one of the most frightening comes out of Kansas. Lest we forget the love affair many have with guns, there are armed militias in this country made of US terrorist citizens. Yet, we keep allowing them to obtain weapons to run a revolution against the government.
When will be have businesses be less deceiving in their recruitment of staff, or incentives given to their customer base? Let's hope it comes soon!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
THE MEDIA IS TRYING TO STIR UP SOME NEWS
For a few days, the media has been suggesting that Hilary Clinton is negatively experiencing her lack of spotlight in the press. This seems hardly likely as she is not running for office nor indicating plans to do so. One would assume that Obama will be up for re-election in 2012 which would really make the political clock running out for Secretary of State Clinton.
Al Jazeera, which prints more objective news than American media, on its American page writes: Clinton is in India diligently doing the work for which she was appointed. The Republican distortion machine has been lubricated and is functioning better than ever. An exclusive by Mike Allen demonstrates just how much of a mockery their support makes of the political process.
When FedEx refused to give them two million dollars for their endorsement, they moved on to UPS. There is a written letter to substantiate the complaint. The offer was requested by The American Conservative Union. Another article in The Political Animal makes the point again.
Is it not time that some effort is made to bring more truth to the election process in its entirety...focusing on all parties?
Al Jazeera, which prints more objective news than American media, on its American page writes: Clinton is in India diligently doing the work for which she was appointed. The Republican distortion machine has been lubricated and is functioning better than ever. An exclusive by Mike Allen demonstrates just how much of a mockery their support makes of the political process.
When FedEx refused to give them two million dollars for their endorsement, they moved on to UPS. There is a written letter to substantiate the complaint. The offer was requested by The American Conservative Union. Another article in The Political Animal makes the point again.
Is it not time that some effort is made to bring more truth to the election process in its entirety...focusing on all parties?
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