CONGRATULATIONS RIO DE JANEIRO

Whether I am being viewed as not patriotic or not, I think it is a wonderful thing that South America is to be a host to the 2016 Olympics. The USA has had a large share of the Olympics over the years. Rio de Janeiro can well do with a turn to make life better for a great many people in that area.

To see a bit of the reaction by the folks in Rio, click here

Hosting is a great expenditure for the city which has chosen to ready itself for the world. However, the side effects of cleaning up parts of the city which didn't work well, and the many jobs available for people while the site is being built, is goal enough for all the cities who were hoping to be chosen.

For some pictures of other cities which were in the running, click here.

IF PROGRESSIVES ARE A THREAT, WHAT DO WE CALL REGRESSIVES?

For many years we have given women some small choices about their body and whether they wish to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. They usually have no less than 18 years to worry about whether their giving their child up for adoption was sending their child to an abusive life or worse.

Our society finally did enough testing to realize that women's brains, while different than men's, are equally intellectually capable and competent. We have much scientific proof of that fact. Women have proven their right to vote, work to support families as a single parents or in two-parent families. Today women have not yet achieved total equality, by any means, but there is a light at the end of that tunnel. They are no longer a man's chattel and can own their own finances and sign contracts.

It may have taken a thousand years to get there but in one single speech, we realize there are still men fighting those changes and, worse, they are strong voices with relatively large audiences are, So many other Regressives like Glenn Beck, Bob Grant, Rush Limbaugh, Phyllis Schlafly, and too many others are holding us to the misery it took generations to give up. John Derbyshire of the National Review thinks that canceling all that the Suffragettes achieved and taking away women' right to vote is just a dandy idea. For these backward ideas, read Steve Bene's excellent article here. It makes the notion of rebooting some people's brains quite appealing. A new operating system might be a decided improvement for some of the brains that keep hiccuping in the past and can't move on to the present. Instead of thinking that forward moving ideas like Da Vinci are heretic, perhaps we should view those who would keep so many in bondage and the ruts of the past as heretics?

Just afters I finished writing this, I came across an article adding everything to what I might have said, had I thought to say it. Click here.

IT'S ABOUT TIME

The Supreme Court is about to decide just how far gun rights go. They will look to see whether the gun laws can be challenged under the 2nd Amendment. My early recollection of being taught about the 2nd amendment was that it was about militias and the right to bear arms to be ready to serve your country. There was nothing about using guns as they are being talked about today, so I will be looking forward to finding out how the court will interpret it in today's world.

The Republicans were trying to foist restrictions on abortion by sneaking it into the Health Care Bill. Surprisingly, they did not succeed. It was encouraging that we may yet have a democracy when a democrat voted for it and a Republican voted against it instead of the party-lock-step we've seen for so long.

Lastly, for laughs, watch this YouTube about Senator Ensign: Ensign on Why Gun Deaths Shouldn't Be Factored Into Survival Rates: "We Like Our Guns Here in the U.S."
Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress at 6:00 AM on September 30, 2009.

CRITICISM AND INSULTS

As frequently happens to me, I began to try to define those things that I believe to be constructive criticism; separating them from those that are just mean statements. It seems that it is fair to criticize anything that the recipient of the criticism about which something can be done to change it, like behavior, appearance (of anything that Nature didn't provided, or knowledge.

Criticism can be seen as positive or negative, depending on how it is delivered. An example might be, " Aargh, that tattoo is ugly." versus "It is difficult for me to appreciate pictures on skin, though I know many people love it." Tact has to be a very large part of any criticism. If one respects that people don't learn when they are feeling assaulted; they are too busy defending themselves. A gentle and tactful approach will be heard far more readily than an abrupt, negative one.

When people displace their anger and annoyances with mean responses to one not responsible for their ire, the criticized one may remain quite puzzled and hurt. If his/her sense of self is shaky to begin with, it may be taken as a truth and be added to years of emotional abuse, when repeated often. We see it as just mean; but rarely can we quantify the psychic damage. We need always ask ourselves whether we are giving new and useful information or just being mean, venting our own pain, or punishing someone we love for no provocation.

WHEN THE VACATION IS OVER

There are definitions of vacations on the web. The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents, but usually refer to one of the following activities or events:

"* Official or unofficial observances of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations or festivities
* A general leave of absence from a regular occupation for rest or recreation
* A specific trip or journey for the purposes of recreation or tourism.

People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations. Vacation or holidays are often used spent with friends or family.

A person may take a longer break from work, such as a sabbatical, gap year, or career break."

Vacations are mostly, 'see' or 'do'. To see may cover lots of in and out-door experiences, like looking at Nature, museums, galleries, etc. The doing may be skiing, golf. mountain climbing or all sorts of things but few would consider it a 'doing nothing', or 'doing only what I want to do'. The latter is my favorite kind of vacation these days. I no longer want to be led around like a ewe. I don't want to see poverty anywhere or have hungry, desperate little children trying to get me to buy trinkets I don't want; trying to make me feel guilty that I have more than I need or I wouldn't be there as a tourist.

When I have an urge to climb a mountain, or anything too physical, I lie down until the urge passes. I try mightily to do nothing but even that is doing 'something'. I learned there is no way to do 'nothing' so I do my version of nothing. I read, check out the news all over the world on the Internet, email my friends, read romance novels (my idea of feel-good books), eat.....gosh, pretty much everything I do at home when I'm not paying bills, seeing patients, cleaning up after myself, or talking on the phone! Can life get any better no matter where you are? The problem with leaving your home is that you have to come back to all the mail, get rid of the junk mail, and let your normal intrusions back in.

MORE THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

A friend of mine who also admires those who think out of the box sent me the invention that Engineer Michael Pritchard offered the world. He has a portable container that will filter water so that not even the smallest known viruses can get through. It can be accomplished in mere seconds and makes carting in water from miles around by women and children unnecessary. It makes shipping water at a great price to where it is needed, unnecessary.

All of this is made possible through nanotechnology. To here a demonstration in Michael Pritchard's own words, click here.

WI-FI, IN STRANGE PLACES

As a guest in a popular Inn chain that advertised (but with no instructions anywhere on how to get on) I turned on my laptop and went through the usual connect-to-network procedure. Naturally, since there were no instructions, I assumed inaccurately as with most assumptions I make on no data, that it would follow past procedures. The screen asked for a user name and password, neither having been supplied. None but those who have lived through a similar exercise in frustration can understand the total waste of good time that ensued. I was lost like 'Charlie on the MBTA in Boston', in an endless loop. Each warning was more dire than the previous one. Threats as in email sent from naive, computer-illiterate friends who only know how to do email and probably listen to and believe Rush Limbaugh, seemed aimed at me, ready to infiltrate and take over my computer.

An exception could be made, one error screen read, but it was not recommended. I searched through the information pack on the desk again. It was as useful as the manual in English, written in Italy, for my Roland piano made in Japan! I finally decided to read a book instead.

This morning the new person at the desk told me I should have entered the name of the Inn as the user and gave me a four digit password. He seemed surprised when I answered in the affirmative; I had a laptop with me. My age must have suggested a different profile for him. He told me to bring the laptop to him if I couldn't do it. With only the back of the laptop visible to me he got me on the Internet, then looked panicked when he thought I was going to close it. After the ride on the elevator and back, he proved true to his word and here I am!

Back from a lovely breakfast, though the pecan pancakes might have been better had they not been allowed to turn rancid (I have a delicate nose for this), I must spend a few hours in my king-sized room alone. I am not a Cougar and find the image of myself with a companion my own age distasteful, so the football field sized bed only has me fantasizing what it might have been like to have had it 40 or 50 years ago. (picture a blush here)