First Blog

Power and Privilege, two power words of our day.  Most people want at least one; some want both. So, is there a difference? Power is a general term that implies the ability to shape conditions, control people, or enhance particular goals. Power has many forms, of which privilege is only one. Privilege is usually conferred, but general power is seized. Here are a few other forms of power.  Privilege Good looks Money Property Ability Knowledge Authority Family Leadership Some people have only one.  Others have a few, but few have all.

“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” -Henry David Thoreau Happy Thanksgiving to all.   This is the day of the year where we often eat too much and watch too much football. It is also a day to give thanks.   So, before the turkey is served, and before the games begin, I count the many blessings in my life.   First, comes my family.   With me or without, my family is a wonderful group of folks.   All are good people doing good things, working to be better, sacrificing for others, and helping their friends. It is my honor to be among you.    I am always grateful for my parents, both good people who helped me no end in those early years, pointing me in the directions of good works, morality, honesty, and strength of character. The second is my life, as in I still have one. Because my dad died so young, I thought the same would be my fate.   But now decades later I’m still here, and with a detour or tw...

I would love to sit at a Trump family dinner.  We have from daughters to daughters-in-law, from sons to sons-in-law, all claiming expertise at everything, while having created their own news headlines.  I fear a lot of indigestion must result, while the whole crew retires to the “drawing room” for a break.   The President is thinking ahead of getting back to the office where only world problems, NOKO, Russia, China, Democrat issues, and Republicans controversies await.  A moment of relief this surely provides. -------------------------- I do not support public figures or anyone accused of these sexual molestation charges, but most of those charged were doing not too much less (except for assault) than what the vaunted James Bond was doing in the sixties and seventies. Just watch the movies Thunderball or Goldfinger , and you will see our super-spy doing even more than Franken is accused of – kissing, hugging, intimidating women.  At the time, ...

Safe-space: a place to go where all is good, little responsibility is required, needs are met, and contrary things are avoided.  These are the spaces where children grow up.  In the olden times, kids had a tree house.  They grew out of that by size.  Times have changed.  Many, especially those affluent, grow up in physical safe spaces, a kid-designated den where children live. They all contain normal kid toys, kid chairs, a cell phone, computer, and TV where only kid-venues are tuned.  In less affluent environs, kids live in personal safe-spaces, in their rooms with their cell and computer always on.  Contacts are through text and other social media.  Adults have scarcely any knowledge of their world and what transpires in it.  It is a world of filters, allowing in only what they desire. It is a world of ultimate, personal selfish behavior.   When I grew up, there was one TV, and the family watched it together.  No longer. ...

Leadership is an aspect of your life, in almost every way.     It is important for yourself, in your family, your business, in your city, state and country.   Leadership is critical and crucial in sustaining and promoting a proper social world.  Personal leadership is important for animals of all kinds - us included.  In this brief post, let’s look at just four types of leadership.  These cover more than you might think. ·          Leadership of oneself .   You must first and foremost lead yourself by making frequent life’s decisions.   You must be in charge of what you do, how you look, how you behave, and how you project yourself to others.   Most of us can do this.   Some cannot.   Some cannot make even simple decisions about the regulation of their lives, daily, weekly, annually.   Prisons are full of people that cannot make even the simplest personal decisions; the prison provides...

Social Media . One item of note today is the great preponderance of cell phones, blogs, twitters, and Facebook.  There are a dozen or more others, as you know.  The question I pose here is why? The Worldwide Data.   All numbers given are estimates, as there is no clear methodology for such data collection ('cept maybe cell phones) as there is for medical conditions, educational information, voters, religions, and the like.  Cell phones: There are  an estimated 5,980,000,000 mobile accounts worldwide, greater than the world population. Mobile accounts out number land lines 5:1. India and China account for at least 30% of this business.  Blogs: There are more than 160,000,000 blogs and 75% of that number are blog readers.  Some estimates are vastly higher. Twitter: There are at least 500,000,000 accounts, with more than 170,000,000 tweeting daily. The average visit time is more than 11 minutes.  People tweet, organizations tweet...