Archive for October 15, 2018

We Must Earn Our Right to Complain

October 15, 2018 Comments Off on We Must Earn Our Right to Complain

You should be in decision-making mode right now, as vote-by-mail ballots arrive and voting day approaches very soon.  Here’s something to consider.

Lots of us are upset with laws that are being passed or how our elected officials are representing us. Many people are angry at new laws on the ballot that that will hurt specific economic, ethnic, or age groups, or that further endanger people who are already at-risk, or that fund projects that are clearly designed to benefit a small group at the expense of and little benefit to the rest of us.

Oddly enough, many who complain don’t exercise a basic American right that empowers the average person. They forget that one tiny individual voice added to all the other tiny voices equals a shout heard in the halls of all the legislatures.

Remember: you don’t have to vote on every issue and office. Vote on the ones you feel you understand and will have a positive impact on your state and country. BE that one vote added to another added to another that, together, DO make a difference.

This election, earn your right to complain: vote.

 

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Are Household Cleaners Making Your Kids Fat?

October 13, 2018 Comments Off on Are Household Cleaners Making Your Kids Fat?

Come on, you’re kidding, right? Not according to Canadian researchers who studied the effects of household cleaners on children as young as 3-4 months. Granted, other scientists think the study is flawed. However, it’s something for parents to think about and maybe not take a chance with their little ones’ health.

Read the article Are Household Cleaners Making Your Kids Fat? and decide for yourself.

[Thanks to Tina Blease for this article.]
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Thank You & HB, Navy

October 12, 2018 Comments Off on Thank You & HB, Navy

This week, some 243 years ago (1775), the U.S. Navy came into being. Today,300,000+ men and women are active duty Navy service members.

I didn’t serve in the Navy, but my husband did. He served two tours as a submarine sailor, with a stint on land and in the air over Viet Nam installing and servicing the radios that broadcast to the Vietnamese people. That’s where he was exposed the Agent Orange that likely was the cause of his cancers and, later in life, the antibiotic-persistent lung disease that killed him.

The Navy gave him much that was positive, though. Lifelong shipmate-friends. Experience and training that led him to a career in electronics. Stories of near disaster on a nuclear sub. Long, lonely months at sea brightened by letters from home.  The awesome vastness and power of the sea. Dolphins jumping over the bow of their ship, greeting them as they sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. And, yes, a bar fight or two (this IS the Navy, after all!).

I salute all of you Navy personnel, and thank you for your service.

And to the U.S. Navy–happy birthday!

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Thank You & HB, Navy

October 12, 2018 2 comments

This week, some 243 years ago (1775), the U.S. Navy came into being. Today,300,000+ men and women are active duty Navy service members.

I didn’t serve in the Navy, but my husband did. He served two tours as a submarine sailor, with a stint on land and in the air over Viet Nam installing and servicing the radios that broadcast to the Vietnamese people. That’s where he was exposed the Agent Orange that likely was the cause of his cancers and, later in life, the antibiotic-persistent lung disease that killed him.

The Navy gave him much that was positive, though. Lifelong shipmate-friends. Experience and training that led him to a career in electronics. Stories of near disaster on a nuclear sub. Long, lonely months at sea brightened by letters from home.  The awesome vastness and power of the sea. Dolphins jumping over the bow of their ship, greeting them as they sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. And, yes, a bar fight or two (this IS the Navy, after all!).

I salute all of you Navy personnel, and thank you for your service.

And to the U.S. Navy–happy birthday!

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A Gentle Reminder

October 11, 2018 Comments Off on A Gentle Reminder

Today just seemed a good day for the reminder that this Thursday Thought quote gives us:

“Love has no gender – compassion has no religion – character has no race.” — Abhijit Naskar

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Who Actually Needs Church?

October 8, 2018 Comments Off on Who Actually Needs Church?

A person may not really need to attend church, but if they attend as a family they’re giving their kids an advantage apart from religion. If not church, then family time for meditation or spent out in nature. Many studies have shown that kids who grow up in families that spent time together in quiet reflection or attended weekly church services were 18% happier in their twenties than their peers who did not have that experience. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, young and teenage children raised with spirituality or religion grow up having better mental health and are less likely to suffer depression and substance abuse. They have better life satisfaction, are more able  to handle adversity, and  they even have fewer sexually transmitted diseases.

I personally know what a difference a little “down time” can make in my otherwise hectic life. Starting my day with quiet reflection seems to make life’s bumps a little smoother, more tolerable. I can understand why experiencing this as a family on a regular basis can be a good start for kids.

Try it. You may very well like it. You’ll like the benefits even more when your kids grow up.

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This Bus Actually Cleans the Air

October 6, 2018 Comments Off on This Bus Actually Cleans the Air

What a great idea. Instead of spewing diesel or simply using less-polluting electricity, this British bus actually cleans the air as it goes along its route. In fact, it’s efficient enough to clean pollutants from the air along that route to the equivalent of 16 times a year.

It’s only experimental, but…what a concept!

See London Bus Cleans the Air: Sucking Up Pollution as it Travels.

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What to Do Today

October 5, 2018 Comments Off on What to Do Today

“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.” ~Frank A. Clark

That sums up the spirit of today’s National Do Something Nice Day.

Use your imagination. Go big, medium, or small.  Here are some suggestions: Send flowers to someone for no reason, with a card that says “Just Because.” Invite that office mate who eats lunch at her desk each day out to lunch with you. Give an extra big tip to someone who serves you.  Mow a neighbor’s lawn or take out their trash with yours. Help someone struggling with grocery bags get them into their car. Ask a disabled person if they need  help opening a door or getting their wheelchair into their car. Smile at a stranger as you pass them by. Or do something nice without letting the person know who did it.

Seems to me, this is a good way to end a hectic work week.

 

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Are We Only a Strand?

October 4, 2018 Comments Off on Are We Only a Strand?

As I look out my window, I hear the sounds of traffic and see some birds flying south above that neighbor who is a pain in the, well, in the southern  regions. And their tree that is developing multi-colored leaves. I’m reminded that today I will see even more, including a variety of people doing a variety of things, and I’m reminded of this saying, which I present to you as today’ Thursday Thought.

 

        THIS WE KNOW…

                                                                       

   The earth does not belong to man…

man belongs to the earth.

   All things are connected like the blood that unites one

family.

   Man did not weave the web of life… 

he is merely a strand in it.

            Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.

                                                            —Native American saying

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Homeless Bums

October 3, 2018 Comments Off on Homeless Bums

Homeless bum! Why does he choose that life?  This common gut-reaction comes from not knowing what actually puts people on the streets.  The Assn. of Bay Area Governments cited four major causes of homelessness: chronic drug/alcohol abuse (33%), serious mental illness (22%), domestic violence (18%), and youth (14% under age 18).  People get caught up in circumstances they can’t control and didn’t set out to be in. No, we can’t magically solve the complex problem of homelessness, but we can change our mind-set.  From our new perspective grows a different way of talking to others about the problem, thus changing their attitudes, as well–plus a new way of treating homeless people we encounter (warning: it will be harder to ignore them).  Contact an organization dealing with any of the root causes and, along with others who have had an “attitude transplant,” work toward reuniting our homeless brothers and sisters with the rest of our human family.

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