Best vacation ever

Last year I took a jeep trip.

It was the best vacation ever!

A friend and his wife were in one jeep.  My son, Matt (16) and I were in my jeep.  We were in the middle of Nevada at around 8,000 feet.  The nearest paved road was 8 miles away.  Every day we would get up, eat as much as we could hold and then take off in the jeeps.  These trails were old; I'm talking 100 years old.

Gold had been found in the area around 1900 and the world came to dig.  We drove from one mining area to the next.  There were tunnels everywhere.  I kind of felt like I was in an abandon human-prairie dog town.  We would go to the abandon buildings, mines and towns.  It was like we were the only people on the planet.  I think we saw a handful of people the whole week.

My jeep, a 1987 wrangler broke down about 4 times counting the flat tire.  Now its in the shop getting some love in preparation for the next trip.

My step son is coming out in June to join this years trips.

Here is a picture of a tree in the middle of nowhere on Highway 50 in Nevada.  There have to be thousands of shoes in this tree.  I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of a pair my my size 10's up there somewhere.

Have a list?  Go to: www.worldgratitudelist.com and drop it off.  Read other lists.  Feel better.

Jim

Stuck in the Middle

I was talking with a friend a few months ago.  He was in pain over something; I don't recall the exact situation.  He had either just lost a family member or a relationship ended or something like that.  He wasn't a close friend and it wasn't just him and I alone.  So I can be forgiven if I miss a few details.

The point is that he was in emotional pain.

All of us tried to find ways to comfort him.  "This too shall pass," and such advice was pushed his way in truckloads.  All to no avail.  He was stuck in the Middle.  Ways to relieve the suffering, that were so clear to us outside of the puddle meant nothing to him.

I have been there before.  When you are in the Middle of a dark spot, its hard to find the light. It's hard to believe there is light.

We have all been there.  I am reminded of the song, When a Man Loves a Woman.  There is a line in there about how "she can do no wrong."  He loves her.  He is in the Middle.  If she was the wrong one for him, he would have no clue.  Those of us on the outside, with the clear vision, stay quiet because, hey, what do we know.

I have a situation the occurs to me from time to time.  I wake up at night and worry.  When this used to happen, I would stay up for hours and worry about everything.  I would worry about worrying.  Then, in the morning, I would wake up and think, "What was I worrying about?"  At night, I was in the Middle.

I have since learned.  I anticipate waking up at night but now I am well armed.  You see, I have made a deal with myself.  I will tell myself that in the morning, it will all be alright.  This takes a bit of trust because, after all, I am in the Middle.   In the morning, I feel fine and pat myself on the back and reaffirm the plan should I need it again.

I have other tools.  "This too shall pass," is a great one.  "Wait, I already discounted that one, didn't I?"  Not quite.  I keep this saying in my holster for quick use.  I know that when I need it, it won't work.  It won't work unless I trust myself to believe it.  To do that, I have to have that agreement in place before I get stuck in the Middle.

The key is to know that there will be ups and downs.  During the downtimes, remind yourself to trust that there are up times just around the corner.

My experience has been that this trust makes the down times shorter - less painful.  But it doesn't stop the down times from coming.  I wouldn't want that anyway.

If I was never down, then I probably wouldn't appreciate it as much when I am up.

By the way, every blog I write is nothing more than my talking to myself.  I am not trying to tell anyone else what to do or believe in or anything like that.  If you are reading this, you are just overhearing my soliloquy.


By the way, visit www.worldgratitudelist.com.  Leave a list.  Read a list.  Feel better.  Tell a friend.

Please click on the ad below on your way out.

Cheers,

Jim

The Power of Now

The title of this post is the same as the title of a popular book.  I haven't read the book but that's okay.  I am not trying to promote the book.  I am, instead, just talking off the top of my head (as always).

Mark Twain (I think it was him) said, "I have lived through some terrible things in my life - and some of them actually happened.

To me, this is a lesson about not worrying about the future.

Some of you will say, "I have to worry!  I need to make money to pay my bills!"

Right you are.  I am not saying to ignore the future.  I am saying, don't worry about things that you have no control over.  I am also saying, don't worry about a few negative outcomes that are floating in an infinite sea of possible outcomes.

Think about the last time you worried about something.  Did worrying help?  Or did it just make you suffer needlessly.  Action is helpful, worry does nothing but destroy your present moment.  It destroys your Now.

The same goes for your past.  What is done is done.  The past is now part of you and, in its entirety, there is nothing you can do to change it.  So why worry about it?  Why let the past destroy your Now?

If you take a look at what is going on with you right now, at this very moment, you will probably find that you are doing okay.  Try to be mindful of those things that you are participating in right now.  Is the sun out?  Is it raining and you are warm inside?  Are you hungry but have food in the refrigerator? Do you have friends or access to friends if you want to.

This concept is hard for some to grasp.  They might say, "right this moment, I am worried about paying my taxes."  A true statement, perhaps, but not a situation that is irrevocably true.  We are all free to change our perspective at any time.  All it takes is the will to do so.

There are those that are hungry and cold and in pain at this very moment.  To live in the Now is to experience that which they don't want to experience.  My tool for this is the mantra, "This too shall pass."

I can look back at times I worried about money and I see time wasted; moments lost forever.  And nothing changed because I worried.  Time passed and conditions changed and the only tangible result that I live with is the fact that I spend part of my life worrying.

Remember, Not Worrying and Inaction are not the same thing.

Right now, I am home with my kids and dog.  We are all going for a hike soon but for now, we are sitting in front of the television and talking about this and that.

Life's good!

It's good because that is how I am choosing to see it.

Be sure to stop by www.worldgratitudelist.com and drop off your lists.

World Gratitude List

I blogged the other day about things that I like.  I got several responses by both email and blog comments.  People sent me their list of things they like.

Two things struck me as interesting.

First, I felt good about my list.

Second, I felt good about the other lists that people posted or emailed.

So, I have created a website.  It is called WorldGratitudeList.com. 

My intent is to see other people's lists.  It will help me and hopefully, it will help them as well. 

There are several lists you can make there so please drop by and check it out.  If you like what you see; if you leave a list and it makes you feel better; if you read a list and it makes you feel better, then pass the link along.

On The Other Hand

Yesterday I posted a blog about things that I like.  In general, I believe that the more positive thoughts I have, the more positive a life I experience.

For some reason, I have been thinking that today, I need to post a blog about things I don't like.  For a while, it seemed like I was going against my own advice.  If I dwell on the negative won't my life be more negative as a result?

Perhaps.

However, my blog about positive things allowed my to really see how fortunate I am.  Today's blog is to see how petty my grips really are.  I put them down here to let them go, not so I can dwell on them.

Here are the things I want to let go:

Anger at tailgaters

Anger at people the crowd in front of me in lines

Fear of economic insecurity

Anger at political opinions that differ from my own

Anger at organized religions



I think that's about it.  Not too long a list really.  I should add the fact that this list is short to the things on my gratitude list.

Interestingly, all of my bad thoughts have to do with anger and fear while my positive thoughts are of love and happiness.

Interesting but not surprising.

I am going to start a website www.worldgratitudelist.com.  On this sight, people from all over would post their gratitude lists.  They could go back over time and review their old lists and see what others have put down.  I think it will be interesting.

A Change in Perspective

I am sitting here watching MSNBC which is essentially the Anti-Fox News channel.  Where Fox is off the chart to the right, these guys are just as far off on the other side.

So I will leave them to it.  Instead, I want to write about the things I like.

I like chocolate ice cream that has been left untouched, in the bowl until it is like a lumpy milk shake.

I like writing a short story that makes me laugh or cry and then wondering, "How did that happen?"

I like going to the airport and finding that United has given me a free upgrade.

I like being a husband and a dad.

I like my dog and he likes me.

I like driving my jeep with the lift and big tires and the top and doors taken off with "Born to Run" blasting on the radio.

I like a hot bath while reading Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Book of Quotes.

I like to play golf, not for the sport but for the company I keep when I play.

I like to hang out with my friends at the coffee shop.

I like to go for long walks with my wife or dog in the hills here in Marin county.

I like diversity in plants, politics, stories, cultures and people.

I like my job, mostly because of the people I meet.

I like staying in touch with friends from the past and telling them they are important to me.

I like to read the morning funnies.

I like that there are better people in the world than me.  It gives me hope.

I like that I can control very little in my life.  But, I can control my perspective and that is all that really matters.

I like big, sloppy sandwiches that should be eaten over a bowl.

I like coaching wrestling, especially while my son is on the team.

I like doing things differently from the norm.

I like double cheeseburgers at Rocket Robbies.

I like being healthy but feel that I don't take enough time to really appreciate it.

I like Family Guy, 30 Rock and The Big Lebowski.

I like email and the internet in general.

I like the idea that I am a spiritual being having a human experience, not the other way around.

I like Obama as a person and leader although I don't always agree.  I am glad he is in charge.

I like watching babies laugh on youtube.

I like the holiday season.

I like the anticipation of Christmas more than the day itself.

I like to snowboard.

I like to sit and talk with my mom about life.

I like to blog even if I am the only one listening.

If you read this, then I like you.  Please feel free to add your likes to the comments section.

Jim

Situational Hypocrasy

I heard this story when I was in the Navy 20+ years ago.

A lawyer proved that it was unconstitutional to bring dogs onto military ships in order to search for drugs.  At some time after that, the very same lawyer, now working for the other side, proved that it was constitutional.

What does this say about the lawyer?  To me, nothing other than he was good at his job.

However, let's take a politician and look at a similar story.  I will pick Mitt Romney simply because he is close at hand, not because this example is worse than any other.

Mitt Romney successfully pushed through health care reform in Massachusetts while he was the governor there.  Now, as Obama signs into law, a nearly identical reform, Romney, a member of the GOP is assailing it as unconstitutional. (see: http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/03/editorial_chameleon-like_mitt.html)

Now, I am all for someone having a strong opinion.  I am also for someone changing sides.  When a baseball player is traded, he tries to win for the new team not the old one.  However, this is different.

It's different because the stakes are disproportionate.  On his side of the table, Romney pushes in his political capital.  He is betting he can become president.  On the other side of the table, millions of people push in their physical and financial well being.  Both sides cannot win.  He is in this for himself while we suffer the consequences.

I see the entire GOP in this light.  Just to be fair, I also see the entire Democrat party the same way.  I also see the Catholic Church and nearly every other church this way.  I see Muslims doing this just like everyone else - or should I say, "the rest of us."  I am sure I do this as well although I cannot think of an instance off hand.

Situational Hypocrisy is taking a position based on the situation at hand even though you believe the other side is right.  How many concessions has the church made over the last century to keep membership (and funding) alive?  How can two people read the Koran and one comes up with "kill" while the other read "love".  The killer sees what he wants to, just as the pacifist does.

I love shows like Countdown where people actually get caught in the act.  The other day, Glen Beck was accused of saying, "Obama is leading us to slaughter."  Beck quickly denied this, so Countdown played the tape (2 days old) where Beck is saying, "Obama is leading us to slaughter."

What amazes me is not that Glen Beck has no shame.  He is just making a living.

What amazes me is that anyone still listens to this guy and believes what he tells them to believe.

Therein lies the problem.  We forget.

I think it would be great if every time a person or institution changed its position, they would have to explain.  I am not talking about explaining why I change lanes on the highway.  I am talking about why yesterday, a politician said "Blue" is what we need and today he is saying "Yellow."  When asked why, they should have to tell the truth.  I wonder how many would say, "This new position keeps me in power even though it is not what is best for the country."

The New York Yankees Farm Teams

In baseball, there are two tiers of teams.  At the top tier is the New York Yankees with a value of 1.5 Bn, an annual income of 375 million and a payroll of 201.5 million.  They are easily the richest and winningest team in the history of baseball.

My team is the Oakland Athletics.  They, as members of the bottom tier, reside near the tail end.  their value is estimated at 319 million.  Their annual revenue is 160 million and their payroll is 62.3 million (less than a third that of the Yankees).

Year in and year out, the A's develop players only to have them snatched up by the Yankees or one of the other top tier teams.  The A's can't afford to pay top dollar.  Once an A's player rises to the top, they are snatched up.

There was a time when we had hope.  Billy Bean came along with MoneyBall and it looked like he had found a way to level the playing field.  Alas, that was not to last.  Now everyone uses the same analytics.  So now we are back to where we were.  If you pay more, you win more.

The Athletics, and teams like them, are essentially the farm teams for the rest of baseball.

I have given up on the sport.

So many players rotate in and out of the A's clubhouse that I couldn't even name five of their starting lineup by the end of last year.  If their players play too well, they get scooped up.  If they play too poorly, they are replaced by other unknowns.  Our hope is to get lucky.

I shouldn't say "our."  The A's really aren't my team any longer.

I think I will start rooting for the Savannah Sand Gnats.  They are a farm team with hope.  They have hope because they play against other farm teams.  Their is no upper tier.

Psychic Phenomena (Part II)

Being the first volunteer, I find myself sitting at a table across from an 80 year old woman.  The table is made of wood and about the size of a card table.

She placed her hands, palm down on the table in front of her and instructed me to do the same.

Keep in mind that I am a skeptic at this point.  I am not going to give away anything.  I am prepared to not answer any questions and surprisingly, she asks none.

Instead, she tells me, "Think of someone that has died that you would like to be in contact with."

I think of a name which I keep to myself.  Almost immediately the table lifts several inches off of the ground on her side.  Everyone in the room gasps.  Her hands are on TOP of the table not below.  There is no table cloth or anything that would prevent us from seeing underneath.  It was clear that she was not doing this.  In fact, she frequently removed one hand or the other to gesture.  We confirmed earlier that her hands had no adhesive.

The table lifted and neither she, nor I, did it.

The table tapped 11 times indicating the letter "k".  It then tipped up so high on her side that my side of the table brushed up against me.  She said, "This person is very happy to hear from you."

She didn't know this but the name I had in my head was Kevin Knox, a boy that I grew up with that died in a car crash about 8 years earlier.  I only knew a few other people in the room.  None of them would have known about Kevin since he was a childhood friend when I lived 300 miles away.

She asked if the first name stated with a "k" and I said, "yes."

She then said, "Let's see if we can get a last name."

Again, the table tapped out a "k."  She thought this was an error telling the table (or whoever) that "We already have the first initial.  We are looking for the last initial."  I had to interrupt and tell her that the "k" was also the last initial.

Next, Adele asked me to think of something that only I would know about.  I thought about a poem.  Kevin had written a poem for English class wondering what it would be like when he died.  He was a popular kid and they published this poem in the yearbook that year.  There is no way anyone knew about this.  There is no way any of my actions tipped this off.

The table then tapped out P-O-E-M.

It was him!  There could be no doubt.  This went on for a few more minutes.  I was amazed as was everyone else.  As far as Adele Tinning was concerned, she was as impressed as if she were sipping tea with some friends.  This was not so special to her.  It happens all the time.

As the evening went on, everyone got a chance at the table.  The table did similar things for all but one.  In just one case, the table somehow indicated that the person sitting with Adele was not suppose to be there.  We all felt bad for this person.

Possibly the most amazing thing about that night, other than Adele and the table, was how we all came to accept the whole thing.

After an hour or so, I remember standing off to the side having a coffee with someone, just talking about the weather or sports or something while, the table was tapping away for yet another person.

I have had other experiences but none that compare to this one.  I invite you to pass this blog link to your friends.  I would love for everyone to know this story and to post their own stories in the comments section at the end of this blog.

Psychic Phenomena (Part I)

Have you ever watched a story about ghosts or UFOs and thought, "That would be cool if its true.  But I am skeptical."

I am like that about a lot of things.  Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, I will often fall back into the pack of non-believers.  I am not sure why I do this.  It's as if I cannot intuitively understand something or if science can't explain it, then maybe its not real.

As far as psychic phenomena is concerned I am a believer.  I am a believer, not in the way I believe in God or reincarnation or that sort of thing.  I am a believer in the way I believe that 2+2 is 4.  This is not a belief that comes from faith.  It is the belief that comes from first hand experience.

One such experience stands out above all others.  This is where my story begins.

One night, I met Adele Tinning.

This was back around 1985.  Mrs. Tinning is no longer with us, at least not on this plane of existence.  She died in 1989 at the age of 83.

This is how I met her.

A friend of mine taught Ancient History at a college in San Diego.  He had seen Mrs. Tinning give a demonstration on stage at the local collage in front of thousands of people.  He called her and asked if she would give a demonstration at a private home for his class of students.  She readily agreed.

I want to point out that she never asked for or received any compensation for any psychic work she performed.

I was invited to the event because I was a friend, not a student.

Anyway, when we went to pick her up, a large man met us at the door.  He took my friend, Vince, aside and told him that they didn't appreciate him asking Mrs. Tinning for help.  "They" was apparently an agency of some sort that took care of this elderly woman.  I don't recall if they were government or just from a private organization.  I think "they" were an educational/research organization that basically kept an eye on Mrs. Tinning, making sure she was not harassed or ever in need of anything.

Anyway, the message was, "Mrs. Tinning will say yes to anyone that asks for her help.  "We" try to limit her work simply because she is getting to be too old to go out several times a week to give demonstrations. Since she told you yes, after you went around us, we will let her come to your house."

Adel Tinning was a psychic of a particular sort.  She would place her hands on a table and the table would lift and drop, thereby tapping out messages. One tap was an "a", five taps and "e" etc.

When we picked her up, she had her table with her.  She intended to bring it for the demonstration.  I suspected a trick.  She probably had the table rigged somehow.  Vince told her, "You don't need to bring that if you don't want to.  We have a table at the house."  Without a second thought, she agreed to leave her table behind.  She didn't ask, "How big is the table?" or anything.  Apparently, any table of any size would work.

This immediately took away many of my suspicions.

We took her and the "guard" to a private home where about 30 of us gathered for the demonstration.  Before she started, she told us the following story.

Here is the setting, an elderly woman of moderate build is sitting amongst 30 or so adults that she has never met, in a home she has never been at before preparing to give us a free demonstration.  But first, her story as best as I can recall ...

"As a little girl, I had my first experience with angels.  I saw one outside when I was about 6 years old.  She was floating in the air in our backyard.  I went in and told my mother who understood right away what I had seen.  She told me that she and I had a gift.  My mom also saw angels and did a lot to help me understand them.

As I grew up, I began to have psychic experiences.  I learned that table tapping was the preferred method of communicating with me.  When I married my husband, he knew about my abilities and made me promise to keep them to myself.  he didn't want me to become a circus event.

One morning, while I was eating breakfast, the table started to tap.  I knew a message was coming through so I cleared the table and prepared to receive.  Apparently, there had been an accident at NASA.  Some men lost their lives.  They were coming through to me with a message to send to NASA about what caused the accident.  They gave me a 4 letter acronym that made no sense to me.  Against my husbands wishes, I sent the message to NASA.  A few days later, two men in suits showed up at our door.  They wanted to know how I knew what had killed those men.  It turns out that what I told them meant something to them.  It was the actual cause and they only thought to look for that source after my letter to them.

At that time, NASA and several other agencies would come to me from time to time, asking for help with various things.  For example, they were having problems with a formula needed to make face plates for astronaut helmets.  I would got to a table, the answer would tap out and they would go away all excited.  I never knew what much of that information meant since I am not a scientist.

They did a lot of testing where they would check to see if my hands somehow stuck to the table enabling me to lift it.  In the end, they just accepted that I could do these things.

Now there is an institute around me.  They don't pay me but make sure my needs are met - rides to demonstrations and such."

She had a book published that, at the time, she gave away for free.  Each of us at the house got a copy.  It is a compilation of messages she received over the years.  It is entitled God's Way of Life.

After Adele Tinning made this presentation, she sat at our table for a moment.  Soon she smiled and said, "They are here, who wants to go first."

There was no trance.  It was as if she sat at the table and said, "Pass the mashed potatoes."

For more information about her, google "Adele Tinning."

Tomorrow, I will talk about what happened next.  I will leave you with this, when she asked "Who wants to go first," I walked over and took the seat across from her.

The UFO Question

Are they for really and if so, do they have ray guns?
(Thanks to Woody Allen).

My mom, at 72 years of age, has become a real UFO enthusiast.  While many women her age are sitting home knitting or reading romance novels or maybe baking a pie, my mom is at UFO conferences.

This is a fairly new thing for her.  Typically, she has spent her inner life pursuing spiritual enlightenment.  A couple of years ago, she became hooked on 2012 and all of its implications.  Now, she is a video camera shy of being a UFO hunter.

She is visiting me this weekend and showed me a DVD made from a conference she attended in Nevada earlier this year.  This one guy has a spectacularly detailed 10-year history of abductions and other types of encounters.  A documentary is currently being made to, well, document his experience.

One thing I noticed is that many of the things he experienced and attributes to ET's may otherwise be attributed to ghosts or something of that sort.  This brings up an interesting question in my mind.

Are there UFO's and no ghosts? Or are there ghosts and no UFO's. Or are there both (or neither).

Arther C. Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

When the Aliens come and strange, inexplicable things happen, can it be that we attribute their actions to the supernatural?  When a chair moves and no one touched it, does that mean a ghost was involved or was it an alien.

I think this is an interesting question; one I suspect the answer is not the one I would most prefer.

I want there to be ghosts.  I want there to be spiritualists that talk with the afterlife.  This means that there is something next - death is not the end.

If the real answer is that My Favorite Maritain is whispering into the ear of the spiritualist, then it is all a hoax.  I won't be coming back after all because the little green men were just having fun with me.

Mom is convinced that the answers will be forthcoming soon.  When the truth is finally known, I hope I won't be disappointed.

Live Long and Prosper.

Jim

The Existence of God

Let's start with this: I believe in God.  I am certain that there is a Higher Power out there.  I am equally certain that how he or she works is beyond my comprehension.  I believe he/she plays a role in my daily life and and am equally certain that what I know about that role is nothing more than my best guess.

When it comes to God, my view is truly from the cheap seats.

Why does this topic come to mind today?

There is this TV personality in some Arab nation (I don't recall where) who is in trouble for practicing Black Magic.  He had this show where he would go on television and predict people's future.  Then when he went to this Arab country, he was arrested and is now sentenced to death.

I think most of us would be appalled to read such a thing.  "Who are these people that would do such a thing?  Certainly they must be some backwards society, like those that once worshiped Zeus and his bunch.  they must be ignorant."

I think they are practicing what they believe; just like we do.

We go to church (I don't anymore but maybe you do) and they tell us that if we don't do such and such, we will go to hell.  Or, God wants you to do this and not that.  The list of rules supposedly handed down by God to his select few to pass along to us is vast.

To all of this I say, "Have fun with your fantasy.  If it makes you feel good, then believe whatever you want.  Who knows, you may be right."  I doubt it.  I think that there are so many beliefs that one of the following must be true: (1) We are all wrong  or (2) One of us is right and the other 6 billion are wrong or, and I think this is the one, (3) We are all right.

Think about it.  Do all of the members of any religious organization believe exactly the same thing?  I mean exactly.  Take someone and give them 10,000 actions and have them place them in the order God would place them so far as being good or bad.  How many times will you have to do this before any two people place all 10,000 things in the exact same order.  To do so would mean they believe exactly the same thing about those 10,000 items.

So, we all have our own beliefs in spite of possibly similar affiliations.

A woman once passed along something her grandmother had once told her.  Her grandmother said, "There is only one true church and I am the only member."  I like that.

I have heard the argument that there is room for us to be true believers so long as we follow a few universal truths.  Let's take the biggest no-no, Thou Shall Not Kill.

If this is an absolute, then to even allow a killing to occur that we could have stopped makes us guilty.  When a lawyer sues a doctor for his own gain (in spite of his avowed higher goal) and that doctor raises his rates and the insurance company raises its rates, a people with preexisting conditions are not given the care they need so they die, let's say, 5 minutes earlier than if they had perfect care.  Did that lawyer kill that person?

I say he had a role.

I am not saying he will go to hell.  I am saying if someone believe in universal laws, those laws passed down by God, then they must believe that the lawyer is guilty and off he goes to hell sooner or later.

Others may say, well he can confess and be forgiven.  I think we feel better when we confess but I doubt God gives out Get Out of Jail Free Cards.  There is either going to be an accounting or not.

When I look at the situational hypocrisy of congress, I can't help but think of organized religions.   They tell me God doesn't approve of birth control but he forgives repeat pedophile priests.  Really.   I think I first began to question that type of logic when I was around 6 or so.

Now, there are those that will read this and get angry.  Why?  I think that anger comes from fear.  I think they will be afraid that I am right.

Right about what?  I can believe whatever I want.  I can write whatever I want.  I can change my mind whenever I want.  That is the gift of God.  That is what I believe...at least for now.

A Quandry of Sorts

Here is my position on Health Care.  I want it fixed.

What does that mean?  Well, I think the following is a good place to start:

1. Tort reform: It is not right that doctors must perform every conceivable test in order to avoid being sued.  I saw a debate a few months back between a lawyer that made millions by suing doctors and a lawyer that represents doctors in those same suits.  The malpractice doctor kept going back to "How much is a life worth?  How much is it worth for a person to be crippled through malpractice?"  Very good arguments, albeit, incomplete. I would have asked back, "How many people have died because people like you drove up health care costs to the point where they are unaffordable?"  The easy answer here is to have a set of standards for various conditions.  Follow those standards and you are not liable.  Don't follow them and you are.
2. Make insurance competitive.  The only reason I can think of for not allowing insurance to be sold across state lines is the same as the rationale drug lords use for shooting others for coming into their area of distribution.  Money.  Competition is bad for the insurance companies so they spend a lot of money to make sure its not there.
3. I like the idea of a government health care option.  There are those that scream "Socialism!"  It's a scary word mostly because it rhymes with communism.  But, let's face it, public schools are socialism. Every time a pot hole is filled, wealth is redistributed.  A person that pays high taxes paid more for the pothole fill than a person that paid low taxes.  And yet, we all get to use the road equally. This is a redistribution of wealth.  Our armed forces, our police officers, even those that work at the DMV are all examples of the government redistribution wealth.  We all pay a different price for the services we all share equally.  The idea that a government option for health care is Socialism is nothing to be afraid of.  My only concern here is that the government will screw it up.  If our Department of Homeland Security is an example of the best we can do, then I may change my stance on letting the government play.
4. Insurance for everyone:  I don't care if you are an illegal alien or too poor to buy insurance.  I am will to use my money  to help you.  I would like to see a system of clinics where anyone can get care.  Maybe they have to wait in line all day but its there.  If there was a box on my tax form to indicate I want some of my taxes to go to such a program, I would do it.
5. Use the internet:  The FCC is rolling out a program for high speed internet that will enable a single doctor to see a greater number of patients - online.  One fear of this is that by seeing them online, they may miss something and be sued. See point one above.
6. Do not force employers to pay for insurance.  This is a lot like forcing employers to raise the minimum wage.  There is not a single economist that believes an artificial minimum wage works.  None.  So, if employers must pay for insurance they can either (1) pay it, incur the additional cost and pass it along to the consumers or (2) pay it, and hire fewer employees since the price of an employee just went up or (3) pay it and lower the wages they pay their employees because they can only afford to pay the employees a certain amount, benefits included.  You might argue that these companies just want to keep costs down to improve their bottom line.  You would be right.  The bottom line means better stock prices, those same stocks that are in your retirement portfolio.  They are trying to not pass on a cost to you.  Employers compete for labor.  Benefit packages are part of that game.  If they want top employees, they sweeten the pot.  This is not a place for the government to play.
7. Keep kids on their parents health plan until the age of 26.  I love this one.  My kids turn 18, leave home and are uninsured.  They are still in school, preparing for their future and have very little chance of getting a part time job that will provide them insurance in the mean time.

All along, I have supported the Democrat's attempts at health care reform.  The last couple of days have made me think I have backed the wrong pig in the race.  Pelosi is resorting to a tactic that is underhanded and not the spirit of intent.  The Deem and Pass tactic is underhanded and simply wrong.  It is a desperate move made by a desperate party.  Furthermore, they are using it to pass what is little more than a 20 lb bag of compromise.

Maybe the GOP has had it right all along.  Let's go back to the beginning.  Let's start with tort reform or some single issue.  Put someone in charge of that single issue.  Let them make a daily report to the American people.  They should be mandated to bring up things like, "The senator from Nebraska, while supporting the idea, will not vote for it unless corn becomes the national breakfast food."  This sort of nonsense has to stop.

In the end, I still think we need to Fire Them All.

Then start anew.

Fire Them All

I saw a survey yesterday that said 59% of Americans believe we should not vote in any current congressman or senator.  Another survey, also yesterday, said only 17% of Americans believe that congress is going a good job.

I would have gone with the majority in both of these cases had anyone bothered to ask me.

This is not about health care.  As far as that issue goes, I am willing to try anything different, even if it turns out to be a bad idea.  We can always go back and fix it.  If we do nothing, then we aren't really even trying.

No, this is about the corruption and cowardice that characterizes our politicians. They take tons of money from lobbyists.  Why would a special interest, time and time again, give money to a congressman or senator if it didn't work?  They wouldn't!  They do this over and over again because it does work.  What does this really mean?  It means that if you have the money, your voice is louder.  Not one-person-one-vote.  It's really one-dollar-one-vote.

Ask your congressman or senator if they have ever taken money from a special interest group.  If the answer is yes, then they are corrupt.  Of course, they will tell you that the money was given with no strings attached and all of that but remember - If it didn't work, special interests wouldn't do it.

As for cowardice, they are often more like deer in your headlights than not.  They know action is needed and feel "I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't."  The result is inaction.



The GOP is stirring up the fear they need for the Democrats to feel the heat.  The GOP is in favor of doing nothing because it makes the other guys look bad.  This improves the GOP's chances next round of elections.  They want the power.  The Democrats have weak leadership.  Sure, Pelosi is a bully but that does not make her a strong leader.  So, we have Democrats that fear change because they may lose the seats that the GOP is after.

All of this can be solved if our elected officials understood that there would be consequences for poor performance.

I say, "Fire them all."  I know that not all of them deserve to be fired but a willingness to clean house will have a lasting effect beyond the next congress.  Fire the good with the bad.  Let them know we have had enough.  Let the new congress be clear on the fact that if they can't do their job, we will take it from them.

Firing them all will take a few years since not everyone is up for reelection at the same time.  That is actually a good thing.  Fire the full batch this time around and send the clear message to those that remain.  If there is no improvement in the next 2 years, fire another round.  In 6 years, they will all be gone and we will have elected representatives that serve us, not themselves.

High Speed Internet

My wife and I talk every day, face to face.  She spends most of her time in Hungary and I in California.

We are able to do this using Skype with allows us to not only do video conferencing, but to do it for free.

The quality isn't perfect but it's getting there.  I already use Skype to make most of my business calls.  I pay a flat $11 per month to make all of the calls, my computer to any land line, world wide that I want.  My computer to cell phones still cost about $.20 per minute.  That is when I revert back to the now archaic cell phone I carry on my hip.  I use headphone with a speaker when I call from my computer.  No blue tooth for me.  The quality that blue tooth offers is too poor.

Now, the FCC is proposing nationwide VERY High Speed Internet.  This means video conference calls with no lag.  To me this means I can cut my annual travel by a huge margin, maybe altogether.  I think online video calls have lagged simply because the speed is not good enough.  Once the speed is there, the equipment will follow.  Every company will have a HD camera in a conference room capable of showing all attendees for the person on the other side.  Everyone will have two screens placed where the room can see them.  One screen will be for the audience (or presenter, depending on your perspective) and the other will be for content such as a PowerPoint presentation.  In this way, I will be able to see my audience and they me as well as both of us seeing the presentation.

In the near future, I can take golf lessons online as an instructor somewhere else in the world watches my swing.  I can see a doctor for simple things like "My arm hurts when I do this."  Biometrics will be taken from home kit that samples urine, BP and such and then relays the data instantly to the doctor doing the consultation.

After school tutoring can take place, as it should right now, by a teacher's earlier presentation being recorded and available for review.  Or, a teacher can answer live online questions posed to her.

The VERY High Speed Internet is more than just being able to stream the latest movies.  It will be a game changer.

Replace Wall Street with a High School Math Club

There are some people on this planet that are just so smart or just so uniquely good at their jobs that they are irreplaceable. They seem to have the ability to see what others miss. They get more out of the assets at hand or are able to inspire others to rise above mediocrity. Einstein, a commanding officer I once served under while in the Navy and my high school math teacher all come to mind.

Wall Street money managers don't fall into this category.

If you look at the skill set it takes to manage money, you will find excellent sales skills and a solid background in 9th grade math.

They are not rocket scientists.

Wall Street insiders pay each other hundreds of millions in bonuses claiming it is necessary to retain their top talent.

Just what top talent are they referring to? Could it be the same talent that brought us to the brink to begin with?

Let's face it, Everything a money manager does can be accomplished with an Excel spreadsheet; not counting the requisite coefficient of greed.

There are three basic ways to make investment decisions.

First of all, and the most common, is to guess.

The second is to cheat.  Insider trading and nearly everything Wall Street did leading up to the collapse falls into this category.

The third is to do your homework. Look at all of the publicly available information and then make your decision. In the end, this is little better than guessing.

But wait! Aren't the experts, the top talent able to find thing others cannot? The simple answer is NO. they use basic math. They use the same software you can buy online and in the end, they guess.

If there was a secret to winning on Wall Street, everyone would be doing it and the value of the secret would be lost. The Top Talent has less skills than the average high school math geek. They can be replaced.

I recommend a new book by Michael Lewis. It is called THE BIG SHORT: Inside the Doomsday Machine. He was on 60 minutes last night. This guy was there. He did the money market stuff and was amazed that as a 24 year old (he is 50 now) they would give him six figure bonuses for doing nothing special.

Here is what our future holds. Wall Street is unsustainably corrupt. We should fix it but we won't.  Why not?  There are several reasons, the biggest being that our politicians are either (a) just as corrupt or (b) cowards.

Wall Street will make more of themselves millionaires right up to the point where we are in a worse position than we are now.  When that happens, out economy will either irretrievably collapse or, by some miracle, someone in power will stand up and point an accusing finger at our financial institutions and shout for all to hear, "The King has no clothes."

How I would fix education

I am not an educator so please take note of my position in the Cheap Seats.

The first thing I would do is change from paper text books to eReaders.  We can pay over a hundred dollars per book.  Why do that when you can buy a licensed copy for virtually nothing.  Get a math guy to write the perfect algebra book.  Pay him something huge, like $500,000 for the rights to it.  Then forever more, every student in the United States will have free access to an electronic copy of that book.  Algebra doesn't change.  Many of the English books that students read are currently free online.  History books can be kept current.  Every book they will ever need is neatly stored in a single eReader that cost a couple of hundred dollars.  A wireless system like the one Kindle uses can download assignments and such as well.  No more tens of thousands of dollars each year for books.  No more heavy backpacks or "I left my books at school or home."  If its on the eReader, its online as well.

The second thing I would do is incorporate some sort of gaming activity in learning.  How can we not be paying attention to how the minds of our kids get wrapped around gaming.  I am certain that my 16 year old son could learn a foreign language in a week if he thought it would get him a trophy or an achievement online. There is something about the way the games get into the children's heads that motivates them to learn.  They go home and play 21st century games after a day of 17th century schooling.

The third thing I would do is add to after school activities.  More sports.  More plays. More community service.  Idle kids are kids open to less than optimal activity paths.

The fourth thing I would do is teach societal and introspective material.  Why not teach the 12 steps of a recovery program?  Why not teach yoga?

Finally, I would make school last year round with several smaller breaks.  High schools would start and end 2 hours later (in accordance with overwhelming evidence about circadian cycles).

My goal would be to make out educational system number one in the world.  No more Top 50.

The Hypocrasy of the GOP

From the cheap seats, this is what the health care issue looks like to me.

Now: I buy my own health care and it is going up every year. It is expensive now and soon it will be out of reach. Why? Greedy insurance companies; greedy lawyers and the high price I am currently paying to subsidize those that get health care without paying for it. For example, does an aspirin at a hospital really cost $20. It does when most of that cost goes to pay for a waiting room full of uninsured patients.

Proposed: Everyone must have health care. The insurance companies and lawyers need to be reeled in and we will pay for it with higher taxes. In the interest of compromise and bowing to lobbyists, all of this is fairly watered down.

I understand that my taxes will go up. We are not going to provide all of this coverage for free. However, the slight increase to my taxes is dwarfed by the huge increase in my personal health care that currently rivals my mortgage payment.

The GOP says, "Let's start over." They act like they have a plan where this will be free. They were given a chance to show their plan. The televised thing a couple of weeks ago gave them the chance to pick and choose where the problems where. Instead, they dug in their heels and did nothing.

Senator Brown from MA is the perfect example. He voted in favor of a health care plan for his state that is remarkably similar to what is now being proposed in congress. Now that he is a member of the GOP, he has changed his mind. Why? Because if the current party in power does something substantial and good, then the GOP will lose power.

I one time had lunch with a union president. I told him what I wanted to do for the workforce. He agreed that it would make their lives much better but he would not support it. When I asked why, he said, "This is a management initiative. If it is good for the workforce, it will weaken my position as the union president." Now, I work with a lot of unions and this has only happened one time so I don't feel it represents anyone's stance other than this one individual's. However, it showed me what people will do to further their own agenda.

The handful of people that make up the GOP are trying to topple our government. They intend to do this by letting everyone suffer so they can try to make Obama and friends look like they can't get the job done.


When it comes to the GOP, I say, "Fire them all." Just to be fair, I also say, "Fire Nancy Pelosi."

My Life as a Dog

Okay, so I am not a dog, at least not yet.

However, I have this dream. In it, such a thing as Karma exists. Somewhere out there, is a Life Value Accountant that is actually paying attention to how well I live my life. I am not judged, quality-wise, by what some religion or culture thinks I should be judge by. That wouldn't make sense. The idea that we know what He (aka The Big Guy or God or whatever) wants from us is just to ridiculousness for me to give much credence to. For example, priests molest little boys but they must remain celibate as a tribute to their dedication to God. Before I go that route, God better tap me on the shoulder and say "We need to have a chat."

Anyway, I digress. Back to my dream.

In this dream, I have somehow stumbled upon what those being-that-judge find to be a well lived life. As a reward, I get to be reincarnated as a dog. Why a dog? Because it is the next logical step up the evolutionary ladder of awareness and healthy emotional behaviors.

Take my dog for example. He loves me unconditionally. He thinks nothing but good thoughts about me. He would sacrifice anything in his life if it meant that it would make my life just a tiny bit better. He is quick to forgive and is always there when I need him.

I wish I could be the person my dog thinks I am. However, if i am good, then maybe, I can become the dog I think he is.

Here is a picture of my wife, Erika, and my dog, Bosley. He is a Bouvier de Flandra.

My Links:

www.hyperiongate.Writing.Com
www.jamesdillingham.com
www.shift-work.com
www.jimdillingham.blogspot.com
www.linkedin.com/in/shiftwork

My Other Home

I actually live in two places.

My primary residence is in Novato, California.  I spend about six weeks out of every eight living there (not counting all of the nights I am suppose to be there but am actually in a hotel somewhere.)

The other two weeks out of eight, I spend in Biatorbagy, Hungary.  My wife, Erika, is Hungarian and lives in Biatorbagy, except for the times she comes to California to be with me.

Biatorbagy is a small village about 12 miles west of Budapest.  It can trace its beginnings back to the 12th century.  Today, it has just under 10,000 inhabitants.

The most notable feature of the village is a viaduct to nowhere.  At sometime in the past, this carried a train through town.  As far as I know, it hasn't been used for decades.  that doesn't keep it from being one of the most notable landmarks in the area.

Erika and I live in a new development on the southwest side of the village.  If you look for Biatorbagy on GoogleEarth, you can see the development.  Here is a photo of Erika in our backyard with our dog, Echo.

The trip takes about 15 to 18 hours from liftoff to touchdown each way.  Typically, there is a connection in Frankfurt or Amsterdam.

A Terrified Nation

The days following the attempted Christmas 2009 bombing on a plane highlighted how effective terrorism really is.  People were not allowed out of their seats.  They had to keep their hands in plain site etc.  A man of no consequence (if there is such a thing) affected the lives of millions.

So he won.

I fly about 150,000 miles a year so I know what I see.  We are puppets that respond to whatever music the terrorists play.

They try to explode a shoe and now I have to take off my shoes.

They try to bring on liquids so now I have to bag my liquids in small portions.  I cannot even go through security with an unopened can of soda.  It's as if they think I may have a machine at home that can seal a can of Pepsi with a bomb inside of it.

I can bring a 5 pound hogi sandwich but not a 4 oz clear bottle of water.  I can bring on several tubes of gel, all of which are less than 3 oz and I can bring an empty container to mix them all together, but I can mix them together before I go through security.

I heard someone say that if the Christmas bomber had been singing "Happy Birthday" as he tried to blow up his underpants, we would have made music illegal on planes.

This worthless effort is offensive to me.  I have the little extra time it takes to put up with all of the precautions now in place at airport security.  What I don't have is the fear that makes our leaders initiate and maintain such practices.

Here is the true problem:  Politicians know that these practices are nothing more than political theater.  At the same time, they don't want to be seen as to be doing nothing.  Once a policy is in place, it is there forever.  No politician wants to be the one that lets soda through security and then have a can of Pepsi bring down a plane sometime in the future.

The way to fight terrorism it two fold.  First, find out what makes them want to do these things and try to eliminate that issue.  If they terrorize because they are hopeless, then give them hope.  This can't possibly cost more than we waste now on pretend solutions.  Secondly, don't be afraid.

We, as a people, should stand up and say "I am not afraid of you."

I am not saying that we should get rid of all airport security.  I am saying that we should eliminate the practice of reacting to the puppet strings the terrorists are pulling.

I believe that ZERO lives have been saved by the hundreds of millions of shoes that have been sent through airport screening.

Our politicians are cowards.  I recommend everyone send an email to their representatives in congress with the simple message of "I am not afraid."

The only problem with this is, if you refuse to be afraid, then the GOP loses its only platform.

U.S. Department of Immigration Services

This is the worst run organization (not counting TSA) that our government has to offer.

True story:
Situation:  I am a U.S. citizen that married a Hungarian citizen in 2005.  Once we were married, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made my wife stay out of the country until her 2-year green card was issued.  This took 18 months.

At the end of 2 years, we applied for the 10-year green card.  This is how it is always done.  They are considering turning down the 10-year card because my wife did not live in the United States during the entire 2 years prior.  Now, there is no requirement for her to do so.  The immigration official that I spoke with said there was.  When I pressed him for the exact place to find this language, he confessed that it was not really in there but that the "intent" was that we live together.  I told him the "intent" was to make sure our marriage was legitimate and living together was one way to establish that; but not the only way.  He also admitted that he was certain my marriage was legit.

Me: So you are saying you will not approve my wife moving to the United States because she does not currently live in the United States?
Him: That is correct.  However, your wife is free to visit you using a tourist visa.

This is a true story.  It is my story.  I find out in 2 weeks if the green card is approved.  If it is not, I am going to fill the internet with this miscarriage of justice.  I will also be making a certain immigration official very famous.  I will post his photo, home address and phone number for anyone that would like to talk to him.

But for now, I wait.

Here is the logo for the worst run organization in the United States.  Interestingly, the other equally poorly run organization, TSA, is also run by the department of Homeland Security; an organization that was thrown together by the most incompetent administration in the history of the United States.

Geocaching

If you have never heard of geocaching, you are going to find this blog amazing.  Suppose I told you there were thousands of buried treasures around the world.  I am not talking about chests of gold and silver.  I'm talking about something like a coffee can filled with small trinkets like bubblegum cards and such.

Well there are.

There is a website called www.geocaching.com where you can find the GPS coordinates to these treasures.  When the GPS system became available to the public, geocaching became a natural outcome. You go to this site, put in you GPS Lat. and Long. and it will tell you where the nearest treasures are.  There are probably several within a mile of where you are right now.

The website is free.  All you need is a GPS.  Some of these are very easy to find, others are very hard.  Each one has a difficulty rating as for the terrain and the difficulty of finding the treasure.  Keep in mind, even the most accurate GPS (and most are very accurate) will only get you within ten feet or so.

My son and I have been geocaching for several years.  It is a great way to get outdoors and spend time with your family.  I know several people in their 50's that do this as a hobby.

Here are several pictures from my geocaching experiences.

Nancy Pelosi Must Go

First of all, I caution you to keep the title of this blog in mind.  My view is indeed, from the cheap seats; those being the seats that offer the least clear view of what is actually going on.  I say this because I am writing from what I think is going on, not what I know is going on.

Having said that, Nancy Pelosi must go.

Every since she has taken over the position of Speaker of the House, the reputation of Congress has dropped below the Mendoza line of political polling.

She got caught lying about her knowledge with regards to torturing.  You could see it in her eyes as she flailed around on television, trying to spin it away from her and onto someone else.

There is a reason that congress can't get anything done.  Actually there are two.  First, the GOP has no interest in helping a Democratic party achieve any of its goals, even if that means the American public suffers as a result.  Secondly, The Speaker of the House has been unable to work around this.  In fact, I think she is the reason the GOP is so stuck in its tired "do nothing" mode.  Who wants to help a person that has belittled them and bullied them at every opportunity.

As long as she is in charge, nothing will get done.

Here is my challenge to you.  Watch her on television.  Read her interviews.  Look for the bully.  Look for the blaming.  Look for the inaction.  You will find all of these every time.