|
"Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art. "
Love Them Or Hate Them Darn Social Media Social media is an addiction for millions of people worldwide. Without social media, we as a nation of civilized people would sit around twiddling our thumbs. Now it's every day, all day. My kids come to visit me and the entire time they sit there with their faces glued to their cell phones. Now if I were on Facebook every day instead of 3 minutes a week (as I am now) I might care. But I hate social media in all its forms. That darn "Six Degrees" started this mess, then came Myspace and Facebook. Myspace, which still has over 1 billion active and inactive registered users, has faded from its glory days, pushed to the side by Facebook. A once popular community was Geocities. I was a member and community leader of one area in the Heartland (I can't remember which now). Yahoo purchased it and made changes, and somewhere around 10 years later shut it down. As a result, millions of people abandoned the websites they had spent untold hours creating. But then that's big business. Once Yahoo closed Geocities, they started "Yahoo Experts," where I was a member too. I answered questions from people on a wide range of topics that dealt with some form of web design. That went on for a while, and Yahoo changed it to having their "experts" answering questions by phone. I dropped out and have been against any form of social media ever since.
|
|
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."
My Writing Style Somewhat ..... Here I am, folks, egocentric, getting set to conduct my continuation of study while writing my thought-inspiring or provoking (whichever you prefer) essay/blog. I have gathered worthy information from the intellectual crowd to be sure through the use of books and whatnot. Let’s see, I want to start today with the information required to continue building upon my infallible thinking coupled with the proven and documented art of scientific renderings. The large picture will change because of my effort to make things come together in a thought-provoking way. Now, my next day of research leaves me wanting to work on the intricate matter of biology. But I’m not studying Biology, am I? Well, yes, I can’t come to any conclusion on my own without delving into those little microscopic things that live inside us. So onward I go. Starting yet another new day finds me throwing things around as if I’m cleaning out the closet. Now, I am prejudiced towards my attempts, but things will get better; they seldom get worse. Now in my wanton efforts at pursuing perfection, the prior is true. Tripping over chairs and sliding across the floor on my face is the usual route; why wouldn’t it be?
|
|
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Wishful Thinking I can now start a new year of wishful thinking. I have a wood shop full of almost every tool anyone would need to build anything. But I still need more. I wish my kids would buy me another tool or anything for my shop. I still have a few places where it's safe to step. New tools are too much to wish for. Christmas 2017 is just around the corner, and instead of clothes (the regular), I need something I can use. Kevin and I (my son-in-law) have an old lawn mower that has pretty much blown up. It was on its last leg anyway for the last year, but we've been babying it along. I could wish for just about anything, but that doesn't mean I'm going to get it. Well ... it's now 6-2018, and we have a new lawn mower, a new weed eater, and my oldest daughter has a new car. So I guess the word 'new' has been used quite a bit around our homesteads this summer. So I'm now going to close out my short "Wishful Thinking" article and just say that I, at this time, am not doing any more wishful thinking. After all, my wishful thinking has only resulted in more yard work for me. |
|
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Click to view on YouTube
Being Homeless
Inside the American Homeless Crisis - Poor and Forgotten on the Streets | ENDEVR Documentary "Homelessness is defined as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. It can be caused by many factors, including income insecurity, healthcare insecurity, and basic needs insecurity." I live in a tornado-prone area and can be one brief second away from being homeless if Mother Nature so chooses. Anyone can become homeless. And it doesn't take any planning to get there. I own my house, but that doesn't mean I'm in a secure situation. Some people become homeless by choice. Watch this video to get a feel for what homelessness is all about. |
|
“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” ― Allen Saunders
Click to view on YouTube
What’s the difference between legal and undocumented immigrants? Legal immigrants are foreign-born people legally admitted to the U.S. Undocumented immigrants, also called illegal aliens, are foreign-born people who do not possess a valid visa or other immigration documentation because they entered the U.S. without inspection, stayed longer than their temporary visa permitted, or otherwise violated the terms under which they were admitted. How does legal immigration work? To immigrate legally, a person must receive permission from the U.S. government before entering.
Immigrants who are granted permanent residence are known as lawful permanent residents (LPRs) or "green card" holders. If they marry a U.S. citizen, LPRs can apply for U.S. citizenship after five or three years. What are the rights of legal immigrants? Legal immigrants can work without special restrictions, own property, and receive financial assistance at public colleges and universities. They can also join the Armed Forces. Illegal immigration, also known as unlawful immigration, occurs when a foreign-born person enters the U.S. without a valid visa or other immigration documentation. |
|
“ Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.” ― Robert Frost
When Stupidity Reigns! Negativity is the result of a limited mind. Runit Island, of the Enewetak Atoll of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, is a direct result of the stupidity of mankind and its effort to find ways to kill each other. Let's face it, life just isn't important at all, so why do we still claim that it is? We spend millions of dollars trying to save lives from illness, and at the same time, spend millions of dollars on the warfighting capability that each country has. When a soldier is killed, it's no big thing in the minds of our military planners. After all, it's part of war. This planet is so screwed up that it will take a millennium before we open our eyes and realize how stupid we have been. We spent millions of dollars and wasted years building up a nuclear arsenal that, if ever used, will put an end to civilization as we know it. Now, how dumb is that? We dropped 2 bombs on Japan during World War II in an attempt to stop the war and save lives. And here we go again; that was just war, so the lives lost were just that, a casualty of war. So I guess they don't matter. I lived in Japan for 6 years, and back in the 80s, an American who traveled to some remote villages could get spit at by elderly women. Vietnam is a direct example of the war machine simply throwing lives away. The official toll is: The war exacted an enormous cost: estimates of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed range from 970,000 to 3 million. Some 275,000–310,000 Cambodians, 20,000–62,000 Laotians, and 58,220 US service members died. And what was accomplished? Not one damn thing. The US entered the war to curb the spread of Communism, and today, after the war, Vietnam is a communist country and thriving. So all of those people died for no reason whatsoever. Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Just the act itself flies in the face of the idea that life is sacred and should be cherished. Everybody knows that, regardless of how minor an invasion is, people are going to be killed. That's a proven fact! Now, every day, people are dying, and for what? Again, not one damn thing. It is just history repeating itself over and over again. There are ways around war, and if we, as a human race, took the time to honestly sit down and face the fact that we can do better, then maybe things would change. That's a simple concept, but it's so hard to reach. Just stop killing each other and face the fact that life is precious. Anything, regardless of what it is, can be changed with the right amount of effort, and realizing that the very idea of premature death is atrocious is a good place to start.
|
