Tag Archives: Blog

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and The Blacklist

Creativity, Current Events, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Opinion, Politics, Reality, Thinking Independently, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Like many of us, I have been wondering when and if they are going to find Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. I am praying for the families of the 239 souls onboard. I know the general information that has been released. The flight left Kuala Lumpur the night of Mar. 8, then disappeared en route to Beijing. While the backgrounds of the seasoned pilot and experienced co-pilot are under investigation, so far nothing out of the ordinary has been discovered. The FBI has now taken possession of the pilot’s homemade flight simulator to retrieve and analyze some deleted computer files.

Besides the FBI, the NTSB and FAA are involved, as well as 26 countries who are assisting in the search for the plane. As more information is obtained, the search area is redefined. There’s been talk about an island in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia, a British territory where the plane may have landed or crashed. It was reported that we have a military presence there in the form of a U.S. Navy support facility, so it seems doubtful they wouldn’t be aware if something had happened near there. I read two-thirds of the passengers were from China, not sure about the rest.

I am a huge follower of NBC’s The Blacklist, meaning I never miss an episode. In one of the early episodes, Raymond Reddington, the main character in this show played by James Spader, tells the special U.S. government agency he is working with that many accidents or catastrophes that have occurred were to cover up other things – things that were not considered when investigating these events, things not on anyone’s radar.

Who were the passengers on the plane? Who and what were they involved with, as well as their families? What were their occupations? What type of influence did they have on upcoming events like elections, law, policy or decision making; money changing hands; financial, political, humanitarian, scientific, or technological deals in progress or under consideration? Who are the people who own or are in charge of the airline and their families? What’s been going on with the Malaysian airline and its competitors lately? What’s been going on in the country politically and economically? There are so many different questions that could be asked, depending on which perspective you look at it from. Maybe this wasn’t an act of terrorism or a suicide mission, maybe this is something else. Maybe I watch too much television.

I don’t know – just something I was thinking about . . .

What Women Look Like Naked. Really

Appreciation, Education, Future Generations, New Blogger, Opinion, Reality, Self Esteem, Thinking Independently, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Couldn’t have said it better myself . . . thanks Laura Quick & The Daily Think!
And the imperfections and subtleties we each have are where our beauty lies – this is what makes each of us special and unique.
Just something I was thinking about . . .

The Daily Think

I normally see semi clad women on a fashion shoot, so my perspective has been somewhat distorted. That and all the magazines. Well might I suggest a trip to your local swimming pool. Gentlemen (and I think you already know this) This is what the majority of women look like really. You naughty lying magazines, you.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: YOU’VE BEEN TRICKED.

swimming ool changing roomssml

View original post

Writing Skills Not Valued

American Infrastructure, American Jobs, Education, Employment, Future Generations, Opinion, Thinking Independently, , , , , , , , , ,

I was listening to the news today, which is always an adventure for me. There was a report on changes to the high school SAT, which is required by many colleges for admittance. These changes, taking effect in 2016, are to make the test more relevant and to make it easier to pass. Changes included the elimination of the essay portion of the exam, making it optional. Now maybe I am a little biased, as I am a writer, but this says to me that being able to write coherently and mechanically sound is not a needed skill. Then we wonder why we rank so low on the list globally regarding education.

Being a good writer, albeit good communicator, is important. I realize being a good writer does not measure intelligence and that many incredibly brilliant people are not necessarily good writers.  That does not mean we should not strive to master this area in some sort of capacity. I am always amazed at the atrocious writing skills I have seen in those who have master’s degrees and always wonder how they managed to get that degree as poorly as they wrote.

When it comes to jobs – pretty soon, other countries will have the ability to write English better than us – so those jobs will begin to be shipped overseas too. I do some contract copywriting for an internet marketing firm at times. When I was hired, the owner shared with me that the computer programmers and graphic designers he employed were in India. He had found he needed American writers, as it is difficult to find good writers of the English language in other countries. It seems the way we are going, we will outsource ourselves right out of those jobs, too.

I could go on. I have certain reservations about testing protocols, too. But that’s a story for another day. I just know that being able to write well is a valuable commodity, and lowering the standards isn’t going to accomplish what the “powers that be” are trying to accomplish. I don’t believe this is going to make our future leaders as globally competitive as they will need to be – thus, as a nation, we will fall further behind.

Did you know that cursive writing has been removed from the curriculum from many schools? Don’t get me started on that one . . . that’s a subject for another day!

Anyway, just something I was thinking about . . .

harshlypressedbutton

 

American Jobs Needed

American Infrastructure, American Jobs, Opinion, Politics, Thinking Independently, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

So the other day, I was watching some talking heads show & it was mentioned how the infrastructure of the United States is in dismal need of maintenance & repairs. It was mentioned that the current president had talked about putting American people to work on these projects – thus fortifying America and bringing much needed employment to many areas of the country.

Sounds like perfect sense to me, but we all know those are not the types of jobs that can be shipped overseas to be done for pennies on the dollar of what it would cost here by paying a decent living wage.  These are NOT the types of jobs that bring big bucks to corporate America, so no one seems interested in getting these projects started, let alone completed.

I remember years back the former president made the statement that we need to train Americans for jobs needed in the 21st century. What we have seen is that most of those jobs are being sent overseas to be done cheaper – so I never understood how that was going to help Americans stay employed and help this country prosper.

Unfortunately, when our bridges start collapsing at a quicker pace, our water systems start malfunctioning and the worst nightmare of them all, we start having power grid issues, these corporate tycoons and government buffoons  are going to wish they had invested a little more here in their own backyards. I have always said, the one act that will bring this country to its knees is to take out the power grid – our aging, antiquated power grid that we ALL depend on for every aspect of our lives – communication, power, heating, running water systems, pumping gas, banking, checking out at the grocery stores, etc., as the list goes on and on and on.

It just seems like we are setting ourselves up to be ambushed, caught with our pants down, to fall hard, and to lose much. There’s a song I like by Toad the Wet Sprocket called Whatever I Fear and part of the chorus goes like this:

“Whatever I fear the most is whatever I see before me
  Whenever I let my guard down, whatever I was ignoring . . .”

 We, as a nation collectively, better start paying attention. We better quit ignoring the things that don’t seem to affect us right this instant, but will when we least expect it.

Just something I was thinking about . . . what do you think?

Lyrics ©Toad the Wet Sprocket – Coil 1997

Women’s Libidos – Really?

Healthcare Issues, Opinion, Politics, Reproductive Rights, Thinking Independently, Uncategorized, Women in Politics, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have been hearing and reading a lot lately about Mike Huckabee’s comments about women’s libidos and contraception. Apparently he said something to the effect that the Affordable Care Act provided free contraception to women because essentially some people think women can’t control their libidos.

As a journalist my first instinct was to go find the video and see it for myself, in complete context, but I didn’t – and I’ll tell you why. Regardless of what exactly was meant by what was said exactly and the various interpretations of this comment, my question is . . . .

WHY are we talking about women’s libidos and personal health care choices that involve their quality of life? This discourse included married women – like their husbands are going to be onboard 100 percent with their wives “limiting their libidos” to avoid pregnancy. And I have to admit – I believe the old joke 99 percent of the time – what do you call women who you use the rhythm method of contraception? The answer is mothers. Even weathermen and farmers use more than a calendar to make predictions and determine action.

Do we have these discussions about men and their “little blue pills,” or whatever they take, for their erectile dysfunction? It’s also pretty well known there are many men who take these pills who don’t need them, they just want to be able to have more sex or extended  sex – but that’s a libido discussion for another day.

Do we have women in our congress – Senate and House of Representatives, as well as in other key management positions in our government making healthcare decisions for men and their quality of life? The sexual part of their lives and identities in particular?

There is not equal representation out there for women when it comes to government mandated decisions regarding women’s reproductive rights and lives because women make up a  small percentage of those who hold office. This is a problem, and I think we need to start thinking about that in our future voting decisions – as well as the fact there are many young ambitious intelligent thoughtful women who could run for these offices now and in the future.

Notice I have not mentioned party-lines – not interested in that. I am interested in women who understand the ramifications, situations and specific concerns of being  a woman being responsible for, or at least involved in, making decisions or at least having a majority say in legislation passed that affects women.

And one other point . . . this is 2014. Have we not learned that sex is an essential emotional, psychological, physiological and personal part of being a human – whether you are male or female? Again, why would this or any political discussion involve the word libido at all?

Just something I was thing about . . .


“It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”  ~Benjamin Franklin, quoted in the Montreal Gazette

This blog is the place I will write, when events inspire me. Though I am expressing my own opinion, I am not expressing it necessarily to persuade you to think my way, but to make you think about a subject period. There is a lot going on in the world around us today, and we must always be thinking about how events will affect us or those we love, or even those we have never met. Frequently, we need to question society and the way actions, attitudes, relationships and interdependencies will affect us now and in the future.

To give you an idea of who I am and how I think, my favorite book is The Children’s Story, written by James Clavell.  I happened to see it at the library and its physical stature was so different from his other books it caught my eye. Once I got home, as I walking into my bedroom, I opened the book and started reading the first page. I found it so riveting, that I sat right there on the floor of my bedroom and read the entire book. (It’s a small book!) If you have never read this book, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It will make you think about and examine many things – most aptly critical thinking skills and our freedom of speech, expression, and thought. Later I read that Clavell said this book came together quite quickly – requiring no rewrite and changing only three words.

I hope you enjoy my postings and random thoughts, and I hope they inspire you to think about the world around you — locally, nationally, and globally; and to question the status quo. I look forward to your feedback 🙂