Good math+wrong premise=flawed conclusion

This morning I received a forwarded email message from a friend of mine. This marks the 4th or 5th time I’ve received this message from different people. Without repeating the entire thing, the gist of the message was that the Cash for Clunkers program was a profound failure because it ended up costing the government much more than it saved. This forward is yet another misguided attempt to discredit Obama/government policies. However, that’s not the point. The interesting thing about the message is that while the math is impeccable, the premise upon which it is based is completely wrong. For the record, the Cash for Clunkers program was an environmental effort-not necessarily economic. This situation brings home a point I used to try to make to my math students but is clearly lost on many adults. I used to tell them I don’t care how good a mathematician you are. If you don’t identify or understand a problem or issue correctly you’re going to arrive at the completely wrong conclusion regardless of how good a ‘mathematician’ you are. It all reminds me of the old saw “liars, damn liars, and statistics!” The world of mathematics is the perfect universe-only if used correctly. Otherwise, as we’ve seen, it becomes a weapon.

William Safire

"Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight." Thus spoke William Safire who passed away this weekend. To most people I imagine the name is only vaguely familiar but if you are like me and enjoy reading about words and language, then you know who he is-especially if you've been reading the New York Times Magazine. His column, On Language, appeared there for many years and he was generally regarded as the ultimate authority on the topic of our language. If not handled right, a topic like that can be dry reading, indeed, but Safire was very witty and he had a great sense of humor so reading him was a pleasure. I learned a great deal from him-mostly about the mistakes I was making when writing or speaking. Safire began his career as a speech writer for conservative presidents like Nixon and Reagan. Later he turned to 'punditry'. I'll miss his weekly pieces. RIP, Bill. You done good (oops, I mean you 'did well').

Spare the Rod, Save the Child

Spanking is one of the oldest forms of discipline. There are still many people who regard it as a perfectly legitimate form of corporeal punishment & they forcefully defend their right to raise their children as they wish. However the research in recent years is pretty clear. The more kids are spanked, the more likely they’ll emerge as violent adults. The key here is ‘the more kids are spanked’ suggesting that if kids are spanked only a little, then they won’t be violent or at least not too violent. If you still don't buy this, here's something that might help. I recently heard a report that suggests spanking also leads to lowered IQ scores in kids. The immediate reason offered for this was that it stands to reason lower IQ people are the ones most likely to spank, therefore they’d be producing lower IQ kids, but that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. There are plenty of very bright, intelligent people who believed in good old-fashioned spanking. My father was one of the smartest people I’ve ever known, so there goes that theory. What does hold up, however, is the emerging science of neurophysiology. It seems that when children are spanked or otherwise exposed to violence, their brains produce substances that have an adverse effect on cognitive development, i.e. intelligence. So here we have a case of ‘hard science’ supporting what was previously just a hunch. This is a very typical scenario. Given enough time, there’s no doubt in my mind that science will answer all questions. Yet there is still going to be a significant number of people who have nothing but contempt for science and therefore disregard these findings. Their children will be the ones to suffer.

Lunacy Unleashed

I've been making a half-hearted attempt to follow what's been going on at the UN this week. I read a little about Obama's speech and I've seen a little about the various issues being discussed but the thing that really stands out is the unbelievable lunacy of Libya's Muammar Ghadafi (I looked it up. Amazing at how many ways there are to spell this) and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (all sources I checked have this spelling). These guys are genuinely certifiable, and worse than that, dangerous. But what to do about them? That's the question. I think most people agree that Ghadafi is much less of a threat than the other. So it seems the world is content to just yell back at him. As for the other, his effort to gain nuclear power is pretty scary. Scary because if Israel receives credible evidence that Iran plans to use those nukes against it, they'll strike first. Then we have a(another) protracted war that is sure to involve the US. Never mind health care reform. This is the issue that's going to test the Obama administration. But not to worry. As past practice has shown, the Republicans will be right there offering all sorts of viable suggestions. And if you believe that, I've got some land in Florida I'd like to sell you.

More Adventures With My Two Grand Daughters

Well, it was another great day with my two little grand daughters. After Courtney and I saw Brooke off to school at about 8:40, we walked back to the house to start our morning adventures. It began with bubbles on the deck. Then Courtney found Brooke's little treasure bag and spread its contents all over the kitchen floor. I began to feel a little uneasy about this since Brooke is a tad possessive but I figured what could possibly go wrong. When Courtney's done, I'll put everything back and Brooke will be none the worse for it, right? The rest of the morning was spent playing school, watching two episodes of Caillou, the theme song of which continues to play itself over and over in my head. At about noon we went to the bus stop to greet Brooke. When Brooke got off the bus she had a very distressed look on her face. I asked her how her day was and she said she had a lot of homework. I reminded her that it was due on Friday, a whole 5 days away. That seemed to cheer her up a little. When we got in the house and Brooke spotted her little treasure bag. You guessed it. EVERYTHING was out of place. She asked me if I was the one who let Courtney get into it. Being the only other living thing around except the family dog, I admitted I let her play with it. After she managed to get everything back where it belonged we proceeded to do a science experiment. We mixed yeast with sugar and water in a test tube with a balloon over it. The idea was to collect the carbon dioxide that the mixture would produce. It was a success. Finally, as usual, we played doctor. I was the hapless patient who received several chicken pox vaccinations and several allergy test shots. Then Brooke got a band aid and a piece of cotton, pretended she was getting blood work and put it on her arm to fool her mother who of course played along. All in all it was another great day with my two best little girls. Soon there will be more adventures with the boys. Stay tuned.

Hello, Charter? Is This Customer Service?

Are you one of the unlucky few who are forced to use Charter Communications for cable/phone/internet? Yeah, yeah. I know. There's always ATT DSL or Direct TV or some other phone but I don't like DSL (too slow), and I don't have access to a satellite in my yard, so I'm left with Charter. Here's a short history of my adventure with Charter Customer Service:
1. August 1st-date of 2 year lock-in period.
2. Mid August-bill arrives NOT reflecting lock-in rate.
3. Next day-Trip to local Charter office. Bill is adjusted. Told to pay X amount.
4. Mid September-bill arrives NOT reflecting lock-in rate.
5. Next day trip to local Charter office. Lady who I spoke with before doesn't understand what happened. Sits me down with her boss to go over whole thing.
6. Two hours later-boss hasn't a clue what's going on but insists bill is correct!!! Un-freaking-believable! After a few well chosen words, I return home.
7. Two days later call Customer Service. Get some young gal in the Phillipines (honest). She sees almost immediately what happened and makes appropriate adjustments.

So there you have it. Maybe outsourcing customer service isn't such a bad idea. OK, so I had to ask her to repeat herself several times due to a very heavy accent but it was worth it. Word of advice, American companies. It's commendable that you're trying to keep jobs in the US, but the other side of this is the people you hire have to have brains. Just a thought.

Forty Two Years and Counting

Today marks the 42nd anniversary of Sandy and me. It also marks the 3rd anniversary of my son Peter and his wife Jennifer. If anyone wants to know the single most important factor accounting for 42 years of marriage-besides the obvious things like love, loyalty, shared values, children, etc-I would say it's the willingness to compromise and be flexible. Without that, in spite of the other stuff, a marriage is doomed. Obviously failures in the 'other stuff' can also doom a marriage-but not as quickly as one's inability to bend and compromise. So there you have it. My words of wisdom for the day. Tomorrow I'll be back to my normal self, ranting about something or other!

Gross Anatomy

I received an important anatomy lesson today from my 5 yr old grand daughter. It seems she was having considerable difficulty finishing her lunch but kept asking for a package of those little yogurt candies. I told her what I had heard millions of times as a kid and what I told my kids and what you've all heard many, many times, to wit: "If you have room for candy, you can finish your lunch." Now comes the lesson. I'll bet you didn't know that your stomach is divided into food group compartments. When one area was filled up, it means there's still room for other stuff in another spot. Hence, that's why she had no more room for the main part of the lunch but the dessert part was still empty. Bet you didn't know that. Listen and learn!

More About A WWII Hero

Some time ago I wrote about a man who I see every week at Masonicare (June 24, 2009). His name is Vern and he's 91 years old. He is a WWII veteran. While serving as a waist gunner on a B17 during his 4th mission, his plane was shot down by 3 German fighter planes called Focke-Wulf FW190s. The picture you see here is Vern standing in front of a plane exactly like the one that shot him down. Seven of the ten crew parachuted to safety. Three men were killed-one because he didn't have time to put on his parachute! The survivors were captured immediately. Vern avoided starvation by bribing guards. He traded cigarettes for bread and eggs. Today, Vern and I, among others, went to Waterbury-Oxford Airport to tour the vintage WWII planes there. I have posted on my web site a photo gallery of those planes. Yesterday Vern got to ride in the plane he flew in (B17). He was deeply moved by the memories it brought back. Take a look at these photos. They're worth the time. It would be good on this anniversary of a terrorist attack to reflect on how much so many people are going through for us. Here's the link:
http://georgeswebpage.com/vern

Never Forget

September 11, 2001
There aren't many days when you can remember exactly what you were doing. Not even when my kids were born do I remember everything. One day though was the assassination of John Kennedy. The other is 9/11. I was on my way to school when I heard on the radio that my particular school had closed because a delivery truck took down the power lines in front of it. I was instructed to report to central office where I would be calling parents to explain what happened. On my way there, I heard the initial radio reports of planes crashing into the World Trade Center. More was learned as events unfolded and information came in. The school thing very quickly became unimportant. It was indeed a very sad day.

Not My Usual Rant

Surprise, surprise! This isn't my usual rant about stuff like the moron who interrupted the president's speech, Republicans who don't get it or gas bags like Patrick Buchanan on Imus this morning. No, this is about my day yesterday with my two grand daughters. After the 5 yr old got on the bus, the 3 yr old and I returned to the house. The first thing we did was play school. She was the teacher, of course, and I was a student. After I was told where to sit, we had story hour. She grabbed a book and while holding it upside down and turning the pages backward, she started telling me a story. It had nothing to do with the book she was holding but it was a great story-one she had heard before but recited very accurately. It's amazing what kids remember. That went on for a while until she got tired of it. After that we played doctor. She was the doctor and I the patient. I got several shots of course. After that she played on her own for quite a while with some of her dolls. After her lunch, we went to the bus stop to get her big sister. The after noon, the little one was taking her nap, the 5 yr old first did a project for her great grand mother. Then we played doctor. Both girls love to play doctor and I'm always impressed at how much they know. For example, the 5 yr old decided I needed several treatments with a nebulizer machine. While I was breathing that (a real one absent the asthma inhaler cartridge), she started me on an IV-actually calling it an IV. I asked her what that was and she told me it was a drip that would give me medicine. Then she instructed me to stop talking since she had just given me a shot that would put me to sleep while she treated my eye. This took place for quite a while until her mother got home. All in all it was a great day with two bright, happy little girls who never cease to take my mind off the aforementioned topics. However, stay tuned. While I've been painting I've been listening to MSNBC, getting more and more aggravated. I feel another blog coming on!!

My First Letter to the Editor

Herewith the text of my very first "Letter to the Editor":
To the Editor,
My admiration & congratulations to those teachers and administrators in the Newtown Schools who had the courage to show their students the president’s speech. To those of you in Newtown or anywhere else who didn’t, shame on you. You either chose to make a political statement by insulting the President of the United States or, at the very least, you caved in to the hysterical rants of the lunatic fringe-and make no mistake about it, ladies and gentlemen, that is exactly what they are. It may not be appropriate to silence them but surely we can ignore them.

Respectfully submitted,

George Stockwell

Oh, sure. That should clear things up!

Heard on the Today show this morning: Newt Gingrich calling for the defeat of Obama's health care proposal-whatever it may end up looking like. Instead he suggests rather than having one bill to handle the whole issue, have 8 or 10 smaller pieces of legislation that handle particular aspects of the thing, i.e. one for drugs, one for insurance companies, one for tort reform, etc. Great idea, Newtie. Let's make it even more confusing and complicated than it already is. And this from a guy who pretends to be the head of the conservative movement-the very people who cherish simplicity. What an idiot! But watch out for him. He's going to be a player in next presidential election.

IDIOCY!

Leaping off the front page of my morning newspaper is the following headline: "Obama speech causes ire" The cause of this 'ire', it seems, is a message President Obama would like to video tape and have delivered to the nation's schools. The crux of the message is that students should take their education seriously, study hard and be responsible. The gas bag nay-sayers who are opposed to this are saying he's preaching socialism. Can you believe it? These people have officially stepped over the line of sanity. It's bad enough they've been filling the airways with unbelievable hypocrisy on deficit spending, national health care, the stimulus package, you name it. Now they have a problem with Obama suggesting students work hard and take ownership for their lives. Isn't that awful? But wait a minute-isn't that what our conservative friends have been saying all along? Isn't that what the Republican party is all about? Of course it is, but that's not the point. It doesn't matter what Obama or his administration says or does. They're going to be opposed because that's what they do best. These people are idiots! They need to open their ears and close their mouths. Spineless school officials across the region have bowed to their blathering by giving some schools the 'option' of showing Obama's address. What morons. Parents have far more to fear from these ignoramuses than they do from the President of the United States. Unbelievable!

Kids & Technology

I was watching with great admiration my 5 yr old grand daughter play on my computer this morning. She didn't have school today (teacher in-service) so she stayed overnight. When she got up this morning, we played school (her favorite game) for a while and then she decided to play Kid Pix on my computer. It's amazing how quickly she picked up the skills she needed to use that application. Her 3 year old sister is right behind her in terms of skill development too. I've taught all ages of people on computers-preschoolers to senior citizens- and there's no question the kids have the edge. The seniors, bless their soles, have the most difficult time. The mouse is what causes their problems-along with trying to remember the differences between buttons, icons and folders. Added to that is the fact that PCs, unlike Macs, have TWO buttons on the mouse. Then there's the hand/eye coordination problem. It's very tough for them. On the other hand (no pun intended) Kids very quickly pick up on all of that stuff. As I mentioned, my grand daughter was using an application called Kid Pix. It can be confusing because the more an application can do, the more complicated it is and Kid Pix can do a ton of stuff. But none of it was a problem for my grand daughter. She quickly mastered it and started creating some really neat stuff (which can be seen on my website, http//georgeswebpage.com/kidswork. Sorry, couldn't resist the plug). The corollary to this story is the amount of learning that was going on while she was 'playing'. Some folks who don't know any better tend to believe that nothing can possibly be learned if it's so much fun. That, of course, is ridiculous. But rather than launch into a discussion of this misunderstanding here, I'll leave it for another blog piece. In the mean time it really doesn't matter how old you are. Keep trying and keep learning. Like me, it won't be easy but eventually you'll get it!

An Agenda

There's a popular video circulating on YouTube which originated on a piece John Stossel did on the ABC news program 20/20. The main idea is that if Obama gets his way with national health care reform, the health care system as we know it today will be destroyed. Research will grind to a halt, appointments and procedures will be delayed or even disallowed, all manner of consequences. This is yet another outrageous example of biased reporting. All the people who make these claims have yet to explain the following:
I get appointments & schedule procedures & tests whenever and where ever I want-and in a timely fashion. I choose my doctors, hospitals, medicines (with my doctor), and what ever treatment regimen I want. Who is my insurance company? Medicare, that's who. Wait, isn't Medicare run by the government? How's that possible? You mean you don't have to worry about all of those dire warnings with HMOs? Yeah, Right!! Get with it, people. You're being hoodwinked by the nay sayers. Turn John Stossel and others of his ilk off and watch a good movie on some cable channel instead, or, better still, read a good book!

Yet Another Mile Stone

Did you see the picture above and think, " God! Stockwell's really gone over the edge now. He's posting pictures of his daughter who's in her 30s getting on a school bus"? Wrong. It's my grand daughter. It's her first day in kindergarten. I had the privilege of watching her get on the bus for the very first time. It's definitely a mile stone in the great Stockwell story. That's not to say I won't be there for the other 3 getting on the bus for their 1st day too. After all, it was actually my son who got on the bus first. Two years later, my daughter started her illustrious career in public education. The point is having grand children seems like you're going back in time. I actually have to stop myself from saying or doing things in front of my grand children's parents (my children & their spouses in case you're having trouble following this). Before I grant a request or correct a behavior I have to think, "Hey wait a minute, you're not supposed to be doing that. They're not your kids." Fortunately my children and their spouses are very patient with me and grandma. They're smart enough to know that parenting isn't something you just stop doing. It's there-as long as you live and no matter how old your kids are. They'll find that out for themselves all too soon!

Teddy Kennedy

In watching some of the coverage of Ted Kennedy's funeral and the speeches given at that time, I was amazed at how much I learned about him. I, of course, always knew that he was a man committed to making the country and world a better place for others but I didn't realize just how much he was devoted to his family. I found his son's speech about how his father held him up and said 'you can do it!' especially moving. He was in many ways a very great man. Yes, as we're reminded by our conservative brethren, he was flawed. Aren't we all? Who among you is that pure that you can judge? RIP, Teddy. Ya' done good.

Why Men Are Happier Than Women

I stole this from someone who stole it from someone else on the Internet. Hey, if it's on the web, it's fair game!

Why Men Are Happier:
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $2000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A two week vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $4.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes all one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

Competition in A Free Market

How can anyone doubt the value of open competition in a free market? The biggest example of this is the huge influence of foreign cars in the domestic US market. It was because of foreign competition that US auto manufacturers realized they better start making better vehicles or it's curtains for them. Another example is the emergence of alternatives to cable TV. Because of the entrance into the market of AT&T UVerse and Verizon, Charter cable has been coming out with some very worthy multiyear packages. My final example is the battle between Home Depot and Lowe's. Was a time before Lowe's came to town when you walked into Home Depot and if you didn't know exactly what you wanted or where it was, you were out of luck. Just try finding someone to help you. Add to that the poor quality of their building materials, i.e. warped and cracked lumber, stuff strewn all over, etc. Then Lowe's arrived. Home Depot was faced with either going out of business or improving. Recently I went to Lowe's for flooring tile. It took a while to get someone to help us but when we finally did, we placed an order that was supposed to be transferred from one of their warehouses to the location we were at. They promised to call me the next day. No call so I called them. The lady I talked to acted like I was speaking Swahili. She hadn't a clue what I was talking about. Sooo...off to Home Depot I went. There was a person standing at the door greeting me and directing me to where I needed to go. Once there, I placed the order to be picked up the next day at their loading platform. Guess what? It was there waiting for me. It was even loaded into my truck for me. So good bye and good riddance Lowe's and hello Home Depot. Good old competition!

Reflections on A Family Vacation

Family vacations can be a dicey thing. There are the obvious benefits of being with the people you care about most for a prolonged period plus enjoying where ever you've all decided to go but there's also the possibility of family vacations turning into disasters. One of the things that ruins these kinds of arrangements is if there are one or more people who don't pitch in at critical moments to do the various things that need to get done. This is especially true if you're on a vacation where you and your party are responsible for preparing meals, cleaning up, feeding and looking after kids, doing laundry, etc. It's a lot like many people living in one household except it's for only a week. All that is necessary to make life difficult is to have one or two people not doing their part. Fortunately, that was not the case on our recently completed vacation. Everyone chipped in. Men didn't sit around watching TV expecting the women to prepare meals and clean up afterward. Women didn't sit around talking while expecting men to watch the kids or do what ever they expected them to do. If there was something to be done, whoever was closest or available did it. No one refused to change diapers, grill/cook, put away dishes, etc. To a great extent this is a reflection of the fact that the traditional roles of men and women in modern families have changed in a lot of ways today. Make no mistake about it, we have a long way to go. There are still a lot of men out there who will not change a diaper, wash a dish or prepare a meal. As for kids, they're not cute until they're about 10! Ridiculous, isn't it? But absolutely none of that was evident during our vacation. We all did what needed to be done. That was one reason why we all had such a good time.

Stumped! (or is it Clunked?)

Headline Google News: "Cash for Clunkers to End". Now I'm officially stumped. For weeks we've been hearing about how successful this program was. People were trading their old junks in on shiny new mostly American made cars, giving the environment a break and the economy a boost. More headlines about how Congress was sure to continue the program. Now it's dead. What gives? Does Congress know what it's doing? What a silly question! Added to all of this is that a very small portion of the so-called stimulus package has been spent thus theoretically not doing what it was intended to do; constant bickering over health reform; news reports on practically a daily basis regarding immoral or inappropriate behaviors. What a mess! As someone pointed out, Goldman Sachs seems to be the only entity to survive this whole thing in relatively good health. Maybe congress should just admit they don't really have a clue what they're doing and abandon any further efforts. They're getting no where in spite of Obama's constant urging, cajoling, compromising and nearly begging. Sad state of affairs. More on this later.

More on Vacations

This is an addendum to my last post. I forgot to mention another interesting observation about what people tend to do when not in their usual environment. The first was to establish a routine (which in my case I've already broken!). The other is even more obvious. People tend to stake our their own space for their 'stuff'. Wallets, keys, cell phones, glasses, iPods, and other sundry items are put by their owners in their 'space' and that's where they stay until everyone returns to where ever they came from at which time their 'stuff' goes back to its usual space. There are other things about how groups behave in unusual circumstances such as role playing but this after all is vacation so it's off to the beach-and keep your hands off my stuff!

The Rule of Routine

I've always found it amazing that no matter what people are doing or where they are, they need to establish a routine. It must be a security thing because here we are, the second day of our family vacation in Rhode Island and already I and the others have a routine. Up early, have coffee, check emails, play with any of the grand children who might be up, eventually take 40 to 45 minute walk, have protein shake, go to beach, have lunch....and so it goes until I'm laying in bed reading my book. I'm sure that's going to be the routine the whole time we're here. Others have their own routine too-especially the kids for whom a routine is especially important. You don't just skip meals or naps with little ones. It doesn't mean you can't have fun. It just means your fun has been routinized. Well, I have to go. I have a schedule to keep!

(Un)Civil Disobedience

For the past week or so morning and evening news broadcasts have been showing videos of some of the town hall type meetings members of congress have been holding in their districts. The topic of course is health care reform. Between what you hear on the news, what people like Sarah Palin & Rush Limbaugh are saying, conflicting statements from members of congress like Nancy Pelosi, the president himself, members of his cabinet, etc. etc. it's no wonder that no one knows what's going on. Hence the town hall meetings. But what of the people attending? Sure, they're confused, worried and frightened. No one really has a clear idea as to what's on the table. So from the stand point of logic wouldn't that mean you'd show up with the intent of listening to what's being proposed and then framing reasonable questions as a follow up? So what's with the screaming, booing, fighting and generally disruptive unproductive behavior being exhibited around the country? What's wrong with these people? Have they lost all sense of reason? OK, fine, they're angry but that does not justify their behavior. This whole thing is deteriorating into a huge mess. To a great extent we have gas bags like Palin, Limbaugh and the usual suspects at Fox 'News' purposely distorting the issues. But we also need to call on the democrats to get their acts together, get on the same page, and clearly explain things. Go to Obama's web site and ask your questions. Let's see if they can pull this off.

Can It Be True???

Rumors, rumors, rumors. Like what's happening with the national health care discussion, rumors can distort things completely. Take for example the rumor that Imus is about to sign a deal with Fox's Cable Business News station to broadcast live every morning thereby giving us an alternative to GMA & Today for early morning TV viewing. Finally, a reason to watch a Fox station-if it's true. Keep your fingers crossed!

Cover Your Ears! They're Baaaaack!

As that great American Conservative, Ronald (genuflect when you say that) Reagan, used to see 'there they go again!'. I'm speaking of Sarah Palin who called Obama's health plan 'evil' and Rush Limbaugh who suggested he was remaking Nazi Germany. What a bunch? The part that really gets me is that there are a significant number of morons out there who actually believe what they're saying. Just recently there appeared in our local paper a letter to the editor that among other things called Obama a raving socialist. The guy who wrote that letter has written many others and has even gone to far as to leave letters in people's mailboxes so he's clearly deranged, but still, they're out there so watch yourself. Stay calm and move on!

Renew NOW!

More than likely you get a few magazine subscriptions, right? Well I get quite a few. Some are ordinary subscriptions while others are journals put out by organizations I belong to. Over the past few years I've noticed an annoying trend. I'm constantly getting notices giving me dire warnings of lapsed subscriptions unless I renew IMMEDIATELY! Just yesterday I got one from National Geographic. Here's the thing: almost all of these are not due for renewal for at least 4 to 6 months from now. For example my Nat Geo subscription is up in December. I received it on August 4th. What gives? For me it adds a lot to my pile of junk mail because I get a bunch of stuff. Here's the list:

Newsweek
The Week
National Geographic
Consumer Reports
Car & Driver
Mac World
Here's what I get as a result of belonging to an organization:
AARP monthly magazine
National Audubon Society monthly magazine
National Wildlife Federation monthly magazine

Every single one of these sends me renewal notices several months in advance of the actual expiration date. I can understand getting one about a month before but with computer technology being what it is, why do I have to get them every single month for several months and toward the actual expiration date I get them weekly. I think it's that they're hurting for money so they're getting people on board as soon as possible so they can tell their advertisers that they have X number of subscribers. Oh well. More junk mail.

Happy Birthday, Pete

Thirty six years ago today, at 8:27 P.M., August 3, 1973, Peter James Stockwell made his way into the world. He is the first child and only son of George & Sandy Stockwell. Congratulations, Pete. You've had an interesting 36 years and the really good news is that the best years of your life are in front of you so enjoy the day. It's all down hill from here!

Early to Bed, Early to Rise...

What were you doing at 6 A.M. this morning? Most of you were probably still sleeping; or maybe if you're an early riser you were waiting for the coffee to finish brewing while perusing the paper. Whatever it was, I'm pretty sure you weren't doing what I was. I was laying on the living room couch being tended to by my doctor (5.5 yr old Brooke) and nurse (almost 3 Courtney). The doctor was checking my lungs for fluid for which she would ultimately give me a shot. The nurse was using a pair of toy plastic tweezers to pull splinters out of various parts of my body. You'll be happy to know I made a full recovery thanks to the skills of my medical team. I hope Obama's health plan doesn't interfere with my current plan. I don't know what I'd do without them!