War What Is It Good For

War What Is It Good For

In the song "War" by Edwin Starr he sings; "war.. what is it good for - absolutely nothing." Growing up in the Vietnam War era, I agreed with his lyrics. My best friend's brother came back from that war and was never the same. Also, so many young kids were killed in a war none of us understood why.

At that time John Fogerty wrote and sang a song called; "I saw it on TV." One part of the lyrics stated:

"But all too soon, we hit the moon
And covered up the sky

They built their bombs and aimed their guns
And still I don't know why
The dominoes tumbled
And big business roared

Every night at 6, they showed the pictures

And Counted Up The Score"

The only people who won that horrible war were the young people who protested enough that the powers to be finally got out. Today, the only remembrance of that war is the War Memorial in Washing DC. It's there, like the Holocaust Museum, so we never forget.

Has anything changed since that war - you bet it has. OH, we don't draft young people anymore (at least they learned that lesson), but we are still at war on many fronts. The difference is, this war is justified in the hearts of most Americans and those abroad.

This war is not fought like any wars before it. The Terrorists have figured out that they can negatively affect us without tanks and airplanes. They know they will lose if they combat us in the same manor previous wars were fought.

They enlist very poor weak minded young people and brainwash them to a point that these young people believe blowing themselves up will reward them in the afterlife. 

We all know the only way they win is by making us afraid. Not only do we get afraid, we get depressed. If that's happening to you - they've won. Sooo, what can we do about it?

One way to stop them is to convince them there is no God (Allah) and there is no afterlife. Well, how in the hell are we going to do that when the majority of us (not me) believe in God and Heaven. Oh ya, we also believe in Hell, but remember they believe what they are doing is because their God wants them to do it.

Now that we're in this "catch twenty two" the best way out is to make the best of the life we have left. Love each other. Be loved by each other. Don't look over your shoulder when traveling. Don't stop traveling. Don't just stay home and play it safe. Even on a bad day, appreciate the life you have. 

Lastly, Stop watching negative news (if we all did that the media would stop producing negative news). The Terrorists are counting on us watching these horrific events. It emboldens them to do more heinous crimes. 

Taking away their life is OK in my book, but it won't stop them. There are two many of them now and more to come. We have to find another way. Spending billions on education and enriching their lives with good jobs and good quality of life will do more than spending billions on blowing them up. Stopping their negative news propaganda will help more than blowing them up. 

It's just a suggestion, but if you think I'm nuts, I will ask you: "is the current way working? Do you feel any safer today that you did over ten years ago when Terrorists came on the scene?" There's an old saying; "if it ant broke, don't fix it." There is also another old saying:

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result"

It still comes down to Edwin Starr's words:

War What Is It Good For - Absolutely Nothing

What Is Life

What Is Life

Let's start with the dictionary definition of life:

1.

the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism,reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.

2.

the sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, especially metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment.

3.

the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual:

I'm not saying those definitions are bad, but is that all life is about? Do you see your life as the difference between breathing and not breathing? Do you see your life as an organism that can reproduce? Do you see your life as being in an animated existence? I sure as hell hope not.

Is being in an unhappy marriage or unhappy job or just being unhappy, LIFE? I don't believe so.

Is eating three meals a day and doing nothing productive, LIFE? Is being drunk or stoned all day, LIFE? Is letting the outside world have control over you, LIFE? Is being scared and depressed over the devastation that's going on around the world, LIFE?  No friggen way.

Life is all about what you make of it. 

Life is finding all the happiness that's available to you. Life is enjoying the ones you love and more important, the ones who love you. Life is being proud of your accomplishments. Life is leaving a positive image in the heart and mind of other people. Life is being able to appreciate LIFE. 

Life Is Loving Yourself

Quality Time Left

Quality Time Left

Those of you who are still running around like a chicken with its head cut off so you can make more money, push for that next promotion, getting that new expensive car to show off to your friends and family and working so hard that there is no time left for yourself - it's time to consider how much quality time you have left in your life.

Many of you would say: "I'm young enough to not have to worry about quality time." "I have to get to where I want to be before I consider quality time." "My spouse can take care of everything while I bust my butt making a great living for both of us." 

Well, guess what - shit happens. By the time you're ready for quality time, the family may have left you. By the time you're ready for quality time, you may be too old to enjoy it. By the time you're ready for quality time, you may not be in good enough health to live the good life.

I was one of those people. Giving up quality time cost me two marriages. Giving up quality time cost me a relationship with my two sons. Giving up quality time played a part in my mental and physical health.

It took me until later in life to realize how short life is and how important quality time is. I'm one of the lucky ones that, even though I had a job that paid me well, I decided the stress was not worth my quality time. I retired at sixty two. 

Now I'm seventy two and these last ten years have been the best years of my life. Although I believe I'm going to live until I'm ninety four, I'm smart enough to know that my life can end tomorrow. 

Sooo, no matter what age you are now, it's time to consider;

How Much Quality Time You Have Left In Your Life

Your Privacy

Your Privacy

I'm sure over ninety percent of people would say they care about their privacy. However, many would say they're not as concerned about their personal privacy. What I mean by personal privacy is they don't care who knows about who they married, who they date, who their friends are, what they eat or drink, how fat or thin they are, etc., etc., etc.

The reason people are not as concerned about their personal privacy is because many of us believe we are not doing anything wrong. "I'm not doing anything wrong or illegal so why do I care if someone knows about me."

On the other hand, almost all of us care about someone getting your Social Security Number, someone being able to charge things on your credit card, someone knowing which political party I support, what websites I look at, etc., etc., etc.

The interesting thing is that too many of us don't do the basic things to protect the things we most care about. If you use a computer connected to a network you are exposed. Therefore, too many of us don't have a computer firewall, a major virus scanner (that is updated by the minute), are still using an older computer operating system from Microsoft or Apple or making sure they have the latest operating system updates to your Microsoft or Apple computers.

Too many of us have our Social Security Card in our wallet. If you don't know, your Social Security Card has your Social Security Number on the front of the card - shame on the people that run the Social Security Agency.

Then there is the Federal Government. The Federal Government asked and then insisted that Microsoft, Apple, Google (Android) give them a way to hack their operating systems so they could look out for Terrorists.   All of those companies refused and said they would take the Federal Government to court if they tried to force them.

In case you're not aware, this latest Global Cyber Security attack was caused because the National Security Agency (NSA) created a "back door" into the Microsoft Windows operating system so they could spy on us. They never told Microsoft that they were able to create this "back door" because Microsoft had a hole in their system.

Some of you might say: "why not let the Federal Government have access to these operating systems so they could catch Terrorists. "They're only looking for bad people not good people like us."

WELL, guess what happened? Someone in the Government leaked the "back door" to bad people who used this "back door" to steal information and make computers inoperable so they could blackmail companies, hospitals and us to make us pay to remove their "back door" software.

I love the United States of America and I want to believe the Federal Government's heart is in the right place - they are trying to protect us and make us safe. However, shit happens and we have to protect ourselves.

Sooo, please put your Social Security Card in a safe place (not your wallet), get the latest version of your computer's operating system, make sure that system is up to date, make sure your computer's firewall is turned on, get the most popular virus software and make sure that virus software is updated all day long.

Your Privacy Is Important. Not Protecting Yourself Can Ruin Your Happiness

Romancing The Stone

Romancing The Stone

"Diamonds Are Forever." Where the hell did that come from? Who said you can't propose marriage without giving your spouse a diamond ring. For people who don't have a lot of money, that tiny little diamond ring will cost at least one thousand dollars. For people with means, that ring will cost five to twenty five thousand dollars or more.

Meanwhile the other spouse gets a gold or silver band that costs a few hundred bucks - What's Up With That?

Sooo, I researched what started this craze.

Although the ancient Egyptians are sometimes credited with having invented the engagement ring,^[1] and the ancient Greeks with having adopted the tradition,^[2] the history of the engagement ring can only be reliably traced as far back as ancient Rome.^[3][4][5]

In many countries, engagement rings are placed on the ring finger of the left hand. At one time it was believed that this finger contained a vein (the vena amoris) that led to the heart. This idea was popularized by Henry Swinburne in A treatise of Spousals, or Matrimonial Contracts (1686).^[6] The story seems to have its origin in the ancient Roman book Attic Nights by Aulus Gellius quoting Apion's Aegyptiacorum, where the alleged vein was originally a nervus (a word that can be translated either as "nerve" or "sinew").^[7]

In the United States, the popularity of diamond engagement rings declined after World War I, even more so after the onset of the Great Depression.^[26]

In 1938, the diamond cartel De Beers began a marketing campaign that would have a major impact on engagement rings. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the price of diamonds collapsed.^[27] At the same time, market research indicated that engagement rings were going out of style with the younger generation. While the first phase of the marketing campaign consisted of market research, the advertising phase began in 1939. One of the first elements of this campaign was to educate the public about the 4 Cs (cut, carats, color, and clarity). In 1947 the slogan "a diamond is forever" was introduced.^[28] 

Ultimately, the De Beers campaign sought to persuade the consumer that an engagement ring is indispensable, and that a diamond is the only acceptable stone for an engagement ring.

As I expected, this tradition happened in America out of the freedom to make as much money as you can and excellent marketing. That's right, we are all spending too much money because of marketing. If you don't give a diamond ring you're either cheap, a bum, an asshole or you really don't love me that much to marry me.

Now you have to give diamonds just to show you care about someone. You don't even have to be getting engaged. Giant stores like Zales markets you to death and tries to make you feel bad if you don't give some sort of diamond on birthdays, mother's day, Christmas or Hanuka. 

In my first marriage, I did the traditional thing. I gave her a diamond ring that was more money than I could afford because she had to compete with her girlfriends who's boyfriends had more money than me. My second wife didn't like jewelry (she rather buy condos) so neither one of us got a ring. 

My current love of my life had diamonds her mother left her and she made a diamond ring out of those diamonds (I loved that idea). Meanwhile, I never liked anything on my fingers so I didn't buy anything.  

Sooo, what's this blog all about? It's about never do something because some master of marketing says you need to do it. It's about never buy something for someone so they can show off to others. It's about never buy something for someone so you can look like a great person. It's about showing your love for someone all the time not just when you buy them something.

Diamonds do last forever, but they have nothing to do with friendship or love. 

True Romance Is what We All Want - With Or Without The Stone

How Do You Divorce A Friend

How Do You Divorce A Friend 

Sometime in your life you will have a friend that stops acting like a friend. Many times you're clueless as to why this friend is acting this way. Some of us think we must have done something wrong. Some of us just write it off feeling the friend has become an asshole.

In all cases the reasons why the friendship has ended is complicated. There just aren't one or two reasons. Here are just a few reasons:

* I said something wrong and I refused to apologize.

* He or she said something wrong and refused to apologize.

* My friend is handing out with a different crowd and I just don't fit in.

* My economic position and their economic position have caused us to not see each other anymore.

* Politics has come between us. 

* They did or said something that broke the trust I had.

* Divorce

* I guess he or she was never a real friend in the first place.

* Shit happens.


As I said the reasons are complicated, but the end result is the same - you lost a friend. Usually when that happens the two parties don't speak to each other anymore. However, sometimes the friend is doing something that is so unacceptable you have to divorce that person. Below are a few ways to go about it.

* Send a text or email that says F..k you, you F..king asshole. I don't recommend this approach because it shows how angry you are and you should never let them see you sweat.

* Look at them in the face and tell them exactly why you are divorcing them. I like that approach best, but you have to be prepared for them to lash back at you.

* Just text or email them saying: "I'm divorcing you." That leaves the question of "why" and might get them to ask "why." If you do decide to reply to their "why" I suggest you say to them: "if you have to ask "why" that's the reason I'm divorcing you."

* Just ignore them. Don't return their calls, texts or emails. It might take a while, but, they will eventually get the message. 

* Tell them you are divorcing them because it's best for both of us. In my opinion, that's bullshit and you know it.


I hope you never lose a friend, but trust me, in time, it will happen to all of us. I hope you never have to divorce a friend, but it's better than 

Staying In A Friendship You Know Is Not Making You Happy