Editorial Musings from the Heart(land)

Human trafficking is characterized by the use of force, fraud or coercion to lure their victims into some type of labor or commercial sex act. Not all of these above factors may be present in every situation. Human trafficking is a crime which is seldom reported due to language barriers, fear of traffickers and possibly fear of law enforcement itself. Craigslist, to their credit ... removed the "Personals" section within their online service in March of 2018 due to Federal legislative decree stiffening penalties associated with sex trafficking. It was the right move legally, ethically and morally. Sex trafficking is a subset of the larger issue known as "Human Trafficking." It is not an unreasonable stretch of logic to equate sex trafficking with the trafficking of labor, e.g. illegals being brought into the U.S. for the purpose of working in American businesses. A good number of American businesses are INDEED guilty of said labor trafficking. No place is

This current batch of political leaders are most disingenuous ... thus, disgracing their elevated leadership status. Perhaps, referring to them as such is a little strong .... nevertheless, it may NOT be too far off the mark. If any of our elected leaders truly cared about a solution to the immigration problem, then at this very moment we would be talking about workable solutions instead of blaming each other for the lack thereof. The images we are being presented with regarding detention of children are simply put forth to elicit emotional outbursts as opposed to serving as a basis for generating solutions to the overall problem of illegal immigration and border security. Once again, the defenseless  (in this case the most helpless of all ... children) are getting hurt and are no more than political pawns. Hey!!! Washington ... these defenseless folks have families, breath, blood and emotions. Management types in business, will tell the minions ... that if we are not part of

Pretty scary stuff ..... and I'm also a little shocked by the rousing applause to go along with it. The icing on the cake came with a comment by the playwright, "Tony Kushner" (backstage supporting and listening to Mr. De Niro) denouncing the Trump presidency by referring to it as "the Hitler mistake." Normally, the safest course of action when threatening behavior rears its ugly head is to move as far away as one can possibly get. At times it has been necessary for me to run in the opposite direction when faced with .... 1. Individuals in a state of rage (angry). 2. Those that exhibit racial hatred and/or hatred of any kind. 3. Unsavory locker room talk, and .... 4. Physical violence. In a free society, Mr De Niro has the right to express himself politically as he wishes. Perhaps that is the underlying message regarding the standing "O" ... not necessarily standing to support his opinion, but his right to have one and openly express it. LOL

I am not altogether displeased with the way President Trump handled himself during this weekend's Economic Summit in Quebec, Canada. And on top of all that, I am impressed with the ongoing Twitter dialogue (if that is what one would call it) with the Canadian Prime Minister, Trudeau. Due to the way in which the opposition here in the United States treats the President, it's not too much of a surprise that the rest of the world thinks they can do the same. The members of the G7 are also politicians playing to their home crowd and they shouldn't expect the US to be any different in protecting the best interests of our country. President Trump  being the street fighter (from, New York) that he is certainly never misses the opportunity to respond in kind. As to tariffs .... it would seem each country has their own set of tariffs to protect their industries. Screaming out loud in economic pain over our need to do the same is disingenuous at best. I am intrigued by the po

join me as I walk down fantasy lane .... Donald and Kim .... back to back .... each armed with their agreed upon single shot weapons .... They start ... Step 1, Step 2 .... Step 15 & they both turn ... a visible flash, a powerful and loud shock wave .... the winner still standing ... takes all. end of walk .... World leaders who have a beef with each other and of course on behalf of their respective countries .... simply should consider duking it out between themselves ... therefore excluding us little people from being sent to die for only God knows what. Subsequent to a Congress and President declaring war ... These leaders themselves should head out to the battlefield instead of sending young people with so much life ahead of them into harm's way. The fantasy above crosses my mind as I play with the possibility of something similar happening in Singapore, just a few short days from now ... It seems possible (not probable) that one of the two world leaders might decid

Friends and loved ones are asking themselves .... How could this have happened to this wonderfully gifted individual? What did we do wrong and how did we miss the signs of her pending suicide? Is there something we did that triggered such an outcome??? Her loved ones are saying ..... We loved her so deeply and cared for her at every turn.  We helped her when she needed help.  We covered for her when she was unable to cover for herself.  We heard her pleas for help and assisted by escorting her to therapy. We helped her keep track of the medications she was prescribed.  And ... we watched her at every turn, looking for signs that she might be at risk and do something like this. If she even hinted at such an occurrence ... we watched even closer.  Any variation in her behavior immediately set off alarms which caused us to attend to her that much more closely ..... We made every effort to let her know we needed her and the deepness of our love for her.  We emphasized just how importan

Monsanto, the company made famous by its development of DDT and Agent Orange is now going to get bigger and more invasive with a Bayer buyout. The US and the EU have given their blessings, consequently the two companies will end up in wedded bliss on June 7, 2018. At which time, the Monsanto brand will vanish. Both of these companies are global giants in the agricultural business.  Monsanto (as well as Bayer) use and develop genetically modified organisms (GMO) in order to enhance the production of our raw food supplies. Monsanto, specifically ...  is responsible for developing genetically modified soybeans which are resistant to a well known herbicide called "Roundup" (developed by Monsanto). Thus, production farmers can use the herbicide on their soybean crops (a huge US crop) increasing yields without damaging the soybean. The kicker is that these genetically modified seeds are now patented products, owned by Monsanto who aggressively protects its patent restricting

I recognize the need for American trade policy (and overall foreign policy for that matter) to be consistent from one Presidential administration to another. It seems unwise for there to be a radical change every few years subject to an election outcome. BUT ... it also seems to be fundamentally absurd  continuing forth with any trade policy which is detrimental to the American worker and our national security simply because of the perceived need for policy consistency. Based upon what I am reading and viewing in the press, It is not surprising to me to witness the "gnashing of the teeth" and screams of "bloody murder" as a result of the President raising tariff barriers on steel and aluminum imports. Sure ...  it is going to upset a good number of people, worldwide. The upset ones are most likely the ones who are benefiting from the current state of affairs. They of course will most certainly seek to penalize us (the American consumer) in order to vividly illus

Racial Prejudice ... is alive & well. Unfortunately ... a significant portion our educational effort focusing on the elimination of the US's racial divide appears to be falling short of its goal. It's a little hard to stomach comments made by rather visible television personalities who most certainly express their hatred of those who are different based upon skin color, etc. These visible personalities have scored big in life's financial lottery, yet they offer nothing more to society in the form of behavior that uplifts us. They in fact tear us down and bury us deeper into the morass of hatred and shame. I am thankful for the fact that ABC canceled Roseanne Barr's show. By doing so, the network is vividly telling the citizens of our country, this kind of behavior and thought is not acceptable. They are telling us that personalities expressing themselves this way are NOT any longer to be tolerated. Reprisals will be swift, clear and permanent. Even in my s

Frankly, I am amazed that the US government and the government of North Korea are even talking about “talking” at all. The 180 degree “turn about” exhibited by the North Korean leader in conjunction with and subsequent to the 2018 Olympics is truly magical. So magical in fact that it borders on being unbelievable and disingenuous at best. The more our President beats his chest, the more the North Korean leader does the same. It would appear that they are two of a kind. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have to assume they both were a little like the drama queens I encounter everyday in the elementary school environment … both seeking exposure and attention when the f e rv o r concerning whatever they are doing dies down a little. Perhaps this kind of concern regarding the drama is more telling about me as opposed to the reality of the situation at hand OR, it IS exactly what it is … “Unreal” All of us (including me) really do not want a nuclear conflict betw

Keep your eyes open and report any non-acceptable behavior and attire. Any company that encourages, supports and designs a workplace culture of snitching will not work. A company I work with, now monitors its vehicles with GPS devices (vehicle behavior is watched) and there is even talk of installing cameras so they can watch everything you do in the vehicle on demand. It is obviously clear all this technology is not enough for this company. They are now paying people within the company to snitch on their peers. They are calling them "Team Captains", but make no bones about it ... they are snitches. They are ready and willing (for a little money of course) to rat their fellow employees out if they do not adhere to an artificially imposed company standard. They use the term, "Team" in discussing this structure ... but in reality this has nothing to do with teamwork and everything to do with control, power and suppression. Trust is extremely important with

Every single thing on  Facebook is there because you put it there. In light of all the revelations that are coming forth about our data/information NOT being private and secure on the net??? ... You actually considered for a moment that what you have posted on Facebook would remain private? Even if some scurrilous data company did not gain access to your so-called private information, do you think that Facebook would not have used it for their corporate gain??? We do everything on the net. We bank, we file our tax returns, we review our medical information and we supply info related to our income, etc. ALL on the net. Each one of these entities that request and require our private info vigorously con us into believing it's OK and secure. After conversing with a IT security person for a very large corporation, he made the following extremely clear. Subsequent to the data breach of "Equifax", everybody's private information is now out in the open. NOBODY's

No need to subscribe to cable TV. Track the news via the net and nonstop entertainment, abounds!!! I just happened to be given a sneak peak of the upcoming season .... Stormy Daniels' Storm (a delicious weather forecast) Sex Cults & Arianna Huffington (religious freedom) The Rocket Man Summit (a musical) Trump Dossier (sex, lies & video) and, finally .... Facebook Privacy (a comedy) Don't miss out on the new season!!!

Several months ago, when we were all talking about people from a list of banned countries who would not be able to travel to the United States, I had a conversation with a friend from one of those countries .... He told me that "only the little people in these countries (like you and I) would be harmed. It's the governments of these countries that are bad ... NOT the common everyday citizen." He is right, of course. How many of you out there have any say so over what the United States' government says and does?? Unless you are an important elected official, the answer to that question is probably none. All of us simply live from day to day facing the same struggles and must cope with the higher ups. We (humanity) are all cut from the same piece of cloth. Not many (if any) differences separate us from one another. Perhaps we might not want to judge and criticize one another so harshly. I came across this quote and wanted to share it with you ..... We rea

I thought perhaps it might be helpful to review our past in order to give us some perspective as to how to handle the illegal immigrants in our country at the moment. After reading a little literature in a class I was teaching, the subject of the Transcontinental Railroad popped out at me. This incredible feat, was accomplished largely by the help of Chinese immigrants. Without their help it may never have been done so quickly or so profoundly. The railroads building the line were elated at the effectiveness and proficiency of the Chinese workers, plus they were VERY HAPPY with the amounts the workers were being paid in order to do the job. Let me mention here that there is an amazing parallel between then (Chinese workers) and now (Latino Workers). Some of the very reasons the US imported the Chinese are the same reasons that current American companies encouraged the use of Latino workers. There are some differences, yet the parallel between the two is significant. The Chine

Our government is broke .... the political parties that control government cannot agree on anything regarding immigrants in this country, illegally. The current President's position is as follows: Wants funding for a wall on the southern border of the U.S. Wants to end the visa lottery program. Wants to curb visas issued to families of legal immigrants. The President really doesn't want to extend Dreamers and may have the power to suspend it on MAR 5 2018. (The President's possible ace in the hole) All of which (as they say) is to address security/terrorism concerns on behalf of the United States. The opposing party wants an extension (or permanent implementation) of the program entitled "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA - Dreamers)". Plus they too are concerned about security. Nevertheless, they do NOT want to give in on the points above. The President will give the opposing party what they want if the President gets what he wants. As

.@tedcruz: "If Republican majorities in Congress pass citizenship for millions of people, an amnesty, I think it is quite likely we will lose both houses of Congress and Speaker @NancyPelosi will impeach President @realDonaldTrump." pic.twitter.com/DO0K7y1vXO https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/964132728647110657 Who do YOU think you are? Your right to the American dream is simply luck and not even remotely earned. Be a statesman as opposed to a power monger, if it means the above ... So be it Mr Cruz, it's the right thing to do.

Spending some time looking into the history of our country, it occurred to me that we as a people (Americans) have NOT really been very nice to a good number of folks. It goes beyond not being very nice ... it's actually cruel and unjust. Here is a partial list of historical low lights ... Native Americans:  e.g. Trail of Tears, plus African Americans: slavery and everything associated with it Japanese Americans, WWII incarceration Latino Americans: The current victimization of their status and use in American business Gender Based Issues: Women, gays etc. The presidents associated with each of the above eras pretty much reflected the people of the time. Lingering problems remain with us as a result of all of the inhumane acts perpetrated by each one of the above generations. It's probably about time that Americans get off their high horses and get on the reality train.

I was pleased to see a picture of the President of South Korea shake hands with the sister of the leader of North Korea, TODAY. Based upon facial expressions, the greeting between the two appeared to be genuine and heartfelt. The 2018 Olympic event serves as a backdrop to this exchange. The two Korea's have come together to participate in this peaceful world activity. We all know just how misleading pictures can be. As of late, there have been pictures of just how wonderful life in North Korea is. NBC did a piece about a new North Korean sky resort that most labeled as being somewhat staged. And of course we have ALL seen pictures of President Trump and former President Obama shaking hands and laughing it up during the exchange of power transition last year LOL. Most, based upon the events of the preceding year would have to assume it TOO was STAGED. But the point I want to make here, is that in spite of how dire the circumstances may be ... people can come together if they w

Harley Davidson (Kansas City) announced that they are going to close their manufacturing plant sometime in 2019. I think they described it as bringing into alignment their manufacturing capacity with the harsh reality of a shrinking demand for their product. The plant costing millions of dollars to build was put into play around 1998. So we are looking at a plant that has been in Kansas City only 20 years. Plus, when they threatened to shut down the plant a few years ago, the State of Missouri and employees came up to the plate again to provide them what they needed to stay. I recall a significant investment by another GIANT corporation not too long ago in Kansas City. Interestingly enough, they secured some nice funding breaks from the city and state assisting in its construction. Millions of dollars were spent to build the facility. The local chamber participated in the ribbon cutting joyfully singing the corporations' theme song and basking in the belief that the states'

Sexual assault and harassment,  especially in the workplace has fortunately gained a higher degree of visibility by the media and others. A good number of the victims have simply kept quiet regarding this hideous behavior by those in powerful and highly visible positions. We have all seen the headlines and the associated consequences faced by those guilty. We, as a society should be thankful to those who were not afraid to overcome the barrier of secrecy. One motivating factor for this secrecy all these years regarding the crimes in question is that it could have a detrimental impact upon a person's career and livelihood by vocalizing such accusations. Especially, if the  person perpetrating the crime was still in power and could directly retaliate against the accuser. Certainly this would be true if you still worked in the same industry or for the same company. My hope as I have watched all this come to light was that the perpetrators of these crimes would be punished and th

EVERYONE's feeling pretty intense about their preferences regarding governmental policy and law these days. One of the hot button issues right now, is immigration (of course, there are others). Based upon that which I hear and read, NO ONE is leaving much room for compromise. We are experiencing gridlock within the legislative process and are having a hard time moving ahead. For example, some folks want a wall on the southern border, others do not ... Some want "Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA)" to be extended, others do not. Certainly there is within these two matters room for compromise. If the mighty Oak Tree did not bend just a little, it would simply break, collapse and then die. The only way a diverse system such as ours works is if we all agree to compromise, somewhat ... ya know? ... NO ONE gets everything they want, but everyone gets a little of what they want. It is the only way it is going to work. Extremism will not work. It will only

Lots of time is spent debating and arguing over what the United States ought to be. Political campaigns provide us with hours and hours of entertainment as they go at each other, being fueled by these debates and arguments. The debate/argument as to whether the Federal Government is too big or not big enough, I will just leave that issue alone. Nevertheless, I would like for you to consider the role that BIG government plays in my life: Health insurance (which I  need) is too expensive thus requiring the federal government to be involved. The safety of my medications is watched over by the federal government. My current career is heavily regulated by federal guidelines and without them all kinds of mayhem would ensue. I interact daily with those (with gender issues) who need protection by the federal government. Not a day goes by that I don't encounter the marijuana issue (federal, state and local). Racial discrimination laws as put forth by the federal government help ma

I have spent the last week or so being around young school age children in our local school district. Ages ranging from Prep-K up to early high school. I have to admit it's fascinating to watch how the system works in order to make these young people comply with acceptable behavior. For example ...  be quiet when they want to talk, sit still when they want to dance, study when they want to play, stand in line when they wish to wander and the biggie to say that which is acceptable to say as opposed to speaking honestly about what's in their hearts and minds. As somewhat of an outsider, I watched the enforcers take action against those who failed to comply. Amazingly enough, the students did exactly what they were told to do. BUT ...... As soon as the enforcer was gone, they became who they are ... KIDS!!! You got to love them!!!

"Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in  1619 , to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco ." (Black by Popular Demand, RC Elis, section 5) In current times ..... "Both the run-up to the peak and the drop-off in immigration coincide with a variety of conditions known to influence such flows, most notably the performance of the U.S. economy. Immigration grew sharply during the rapid economic and job expansion of the 1990s and then declined as the economy went into a downturn after 2001." (from the Pew Research Center Hispanic Trends, in an article entitled "Rise, Peak and Decline: Trends in U.S. Immigration 1992 - 2004, by Jeffrey S Passel and Roberto Suro) Companies needed the extra workers.  They were invited, forced and enticed to come. The rapid expansion of the housing market could not have occurred, if we as a country had not made it possible for Lat

A trait that is incredibly significant. When someone hurts a member of your family, loyalty would dictate that (after taking care of the offense), you will never EVER have anything more to do with them ... out of loyalty. Corporate America exists today, because the US set forth an environment that has made it possible for your corporation to exist in peace and stability. Plus, we the American consumer have purchased your product making you wealthy beyond compare. Corporations owe the US for all of this. It's LOYALTY. Loyalty in my book of values, means these corporations should be reflecting firm and constant support for our country. It means you don't undercut the American worker, it means you don't aide and abet the enemy, it means you do not ruin our environment and it means you pay your fair share of taxes (out of your profits, not collect it from the little person). In the light of all of the above, it hardly seems to much to ask of you stockholders (Corpor

Anything I have to say about corporate behavior really should bypass management and go directly to those who own the corporations. I've heard it time and time again. When management of these corporations get called under the carpet for irresponsible profit oriented behavior, they simply fall back upon the excuse "that it is what the owners want and it's not managements' fault." They are simply doing the bidding of stockholders. I don't buy that excuse, entirely. I suppose it really relates to what kind of questions they are being asked. OK,  stockholders ... it is about time you get your stuff together and start taking responsibility for your actions. Maybe you don't know what the company you own is doing. Maybe you do not even know that you have ownership in particular corporation. Those 401(k)'s you've been forced to set aside funds in, DO invest in corporate stock, get the picture??? Don't you think it is about time you figured

Class warfare is brewing regarding the Medicaid program. Our current President has now given the states the power to force recipients to work for this health benefit. In case you do not know this, Medicaid is the largest funding source for medical and health related services on behalf of low-income citizens in the United States. It is a jointly managed and funded "means-tested" program involving the federal government and states. As a lower middle-class worker , you are acutely aware of just how EXPENSIVE health care related insurance has become. Not only is it exorbitantly expensive for the individual employee of any company .... it is insultingly out of reach for an employee's family. It doesn't take a giant leap in logic to understand why it is a program we NEED as a country to help the low income sector. I think we still believe as a county that it is in our nation's best interests to care for those who need help with health services. Don't we???

In a world where so many things are nonsensical, it's wonderful to experience the thrill of going to the thrift store. One can get just about anything needed at low, low (I mean LOW) bargain basement prices!!!!! A thrift store makes PERFECT SENSE. Being a rebel at heart and getting an opportunity to stick it to the man (the man, being large corporate stores) really sits well with me LOL. I mean, think about it .... these corporate entities do not want to pay us what we are really worth and on top of all that, they are pushing pay downwards. WOW, suggesting that minimum wage be raised is like the song suggests ... "spitting in the wind". Well, here YOU go ... worker replacement with robots corporate folks. We the people and our little wad of cash, go a thrift store shopping and beat the system!!! Nothing is more easily procured than clothing at the many thrift stores around. My wife (a shrewd shopper) can find all the major labels folks who like clothes desire

Years ago, I recall my father watching the local evening news and making the following comment: "Must be a Slow News Day". He would then lose interest in what was being presented as news, then simply wait for the weather forecast which came around 20 minutes after the newscast began. Those non news "news" items per the broadcast most often centered around something like this. "How to properly groom your pet" etc. *smile* Now we have the President of the United States allegedly uttering a "vulgar slur" (a number of news outlets were much more explicit) regarding certain countries and their immigrants. Almost every single news feed, local or otherwise featured a story regarding the slur. Not just a mention, but prominently displayed for immediate reading. I might add, very little was mentioned about the effort on the part of the President (and the Democrats) in this meeting to work on a bipartisan immigration agreement, BUT ... the media si

It's time to officially (on all levels) legalize marijuana. One of the reasons, it's time is that quite a few States NOW have it legalized in one form or another. Thus making it apparent that the people of the United States are ready for this to take place. An example of how marijuana legalization is sweeping the country, just take a look at recent actions taken by Kansas City, MO (my home town). An ordinance was passed that drastically reduces the fine for possession of a low amount of marijuana. The fine was reduced from $500 to $25, plus there is a relaxation of enforcement to this effect. Kansas City is pretty conservative and part of the Bible Belt thus making an action like this pretty significant. An odd conflict is brewing between the Feds and the States.  It is getting more serious with each passing day. Up to this point, the Feds are still saying it's illegal while the States are rushing to liberalize marijuana policy. It's a train wreck soon to occur. W

I get it. You do not care for the President of the United States. The beauty of the American experience is that THIS OPINION is OK. You have every right to express your thoughts in this regard and of course work for another outcome the next time around. Thankfully,  we are living in a country that guarantees the freedom of expression. Most of the time we do not have to be fearful of expressing our thoughts about any election outcome.  However defective (or not) the American Presidential election system is, it is the same system that has been used for quit a few years now. The system produced our current results. We, the American people voted in a new President. It does not take a rocket scientist to surmise that the current President is extremely hated by a good number of very vocal folks. I do not want to debate just how powerful the office of the President truly is. But however powerful that office is, it is fairly clear that there is a concerted effort to block the President f

The United States has been a predictable, fervent and committed supporter of South Korea since the conclusion of World War II. The US's foreign policy has been to prevent the freely elected government of South Korea from being destroyed by North Korea and to protect the South Korean people from the dictatorial leadership style of the North. The South Koreans up to this point, have wanted us there. Nevertheless, they do not want any conflict that will destroy their way of life and land (a.k.a. Nuclear War). They cringe whenever there is talk of such an occurrence. Because of a close relationship with South Korea, the US has been able to maintain a rather significant military presence in that part of the world. Not only has a strong military presence thwarted efforts by the North Koreans to destabilize the relationship between the two, but it has also allowed the US to be visible in that region protecting our national interests. Once again, the Koreans DO want their country uni

Why are we so deeply involved in Korea? This was my original question. Considering the talk of nuclear war, I think we ought to know why we are even there. Moving forth from my last blog entry, the Russians (referred to as the Soviet Union during the WWII era) realizing Japan was to lose, rushed right in and occupied the northern portion of Korea while the U.S. established control over the southern portion. I will give you one guess as to who provided the North Koreans the knowledge necessary to develop their nuclear capability. This unofficial division of Korea (North and South) took place after the surrender of Japan. As we had previously mentioned, Japan occupied Korea up until the war and lost control over it in conjunction with suing for peace with the Allies. Japan leaving Korea left a huge vacuum of power within Korea which the Allies (under Roosevelt, Churchill, Chiang Kai-shek and Stalin) attempted to resolve unsuccessfully. A trusteeship was established to look

With all the intense talk emanating from the mainstream media about North Korea and the pathway to war, I began to ask myself why is the United States so deep in it all?? My initial thoughts were and may still be the same ... "Why not just get out of there and let the Koreans work it out on their own?" Of course, things are not always as simple as they may seem at first blush. Therefore, I have spent a little time looking deeper into the situation at hand. Armed with a little more knowledge about it all, I thought I would share a it with you. It's important for us to understand the geographical issues at play here .... You can see from the "Google Maps" clipping above; China (West), Russia (Northeast) and Japan (East) are all a part of the picture and issues. I liken it to the United States' interest in what occurs in the countries that border us. Korea's history involves all of the above countries (and others) thus explaining why each one i

Homicide in Kansas City, KS at 10th and Ivandale. Eighteen year old boy killed a Seventeen year old boy in Independence, MO. (Multiply the above many many many times across the country) The drum beats of war are sounding out of Washington, D.C and North Korea. China is preparing its troops for Winter war. Refugees are streaming out of the countries that are saturated with local violence. These are just the headlines I looked at this morning. I have just one question ... "Do WE even CARE about Human Life any more???"

I DO NOT want a nuclear conflict to develop between the North Koreans & the United States. In fact, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES ... a nuclear conflict should be avoided at all costs. It's pretty much unsettling to listen to the leaders of these two countries casually talk about pushing buttons. Of course, it is much more complicated than pushing buttons. Nevertheless, joking about it is somewhat of an insult and most distasteful, plus incredibly disrespectful to those of us who will have to pay the ultimate costs. The most likely victims of such a conflict will be innocent folks who really have nothing to say about it. As in all conflicts, the ones who die are the little people. Chances are high, that some sort of survival strategies are in place for the elite leaders of our countries. These leaders decide how many people will die for whatever they think is important. AND, if the loss of human life is not despicable enough ... consider the long term negative impact upon  th

A lot is going on in our lives. I mean, like bills to pay and all kinds of activities capture our attention ... day after day. Our careers are important. Right??? We actually spend more time thinking, worrying and stressed out about our jobs than we do anything else. Why??? ... because the career and job supports all the bills and of course all the cool things we do. On any given day, more time is spent at and on work than anywhere else, Nevertheless and in spite of everything, NOTHING is more important than the children who are a part of our lives each day. Our children and grandchildren depend upon us for things that are important. Sometimes, it's financial. Many times it is for love, companionship and validation of their existence. This validation confirms they are important and you actually want them in your life. An ongoing exchange of love and time spent together is huge. The unfortunate thing is that if we ignore their needs, then the detrimental impact upon their li