Medicare is a scam. The people who designed and perpetuated it would be serving more jail time than Bernie Madoff if they pulled a fraud like it in the private sector. As it is for the victims Madoff swindled, so it is for we who’ve been swindled by Washington: The money is gone. We can make provisions for the needy elderly who are about to hit eligibility and have relied on Medicare in their assumptions. But the party is over — and the sooner we grasp that, the fewer victims there will be.
Preserving a scam in the vain hope of making it less offensive may be well-meaning, but it’s not right, and it’s not courageous.
The man, who was trying to protect his garden, took a shovel to some raccoons, specifically a baby forest bandit. The critter was injured, but don’t worry it’s getting the finest healthcare Canada can afford. Of course, I’m a sucker for animals so I wouldn’t do this. But I also wouldn’t press criminal charges against a raccoon-killer either. I understand the animal cruelty charge against Dong Nguyen, even if I think it’s silly. But the Canadian authorities are also charging him with “possessing a dangerous weapon.” A shovel. A garden shovel. Apparently that counts as a dangerous weapon.
Here’s something to think about. If Mr. Nguyen had a gun, he could kill raccoons far less cruelly than employing multiple swats with a shovel. But no. Instead, he uses a shovel and that is now a dangerous weapon. If we criminalize shovels, only criminals will have them.
Television reflects those who create it and transforms everybody else." That's a very frightening 10 words about the future of our culture.
via patriotpost.us
Please click above and read the whole article. Must-read.
The McMillans were inspired to create the website after attempting to return home to Scotland with as little environmental impact as possible following 18 months abroad. They managed to get all the way from Singapore without taking to the sky; a journey across 14 countries that took 85 days, using 22 buses, 14 trains, 11 boats and numerous tuk tuks (rickshaws).
via dailygood.org
The absolute stupidity of this story defies belief. As does the proposal to tax more as a supposed ethical approach for the sake of green. And how great was their carbon footprint over those 85 days in all those buses, trains, boats, and rickshaws (people produce pollution, too)? This utopian view may be good for some elite or retired couple who have time on their hands and nothing better to do than enjoy the scenery.
via g1.globo.com
And he was famous, performing in the Barretos rodeo. Supposedly had the largest horns in Brazil.
Emotions are, by nature, volatile and undependable. He who lives by emotions is unstable and incapable of relating properly to others or contributing responsibly to society. Life according to emotion is immaturity, an ever-changing, selfish sea, now calm, now turbulent, now raging.
Catch the rest at the link above.
Processing your inbox is your work. It's not something extra you have to do, or some distraction that doesn't belong in your life...unless of course you feel the same way about your physical mailbox. Like it or not, dealing with all your email is as much a part of your work (and required to do your job as well as you can) as keeping lists, clearing your head, or doing regular reviews. Yet consistently, we come across a resistance people have to driving their inboxes down to zero on a regular basis—as if that's a luxury reserved for those who don't get much input or don't have anything better to do. It's a critical component for keeping you in a clear, current and creative space to work and play at your best.
via davidco.com
Joe Parker met a fellow two months ago in Hawaii. Joe didn't know this man or his family when he offered to take their photograph. By the end of the day they knew they were closely connected, for they share a very significant ancestor in common.
Joe had moved to Hawaii a year ago seeking a change for the better in his life. Rick Hill, the "stranger", was on vacation with his wife and two children. Upon learning that Rick was vacationing from Massachusetts (where Joe was from), they began discussing people they might know in common. "Do you know Dickie Halligan?" Joe asked. When Rick said, "That's my father," Joe was stunned, for that was his father, too (Halligan died in 2002).
Do not tell a man of God that he cannot do what God has told him to do. Have you been guilty of that? On the other hand, have you been like David, doing fearlessly what God told you to do?
via forthright.net
Years ago, I overheard two of my students engaging in a spirited game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors." One of the students, deciding that these traditional implements were outdated, blitzkrieged his opponent with, "Rock, paper, scissors, BOMB!" There was some discussion over whether or not this innovation was legal, and it seemed that the second student was mulling over his options. When play resumed, this little lad, with a gleam in his eye, delivered the decisive blow: "Rock, paper, scissors...GOD!"
via galwaychurch.ie