I Loves My Crocs™

Some call them "doctor shoes" or "nurse shoes." Some call them "stupid shoes" or "ugly shoes." I don't care what others think about them, they're the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. I'm referring to my Crocs™. 

When my wife brought her first pair home, I was a Croc mocker, too. I choose to live and let live about that kind of thing, though, so I didn't pay much attention to them. Until one day I happened to put them on.

I needed to take one of my boys someplace and we were in a hurry. I was just planning to do a "drive by" drop off and head home. I slipped on a pair of Crocs and headed out the door. During the short time I was in the car and walking back and forth from the parking lot I was hooked.

They don't seem like they'd be good for your feet, but I have found they certainly are for me. I have heel spurs which often give me grief while wearing regular shoes. Although there is no visible arch support and there doesn't appear to be padding on the inside, my heel spurs never bother me when I wear the Crocs. I once spent all day walking and standing for just about 12 continuous hours and my feet, shins and knees felt fine afterwards. My toes are free to move around in them and the holes over the top and around the sides allow the whole of my feet to breathe. When I wear them, it feels almost as if I am bare footed. 

*** WARNING: Riding a motorcycle without proper footwear can be dangerous. Do not try this at home. ***

I've found Crocs to feel wonderful when riding a motorcycle. I have no problem breaking and shifting. It feels so good to have the wind blowing on my feet that it's worth the risk. I guess it's similar to how those who ride helmet less feel when the wind blows on their head.

My wife decorates hers for the seasons. The holes on the tops make for excellent mounting points for various doo-dads. During Christmas time 

last year, she even had colorful flashing light all across the top with evergreen-looking material and shiny plastic packages. They were quite festive.

The only disadvantage I see in wearing crocs is when it rains. The ones I wear let water in if I step in a puddle. I have seen models without the holes around the side and I might pick up a pair to see how they work in the rain.

I am merely a fan and not a professional reviewer. I was not renumerated at all for this posting. It just hit me on the way home from work today how much I enjoy wearing these shoes.

Extreme Generosity

Despite vows of poverty, they’re millionaire monks Wisconsin monastery sells printer products online; profits go to charity

Here's a group of men who have taken vows of poverty, yet still run over a million dollars in annual sales with their on-line company - with all money over what they need to run their monastery going to charity.

It's not the "most profitable" business model money-wise, but it's cool enough that I think I'm going to buy my ink from them.

http://lazermonks.com/

Vote The Bums Out

I didn't watch the presidential debate. I figured it was going to turn out to be a "bash fest" with both candidates blaming our current troubles on the other guy and accusing the other of not having a good plan to solve all of our problems. Two real issues are: both candidates are part of the cause of our problems and neither one of them seems to understand that government is not the solution to our problems.

Both candidates have been in congress for many years. What have they done up to this point to fix our problems? Not a thing. They are a part of a group of 600-some-odd people out in Washington who have no concept of reality as it is for us "regular folk." They pass idiotic laws which do no one any good and they don't take care of the things they're charged to. That's both of them, not just one or the other. Republicans and Democrats have had their turns as president and congressional majority and what have they done? All they've done is make things worse with stupid regulations and wasted money - all of which costs you and me a too large part of our hard-earned wages.

I believe in this country. I spent the better part of my adulthood serving and protecting her. I've been privileged enough to see other countries first hand and learn about a great many more. Of all the nations in the world we have the most potential for regular folks to make a good life for themselves by working hard and taking care of their own. Unfortunately, the entrenched parties have long led us down the path of socialism - a system which is proven to be an absolute failure everywhere it's been or is still being tried. Freedom for the masses is what this country was founded on and made this country great, and that's the principal which can make this country great again.

I understand government is necessary for a well-ordered society. But government can become too bloated and ineffective and not serve the people. Our Founding Fathers were very, very wise when they drafted our Constitution creating a government limited in its scope and power. If we would stick to those basics, we'd all be better off.

Some reading this will think me naive, but I don't believe I am. I know we can't have utopia on Earth, but if we go back to the basics of the Constitution with limited government leaving us alone except as outlined in that document we would at least be going in the right direction. Reversing the tide of bloated government, pork-barrel politics and entitlements will be hard work. But it's just as worthy of our hard work as fixing the banking crisis, the energy crisis, etc.

This election, I'm really stuck on whom to support. I don't even have a "voting against the other person" or "lesser of the two evils" choice this time around. Therefore, my voter platform this election is "VOTE THE BUMS OUT - ALL OF THEM."* 

Naive? Maybe I really am. Irregardless, I know I'm tired of the same old horse manure coming from Washington and I don't think anyone running for office has any intention of stopping the flow during their watch.

* I know we can't technically vote the president out of office since he's leaving and we're choosing a new one. But, we can vote against the two entrenched parties and let them know we're tired of the same old business.

Hurricane Ike After Action Report to CERT

Here are some excerpts from my after-action report to the CERT president regarding my observations while working in the hurricane shelter:

Timeline

September 11th was rather chaotic, somewhat reminiscent of the events we commemorate that day from 2001. I was contacted late that morning by Mary and Martha requesting as many people as could be at the Fair Grounds at 2pm. There was a little confusion which was cleared up later that only some needed to be at the 2pm meeting. Considering the last-minute rush of finding out people were coming and when, this is understandable. Mary and Martha did a great job of sorting things out and getting information to me about what was needed later that day. I quickly got my assignments worked out and was ready to go.

I arrived at the shelter at 6pm September 11. I met Lee at the back of the building, and he started to show me around. I spent some time trying to find the sign-in sheet I was told to make sure I documented my time on. While working that out, a bus with new arrivals pulled up at the front of the building and I spent the next hour or so assisting people (mostly carrying their luggage) off the bus and into the reception area of the shelter. Things were a bit chaotic, which, again, was completely understandable. However, the chaos had an organized flow to it and I don't believe it hampered getting people into the building and settled into a spot inside after inprocessing. Staff and volunteers were thinking on their feet and adapting to the situation quite well.

I ran into Michael after helping with the ingress of the bus passengers. He had already been there for a time and knew where the sign-in was in the clinic area Memorial Hospital (MH) had set up and whom to speak with to get further instructions. Once inside Michael and I made ourselves available and told those who were dealing with the medical screening we were there to help. They were willing to accept our assistance and quickly found things for us to do to assist the patients and get them settled in. We were kept very busy until about 9pm when things started to settle down. It was nice we were included in the meetings among the MH staff to update everyone on the status of the overall situation from the EOC as that helped give us a good picture of how the shelter fit into the larger scheme and how we could better help the patients staying at the shelter.

Upon my arrival on September 12 I found things had, for the most part, settled into a routine. Patients were still arriving who needed screening and settling in, but there were not nearly as many as the day before. I assisted the doctors, nurses and social workers from MH as they took care of the needs of patients. One particular gentleman arrived that evening who appeared to have been homeless. He had been stuck on buses for hours and had wet himself, but refused to shower. One of the social workers convinced him to clean up. Two of the firefighters on duty and I assisted in getting him cleaned up and settled in.

Many of the patients were glued to storm coverage on one of the TVs which had been set up in the two recreation rooms. My heart really went out to them as they watched what was going on. I'm sure it added a lot to their stress levels, which were already high just from being uprooted from their homes and sent to an unfamiliar place. Still, most of the patients were in good spirits, all things considered. I only noted one or two who were on bad temper and/or uncooperative

The routine was firmly settled in and things were running very smoothly upon my arrival at 11pm on September 13th. I spent the night assisting the nurses to conduct rounds and assist people who needed assistance to the rest rooms. We jokingly called making rounds "Oxygen Bottle Patrols" as one of our duties was to make sure everyone on O2 had a serviceable bottle. The time went by very quickly as we were kept busy for the most part.

My next shift on September 19 was fairly easy. By this time many of the patients had been moved out of the shelter and there were only a few who needed attention. I helped assist on trips to the bathroom and making rounds to make sure everyone was doing well. The only real incident during this time was that someone was smoking in the rest room. We didn't catch the person, but it did remind me of a funny story about a nun always on the patrol for smokers in my high school.

September 20 was rather slow. There were very few special needs patients still in residence and they were eager for the scheduled departure the next day. There were a few trips to the rest room and one person (who was not listed as a special needs patient) who was sent to MH ED with chest pain. Otherwise, my time there passed without incident.

Observations

I was very impressed with the clinic the staff from MH set up. On Thursday, I asked how long they had been working on the area set aside for them to use. When they told me they rolled in just the day before and got it ready, I was astounded. Although it was not to be compared to the hospital itself, they were well-supplied, had phone and data networks installed and plenty of people to take care of the tasks at hand. One nurse commented there had been talk of setting up a semi-permanent presence in the building for just such events in future. I think this is a great idea.

The folks from the city did a great job, too. Again, it wasn't the best of situations, yet they managed to make the place quite livable and rather comfortable from my point of view. The staff from the city kept the place very clean and sanitary. The recreation rooms were well-stocked and set up. I'm not sure if the food was donated or purchased, but it was a very good idea to have the local restaurants prepare the meals. Good food can make an otherwise difficult experience quite a bit nicer.

One thing I would suggest: If this building is to be used as a shelter again, more handicap-accessible restroom facilities would be very good. The one major problem I saw was the difficulty for mobility-challenged people was getting into and out of the rest rooms. Another set of more permanent shower facilities (also handicap-accessible) would also be a huge plus.

I heard very few complaints from any of the patients I had contact with. Quite the opposite, many were very complimentary of the care and attention they received. Considering the circumstances, I would not have been surprised to hear more complaints. I heard many, many "thank you's" and compliments. It was very gratifying to know the hard work and effort put into the shelter was appreciated.

Lastly, the amount of volunteer time put in at the shelter was astounding to me. At first, I thought those from MH were "on the clock" for their time at the shelter. My admiration for them all greatly increased when I found they were volunteering their time, too. It really does show what a great community we live in.

Another Shift At The Shelter

I did another four hours at the hurricane shelter last night. I was on from 10pm until 2am, so things were relatively quiet. I helped some folks to get around and kept my eye on things.

Many people who were there last week were able to leave. Some got to go home, but others moved to shelters closer to their homes. I can imagine that would be frustrating for them; moving from one shelter to another and not being able to go back to familiar surroundings. The other shelter in our town is closing, so the people remaining there will come to our shelter this afternoon. It'll probably be a little busier when I'm there tonight.

The most exciting thing was trying to track down the mystery smoker who lit up in the bathroom. I went into the men's room to take care of some business and I could smell the smoke very strongly. Whoever it was, I just missed him.  The shelter supervisor looked around, but he didn't find anything amiss. He sprayed to get rid of the smell, but that's all he could do.

It took me back to high school (yes, it was a long time ago). Sr. Evangeline was a nun on a mission: teach kids about Herman Melville and Nathanial Hawthorne and catch kids smoking in the school. There were a few times when I was in the boys' room when she would burst in and yell, "OK! Who's smoking in here?" Thankfully, I was never caught in one of these surprise raids, but she did manage to rack up an impressive record of "busts."

One day, my friends and I were in the library during lunch - probably doing homework for our afternoon classes we should have done at home. All of the sudden, Sr. Evangeline burst through the door with her usual abruptness, yelling: "OK! Who's smoking in here?"

I don't remember if it was I who was brave enough to ask, or whether it was one of my friends. But, as she hurried around the room looking for errant cigarette smoke, one of us asked, "Sister, who would be stupid enough to smoke in the library? They'd surely be caught in here." As I recall, her answer was something about stupid, spoiled kids doing things they're not supposed to and ruining their lives.

The teachers' lounge was right next to the library. In those days, the teachers were allowed to smoke in the building, in the teachers' lounge. Often there would be a cloud wafting out of the room when someone entered or exited. Some other brave kid asked Sr. Evangeline if perhaps she was smelling the smoke coming from there. No, it had to be a kid in the library.

Of course, I digress. I had to chuckle to myself as I thought about her bursting into the boys' room looking for criminal tobacco use.

Hurricane Shelter - Night 2

Last night in the shelter was a little slow, but that's probably a good thing. Most of the folks staying were glued to the TV watching the news coverage of the storm. My heart really went out to them as they worried about their homes and loved ones left behind.

There were a few things to do, though. We helped one gentleman who had some trouble getting around shower up and get some newer clothes. There was also some toting and lifting to do, as well as helping some get around the building.

One thing I learned that astounded me was that all the folks from the hospital running the clinic were volunteering their time, too. I had they impression they were on the clock, but I was quite wrong. Their esteem went way up in my eyes, and I told them so.

I had a discussion with the nurse who coordinated things at the shelter. We spoke about what a great city we live in where people from all walks of life come together to help out those in need. I agree wholeheartedly.

I'm not sure when my next shift will be as I haven't heard from the CERT leaders yet. I will call them if I don't hear anything by lunchtime. If I'm back and I have the chance I'll post some more live blogs on Twitter.

Working In A Hurricane Evacuation Shelter

Last night I spent 4 hours volunteering at a shelter set up for people evacuating the Texas Gulf Coast in anticipation of Hurricane Ike hitting land. The shelter I was assigned to was one specifically set up to take in those whose medical problems require professional monitoring.

First thing as I arrived we helped folks off a bus which brought them to the shelter from the central check-in point. Some of them had been stuck on busses since early morning and hadn't eaten nor had much to drink. We assisted those with limited mobility with the help of their family members, through the check-in process and a quick medical screening.

The local hospital set up a clinic in the building the previous day. They took some of the supplies and equipment they set aside for mass casualty situations to stock and outfit the area they were assigned to. I and another EMT member of our CERT helped the doctors and nurses where we could, mostly just running people and things from place to place. I have to say, the hospital folks did a great job in setting up and getting going. I was impressed by their preparedness and professionalism.

I stayed until 10 PM. I'll be there again tonight and probably through next week. Depending on how hard Ike hits, there might be folks in the shelter for a while if the power is out for an extended time in their home towns.

I had a chance to "live blog" via Twitter a few times yesterday. If I have a chance, I'll do it again tonight. You can follow my Twitter reports on this page (on the left) but it's a lot easier to follow if you follow me at www.twitter.com/kb5nju.

Alabama "Fat Tax" Brings Back Memories

Alabama Plans to Tax Fat Employees to Recoup Insurance Costs

This reminds me of my days in the Army. The Army had their own version of the "Fat Tax," though their remedy was to discharge those who could not make their weight. In my day, I was fighting heredity and too much pizza and beer and had to constantly work out and run to keep under weight. There were those times when I didn't make it and had to have a "tape test" done. The Tape Test was a way of measuring body mass index. Being overweight and over the BMI was a bad thing.

I remember back in the 80's while stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, every so often on a Monday while we were working in the motor pool, the squadron commander came on one of this "Fat Safaris." He'd ride, standing up in the back of a Jeep hanging on to a roll bar, with some poor duty person driving and the sergeant major in the front seat. He'd scout around, and when he spotted someone he thought was too fat, he'd yell, "There's One!" The driver would go to where the CO pointed and they'd round up some poor person to take them back to the headquarters and weigh them, doing a tape test if needed.

It got to the point where when they saw the Jeep coming, the overweight ones would crawl into or under vehicles to avoid the humiliation of being caught in the "round up." Looking back on it now, though, it seems rather comical. The picture in my head makes me laugh. It wasn't the humiliation of those caught up in it, but the commander who had little else to do than to ride around the post looking for people to weigh.

My opinion of the Alabama situation? I can understand wanting to recoup what they consider money lost to a "lifestyle choice" but I think they're going about it the wrong way. Making smokers pay more for insurance is one thing - they can always quit. But some people can't help how much they weigh. I wonder if they won't spend more money on lost time and wasted energy making people jump through bureaucratic hoops to prove they can't lose weight. It's probably better left alone - or rethought out.

Charities We Support

Here's the list of charities we support. I invite you to check out their web sites and learn if there are any you'd also like to help:

• 100 Club
  Local clubs nation-wide. Check the web page for one near you.


• American Cancer Society
  PO Box 149186
  Austin, TX 78714


• American Diabetes Association
  PO Box 1834
  Merrifield, VA 22116


• American Heart Association
  PO Box 143089
  Austin, TX 78714
  
  Even better than donations, learn CPR! Find a class near you.


• American Legion
  P.O. Box 1055
  Indianapolis, IN 46206


• American Lung Association
  PO Box 7001
  Alberta Lea, MN 56007


• The ALS Association
  PO Box 8925
  Pueblo, CO 81008


• Cal Farley's Boys Ranch
  PO Box 1890
  Amarillo, TX 79105


• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
  6531 Arlington Dr.
  Bethesda, MD 20814


• Disabled American Veterans
  PO Box 14301
  Cincinnati, OH 45205


• Girls and Boys Town
  PO Box 6000
  Boystown, NE 68010


• Habitat for Humanity
  PO Box 1167
  Americus, GA 31709


• Hunter Topping Second Chance Scholarship
  608 East Prairie Ronde
  Dowagiac, MI 49047


• The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
  PO Box 8925
  Pueblo, CO 81008


• March of Dimes
  PO Box 226585
  Dallas, TX 75222


• Muscular Dystrophy Association
  PO Box 79069
  Phoenix, AZ 85062


• National Muscular Sclerosis Society
  PO Box 816148
  Dallas, TX 75381


• National Wildlife Federation
  PO Box 1637
  Merrifield, VA 22116


• Operation Smile
  6435 Tidewater Dr.
  Norfolk, VA 23509


• Paralyzed Veterans of America
  7 Mill Brook Rd.
  Wilton, NH 03086


• Shriner's Hospital
  PO Box 1510
  Ranson, WV 25438


• The Smile Train
  PO Box 96231
  Washington, DC 20090


• Special Olympics
  PO Box 143806
  Austin, TX 78714


• St. Josephs Indian School
  PO Box 200
  Chamberlain, SD 57325


• St. Jude Hospital
  PO Box 50
  Memphis, TN 38101


• Toys for Tots
  PO Box 227
  Quantico, VA 22134


• Veterans of Foreign Wars
  PO Box 8942
  Topeka, KS 66608


• Warrior Weekend
  31768 Legion Road
  Millsboro, DE 19966

Being Deliberately Generous

I'm not writing this to brag on myself or my spouse. I'm also not writing this to put a guilt trip on anyone, either. What I hope is to influence others to be more generous in their life and make the world just that much better.

As my wife and I were discussing our finances before we married, we agreed that we would tithe to our local church. That means we give 10% of our incomes to help support our local church. One can argue this way or that to prove tithing isn't necessary under the new covenant, or that churches are "just out for the money." Certainly, there are Biblical arguments for not tithing and there are churches which are only interested in profit, both of which sour many on giving to the "church." Still, I believe there are good arguments in favor of tithing.

First, it's a practical thing: bills need to be paid. Personally, I like having lights, air conditioning, heat and coffee in the church's building. There's a mortgage to pay, water bill, salaries, etc. That money has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is supposed to be from the donations of the people who call that church "home."

The next reasons are more spiritual. This is, perhaps, the most oft-quoted verse when it comes to tithing: "'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the LORD Almighty, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!'" (Malachi 3:10 - New Living Translation)

The God of the Universe is offering a challenge: "Try it!" This isn't a command, this isn't a guilt trip, this isn't some kind of religious zealousness. God is simply telling us to give 10% and see if He doesn't return it and more to you. It's like an investment. I can honestly say from my own experience, I live a whole lot better on 90% of my income than I ever did on 100% of it.

There is another spiritual aspect to this I call "God Karma." In eastern religions, Karma is the process by which when you do good things, good things are returned to you. In Christian circles this is known as "sowing and reaping." St. Paul wrote to the Galatian church: "Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow." (Galatians 6:7 - New Living Translation)

By sowing generosity in your life - not only in tithing but in all you do, generosity will come back to you. I can't explain why and how - I just know it works. For the past four years, my wife and I have taught ourselves to be generous in all circumstances. We give to our church, we give to many charities, we over-tip (even when the service is bad), we give to those we find in need, we try to pick up dinners for our friends and family members when we go out, and the list goes on. This isn't a way to show off or to make people think we have more money than we really do. This is all done on a "cash basis" using very little, if any, credit or borrowing.

One thing we find is that we don't worry about money. We never have to because we always have more than enough to meet our needs and have plenty go give away. This takes a lot of the stress our of our lives and out of our marriage. It's wonderful that when we see a need, we always seem to have enough in our savings to make things happen. My friend's son passed on; I was able to buy plane tickets with little notice so I could attend the funeral. My sister's son passed; we were able to pay for a part of the headstone. Another friend needed gas money to take his son to a missionary event 12 hours away; we were able to help out.

We believe that out of this generosity comes things which benefit us personally. When we want to take a trip, we have money for it. On gift-giving occasions we're able to give wonderful gifts. When our cars need repair, we have the money to get them done. From where all this largess comes from we can't really calculate because it doesn't make sense. When we need or want it, the money's there.

Now, I will caution against taking this too far and falling into the "Prosperity Gospel." I've heard preaching which instructs people to give because God has to return to us 100 times what we give. I don't believe, though, that God "has" to do anything. As in many spiritual matters, I believe it's the attitude about the giving rather than the hard numbers. Give because you want to give, because it's the right thing to do. If you give out of greed you won't get the "God Karma" going. It's a delicate balance in your heart and in your head, but it can be done.

"You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully." (2 Corinthians 9:7 - NLT)

Click here for a list of charities we help support

Social Network Fundraising

I was going through my Twitter updates this morning, and saw a post from Danny Sullivan with a link to Beth Kanter's blog about social network fund raising. This is a novel idea which I've done in the past on a small scale, but it never "clicked" with me that it could be more successful.

The basic idea is to request donations from your friends and colleagues via your social network links. You put the idea out there and let people respond, or not, as they desire. No nagging, no phone calls, no guilty feelings - just doing something to help someone else.

I belong to an email list with a group of friends from the Army. Any time one of them is involved in a fund-raising activity, they throw out a short message asking for assistance.

Many of you may be thinking "DUH!" I have a difficult time asking people I know for donations in person, on the phone, or via direct email. But, though Twitter or MySpace, a simple posting is all that's needed any everyone has the option to help or ignore. That method appeals to me much more. It might also help me reach a larger audience of potential donors.

Later, I'm going to post a list of charities we regularly give to. Anyone is free to assist no not as they see fit.

Geek-Speak for Marketers, Marketing Speak for IT

An interesting session at Search Engine Strategies in San Jose this week was recapped on Search Engine Roundtable: How to Speak Geek: Working Collaboratively With Your IT Department to Get Stuff Done.

When I started as Webmaster for my company, my boss and I set down our "prime directive" that we don't "own" our web sites. Some may view this as an attempt to dodge responsibility for the content and look of our sites, but we look at it as empowering those who can best determine how the sites are used and what is communicated through them.

For example: Our corporate Intranet is used to communicate information to employees. The content, therefore, is logically best determined by the departments needing to communicate with employees. Our public web sites are used to communicate with customers. It seems best to let the Marketing Departments create their messages and how to present them. In this way, us IT folks can focus on what we do best: keeping the lines of communication open and making sure everything runs smoothly.

Because we work closely with our our departments, all participants are able to lend their strengths to the process of getting a site completed and launched. None of us in IT are very artistic, so we leave the creative part to those who are better at it (or we outsource it). The marketing folks don't always stay on top of search optimization or new technologies, so they leave that to us to provide advice and assistance. In the end, we get an excellent result which is much better than if only one group or the other had done the work.

I remember a couple years back in another session at SES San Jose where Danny Sullivan did one of his "on the spot" surveys and asked how many marketing folks had to fight with their IT to get optimization and search marketing incorporated into their web sites. I was quite amazed to see most hands go up. I would hope things have changed since then. I firmly believe the best work comes when marketing and IT come together as a team and work the process.

To all you IT folks, geeks, nerds, and what-have-you: It's not bad idea for you to learn some "Marketing Speak." The more you learn about the other's job, the better you can assist in putting together an excellent web site.

Ice Road Truckers

Jen and I have been watching "Ice Road Truckers" second season.

On a whim, I decided to look up Tuktoyaktuk on Google Maps. It was very interesting. If you start there and follow the road south (called "Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road") to Inuvik, you find that the road is actually on the water most of the way. The road is marked "Closed Apr-Nov" so you can't miss that it's an ice road.

Check it out yourself: Click here to check it out on Google Maps

I'm A Bad Blogger

I've been so wrapped up in family stuff and other projects I haven't taken time to blog here. It's not that I don't have anything to write - there are always things floating around in my head begging to be typed out and shared with the world. I just haven't made the time to do so.

But, here are some random thoughts:

• The US is heading headlong into socialism. It's not that some evil group is plotting a takeover, it's just that people would rather trade in some of their freedom so they don't have to worry about things and let the government take care of them, instead.
• Christians don't get involved enough in the political process. Most of the ones who do are coming from such a "religious" bent that they become objects of scorn - which in turn is reflected on all of us.
• Kids grow up way too fast.
• We're not going to solve our energy problems without a comprehensive plan. We're not going to get a comprehensive plan from either of the presidential candidates nor from the Congress. There are no leaders with enough backbone to forget politics and do what is right.
• Speaking of that: My opinion of the candidates is that neither of them is fully qualified enough to be mayor of the town I live in (population a little over 60,000), let alone run the country.
  

The Passing of Dith Pran

While playing "Guitar Hero" with my kids, one of the songs we were to "play" was "Holiday In Cambodia" by the Dead Kennedys. Of course, the historical references were lost to my boys, their history education severely lacking in the genocide department. I tried in vain to explain to them who Pol Pot was and the terrible things he did to the Cambodian people.

Because those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, I rented "The Killing Fields" and watched with my kids. Afterwards, we had a great discussion about genocide and how we mustn't forget those horrible crimes against humanity because if we know how they look we can recognize them later.

That story of Dith Pran's historic and arduous trials in Cambodia hold a lesson humanity must never forget.

If This Isn't Just Ridiculous ...

Back in December I went to the local Texas AG office to "negotiate" my child support payments. This was after they accused me of being behind and the subsequent mess I went through to prove I wasn't. (If you're interested you can read the history here)

After the paperwork was all done, I was told I had to pay the court costs. This was supposed to cover the filing fee for the paperwork since we didn't actually go into court. The lady at the AG office who did the paperwork told me how much it was and that I had to pay it by the end of March.

So, being a procrastinator I waiting until March 1st to send in the payment. When I checked all the paperwork I got that day from the AG office, there was no mention of how much I was supposed to pay. Having slept numerous times between December and March, I couldn't remember how much it was.

Being the web-savvy guy that I am, I checked the local District Court's web site. It's hard to figure out and I couldn't find out for sure how much I was supposed to pay. To find out the amount, I emailed the District Court office.

After I week, I got a response to the effect of: "It's $20. We sent you a bill in December." I didn't remember getting anything from the District Court, and I mentioned that in my reply. At the end of the email I sent I mentioned something like "No matter if I didn't get the bill, I'll just send you a check." The email bounced.

The next day I mailed my check. And, I foolishly thought that was the end of it.

I got my check back today in the mail. Enclosed was a copy of the bill with the text highlighted at the bottom "No Personal Checks!"

I can't tell you how ticked off I am right now. Why didn't the person who responded to my email mention that little fact. Now, not only do I still owe the money, I wasted the postage, the cost of the check (a pittance, but waste nonetheless), and my time. Now I have to either invest enough time to go a buy a money order and mail it, or drive down to the office on my lunch hour and pay it in person in cash.

OK, I'm calmer now. Thank you for letting me vent.

Take Time Out For the Important Things

A few days ago, an email group I participate in had a discussion about taking time for the important things. I sent a reply to the group to add some things which hit me reading their messages. Now that I think it over, it wouldn't make a bad blog posting, either. So here it is:

Two years ago this past December my fire fighter brother-in-law died on his way to a fire call. His death is somewhat of a mystery because he wasn't killed when the truck he was driving crashed, but rather, he died and then the truck went out of control and crashed.

His death was totally unexpected. We all know fire fighters assume a bit of risk each time they respond to a call. But to "just die" like this was way out there.

He and my wife's sister just had a baby (6 months old when this all happened) and planned to build a house together on the property they just bought. My wife's sister is rather a strong woman so she completed many of their plans in the past couple years since his passing. Still, we all miss him terribly.

The hard part was, he didn't have a will drawn up. You'd think an Army vet and a fire fighter would automatically think to have one done up. But, I guess being just a shade above 30 he still thought he had time. Because of the lack of will, his wife had to hire 2 attorneys to run his estate through probate: 1 for her and 1 for his daughter from his first marriage. In the end, everything worked out OK, but had he done up a will it would have gone much smoother and faster. Dragging through court with the potential of dealing with a greedy ex-spouse is not a good way to mourn someone's passing.

Lesson #1: Get a will done up. Even if you don't have anything it'll be better for those left behind.

This past Thursday my sister and her husband lost their 9-year-old son. The boy woke up that morning around 4:30 complaining his head and neck hurt. Sis stayed with him a bit and got him to go back to sleep. He woke up a couple more times, and she gave him a little Tylenol. When my brother-in-law got up for work, the boy was still feeling poorly. Sis took his temperature twice, and it was around 93 degrees.

So, Sis got her other son ready and off to school with one of the neighbors and she called in sick to work so she could take the boy to the doctor. The flu is going around pretty hard here, so she logically thought he had the flu. She went back in the living room and found him not breathing and foaming at the mouth.

She called 9-1-1 and started CPR. The paramedics arrived, took over care and transported him to the hospital. The doctors took over from there and tried to restart his heart, but they were unsuccessful and he passed. The preliminary results from the autopsy indicated he died from a hemorrhage in the brain, likely caused by an aneurysm.

You can imagine what nervous wrecks we've been for the past week. Planning a funeral for your child is something we just shouldn't have to do. It was especially hard because there was no life insurance for the boy. My brother-in-law left the Army just last year and is working as an apprentice electrician. Of course, this was completely unexpected for them. They have health insurance, but not life insurance. Thankfully, our family was able to kick in and get the arrangements paid up for them.

Lesson #2: Plan for the worst and be glad if it doesn't happen. Get life insurance on your kids. Find a plan that can be cashed in when they're ready for college and you'll have a great investment.

The boy's dad doesn't need to regret not spending time with him. He is totally devoted to both his sons and it would be harder to find a better dad. He's a big kid himself most of the time and his kids love being with him.

For the longest, I didn't have the luxury of time. During my first marriage I worked like a dog trying to keep us afloat financially. I worked all day and did freelance work in the evenings. I missed out on watching goofy cartoons with my boys, playing video games with them, going on vacations together.

Now that I'm not with them all the time, I try to make the time we spend together, well, together. I purposely leave my days with them open. I play Xbox games with them even though they usually destroy me (there are too many buttons on those controllers). We play board games, card games and watch crazy shows together. I also save up money so we can take trips together. My wife helps a lot, too, because she is good at stashing money away for things we want to do.

Lesson #3: My lesson learned from my brother-in-law's passing is to take time for people. People are more important than things. This was reinforced 100-fold with my nephew's untimely death. People are important and among them kids are the most important.

Two Perspectives on Human-Implanted RFID

I ran into two articles on Business Week's web site. They are two in a series of articles which discuss implantable RFID chips in humans. The first was written by Scott Silverman, CEO of VeriChip, maker of the only FDA-approved RFID implant for humans.

As one might expect, Silverman attempts to ease concerns over using RFID by describing certain "misconceptions" about the implants and explaining how those "myths" are unsubstantiated. He does a very good job, but as one who stands to benefit greatly from additional use of those chips, I think we should be leery of his attempt to explain away those misconceptions so casually.

Medical information is private: Yes, I agree with his stance pointing out that the implant alone cannot be used to access anyone's private health records because it only provides a coded number pointing to the person's records. Health records are only as safe as the security surrounding them and chip or no chip the safety of those records are the same.

I also agree with Mr. Silverman in that I don't believe implanted RFID implants are hazardous to health. The implants have been used for many years in animals and there is scarce evidence they cause any health problems.

I disagree with Silverman's claim the chips can't be used to track someone. He is correct in explaining the chips in the implant have no GPS and do not continuously transmit their data like a beacon. Although it is true the implants only transmit their data when activated by a special reader, he fails to mention the fact that someone with just a little bit of technical prowess can make a device to activate the chip and get the data from it.

Although tracking an individual's movements might be impractical, reading the unique ID number could be used in a crime against the person with the implant. Currently, the unique ID number in the implant's chip only links to a health record stored in VeriChip's database. But, what happens in future if that implant's technology is linked to bank accounts or other databases. Like credit and debit cards with RFID chips in them, we have a scenario where those chips can be exploited to the detriment of those who have them.

The second article, titled "Human ID Chips Get Under My Skin" by David Holzman, outlines some of objections to this technology, many of which I have already commented on elsewhere in this blog. I won't go into details, but suggest reading the article. It's short and to the point. I found his comments to be a thoughtful counterpoint to Mr. Silverman's utopian ideals of how these implants can be used.

Congress and Baseball Hearings

With so many things going on, isn't there something more important our representatives in congress can do other than nit-pick about baseball players using performance-enhancing drugs? Certainly there must be something out there our representatives can deal with that will do the public much more good.

Is there some kind of constitutional precedent which makes these hearings necessary? I can't remember a clause in that historic document outlining the Federal Government's power to regulate professional sports leagues.

Oh, wait - this is another instance of Congress doing something other than wasting money, intruding into my life and raising my taxes ...

Tax Rebate Humbug

If the federal government can afford to give me a tax rebate, then it can afford not to take so much of my money in the first place.