Some interesting numbers in 2011

QUOTE from Ronald L.Graham: "Our brains have evolved to get us out of the rain, find where the berries are, and keep us from getting killed. Out brains did not evolve to help us grasp really large numbers or to look at things in a hundred thousand demensions.

I LEARNED some interesting things about numbers in the year 2011 from an email I received.

This year in 2011, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens once every 823 years. (I have not checked this out but I'll assume for the time being that it is true - even though it is hard for me to believe.)

And in this year of 2011 we're going to experience 4 unusual dates.
1/1/11    1/11/11     11/1/11     11/11/11

And that's not all.

Take the last two digits of the year in which you were born -
Now add the age you be this year.-
The results will be 111 for everyone in the whole world.

HUMOR for today: A Sunday teacher asked her class just before dismissing them to go to church, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church? Little Johnny replied, "Because people are sleeping."

American women - be thankful you're not living in Saudi Arabia.

QUOTE from Claire Booth Luce:: "Male supremacy has kept woman down. It has not kocked her out."   

I LEARNED a little more about the life of women in Saudi Arabia.  I just read the latest issue of TIME magazine's article about women struggling to get the right to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Females made some progress in the 1960s when Saudi Arabia's king allowed girls to go to school, including university. Now women make up 58% of the university population. Unfortunately, women make up only 15% of the work force. Being women can't drive they rely on male family members to get around or hire immigrant drivers at considerable cost. So many females workers have to spend a big part of their salary to pay their drivers - so it discourages them from working.

So why don't women have the right to drive in Saudi Arabia?  According to Sheik Abdallah al-Oweardi, a moderate religious scholar, there is nothing in the Koran that prohibits a woman from driving. But in religious rulings, conservative clerics have argued that driving allows women too much freedom and might lead to illicit mixing of the sexes. The Sheik said, "This is to protect our women from harassment and to protect society from the problems you see in the West - single mothers and illegitimate children - that come from unconditional relations between men and women."

Other things women cannot do in Saudi Arabia are:
- They cannot leave the country without permission from a male guardian.
- Women cannot take out loans without having two men vouch for their identity, even if they carry government-issued IDs.
- Custody laws automatically favor the father.

I don't think Saudi laws would go over too well in the USA.

HUMOR for today.
Rumor has it that Anthony Weiner is going to run for president.
He has chosen Attorney General Eric Holder as his running mate.
So get your Weiner-Holder bumper stockers early, before they are all gone.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

The meaning of bar codes.

QUOTE from Randy Pausch: : "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."

I LEARNED what the BAR CODES mean on all the products we buy. This was an email I have received several times so I'm going to share it today. Maybe you've already seen it but it is okay to review it and refresh rhe memory.

If the first two/three numbers are:

690-695 it is made in China.
471        it is made in Taiwan.
00-09     it is made in USA and Canada.
30-37     it is made in France.
40-47     it is made in Germany.
49          it is made in Japan.
50          it is made in UK.

I just checked Ruth Ann's spice rack and they were all made in the U.S. From here on I'm definitely going to check to see if the first three numbers are from 690 to 695. I'll pay more to find the 00-09 numbers.


HUMOR for today: A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandments to "honor thy fatner and thy mother,' she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat, Little Johnny answered, "Thou Shall Not Kill."

Social Security's Enduring Truths

QUOTE from Ronald Reagan: 'I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."


I LEARNED some interesting information about Social Security while reading the June 2011 issue of the  AARP Bulletin. The most interesting article was the section entitled "Social Security's Enduring Truths" by James Roosevelt Jr. His subtitle was, "Despite the naysayers, the system's finances are sound." James is the grandson of FDR.

Mr. Roosevelt had this to say:
 There is a saying that if you repeat something often enough it becomes the truth. Nothing better illustrates that point than the notion that Social Security will be bankrupted by the boomers. Indeed, Social Security's critics have been saying for 75 years that Social Security would collapse.

James went on to say that here is the true measure of where we are. Social Security costs ae funded out of its own dedicated revenue stream. It does not and cannot borrow money to finance its operations. There is no deficit financing. Social Security is the epitome of Yankee frugality. It could not be better managed. The administrative cost is .09 percent. It returns more than 99 cents to beneficiaries on every dollar collected. I dare you to find a private retirement plan that can claim that.

By the end of 2010, the Social Security trust fund had a positive balance of $2.6 trillion. As a result of interest earned on the trust fund balances, the find's surplus will continue to expand to approximately $3.67 trillion at the end of 2022. After that year, it is projected that the balance will begin to decline. Still, reserves will be sufficient to pay full benefits through the year 2036. After that, Social Security would still be able to pay for 77% of benefits.Since when is news that a program is completely solvent for 25 years bad news? Even in year 26 and thereafter it could still fund three-fourths of anticipated benefits. This is decidedly not a program that is broke or going broke. In fact, this is quite a remarkable achievement.

(I have a tendency to believe James Roosevelt Jr. than the naysayers who keep harping that Social Security is going broke and we need to privatize it. Privatization will destroy Social Security and put millions and millions of America's seniors in financial disaster. I'm sorry but I have more faith in the government of the U.S. than I do in the Wall Street barons.)

HUMOR for today:
An elderly woman died last month. Having never married, she requested no male pallbearers. In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote, "They wouldn't take me out while I was alive, I don't want them to take me out when I'm dead."

Jack Kevorkian should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

QUOTE from Johnny Carson: 'For three days after death, hair and fingernails continue to grow but the phone calls taper off."

I LEARNED I agree with a 79 year old bachelor from Cedar Falls, Iowa. His name is Gerald Baker and he writes an opinion blog for the Des Moines Register. Last weekend Ruth Ann and I stayed at the Isle of Capri Hotel/Casino in Waterloo. On Sunday morning I went for a walk around the casino grounds and picked up some litter on the way. One of the things I picked up was the OPINION page of the Cedar Falls newspaper from June !!, 2011. The opimion piece that caught my attention was entitled, MY THOUGHTS TODAY by Gerald Baker. His subtitle was, "Jack Kevorhian Deserves the Nobel Peace Prize."I found his words inspiring and found myself agreeing with him.

Gerald's words: Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a well-known advocate and practioner of euthanasia, died on June 3. I'd like to nominate him to be posthumouly awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
   Last year, that prize was awarded to a Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo, who has served eight years in prison, for his defense of human rights in China. Kevorkian also served eight years, in a Michigan prison, for his defense of the proposition that a U.S. citizen's life is the property of that citizen, to be disposed of according to that citizen's wishes, and is not in any way the property of any state goverernment or of the federal government.
   Any government prosecution of people, occasioned by those people's help in assisting the suicide of a citizen, implies that the government regards that citizen as its property, and, presumably, his or her death as a loss of one of its servants.
   Gerald went on to talk about several people in nursing homes who wanted to die, some even begged to die. He told of one 90 year old man he had talked to whose wife had begged him for "something to help her die." He refused because he didn't want to go to prison so his wife starved herself to death.
   Baker said he doesn't want to go to a nursing home but if he does and he wants euthanasia, the only way permitted by our harsh Iowa government would be to starve myself to death. I think the abstinence from food would be easy, since I've been losing my appetite, but a difficult part of that method might be the abstinence from water.

I agree with his views on this issue. To my knowledge the only state with a legal euthanasia program is Oregon. The state of Oregon has been ahead of the other states on quite a few issues.
  
HUMOR for today: The PICKLES comic strip was a good one today.

Opal is nagging Earl to get the lawn mowed.

Opal: "Are you ever going to mow the grass?"
Earl: "If I squint my eyes it looks like it's already been mowed."
Opal: "Well, take my word for it. It hasn't been mowed. And squinting your eyes won't get it done."
Opal walks away and Earl turns to the dog and says: "Now if I can just learn how to squint my ears."

How do the Hindus bury their dead?

QUOTE from Samuel Johnson: "It matters not how a man dies, but how he lived."


Today we'll LEARN how the Hindus bury their dead. This information from Atul Trivedi, a Hindu priest.

- In the Hindu faith, there is no burial. The bodies are burned.
- In India, the body is burned in a special ceremony. In the U.S., cremation takes place at a funeral home, and the ashes are put in an urn and given to the family, if requested.
- At the ceremony before the cremation, everybody wears white, and the priest offers prayers that the soul finds peace,
- Rice balls (pinda) are offered to the spirit of the dead person during memorial services.
- If possible, the ashes are taken to India to be spread in holy water.
- There is no burial because the soul already has moved out. The body is a temple as long as the person is alive.
- After the funeral, everyone undergoes a purifying bath .The immediate family remains in a state of intense pollution for a set number of days, up to 10 to 13.
- At the end of that period, close family members meet for a ceremonial meal and often give gifts to the poor or to charities.


HUMOR for today:  Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn't have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn't have to hear about the way his mother cooked.

How do the Jews bury their dead?

QUOTE from Mat Damon: "I think what's important for kids to know is that your decisions here on earth matter, your behavior matters and how you treat other people matters."


Today we'll LEARN how the Jews bury their dead. This information came from Rabbi Herbert Mandi of Kelilath Israel Synagogue in Kansas City and Rabbi Mark Levin of Congregational Beth Torah in Kansas City.

-The traditional Jewish custom is to bury the deceased within 24 to 28 hours.
- We don't embalm. You are supposed to return the way you came, and embalming radically affects the body.
- Also, cremation is forbidden. This is a major violation of Jewish law because you are destroying the body.
- Wooden caskets are to be used so they deteriorate in the earth. The deceased is buried in a white garment similar to a gown, and the casket is closed at the funeral, which is a simple service with Scripture, prayers and a eulogy.
- Services are usually conducted at funeral homes, and then the people go to the cemetery.
- Among Reform Jews, many of the deceased are buried in regulat clothing.
- Following the funeral, traditional Jews would do an evening service at the home of the deceased's family for seven days, while Reform Jews do it for one, two or three days.

HUMOR for today.  These made me chuckle.

GROWING UP IN THE 50s and 60s.

Then - Long hair
Now - Longing for hair.

Then - A KEG
Now - an EKG

Then - Acid rock
Now - Acid reflux

Then - PAAR
Now - AARP

Then - Getting out to a new, hip joint
Now - Getting a new hip joint

Pete is getting a FRALP.

QUOTE from Katie Couric: "Good manners beget good manners. My dad was obsessed with a firm handshake and eye contact, as am I. Old-fashioned qualities like integrity, honor and character - no matter how old you are - are qualities that never go out of style."


I've had this Cedar Rapids Gazette article from May 14th on my desk for a month so I decided to share this today and for the next several  days. I LEARNED some interesting information about how different religions bury their dead.

We all know how the Protestants and Catholics bury their dead so I will skip them and dwell on how the Muslims, Jews and Hindus do it. First, let's see what the Muslims do.

ISLAM: This information came from Russell Mohammed, a director of the Mid-America Muslim Cemetary in Kansas City. Mr. Mohammed said the 24-hour burial is not in the Quran but is a cultural practice from the faith's desire to respect the body and to avoid decay.
- Since autopsies would injure the body, those are not allowed.
- Also, we don't embalm - this is disrespecting  the body.
- The body is washed; then it is wrapped in a white shroud.
- After that are prayers, and the body is taken to the cemetary.
- We don't normally use caskets, just bury in the ground, where it (the body) becomes part of the soil. The   upper part of the body, the head, is turned toward Mecca.
- We respect the deceased just as if they were alive. The washing and the wrapping with a shroud is done carefully.
- We do not allow viewing of the body except for the immediate family after the washing.
- Mr. Mohammed said some Muslim countries do not allow women to go to the cemetary because they think they will be too emotional.
- We allow them to stand at a distance, and after the burial site is covered, they can come closer.

One conclusion I've reached after reading this is; It would be a hell of a lot cheaper to die a Muslim. The family wouldn't be left with $7 to $15,000 worth of burial expenses.


HUMOR for today comes from the PICKLES comic strip in this morning's paper.

Nelson, the six year old grandson of Earl and Opal, is sitting on the recliner with Grandpa Earl.

Neslon says: "Grandpa, do you have cankles?"
Grandpa: "Cankles? What are cankles?"
Nelson: "It's when your calves and ankles blend together. Gramma says she has them, and she hates them."
Grandpa: "Nope, I don't have cankles. I do have a fralp, though."
Nelson: "What's a fralp?"
Grandpa: "That's when your forehead blends into your scalp."

(I'm afraid I'm getting closer to having a FRALP.)

Every morning I read what I wrote in my Gratitude Journal in 2009. What I wrote on June 12, 2009 caught my attrention and I'm going to share it today.
That day I wrote: "I'm grateful for the colors purple and green."

My favorite color has always been purple. I liked purple because I always liked how great Ruth Ann looked when she was wearing that color. However, when the month of June comes to Iowa my favorite color turns to green. By June everything is green - the grass, trees, flowers, garden plants, golf courses - and the fields of Iowa are turning green as the hay, corn, and soybeans emerge through the rich black soil. It is an amazing sight to see as nature takes its course. I'm grateful for the month of June  - with everything green it gives me a mental high.

Ten Worst States in Which to Retire

QUOTE from Kin Hubbard: "When some fellers decide to retire nobody knows the difference."

I LEARNED what Money-Rates.com considers the 10 worst states in which to retire..

i. Nevada      2. Michigan     3. Alaska    4. South Carolina    5. Maryland    6. Tennessee    7. Ohio   
8. North Carolina    9. Missouri    10.Arkansas

The reasons for Nevada being the worst are:
Cost of living is 105% of the national average; unemployment is at 14.3%, average state and local tax burden is 6.6%; average monthly temps range from 30 degrees in January to 72 degrees in July; crime rate was 3rd in the nation in violent crime and 13th in property crime; and life expectancy is 75.8 years.

Summary of  NEVADA: Nevada has the second lowest tax rate in the country, but scored poorly on just about every other criterion. Gambling enthusiasts may disagree, but high crime rates and a dismal economy make Nevada a bad bet for retirees.

The state on that list that surprised me the most was South Carolina. But when reading the numbers I learned this:  She ranks first in violent crime, 2nd in property crime and has one of the lowest life expentancies at 74.8 years.

HUMOR for today: More Benefits of Growing Old.

6. You can live without sex but not without glasses.
7. You consider coffee one of the most important things in life.
8. You enjoy talking about other people's operations.
9. You send money to PBS.
10. You talk about "good grass" and are referring to someone's lawn.
11. Your joints are more accurate than the National Weather Service.
12. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.

Best states in which to retire - I'm staying in Iowa.

QUOTE from a Chinese Proverb: "Man fools himself. He prays for a long life, and he fears an old age."

Today I was doing some GOOGLING and ran across some interesting information about the best states in which to retire. I LEARNED what the Ten Best are and where Iowa ranks. The list was compiled by MoneyRates.com. The criteria they used to come up with such a list is as follows:

!. Cost of living.
2. Unemployment.
3. Average state and local tax burden.
4. Crime rate which  included  violent crime and property crime.
5. Climate.
6. Life expectancy.

According to MoneyRates.com the #1 state with the best numbers was NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Her numbers were: Cost of living is 89% of the national average; unemployment is at 5.8%; average state and local tax burden is 7.6%; Average monthly temps range from 18 degrees in January to 68 degrees in July; crime rate was 48th in the nation in violent crime and 48th in property crime; and life expectancy is 78.3 years.
Summary of NEW HAMPSHIRE: Her cost of living and tax burden are among the lowest in the nation. Crime is also low, and life expectancy high. Just bring plenty of sensible clothes. because climate was the one criteria on which she did not score well.

IOWA came in the 5th best state in which to retire.
Iowa's numbers were: Cost of living is 93% of the national average; unemployment is at 6.8%; average state and local tax burden is 9.3%; Average temps range from 18 degrees in January to 74 degrees in July; crime rate was 32nd in violent crime and 36th in property crime; and life expectancy was 78.3 years.
Summary of IOWA: Iowa represents the Midwest well, with a combination of a low cost of living, a healthy economy, and a high life expectancy. Bring your winter clothes, though.

They only gave statistical information for the Ten Best and Ten Worst. But I did get the list of all 50 states. Minnesota was ranked #18 and Arizona was ranked #26.

The Ten Best states for retirement as ranked by MoneyRates.com were:
1. New Hampshire    2. Hawaii    3. South Dakota    4. North Dakota    5. Iowa    6. Virginia    7. Utah
8. Connecticut           9. Vermont  10. Idaho

Tomorrow I'll look at the Ten Worst.


HUMOR for today: BENEFITS OF GETTING OLDER.
1. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
2. It's harder and harder for sexual harassments to stick.
3. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
4. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
5. Things you buy now won't wear out.

Wisdom and the Wise Man on the Mountain Top.

QUOTE from Heraclitus (an ancient Greek philosopher from 533-475 B.C.): "Those who love wisdom must investigate many things."

My post today has to do with wisdom. I got the idea from reading the comic, "Hagar the Horrible," in the morning newspaper. So I'll do my HUMOR segment first today. (Hagar is that tough Viking from Norway who loves to drink beer, overeat and not work too hard..)

Hagar goes to the mountain top to talk to the "Wise Man on the Mountain Top."

Hagar asks the Wise Man, "What's the secret to a long life, O Wise One?"
The Wise One answers:, "The secret to a long life is - don't smoke, don't drink, and don't overeat."
Then the Wise One continues and says, "But the secret to HAPPINESS is an entirely different matter!!!"

That really caught my funny bone. I'm tempted to cut it out and take it to my doctor the next time I have a physical. Ha! He probably won't think it is as funny as I do.


When doing research today to find a quote about wisdom I LEARNED some interesting things about wisdom. The most interesting one was this one.

A guy named AKHENATEN had this to say about wisdom: "True wisdom is less presuming than folly.The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance."

The quote from him is so true. But what was the most  interesting for me was the explanation given about AKHENATEN. He was the enigmatic husband to Nefertiti and father to Tutankhamen, he established Egypt's first monotheistic religion. He has been called the first "individual" in history, as he is the first historical person whose actual ideas and beliefs we can evaluate. A theory, enthusiastically endorced by Sigmund Freud, suggests that Moses founded Judaism having first served as priest in AKHENATEN'S faith.

One of the reasons I'm fascinated with history is I learn all the time that people haven't really changed that much over time. AKHENATEN and MOSES lived around 1300 -1200 B.C., that's over 3,000 years ago. The words of AKHENATEN  prove that there were ignorant unwise know-it-alls back then just like we see today.

New Wine for Seniors

QUOTE from Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin: "A man who was fond of wine was offered some grapes at dessert after dinner. "Much obliged," said he, pushing the plate aside; "I am not accustomed to take my wine in pills."



Just HUMOR today: My sister Jan sent me this email about a new wine this morning.

NEW WINE FOR SENIORS

A single glass at night could mean a peaceful, uninterrupted night of sleep.

NEW Wine for Seniors. I kid you not...New Wine for Seniors.

California vinters in the Napa Valley area, which primarily produce Pinot Blanc, Ponot Noir, and Pinot Grigio wines, have developed a new hybrid grape that acts as an anti-diuretic.
It is expected to reduce the number of trips older people have to make to the bathroom during the night.

The new wine will be marketed as - PINO MORE.

A Spiritual Bucket List

QUOTE from Guideposta reader Shirley Wood of Oklahoma: "Worry is pulling tomorrow's clouds over today's sunshine."

Yesterday I wrote about having a Bucket List - in other words things to do, see, and experience before it's time for the Pearley Gates. Today I want to share what I LEARNED from my brother Don about another kind of Bucket List.. He sent this to me a year ago. This one is serious and is really something all of us Senior Citizens should do something about.

The information was entitled "A Spiritual Bucket List." It is a form to be filled out before we get senile and don't know what the hell we're doing. And copies should be made and each of our kids should get a copy and any others you think need or would want one.

Here is the "Spiritual Bucket List." I'll copied it word-for-word.

YOUR NAME_______________________________
These persons should be notified upon my death: 1.____2.____3.____4.____5.____6.____and....
My choice of mortuary is:________________
Regarding visitation: Yes____No____  Night before____ Day of____
I prefer: Cremation____  Traditional with casket____
I prefer: Funeral with casket___  Memorial service without____
Other:_______________
My preferred choice of burial is:_______________________________
My choice of church and pastor:_______________________________
My favorite scripture readings include: 1,____2.____3.____4.____5.___and...
My favorite hymns include: 1.____2.____3.____4.____5.____and...
My favorite soloists are:_________________________________
My preference for memorials include:_________________________
Here are some thoughts I think important to express at my funeral or words of comfort for those who mourn my death:____________________________________________________________________and...
Other information for my obituary:
Birth place_____________
Lived at_______________________________________
Worked at______________________________________
Belonged to_____________________________________
Avocations were_________________________________
Other information________________________________


HUMOR for today:
Q. What do you get when you cross an insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic?

A. Someone who lies awake all night long, wondering if there really is a Dog.

PARADE' MAGAZINE'S suggested Bucket List.

QUOTE from Frank "Kin" Hubbard.""Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while."

Last Sunday PARADE Magazine had an article about creating a "Bucket List" before our days are over. A Buckert List is a list of things a person wants to see or do or experience before it is too late. When I retired in 1999 I actually made a Bucket List and have scratched over half of them from the lsit. What I did LEARN from the PARADE article  were some new things for me to consider.  Brooke Hauser, the author of the article, made 32 suggestions for a Bucket List. I actually had some of her suggestions on my list or I've already accomplished them at some time in my life. But she had a couple that I'm going to add to mine.

Here are four of her suggestions that I'm going to add to my Bucket List.

1. Attend a religious service of a faith different from my own. (I'd like to go to a Unitarian-Universalist service once. Ruth Ann, Brad, Carron, and I did go to a Quaker service once in the 1970s.) 
2. Learn the second verse of the "The Star-Spangled Banner." I'm going to read it anyway, I don't think I'll memorize it.
3. Write a gratitude letter to a teacher who's made a difference in your life. (My only problem is that quite a few have already reached the Pearly Gates.)
4. Bake a real apple pie..

Here are more of her Bucket List suggestion that I've already achieved at some time in my life.

1. Enjoy a minor league baseball game. (Cedar Rapids Kernels many times.)
2. March in a parade.(High School band.)
3. Seek out the best Fourth of July fireworks. (In Dubuque last year.)
4. Send a letter to your U.S. senator or representative. Maybe even be nice. (I've done this many times but not all were nice..)
5. Make your own Halloween costume. (Some fun teacher parties  in the 1970s and 1980s.)
6. Tailgate at a football game. (Many times.)
7. Dip a toe into the Atlanic and Pacific Oceans.(Several times in both oceans.)
8. Catch a concert by an American legend. (We've seen many but not any of the recent stars. We saw many of the stars of the 1960s, 1970s. and 1980s.)
9. Appreciate fall's foliage. (Many times walking through Wapsipinicon State Park in Anamosa.)
10. Admire the pyramids of Las Vegas. (In 2007 we stayed at Treasure Island Hotel/Casino for a week and saw the pyramids while taking a walk on the strip.)
11. See a bald eagle soar. (I saw two of them soar while walking through Wapsipinican State Park last fall.)

HUMOR for today: A computer illerate was using Word Perfect when the screen went blank. He called the company support team  for help.The helper goes through 9-10 things for him to check out, Nothing works so he tells the guy to get on his knees and check to see if it's plugged in and is connedcted to the back of the computer.
The illiterate guy says "I can't see anything because it's dark."
Helper: Well, turn on the light so you can see.
Illiterate "I can't because there is a power outage."
Helper: "A power outage? Aha! Okay, we've got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?
Illiterate: "Well, yes, I kept them in the closet."
Helper: "Good, Go get them, unplug your system, and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from."
Illiterate: "Really, Is it that bad?"
Helper: "Yes, I'm afraid  it is."
Illiterate: Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?"
Helper: "Tell them you're too damn stupid to own a computer."

P.S. Sometimes I feel exactly like this guy .

Some interesting numbers= 9, 203, and 13.

QUOTE from a Guideposts reader: "I try to end each day saying, 'I am glad I did,' rather than, 'I wish I had.'" (I really like this quote. It sure makes for a more enjoyable and relaxing evening when I can tell myself that.)


My latest issue of TIME was in the mail yesterday. I always read the World Briefing segment. In that segment TIME has  a section called "World by the Numbers." I LEARNED the significance of three numbers that were part of the world's activities this past week or two. The numbers were 9, 203, and 13.

Number 9 had to do with Saudi Arabia.  A Saudi Arabian woman was in prison for 9 days for circulating a video of herself driving a car; women are barred from getting behind the wheel in Saudi Arabia. (At least the men in Saudi Arabia don't have to get ticked off about "those damn women drivers.")

Number 203 came from North Korea. The North Korean government said it did a survey on global happiness amomg the world's 203 countries. According to the North Korean survey the happiest people in the world lived in China and second happiest lived in North Korea. The North Korean survey went on to say that the least happy people lived  in the U.S. They ranked us at number 203. WOW! (Now I understand why I'm having dreams about moving to China or North Korea - Thank God I LEARNED this - it is finally starting to make sense.)

Number 13 came from Syria. Thirteen was the age of a boy who was tortured and killed by security forces of President Bashar Assad, evidenced by a shocking video. (I wonder how Syria ranked in that North Korean survey.")

GRATITUDE JOURNAL: In 2009 I wrote a Gratitude Journal. I expressed my gratitude to many of the people and things that have enhanced my life in some way. Every day I check to see who/what I expressed my gratitude to two years ago on the same date. I just looked at it now and on May 4, 2009, I expressed my gratitude to TIME magazine for enhancing my life by enabling me to keep LEARNING and THINKING. . It was pure coincidence.

HUMOR for today: I found this rather humorous - also from the latest TIME.
Brad Pitt, in an interview with USA Today, explained how he and Angelina Jolie make time for themselves while caring for six children. Pitt said, 'There are no secrets at our house. We tell the kids, "Mom and Dad are going off to kiss."'
His kids reply, 'Eww, gross!' And rightly so.
(I wonder if that would've worked with Brad and Carron?)

Good News - My life expectancy.

QUOTE from Lewis Gizzard: "Life is a sexually transmitted terminal disease."


I LEARNED yesterday that I'm expected to live to be 97 years old. How did I learn that? Here is the story.
I'm now seventy and half years old. When you reach this age you have to start drawing money out of your IRA. So I called the bank yesterday and talked to Marilyn Heiken at Citizens State Bank in Wyoming, IA. That is where we have our IRA. It is now time to follow federal law and start withdrawing a certain amount of money every year and reinvest in something else. Marilyn told me she would have to get the chart out to see how much we had to withdraw.

She read the chart and said, "Tthe chart tells me I have to divide 26.5 into your total amount." She did the figuring and said you'ill have to withdraw this amount this year. Next year she said I'll have to divide 25.6 into your total amount, the nest year it will be 24.7, and then 23.8 the next year, etc.

I asked her what those numbers mean. She said the 26.5 means you are expected to live another 26.5 years, and next year your life expectancy will be 25.6 years. I told her that was really good news as that means I'll be 97 yrears old when I kick the bucket. We both had a good laugh.

I don't have to go see Marilyn until my birthday in November. She said as long as you start withdrawing  in the year you turn 70 1/2  you're okay. So even though I'll be 71 in November it won't be a problem.


HUMOR for today:  In prison you spend most of your time looking through bars from the inside wanting to get out. At work you spend most of your time wanting to get out and inside bars.

The ninth and final C in Lee Iacocca's list for leadership.

QUOTE from Jean Paul Richter: "A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's."


Today I'm writing what I LEARNED about Lee Iacocca's ninth and final C in his list of nine traits of leadership.The ninth and final C is COMMON SENSE.

Iacocca says you can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE. I call this Charlie Beacham's rule. When I was a young guy just starting out in the car business, one of my first jobs was as Ford's zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, PA. My boss was a guy named Charlie Beacham, who was the East Coast regional manager. Charlie was a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Chatlie used to tell me, "Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it."

So this completes Lee Iacocca's list of the nine Cs needed to be a great leader. Here they are again:
CURIOSITY, CREATIVITY, COMMUNICATOR , CHARACTER, COURAGE, CONVICTION, CHARISMA, COMPETENCE, COMMON SENSE. I'm glad that son Brad made me aware of these. There is a lot of food for thought in those nine Cs. Even if a person is not in a position of leadership those nine Cs give a person some good guidelines for leading a more fulfilling and interesting life.I don't think I'll ever forget these nine Cs. They all struck me as hitting the nail on the head as far as leadership goes but the one that I could relate to the most, at age 70, was CURIOSITY. I really enjoy finding out the who, what, when, where, why, and how of people and things.

One of the main reasons I started this BLOG was it would force me to LEARN something new most every day of the week and I would get to share it. Also, at age 70, I wanted to have a good laugh most every day, so that is why I have a HUMOR section. The QUOTE is simply more food for thought and it forces me to do research to find a good QUOTE for that day. And this BLOG helps me keep my mind off a lot of the negative crap going on every day in this country and world.


HUMOR for today: Deep Questions.

Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
How is it possible to have a civil war?
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
If you're born again, do you have two belly buttons?
If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?
Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
If most car accidents occur within five miles of home, why doesn't everyone just move ten miles away?