Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Mere 73 Cents

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Some might not believe it, but I remember putting 4 cent stamps on letters. I just found out that they are raising the price of a stamp a nickle. That is a penny more than my stamps when I was but a boy.

Now, after all this time, the stamp will be a mere 73 cents, almost three quarters. I’m not even going to try to figure the yearly percentage but I figure it is quite a bit. It does make me wonder if I should forget the whole stock market thing and invest in stamps. I wonder if that’s legal.

Now let’s see. For 100 stamps, that’s 73 dollars, right? Maybe. As I get older, I have more problems wtih math, especially the basic kind.

We aren’t all sixth-graders

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Honest, I don’t remember exactly when it was, but it seems it was before I went into the Marines that I heard on the TV that commercials are designed for six-graders. Most people don’t like more complex things explained to them. So, if you hope to sell your product, you make sure the commercials are simple and don’t require a PhD to understand, even if your target sales is for PhDs.

I guess, in a way, we as commercial watchers are lazy. We really don’t want our minds taxed after working hard all day. On the other hand, maybe the PhDs are too smart too buy products they don’t need, especially the overpriced ones.

I suppose it does have one other side effect. It might actually make it so the commercials aren’t as expensive. After all, isn’t it all about that important bottom line?

I have taken writing tests before. I don’t know if they still have them, but according to the tests, I write at about sixth grade level. Now isn’t that convenient. My readers do not need to strain their brains in order to understand what I have to say. I guess I could say that it is convenient to be less intelligent.

Thing is, (Shouldn’t use those words so much. I’ve been trying to break myself of that.) I was considering what I heard way back then and associated it with something I heard yesterday. If it works better to write commercials for 6th graders, maybe it is good to write political ads for 6th graders.

I got to thinking, is this a good thing. Do we really want the politicians to talk to us as if we are all sixth graders? Yet it would appear It’s common practice. Reagan was known as the great communicator. Maybe it was because his ads didn’t require so much thought. As the guy said, “Keep it simple stupid.”

Just so there are no misunderstandings. it’s not my words. I did not mean to imply that my readers are stupid. However, the saying has been altered to a short abbreviation, KISS.

It is something of a disadvantage for Republicans. The dems make a simple statement that sounds good and it takes hours for us Republicans to explain why the statement isn’t true. For instance, the dems say how nice it is to tax the rich and provide for the poor. Sounds good. Doesn’t work. Never did. And yet we spend hours and hours explaining why and the general public still can’t understand it.

The same thing can be said of many things the dems try to tell us is good, open borders, weak military, and de-funding the police. (Hint: Since de-funding police, crime has sky rocketed. Since the border was opened, fentanyl has gone from about 50 thousand deaths a year to about 150 thousand a year. Tell me how that worked out, but it sounded good didn’t it. In a way, that is perhaps one of the most expensive decisions Old Joe made. It cost us more lives than Vietnam, both sides. It is why I don’t call him president. He will answer to God for all those deaths.)

It is why I don’t like what the dems are doing. It is especially why I don’t like the methods and the means of Old Joe.

At one time, Democrats and Republicans tried to maintained a closed border, a strong defense and strong law enforcement. Since Obama, not so much. Since Old Joe, even worse.

Then again, if they can successfully treat their followers as 6th graders, what can we expect.

Would They Help? Would They Try

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These days I wonder if NATO is not much more than an idealistic thought. As the title of the post suggests, If China were to attack the US, would the rest of NATO come to our aid? As I considered it, I wonder if it would do any good if they even tried.

If the US and Russia climb in the ring and started exchanging blows, what do you suppose the rest of the world would do? Do you think the UN would do much more than sit on their hands? Could they actually reason with Putin? For that matter, would they try to convince him that it’s the wrong thing to do?

It is a scary thought. However, I do believe we need to consider it. It very likely would not happen. However, if it did happen, it would be a little late to consider then.

Baseball

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In my youth, I was always in search of others to play the game. Then too, I played organized ball until I was 12. Since then, I occasionally played. Twice, softball in a church league. Nowadays, I would have trouble chasing a fly ball, though I might still be able to swing a bat.

After a few years in the Marines, I took up ping pong and I got good at it. I still think I can give many a run for their money. Just is, I can’t find a place or many opponents. The problem is that it is a difficult game to play outdoors, unless it is a very calm day.

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?
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I Don’t Write for Profit

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I’m not a the common blogger. I say things I think need to be said. I do not write to gain money. On the contrary, it costs me over a hundred a year. I don’t seek any money from my readers. If someone did want to send me money, I don’t know as they can.

As I said before, I do welcome tasteful comments.

However, I do not pay for this sight so that others can financially gain from it. When I see comments that are, in effect ads, I will not allow them. You want to advertise, have it, but get your own site. Not only will I disallow them, but I will remove them as soon as I see them.

Oddly, I have noticed a few of them. As far as I know, no one saw them but me. They displayed to me as possible spam. When I saw them, I deleted them.

I find it distasteful and a breach of etiquette to use my site for your profit.

Can We Survive the McClellan Effect

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Others may have used the term, but as far as I know, I am the first to coin the term McClellan effect. Just what is the effect and why is it? When the south took up arms and attacked the north in their effort to begin their own nation, General George B. McClellan managed to somewhat fight back the attack. However, he did not take advantage of situation. Eventually, Abe Lincoln fired him. That is history. Most fifth or sixth graders in a good school system knows this.

For this reason, I feel he is best suited to name the effect after. McClellan was considered a good leader by many, until he had to lead. Some folks claim that the civil war would not have lasted as long and the loss of life would not have been so great if Lincoln dismissed him earlier. It turned out, McClellan was more politician than soldier. He preferred his recognition to doing his job. He totally enjoyed moving in the political people in Washington but he knew not how to fight a war.

He was a good peacetime general, but when the cannon fire started, his lack of skill could be easily seen by, well by a sixth grader.

I have no idea why it is, but during peace time, we turn the military over to the McClellans. It is why I call it the McClellan effect. Even during the short WW I, the leadership changed drastically. Eisenhower started WW II as a colonel. He climbed the rung pretty fast, to the point of heading all allied forces in Europe. How many generals of the McClellan type did he pass on the way up. Most likely as he passed them, they asked what that was that passed so fast.

Not all of the good generals made it to the top. They made a movie about him. If you get the chance, you need to see it, “The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell.” They tossed him out of the Army for having the nerve to suggest that planes can destroy even the biggest battleship. That angered a bunch of Navy admirals, even though everything he said was totally right. I don’t know how many of those admirals were honored but the B-25 was named in honor of Gen. Mitchell, the plane used by Doolittle in the raid over Tokyo.

Billy Mitchell was one of those generals who could not survive the politics of peacetime while the admirals did. I wonder just how many men died because of that.

Now, we are in a quasi peace time. It is an environment in which only the political generals survive. it makes me wonder just how many Billy Mitchells we have lost. If I were appointed sec. of Defense, the first thing I would do would be to fire all four and three star generals. From where I sit, none of them are any better leaders than I was. They do know how to say, “Yes sir,” to Old Joe though. And now our armed forces are degrading to far worse than when Reagan became president. Then again, I guess they can’t be totally guilty when you consider what they have for a commander in general.

The problem is, should we ever suffer another Pearl Harbor, would we be able to overcome the McClellan effect long enough to get the good generals in a place where they will do us any good. We might not have months. We might not have days. We might not even have hours.

Romance in the Workplace

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Many do not understand the reason for rules concerning romances in the workplace. Many understand them but prefer to ignore them. Then too, many businesses have no rules concerning such things. Those larger businesses that have no such rules likely will… as the results of a romance in the workplace.

The truth of the matter is, romances in the workplace frequently do work well, maybe 70% of the time. Where the problem is, is the other 30%. Let’s say that a real looker works two cubicles down from you and you see her in the elevator every day. She smiles and the next thing you know, your dating. Next thing you know, you ask her to marry you and she says yes.

Sounds like things are going to work out really well. Then, one day, you get a new boss, who is also her boss. Then one day, she’s no longer interested in you but rather the new boss. (after all he does make more money) So, now how are you going to feel having to work with the one you almost married and the one that took her from you.

Some people handle such things one way. Some handle it the other. There is frequently anger. There is sometimes violence. Now you are starting to realize why most large companies don’t like romances in the work place. It is very easy for the triangles to form, which can cause real problems. Personally, if I were the one in charge of the three of above in the imaginary triangle, they’d all be looking for another position. No leader, no manager wants to deal with such things if they don’t have to.

The problems can pop up in all sorts of ways. Let’s reverse the above. Maybe the woman takes up with her boss and then the boss takes up with another woman. In this day and age, maybe he leaves her for a man. On the other hand, what if a boss takes up with a woman, and she gets all the preferences. She gets the better tasks and the better marks. You do the harder work and she gets the privileges.

The real problem is that even if there is a perception of such a thing, the gossip goes around the office and before you know it and the position of the leader is badly compromised. I’m sure it is not restricted to offices. I am sure it happens in colleges and even in churches. Yes. That’s a fact, love triangles do form in churches and it can result in churches splintering into pieces. I have seen it.0

Now. As bad as all this might be, where the problem can get really bad is in the military. They can form for the same reasons and in the same way. They can have similar results as well. There is one big difference, well maybe three. No one can just quit. No one can just fire the people at fault. And finally, it can happen right in the middle of a shooting battle. The little problem has just made a life and death situation become worse.

We in the US have something of an advantage. We truly have such a big superior armed forces, we can deal with such things and still fight the war. Imagine if you will, a battle where we have a superior enemy force. Do you really want to be a captain in charge of a riffle company, about 200 soldiers, and one of these triangles pops up when you are and your men are struggling to stay alive. If you are a woman, do you want to put your complaint on hold until after the battle or do you risk lives and bring it to the notice of your commanding officer at once.

In some places, military life can be similar to civilian life. All the branches do have offices that are run similar to civilian offices. I have no problems with women in those environments. However, they don’t belong in foxholes, especially in the same foxhole as me. Moreover, they do not belong on ships. The captain of that ship does not need any distractions, even in peacetime. Certainly, he doesn’t need any love triangles. Moreover, the captain does have one more thing to deal with. Perhaps 300 men in the presence of 3 or 4 women.

Regardless, if it will cause problems, during a war it is the wrong time to find out. It can become a very deadly experiment. Romance on a cruise ship might be great. Not so much on a destroyer or aircraft carrier.

Age vs Age

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We need to be careful. The dems are trying to control the wordology again. Every time Biden or his bunch try to defend him, they say that he is not too old. It is something of a sideways swipe implying that Trump, too, is too old.

We need to make sure they don’t frame the election as age vs age, but rather issues and abilities. As long as we keep it mostly on the issues and abilities, Trump will win. If the dems start making it about age, maybe not.

Both

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No problem making a decision there. My two big dogs might have saved my life when someone broke into my house while armed with a .45. It is a shame they are no longer with us. Both had cancer really bad.

If you are having problems with mice, get a cat. Betterer and fasterer than any mouse trap. I guess, on the other hand, you can call an exterminator. However, they cost money and they aren’t as effective. Since we got our cat, the mice all play somewhere else. Besides, it’s fun to watch cats chase lasers.

There is one problem with the cat. The instant I sit at the computer, she wants to jump up in my lap. It does make it a little difficult to get any work done. Ironically, I noticed the other day, she likes to chase the mouse… pointer on the screen. When I move the pointer around, she can get vicious with the screen. I have tried to explain that it wasn’t a real mouse, but, as with most cats, she isn’t much good at listening unless she wants to.

If I had a few million dollars, I would have a large yard and at least 4 dogs and 4 cats. Plain old house cats are fine, but I would want the dogs to be border collies. There would be a little problem with the border collies. I would have to hire someone just to keep them busy. I’m getting too old to do it myself.

Still, they are a joy to watch and they are just so smart.

Daily writing prompt
Dogs or cats?
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The Truth About Time

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There are two clocks we use for time. I know, we all think there is but one method of timekeeping, but I know better. I have learned the secret, that little conspiracy. For sure, there are two clocks by which we measure time. One of them runs twice as fast as the other, or one half the speed of the other. You can look at it either way.

Now which clock do we keep time by. Well, you see, that is where the conspiracy comes in. Whenever you are doing something you don’t like, you run on the slower clock so time goes by slow. Whenever you are doing something you like, you run on the faster clock. For those interested, for you kids, you notice how fast summer vacation goes by. On the other hand, you notice how slow the time goes whenever you are waiting for Christmas.

Where I noticed it the most was when I was at work or at home. I’ll let you guess which clock I was on and when. This has an interesting aspect that I simply did not expect. Now that I am retired, all my time goes by so fast and it goes faster every day. It seems I go to sleep on Monday and wake up on Wednesday. Nowadays, I have a fear of going to sleep, afraid I’ll loose two whole days.

So, in reply to the prompt, let me say, it all goes fast now. However, whenever I get a chance to spend time with family and friends, it all seems to go by in afterburner. It seems we hug while we meet, and then we hug as we have to part. I really don’t like that part of the conspiracy. Of all the precious time, that should go by more slowly but it goes by fast, too fast. It is just not right.

Well, it is nice to know, once I am with God, time won’t mean a whole lot. After I spend a few thousand years with him, it won’t shorten any future time with him or others. When living forever, clocks won’t really mean a lot. Those old timekeepers will no longer have any control over me, or all of us that remain in God’s presence.

I hesitate to say it, but I feel I must. For those who are not saved, I’m afraid that clock will pretty much stop. After a few million centuries, they will still have a few billion centuries to look forward to. It’s one of those things you want to get right the first time. There is no second time.

Daily writing prompt
Which activities make you lose track of time?
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