View From Here

In cold New England, the end of February was cause for celebration. The end of the coldest yet shortest month of winter was at an end. March promised cold and snow, but also change. Change with longer days and warmer temperatures, snow melt and shorter snowstorms. Navigating toward spring was the goal. Promise and hope soared. The same is true in Illinois today.   Cold. Snow. Ice. Gloomy skies, except when it is very cold; then the skies are clear blue, the sun is bright in the sky, but the temperatures plummet to the basement. We are ready for warmer weather. We are tired of being indoors. We yearn for plant life to welcome our day each morning. The smell of fresh air and the bounty of spring pulls us through the doldrums of Old Man Winter. In the midst of this, war troubles the planet. This is not a skirmish of neighbors. This is a war of ideology, global positioning and power. Ukraine is a chess piece on the world stage, a large buffer between the Russian Bear and the demo...

International relations is an age-old method of keeping the peace or playing games intentionally to break the peace. The latter usually has a motive. That motive has several faces, one of which is to save one’s face. This appears to be what Russia is doing regarding Crimea and Ukraine. Keep pushing Russia’s borders outward to engulf more regions to rebuild the USSR. Russia lost enormous face in losing the Cold War. The collapse of the Soviet Union was shuddering to Putin’s soul. And many other Russians, too. Violence of war is more than usurping region. It is grabbing power and money and leverage. If the stakes are large enough, the violence and expense is worth it to the wager of such tactics. Putin certainly thinks so. The chess board of life is a continual processing of strategy and time slots in the future. Positioning for future moves is what makes chess such a fluid challenge. Fluidity of thought and manipulation of the opponent provides thrills to the master. Putin is one ...

I have worked most of my life in nonprofit organizations. You know, the kind that purposely do the work many people want to see done, but other business forms simply cannot do with a profit. The motive is not in the money but in the social outcomes. The work of nonprofits is often invisible. Yet roughly 15% of the American economy is represented by nonprofits. Those nonprofits provide business to other businesses, too, so the total economic impact of nonprofits is probably more like 20%, possibly more. That’s the economic side. What value, though, do we place on helping a single mom find safe housing for her struggling family? What value do we place on early childhood education that buoys the life of countless kids, giving them the chance to develop into thriving adults who then support economic vitality for themselves, their communities and the nation as a whole? Incalculable is that value. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could determine that value? The world is in disarray today, Feb...

Future of Face Masks : I predict they are here to stay. I should have been wearing a face mask during cold winter months for years but didn’t because of how they looked, and I feared looking foolish. However, I needed to wear them to protect my lungs from extreme cold. There are other reasons I will continue to use face masks. During the pandemic our household did not experience our usual allergies. Nor did we contract the common cold. Not once in 2 years. We also were free of flu and did not get COVID, at least not so far. The conclusion for us is masks worked then and will work in the future. Even if the mask mandate is withdrawn, we will continue to wear masks in crowded areas like grocery stores, big box stores, schools and churches. It makes sense for us. I have no desire to revisit the world of the common cold, allergies or any other current disease. Everyone else can suffer. We will continue to live a more healthy lifestyle. Social Justice : I grew up in a home that taug...

Whither religion today? All over the place in many directions. Some directions are of escape from nonsense and what has become meaningless. Other directions are toward purpose, mission and vision. Little agreement exists. And this is true for every religious sect, denomination and creed. Questions abound but answers are elusive. I am no expert in religious matters. I have thought long and deep on such issues, but no expertise emerged for me. On Christian matters, however, I have more familiarity. Here is what I see. 1.        Church attendance is dropping like a rock. Has been for 100 years with the exception of the era of World War II. 2.        Religious education is nearly nonexistent. The pandemic may have changed this with churches using Zoom technology to remain in contact with students without requiring parents to actually attend church services. 3.        Church services are morphin...

Bully is the best description. Putin looks dour, rarely smiles for the camera, and broods over every scene. He swaggers and shows himself sitting in large rooms well separated from others. Rarely do we see him in an intimate setting discussing important issues. His style is declare and scare. The style has given him traction in many settings. It certainly did with trump. And cronies with little spine to resist. The role of bully has served Putin well. But not Russia’s. The complication is the collapse of the USSR. Russia lost more face within the nation than from the rest of the world. Outsiders were relieved to be rid of constant bickering and threats from Russia. At home, however, the people were in mourning for the loss of dignity and confidence. Russia had been on the decline for many years. Roads, bridges and major infrastructure were in bad condition. Remember the US helping Russia financially and with infrastructure to downsize their missile inventory when the SALT treatie...

Two days ago I posted about elder depression. I received immediate replies, heartfelt thanks for airing this issue, and suggestions to ease such moods. All comments were terrific and welcome. This reader reaction made me realize that many important issues are hidden from view. Issues that are common, painful and often avoided. Too bad. I think we would all be better human beings if we faced real issues with honest feelings and words. Blogs number in the millions. Many are daily. The expansion of blogging is exponential. A lot of people have a lot to say. About ordinary everyday things. And that is a good thing in my opinion. When I started this blog 11+ years ago, I wondered if people would even bother with it. I was stunned by a worldwide readership and hits of over 300,000. That told me idle thoughts are worth something. The miracle of social media made this happen. A lot of other things happen on social media, too, and not all good. But I think blogging is a good thing in th...

Answer to Depression : Purpose is the answer. Finding your purpose. Some find it in reading subjects of interest, not entertainment, but interest. Not just hobbies. Art maybe, creating it and expressing the inner self to the universe! Better yet, find people or a cause that is totally outside of yourself and dedicate your interest and efforts toward that. In a short time, your focus will be outside of yourself. The depression will be forgotten. Purpose has replaced it and with it a long life of achievement. And happiness. Long-Term Objectives : America is a society of short-term thinking. We follow the new and buy it. Inventory of gadgets move quickly. The latest model of a car grabs our attention. But thinking two years out from these consumer decisions is often not on our radar. It should be. Does the product add to the strain and pollution of the power grid? Does the product rob the earth of precious metals that can never be replaced? Are we planning space use so we can downsize...

Many years ago a neighbor pal talked to me about his dad being depressed. After months struggling with this the family rallied behind dad and things improved, until he got cancer and died. Then it was my pal’s mom’s turn at elder depression. This was my first experience with the topic. Some years later, my mother was acting odd. One day my dad called me (from Arizona) and mentioned my mother’s behavior. He thought it was rude, uncaring and distinctly uncharacteristic of her. I readily jumped in with the comment she might be experiencing elder depression. He mulled that for a bit and asked what he should do about it. I told him to call her general physician and tell him about the possibility and ask him what to do. The doctor agreed to see my mom under a flimsy pretext and then prescribed some anti-depressant meds. She wondered about this, later claiming the doctor thought she was nuts! I said no, it was an orchestrated attempt by dad and I to get her the attention she needed. We di...

Who is leading who? Congress is supposed to be the people’s voice in aggregate. Yet political discourse is readily played by elected officials at every level of government. Certainly, Congresspeople and Senators at the federal level do this. The question then becomes, who is leading whom?  To represent the people, elected officials must do the homework and understand the issues. They are in a position with resources available to do that homework. They may learn that some issues are different in the details than on the surface. We the People most often deal with surface issues, not the substance of why the surface appears to be so. I expect my congressman to understand the issues well enough to guide legislation and policy to achieve the objectives of the People’s Work. Today, that does not seem to be how the mechanism of government works. When I served on a local city council, aldermen dove deep to understand the cause of problems. We chose to fix the cause of a problem rathe...

I write for my own pleasure. Doing so has uncovered thoughts that are sharable. Other people have benefited in ways that I had not thought. I suppose some thoughts are not comfortable for some, too personal, maybe too delicate? This blog, however, is my commentary on the issues of the day. Some of those issues are very personal. Others are focused on neighborhood, town, city, region, state and nation. Often I have written about international matters. These thoughts are meant to prick my own mind. I need to think about these things. I come to conclusions after such thought. The next day I may change my mind. That is because I have ventilated my thinking and wondered aloud about matters I know little about. I get feedback that expands my thinking, feedback from you, my readers. Then too, thinking aloud helps hear what is wrong with my logic. I learn from my meanderings. The inner voice we each have can be tricky. It tends to settle on conclusions that make little sense when shared al...

Inflation has many causes. Shortage of supply is one. Too much money available is another. When supply and demand for anything gets too far out of whack, prices go crazy. The pandemic created supply and demand imbalances. Prices went down heavily for the first year of the pandemic. Many goods were chasing low demand. Gasoline prices went down because commuting by car dropped off the face of the earth. Parking prices dropped; too few users for the oversupply of spaces. Restaurant prices dropped or stagnated; too few patrons and food was rotting in the storeroom and refrigerators. Especially in downtown areas where commuting had almost ceased to exist. Many businesses couldn’t handle this situation and closed their doors. Sad. Some hospitality businesses found ways to work around the pandemic chaos and survived. Some even thrived. Prices, however, were all over the place. That is the economic system working its magic to balance out the effects of supply and demand. Some players, ...

The calendar year begins with deductibles for several drugs. Some are breath takers. Oddly enough, that’s one of my prescriptions we just rejected. An inhaler for emphysema patients, the 90-day script costs $75 beyond what my insurance covers. Once a year I get clocked for $125, $150, or even $175. This time it was $200. So I said no. I don’t notice any improvement from this medicine so I doubt there will be consequences. The doctor might think otherwise, but then he doesn’t pay the premiums, deductibles or drug prices. We do. I guess we will have a conversation about this during our annual visit. I wonder how many people come to this same point, refusing prescriptions because of outrageous costs? I have often thought of doing this, but today was the very first time. And we have good insurance as a retiree from the University of Illinois boosted by Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Should be a breeze, no? Well, no; it is not. Mom said I’d have days like this. She was right, Febr...

There is value to both. Division helps us see reality with clarity. Confusing at first, maybe, but differences exist in most lives, thoughts, impressions, and understanding. Reality is made up of many things, each of those things weighing differently for each of us. There is no mystery why we see things differently than other people. It is a reality of life. Just like change. It is a reality as well. The Grand Canyon was not made instantly; it took eons to become what it is today. Although the process is slow, even today’s Grand Canyon is different from the one I first enjoyed 70 years ago or more. Change is that slow in some settings. In others, change is fast, even breathtaking. Differentness should be expected. When we take the time to see it, we need to appreciate it as well. The push and pull of difference help us better understand our surroundings. From that we find possibility. Potential for an emerging good? Or another problem to manage? At the very least – or most? – diffe...

Microsoft Solution : Angst over choice. Anxiety over control. Cost of options. All these fueled discomforts over whether to buckle under Microsoft’s separation or to replace with another suite of solutions. Airing this juggernaut of emotions raised questions. Feedback from readers provided alternatives, some of which I had not thought of. Thank you for your inputs and interest. All were instrumental in making my decision. In the end I remained with Microsoft. It offered little disruption, smooth transition back to ‘home plate’ and improved functionality and computing speed. Yes, it cost me money - $6.99 per month plus applicable taxes; the package costs me $7.55/month. The leading reason for this decision is my approaching 79 th birthday. I simply could not face the confusion and mess. Along the way I suggested that technology has become a utility like gas, electricity, roads and bridges. Some did not like my preference that utilities might be made free for some people. I suspect ...

Today is one day you have. Right now. Not yesterday, that was then. Not tomorrow because that is not yet. What we do with today will help define our tomorrow. There is a link between past, present and future. That is logical. I am not saying anything startlingly new. The message has always been there. It is only up to us to see, hear and heed the message. Our brains are machines of logic. One plus one equals two if you are thinking in binary. It is another if your code is 8 or 10 or some other base number.  What we put in our brains affects the data the brain works with. Garbage in, garbage out is a well-worn adage. What we pay attention to filters out the unneeded and false, the illogical and disconnected subjects. Focus helps us stay on track in our thinking. Muddling through a swamp of unconnected debris distracts the brain from focus and conclusions that matter. Process helps us wade through all of this available input. Learning the process that best works for each of us takes ...

Google.docs is what I am using at this moment. Will keep this going in an attempt to replace Microsoft Word. Still need to copy word.docs to Google.docs to keep my production routine humming. I’ll let you know how this is working. Meanwhile, I reflect on how the tools we use are somehow becoming the main topic rather than the work, creativity and substance of the content of these tools. Isn’t the novel more important than the paper? The math theorem doodled in an academic paper is more vital to mankind than the ink or pen used to write it, isn’t it? Please say this is so! I spend a lot of time mulling over disparate ideas and facts, put them together and assess what those concepts mean in discerning broader meanings important to you and me.  Think back to early school days. Blackboards, chalk and erasers were the common tool of instruction. Words spoken by the teacher helped students understand the concepts presented on the board. But the concepts were important, not the blackboard...

I don’t know when I first began using computer word processing. I know it was on an IBM personal computer at the office. Most likely the year was 1983 or so. Word Perfect was one software package used then; another one, too, but I don’t remember its name.  Slowly the personal computing environment advanced, and word processing became evermore present. With each advance in word processing came new commands to learn and master. Soon the system was instinctive and automatic. Then, bam! It changed again and new routines were forced upon us. Competition drove many new products, command systems and loads of confusion. Finally, Microsoft introduced its entire suite of office programs and one by one I adopted them. They didn’t cost me anything at the time because they were included in the price of the computer. Remember those days? Machine after machine, I used up computer after computer. Each came with a more sophisticated preloaded suite of software. Almost all were Microsoft. And the co...

Question: does North Korea pose a threat to the United States? If so, define the threat. Thinking it through to a logical conclusion, if North Korea is a threat to America, this is what we stand to lose: soft targets within range of North Korea's missiles. These would be diplomatic stations in the Far East, and military posts and bases in the same region. If these were attacked, retaliation would be swift and horrendous for North Korea. China and Russia would likely become involved. After all, they have armed North Korea in the first place. They created North Korea to be their pawn in a hot war in place of their own lands. Retaliation against North Korea would affect China mostly, and Russia tangentially. If a broader war results, all hell could break lose but to what end? Separate question: does North Korea have the capability of hitting mainland USA? Probably not. If not, then where is the threat? If yes, the threat, if loosed, would create an attack that warns America to retalia...