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Beautiful Words

6/26/2020

Not unlike the hit songs by the group Kansas (Dust in the Wind and Carry On My Wayward Son), The Byrds had a hit song called: "Turn, Turn, Turn," which was based off Bible scripture. Many people loved these songs but didn't have a clue where the words came from. It is one of my favorites and so profound. From Ecclesiastes:

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
time to be born and a time to die,
time to plant and a time to uproot,
time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

A Great Story

6/25/2020

The author Greg McGown recalled a conversation he had with a woman named Cynthia and said it was a great life lesson.

Cynthia's father was an author and speaker and when she was 12, she accompanied him on a business trip to San Francisco. She was so excited. She dearly loved her father and couldn't wait to get one-on-one time with him. They made plans that she would meet him backstage after he finished speaking and then do it up on the town.

They would catch a trolley car to Chinatown, eat Chinese food (their favorite), shop for a souvenir, see the sights for a while and then “catch a flick” as her Dad liked to say. Then they would grab a taxi back to the hotel, jump in the pool for a quick swim (her dad was famous for sneaking in when the pool was closed), order hot fudge sundaes from room service, and then watch the late, late show together. They discussed the details over and over before they left. The anticipation of what they were going to do was the best part for her.

This was all going according to plan until, as her father was leaving the convention center, he ran into an old college friend and business associate. It had been years since they had seen each other and Cynthia watched as they embraced enthusiastically. He said that he and his wife Lois would love to take both of them to this great seafood restaurant on the Wharf. Of course thinking it would be rude to turn down his friend’s generous offer, Cynthia’s father replied, “Dinner sounds great!” Cynthia said her heart sank. She knew her dad was in a bad position but couldn't help but think about what she was going to miss out on especially after having been so excited about it.

But, after a brief pause while looking over at his daughter, he told his old friend that he couldn't do it that night because he and Cynthia had planned a father-daughter night out on the town together. With that he made arrangements for the next night and then put his arm around Cynthia and they hit the town.
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No doubt you're thinking what a great father this man is and you're right. He's the famous author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.," - Stephen R. Covey. Cynthia shared this story with Greg about two weeks before Steven died. You can imagine what a profound impact he had on her not only throughout her life, but with just that one night in San Francisco. where chose her.

Greg was already working on a book about what he calls: "Essentialism," but it was Cynthia's story that really lit a fire. He covers so many issues in the book but at its' core it reminds everyone that we make tradeoffs by the decisions we make every day. That we can't do it all but what is the best choice for the greatest return on investment and it's not always about a financial return as it's more often than not about personal and spiritual matters. Essentialism is knowing what matters most and not just making life decisions on the fly.

What Was I Thinking?

6/24/2020

I know I made some very poor choices when I was a teenager. I look back now and think it makes no sense. What was I thinking? And there's the rub. I can't logic make way into figuring the why behind some of the choices I made because for the life of me, I can't remember who I was back then.

Tearing Down Statues

6/24/2020

Thoughts regarding the statues being torn down:

1) It's illegal at every government level from city, county, state, and federal. For police officers to be forced to just stand around and watch it happen is sickening. People should be arrested and experience some form of penalty according to the law. They're trespassing. They're destroying public property and in the case of some statues, federal property which is even worse.

2) If a statue shouldn't be standing then those interested in having it removed should go through proper channels. Another statue might be chosen by a committee or they might decide to do something else with the space but one thing is for sure, the ones tearing down the statues now aren't intellectually advanced. They don't know their history so they're the last ones who should choose what stays and what goes. Although I'm beginning to think it has less to do about who they're tearing down and more to do about them wanting to feel like they have the power to do it.

3) They want mob rule of this there's absolutely no doubt. They attempted to acquire it in DC yesterday but were shut down by the police. They wanted a situation of territory control like what's happening in Seattle. In this case they had already named the new territory, The Black House. We cannot let this continue. It's time to play hardball. Let the cameras catch police officers and maybe the National Guard using force to combat force. It doesn't matter at this point if the general public sees some tough policing because most are ready for it and those that don't want it don't want to have police in the first place so they're nuts.

4) I don't understand why we don't use undercover officers at these aggressive events. Dropping them off with the look of a fellow protestor/rioter and using a video camera to record the people breaking the law. Getting some up close and personal shots to try and see behind the masks. Have conversations with people to see if some insight can be gained as to how the operation is supported (i.e. food and water, supplies (i.e. bricks, custom made facemasks, hats, and t-shirts, etc.). How were the crowds assembled; basically how did word get out to join the protest and what were they told to expect? A peaceful protest or get ready to fight? I believe there's a lot we can learn by getting undercover officers who fit the demographics of the crowd, on the inside. Coddling these young power hungry kids isn't working. There comes a time where you have to put political correctness aside and just kick some ass. The public relations hit for going "authoritarian," is miniscule compared to the damage these people are causing now in destabilizing our country.

Don't Let Them Win

6/24/2020

Think about how effective the mainstream media is. If we allow them to influence our thinking then we'd believe our country is in absolute chaos. Think about this, the areas of our country where the protests and riots are taking place represent only .0001%. Meaning that there aren't problems in 99.9999% of our nation. The number of people taking part in the violence, represent .00010% of our population so 99.9990% of our country aren't looting and rioting.

A majority of Americans are good regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. There are good atheists. The goodness of people doesn't sell newspapers. The problem is that people forget this. They form an opinion of our country and people in general based on the input of the mainstream media and of politicians trying to gain influence and power through causing division. Let's not them win. Thanks.

Hate Crimes?

6/24/2020

So, the FBI has concluded that there wasn't a hate crime or any crime at all regarding the alleged "noose," and NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. The “noose” was a handle for the garage door. All the FBI had to do was interview people who work there who told them it was just a handle and there were pictures and videos which shows the handle on the door long before Bubba used the garage bay. These pictures and videos were easy to come by because people take so many pictures of the car in the shop. Let the above sink in. This investigation probably took just a couple of hours but for some reason NASCAR couldn’t wait for their investigation to conclude before jumping on the race bandwagon. NASCAR drivers put on a big show in support of Bubba as was covered by the news 24/7.

The false hype regarding hate crimes is absolutely disgusting. Time and time again, like with Jessie Smollet, they're found to either be a hoax or some form of miscommunication. But the hype is always that it is a legitimate event. The news coverage is relentless. The victim card gets played repeatedly in front of us on news programs and in news articles. Then, when it is found that it's a hoax, the hoopla hits the skids and hardly anything is mentioned about it. The right thing to do is for the media to come back and explain how they got it wrong. Then they should apologize to all parties hurt by their misinformation (a.k.a. fake news). Blatant disregard for reporting the truth and/or knowing false information is being shared, should lead to more liable and slander lawsuits because that will be the only way to get the media to back off propaganda and just report the news.

What Is The Real Problem?

6/22/2020

More than a 100 people were shot in Chicago over the Father's Day weekend almost all African American's. One young man and his three year-old son, were in a car when a car pulled up alongside them and African American males began shooting. So far the father is hanging on but his very cute and sweet son, was shot and killed. This sickens me.

Where's the outrage? Where is the rioting in the streets over blacks who apparently don't believe black lives matter? Thousands more African Americans have been violently killed in Chicago than all police killings across the entire country. Of course this racist theme is political. Of course some African Americans have an agenda that isn't about finding the truth and actual problem solving, it's about trying to gain influence, money, and power through playing the race card and steering people away from the real conversation that needs to take place and it's about black culture in what are deemed "disadvantaged," areas. It's actually not unlike how there's way more violence among white people in disadvantaged areas as well. The difference being white people at the bottom of the economic spectrum have no race card to play.

The fact is, if black lives matter, if we want to drastically reduce violent crimes against blacks, the answer isn't in changing policies in law enforcement. Some things might help, but trying to make it the root of the problem is disgusting and so is the realization that so many people are like sheep and still believe in the blatant lies being told by so many Democrats and the mainstream media. They know the truth. They know that systemic racism has been investigated and researched over and over again, and it doesn't exist. There are terrible cases of it but it is the exception to the norm when liberals are making it to represent whites in our country. They are invoking violence. They are pushing for instability in our country. By its very definition, many of these people are domestic terrorists. It's time to call them out for who they are.

Finding The One

6/22/2020

Being a Mann about town, I thought I'd give some advice to young people who are looking for a spouse even though you haven't asked. :) Although there are exceptions to the norm, here are some things to think about:

1) If something seems off with the person you begin dating, you're right. Walk away. The chances are you aren't missing out on Mr. or Mrs. right so don't worry about it. It's so much easier shutting things down early.
2) The person you date will more than likely be putting their best foot forward, just like you, so the fact is, you don't completely know this person until you've spent quality time together. Saying you just met the person of your dreams, isn't a realistic statement.
3) Since both parties are somewhat hiding their faults, a good way to figure out who the person your dating is, is to checkout their friends. Are they kind and nice or superficial and selfish? Do they have somewhat stable lives or are they all over the place? The thing is that the person you date probably isn't the odd person out in the group he or she hangs out with. Not that this is always the case but we all tend to attract that which we are.
4) Does the person seem to live within their means or are they hanging on by a thread because of bad financial decisions? If the person drives a BMW and has a waiter/waitressing job, it's probably good insight into the person's spending habits regarding wants and needs. Has the person been able to live successfully outside of their parent's home?
5) Is the person steadily employed? Does the person have an idea of a career path?
6) Do you have some important common interests that will get you out and doing things together?
7) Are you both similar in your religious beliefs?
8) Is the person good with animals, children, and your family and friends?
9) Is the person fine with you continuing spending time with friends. Not that they should be going out partying on the town all the time, but if the person you're dating tries to separate you from family and friends and make you feel guilty if you don't spend time with him or her, it's a dangerous sign. Controlling relationships never turn out well.
10) If many of your family and friends don't like the person and you think you're in love with him, listen to them and not your heart. In almost all cases, women wish they would've listened to the warnings from other people. When you're in love the blinders are on, it's human nature. You're in a fog and your decision making ability is flawed. The bottom line is trust other people they can save you a lot of heartache.

There are no guarantees in life. You won't find the perfect woman or man because if they were perfect, they wouldn't be with you. :) If you use some of the ideas above, you'll have a better chance of finding the right person for you.

I Don't Mind Waiting

6/22/2020

I used to hate to wait in the lobby for various appointments, usually long periods waiting on doctors' appointments. But now, I don't mind at all because of my Smart Phone. It's loaded with apps. This morning while waiting for my doctor I played Chess, Sudoku, and I checked FaceBook. It's actually gotten to the point where the least used app on my phone, is the phone. :)

Don't Run With The Scissors!

6/22/2020

When I was a little kid, my teacher had a drawer in her desk that she kept locked up like Fort Knox. With how rowdy us kids were, you'd think she'd be hiding a pint of vodka in there but no, it was the scissors we used for arts and crafts. During that particular class period we'd all hear over and over again: "Be careful with those scissors!" "Don't walk around (or run) with the scissors." She was always so stressed out that we'd hurt ourselves with the scissors.

Why? The scissors could barely cut anything it certainly couldn't cut our skin. The tips were blunt, they couldn't stab anything. They were even too light to be used to cause blunt force trauma. But what I really find funny is that the whole time she was freaking out about the scissors, in the back of the room was a huge portable guillotine called a paper cutter. :)

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Author: John Mann

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