Archive

Posts Tagged ‘World War II’

Will Your Foundation Pass Inspection?

December 31st, 2014 No comments

Throughout the world at the present time, there is an activity being carried on that has been in existence in some form since the beginning of civilization.  However, since World War II it has been on a steady increase, and now we find it in just about every direction we look.

 

Yes, in just about every direction we turn our heads we see people building.  Buildings—of all different sizes and shapes, constructed of all types of materials, and for a variety of purposes—are being built.  And there is one thing that all of these buildings must have in common to pass inspection: a solid and secure foundation.

 

If a building doesn’t have a good foundation, it won’t make any different how much money is spent on it or how well it is built.  It will not be long until the windows begin to jam, the plaster cracks, and the floors buckle.  One must have a secure and solid foundation upon which to build.   

 

What we have been saying about buildings is also true of people—we must have a solid and secure foundation for our lives.  There was an Episcopalian clergyman I was acquainted with who wore a size “tipple D” shoe.  His foot was so big he was fondly referred to as “Reverend Footsie.”  But this is not the kind of foundation I am referring to: I’m thinking about the foundation to man’s soul, the foundation to one’s very house of life. Read more…

Thanksgiving and Political Correctness

November 25th, 2014 No comments

The Motion Picture Association of America rates movies to provide viewers with advance information about the content of films.  If asked to rate this blog, I would say it is “not politically correct.”  Having been reared in a small town in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri during World War II and immediately following, I firmly believe there are some things we need to be reminded of as we prepare for Thanksgiving 2014, even if it means being politically incorrect.  Bear with me for four paragraphs, and you will see what I mean. Read more…

Overcoming Fear and Disappointment

August 20th, 2014 No comments

His family moved in 1831, and he lost his job.  In 1832, he ran for the state legislature, and he lost.  In 1833, he and a friend borrowed money and started a store; his friend died, and the store lost money and went out of business.  In 1834, he was elected to the state legislature. In 1836 and 1838 he was re-elected to the state legislature.  In 1838 he was defeated in his attempt to become the speaker of the state legislature.  In 1840 and 1842 he was re-elected to the state legislature.  In 1843 he was defeated in his effort to become his party’s nominee for the United States House of Representatives.  In 1846 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives.  In 1848 he failed in his effort for re-election to the House.  In 1849, he failed in his attempt to be appointed Commissioner of the General Land Office in Washington, DC.  In 1855 was defeated in his attempt to get his party’s nomination for the United States Senate.  In 1856 he was defeated in his attempt to win his party’s nomination for Vice President of the United States.  In 1858 he was defeated again in a run for the United States Senate.  In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. Read more…

Taking Credit and Accepting Blame

June 27th, 2014 No comments

IRIf I were the CEO of a company and was employed six years ago to clean up the problems attributed to my predecessor, how would the Board of Directors react if the company was still having problems and I was blaming my predecessor for them?  Would the directors say, “Oh, yes, the problems were so great that we could not expect you to have fixed them in six years”?  Or would they say, “We hired you to fix things, and you should have had them fixed by now or at least be well on your way to having them resolved”?  

 

With the companies I am acquainted with, the board and the stockholders would not put up with a CEO who was blaming his predecessor of six years ago for the continued loss of money and the value of the stock still going down.

 

It bothers me that President Obama and his administration so frequently blame others for problems and the bad news coverage that go along with them.  For example, Read more…

Avoiding Sexism, Perhaps Excessive in Religion

May 3rd, 2014 No comments

Avoiding being labeled as “sexist” is very important these days.  The current emphasis on bias-free language has created difficulties for today’s writers.  Some traditional uses of the English language that have long been the cornerstones of good writing are no longer acceptable: for example, using “he,” “him,” and “his” to refer to a male or a female (if the finder returns my watch, he will receive a reward).  Because these pronouns are masculine-specific, they are now regarded as sexist.        

 

Good writers will find ways to achieve gender-neutral language, but it may take some thought. There are gender-neutral words that were used in the past, some as long ago as the 1700s, that in later years we stopped using: for example, Read more…

Daylight Saving Time

March 9th, 2014 Comments off

Daylight saving time has started this weekend, as we turned out clocks forward one hour, resulting in giving us more daylight at the end of the day.?

My grandmother was a music teacher.? She always kept two clocks on her piano.? She was a religious woman and said one of the clocks was set to God’s time and the other to man’s time.? The one set on standard time she called God’s time, and the one on daylight saving time she called man’s time.? The family always joked about it, but it was no joking matter to her.? The two clocks remained on her piano year around.

Most authorities agree that the world is divided into twenty-four times zones.? Prior to the advent of railroads there was no reason for time zones to be standardized, and countries and cities had their own ways of determining what time it was.? But with the advent of a single mode of uninterrupted travel, Read more…