People who talk to God usually keep it a secret. They do so either to avoid being accused of being crazy or to avoid creating a panicked stampede to wherever it was they had their encounter with the divine. Some people see the face of Jesus in potato chips or stains on tin foil. It doesn’t [...]
Archive for December, 2008
Peeling back the onion
Posted in Inspiration, Yoga, tagged Darren Rhodes on December 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Desert dwellers: check your license plate frame!
Posted in In the News, Tucson on December 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
If you live in Arizona don’t forget to check your license plate frame if you have one. If it covers any part of the word Arizona you could get a $130 fine starting on Thursday. You can get more details on my original post on the subject.
And, hey! Happy New Year!
The crime of being from somewhere else
Posted in Books, Blogs & Films, Inspiration, World peace on December 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Our hearts have grown hard in this country. We blame people for being from somewhere else as if that were a crime. The Statue of Liberty’s famous welcome message has become a mere cliché. That is our loss. This is what we once believed:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of [...]
A wake up call for NPR?
Posted in In the News, Management, tagged National Public Radio, NPR on December 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The New York Times reports today on news about National Public Radio (NPR) that I didn’t hear on NPR, and I listen to it every weekday. The news is that they laid off seven percent of their workforce, including a significant number of reporters. You can hear very brief statements by NPR reporter David Folkenflik announcing the [...]
My Book Report is back
Posted in Books, Blogs & Films on December 29, 2008 | 1 Comment »
My other blog, the one where I write about the books I have read, is active again. I posted to it today after a considerable absence.
If you have an interest in my book reports please check it out. Today’s additions are David Halberstam’s book, The Coldest Winter, America and the Korean War, and Hooking Up, [...]
Thanks for visiting in 2008!
Posted in Family & Friends on December 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
My profound thanks to all who have visited This Just In!
As 2008 comes to a close I want to express my gratitude. There are more than enough things for you to do with your time, and I appreciate any time that you spend here.
My first intention was to create a blog to keep old friends [...]
Certainty is hostile to imagination
Posted in Books, Blogs & Films, In the News, Management, tagged imagination on December 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Reporter David Streitfeld apologizes in The New York Times today for buying used books. He laments the decline of the iconic bookstores such as Powell’s in Portland, Ore., and confesses that he is contributing to their problems. Mr. Streitfeld flat out blames himself, as if buying books from a neighbor who is done with his [...]
Iraq’s flag reflects that nation’s pain
Posted in In the News, World peace, tagged Iraqi flag on December 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It occurred to me recently that I had no idea what the flag of Iraq looks like. Given the tragic loss of life, limb, and freedom in that country, all of which is being inflicted on the country in the alleged service to its own good, it seemed logical that I would have at least a general idea of [...]
The art of despising customers
Posted in Management on December 28, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Even with the economic problems in this country executives with MBAs from famous schools still feel invincible enough to insult their customers. I’m impressed by that.
The music industry, for example, has decided to stop suing music lovers after suing about 30,000 of them in the last six years. Should we call that an improvement in customer service, times [...]
To prepare for 2009, read some history
Posted in Books, Blogs & Films, In the News on December 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I read a couple of books over the Christmas holiday. One is called Enthusiasm, and was written by a lady swami named Chidvilasananda, better known by her nickname, Gurumayi. The book is, understandably, about cultivating enthusiasm in ourselves. One of the things she recommends is that we really welcome the new year rather than just sliding [...]
