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James Stabile Info Blog |
News Blog |
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In this newsletter you will find monthly updates and editorials concerning the issues of extreme importance and interest to the site's creator and owner James Stabile. These issues include - Discussion of the Month; Entertainment; Health, Fitness & Lifestyle; Politics and the World; Religion & Spiritualism; Technology & Business; and Too Strange, Weird or Just Funny. Peruse the articles and if you desire, send comments, questions or join our mailing list. Feel absolutely free to email ideas and topics to be discussed in upcoming months. As always do not feel obligated to participate. For the legal issues: please read the disclaimer at the top of this page. Also, please email the webmaster information concerning any programming errors that you may discover on this site. Thank you for this opportunity. Owner,
Webmaster: James Stabile |
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Thought For The Month "Right or wrong, the customer is always right." Marshall
Field (1834-1906) |
Image Of The Month
Teens beating a homeless
man in Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
Dates Important To The Webmaster 2. Midge Birthday |
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Topics of Discussion
Discussion of The Month February 2006. Time moves on, it waits for no man or woman. You need to be keeping up with the passage of time or you will forever lose precious moments in time. These moments will never be recaptured in their original awe inspiring greatness. Pause, hesitate or fumble and you lose precious memories forever. I bet those teenage boys in the video capture above wishes they would have paused or hesitated or fumbled before they fatally beat the Ft. Lauderdale homeless men in January. What is our society coming to? Is it just an expression of the kind of society that we are evolving into? Or does it say more, more than a picture conveys? I think it is a symptom of a sick society. Of a desperate and failing society. Let me say that most people are good and decent people. There is a minority of people who are ruthless and despicable. But who do we blame? These boys who beat and in one case killed, homeless men? Yes, they are to be blamed and punished if they are convicted in court. Remember the American judicial system must be followed in this and every crime related situation. We can not abuse the law, we must respect it and follow it in spite of these kinds of brutal situations. Justice will prevail. This brings me to another point, there are other people to blame in these kinds of situations. Yes, we as a society must take some of the blame. We always say that our world is changing for the worse, but who makes up the world? We do. We must recapture our world and tend to it's sickness. We can not point fingers. We must begin with ourselves and our own families. We must see the big picture instead of narrowing our focus to satisfying "me". Me must change to we. It starts by one person restructuring his or her life and interpersonal relationships with others. Then it spreads to his or her family. Then it spreads to the neighborhood. Then to the city, etc. Please do not play the blame game in these situations. Examine your conscience and discovered the instances where your thoughts or behavior added to this sickness in society. I agree with the Moral Majority and the Christian Right when they say our society is not God centered and drifting into demise, but I disagree with them when they arrogantly and self-righteously say that they have the answers and the answers lie in their perception of God, goodness and evil. I do not have the answers. I do have an inkling of the answers for me personally, but I do not have the answers for you. My suggestion is get in touch with yourselves and find the answers that will solve the problem for you personally. Marshall Field was either born in January or died in January. I can't remember, I think he was born in January. Anyway, his quote about the customer being always right was a slogan in the sales game for many years. I remember in high school when I work in the meat department of a grocery store in Ohio, my boss told me when I first started that the customer was always right. He did say that the customer may not really be right in reality, but in our eyes and in the eyes of the store, he or she was always right. In sales that attitude may be relevant and the reason for the success or failure of businesses, however, today in the 21st century it has become the motto for our society and in the dealing with the public regardless of the type of interaction. I think that this is one of the reasons that our society is in the shape that it is in today. Everyone is always right. People want their own way in spite of the consequences for other people and society. I pray for any person in the public spotlight, in any context, he or she is constantly under attack by the public. He or she can never satisfy all the people, all the time. They shouldn't try to satisfy all the people, but this has become common place and the practice in our society. People who conduct themselves with the attitude that they will do what's right, not what's popular, are true leaders and heroes in my book. President Bush is not one of my political heroes, but at least he conducts himself in a manner which is consistent with his own beliefs and morals. His beliefs may run counter to my own, but I respect the manner in which he has conducted his life since the mid-eighties when he abandoned the "bottle" and adopted a more dedicated lifestyle. Imagine, I am saying something good about President Bush, wonders never cease. February is one of the best months to live in South Florida. The weather is beautiful most of the 28 days of the month. The humidity is low, record low for Florida. The temperatures are moderate, maybe 80's, but low humidity, delightful. I thought that I would leave this discussion with a pleasant thought. Entertainment Did you see the Golden Globe Awards? I saw it intermittently, between falling asleep and waking up again. I was highly delighted to see Geena Davis win a Golden Globe for her role as the President of the United States in Commander in Chief. I think that show is one of the best drama's on TV. Desperate Housewives won in the best musical or comedy category, another of my favorites. I particularly like this show for it's comedy and also for it's interpersonal relationships. Grey's Anatomy is another of my must watch shows. I was glad to see Sandra Oh win for best supporting actress. Another TV show on my list of best is Boston Legal. That Tuesday night show is super and very funny. I admirer the personalities and the social commentary on the show. In motion pictures, Brokeback Mountain was the winner for best drama and about 3 other categories. That movie is a life changing movie for me. It has given me a deeper appreciation of human nature. It has given me a deeper respect of the differences and similarities in people's lives. Respect, admiration and positive regard are essential qualities that each of us must foster in ourselves and in the lives of others. Munich an excellent movie. Long, a whole 2 hours and 45 minutes long, but it was excellent and moved quickly. Eric Bana did an excellent job as the leader of the Israeli revenge team. The movie tackled a very intense and world wide problem, that of revenge and assignation by warring countries. The movie chronicled the plot to avenge the deaths of the Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games. The movie was entertaining and educational. The 2006 Winter Olympics is almost here. They will be held in Turin, Italy February 10 to February 26. Once every four years the world rallies to compete in the Winter Olympics. The Summer Olympics will take place in 2008. Let us pray for a successful and peaceful Olympics this year and every year. February 5, 2006 is Super Bowl Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers will met the Seattle Seahawks. May the best team be victories. But why is the Super Bowl being played in Detroit? Was Anchorage booked. In other words, Detroit just may not be the most glamorous and sought after place to be during a Super Bowl or any other special occasion. Health, Fitness and Lifestyle How is your fitness plan coming along? By February a lot of people have already abandoned their New year's fitness, diet plan. Why? The reasons are simple, lack of planning, unrealistic expectations and underestimating the job are common reasons for the failure. First, planning is essential to a successful diet, fitness plan. By planning I include all of the homework that must be done to get ready for the venture. Know the foods to avoid and the foods to select on your endeavor. I would suggest purchasing a small, inexpensive calorie counting book. No, no, not one of those fancy, expensive son of a guns, I mean a simple, cheap book listing the food groups and calories. Get all the information on healthy eating. What foods should you be eating and not eating. Plan your attack. Plan your meals - maybe you need 5 or 6 small meals a day instead of the standard 3. The secret is to find out what works best for you. By the way, experts say for optimum fitness and health many smaller meals a day is better for most people than a few bigger meals. Next, be realistic on what you want to achieve. I would say expect to loose 1.5 to 2.0 pounds a week, no more, no less. Hopefully, in that calorie book that you purchased, there is a table showing the amount of calories needed for ideal weight loss per week, month, etc. Use it. Be realistic. Next, losing weight and getting fit has more to do with attitude and actions than you might think. Don't feel like you are depriving yourself of anything. Do you want to be fit or unfit for human survival. Plan accordingly. Eat all foods, items from all food groups, but watch the intensity, the regularity and the calories. If you "crave" a piece of candy, have a piece of candy, one piece. If you "fall off the wagon", brush yourself off and get started again. Now I didn't say, pig out then get started again, just stop, take aim and start again. You must plan for another important component of any fitness, diet, weight loss ordeal - exercise or movement or activity. Any activity will do. To me walking is the single most, all around, best activity to get a person moving. Just walk. Also, those house or yard duties, that's movement. Be creative, just get moving. Fitness is a life long task. It will not be accomplished in a matter of days, weeks or years. It is ongoing and the task will always be with you. So, make a commitment and just do it. But do it for life. Older people who exercise three or more times a week are less likely to develop Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, according to a current study. The study says that the more active senior citizens are, the less likely they will develop dementia. Activity will postpone dementia for a longer period of time in more active older people. Physical activity is important and beneficial for all people regardless of age. Another important point to make is the fact that older people must not only keep physically active, but they should keep mentally active to insure long, productive and happy lives. It is the responsibility of each person to maintain optimum health and fitness for a long and happy life. Please, don't forget about your relatives and friends. They need your interaction and contact. People of all ages must feel useful and engaged. It is true that all living organisms serve a purpose in life. Sometimes we forget that people matter. Sometimes we become so preoccupied with ourselves that we forget about the feelings of those we come into contact with most often, our families and close friends. It is understandable how this may happen. Life is hectic and demanding. We are all pulled by other people and situations. It is easy to become over-concentrated on ourselves. Yes, life is tough, but we are in this life together. The best way to help yourself is to help someone else. Remember the Prayer of St. Francis and put it into practice. This is the best way I know to help yourselves is to help someone else. We must forget about our troubles, problems and selfishness and concentrate on making the lives of other people, particularly our family and friends, fulfilling and complete. "...It is in giving that we receive..." Tipsy is too drunk to drive. That theme presented in anti drinking and driving commercials currently being broadcasted on TV is very important. People, many responsible adults, must realize that one drink may be too much to drive unimpaired. I believe that responsible driving is only attainable if one completely abstains from alcoholic beverages and any other mood altering drugs prior to driving. The main point to be made, if you are tipsy from that drink or two, you are too impaired to drive a motor vehicle. Politics and the World The President is watching or I should say listening. Actually the President is not the one listening or spying on people living in America, the United states Government is doing the spying. Of course, this is being done by orders of the White House. Many governmental leaders Democrat and Republican are outraged by this behavior. Many view this as an outright abuse of powers by the President and the U.S. Government. I, too, view this as an abuse of power. Yes, there may be good reasons for anti-terror practices, but follow the rules. The Constitution of the United States explicitly states that the president must seek judicial approval before or at least shortly after, I don't remember the exact wording, any "spying", wire taping, etc. on any Americans or residents of the United States for whatever reasons. Even if the President felt that there was justification for such monitoring, shouldn't judicial approval be obtained, at least the effort made for compliance with the Constitution? In any case, to me this shows the complete lack of respect, arrogant and self-righteous attitude of the President of the United states for the Constitution and American law. To me, this meets the test for impeachment. The President has once again overstepped his bounds, this is serious business. Appropriate action should be taken by the American congress. The war in Iraq rages on and on. It is beginning to assume the characteristics of the Vietnam War. Some people in the know say that a drastic and substantial pull out of United States forces will be completed before year's end. I think President Bush and the Republican party wants to end this problem before the presidential election cycle, possibly by the 2006 mid-term elections. I don't know if this can be accomplished. If it is realized, then I think that the US will pull out of Iraq in the same manner and with the same misrepresentative rhetoric as President Nixon did in the early 1970's with respect to Vietnam. Vietnam revisited? An impeachment of a Republican president revisited? Will 2006 be the Republican's Waterloo? Will the political makeup of the congress change in 2006? Will the corruption in the Republican party lead to it's downfall? Maybe, maybe not. History does repeat itself. People, especially politicians, seldom learn from history. Maybe the Democrats will be the party of choice in 2006 and 2008. I can dream, can't I. What about revenge as it applies to warring countries of the world? This is the theme of the movie Munich? If one country wrongs another country, does this mean the wronged country has the right to seek revenge? I don't think so, but it is a common practice in today's world. The United States is no exception. The planned assignation of world leaders, because of conflicting points of view by different countries is not ethical or justifiable. Murder is murder, regardless of who deems that murder necessary. I often wonder why world leaders feel that they have the right to cause harm to other world leaders or countries just because they disagree on political matters. This is terrorism just like the act of terrorism of September 11, 2001 against the United States. We must not succumb to acts of terror in the name of national defense or loyalty or the like. The nations of the world must live in peace, promote peace and defend peace. Peace first starts at home, it must start with us, trite, but true. The United states must exist in peace, peace in world matters and peace in national matters. The Bush Administration must re-examine it's motives and practices and govern with peace as a goal and as a means and not as a political tactic. Religion and Spiritualism Christmas is over. The spirit of the holiday must live on every day in our lives if we are true believers. Jesus is the reason for the season, the season must never end in the minds of faithful Christians. The churches are full, standing room only on Christmas and Easter, but sometimes almost empty on the other Sundays and holidays of the year. Do people actually believe that going to church Christmas and Easter is sufficient celebration of the goodness of God? Christmas must be celebrated every day. True followers of Jesus Christ celebrate His birth every day of the year. As you probably know, I believe that salvation is achieved in a personal way. It's between you and your God. It is determined by your relationship to your God and to your neighbor. In that case, for me church attendance is not mandatory for salvation. I believe that one must find God in his or her life on a daily basis. However, people who believe that church attendance is mandatory for salvation often time think that those 2 or three Sunday visits to church will get them into to gates of heaven. These people are hypocrites in my book. Church attendance alone is not sufficient for eternal salvation. Man's and woman's behavior in life is essential for eternal salvation. But let's be truthful and realistic in what we believe. Attend church, but for social reasons. Religion is a social function, not a heavenly function. In all cases, be true to yourself. Church without true love of God and sincere love of one another is hollow, meaningless and will not lead to eternal life. Did you ever think what it would be like to have been brought up Jewish or Islamic or any other non-mainstreamed religion. We are a function of our birth place and birth circumstances. What if we were reared a Jew, a person who believed that the Messiah was yet to come. Even more extreme, what if we were brought up in a family of agnostics or atheist. How would our life be different. Our religious convictions are dependent on our parental and familial roots. Is it our fault if we were taught and believe in the teachings of a non-mainstreamed religion? I think not. I think it is more to the point to ask the question, " Am I living in congruency to my religious convictions." I think it is important for every person to live according to their beliefs. And I think that love of one's God and love of one's fellow man transcends any religious doctrine. I believe that even atheists or agnostics can be "saved" if they live out their convictions. The basis of these convictions must be love, respect and acceptance of all people. I believe mutual respect of all living things, expressed in actions and behavior, is the only prerequisite for eternal salvation. Hence, all people are capable of eternal salvation. Technology and Business Tax Day is approaching. The deadline for filing your federal income tax return is Monday, April 17. So, if you've haven't filed your tax return by the traditional date, the 15th of April, this year you get a few more days to procrastinate. Ordinarily if April 15 falls on a weekend the tax deadline is the following Monday, hence the tax deadline is April 17 this year. For the life of me, I will never understand why people procrastinate with their taxes. You have to do it, so do it. Why file for an extension? You are just putting off the inevitable. As the Nike motto says, "Just do it". If you do not feel comfortable doing your own taxes, then take the paperwork to an expert or a professional. Or purchase tax software to assist you in that dreaded ordeal. Each January, as soon as I install Turbo Tax on my computer, receive notification of my final payroll automatic deposit for the year and when my financial records for the year are available, I start approximating my tax burden. The evening of January 4, 2006, I had already determined the approximate amount of my tax burden and the amount of my refund. The next few weeks I spend fine tuning my itemized deductions and researching possible additional tax deductions. Of course, this is my basic personality, type A, do it now. My motto is why put off for tomorrow when you can do it today. Actually I prefer to know the state of my financial standing as soon as possible so I can plan for the future. Back up favorites? Do you back up your favorites in case of computer malfunction? Favorites or bookmarks (MAC) files should be part of any routine back up of computer files. I don't know about you, but my favorites file is important to me. I have organized my favorite web pages in a very useful, practical and thoughtful manner. If I lost my favorites, I would be lost. Oh yea, I could start all over again, build a favorites file, but that would take so much time and where would I start. An easy way to save your favorites on XP is to open Window Explorer, go to "C", your hard drive, to Documents and Settings, to your username, and select the Favorites icon and save, then go to your back up file and paste. You have it. Or the way I back up my favorites: open an IE browser, File, Import and export and follow the wizard. Remember to make back up files of all your important computer files. In case of a dreadful eventuality, you will save time, energy, blood, sweat and tears. Remember, back up files are used when you secure a new computer. Transferring important files to your new computers can be done using back up files. This goes for you address book, too. Once again, use Window Explorer, and copy, paste the address book icon. Can't locate that icon, use the search feature that comes with any windows operating system and search for address book or favorites or bookmarks. Too Strange, Weird or Just Funny I believe it was in Columbus, Ohio that a man's life was saved by the swift actions of his cat. A disabled wheelchair bound man lost consciousness. He awoke to find paramedics assisting him and in effect saving his life. They had been called by the man's cat dialing 911 on speed dial on the man's phone. I've heard of training a dog to make an emergency telephone call, but a cat? Remarkable. This story has given me a renewed love of the feline breed. 1968 Corvette recovered. A New York man's 1968 Corvette was stolen in 1968. It finally has been recovered. It was discovered in an enclosed Sweden-bound shipping container at the Port of Los Angeles. When its vehicle identification number was run through an insurance industry data base that lists cars stolen in this country since 1968, it popped up as having been stolen January 22, 1968 in New York City. After some maneuvering, the owner was found living in northern California. The car was promptly returned to its rightful owner. Almost 40 years stolen and then returned - never give up hope. A Kentucky man learns that two of his sons have been killed in two separate traffic mishaps within hours of each other. A man in Kentucky was informed that one of his only two children, a son was killed in a fatal traffic accident. He went to the scene and identified the son. On his way home he went by another accident and later learned that his only other living child was killed in that accident. The heart break of losing two children, your only children, in minutes of each other. God bless that man. |
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