This just in: You can add anti-maskers to that as well.

Now…Meatloaf….thanks for the memories.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

This just in: I really like the word “Quantum”. It sounds important and smart. I think I’ll give it as a name to my next pet.

On the vaccine front…I am nearly bullet-proof. I have had 2 COVID vaccines plus a booster. I also got my flu vaccine. I also got the 2-shot Shingles vaccine. That makes 6 shots in 10 months. The only reaction I had to any was with the Shingles vaccine. When I asked the nurse how I would feel the next day she responded with “Not great.” This was a super big understatement. However, I know people that had Shingles and that would be far, far worse than a couple of days of post-vaccine plague.

On Reddit today, I saw a picture of a truck with a sign that said, “I dare you to try to take my guns away.” I couldn’t resist responding with, “This sign means that the person has the ability to pull a trigger and places a higher value on his gun than on the lives of others.” Another person responded to my comment with, “If anyone tries to take from me what is mine, their life is worthless and I will end it.”

Ahhhh diversity. What a terrible place the world would be without it. I think this person is sick but hey, that’s just me. My philosophy is, “If you can get by my 120 pound dog, who is a teddy bear with a strong threat instinct, then you can have anything in the house you want.” Aside from my family, there is nothing in my house, including the house, that is worth the life of someone else.

The following is a call out to volunteers for an experiment I want to try.

I want to connect two complete strangers online. They can use video or not. They will have 10 minutes only to ask questions back and forth. One question per person at a time. This is not a date. This is an experiment to see if 2 people, instructed to get to know each other quickly can find value in the exercise.

My goal is to find out three things.

First, what type of questions and answers would come up when two people are trying to get to know each other very well in a very short period of time.

Secondly, in post encounter interviews with myself, I want to try and measure the value of the experience as well as take in feedback as to how I can make the encounter between my next two volunteers even better.

And finally, was there any value to the participants.

The small print: I won’t share ANY of your information. You don’t have to answer ANY questions that you don’t want to. I will write up a summary of my observations and post it here; keeping the participants anonymous. If each participant contacts me later and wants the email address of the person they met during the interview, I will only provide it if both parties agree.

I plan on doing this sometime in the next few days. If you are interested or if you know someone that is interested, please email me at Jim@shift-work.com.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

This just in: I am thinking of writing a biography on Donald Trump. Here is my outline of chapters by title. What do you think?

1. That time Trump’s dad hired him as a consultant before he (Donald) had entered puberty as a way to avoid inheritance taxes.
2. The time Trump bought a casino and actually when bankrupt.
3. That time Trump university was shut down and fined for fraud.
4. That time Trump airline, vodka and steaks when kaput.
5. That time Trump committed adultery on 3 different wives.
6. That time on the debate stage when Trump claimed to have a big penis.
7. That time Trump organization was fined for discrimination.
8. That time Trump was accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen women.
9. That time Trump said it was okay to “grab them by the pussy” so long as you are famous.
10. That time Trump’s charitable foundation was found to nothing more than a family piggy bank.
11. That time Trump became president after losing the popular vote.
12. That time Trump was found to have colluded with Russia to win the presidency.
13. That time racists killed a person at a riot and Trump claimed there were good people on both sides.
14. That time Trump wanted to quit NATO.
15. That time Trump offered to let Putin interrogate Americans
16. That time Trump let Turkey run over our Kurdish allies
17. That time Trump was impeached.
18. That time Trump became the first president to be impeached twice.
19. That time when Trump lied more than 30,000 times in 4 years.
20. That time Trump tried to get Republicans to overturn the will of the people and make him president again. (aka the Failed Coup)
21. That time Trump claimed he won the election but was unable to provide any evidence in more than 70 court filings to justify his claims.
22. That time Trump threw nearly everyone in his circle under the bus.
23. That time Trump corruptly pardoned those that helped him be corrupt.
24. That time Trump admired his daughter’s breasts.
25. That time Trump cheated at golf, over and over and over.
26. That time Trump tried to get his failing golf course selected for a G20 meeting.
27. That time Trump allowed COVID to kill more than 150,000 Americans through inaction.
28. That time Trump was investigated for trying to manipulate the vote in Georgia.
29. That time Trump was investigated because of his company’s history of financial misdeeds.
30. That time he incited a crowd to storm the capital
31. That time he went to jail and married a 300lb Arian brother.

Still in the early stages but I think this could be a best seller.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

This just in: Have you ever taken a moment to just look at a stranger, maybe at the airport or in a line ahead of you or walking down the other side of the street? Have you ever looked at a stranger and wondered, “Who is that person? Does he have a family? Does she laugh easily? What does he love or fear?”

I know I have.

I wonder why the people I know well are a treasure to me. Did I just get lucky or is this a potential that every person has? If I knew more people well, would I find that everyone has value to me; value as a person; value as an addition to my life experience?

I have in mind an experiment.

I am in the early “thought” phase but if it works out, I will expand it.

I am going to take 2 people that don’t know each other and randomly pick one to be the “asker” and the other the “answerer”.

I’ll give them a relatively short time, maybe 10 minutes.

Their instructions will be for the asker to learn as much as they can about the answerer. Not things like names or ages. More like, “What would you ask someone if you were interviewing them for a spot in your life?”

After the question period, I’ll ask them both how they felt about the experience.

I’ll take this data and expand/change my process.

Ultimately, I see a website where you can go through a catalogue of interview videos.

The goal will be for us to see how the richest thing in our lives, our relationships with others, is just right there; right in front of you in a line or serving you coffee or living across the street.

I’m open to suggestions. Soon I will be looking for a way to get volunteers to participate. I may use this blog to solicit for them. I could even do this online with a Zoom meeting.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

This just in: The filibuster, in the senate, allows debate to be stopped on ANY legislation unless 60% of the members agree to it. This is because it takes 60% to override a filibuster which is essentially a “stop sign” when it comes to moving legislation forward. The downside is that 41% of the senate can stop 59% from doing what they want. In other words, the minority rules.

Those that favor the filibuster like it for two reasons. First, and completely unimportant, is the fact that it has been around forever and thus has some magical power simply due to tradition. Secondly, it keeps a simple majority from changing the laws as power goes back and forth with each election.

For example: Let’s say party A thinks the home mortgage interest should be tax-deductible. They are in power so they pass a law making it so. Since it is now law, people go out and buy houses because of this deduction. Then 2 years late, the other party gains the majority and they change the law back so that it is no longer deductible. This could go back and forth every election as one party and then the other gains just the slimmest of majorities.

There are two fallacies with this issue.

Fallacy One: The filibuster will keep a slim majority from constantly changing the law. The fact is that the senate routinely eliminates the filibuster for certain laws. Republicans did it just a couple of years ago to allow them to install Supreme Court justices. Since it is possible to “selectively cancel” the filibuster, all one has to do is take a quick vote at 8:00 am so that by 8:15 am the filibuster for ANY issue is bypassed. In short, the filibuster is an easily overcome legislative procedure should the majority party elect to bypass it.

Fallacy Two: The Republican Party will change all of the laws they don’t like once they take power if there is no filibuster to stop them. Let’s face it…Republicans don’t pass laws, they block them. The last thing the Republican Party wants is for the American public to see the Republican side of any debate on any law. Suppose the Voting Rights Acts were to pass under the current senate. If the Republicans take over the senate, what do you imagine their argument is going to be to overturn this act. It would boil down to “We Republicans are racist.”

The filibuster is a false barrier to progress. When a senator tells you otherwise, they are playing to your misconception of what it really is.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

This just in: I have learned to hold it in; this frustration with politics. Every now and then I need to let off a bit of steam and this blog is my outlet. Time to let off some steam.

I fly a lot. Every time I go to the airport and get on a plane, I blame the Republican Party for the fact that I have to wear a mask. They didn’t create COVID but, when they were in charge, they did nothing to stop it. This was because they don’t know how to get stuff done. Now that the Democrats are in charge, Republicans actively try to stop efforts to stop COVID so they can blame the Democrats.

Let me summarize;

1. When Republicans are in charge, they stop progress by doing nothing and preventing the minority party from offering to help.
2. When Democrats are in charge, they propose massive legislation which then stalls in the Senate because they don’t have a 60% majority and thus, the minority Republican party can once again stop progress.

Do you want everyone to have free and fair access to the ballot box? Do you think the vote of the people should determine the outcome of elections? If the answer is “No” then you are a Republican.

Do you want infrastructure repairs and updating? If the answer is “No” then you are a Republican.

Do you want universal healthcare? If the answer is “No” then you are a Republican.

Do you think Science and Facebook are equally good places to get facts? If the answer is “Yes” then you are a Republican.

Do you think that the invasion of the Capital on January 6th was an FBI plot or just a bunch of pushy tourists? If “Yes” then you are a Republican.

Do you think Joe Rogen knows more about COVID than Dr. Fauci? If “Yes” then you are a Republican.

If you think a state legislature should be able to overturn the votes of the people in their state because they voted for a Democrat…Then you are a Republican.

Do you think Joe Biden won the election? If “No” then you are a Republican.

I think you get the point.

However, the Democrats have let me down as well.

Joe Manchin and Kristen Sienna are two Democrat senators that have sold their soul for money.

Diane Feinstein has been MIA.

Dems are failing to pass voting rights.

How do we fix this?

Vote.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim