Can You Hear Me Now?

I am having trouble understanding something.

What compels people to have private telephone conversations in public restrooms?

I mean really. Who is so important that you cannot 'finish business' before taking their call?

This may only be a male-thing, as I don't make a habit of hanging-out in women's restrooms, but there's a sub-group of men who seem to have no problem talking on their mobile phone while standing at the urinal or spending time on the toilet.

I find that it's extremely rude to the other restroom patrons, and I am embarrassed to audibly use the facilities while the guy next to me is talking to his mother. I don't feel the need to broadcast the sounds of my bodily functions beyond the restroom walls, especially via a stranger's mobile phone.

Are we Pavlovian conditioned to answer a ringing phone regardless of our situation? Why can't we let a ringing phone wait? I have always worked on the belief that if the phone call's that important, the other party will leave a message or call back later.

Based on the one-sided conversations that I had heard, the calls are often business related. I can only imagine being on the other end of the conversation... "Yeah, we can [PHFFFFT!] get that order of [TINKLE... TINKLE...] widgets out to you [FLUSH!] next week."

Gee thanks buddy; you have taken the phrase 'Nice doing business with you' to a whole new level.

Holiday Spirit - Is There Hope?

"November 28, 2008 - NEW YORK - Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors before its 5 a.m. opening. The impatient crowd knocked the employee to the ground as he opened the doors and trampled him to death. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said."

Is this what we have become as a society? Monsters who succumb to the call of retail savings? We can rationalize stepping on an injured man in order to save a few dollars on a video game for our spoiled children?

It is depressing to read these types of stories.

I love Christmas and the Holiday Season. I really do. However, I find American society's adoption of the holiday more depressing and confusing each year. Inflatable yard displays with flashing lights and blaring music. Umm... yeah. Happy Holidays.

Even if you do not lead a Christian spiritual life that calls you to honor the birth of Christ, holiday spirit is so much more than boosting the earnings of retailers who hawk cheap, useless gifts that clutter our lives, our minds and our homes.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Dong zhi, whatever the holiday; they all call us to serve each other. To do good deeds that enrich our lives. To make someone's life better. To make a sacrifice for the benefit of another person.

My wish to you is that you find true holiday spirit in your life. That we can become a society who honors and respects life, instead of trampling it on the threshold of Wal-Mart.

Politics, Religion, the Press, and You.

Don't worry. I am not going to waste this space or your time with a rant telling you who you should vote for, or against. This is much more importent than that. It is safe for you to read-on...

Are you tired of hearing about the upcoming presidential election yet?

Living near Washington DC, it seems as though we have been the victims of a media blitz for a couple of years now.

News radio, talk radio, television, magazines, newpapers, billboards, bus signs, on line news, blog sites and the bum on the corner all provide a constant barrage of opinions. They inform us of the candidates' work history, personal life, family life, political positions, religious beliefs, underwear color, shoe size and elementary school report cards. It is information overload. The media pumps us full of so much data that it is almost impossible to digest it all.

The information comes at us so fast, that we no longer take the time to really 'listen.' We no longer take the time to determine what is fact and what is fiction. We no longer contemplate on what we have heard to determine how it impacts our lives, or even if it is really important enough to be an issue. We no longer think for ourselves.

Yikes!

Let me say that one more time.

We no longer think for ourselves.

I am often saddened to hear friends, neighbors and complete strangers simply echo political opinion published by the media, or worse yet by a Hollywood celebrity (What in the world makes a person in the entertainment industry believe that they are an authority on global political matters? You host a day time talk show, or you win an Emmy for supporting actor in a comedy series, and somehow you have earned the right to spout some political garabage to a captive audience? Oops. I digress.)

When it comes to politics and religion, I have always believed that everyone should carefully consider all of the issues and make up their own mind.

It's fine to listen to the talking heads on the television, but use your own head to discern what is important.

We all seem to remember that the freedoms we are so very blessed with as United States citizens allow us to form our own spirtual beliefs. To have a choice in how to practice our faith. To have a choice not to believe in God at all if you so desire.

Well, don't forget that you also have the freedom to make your own decisions when you vote. Use media resources to gather information. Don't believe everything that you hear or read, but take the time to consider all sides of the story. Take the time to find out the truth and to avoid getting caught-up in the media frenzy that feeds off irrelevant hype that has no real bearing on the candidates' suitability for the office.

Practice the freedom to think for yourself.

Think for yourself.

Then be certain to vote on Election Day.

See you at the polls.

The Social Networking Phenomenon

I have to admit it.

I've become somewhat addicted to social networking. Or at least the concepts behind it all.

And it's not just me. My wife, daughters and son all participate in on line social networking in one way or another.

Web sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and of course Blogger really intrigue me. What is it about these web sites? What is it that makes them so popular? What draws people of all ages from around the world and all walks of life to them?

I've thought about this for a while. Well, not for 'really' long, but long enough to develop a hypothosis.

I believe that these on line communities (in one form or another) have become a substitute for the close knit families and neighborhoods that have disappeared during the last few generations.

Friends and families are often dispersed across the country or even around the world. This is much different than in years gone by when multiple generations of a family would live in the same city, neighborhood, or sometimes even in the same house!

In the last few decades, our modern societies have lost their connection to family and friends. I really think that we miss that, and that it has adversely affected our society and culture.

Social networking is really nothing other than a mechanism for people to communicate with each other again. Family and friends are finding each other; catching up on years of missed events and news; reconnecting with people that they really love, people that they have missed.

We are also making new connections. We are finding new friends and developing relationships without actually meeting each other in the physical sense.

I believe that social networking makes technology truly personal, almost in a human way. We are connected again.

Returned FROM Carriacou!

Our family has returned from our 12 days and 11 nights on Carriacou, and we miss the island already.

It was a great trip made during an interesting and historic time, as the National Democratic Congress won the election to lead Grenada while we were there.

I kept a blog of our trip and have published each day as a separate entry on my blog site...
backtocarriacou.blogspot.com/

The blog is a mix of entertaining trip report, useful travel information, and minor commentary. You may or may not agree with my point of view, but being able to publish these comments is one of the benefits of being the author.

We hope that you enjoy reading the blog posts and that in some way it helps you make a trip to our favorite Caribbean destination... Carriacou!