Your son or daughter comes home from school with questions about energy. How do you begin to explain such a vast concept?
Teaching kids about energy starts with conveying that there are many forms of energy around us and even inside us. Life as we know it would not exist without energy. Energy is so important that all food packages list Calories, an old energy unit. Energy is either stored or involved with motion.
Every mother loves her kids and every woman loves her black pants. It’s as simple as that. In fact, approximately 99.99% of the female population in the United States adores, and requires an ample supply of, black pants.
This is because only black pants are, at once, sophisticated, versatile, slenderizing and, well, basic. Also they hide most stains though, admittedly, are brutal when it comes to pet hair. So most self-respecting women fill their closet or, if they are so fortunate, closets, with numerous pairs of black pants which they have accumulated over the course of many years.
Hollywood movies and TV shows are almost never filmed in the real Hollywood, a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. Some studios used to be there, but many years ago most production companies moved to other parts of the greater "LA" area. This is why tourists who go to the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Vine St. rarely see anything interesting. But I do ...
By now, Americans are familiar with the stories of Canadians who would have died because of their government's health care rationing had they not been able to get care in the United States. Perhaps just as troubling, however, are the less dramatic but much more common instances of minor indignities, inequities and inconveniences imposed by the Canadian health care system.
Summertime, and the living is...hot -- TOO HOT. Alas, we are less able to handle hot days as we age. The wonderful summertime of youth can become a serious problem for a Senior.
Heat-related illnesses, known as hyperthermia, can include heat stroke, heat fatigue, heat syncope (sudden dizziness after exercising in the heat), heat cramps and heat exhaustion, says the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIH has some advice to help older people avoid these problems.
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I take many road trips, often on routes I haven't traveled, to places I haven't been, and often in a large motor home. Many trips are for business, so I need to get to the right place at the right time. I rely on a computer to plan the trip, then drive the trip. Little GPS receivers are cute, cheap, helpful -- but limited. But fortunately, my vehicle has plenty of space for a laptop that is visible to the driver. So I drive with computer-based, GPS-controlled map/navigation software running on a big computer screen.
There are two major software products in this category, Microsoft Streets and Trips, and DeLorme Street Atlas USA, and I think one strongly out-classes the other. Here's what and why...
Richard Rider Rant
Here is a depressing comparison of California taxes and economic climate with the rest of the states (version 1.37 of my report). The news is breaking bad, and getting worse:
California has the 2nd highest state income tax in the nation: 9.55% at $48,000 income, 10.55% at $1,000,000 income.
California has by-far the highest state sales tax in the nation, 8.25% (not counting local sales taxes).
California has the highest state car tax in the nation, at least double any other state: 1.15% per year on value of vehicle.
Richard Rider Rant
This recession is bad, but for men, it is REALLY bad. According to US NEWS & WORLD REPORTS (May, 2009), "Men account for nearly 80% of the jobs lost since February 2008."
There are higher job losses in manufacturing and construction, where far more men than women are employed. This recession is the opposite of what has been seen in past recessions, where women have often lost more jobs than men.
Richard Rider Rant
Many folks look back fondly on FDR’s efforts to pull us out of the Great Depression. Killjoys point out that FDR’s deeply flawed policies didn’t work – we had the longest, most sustained depression since perhaps the Renaissance.
At least some solace is taken from the widespread assumption that WWII finally bailed us out. Perhaps some see today’s overseas adventures as serving a similar purpose in this economic tailspin.
But we don't need no new stinkin' wars to "stimulate" the economy. I have a FAR better plan.
I enjoy CBS TV show "NCIS". There's a spark, an energy, that makes it appealing even after several years on the air. The NCIS characters are intelligent, the dynamics are interesting, and it is well-played by strong actors, The storylines are usually engaging and often quite clever. But I'm not sure the new spin-off "NCIS: Los Angeles" has any reason to have "NCIS" in its title.
EDITOR'S NOTE: There's a world of musical Boomers who are good enough to make some nice music, but not as a career. You hear them at parties and community events. You might even hear them practicing in a garage. These musical enthusiasts play what they can, when they can, for the fun of it -- classic pop/rock hits, cocktail jazz, easy listening standards, RB and more. If you are in an amateur band, or want to be, we hope this and subsequent articles will be helpful.
Richard Rider Rant
A great deal of attention is being paid to the who, how, and when of being a Boomer. Who are Boomers, really? How will we change the concept of aging? When will the average Boomer choose to retire, if ever? But, what about the "where" part of the puzzle?
Richard Rider Rant
One bad aspect of the current downturn is that politicians are desperate to collect "their" revenue from the hapless population. It looks like a major push is on at the federal level to require out-of-state vendors to collect sales tax from buyers. Fortunately y’all can afford it – and politicians assure us it is a FAR better option than actually reining in runaway government spending.
How long has it been since you've been out on a date, or even considered entering the dating scene again? Perhaps you've been eyeing those murky waters for a while, wondering how to start ... and maybe even wondering why you'd want to bother.
Appearances give us more pleasure than reality, especially when they help to satisfy our egos.
What's YOUR Boomer Story?
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