Perpetuity

The Internet is a wonderful tool. Used properly it can be a great resource and, the benefits can be enormous as a tool for income.

But, if you forget, or don’t recognize that whatever you put on the Internet is always, and I do mean always, it can and will come back to haunt you. Not in the supernatural way, of course, however, it can be just as haunting.

In my own naiveté, as a newbie on the Internet, and I confess to just not considering what I was doing, I have placed things on other peoples web sites, and they are coming back on me now. I have asked that they be removed, but, to no avail. It would seem when my name is now Googled, their sites are now coming up and that makes it good for them.

It is unfortunate for me, but it is what it is.

I am learning an excellent lesson here. Not only am I using more wisdom on what I place on the Internet, but, I am using more discretion on where I place what I write. As a writer that limits my venues, but it also makes me more discerning on my choices.

I have also discovered that I am not the only “Debby Willett” in the world. Who knew?! One is a realtor, one is a belly dancer, one is a college teacher, and I’m not exactly sure about the others. It has been an interesting search.

I have considered changing my name. To what exactly I’m not sure, and that may seem a little extreme.

So, my warning to you, as you surf the web and leave messages, or pictures, here and there. Consider how you may feel two years from now, or even five years from now. Will you still have the same opinions? Or even more, will you want the world to read what you wrote five years ago, not realizing that the seemingly innocuous message you are writing now, will be available for perpetuity. That is, forever, and ever. It will never go away. Someone at one point may Google your name, or your picture, and it will come up.

That may not be your concern now, but your concerns will change as you get older. I guarantee it. When you do, as I am now reconsidering what I wrote then, I wish I could go back and change it, or even better, just delete it.

Hate Mail

I received in the mail today my first piece of hate mail.

It was rather benign -- but still, I would classify it as hate mail. This is how it read:

"THEY ARE CALLED THE RAT (underlined)
PACK,,,,,NOT THE BRAT (underlined) PACK

LOOKS LIKE YOU NEED TO DO A
LITTLE MORE RESEARCH"

There was no signature and it was delivered in a plain #10 envelope with simple computer printed address, that was outdated and the post office had to forward it to me.

There was also no reference to what the writer was referring to, and the most important, there was no signature. That makes the writer, a COWARD.

If you really believe in the conviction of what you are writing, have the strength, the intestional fortitude, the guts, to put your name to it. Or else, your opinion really doesn't have much merit.

Not only that, this writer doesn't understand the use of ellipsis. When writing,
"THEY ARE CALLED THE RAT
PACK,,,,,NOT THE BRAT PACK,

the writer should have written,
"THEY ARE CALLED THE RAT
PACK, NOT THE BRAT PACK.

Ellipses are reserved for text, "to indicate an omission or suppression of letters or words (Dictionary.com)."

The second sentence:
LOOKS LIKE YOU NEED TO DO A
LITTLE MORE RESEARCH

The writer didn't pay any attention to the indent of the first line or the punctuation, again.

If you want to send me hate mail, please be accurate, and at least reference what you are talking about. Sending me an anonymous letter with poor punctuation and no indication of what you are referring to does no good to get my attention other than to tear your letter apart.

Comments

I covet your comments.

Really I do. If you have read anything I have posted and want to make any comment regardless of whether you liked what I posted, or disliked what I posted, I covet your comments.

However, please don't send your comments to my email addy. They WON'T be opened. Your comments must be made on this blog only. If you have the conviction of your opinion, then put them on the blog.

Those of you who have sent emails to my personal addy, I apologize. But, I have had far too many viruses, and I am avoiding them like the plague.

If you post your comments on my blog, I will read them, and if you want me to respond, I will. Simply leave me with an addy.

Random Thoughts

The article below was written by syndicated columnist, Thomas Sowell, a black man. He wrote it in a humorous way this past week in a column titled "Random Thoughts" and published it in newspapers nationally, so maybe you've already seen it. If not, be my guest:

Senator John McCain could never convince me to vote for him. Only Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama can cause me to vote for McCain.

After long and serious thought, I have decided to endorse Senator John McCain for President.

I have always voted for the person and have not voted for anyone because some political party was telling me who I should vote for.

We all know the choices by now and, that said, I do believe that the process of selecting a chief executive is deeply flawed. The words "money" and "special interests" come to mind, among many others.

Here's the way I see it:

Barack Obama, you are a fine public speaker. You are also an extremely liberal Senator from the State of Illinois, which has a long and rich history of political corruption of the first magnitude. You are indeed a child of that system.

You have finally insulted my intelligence far beyond my capacity to tolerate your insults. It has nothing at all to do with your skin color.

As a matter of fact, it would be so COOL to finally have an African-American for President. What a great statement that would be to the entire world that we are indeed the greatest country on earth!

But, unfortunately, General Colin Powell is not running, and YOU are NOT the man for this job!

Barack baby, you want me to believe that you have never heard the sermons of your own pastor, the Right Reverend "God Damn America" Jeremiah Wright. It is a matter of record that this has been your church for over 20 years. It is a matter of record that you were married there by this very pastor, and that your children were baptized there.

The good Reverend saw fit to visit Khadafy in Libya with you and to give a lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan, of all people.

We have all now seen excerpts of his sermons all over the airwaves by now. And you have publicly stated that this man IS your "spiritual mentor."

BUT, your pastor is NOT the reason I am NOT voting for you. His words were disturbing enough, but it is your own HUGE church congregation, seen jumping, hooting and howling to his words in the background that disturb me the most. And please don't tell me you attended church there and never once heard a "discouraging word" in the 20 years you attended there.

Don't tell me, that in addition to the good reverend, that you are now not having anything to do with all those other people seen hooting and howling out in the audience in the background of his fiery tirades.

Even Oprah Winfrey got disgusted and walked out on your campaign. I am no Oprah fan, but still she did the right thing.

Now you look me in the eye and ask me to believe that you never heard such language in all the years you attended there! This is like me telling you that I attended dozens of Klan rallies and never once heard the "N" word.

Yep. And Bill Clinton "did not inhale."

Yes, Mr. Obama, we all have friends who have said stupid things that embarrassed us, but NOW you have asked me to believe something that is so incredibly stupid that you are telling me that I am just stupid enough to believe you. THAT is the main reason that I will never vote for you.

I am deeply sorry, that in a country teeming with enormously talented African Americans who would make a good President, that the political system has chosen YOU. You are a pathetic and plastic excuse for an American, who will not even salute the flag during the Pledge of Allegiance. God forbid you ever get near the Oval Office.

Which leaves us with Senator John McCain.

John, you are a flawed man. You are a bit old, a bit loony, and you have a notoriously bad temper. This perfectly qualifies you, in my humble opinion, to lead us for the next eight years. I WANT your trembling hand on the nuclear button.

Think about it.

We have Kim Jong IL, Chavez and Ahmadenijad all running around like lunatics, threatening America and threatening to plunge the world into nuclear Armageddon. We have Putin and the Chinese blustering and rattling their sabers at us. I want John McCain in the Oval Office and I want him to be really ticked off at all these other nut jobs around the planet.

John, once you are elected, I want you to go into the Oval Office and throw one of your perfect FITS. Jump up and down and throw something through a plate glass window. Rip the drapes down and foam at the mouth a bit.

And I want the whole thing on camera so that Ahmadinejad can see it. I want ALL of these "world leaders" to lay awake at night and to break out in a cold sweat every time they think of messing with the United States of America.

I want the nuclear button sitting right next to the alarm clock on your night stand. I want pictures of this to be sent to Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, Cuba, Libya, Syria, Pakistan, and those other dopes in the sheets, the Saudis.

On the domestic front, poor John did try and reach across the aisle to the opposition in a desperate effort to compromise and to get the Congress to do something. You may not agree with his efforts, but at least he TRIED.

For all his efforts, all he got handed to him was his head in a basket.
The liberals are ticked at him and the conservatives are ticked at him. Just my kind of guy.

I predict that John will select Senator Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Good choice. I want a Jew whose memory of the Holocaust is still fresh in his mind and who is royally ticked off at all of these towel-headed morons in the Middle East to be the next in line if something should happen to John. Shalom, Vice President Joe. One heartbeat from the Oval Office.

Finally. John McCain knows on a most personal level what it is to suffer horrible torture for years and to see others die, right in front of you, for their love of America. When you ask him about it, he will tell you that what he did was "nothing special."

Even more incredibly, he states that ANY American who truly loves his country would do exactly the same as he did in that situation. You and I will have a hard time believing that, but the real point is that John McCain believes that about the "average American," and that, dear friends and neighbors, is why I will cast my one poor ballot for on election day for John McCain -- warts and all."

Do You Know Where Your Gold Jewelry Comes From?

I read something today that has startled me so much I am ready to bury every piece of gold jewelry I own. That's right. Bury it. Not sell it, not melt it down, not give it away -- just bury it.

There is an article written by AP journalists, RUKMINI CALLIMACHI AND BRADLEY S. KLAPPER, that details the life of children who mine for gold in the three west African countries. Some of these children are as young as four years young.

The title of their article, AP IMPACT -- Kids working in African gold mines, is searchable and easily found. I hope you take the time to find it and read it and then do the right thing.

Don't buy any more gold.

Don't sell the gold you own.

Don't wear it, and don't melt it down. Don't give it away. Just put it so far away in your closet that you will never remember where it is.

These children - perhaps you have a four year old child at home - are being exposed to liquid mercury to fetter out the gold from the mud. They are inhaling the fumes from the mercury and their lungs and their skin are being irreversibly damaged.

Is your gold jewelry worth a child's life?

This is not the time to be passive. This is not the time to sit back and say, "Let someone else step up to the plate and do something."

This is YOUR time. Save these children. Stop buying gold.

Integrity

Integrity. Defined by The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a strict adherence to a code of incorruptible values, the honesty of which is completely undivided.

When it comes to people, it's very difficult to expect that kind of adherence to a code of incorruptibility of values. We are, after all, human and subject to weakness. That doesn't excuse a lack of integrity, it simply give a reason why a person's character may be lacking.

However, when it comes to business, integrity becomes so much more important. A business must always run with the highest degree of integrity. When a word is given, regardless of the cost, that word must be followed through. Integrity should be the mainstay of any business, if not, the business will surely begin to suffer. Integrity begins at the top and flows all the way to the bottom, whatever that may be. The integrity of the staff will only be a reflection of the integrity of the leadership.

It's interesting, how comparisons can be made across so many different venues: politics, business, relationships, and even employment. Character of a business is a direct reflection of the character of the people employed. If the business doesn't follow through with a sound adherence to a code of values (INTEGRITY), it certainly cannot expect employees to have a better adherence to a code of values (INTEGRITY). It's the trickle down method, and it works.

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT

I received this in an email earlier this evening. As Christians we need to be more aware than ever before what the consequences of this election will mean if the wrong candidate is put in the White House.

Please, take a moment and read this, and feel free to copy and paste and this post and email it on. Thank you.

“Received this from some friends...not only is it biblical, it is something we all can do.
No curse if you don't pass it on; no promised blessings if you do; just a suggestion.”

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT.... 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

“Received from a friend and it is true, this is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced and from the looks of the polls, the Christians aren't voting Christian values. We all need to be on our knees.

Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders to behold. This scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do so. We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land. This election is the scariest I remember in my lifetime!

2 Chronicles 7:14 -- “If my people, which are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

“During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace. This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped. There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. The United States of America and our citizens need prayer more than ever!!!”

“If you would like to participate, each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States: our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the up-coming election, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land, and that Christianity will grow in the U.S.”

“If you know anyone who would like to participate, please pass this along.”

“Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.”

“Thank you. Please pass this on to anyone whom you think will want to join us.”

Would You Hire Me?

If I only had 143 days of experience:

Would you hire me to fix your car?

Would you hire me to run your company?

If I only had 143 days experience would you hire me to run the country?
Something America might want to think about.

Just how much Senate experience does Barack Obama have in terms of actual work days?
Not much.

From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate.

That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working.

After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World, and fill the shoes of Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan.

143 days -This isn't taking into account the days he has missed.

In contrast, John McCain's 26 years in Congress, 22 years of military service including 1,966 days in captivity as a POW in Hanoi now seem more impressive than ever.

At 71, John McCain may just be hitting his stride.

Think about IT!!!

(This was sent to me by email -- please feel free to copy and paste and send this post on.)

My Coke Rewards.com

This is just a quick note to anyone who is collecting those annoying red caps from the coke products to enter the codes to the mycokerewards.com web site hoping to collect enough to actually earn something. Whew.

I had probably well over 60 that I had been collecting thinking that at some point I would be able to find a way to read the almost indecipherable code printed at the top of the Coke Cola caps.
How many times I struggled to read that code and I missed one of those letters or numbers and got it wrong and the web site would finally kick me out because I fouled up too many of the entries. I suppose the system thought I was there illegally.

Anyway, unbelievable I just happened upon the solution and within a week I entered all the code numbers and have a tidy sum of points in my account on the mycokerewards.com.

You may be asking how it could suddenly have become so easy after having been such a struggle. Well, I'm going to tell you. I had a desk lamp sitting behind my laptop and I read each bottle top so the light reflected through just perfectly.

Now, you can only add ten codes a day, but once you've added a tidy sum there are an assortment of options available to you from sweepstakes to purchases. So, if you've been collecting these red caps and getting frustrated because they are so hard to read, now, you can read them, post them, toss them, and then collect the points!

Have fun spending the points.

Sleep .... Naps ... REM

Everyone of us is alloted the same 24 hour period - yet, somehow the 24 hours doesn't always last as long as it does for some of us as it does for the rest of us.

For an example. One who requires several naps during the day accomplishes less during their day as one who may require no nap. Now I'm not adverse to taking a nap. Anytime I have a short nap during the afternoon I always awaken feeling refreshed and ready to start my task with a fresh eye and a recharged brain. But that's not what I'm talking about.

You know someone who never seems to get their act together -- they are always taking naps. That is, unless, there is something they want to do that meets their specific needs.

Then there are those people who seem to never require sleep. Of course that can't possibly be true. Everybody needs sleep. The experts say we need six to seven solid hours of sleep every night - and that's for adults. Children and teenagers need even more. But, I'm not talking about children and teens.

I've seen fellow employees falling asleep at their computers/desks because they didn't get enough sleep the night before and so they struggle to do their jobs. There are cultures around the world that enjoy an afternoon siesta before going back to work. The quality of work seems to improve when the brain has an opportunity to get an increase in oxygen and rest.

Getting enough sleep at night may or may not be enough in the long run. All I have to do is see someone yawn, and my eight hours has gone to the wayside. That yawn becomes contagious and the only thing I'm thinking of is a nap and where the closest pillow is. Sorry, but someone just yawned on the the TV and I've gone hunting ...