If you have been the number one car safety and quality leader for as many years running as Toyota has, you have in place the attitude if not the mechanics to solve rapidly these now serious issues. I have no doubt that the pouncing by every American car manufacturer to offer a $1,000. cash offer to any Toyota owner who buys their car NOW, has in its calculation the understanding that if  Ford, Chevy, etc take a Toyota in, it will get fixed and so will the resale value be salvaged. It happened to Jack in the Box, when they had a media nightmare. The public came back to Jack! His commercials helped don’t you think?

I continue to drive a Toyota, and if my gas pedal were to stick I plan to  simply push it into neutral and stop. If you are aware of the potential now, you have the same precautionary thinking you do in any other day to day potential caution. It will get fixed fast, and we will see Toyota come back as strong as ever.

Don’t drink – think! Don’t text – think! In a blink it will all be history and other manufacturers know that. If you want the $1,000. credit buy from a manufacturer that has never had a recall. Let’s see, mmmm, who is that? I guess there isn’t one, now that I think about it!

The other assurance I have that it will get fixed is that it is NOT being done by congress! Couldn’t resist….

Let me know your thoughts.

So much of politics is beyond any of us to understand. Popularity or connections or affiliations. When the nation and its’ economy is in the situation that it is, you can know ONE thing for sure. People are frustrated and will not do the same thing they have done before, they want it to get better. Take that to the bank. After all the years that Massachusetts has been Democratic with Kennedy, to have a Republican get elected was a shocker to the congressional community. Oh my God, what will happen to our health bill? How could this happen?

Well, we will see in the coming days! Does it strike you strange as it does me that Kennedy was all about this health care issue the majority of his career and they elected someone who says he will vote against it and probably put it into big trouble. Go figure!

My opinion is that there will be enough influence peddling and arm twisting, that they will get a bill passed this year, BUT will the compromises that come with getting the votes make it worse or better? Not, what is best for all Americans but what can we push through. I have an idea. Let’s put the Congress and the President all on the same plan with us, then it will get better.

The Massachusetts election shocked not only Massachusetts but the whole nation and particularly the Democratic majority in Congress. It just reminds me to never say “Done deal”

What do you think?

First off, I am not a medical Doctor. I make no statement here that is based on medcal research that I am able to give you reference to. I feel somewhat like the school teacher who came up with “AirBorne”. She just found something that worked based on her broad reading and experimenting.

Three questions to answer:

Why do the medical professionals recommend a face mask to reduce the spread of the flu?

What does the face mask help with?

If I choose not to wear a mask when around others with flu what risk am I taking?

Read on and see if what I share with you makes sense to you as a layman like myself. First they recommend the face mask when there is a spread of flu going around because much of the spread comes from airborn sources. Secondly, the face mask filters out some of the infectious flu bearing airborn germs. Last, but not least, if you or I are in the company of someone who may be passing on the flu bug by coughing, etc. we breath in those germs.

Now comes the interesting discovery I got from reading several health care providers, not just one. The germs may reside in your nasal passages in the mucous membrane for a sufficient amount of time for the germs to do their damage. It is a commonly agreed upon theory that in 2 to 3 days the germs become flu and then can move into the rest of your body.

HOW CAN WE REDUCE at least  that one method of contracting the flu? That is the question I want to pose to you. In your nasal passages a saline solution can perform a wonderful service for you. It is not claimed that the saline will kill all the germs, but that it will help. Here is what I have experienced and has been substantiated by my health care professional. It clears the sinuses and nasal cavity of the mucous where these germs reside long enough to do their damage. If subjected to the saline twice daily there is the twofold benefit. Some germs are killed and most or all are removed before they can infect the entire body.

I tried it years ago, and I am a real believer. There are many methods and I will discuss those another time, but for now see what you can find out and let me know what you learn. Still wash your hands and do all the things recommended, BUT consider this idea, it could save you a lot of misery. In fact the swine flu is more than misery! Comment…

It is only a few days until this nation celebrates the annual THANKSGIVING day! I wonder how many of us know the history that would be good to recall.  In 1822 Sarah Hale, a young widow from New Hampshire, decided to revive the forgotten remembrance of thanksgiving. You see, in 1621 when a Pilgrim leader, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of feasting to commemorate the first harvest after a long year of suffering. What you may not know is that, as the colonies grew more prosperous, the people forgot all about Thanksgiving and the meaning it held for their ancestors. For generations Thanksgiving was celebrated sporadically, if at all, with no set date.

Sarah Hale desperately wanted Thanksgiving to be celebrated as a national holiday. For some 40 years she appealed to governors, and presidents to get Thanksgiving officially recognized. Here is the amazing thing for us to ponder IN A YEAR LIKE THIS. She wrote to president Lincoln. Here is a snippet of what was going on for him at that time. According to the book What Makes This Day Different? “His own life was at a very low ebb at the time. The country was literally falling apart and Lincoln’s political future looked bleak. Many of the members of his own cabinet openly despised him, and joked about him in public. His wife had been investigated as a possible traitor a process which Lincoln personally found to be bitterly wounding. In the face of such personal and national circumstances…”

At a time like that President Abraham Lincoln responded positively to Sarah Hale and proclaimed the last Thursday in November as an annual celebration of Thanksgiving.

My reason for writing this today is to encourage Thanks. Many in our land are suffering and have tremendous loss. (work, homes, self esteem). Think of President Lincoln and how he delt with the stresses of home and country. He obviously decided to GIVE THANKS. That was his response and it should be ours regardless of circumstance. I would imagine that anyone reading this is not among the homeless, but you may have personally many difficult problems, and our Nation certainly has monstrous issues to cope with.

Here is my thought! It was at such a time as this that President Lincoln decided to give thanks. Can we do any less? I am thankful to be an American, and to have a faith in my God, and my hope rests not on the problems but on the opportunities in this great land. God Bless America!

Oh, by the way. Sarah Hale was not even normally remembered for this accomplishment. She is normally remembered for …are you ready for this?!  she is much better known as the author of a little poem written in 1830 which begins like this: “Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow . . .”

If you are in a thankful mindset, give my your comment. I would love to hear it.

In this world there are so many people who are determined to find a way to disrupt. Today notice has been going wild all over the Blog world of Wordpress that there is an Iframe issue and I received word to immediately update again, even though I have the latest version of  WordPress. I doesn’t matter what software, or platform you are using every once in a while a virus or some kind of gliche can completely put  a wrench in your online material and machines.

When I received the advisement to update for the fix of the problem, it caused me to wonder what goes through the minds of persons involved in this tactic. I live in the Seattle area of  WA State and in the last weeks we have had 14 set fires in one particular neighborhood. This morning they announced the arrest of a possible person of interest. I could not help but wonder, what profile would describe his thinking and subsequently his actions. People were seriously effected, millions of dollars of  building damage, and thank God no deaths. In my mind, because of that fire bug situation, when I heard of the WordPress Blog vulnerability issue I just seemed to go to the identical question regarding the person or persons responsible for this virus or attack on blog software. What goes through the mind of someone who initiates that? Is it a power issue, a mental issue, a dry run for a major future event based on some agenda? I am just a novice and I really am not qualified to answer any of my own questions. One thing is for sure, in this world we as people when it comes to technology, or even day to day living need to be aware that we are vulnerable.

I personally feel the need for faith. Faith in law enforcement, faith in Fire fighters and faith in internet and software experts. I would also go so far as to say faith in God. Because we live each day trusting the lights will go on when we flip the switch, the house will be free from a fire nut while we are away, and that cyber space is safe. God only knows how we best cope with the future in a very vulnerable world. So be safe, and talk back to me! Oh, and  update your WordPress Blog if you have one!

My view is that so many of our military are scattered in many parts of the world and are sent there as our several branches of the military. Some of them are not in harms way but they are all serving our nation. I want to go on record with a hearty thank you for their sacrifice.
The holiday celebrates those who have died in service to our country and for them our words are not enough. We live in blessing because of the selflessness of those men and women. Thank you Lord for the Veterans. Past and present in service!

I have been doing what you all have been doing…listening to the media reports about unemployment for example. Today the reported statisic was 10.2% unemployment in our country, the highest it has been in many years! I have a problem with that statistic! If you want to know why, it is simple to answer. Firstly, statistics are not static. They change and more significant to my mistrust of statistics is that they can be chnanged by manipulation whether intended or not. Today the President signed a bill that extends unemployment benefits for some 20 weeks and that on the surface is great. We must however acknowledge that many, and I mean many thousands, have gone off the statistic grid, because they either took part time work, or they ran out of benefits. It makes the point that statistics don’t tell the whole story. I would feel comfortable with a guess -t -ment of 19 percent or more of our workforce are either off the unemployment statistic or not looking anymore. Becuase of other situations and circumstances thousands are still without the ability to make a livable wage near what they were making prior to this economic downturn. Jobs and entrepenural efforts need to be encouraged. We have done something for cars, and first time home buyers, both by large cash payments. What can be done for free, by giving incentives!?

I don’t write as a critic, but more to open our eyes to the substantial amount of hurt that is going on. Such stress brings health issues on. “I Can’t pay the house note, even if I didn’t have one of the 2/28 subprime loans. It is because I am laid off!”  Stress… “I have used up all my unemployment benefits and I still don’t have a job.”  Stress… “Total personal credit collapse.”   Stress… “I have no way to pay the really high insurance premium for COBRA interim insurance at $600. to $700. for a family and an unemployment check doesn’t cut it!”  Stress…  Is our Government doing much to help? Yes. The extended benefits help some. The first time home buyer $8,000. credit helps some. More than cash doles, can we have incentives offered? We are an entrepenural society where small business employment is crucial. My view is that encouragement and incentives often cost nothing and our children and grandchildren won’t have to pay for it at some point in the future.

ARE YOU READY? Here comes the biggest boulder in the rock quarry. Credit Bureaus are also going to cause stress with what they consider to be normal statistics and practices. Well my view on that statistic is that this is not a normal time. More of my view on that at a later time! Banks look at a statistic and raise credit card costs. Close accounts on people that have never been late, because of their statistics of the overall statistical class of a given client.

MY VIEW is: On one front the recovery needs something other than clunker cash, or stimulus package payments. We need to have Government, and business, and entrepenuers to come together and have one heart beat! To work together. We all need to make decisions as one, based on this unique time and circumstance we are facung in 2009-2010 .economy.

Make sense decisions, not always by the statistical numbers. Make those decisions not just on credit scores, but character, or historical consistancy before the downturn. In our early history, that is how funding was done. Amazon didn’t make sense, it didn’t make any money for 5 years, it was a make sense business planhowever, and look at it today. Google did not make any numbers sense when it started, but look at it now! What vision and statistics have in common is hope of a future positive result.

We live in the greatest nation in the world! I believe that and I hope all Americans do. It began with a dream and a vision of what could be and did not let the dream be swallowed up by the doom sayers. The congress needs to be once again people of vision and not party commitment first. One thing statistics DO tell us,is that if we don’t do something together as a nation of Democrats and Repulicans united we will be far further down the stress road as a nation, just like many individuals are now. Talk to me!

I would not be surprised to learn from just about any one or all of us that we are not ready for the rapid changes coming in the seasons. The season of holidays. Thanks giving and Christmas are upon us and we are going to be more careful than before about how we go about celebrating and spending. The weather in most parts of the country has shown change already. Leaves are fallen in the yard. It’s dark by late afternoon and coming this Saturday with daylight savings going away for another winter the days will be shorter yet and we will have longer nights. Dark when you go to work and dark when you come home. Don’t you just love it if you are one of us who crave the longer days? Maybe a bit of whinning involved. Sorry.

It is the season of debate. Debate by those uneffected regarding those who are effected! I am talking health care. Put the Congress and the White house on our health plan and it WILL get fixed for the better. I am sorry to say that for many in congress it is an academic question to be bantered about with a win or lose political agenda. Why don’t we all have the same benefits or lack of same? It is priveledge and power and money too often. The season for answers that meet reasonable ground of agreement is also here.

It is the season of employment coming into compliance with the statement that recession is over. When people are not working and homes are being lost to foreclosure, recession is not over no matter what the numbers in Washington DC say.

I am here, today, initiating a new season… A season of being people who thank G0d that we live in a wonderful land, with so many provisions. A season of speaking into existance by positive affirmation for ourselves and our families, and loved ones. Does it change the lack of money to pay the bills immediately? NO! It changes the way we think and that is healing from within. The stress if lessened. The fact that our subconscious minds only do what our conscious minds tell them is another form of prayer. Speaking into existance. Believing! Many poverty ridden parts of our world are a filled with thankful people and they have almost nothing by comparison to those of us in this country in the worst poeverty. WHY? It is a matter I call the season of being thankful. Thanksgiving is not a holiday first it was the result of pilgrims being thankful for real. How we think and believe is the cause and thankfulness is the effect! We will not get out of this life without suffering, but we can choose how we will cope.

Share with me your thoughts. It is my purpose to challenge everyone who reads this blog, or comes in contact with you to be encouraged in the direction of being thankful for what we have and who we are, and where we live, and that God indeed blesses us daily. Talk to me!  When enviornment, and tragedy, and politics, and a hard place are our lot, just rememer we are indeed blessed to be Americans. Food help, and other emergency measures are available. If you are one of those who are reasonably uneffected, cheer up, you will have your own cross to bear. You will need to have the same belief and attitude when your losses are great in your 401K or your health fails or family crisis comes. Believe me, or believe for belief sake that I am right. You can make the future a place of hope however, just do it.

Just some random thoughts.

SHARE THE BAR Because you are looking at this blog, I know something about you. You are on the internet often and looking for information and looking at ads. Why not get paid for it while you are looking. No cost ever, and you are doing it already. That seems to me to be a no brainer. Check it out and let me know what you think. Be ahead of the curve with this new technology. I have reviewed this and I don’t see anything but positives for anyone who decides they want to do this. Go to http://20414.PowerBarClub.com and there you will find a video to explain it for you too! I say “it is so simple even an adult can do it!”  chuckle… In times like these we need some opportunities, and this appears to be one for just about anybody. Look at it and then tell me what you think.

FIRST WORD! In October I wrote a post called “My Recession Finances” and half of the economists were trying to deny that we were in a recession and now they pretty well all admit we are in a depression period. The Fed has never before in history had a “0%” interest rate between banks. The prime rate being charged by a bank that is not wanting to loan money is like having a cone without icecream. “Do you want an icecream cone?…yes “Oh, there is no icecream but the cone looks great!” It is an empty promise for many potential customers and for the premier credit borrowers they simply change the deal on a balance. These banks bought each other like they had money and the Gov’t gave Billions to them, and then a 2% minimum Credit card payment arbitrarily becomes a 5% minimum in order to maintain the rate.

So, what three words are important to encourage john doe public. The average person who is still working or the one who is not any longer.

NOT empty promises like the icecream cone! How about FREE?

If the banks have interbank rate at free (o%) what can we have free? How about using technology to help us, and getting that technology for free. Some things that frost me, like companies, that charge $1,000’s of dollars to assist a desperate homeowner to get a loan modification they could do themselves, and then when the lender decides not to modify they have lost there home and their money. Why not some help for people that we can give as entrepenuers for free? THAT’S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! When you have money problems, free is all that will work. You get to the basics. Some money for food, and a place to live. Unemployment at over 8% in my state, and up to 10% in some places. Free is neccessary! In my next post I will be presenting a free help that anyone can benefit from.

Talk to me, how do you feel?