All In A Word

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae an itnerseting mnid too!Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Winter's Nearly Done

hand over the keys to the freezer and nobody gets hurt

Just about through with this thing that we call winter. Still lots of snow on the ground but the temperature has risen to a more playable level. Sent the boys out to play in the snow for the first time in a long time- it was just over the freezing mark yesterday. Hopefully it warms up a bit more though as we are supposed to have football game outside in less than two weeks.

No More Soda Or Pop

What You Drink Is as Important as What You Eat

By Al Sears, MD

A few days ago, a patient walked into my office with one of those super-sized soft drinks from a fast-food place near my office. It wouldn't have surprised me - except that it was 8:30 in the morning.

I wondered how common this breakfast-soda habit has become, so I did some research. It turns out that more than 15 percent of people now order a soda when they go to a restaurant in the morning. That's a jump from less than 8 percent in 1990. And there's an even bigger jump in the number of people who open a can of soda at home every morning: 2.5 percent, up from less than 0.5 percent 20 years ago. That's a 500 percent increase!

What you drink is just as important for weight loss and overall health as what you eat. And both diet and regular sodas are dangerous... for different reasons.

Regular sodas spike your blood sugar almost immediately, which triggers your body to produce waves of insulin. Insulin stimulates fat production and fat storage. Diet sodas usually contain aspartame, a neurotoxin that prevents the hormone leptin from communicating with your brain. This is critical, as leptin is the messenger that tells your brain, "I'm full." As a result, you are far more likely to overeat.

The best thing to drink with breakfast is water. It's the way I start my day. But if you need a pick-me-up, green tea is better than soda. It gives you a gentle energy boost and is full of disease-fighting antioxidants. (Even regular tea or coffee is better than soda.)

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure, is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]

I drink a lot of pop. A lot. It's not good for me, I know. It is just so tasty.

I Don't Drink Diet Pepsi

I'll stick with my life, thanks

There are a lot of things I don't do and drinking Diet Pepsi is one of those things. If you have seen any recent television ads for Diet Pepsi you will see a person asked to drink a can and they get asked if there is anything in their youth that they want to relive or have back again. The commercials cut to a shot of them in their desired state but with the awkward twist of being who they are and it doesn't work the way it used to. Wearing the tight (leather) jeans of the '80's and going to a business meeting in the '07's and falling on the floor because the pants were so tight and they couldn't sit down. When the flashline stops the commercial cuts back to the person and they say 'on second thought, I'll just stick with my Diet Pepsi'.

Great ad series really. Somethings never change and most other things always do and it's best to let things end where they should instead of trying to recapture the glory days gone by. Pepsi of course is saying that their Diet Pepsi is still the same as it was in the old days and that of course it is an easy thing to work into your life of today.

All of this is to say that I am having my Diet Pepsi moment right now. Not with something to do with me directly, but with my wife. She wants to become a respitory therapist someday and will have to go to community college at some point to pursue this desire. One of the classes she needs to take is either chemistry or physics. To take those course at the college would cost a couple of hundred bucks plus books and time to get to the school (45 minutes away). So enter the Diet Pepsi moment: I am married to a high school student! She can take either of the classes at our local high school (8 minutes away) for free and have it count to her requirements for the respitory therapist qualification. So she is taking a physics class at the high school with everyone else in the class being half her age (except for the teacher, maybe?).

Nothing wrong with persuing knowledge or bettering yourself educationally and she seems to be doing well with the course. It just seems that we are going through a series of Diet Pepsi moments with everything from the clothes see wears to class, how she hauls her books to class, the new lingo, dangle earrings, music interests and more. Not to mention the MILF factor that I know is running through the halls, which is kind of cool- knowing that I have a hot wife- but not in that I cannot capitalize on it. The changes are a bit overwhelming to me and makes it difficult to know who is coming in the door. Basically, keep your Diet Pepsi and your flashbacks, I'd like my life back.

The flipside of this maybe she will ask me to her prom or the any of the dances they might have. Better go get some lessons.

A New Year Of Whatever

A new year of more whatever. A quick look back at 2006 brought very little in the way of surprises for me. It was however a year of changes for me and my family. A new job for both my wife and myself mark the biggest change. We added a new vehicle to haul ourselves around.

What will this year bring? Hard to say. Maybe more posts here. I didn't put as much on this spot as I thought I would, but that I am still contributing to the thoughtbasket says enough for me.

Make this year your best.

One Word Challenge

One Word Challenge
You can only use one word...Not as easy as you may think.

1. Yourself:
2. Your significant other:
3. Your hair?:
4. Your mother?:
5. Your father?:
6. Your favorite item:
7. Your dream last night:
8. Your favorite drink:
9. Your dream car:
10. The room you are in:
12. Your fear:
13. What you want to be in 10 years:
14. Who you hung out with last night?:
15. What you're not?:
16. Muffins:
17: One of your wish list items:
18: Time:
19. The last thing you did:
20. What you are wearing:
21. Your favorite weather:
22. Your favorite book:
23. The last thing you ate:
24. Your life:
25. Your mood:
26. Your body:
27. Who are you thinking about right now?
29. What are you doing at the moment?:
30. Your summer:
31. Best part of your life:

Just A Rant

The great thing about this Breaking Point is that if I don't have much to say then I say nothing. Lots on the mind with nothing to pour out. I have discovered that there are over 2000000 more blogs that get read more than this one and I am okay with that. Thank you technorati for that vote of confidence even if it's just me who reads this.

Thankful For What???

gobble, gobble

Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving Day. What a nice time of the year. A good temperature. Nice colors on the leaves. Time with family. Time with Friends. Football. I am thankful for alot, but these are a few of the good things.

What makes you thankful?

Smashing Pumpkins

The Big Heavy

This pumpKin didn't break any world records or anything but it sure was big enough. To have such a large pumpKin for the area it was grown is always interesting to me as the growing season is so short. What I would really like though is the chance to carve the pumpKin into some creation!

Grow my own.

Tarred And Feathered

Paved With Good Intentions

Politics is interesting. Media approach can be interesting in politics, much more so during an election period. The problem can sometimes be that people do not care about what politicians have to say. Voting turnout records tend to back that up.

The question is, how do you get out a message that matters and is persuasive enough to create an increased response from the people needed to hear the message? Tv, radio, newspapers, press conferences, rallies and townhalls are the logical and traditional ways to set the 'winning' platform.

With new media the internet and all that it provides has turned into a growing grindmill for distributing the thoughtflow of parties involve. Unquestionably the internet has shifted the way politicians market themselves with many more 'grassroots people' becoming involved in the democratic process. Blogs, podcasts, videotubes, and other sites make it easier for everyone to be involved in one form or another. Of course not all the people are genuine in what they are trying to accomplish as you have people who work for the politicians directly marketing through the internet as if they are grassroot people.

An underused form of media that didn't seem to get overlooked in this particular election is attack ads by way of outdoor billboard advertising. I love billboard advertising. Quick, clever (sometimes) and to the point. This is the first time that I have seen political billboard ads depart from the usual standard and boring picture of the guy running with a stiff smile and party colours saying who he is and what party he represents. And I love it. Two excellent points made by two opponents on the one topic that is of interest to the voting area. If an election is decided on one message this would be it for this area.

If only this idea stays on in future elections. If only.

I Am The Disappointment

It seems to haunt me where ever I go in life. Disappointment. Always because of me. It is said that Technology and Innovations makes everything better, easier and all of that. The strong reality is that for me it has made everything worse, harder and all of that.

I cannot blame anyone else. Nor do I want to. As this guy, I will take the responsibility. I am human and as such I have failed, again. Weak, pathetic and disgusting all in one fell swoop. I don't know the solution--- aside from moving to a hermit state. There is little comfort in knowing that I am not alone in my err (millions and millions in jail for various troubles). The Bible is equally full of thorns... some larger than others. It is a bit confusing sometimes as to how some are overlooked. Some got past the troubles and continued on to the great things. Some just got swallowed up in their circumstances.

Choices have to be made.

Apologies are never enough. Words even less.

My consolation is this:

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-21)

Sinner saved by grace. Jesus is my cornerstone and I am being built to become the dwelling I should be that God might live by His Spirit in me. I still need lots of construction as my walls have fallen. Working for a large building construction retailer I know that this kind of project cannot be completely finished by myself (I can only draw a crooked-straight lines). Building projects take time, have cost overruns, and sometimes are scrapped to be started all over again. Know any plumbers?



31.4% of Americans don't have internet access. I do (hate to be Captain Obvious, but it's true). Some days I wish I didn't. Today is one.

Lonely Skies Tonight

Planet, Not A Planet- Pluto's Last Day

I meant to post this a couple of days ago, but was so distrought at the latest scientific newz. The Milky Way has lost a planet. Not misplaced, but displaced. Milky nearly added three planets. For the record, in the picture Pluto is left with its moons from left to right, Charon, Nix and Hydra.

Drawn In Sand

The ceasefire has been declared. Lines have been drawn but nothing really has been accomplished. Nothing, except for a lot of destruction (good time to be a contractor) and death. Isreal succeeds in pushing back the Hessbelah further away from the border. It fails at getting back the two soldiers that were kidnapped, which is what instigated the whole conflict.

It is reported by media as being a war. I just cannot see how it totally qualifies as being one. Sure the conflict lasted a few weeks. Sure Isreal jammed Lebenon full of holes with its aireal bombardment. Sure the Hessies bombed back. Sure they play the media pipebag well to create a storm of propagandal influence to sway world opinion in their favor.

It all comes back to branding. Which lends strongly to perception. Not to mention the stand on the whole affair by the United States. More on this topic for sure... in the next post. Think about this event until the next post: how does this assault compare to the Iraq/Kuwait entanglement?

Riddle Me Not

Two sets of rules have made it to the Breaking Point blog. This may be the new gardening theme for me (probably not- as rules are made to be broken). The following comes from the uncovering of ESPN's John Sawatsky by Seth Godin.

You need to ask questions every time you interact with a consumer, a job applicant, a co-worker with a great idea or even someone sitting next to you during an interminable wait for the airplane.
I found John's seven rules in a search cache. Here's a summary of what doesn't work:
1. Asking a question with no query
Examples: "Your neighbors don't like you." "Some people think you killed your wife."
2. Double-barrelled questions
Like: "Is this your first business? How did you get started?" You're unlikely to get answers to both. One question at a time.
3. Overloading
Ask: short, simple questions. "What is it like to be accused of murder?"
4. Adding your own remarks
Again, this is not the time or place to say that you hate Chryslers... You're not being interviewed.
5. Trigger words
One famous example of this was when TV reporter John Stossell asked a pro wrestler about the "sport'' by volunteering this about the fighting: "I think it's fake." The pro wrestler hit him--twice. "Was that fake?" he demanded...
6. Hyperbole by the questioner
Overstatement typically causes the interview subject to counterbalance by understating...
7. Closed query (Yes or No question)
If the question begins with a verb, its most likely a closed question -- and will generate a one word answer.

Good starting point on John: American Journalism Review

Thank you Seth for the thoughts and digging this out of cache. You call this The Riddler, but I'd rather call it The Mystery. Sports writers today (especially broadcaster) seem to stick so close to their format of questioning that America could probably parrot word for word most of the questions that are asked to athletes with little to no trouble. When sportcasters do decide to step out and ask questions that are on the edge of the interviewing envelope it almost always seems to come off like a Bill Lambier flagorant flop or worse yet... a Shaq freethrow (a wasted opportunity to put down two easy points). Jim Grey comes to mind as a frequent offender of this with his tenacious knack for asking the tough question at the wrong time- not to mention asking the wrong question to begin with as if to stir the pot (a good idea) but with a strainer spoon and trying to make something out of the nothing that was really there. He is not alone. Credit to him for trying, but he would need more than these seven rules to help him.

Stay relevant. Know your timing (it is everything!)
Back to you Costas.

Rules For Survival By Bob

While I put my 16 rules together in response to a business question, I've been told by others that they can be applied to almost any pursuit. Here are the 16 rules I try to live by:

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."

A special word of thanks.I owe a special thanks to Brian Dunn. When I first wrote these rules down and was thinking about compiling them into a book — that book, like most books I suppose, has been half-done for a while ; — Brian read them and suggested a title. His suggestion was, "They Can't Eat You." I like Brian's suggestion for two reasons: 1. It reminds me of my Dad. I sure miss him; and 2. It's true. No matter how difficult things get, you're going to be OK. It's very important to realize that. Thanks, Brian.

Republishing my rules Should you care to include all or part of this article (or any article in my weblog for that matter) in one of your publications you have my permission to do so provided that you credit me for the material, mention where it was obtained and also my copyright. A suggested form might be "The above (or following) article (or rules for survival) is included with the permission of Bob Parsons (http://www.bobparsons.com) and is Copyright © 2004-2006 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved."

The Dead Kennedys

A little history lesson.

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Now it gets really wierd.
Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who suceeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

Have a history teacher explain this--- if they can.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.
Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford.'
Kennedy was shot in a car called 'Lincoln' made by 'Ford.'

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here is the kicker...
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

Not my research so feel free to dig through history and see if this matches out. I found this article in a weekly ad magazine... my like of JFK helped it catch my attention. I am not sure that in the grand scheme of life's things that it really matters, but I can see how this might be able to add more fuel to the conspired theories which if you add Lincoln to the picture really expands the possibility of such a thing.

Wasn't that Lincoln hiding in the smoking bush???

All In The Ground

It is done. All of the plants have made it into the ground without completly dying on me! I was a little worried though that I wouldn't make it in time. The asianic lillies purchased were nearing their last legs. Almost all without petals and starting to fade. I have to thank my wife for helping with the planting of these final plants. It would have not been completed otherwise. She was even willing to delay our camp memories trip by one day which is very nice of her. Poor kids... are we going yet? No? Why does daddy need to plant things? When are we going to go?

Tomorrow morning.

Hitting Me Here

The attacks in Isreal and Lebenon are starting to hit close to home. Wars and fighting across the ocean usually have little effect on what I think about and done on this side of the world. But the recent fighting has started to change all of that. There is very little that I will do about this latest conflict. I won't fly to Isreal to try and stop the fighting. I won't join in the scurmish. I will watch half closely and pray. I don't know exactly what to pray for though. Beside God's will, which is what He is going to do anyway. Praying for peace is the logical thing, but the conflict is biblically needed for things to work a certain way.

More to this post later. As I think about it some more... which I will.

So It Might Be A Gardening Blog

Do you like butter?


Extra points if you spot the cricket

I think it is only going to be a seasonal thing, but it seems that this blog has turned its thoughts towards flower gardening for now. I like photography and the easy thing to take pictures of right now is all of the flowers around in full bloom. I still have about twenty-two plants to get in the ground before they die on me. I've done quite good this year at getting most of them in, but the trouble now is keeping whatever animal it is from eating the leaves off of my Blackeyed Susans! I cannot think of which animal it would be... deer, groundhog, racoon, squirrel, dog, cats, fox, chipmunk- all these animals that have access to the plants right now. Makes it hard for the plants to survive for next year.
Not much else going on in the brain right now, although I am reading a book with writings from Thomas about Jesus that was discovered about sixty years ago.

Might Be Sunshine Might Be Purple Rain

Mystery color number one

Well, I made it back to the garden centre that had the mystery colored coneflowers and was able to get a picture of the white flower. It's not that I find it to be an ugly color. It is just that I don't have a spot I want white coneflowers to be.

They package the flower as Sunshine with a yellowish hue to the petals. But that doesn't make it any more purple in any way... hope it rains.

Without this blog turning out to be a garden blog (not what I have in mind, just on it), I purchased 16 asianic lily flowers from HD yesterday for $2.88 a pot (8 yellow and 8 pink). The store had geraniums for that same price but I find them to be a bit messy and they have a smell that gets on your hands which I am not a big fan of. But they have this small tree ($29) which flowers pink in the spring and it's leaves turn purplish. I sort of want to get two of these for the front porch area and plant the 16 lilies around the two trees.