Never Call Retreat, by Newt Gingrich

I just finished the third in the Civil War trilogy of novels written by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen. The series is very entertaining. The historical work of these two authors is impressive. The depiction of the weight of command in the midst of war is intense and the horror of the carnage in our country’s struggle is gruesome. The strategies are illuminating.

The most fascinating element of the last book, Never Call Retreat, to me was that the Gingricgh and Forstchen brought the war to a close about a year and a half earlier than it happened in history. Their presentation suggested that if the war had ended in the way they depicted, the country would have healed in a much shorter time and the equality of all men would have been a reality at least a century earlier.
If you enjoy good writing and a look into some of the most important people and issues of our society, I would suggest you take the time to read the entire trilogy!

New Faucets

When we were doing the remodeling of our home a few months ago, I had most of the work done by professionals; the carpentry and masonry were beyond my ability to do myself. But when it came to replacing the faucets I knew I could do the work. So we went online and searched online for the hardware we wanted. We settled on the #1 Danze faucets.

We loved their wide variety of models of kitchen faucets, as well as the bathroom faucets we wanted. In the kitchen we decided on the oil rubbed bronze faucet from the Anu collection. In the bathroom we decided on the simple but elegant antique brass model from the Sable collection.

Corporate Gifts

I have often wondered about the value of promotional items to the companies that dispense them arbitrarily to big crowds. I was at the game between the Dodgers and the Astros at Minute Maid yesterday and was given a nice cloth visor with the Astros logo. On the side of the visor was the logo of UPS, who sponsored the promotional products.

I suppose that the cost of the corporate gifts is not nearly as expensive as they would cost at retail, but there is surely a cost. But the fact that so many successful companies engage in such practices, makes me believe that their research reveals that the benefits far out weigh the costs. No doubt UPS likes the fact that I will bear their logo where ever I wear my new visor!

Mother Goose & Grimm

I have daily home delivery of the Houston Chronicle. Except on Sunday, I like to start my day with the paper, but I usually only read the sports page and the funny papers. One of the comics I check every day is Mother Goose and Grimm. It often has a new twist on old thoughts or phrases. I often laugh. Today was one of those. I thought you might enjoy the laugh and start reading the funnies, if you are not in the habit.

Microwaves

I had never heard of microwaves in the fall of 1967. But at the county fair my wife and I were going through the exhibits hall and there was a lady demonstrating the speed of cooking in one of the new ovens. She said, in the future, every home in America will have a microwave oven!” We rolled our eyes at the prediction.

 

 For our tenth anniversary, I wanted to give my wife a special gift. I went to our local Sears store and wandered around looking for the right thing. When I came to the microwaves, I knew that was what I wanted to give her. She was floored, but she said. “It cost too much, and I will never use it.”

 

 That oven lasted for twenty years and was probably the most used appliance in our home, with the possible exception of the television. When it finally broke, my wife went the store that afternoon and found a replacement before dark. To find the best one for her, she went to Wize.com for their ratings!

And the prophecy we heard at the county fair 40 years ago turned out to be pretty accurate, there are microwaves in almost every home!

Completing the Remodeling

When we were remodeling our home, the last thing we finished was our front bathroom.  My wife had no problem with what he wanted in the way of what a new tub and the new cabinets.  She had two vanities installed and the custom-made cabinets installed that gave the room a completely renew look. 

 

The most difficult part for her was finding just the right light fixtures to accentuate the other changes.  She found some four recessed lighting fixtures to go along been the wall next to the tub.  And she found some very nice  fixtures that just met her visions to go above the mirror at each vanity.  I had no idea that bathroom lighting was a big deal, till my wife showed me!

 

The result of her hard work was a bathroom that is now the showplace of our whole house.

The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom

Here is my report on this month’s selection for the Book Club Discussion started by Marathon Bird.

 

I don’t know why I had never read The Hiding Place, but maybe it was partly because I did not want to visit the things that went on at the hands of the Germans in WWll. When I was a kid I went with my dad to see Mein Kampf, the documentary that showed the depravity of the Holocaust. Those pictures were deeply etched in my mind.  I think that is why I did not want to see Schindler’s List.
 
As I read of the heroism of the Ten Boom family, I was horrified again at the treatment of those considered by the Nazis as inferior. But I was buoyed by the faith of the family, especially Corrie and Betsie as they were incarcerated and mistreated. I could identify with Corrie, as she wanted to honor God but who constantly had to deal with the emotions of anger and hate for her captors. I was truly inspired by Betsie, who was more Christ-like in her dealing with the deprivation and the persecution.

I am glad I read this book, because its message was not really about creating a hiding place for Jewish refugees and an underground network to get them to safety. Its message, at least to me was that all of us need a Hiding Place as described in Psalm 32:7 “Thou art my hiding place; Thou dost preserve from trouble…”

Opression of Credit

Do you get tired of all the commercials on television and radio for the folks that offer credit repair services? It sometimes makes me wonder how many folks are in need of bad credit repair. But then I remember how easy it is to obtain credit in the first place and to ruin one’s credit in the second place.

 

I recall long ago when Master Card was introduced and so many of us bought into their idea of buy now pay later. We did not know that we would end up working for the Master__Card because we only paid the minimum payment. The principle never dropped!

 

So now I feel sorry for those young people who get taken in and end up needing to find some credit repair  that will allow them to get free of debt and be able to afford to buy a house or save for the future!

Shopping Online

It has not been so long ago that I thought I would never buy anything on the internet. Now I do a lot of my shopping on the Web. I have bought books, gifts, vacations, computers and more.

One of the reasons for the change is the convenience of shopping form my easy chair. Also I love saving money. One of the best ways to save is to use coupons and coupon codes. That is why Savings.com is so essential to online shoppers.

For instance, if I want to get a birthday gift for my granddaughter from Old Navy, I can go to Savings.com and get an online coupon for as much as 70% off!

Savings.com is one of the biggest online discount coupons, featuring many top name brands. You can easily obtain discounts or free shipping. It all adds to the pleasure of online shopping!

Ewing Kauffman Foundation

As a big baseball fan, I usually stop to read items or web pages that mention something about baseball or baseball people. So recently when I saw a blurb about

entrepreneur Ewing Kauffman, of the Kansas City Royals, I clicked to the page and read about his foundation’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship into more segments of our society.

 

 

 

The Foundation is determined to educate as many as possible on the technologies and policies that will empower and encourage more minority entrepreneurship and college entrepreneurship, helping them understand the business world, markets and how to access capital.