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2021 - Covid-19 Positive, Day 40… Four Lessons Learned - by David Bradshaw - “As a man in his last breath drops all he is carrying, each breath is a little death that can set us free.” -Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening - 2.1.21 marks the 40th day since I first tested Covid-19 positive. At age 67 I had always been the picture of good health — never spending even one day in the hospital, until catching Covid from my significant other, due to her workplace not following distancing protocol last December. My Covid journey has been full of rude awakenings of which some, as a former smoker of over 20 years, that have taken my breath away. For example, I have needed oxygen to maintain somewhere-near normal functioning breathing. Even with the oxygen, taking a short walk to the bathroom or kitchen sends my heart racing and results in shortness of breath. So lesson one: I appreciate my breath... it is what separates life and death.
From ‘Waking Up’ to ‘Growing Up’ With Ken Wilbur - by David Bradshaw - “Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! Let our affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand.” -Henry David Thoreau, Walden - Anyone can complicate matters, but it can take a genius to simplify matters. And that is what philosopher, author and futurist Ken Wilbur is; a modern Einstein-like genius who has developed and written about integral thinking in his 25–30 books over the last half-century — of which my favorite is “A Brief History of Everything.” My experience reading Ken two years ago — because he is such a big thinker — I was a bit challenged to hold all of his integrated thinking together while digesting his expansive vocabulary. In other words, his books can be tough sledding at first, for me anyway. Which is why I was very pleased to discover how Ken has recently simplified his vital message of integration of 60+ life disciplines into a simple, how to lift your consciousness levels upward in his new 90-minute Mindvalley online webinar entitled “Integral Spiritual Life Practices.”
2020 - 
A Transformational Gift For You! - by David Bradshaw - 2020 has been a year of metamorphosis for humanity.
For millions, the puzzle pieces of their life have become jumbled amid the 2020 pandemic.
For some, the picture they had of their life, envisioned on the puzzle box cover, is no longer recognizable. A new image may be needed to help to fit these disunited parts back together into a new whole.
Everything from politics… to employment… to personal relationships has been shaken, rattled and rolled so that what remains can hopefully rest upon a firmer foundation.
True spiritual direction is needed. Thankfully, today wisdom traditions are gradually converging to form a beautiful spiritual tapestry which reflects unity on the essentials, diversity on the non-essentials, and love in all things. My gift to YOU this holiday season: A FREE PDF of Blissfull Books & Ballads which can be downloaded at THIS LINK. If you find this book helpful, please drop my a note at: ideaman@myideafactory.net.
Retiring Retirement: The Rise Of Life's Third Age By Dychtwald/Morison/Forbes "Worldwide, nearly a billion people are in or near retirement, and they enjoy many more options and opportunities for how to spend their newfound time affluence....We now believe the word 'retirement' is reaching the end of its line. It's far too small and narrow for what is now emerging.... A compelling philosophy has emerged from the European tradition of adult education that provides a simple yet visionary orientation. Referred to as the 'third age,' this point of view has three 'ages' of man, each with its own special focus, challenge, and opportunity. In the first age, from birth to approximately 30 years of age, the primary tasks of life center around biological development, learning, and survival....In the second age, from about 30 to 60, the concerns of adult life focus on issues pertaining to the formation of family, parenting, and productive work...Until the last century, most people couldn't expect to live much beyond the second age, and society at that time was thus centered on the concerns of this age. PBS debuted an excellent 1-hour TV special on 11/28/20 entitled: Life's Third Age hosted by Ken Dychtwald, co-author of new book What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life's Third Age.
INCORRUPTIBLE LOVE: A book review of The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis - by David Bradshaw - The word love, like a multifaceted diamond, sparkles in all directions at once. However, the English word "love" has been diffused by the nuances of it's many potential meanings. Parents love their children, friends can love one another and lovers may feel passionate love toward each other. All three of these human-based loves have one thing in common: the need to both love and to be loved back. But in all the universe, there is only one type of love that is Divine-based, and therefore entirely incorruptible, according to the beloved 20th century scholar and author C.S. Lewis (1898–1963) — unconditional love or charity, derived from the Greek word "agape". "The human loves can be glorious images of Divine love. No less than that: but also no more," writes Lewis. In The Four Loves, one of his most famous works of nonfiction, readers explore the ups and downs of all four kinds of love. He identifies these four types of love as; family affection, the most basic form; friendship, the rarest and perhaps most insightful; eros, passionate love; and charity, the love of God.
The Season of the ‘Gray Champion’ Arrives!
Book Review: The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy — What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny by William Strauss and Neil Howe - Reviewed by David Bradshaw -
Introduction - Do you feel like America is progressing from one crisis to the next? Are we headed toward tragedy, or triumph? “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” -Ecclesiastes 3
This passage reminds us that history has a seasonality — a flow and a purpose. Understanding that flow can help bring more purpose in our own lives.
When it comes to books discussing future trends, I prefer reading them long after they’re published, to allow enough time to determine if the projections are trustworthy. In the case of The Fourth Turning, the message contained is even more relevant and compelling in 2020 than it was when written back in 1997!
By studying American history, economic cycles, psychology and a variety of ancient wisdom traditions, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe draw amazing parallels between the four seasons in nature and the four seasons or generations in a typical human lifespan. Over America’s 350-year history some surprisingly predictable cyclical patterns emerge.
A 1,700 Year-Old Love Tool: Rediscovering Your True Self With The Enneagram
by David Bradshaw - Imagine discovering a spiritual tool — which dates back at least 1,700 years to the early Christian Desert Fathers as well as the Sufi mystics — which is capable of empowering you to better understand yourself and others by integrating your ‘false’ self with your ‘True’ self to create a whole, new you!
This, in a nutshell, is the benefit of grasping the ancient wisdom and power of The Enneagram, according to Richard Rohr, the famed Franciscan teacher, author, and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM.
According to Rohr, “The Enneagram is a tool that can help us move from dualistic thinking (mind vs. spirit, good vs. bad, in vs.out) to non-dual consciousness. It helps us recognize and forgive the paradoxes that we all carry, what we might call our ‘sins’. It insists that our virtue and our passion are two sides of one coin.”
Restoring A Giving Economy
by David Bradshaw - “Government is religion applied to economics.” — R.E. McMasters, No Time for Slaves - The growing economic divide in our nation is reaching a boiling point in 2020. Progressives and Liberals believe the solution is higher taxes and wealth redistribution. Conservatives, Independents and Libertarians believe a better solution is less government and more economic freedom. Will America lead the world into a new political and economic direction in 2020? Or, perhaps will we rediscover something sacred from our past? Economics is defined as “the science of household management, or material stewardship.” Our spiritual foundation forms a basis for our legal foundation, which determines our economic system. America was founded upon sacred, godly principles which helped us build the world’s strongest economy. But as our leaders have strayed from the truth, our nation has become polarized and economically weak.
A secular (or dualistic) economic outlook on life encourages us to make daily choices based upon whatever we feel is best for us. We might call this mindset “ego-nomics,” or us vs. them...
Warm holy-day greetings from Phoenix! 2015 has been a very busy and fruitful year ...
helping to launch two new books, starting a weekly outreach to a local Phoenix nursing
home while dealing with personal challenges and circumstances out of my control. But
through it all, God has been faithful - helping me to become more resilient, to learn
to rest in Him, to walk in Him and to stand in Him. May 2016 bring us closer to our
God, our family, our friends (old and new) as well as finding our unique calling and
then doing it. I found these 10 books very inspirational ...
12.20.15 - From St. Nicholas to Santa Claus - CommonwealthMag
Nicholas of Myra was a bishop the early 4th century who over a period of time in the Middle Ages became the most powerful male saint on the church calendar.
On St. Nicholas's Day, December 6, a boy chorister is chosen as a mock bishop with certain privileges (such as demanding presents for himself and his followers) which last until December 28.
During the Reformation the Protestants decided to ditch the cult of saints and out went St. Nicholas from most of the reformed territories.
For centuries parents have deflected gratitude that they might have received from their children on to a supernatural, benevolent figure. In doing so they give their kids the gift of a heightened sense of time, of fantasy and imagination, of delayed gratification and, in material form, the Christian concept of grace...
12.19.15 - Intelligence genes discovered by scientists - Telegraph
Researchers have believed for some time that intellect is inherited with studies suggesting that up to 75 per cent of IQ is genetic, and the rest down to environmental factors such as schooling and friendship groups.
But until now, nobody has been able to pin-point exactly which genes are responsible for better memory, attention, processing speed or reasoning skills.
Now Imperial College London has found that two networks of genes determine whether people are intelligent or not-so-bright.
Scientists believe that there must be a 'master switch' regulating the networks and if they could find it, they could 'switch on' intelligence for everyone...
12.17.15 - What Exactly Is the Salvation Army? - NYMag
The Salvation Army is not purely a charity but also a Christian church, founded in the U.K. in 1865 on mainline Methodist principles. It has a quasi-military structure: Instead of bishops and archbishops, it has lieutenants and majors. Officers are ordained, and the belief system places emphasis on good works at least as much as on faith.
Day-to-day, it runs drug-and-alcohol rehab programs that are free. During emergencies - hurricanes, earthquakes - the group deploys units of its soldiers and volunteers to feed and support victims and also offer counsel and prayer.
The bell-ringers are mostly volunteers, but extra help is hired at minimum wage. (82% of donations go directly to serving the community!) ...
12.12.15 - The challenges of aging - MillerOnTheMoney.com
For years my wife Jo encouraged me to get my hearing checked. I finally agreed, and quickly learned I lost close to 90% of the hearing in my right ear and struggled mightily with high tones (like feminine voices).
The doctor explained half his job was to get me the right hearing aids, but the other half was even more important. He told me how poor hearing really embarrassed men.
I fought the idea of hearing aids because to me it was a visible symbol that I was getting old.
While you may walk a little slower, your hair may disappear and/or turn grey, and a few wrinkles will be found in the mirror; however you are still in charge of your behavior and self-image. A major element of independence is writing your own life programs versus
living to other's expectations...
9.8.15 - RESILIENCE: Hard Won Wisdom For Living A Better Life - Book Review/Summary
If you've ever faced pain, suffering or depression created by debilitating circumstances out of your control, then Resilience deserves a place in your library.
Resilience is a real page-turner. I found myself instantly swept away by scholar and former Navy Seal Eric Grietens' vast historical perspective drawn from the wisdom of the ages such as; Aristotle, Socrates, Cicero, Augustine, Seneca, C.S. Lewis - as well as his deep compassion for a friend and fellow elite serviceman whose life shipwrecked after returning home from combat.
Resilience is the type of book you wish you had read and unpacked as a young adult, however it contains so much practical wisdom it's equally valuable to those of us in the second half of life. Read my TOP 20 TAKEAWAYS...
9.4.15 - Why The Fed Has Failed To Create Economic Confidence -Fox News Video
Fox News Your World With Neil Cavuto interviews author and Swiss America chairman Craig Smith on the topic of whether China or weak U.S. jobs data will prevent the Fed from raising interest rates September 17th. "Are we the problem?" asks Cavuto. Smith says yes, we have the most anemic recovery ever. "This Federal Reserve has done more, in combination with the Obama administration with high taxes, regulations and burdensome things like Obamacare, to keep us at a 1-2% growth rate," says Smith. Cavuto points out that China is following the U.S. path and now the chickens are coming home to roost...."If the Fed has run out of weapons and is now powerless to prop up the markets, then what?" asks Neil. Smith says "the markets are going to have to live on its own, that's why the Fed should stop manipulating and start normalizing interest rates - which will send a message to the world America is confident about our future and our next president is going to create jobs, growth and get us back to being the number one in the world." Will the Fed raise interest rates slightly this year? Read The Biggest Bank Heist in History.
9.4.15 - 'War Room' second highest-grossing film in North America - Pix11
"You could call it the summer blockbuster movie you've never heard of, but whose impact is enormous. 'War Room,' directed by proven Christian-themed filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, has become the second highest-grossing film in North America, despite a small budget, minimal marketing and sometimes scathing reviews. It's a clear example of the reach of faith based films, and in the country's largest filmgoing market, New York, that reach is being strongly felt....Its title seems more like a suspenseful thriller about geopolitical warfare, but the content is anything but. The movie's trailer has more scenes showing people praying or audio of a person's prayer than anything else. Most of the prayer comes from the grandmotherly character Miss Clara, played by Karen Abercrombie, who uses a walk-in closet in her home as her so-called war room, a place where she goes to pray for people, for their problems, for the world."
9.1.15 - Most Americans' hearts are older than their actual years - AFP
Three out of four Americans' hearts are older than their chronological age, raising the risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death, officials said Tuesday.
An online tool at www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heartage.htm can help people determine how old their heart is, based on factors like weight, smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For most adults aged 30-74, their predicted heart age is "significantly higher than their chronological age," said the CDC in its Vital Signs report, released Tuesday.
Researchers found that nearly 69 million adults between the ages of 30 and 74 have a heart age older than their actual age.
8.31.15 - How Government Killed the Medical Profession - CATO
I am a general surgeon with more than three decades in private clinical practice. And I am fed up. Since the late 1970s, I have witnessed remarkable technological revolutions in medicine, from CT scans to robot-assisted surgery. But I have also watched as medicine slowly evolved into the domain of technicians, bookkeepers, and clerks.
Government interventions over the past four decades have yielded a cascade of perverse incentives, bureaucratic diktats, and economic pressures that together are forcing doctors to sacrifice their independent professional medical judgment, and their integrity. The consequence is clear: Many doctors from my generation are exiting the field. Others are seeing their private practices threatened with bankruptcy, or are giving up their autonomy for the life of a shift-working hospital employee. The advent of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 has for many doctors become the straw that broke the camel's back.
A June 2012 survey of 36,000 doctors by the Doctors and Patients Medical Association found 90 percent of doctors believe the medical system is "on the wrong track" and 83 percent are thinking about quitting.
As old-school independent-thinking doctors leave, they are replaced by protocol-followers. Medicine in just one generation is transforming from a craft to just another rote occupation.
8.21.15 - Worldview Weekend Global Economic Report With Craig Smith
Brannon Howse interviews Craig R. Smith - In this rare 1-hour television interview between Worldview Weekend host Brannon Howse and Swiss America Chairman Craig R. Smith they cover; the Greek crisis, China risks, the BRICS, the IMF, Gold "Naked-Shorts", Bank "Bail-ins", the biggest U.S. banking risks and what may be coming next for the dollar, stocks, bonds and Gold. In this spellbinding interview you'll discover the economic truth few media outlets have the courage to report...
8.21.15 - A New Information Theory of Money by George Gilder - SATC
Book Review by DAVID BRADSHAW, Idea Factory Press - "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." -Carl Sandburg- Being a so-called "gold bug" can be very counterintuitive in today's world of changing economic and monetary values. The public has been told over and over by so-called experts to think of gold as either "just another commodity" or "just another investment". But for over 30 years Swiss America has told the public the full story: "Gold is neither a commodity nor an investment - it is the world's most trustworthy store of value, time and labor." Now a new scholarly book and scientific theory, with substantial imperative evidence, backs us up our premise...
8.20.15 - Reimagine your life beyond cancer - Reimagine.me
If cancer affects your life, we can help you reduce anxiety and take control.
You had a formula for fighting cancer, but no one prepared you for life after it. Now, you can move forward with us. Our community will provide you with the support you need, not just in conversation, but with interactive tools and a clinically-proven Core Program that will help you feel better. Reimagine your life beyond cancer...
8.20.15 - The USS Social Security is sinking fast! -MillerOnTheMoney
"Somewhere between 2026 and 2034, hard-working Americans who paid into a pension fund will not get the benefits they are counting on. That is a real problem, not only for the retirees, but also future generations having to make good on promises they did not make. In many cases, their futures were mortgaged long before they were old enough to vote....Savvy Americans understand the problem and will look after their family now and in the future. They have learned to depend on themselves and never count on the government. Most of those promises are made by politicians looking for your vote, who will be long gone before they must make good on them. We must understand our priorities and focus on the task at hand. You can't say we have not had ample warning - very loud and clear. It's time to heed the warning and protect your family....While many pundits are declaring the demise of gold, silver and precious metals, having assets that are historical hedges against high inflation is a must." ...
8.20.15 - Boomers new retirement is no retirement - ZeroHedge
Some of you might remember the glossy highly produced advertisements back in the early 1980s when Wall Street decided it was time to turn American retirement plans into casinos. The slow and agonizing death of the pension plan was supposed to be replaced by the beautiful and wonderful world of the 401(k) plan. Save for 30 years and in the end, you will be a millionaire just like your friends on Wall Street that sincerely care about your financial future. Of course since then, we have found out about junk bond scandals, mutual fund fees that make loan sharks look conservative, and of course the financial shenanigans of giving people toxic mortgages that were essentially ticking time bombs of destruction. The sad reality is that retirement is no longer what people think. Many people are realizing that retirement is a luxury only a few can afford...
8.18.15 - Multi-generational housing taking off in Arizona - YouTube
The "home within a home" concept is taking off in the Valley. As Ashlee DeMartino explains, a handful of builders are doing these type of houses that put multiple generations of one family under one roof with only one mortgage payment but separate living spaces...
8.14.15 - AS SOCIAL SECURITY TURNS 80, ITS DAYS MAY BE NUMBERED, WARN EXPERTS
"Social Security was signed into law on August 14, 1935, by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Today Social Security and its related benefit programs Medicare and Medicaid are running short of money - and are in real trouble. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is expected to run out of money in 2016. President Barack Obama's administration relaxed its qualifications, and SSDI beneficiaries increased by 50 percent, to more than 10 million. This is almost as many as have full-time jobs in all of manufacturing. In their latest book, DON'T BANK ON IT!, Craig Smith and Lowell Ponte explain why Social Security may not be there for a large share of today's workers - but could soon demand that they pay 25 percent or more of their income in taxes to provide benefits for Baby Boomers." ...
8.9.15 - I'm Too Old for This - NYTimes
There is a lot that is annoying, and even terrible, about aging. The creakiness of the body; the drifting of the memory; the reprising of personal history ad nauseam, with only yourself to listen. But there is also something profoundly liberating about aging: an attitude, one that comes hard won. Only when you hit 60 can you begin to say, with great aplomb: "I'm too old for this." This line is about to become my personal mantra. I have been rehearsing it vigorously, amazed at how amply I now shrug off annoyances that once would have knocked me off my perch...
8.1.15 - America's Post-Christian Era - Forbes
"My country 'tis of Thee, sweet land of Secularity" will be our new national hymn as America enters the uncharted territory of a post-Christian era. Long known as "a Christian nation," the U.S. has turned sharply in a secular direction, thanks to the trickle-down influence of elites and handed-down dictates from courts.
Christianity has survived governments and societies of all kinds throughout the ages. But the losers in this may be less the Christians than the larger society. The Founders consistently warned that in order for a free republic to work, a virtuous people would be needed, and the source of that virtue, in their experience, was religion. So the question we must answer in post-Christian America is this: What will be the sources of our virtues and values? My own uneasiness about this was reflected on a bumper sticker I saw on a Los Angeles freeway: "THERE IS NO HOPE (but I could be wrong)."...
7.31.15 - Why Fathers Matter - By David Bradshaw
Could it be the root of America's modern cultural crisis is a lack of loving, effective and functioning fathers? Increasingly psychologists argue that children without such a father in their life are at higher risk in every conceivable way.
In Do Fathers Matter? What Science is Telling Us About the Parent We've Overlooked Paul Raeburn overturns the lingering myths and stereotypes of bumbling dads and disciplinarian patriarchs through an in-depth and personal investigation of the latest scientific findings on the parent often overlooked. This book is important reading for every man. Here are my 10 takeaways...
7.30.15 - The Grandparent Trap: Elder Financial Abuse - Slate
According to the experts, financial abuse of the elderly - or suspected financial abuse - is set to become a defining fraud of the next several decades. The motivation is basic: As Willie Sutton famously observed about the banks, the elderly are, increasingly, where the money is. Seniors have assets, and they often own their homes outright. Combine that with the estimate that people who make it past the age of 85 suffer about a 50 percent chance of suffering from a significant cognitive decline like Alzheimer's, and you can see why the problem is so large. Think of it this way: Monetary abuse of the elderly is, in some ways, the financial equivalent of date rape, often leaving victims shamed, embarrassed, and blaming themselves for their own victimization - and, as a result, unlikely to come forward...
7.30.15 - About That Asterisk on Your Social Security Statement - NationalReview
At first glance, the statement did not appear menacing. I was told I could expect to receive a benefit of "about $2,136 a month" upon reaching age 70 - which certainly seems like good news. But immediately I thought of a parallel of President Obama's infamous Obamacare promise: "If you like your Social Security, you can keep your Social Security." Then, as if on cue, I saw an asterisk with the following message: The law governing benefit amounts may change because, by 2033, the payroll taxes collected will be enough to pay only about 77 percent of scheduled benefits. I could not believe I was seeing the equivalent of what I was just thinking, but with a new twist, "If I like my Social Security, I can keep 77 percent of it." ...
7.30.15 - 4 Tips for Catastrophe Protection -Miller on the Money
Parenting never ends. My granddaughter bought her first car and asked me about insurance. She had two quotes: one with a $100 deductible and a second for $500 deductible. She was leaning toward the $100 deductible because 'it was only $10 more per month'. So why not take that option? I explained the higher premium policy buys an additional $400 in coverage and costs $120/year more. In a little less than 3.5 years and she would pay $400 in additional premium to the insurance company. Unless she planned to start wrecking a car every 3.5 years, it wasn't a good investment. The lesson was simple, you self-insure for the small stuff, and buy insurance for the catastrophe." To discover the importance of "wealth insurance" against financial catastrophes read The Timeless Truth About Gold & Silver
7.28.15 - Passing Along Religious Traditions to Grandchildren - WSJ
Grandparents are playing a bigger role in transmitting religious traditions across generations, especially when their own children are absent, unable or uninterested in religion, says Vern Bengtson, a professor emeritus of gerontology and sociology at the University of Southern California. He and colleagues tracked more than 350 families over almost four decades and published their findings in "Families and Faith: How Religion is Passed Down Across Generations." Grandparents' influence on the moral and religious lives of their grandchildren is strong and enduring, says Dr. Bengston. Yet, we don't pay attention. It's taken for granted...
7.25.15 - Technology Can Make Aging Safer - NYTimes
"In three to five years, aging will be transformed," said Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. "We are in the early stages of seeing what technology can do." Nursing homes will become like the poorhouses of yore as technology makes living at home easier, she said. Baby boomers will be the new disrupters who adopt the technologies, because they expect to live better. Good Samaritan Society, which provides senior care and well-being services in 24 states, also offers the Living Well at Home program. Part of the program uses sensors to track changes in a resident's daily behavior, including sleeplessness, which can be a sign of impending disease...
7.23.15 - 5 Simple Ways to Unlock Your Creative Genius - Crosswalk
Upon human beings he bestowed that very characteristic - the ability to be creative. The ability to create goodness. As children our creativity is innate; we create with sand, empty boxes, crayons, puppets, and more. But unfortunately, somewhere along the line, we grow up and stop being creative. You are a masterpiece, not an accident. Father bestowed upon you the ability to create good things. 1. Find Your Creative Sweet Spot 2. Speak Creativity into Being 3. Keep Your Creative Tank Full 4. Believe for a God-Breath of Creativity 5. It's Not about You ...
7.22.15 - The 21st Century Case For Gold: A New Information Theory of Money by George Gilder
Book Review by DAVID BRADSHAW, Idea Factory Press - Being a so-called "gold bug" can be very counterintuitive in today's world of changing economic and monetary values. The public has been told over and over by so-called experts to think of gold as either "just another commodity" or "just another investment". But for over 30 years Swiss America has told the public the full story: "Gold is neither a commodity nor an investment - it is the world's most trustworthy store of value, time and labor." Now a new scholarly book and scientific theory, with substantial imperative evidence, backs us up our premise...
7.17.15 - Who Suffers More -- People With Alzheimer's or Their Loved Ones? - HuffPost
People with Alzheimer's disease can become upset and agitated about things that happen to them. And when you, as the caregiver, witness your loved one's anguish, you may become distressed, too -- sometimes more so than your loved one. There is a way, however, to help reduce your stress under these circumstances. It's very simple. You just have to remind yourself that people with dementia typically live only in the present. This means that they have the following traits:
1. They usually quickly forget unpleasant things that happen to them, 2. They often adapt to change faster than their caregivers do, 3. They may not worry about the future...
7.16.15 - Six tips to maintain your financial independence - OnTheMoney
"Successful retirement" is having enough money to support your comfortable lifestyle for the rest of your life, without constantly having to worry about money. The terms self-sufficiency and self-reliance really nails it. It's sad some of my friends were under the illusion of being independent. Some had nice airline pensions only to have them reduced as most every major air carrier filed bankruptcy. The City of Detroit filed for bankruptcy in what I fear is a preview of things to come. I saw this article at Express Tribune with disturbing photos of a Greek pensioner in tears....
7.16.15 - Making White House Aging Conference's Ideas Reality - Forbes
The 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) on July 13 was both alike and different from the five previous once-a-decade conferences. It was like them, because it broke new ground. And it was distinct in how it was pulled together and formatted, and in its array of results.
That it was held in July proved significant: It's the same month we celebrate the 80th anniversary of Social Security and the 50th of Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act.
The conference's four priority issues - elder justice, retirement security, healthy aging and long-term services and supports - were appropriate focal points for setting policy for the next 10 years...
7.10.15 - Entrepreneurship: Not Just for the Young - Encore.org
At a time that American entrepreneurship is experiencing a steady decline,
according to the Gallup Organization, there is a reverse trend among older adults,
with 34 million seniors saying they want to start businesses. Many of these ventures
involve Intergenerational partnerships. Between 1996 and 2010, 45 percent of
entrepreneurial growth came from seniors 55 to 64+ and beyond. That age group
represents the largest percentage of business owners in the U.S. Moreover,
Americans in their 50s and 60s are the fastest growing entrepreneurs of any age
group...
6.12.15 - FATHER'S TOUCH: Reaching the Loneliest People on Earth - IFP
In the beginning God declared it was not good for man to be alone ...
and it still isn't. More than ever before in history, due to longer lifespans and the near collapse of the nuclear family, millions of people today experience the loneliness of outliving their oldest and best friends. The total number of nursing homes in U.S. is 15,700, that equals 1.5 million aging souls - at least two-thirds of which are rarely or never visited by family or friends. Last Sunday I embarked on a new journey to reach out to the 175 souls residing at Coronado Healthcare, a nursing home in North Phoenix...
6.12.15 - THE RESPONSE: A Call To Prayer For Our Nation in So. Carolina
America's issues are not primarily financial, political or moral. Neither does America's hope lie in one leader or institution. Our hope is found in the One who desires for us to turn to Him with our hearts. This is our response - to call on Jesus on behalf of America, that He might hear our cry and heal our land. The Response is holding statewide solemn assemblies to gather people from all ages, denominations and backgrounds in prayer and fasting on behalf of our nation. Governor Nikki Haley is inviting South Carolina and the nation to a time of worship, prayer, fasting and repentance on June 13th at the North Charleston Coliseum...
6.10.15 - Nursing homes offers rent-free housing to students - PBS
A nursing home in the Netherlands allows university students to live rent-free alongside the elderly residents, as part of a project aimed at warding off the negative effects of aging. In exchange for small, rent-free apartments, the Humanitas retirement home in Deventer, Netherlands, requires students to spend at least 30 hours per month acting as 'good neighbors,' Humanitas head Gea Sijpkes said in an email to PBS NewsHour. Officials at the nursing home say students do a variety of activities with the older residents, including watching sports, celebrating birthdays and, perhaps most importantly, offering company when seniors fall ill, which helps stave off feelings of disconnectedness. (A similar model exists in Lyons, France and Cleveland, Ohio at Judson Retirement Communities, reports NY TImes...
6.9.15 - Done with 'Sit Down and Shut Up' Church - HolySoup
People are leaving their churches because they feel excluded from participating in the communication of the message. This is one of the unanticipated findings in sociologist Josh Packard's research on the Dones - formerly active church members who have walked away from all institutional religion. These are people who have heard countless sermons. They tend to be quite biblically literate. But they grew weary, very weary, of sitting in pews, feeling muzzled, while the person on stage monopolizes every word. n soon-to-be-released follow-up research, Packard found that 53 percent of the Dones agreed with the statement, "I didn't like the lecture style of preaching." (By the way, this new study also reveals the same sentiment in millions of current church members who say they're about to join the Dones.) So what would a more interactive model look like? Let me give you a few actual examples...
6.9.15 - The baby boomer building boom - MarketWatch
Call it a baby-boom building boom. Hoping to remain in their homes and communities as they age - but recognizing that living spaces can become unsafe and difficult to navigate - people in their 50s and beyond are retrofitting houses, building additions or constructing new digs with age-friendly features. Remodeling can be pricey. But given the high cost of care in an assisted-living facility or nursing home, such improvements can make sense, experts say. 'People have a financial plan, an estate plan and an insurance plan. How about a frailty or disability plan?' asks Mary Tuuk, a geriatrician in Denver...
6.8.15 - New retirement age is not 65, not 80, not 95: It's higher - CNBC
One hundred years ago, the average lifespan was about 42. That's now doubled. Scientists have found the mechanisms that govern aging and are already doing experiments in rats on how to reverse it. "We're adding three months to life per calendar year," said Salim Ismail, former innovation director at Yahoo and founding executive chairman of Singularity University. "It's not an if, it's a when, and the point in time is in the 15-to-20 year range," said Ismail. Soon individuals will cycle between work, school, sabbaticals, more schooling and more work in a cycle that has never before existed...
6.2.15 - Repairing Sibling Bonds Dealing With an Aging Parent -NYT
Elder mediation, an emerging area within family mediation, has gained so much traction that in 2009 the Association for Conflict Resolution, a professional organization, started an elder decision section.The sibling relationship can become even thornier when dealing with aging or infirm parents. All sorts of issues that can test even the best relationships arise, including differences of opinion on housing, caregiving, medical treatment, estate planning and end-of-life care...
6.1.15 - RE-CENTERING ON GOD- David Bradshaw, IFP
Book review: WHAT THE MYSTICS KNOW: Seven Pathways to Your Deeper Self - So, what exactly is a Christian mystic? Since the word mystic has some negative baggage, as in "so heavenly minded they're of no earthly good", I was interested to read what the widely respected Franciscan Friar had to say on the subject. Rohr defines a "Christian mystic" is anyone who places experiencing God personally as their number one priority, as opposed to simply knowing about God in Scripture, church doctrine and theology. Rohr advocates prioritizing God-centeredness to rule over self-centeredness, a basic Kingdom principle...
5.27.15 - Facing the overwhelming, inevitable end of life - WorldMag
Dr. Alex Lickerman, former director of primary care at the University of Chicago, wrote recently, "I'm always surprised by people who say they're not afraid to die. Though I can imagine there are indeed people who, because of their age, character, or religious beliefs, truly do feel this way, I've always wondered if that answer hides a denial so deeply seated it cannot be faced by most." Atlantic journalist Jonathan Rauch contends happiness has a U-curve, with "life satisfaction falling for the first couple of decades of adulthood," bottoming out in the late 40s or early 50s, "and then, until the very last years, increasing with age. As usual, a psalm says it best: "You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you?" (Psalm 73:24-25)...
5.26.15 - Tomorrow's Faith Community - RNS
By Tom Ehrich, MorningWalk - Enough about churches that are dying. Let's imagine something that lives, breathes, serves, makes a difference. Would we even call it "church"? The term seems tattered and torn after two millennia of use. Maybe the term "faith community" would convey fewer historical negatives. It would be God's incarnate presence in human life. Not the only presence, but one that many people could enter into. Not so much an institution with structures, rules and layers of leadership, but rather a dynamic, ever-shifting community that gathered in various ways, ranging from small circles of friends to mass assemblies for special purposes.
The community would have a bias toward action...
5.20.15 - Cyber criminals are targeting online daters - stealing an average of $14,000 PER victim - DailyMail
Lonely hearts have more to worry about than finding their soulmates - especially if they are looking for their one and only someone online.
The FBI reported on Tuesday that people seeking love on the internet were the leading targets of online crimes in 2014 - with romance related scams being the most-reported type of fraud last year. And falling for an untrustworthy stranger will cost you in more ways than one. According to the annual report by the government's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), victims of online dating fraud were hustled out more than $14,000 each on average...
5.17.15 - The Motherboard Inside Your Brain - DailyBeast
Brain scientists are working to turn on and off behavior with electricity-and possibly motivation and optimism, too. How a few milli-amps of electric current could change your life. Now researchers are again exploring what they call transcranial direct-current stimulation, or tDCS, as a possible alternative to meds that don't always work, and can cause unpleasant side effects. Researchers place simple electrodes on a person's scalp and turn on the current, usually under 2 milli-amps, bathing the brain with either negative (cathodal) or positive (anodal) currents...
5.16.15 - Strokes Soaring For 40 And 50-Year Olds - asrn.org
The number of people in their 40s and 50s being afflicted by strokes is soaring, with obesity and sedentary lifestyles thought to be behind the rise.
The increase is alarming and shocking and the cost of treatment will increase.
The trend is "a sad indictment" of the nation's health, the association said, and urged people to be more aware of the risk factors.
Official NHS data shows that the number of men aged 40 to 54 in England who were hospitalised after a stroke grew by 46% from 4,260 in 2000 to 6,221 last year. The figure for women of the same age was 4,604, up by 30% from 3,529. Hospital admission data reveals a 25% jump in the number of people aged 20 to 64, suffering a stroke between 2000 and 2014...
5.16.15 - Died: John 'Jack' Templeton Jr., Billionaire Philanthropist Who Backed Science-Religion Research - CT
John "Jack" Templeton Jr., who took over the foundation that his wealthy investor father created in 1987, died on Saturday, May 16, at his home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He was 75. The cause of death was cancer, according to a family member. Templeton died two days before the Templeton Foundation awarded the $1.7 million Templeton Prize in London on Monday to Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche, an international ministry to people with disabilities. The foundation supports research that connects science and religious faith. It explains: "[P]rimary funding areas include science and the big questions, character and virtue development, individual freedom and free enterprise, genetics, exceptional cognitive talent and genius, and the Templeton Prize. Recent grants have explored topics such as gratitude, beneficial purpose, exoplanets, and religious liberty." ...
5.10.15 - The Rise of "The Dones" - Pathoes
John is one in a growing multitude of ex-members. They're sometimes called the de-churched. They have not abandoned their faith. They have not joined the also-growing legion of those with no religious affiliation-often called the Nones. Rather, John has joined the Dones.
At Group's recent Future of the Church conference, sociologist Josh Packard shared some of his groundbreaking research on the Dones. He explained these de-churched were among the most dedicated and active people in their congregations. To an increasing degree, the church is losing its best...
5.1.15 - TRADING UP: Helping End the Age of Loneliness - IdeaFactoryPress
Americans may be more connected than ever ... yet loneliness and unhappiness has still risen to epidemic
levels! Here's a idea to help mom's feel God's love this Mother's Day. "You could have people around you throughout
the day, be involved with online social media or even be in a lifelong marriage, and still experience a deep, pervasive
loneliness," reports Psychology Today. Many attend church, yet remain isolated and 'unfriended'...
4.29.15 - Among oldest Americans, 1 in 5 dies broke - CNBC
Of those 85 or older who died between 2010 and 2012, roughly 1 in 5 had no assets other than a house, according to the analysis. (Tweet This) The average home equity was about $140,000. Roughly 1 in 8 of those households had no assets at all.
Those who died single at 85 or older fared worse, roughly a quarter had only some equity in a house - about $83,000 on average. One in 6 had nothing, and 1 in 10 died with an average debt of about $6,000.
For those who died at a younger age, the numbers were even worse. Some 30 percent of households losing a family member between ages 50 and 64 had no financial assets left.
4.29.15 - Experts Reveal How Terrorists Could Turn These 32 U.S. Cities To 'Radioactive Holes' - Western Journalism
Can you smell that smell? It comes not only from burning buildings and cars torched in Baltimore protests, and from the shots fired by Iranian warships as they seized a U.S.-allied freighter in the Persian Gulf on April 28, but also from the global economy and its reserve currency, the U.S. Dollar, catching fire. The evidence of this appears in a new investigative report titled AMERICA ENGULFED by Craig Smith and Lowell Ponte. Smith and Ponte show how Iran, by using terrorists as their delivery system for nuclear weapons, could turn 32 American and two Canadian cities, into "radioactive holes beneath their mushroom clouds that will remain 'clicking hot' with radioactivity for the next 20,000 years." See a list of prime target cities ...
4.19.15 - The ObamaCare Effect: Hospital Monopolies - WSJ
During the 2008 financial crisis, "too big to fail" became a familiar phrase in the U.S. financial system. Now the U.S. health-care system is heading down the same path with a record number of hospital mergers and acquisitions-95 last year-some creating regional monopolies that, as in all monopolies, will likely result in higher prices from decreased competition.
Hospital consolidation, done properly in a competitive marketplace, can have positive effects. Multi-hospital conglomerates can quickly disseminate best practices and quality initiatives, for example. But competition and the choices it provides can also disappear ...
4.17.15 - FULL CIRCLE - David Bradshaw, IFP
My mother Virginia is now facing her mortality as she approaches her 90th birthday. After a dozen years of
decreasing independence, mobility and mental clarity - under the daily care-giving of my brother Kevin and
his wife Irene - last month she moved into 'assisted living' due to her frequent falls and growing dementia.
The transition from home living to assisted living marks a new stage of life which many are unprepared for -
including myself. Mom is coming full circle back to where she existed before birth - embraced by her loving
Heavenly Father. Eternity for believers is not a place to fear but rather a place to rejoice, re-uniting
with her Creator and dearly-beloved who've passed...
4.15.15 - Alzheimer's breakthrough: Scientists may have found potential cause of the disease - Independent
Scientists have broken new ground in the search for an Alzheimer's cure, discovering a new potential cause of the disease, which it may be possible to target with drug treatments.
They observed that in Alzheimer's, immune cells that normally protect the brain instead begin to consume a vital nutrient called arginine.
By blocking this process with a drug, they were able to prevent the formation of 'plaques' in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, and also halted memory loss in the mice.
The number of people worldwide living with some form of dementia is set to reach 135 million by 2050. Clinical trials are essential before any potential new treatment can be given to people, but these early findings could open new doors for future treatment development for Alzheimer's ...
4.14.15 - Repeal The Death Tax And Send It To A Deep Grave - IBD
The death tax was originally enacted as a "temporary" measure in 1916 to help fund that war.
World War I ended 97 years ago, on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918. Now is finally the time to
bury the death tax. The Republican-controlled House has scheduled a vote on H.R. 1105 to
repeal the tax on Thursday. Death should not be a taxable event. The IRS should not be a
mandatory guest at the funeral of a loved one. Over 70% of Americans support repeal of the death tax ...
4.13.15 - Why Evangelicals Should Love the Pope - NYTimes
Since the mid-1970s, one dominant strain of cultural engagement among Christian leaders in America has been to warn about God's judgment on a disobedient, decadent nation.
But this two-generations-long culture war is not going particularly well. The cultural influence of evangelical Christians is rapidly waning. As one religious leader put it to me: "We used to be the home team. Now we're the away team."
Enter Pope Francis. For those of us who are part of the evangelical movement, the popular leader of the Roman Catholic Church offers an archetype. He views the role of the church not as a combatant in the culture wars but "as a field hospital after battle" ...
4.12.15 - How do you want to die? A mission to make death part of popular conversation - PBS
A growing national movement to normalize end-of-life discussions among family and friends has
gained traction in recent months. As Medicare considers whether to cover such conversations
with physicians, The Conversation Project, a Boston-based non-profit, is highlighting the
importance of talking openly about dying. Special Correspondent Lynn Sherr reports ...
4.2.15 - The Cross to Eternal Life - David Bradshaw/Facebook
Three words changed human history: "He is Risen!" As my mother Virgina approaches her
90th Easter celebration this year, my wife Leoma, daughter Braida and I gave her this
colorful ceramic cross we made as a reminder that deep inner peace and joy comes
from knowing the cross of Christ paves our way to eternal life! Each of us is
born into this world as 100% DEPENDENT upon our earthly parents and our Heavenly
Father for life, love and growth. As each of us mature, we progressively seek
to become 100% INDEPENDENT, to be in full control of our future and destiny -
which often creates a world in which we exalt our 'self' above our family and our Creator.
But each of us will one day come to grips with the fact that all mortals, as we
approach the end of our lives, will most likely again become 100% DEPENDENT upon
the kindness of others and our loving Heavenly Father. The natural cycle of life is
birth, maturity and death. The super-natural cycle of life adds resurrection after
death. Christ demonstrates how we can all be fearless in life and death. Happy Resurrection Day!...
4.2.15 - U.S. isn't ready for the aging workforce - Marketwatch
There's a great storehouse of value in our older citizens, but society and companies
haven't figured out how to tap into that. This is like an earthquake in slow motion,
stretched out over decades. "Older employees and job seekers increasingly feel that
their age is being held against them. Trained, energetic, would-be older workers
are frustrated by a job market that fails to take advantage of their talents.
His conclusion: We can do better...
4.1.15 - Transforming Nursing Home Care - NYTimes
Speak the words 'dementia' and 'nursing home,' and you've exposed two great fears
among people in developed countries, where living until 80 or 90 is increasingly
common. Despite efforts to keep frail elders in their own homes, increasing numbers
of people with dementia are likely to spend time in a nursing home. There is widespread
fear about nursing home care, which in many cases is warranted. However, there are
national efforts to change nursing home culture, and many facilities have made
strides in creating homelike environments and adopting care practices that
are driven by residents' and families' preferences. Today, nearly 70 percent
of Americans with advanced dementia will live their final days in this setting ...
3.30.15 - The loneliness epidemic - Independent
We're more connected than ever - but are we feeling more alone? Social pain
is as real a sensation for us as physical pain, and research has shown loneliness
impacts on health in a greater way than smoking or obesity. A recent review of
studies indicates that loneliness increases mortality risk by 26%. Loneliness
particularly affects the elderly who may be socially isolated due to decreased
mobility and loss of friends and partners ...
3.30.15 - Sufjan Stevens wrestles with death and faith - WashPost
Artist Sufjan Stevens's "Carrie & Lowell" is fast becoming one of the most
acclaimed albums of 2015. The new album is about his mother, Carrie, but
it's also about how Stevens grappled with her death - and, as a microcosm,
how people of faith deal with questions of death and afterlife. In the
opening song, Death with Dignity,
Stevens sings, "I forgive you, mother, I can hear you/I long to be near
you." ...
3.29.15 - 'The Age of Dignity,' Book Review - NYTimes
"The Age of Dignity," proposes new approaches to the way our society deals with old age.
As a leader of the first successful effort to pass a state domestic workers' bill of
rights, as director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and as a MacArthur
Foundation "genius grant" recipient, Poo has a pedigree worthy of her ambition.
Poo's positive and inclusive approach is particularly appealing. For her, the
elder boom is an opportunity not only to improve the lives of the old but to
create an infrastructure that benefits people of all ages, backgrounds and classes ...
3.28.15 - Solving the Elder Life Crisis - NAHC
The Administration on Aging predicts that by 2030, there will be 72.1 million
people over age 65 in the United States - more than twice the number in 2000,
so there's a pressing need for solutions. The care models we establish for elders
today affect the type of care we can all expect for ourselves. Elders suffer from
what we call an "elder life crisis" when they are not aging optimally in a caring
environment that encourages them to find purpose in life. An elder dealing with
an elder life crisis may experience what The Eden Alternative (video intro) has termed the
"three plagues" - loneliness, helplessness and boredom - caused by a lack of
true companionship, spontaneity, and the feeling that they have no purpose ...
3.21.15 - Rolling With the Punches, at Any Stage of Life - NYTimes
Over the last eight years, Teresa Mears has cycled through enough change to last a
lifetime: a partner's death, helping to care for a mother with Alzheimer's,
leaving a steady job just before the recession hit, and the loss of her house.
So, if there is no such thing as a life without change - and most of us would
not willingly embrace such a life anyway - why does it feel so difficult?
Changes often make us feel out of control, so if small things can upset our
equilibrium, big things can really throw us for a loop. And it's particularly
hard if change is foisted upon us, rather than being something we choose.
What is important to remember is that it is the fear of change rather
than the reality of change that is the real culprit ...
3.13.15 - The True Story of St. Patrick - CBN
Discover the true story of St. Patrick told by the two archbishops of the
Roman Catholic and Anglican St. Patrick's cathedrals in Armagh, northern Ireland. Reporter David Kithcart reveals the inspiring true story behind this courageous and fervent Irishman we all know as Saint Patrick. It was an act of defiance that changed the course of a nation. Patrick lit a fire in pagan 5th century Ireland, ushering Christianity into the country. Patrick was 16 years old in about the year 405, when he was captured in a raid and became a slave in what was still radically pagan Ireland. Far from home, he clung to the religion he had ignored as a teenager ...
3.11.15 - Zombie Banking System Dead Ahead! - SwissAmerica
The euro is just over a nickel away from dollar parity for the first time since 2002. Some experts say this time the euro could fall to 85 cents. But "The math doesn't add up" reports CNBC. Could a strong dollar force the Fed to stall interest rate hikes? Stay tuned.
"Today, the dollar has reached the last of its cat-like nine lives. It might
continue as a ghost or virtual or zombie currency. It's fast-approaching next
fall, however, will end its final incarnation as tangible currency," writes
Craig Smith on page 69 of DON'T BANK ON IT!
Speaking of zombies ... it was a big day for big banks as the Fed ruled on stock buybacks and dividends. But Bloomberg reports, "Bank buybacks are a symptom
of a 'zombie banking system'" ...
3.9.15 - The Francis revolution - NCR
From the moment he stepped out on the balcony of St. Peter's, Pope Francis has presented a
different style of being pope and a new set of priorities for the church.
He rejected the usual papal finery of silks and furs and presented himself
to the people of Rome in a simple white cassock. The pope's early actions
were a direct assault on clericalism in the church by modeling what it
means to be a good bishop, a good priest, a good Christian. But the church
is not the pope. Unless bishops, priests and laity follow his example and
embrace his priorities, there will not be permanent change in the church ...
3.8.15 - The Biggest Bank Heist in History! - FREE SPECIAL REPORT
The Fed's 'Free Money' is Hurting the Economy & Savers ... But Helping Banks & Stocks.
America's secretive Central Bank, (The Federal Reserve) has decided to keep interest
rates at ZERO, for the sixth straight YEAR! This is economic insanity! It's FREE money
for BIG government, BIG banks, and BIG speculators - and NO money or growth for American
JOBS or WAGES! This rip-off of the American public by the Federal Reserve will go down
in history as "The Biggest Bank Heist In History!"
according to a new report by authors Craig Smith and Lowell Ponte. The biggest bank heist in history began on December 16, 2008 amidst the uncertainty and fear of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression ...
3.5.15 - Recovery? Target Cuts 26,000 Jobs - Craig Smith on Fox News
Companies big and small are planning layoffs but why? "The economy has not turned around yet Neil," says Mr. Smith, author and Chairman of Swiss America. "Brick and mortar companies have some lessons to learn from Kmart, JCPenney, Sears and Radio Shack." Smith reminded Neil that major companies, like Target, have spent more than $2 trillion since 2009 on stock buybacks, pushing their stock prices up much faster than is healthy; given we are living in an economy only growing at 2%. Lower gas prices added $100 billion into the economy, yet even that has not boosted the economy much. Consumers are beginning to spend less and save more. Mr. Smith hopes the Obama administration will stay out of the way of a free market which knows how to grow jobs.
3.5.15 - JOBS: Boomers won't budge -Marketwatch
Many older workers are holding on to their jobs instead of retiring - and
that's causing a logjam in the labor market. Americans have either decided
to remain in the workforce at a time when they might have otherwise retired
due to finances or because they like working, "and that has meant greater
competition for jobs," says Mark Hamrick, Washington bureau chief at personal
finance site Bankrate.com. Only 26% of Americans have a traditional notion
of retirement in which they plan to stop working altogether, according
to a new survey of 7,000 households released last week by The Pew Charitable Trusts ...
3.4.15. - He wants you - Praeger University
The London newspaper The Daily Mail listed the top ten problems experienced by couples on vacation together. And topping the list was: The man looking at other women in bikinis on the beach. Men look at pretty women. That goes for men who are married, men who are dating,
and men who are single. That's their nature. But is this built-in attraction
with the female body a threat to their spouse, girlfriend, or partner?
3.1.15 - Blessed Beyond Belief - Doug Stevens, Paradise
Listen to pastor Doug Stevens explain how to live the Sermon on the Mount. This first message focuses on Matt. 5:1-10 in which Jesus explains the new rules of His Kingdom,
which fly in the face of human nature. Few of us wake up in the morning asking God to help us become "poor in spirit" ... or to become "meek", yet our Lord said these are the
keys to understanding and revealing his Kingdom on earth ...
2.13.15 - Franciscan Author Explains God's Goodness To Oprah - CAC
Oprah Winfrey's "Super Soul Sunday" last week featured and interview with Fr. Richard Rohr
on various topics related to finding your True Self.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes: "Life is what you do with suffering." ...
"Freedom is when you don't need to play the victim or
create victims" ... "The TRUE self cannot be offended" ...
"God loves you because God is good, which is radical grace" ...
"We fear change because we are addicted to the status quo" ...
2.13.15 - The History of Saint Valentine (Video) - ZionStudio
The Search for Saint Valentine is my Emmy Nominated 5-minute video
which explores the history of this man who stood up for marriage
despite strong persecution by the state. A fitting tribute to
that patron saint of love on this St. Valentines Day 2015.
2.10.15 - U.S. creates new agency to fight cyberthreat - Reuters
Calling the destructive cyberattack on Sony Pictures "a game changer," a top White House
official on Tuesday announced a new intelligence unit to coordinate analysis of cyberthreats.
President Barack Obama's homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco said the new agency will rapidly pool and
disseminate data on cyberbreaches, which she said are ballooning in size and sophistication,
to U.S. agencies. Amit Yoran, president of security firm RSA, said the series of high-profile
attacks showed that change was needed. "We aren't getting the cyber job done," he said ...
2.9.15 - Gold wins 15-year asset race - NumiNews
Although the U.S. dollar has been one of the strongest assets over the past year, it doesn't
look quite so attractive if you look at a longer time frame. A 15-year time frame is more in
line with a long-term perspective. What happens with the value of an asset over the course
of a day, a month, or even a whole year is not as important to most individuals as is long-term
potential over a relevant time frame. Here are the comparisons. The DJIA is up 53.7% compared
to gold prices, which are up 337%. ...
2.8.15 - Obama Wants Your Retirement Account - Rush Limbaugh
It didn't take an act of brilliance to see this coming. But it looks like it has arrived now.
It's in the Obama budget. This is not the 529 scam that he's running, or wanted to run.
It says here, "You should be concerned about President Obama's plans to raise taxes,
even if you aren't one of his main targets for tax hikes. Your retirement could be
at stake. Earlier this week the president finally revealed his budget proposal.
He wants to increase spending, increase the deficit, and increase taxes, all while
promising to simplify the tax code." 'Simplify' is an odd way of putting it,
considering that his proposals would actually make the tax code even more complex ...
2.1.15 - The Truth About Modern Banking -Pat Boone
Legendary entertainer Pat Boone is a good example of un-retirement. At age 80 Pat is still going strong, playing tennis regularly and is very involved in his local Beverly Hills community. Pat Boone was a client first, since then has served as a Swiss America spokesperson for over twenty years. A new national TV commercial by Pat Boone which explains the future of money and banking will debut next week on ABC Family Network and 700 Club. Boone offers a free copy of The Truth About Modern Banking.
1.30.15 - Searching for your True Self? - CAC/Oprah
Watch Fr. Richard talk with Oprah Winfrey on Super Soul Sunday about the spiritual journey toward wholeness and authenticity. Their conversation premieres February 8, 2015 on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). The replay will also be available online On Demand.
Richard Rohr invites us to mine for the diamond of True Self that has been there all along, that forms the core of our identity and calling.
1.29.15 - Lowell Ponte on Global Warming & Banking Risks - HowieCarr
Listen to DON'T BANK ON IT! co-author Lowell Ponte on The Howie Carr Show discussing
the recent snow storm in the Northeast and how Progressive politicians, like NY Mayor Bill
de Blasio, are exercising an extreme power over reach. As author of The Cooling,
which debunks most of the global warming evidence, Lowell feels strongly this issue
is being used as a political power and money grab. He also explains why the banking
system is another example of Progressive bungling, as detailed in his latest
book DON'T BANK ON IT! co-authored with Craig R. Smith.
1.26.15 - Davos's Destructive Elites - NationalReview
There is a deep philosophical challenge for progressives in that: Progressives
say that they want inclusive social decision-making, but the most radically
inclusive process we have for social decision-making is the thing that they
generally distrust and often hate: capitalism - or, as our left-leaning
friends so often put it, "unfettered" capitalism. And who should decide
what sort of fetters are applied to whom? The view from Davos is,
unsurprisingly: the people at Davos. Our governments and our
business and political elites are not mainly made up of stupid
people. One of the shocking things about getting to know
people in government, whether in elected office or in the
bureaucracies, is that they are mostly bright, well-intentioned,
and honest. Together they represent a sterling example of one
of the most important and least understood of modern social
paradoxes: None of us is as dumb as all of us ...
1.23.15 - Pope Francis: put your iPhone down and start talking - Telegraph
Pope Francis is urging families to put aside their iPhones and Twitter feeds and learn to talk to one another again.
In his annual message for the church's World Day of Communications, released Friday, the Pope said media can both help or hinder family communication - helping far-flung members stay in touch but also enabling others to avoid one another.
"The great challenge facing us today is to learn once again how to talk to one another, not simply how to generate and consume information," the Pope said.
1.9.15 - The Security of Gold - Craig R. Smith/YouTube
Author and Swiss America Chairman Craig R. Smith discusses the history, safety and security of owning physical gold. Mr. Smith features a 2-min. clip from the recent National Geographic 2-hour special "The Quest for Gold". Craig is a frequent guest on Fox News "Your World With Neil Cavuto" and is the author of six books on geopolitical and economic topics such as; precious metals, oil, the U.S. dollar, progressive politics and most recently, Don't Bank On It! The Unsafe World of 21st Century Banking ...
1.7.15 - BREAKING THE BANK: Dismantling JPMorgan Chase Won't Prevent Financial Meltdown - AzCentral
Would America's economy be safer if today's "Too Big To Fail" banks like JPMorgan Chase were broken up into smaller companies? Not according to Craig R. Smith and Lowell Ponte, authors of Don't Bank On It! The Unsafe World of 21st Century Banking and a new White Paper After the G-20: A Follow-Up: Did Your Dollars in the Bank Just Become Dollars at Risk?
Mr. Smith and Ponte explain, "The bail-in idea is intended to protect taxpayers and government money, but in reality it does not necessarily get taxpayers off the hook. The potential for bank losses is so immense it can easily exceed all of the bank's deposits." ...
1.7.15 - 5 Truths About the People You Can't Forgive - Richard Rohr/Oprah
1. The People You Can't Forgive Might Not Be Forgiven' 'Today - Forgiveness is a decision, but making that decision doesn't override the emotional residue that often takes much longer to release. 2. The People You Can't Forgive Give You a Gift' 'You Do Not Want - "To hold someone else in resentment, judgment or unforgiveness is a kind of power, a false power...3. The People You Can't Forgive Are Not the Exception to the Rule - Surely people have hurt you and you wish you could punish them, but you yourself were forgiven when you also were broken and mistaken. 4. The People You Can't Forgive Lead You to a Sadness Disguised as Hardness ...
1.6.15 - 7 Reasons Not to Worry - TGC
Matthew 6:25-34 is one of the Bible's great passages on worry. Three times Jesus says "do not be anxious" (25, 31, 34). But he doesn't stop there. Jesus is interested in more than handing down commands. He wants to get at our hearts. And so he gives seven reasons why we should not be anxious. Reason #1: Life is too important (Matt. 6:25). Reason #2: You are too important (Matt. 6:26). Reason #3: It doesn't do any good (Matt. 6:27). Reason #4: God cares about you (Matt. 6:28-30)...
1.2.15 - Jim Cramer Endorses Gold As Wealth Insurance - CNBC
Jim Cramer recommends gold because it tends to go up when everything else is going down. Gold brings a special element into a portfolio, one that makes it different from all other metals. It is the investors' insurance against geopolitical events, uncertainty and inflation. Granted, this may sound like a terrible idea since gold has not done anything spectacular in a few years. However just as you wouldn't own a home or car without insurance, you shouldn't have a portfolio without gold. Do you get upset when your insurance doesn't go up in value? No. So, don't ridicule gold. Owning gold is not about upside potential. It is about minimizing risk to the downside.
12.31.14 - 2014 TAKEAWAYS - David Bradshaw, Editor
As another year fades into history, each of us have invested another 8,760 hours into building a foundation for what we will become in 2015. Beyond the clamoring of politics, economics and religion lies a vast world within our own soul that yearns for closer relationships - with God and others. Here are 15 of my key takeaway quotes for 2014 which, by God's grace, will give me the wisdom and vision needed to better fulfill the purposes of God in my life next year. Consider journaling your 2014 takeaways ... in prep for your 2015 giveaways! ...
12.31.14 - Get Gold Now Before It's Too Late - Jim Rickards/Kitco
Rickards says. "The economy is not collapsing, it's just not growing up to potential and as long as that's true...the Fed is not going to raise rates." Rickards adds that he thinks the U.S. economy is fundamentally weak and if it gets worse, he wouldn't be surprised by a QE4 sometime in 2016. He wants to see what will happen to the dollar once the marketplace realizes that the Fed cannot raise rates yet. Looking at gold, Rickards says the current price is a great entry point because once it takes off, he agrees prices could fall to "$1,000 on the way to $5,000/oz. ... then it will be hard for investors to find any gold" ...
12.30.14 - Progressive Disorder - WSJ
Short of a miraculous change in the revolutionary Iranian leadership, [Obama's] worldview is at best willfully hopeful or at worst hopelessly naive. As former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz has repeatedly pointed out, diplomacy and engagement are always good, but only if backed by a credible threat to deploy U.S. military resources. A fist inside a velvet glove. After five years of progressive foreign policy under Mr. Obama, the world sees the U.S. as an empty velvet glove. The final two years of the Obama Presidency will thus be the most dangerous since the end of the Cold War as the world's rogues calculate how far they can go before a successor enters the White House in 2017. A bipartisan coalition in Congress may be able to limit some of the damage, but the first step toward serious repair is understanding how Mr. Obama's progressive foreign policy has contributed to the growing world disorder ...
12.30.14 - Pope Francis the Economist - CathReporter
The Pope is not interested in validating the right or left on any specific policy, but rather reminding us of more transcendent principles. What we do know and learn from Francis is that economics is not a value-neutral discipline. Moreover, market economies require a consistent moral, theological, and anthropological framework. Without such a Christian vision, the market economy and its actors are ultimately self-absorbed and self-destructive. "Francis' message and language may sometimes seem to be in tension with ideas dear to free-market advocates, but instead of a contradiction, that can be a positive tension that helps to purify and enrich our economic thinking...It will be free-market economics closer to Christ" ...
12.30.14 - James Earl Jones ~ Prayer From 'You Can't Take It With You' -NY Times
The In Performance series ends 2014 with a prayer from James Earl Jones. In the Broadway revival of Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's 1936 comedy "You Can't Take It With You," Mr. Jones plays the head of an unconventional family living under the same roof during the Great Depression. In this scene he offers thanks for heavenly guidance through tough but funny times ...
12.29.14 - 3 ways Baby Boomers can jump start their next phase - TV9
As a baby boomer, your car, house, possessions and titles take a back seat to deeper, more important values such as family, faith and legacy. In spite of all the attention paid to boomers, missing are three "hidden core values" that often re-emerge as they age, according to the book "ReFire Your Life: A Real Guide For Those Who Can't Retire or Don't Want To."
Nearly 75 percent of this generation received these values by growing up in poor, working-class or small-family-business homes. When starting your business transition process, you should ponder these hidden core values: A strong sense of belonging, a drive to give something back, and the willingness to take risks ...
12.29.14 - 2014 News of the Year - WorldMag
Now 14 years into a new millennium, the year jerked us back to a past we
thought we'd left in the fossil dust of some other century. Beheadings?
Soviet-style conflict? Runaway epidemic? Domestically amid a growing world
disorder came midterm elections securing Republican control of Congress,
falling oil prices, and signs of economic recovery. Unemployment rates
dropped but remain stubbornly high for 20- to 30-year-olds (in some
places above 10 percent). At the same time America's "non-religious bloc"
has nearly doubled to over 17 percent, prompting researchers to conclude,
"The religious canvas of American life is being repainted before our eyes."
In this sea of old and new, there is a gift we never tire of...One who
knows our frame and remembers we are dust ...
12.29.14 - The Company You Keep - FOX Business
Fox Business News reports civil rights activist and White House adviser Al Sharpton
has been the president's go-to-man - with the White House recording 81
visits by Sharpton since 2009 (over once a month). Author and small business advocate
Craig R. Smith says Sharpton and Obama have both done plenty to set back U.S.
economic growth and race relations as a result. Smith sees expansive U.S growth
following the 2016 presidential election of new leadership which does not turn a
deaf ear to small business - which creates 70% of new U.S. jobs.
12.29.14 - The Big Economic Unknowns of 2015 - NY Times
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and count on being surprised.
Too much uncertainty clouds the crystal ball to be confident that any
particular course of events will play out in the real world. But we do
know something about the sources of that uncertainty, and in a season
for sharing, I'd like to offer six questions whose eventual resolution
will shape the economic year ahead ...
12.29.14 - A Terrifying Year - Yet There's Hope - Ben Stein, AmSpectator
Away from the White House and Justice Department, America has been doing
great things. This has been a terrifying year. Unspeakable brutality by Islamist terrorists
in the Middle East and in Africa. When the President of the United States
listens to Al Sharpton and takes him seriously, we are in a lot of trouble.
We are a glorious, God-centered nation. We can rise above racial antagonisms.
I have seen America working together for a better life for the whole world,
the intelligence and money coming out of finance and into the hearts and
bloodstreams of Earth's people. It is an inspiring sight ...
12.24.14 - Don't Forget What Christmas Honors - Ponte, NewsMax
BLAST FROM CHRISTMAS PAST: With paganism resurgent, Christianity has over centuries seen Christmas and Easter freighted down with very un-Christian trimmings. Although the early Christian church had a fourth century Saint Nicholas [The patron saint of children, who dropped bags of gold into the stockings his daughter had left to dry by the fire], today's Santa Claus is modeled at least in part on the pagan Norse god Odin, who like Santa, rode through the skies with help from a magical animal. For advertisers, and hence for those whose minds are shaped by advertisers, Santa and his materialism long ago replaced Jesus as the symbol and center of Christmas. Happy holy day ...
12.24.14 - Christmas is for sharing - Sainsbury/Video
Christmas is for sharing. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion, it commemorates the extraordinary events of Christmas Day, 1914, when the guns fell silent and two armies met in no-man's land, sharing gifts - and even playing football together. The chocolate bar featured in the ad is on sale now at Sainsbury's. All profits (50p per bar) will go to The Royal British Legion and will benefit our armed forces and their families, past and present. To watch a short film of the story behind Sainsbury Christmas ad ...
12.24.14 - UNSPOKEN: The Rest of the Story, Movie Review - WorldMag
The best way to absorb the war epic Unbroken - a movie about the remarkable life of Olympian, World War II hero, and devoted Christian Louie Zamperini - is to know the whole story before watching the film. But for Zamperini - who died in July at age 97 - the movie ends where the most crucial part of his story begins. What happened next isn't portrayed in the film...Zamperini turned from depression and alcohol to Christian faith and service. He forgave his captors, returned to Japan, and wrote a moving letter to "The Bird," telling his tormenter: "I also forgave you and now would hope that you would also become a Christian." ... [Note: Leoma and I plan to see this film and are thankful this article presents "the rest of the story"!] ...
12.23.14 - 'The Rob Bell Show' Premiere Was About the Cross - Relevant
Last night, the highly anticipated premiere of The Rob Bell Show aired on OWN (Oprah Winfrey's network), and audiences, fans and critics finally got a chance to see what Bell's collaboration with Winfrey would look like. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, Bell sounded a lot like a pastor. Bell discussed the cross of Jesus Christ, and why it is the ultimate metaphor for the "reconciliation of all things." His message was simple: The cross is such a culturally enduring symbol because it is a representation of what God did for us in order for people to be able to be reconciled to His perfect love.
The Rob Bell Show wasn't made to answer his critics - its premiere episode was tailored to point hurting people in the direction of the cross ...
12.18.14 - 2014 Christmas Song For Mom - David Bradshaw
What is the perfect gift we can give those whom we love dearly which
has the possibility of bringing them joy all year round? This year
Leoma and I decided to give my 89-year old mother (Virginia) an iPod
loaded with 100+ of her favorite songs from the 50s & 60s era,
including my special Christmas message and song recorded for her.
We became iPod-inspired after watching a excellent new documentary
entitled ALIVE INSIDE. The greatest revelation in
the film for me was to learn that our memory of music and favorite
songs are the last part of our memory to be lost due to Alzheimer's
and dementia ...
12.16.14 - It's not too late to make a difference - TedxVideo
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. "It's not too late to make a difference" is presented by Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein, a heart doctor with a background in electrical engineering. Jonathan presents his very interesting findings about Regret ... Nobel Prize Winners ...
The 10,000-Hour rule ... and
cognition development over our lifespan. He innovated within the Food and Drug Administration and was recently invited by DARPA to serve as a consultant to their new Biological Tactics Office. His career as an academic cardiologist led to international recognition as a medical researcher for pioneering work for congestive heart failure ...
12.15.14 - Omnibus Bill: A Christmas Present For The Banks - Forbes
Wall Street banks like Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase have flexed the power
of their influence to pressure Congress and the White House into a key change
in the law that will allow the trading of risky financial derivatives in bank
operations that are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. In effect,
it means the major banks need not limit their trading of financial derivatives
to non-bank operations ... [Note: Latest Unsafe Banking News - FREE book offer] ...
12.11.14 - There Is No Retirement Crisis - BloombergView
Some academics are convinced that Americans aren't saving enough, or being
provided enough by the government, to sustain themselves in old age.
The good news is that there is no retirement crisis, as my American
Enterprise Institute colleague Andrew Biggs has been carefully
explaining. Americans have among the highest retirement incomes
in the world, both in terms of absolute buying power and relative
to the incomes of the working-age population. Biggs favors a reform
of the system that creates a flat, universal benefit. It would be
set high enough to keep all senior citizens out of poverty, but
low enough to make the system solvent ...
12.10.14 - Old Age Is the Cure For Your Unhappiness - Samuelson, RCM
It's counterintuitive. In our mind's eye, old age is to be endured as
much as enjoyed. People fear declining health, growing dependence and
increasing social isolation. But on average, they also count themselves
happier. Almost 40 percent of Americans 65 and older rated themselves "very happy"
compared with only 33 percent of those 35 to 49, report surveys by the
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.
Happiness seems to have a shape - a "U-curve." Life satisfaction falls
"for the first couple of decades of adulthood," hits bottom in the late
40s or early 50s "and then, until the very last years, [increases]
with age," ... [Ed. Note: So true.
In Falling Upward
Fr. Richard Rohr writes, "Like the U-shaped curve seen in all of
the natural world, our lives are formed by a series of fallings,
losses and even failures - in preparation for the next rebirth, rising,
gains and successes."]
12.9.14 - Can't Seem to Stay Retired - NY Times
Suzy Boerboom, a registered nurse, retired for the first time after a 35-year
career in health care and ownership of several Curves exercise locations. She
then devoted five years to helping her three daughters raise their children.
"I was very close to both my grandmothers," Ms. Boerboom said, "and I wanted
the same relationship with my grandchildren." But after several years, she felt
too restless to retire, she said. "I just didn't feel relevant, "Ms. Boerboom,
now 66, said. Ms. Boerboom said she "failed" at retirement, joining a group
of people who are sometimes labeled workaholics or, more kindly, "driven achievers,"
who work simply because they love it. For many, the "ideal retirement includes
work in some capacity," says Ken Dychtwald, founder and chief executive of
Age Wave, a group that researches the aging population ...
12.9.14 - Top 10 Holiday Relationship Tips - CrossWalk
Let's follow God's example of making sending love the core of the holiday.
God loved humankind so much he sent love wrapped in the form of the
sinless babe in the manger to bring hope and help to all relationships.
Here are some relationship principles using the letters of C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S.!
as an easy to apply acrostic: 1. Center your heart on the true, deeper
meaning of the holiday season. 2. Hear what your friends and family are
voicing as their stress, and listen carefully to them. 3. Reach out as a
family to help others in order to keep the proper perspective on what
is really important in life. 4. Invest in memories, not material goods.
5. Speak your love in words. 6. Take time for romance ...
12.8.14 - The new entrepreneurs - TheHill
Reframing the role of seniors in the labor force requires a shift in the
way we think about how to harness their experience and education. This is
important to promote a realistic portrait of older workers' skills, by
correcting existing stereotypes. In particular, this means moving the
dialogue away from health and social security, focusing instead on
retirees as entrepreneurial members of the labor force. Keeping senior
citizens in the labor force is an important way of stemming the
potential decline in productivity and sustaining economic output ...
12.5.14 - 25 Life Lessons From A Very Wise 99-Year-Old - HuffPost
Andy Anderson is chock full of advice. After all, he's had quite the
incredible life. He never went to college, but ended up being the
national dairy manager for grocery store chain Safeway. He also was
married for nearly 70 years -- until his wife passed away. The most
important thing he's learned? "Family is precious. Family is the most
influential element of your life from the moment you're born until the
moment you die. Your family shapes who you are as a person." Here's
Anderson's list of 25 life lessons: 1. Always maintain a
good sense of humor. 2. Never be too good to start at the bottom.
3. Exercise every single day, even when you don't feel like it.
4. Don't spend more money than you make ...
12.4.14 - AMERICA'S HEROES - Limited Book/Coin Offer
This Holiday Season give the gift of some truly amazing stories from today's Armed Forces.
Learn more about the events surrounding the U.S. Military's fight against the global
War on Terror, a campaign for global freedom & democracy. This limited edition piece
will offer insights into the experiences of these true American Heroes ...
12.4.14 - A Bright Gift Idea! - David Bradshaw, Idea Factory Press
If you're looking for a simple way to bring a smile to the faces of your loved ones this holiday season, consider giving the gift of "real money" - U.S. Gold and Silver coins!
This year I decided to give beautiful U.S. Morgan Silver Dollars, minted between 1878-1921. My grandson Harry is pictured showing off his Morgan Silver Dollar at our 2014 family Thanksgiving celebration. There's nothing like holding a historic U.S. Silver dollar in your hand to remind you of what honest money really feels like. Here are three smart reasons I recommend giving the gift of U.S. gold and silver coins...
DON'T BANK ON IT! ... Amazing Free Book Offer!
The symbol of bank security has been the safe. Today it should be the "unsafe" because, as this book reveals, your bank deposits are now in danger in at least 20 major ways - from cybercriminals, money-hungry politicians, Too-Big-To-Fail bankers, and those now stealing your dollars' value. Smith and Ponte propose a surprising alternative future you can bank on, based in part on what a Harvard economics professor did with his own near-million-dollar bank account. This book shows ways to save your savings ...
The Future of Money & Banking - Free CD
This hot new 1-hour CD/mp3 featuring Pat Boone Interviewing
DON'T BANK ON IT! author Craig R. Smith will tell you
everything you need to know about BIG changes ahead in banking.
(Here is a short mp3 sample) Pat is shocked to learn that our money on deposit in banks
will soon be viewed as "unsecured assets of the bank" rather than
"money". Also, read this week's news stories in the Examiner, London
Telegraph and by DON'T BANK ON IT! co-author Lowell Ponte's
explaining why bank "bail-ins" are "Bad News In Disguise" ...
Primelifers Free Booklet and CD!
We invite you to take a moment and sign up for our free weekly Primelifers newsletter with the latest news and information of interest
for those seeking to find their calling in the second half of life. Come on Boomers, the Generations X, Y and Z need our help to become all they can be! Let's shift into gear, use our many gifts and move from surviving to THRIVING!
Simply call 800-289-2646 or register here for a FREE copy of Don't Retire, Get Re-Inspired! Handbook & CD
Protecting the American Dream - Wayne Allyn Root
President Obama says the middle class is doing fine, but the numbers say
otherwise. According to bestselling author Wayne Allyn Root's new book The Murder of the Middle Class, "The American middle class was once the richest middle class in the world.
Not anymore. In towns and cities across the nation, our once-great middle
class is under attack. Fortunately, your family doesn't have to be a victim any longer." Root
lays out crucial steps middle class Americans can take to protect
themselves. FREE chapter from Murder of the Middle Class ...
In Eager To Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi Friar Richard Rohr,
founder of The Center for Action and Contemplation, weaves together a beautiful
and healing spiritual tapestry revealing the 'secret' of Francis of Assisi's way
of simplicity born eight centuries ago. This is the third book by Rohr I have read
in the last two years, following "Falling Upward" and "Yes, And..." - all of
which I have found exceptional. Proverbs 20:5 says "The purposes
of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out."
The insight from wise Christians, such as Richard Rohr, helps to draw out our
deep waters and a deeper sense of purpose ...
FALLING UPWARD: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
A book about growing up spiritually, Falling Upward, is by visionary Franciscan pastor/teacher/author Richard Rohr. It offers a fresh road map to guide Baby Boomers through the next vital rite of passage they face. Rohr offers readers his flashlight to help us find our way out of the dark and into a joyful, bright second half of life.
"Falling Upward is fresh way of thinking about spirituality that grows throughout life," says GoodReads.com. "Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite."
MORE THAN ORDINARY: Enjoying Life With God - Book Review
More Than Ordinary by author and businessman Doug Sherman is an extra-ordinary book on Christian living. It could easily be titled "Your Intimacy with God Matters to Him" - the sequel to his groundbreaking bestseller, "Your Work Matters to God", written over 20 years ago during his "first season" of life. I had the pleasure of meeting Doug and his wife Jan at Paradise Church in Phoenix last summer as he introduced his "Trading Up" teaching series. Doug wrote this new book so that all Christians could rediscover and explore God "as if for the first time." His deepest conviction is that Father God yearns for a closer relationship with all His children, much as earthly fathers cherish the time with their children ...
Your Work Matters to God - Book Review
Many Christians hold a decidedly unbiblical view of work. Some view it as a
curse, or at least as part of the curse of living in a fallen world. Others
make a false distinction between what they perceive as the sacred - serving
God - and the secular - everything else. In their excellent book
Your Work Matters to God, Doug Sherman and William Hendricks expose
the wrong ways of thinking about work, and explain how God invests
work with intrinsic value and honor. For those who work secular jobs-- the vast majority of people-- it is about learning all of God's purpose for all of our lives, not just his "religious" purposes. Your Work Matters to God is a must-read for every Christian worker ...
The Spiritual Significance of Age 50 - MorningStar
John Boneck, author of 50+ The Emerging Joshua & Caleb Generation shares how God prepares us to walk in profound spiritual authority when we reach the age 50. This is the opening session of the 50+ Joshua and Caleb Generation Gathering in Fort Mill, SC, in April, 2014. If you are ready to gain a fresh perspective on your second half of life mission, and then coached on how to best tell the 'story of your life' with the power of the Spirit of God, then you are going to love this book! John offers readers his simple "Spiritual Legacy Mission Statement: We will declare God's faithfulness, power and provision to future generations, that they too may know and live in God's love and purpose" ...
According to Trading Up founder Doug Sherman, "The trajectory of our whole life is determined by one thing, the image of God we live our lives by. Rethinking your image of God from the ground up will lead to a vastly better life and dramatically shift how you see everything. That is a Trade Up." The following is a short essay by Doug explaining why the only antidote to man-made religion is to begin leading a true God-centric life. Happy Thanksgiving to all! ... "It has been said Christianity started in Jerusalem as a group of people reveling in the greatness and immeasurable goodness of God everyday ...
11.26.14 - You Are Love Becoming Love - Rohr, CAC
Your True Self is who you are, and always have been in God, and at its core it is love itself. Love is both who you are and who you are still becoming, like a sunflower seed that becomes its own sunflower. God never forces himself or herself on us or coerces us toward life or love by any threats whatsoever. God seduces us, yes; coerces us, no (Jeremiah 20:7; Matthew 11:28-30). God is utterly free and utterly respects our own human freedom. Love cannot happen in any other way. Love flourishes inside freedom and then increases freedom even more. "For freedom Christ has set us free!" shouts St. Paul in his critique of all legalistic religion (Galatians 5:1) ...
11.26.14 - This Thanksgiving, Thank Entrepreneurs - Investors
As we celebrate our national day of Thanksgiving and enjoy family, friends, food and football, most of us pause to give thanks for our manifold blessings. Our gratitude may be for our loved ones, for good health, for prosperity, for the great blessings of liberty (though sadly somewhat diminished) that we Americans have enjoyed. Many of us will take time to give thanks to God, the creator "from Whom all blessings flow."
Economics teaches us what the factors of production are: land (i.e., natural resources), labor and capital. But the most important factor of all is the human vision and intelligence. This intelligence, this key to the wealth creation process, is the entrepreneur - the unsung hero of the amazing, unprecedented affluence that surrounds us ...
11.24.14 - Pastor's New Self-Help Program Debuts on Oprah Network - ChristianPost
Rob Bell, former megachurch pastor and bestselling author, will finally have his new self-help show premiere on the Oprah Winfrey Network next month, just a few days before Christmas. A press release from OWN claims that on "The Rob Bell Show," the Christian author "shines a bright light on the topics we most want to talk about but don't know where to begin. The special focuses on the universal desire to create a life of meaning, hope, and joy - making peace with your past, living and thriving in the present right here, right now. Whether you're spiritual, cynical, religious, or not quite sure, Rob invites you into the questions, wrestling with what it all means and why we find spiritual topics so fascinating." ...
11.19.14 - ALIVE INSIDE - Documentary Trailer
An uplifting cinematic exploration of music and the mind, ALIVE INSIDE's
inspirational and emotional story left audiences humming, clapping and
cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.
This stirring documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the
nonprofit organization Music & Memory, as he fights against a broken
healthcare system to demonstrate music's ability to combat memory loss
and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it. [Ed. Note:
Leoma and I watched this excellent documentary and feel strongly that
reaching out to local nursing homes with this "Music & Memory" message is great opportunity!
We've decided to give my 89-year old mother an iPod and headphones for Christmas with
her favorites songs from the past on it :) ...
11.19.14 - In a child's eye, communication begins early - WSJ
The eyes are windows to the soul. What could be more obvious? I look
through my eyes onto the world, and I look through the eyes of
others into their minds. We immediately see the tenderness and
passion in a loving gaze, the fear and malice in a hostile glance.
When most people, including tiny babies, look at a face, they
concentrate on the eyes. All this suggests that we may be especially
adapted to figure out what our fellow humans see and feel from
their eyes. Even very young babies might detect emotions from eyes ...
11.19.14 - November's "Down Under" Theft of Your Bank Account - Ponte
On November 16, 2014, the world of banking and money was officially flipped
upside down because of actions taken by the G-20 nations meeting "down under"
in Brisbane, Australia. People deposit their money in banks for safety.
But this gathering of 35 national leaders turned your bank into one of
the most unsafe places to put your money. Without warning, these G-20
leaders agreed that the money in your bank account can be seized to pay
bank debts. "Laws and rules are being changed to make government
confiscation of bank deposits as 'unsecured assets' easier via
what governments now call 'bail-ins,'" Craig R. Smith and I warned
in September 2014 in our latest book DON'T BANK ON IT!...
11.18.14 - Pope challenges anti-life Western secularists -AmericanSpectator
Pope Francis has offered counsel over the last week that culturally adrift
Protestants and Evangelicals especially should heed the timeless truths
regarding human life intrinsic to Christian faith and organic to nature
itself, not based on Christian scripture exclusively but available to all
creation. Criticizing the growing "culture of the temporary," the Pope noted:
"This revolution in manners and morals has often flown the flag of freedom,
but in fact it has brought spiritual and material devastation to countless
human beings, especially the poorest and most vulnerable." ...
11.17.14 - MUSIC & MEMORY Helps Wisconsin Nursing Homes - M&M.org
When Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (DHS) decided to implement
Music & Memory's personalized music program in 100 long-term care facilities
in September 2013, officials were hopeful that the initiative would improve
residents' quality of life. But they had no idea just how significant the
improvements might be. One year later, the evidence is persuasive: Wisconsin
has moved from tenth to fourth place among all 50 states in a national effort
to reduce use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes ... Volunteer Opps
11.16.14 - Alzheimer's Test Detects Disease Decade Early - Bloomberg
A new blood test for Alzheimer's appears to detect the disease as many as 10 years before
clinical diagnosis is possible - far sooner than other tests in development.
The test, described publicly for the first time yesterday, could soon be used
to identify and treat patients with Alzheimer's earlier in their disease progression.
Those people could participate in clinical trials to help find new treatments ...
11.13.14 - The Future of Money & Banking - Free CD
This hot new 1-hour CD/mp3 featuring Pat Boone Interviewing
DON'T BANK ON IT! author Craig R. Smith will tell you
everything you need to know about BIG changes ahead in banking.
(Here is a short mp3 sample) Pat is shocked to learn that our money on deposit in banks
will soon be viewed as "unsecured assets of the bank" rather than
"money". Also, read this week's news stories in the Examiner, London
Telegraph and by DON'T BANK ON IT! co-author Lowell Ponte's
explaining why bank "bail-ins" are "Bad News In Disguise" ...
11.13.14 - G-20: Bank deposits paper investments, not money - Examiner
On Sunday, Nov. 16 the G20 will formally announce new banking rules that are expected to send shock
waves to anyone holding a checking, savings, or money market account
in a financial institution. The G20 will implement a new
policy that makes bank deposits on par with paper investments,
subjecting account holders to declines that one might experience
from holding a stock or other security when the next financial
banking crisis occurs. Additionally, all member nations of the
G20 will immediately submit and pass legislation that will
fulfill this program, creating a new paradigm where banks
no longer recognize your deposits as money, but as liabilities
and securitized capital owned and controlled by the bank
or institution ...
11.12.14 - 1 in 3 Americans fear stocks - FOX Video
A Wells Fargo survey shows 1 in 3 Americans are afraid of stocks. Neil Cavuto believes Americans have simply lost confidence in the greatness of our nation.
Guest Craig R Smith, chairman of Swiss America, agrees, "You are correct! Americans have lost confidence their
children will have a better life and future. Our great experience we call
America is based upon confidence; that our leaders will lead,
that they will do what they say and won't lie to us. During the last
financial crisis our president said the markets would fall apart
unless the government bailed us out, which is NOT what a
president says to instill public confidence!"
11.11.14 - Bank 'Bail-Ins': Bad News In Disguise - Lowell Ponte
In the November 10 London Telegraph,
James Titcomb reports how future bank problems will be handled.
Future problems in banks that are "Too Big To Fail" will never again
end in government bailouts using taxpayer money. Instead, as we explained
in Don't Bank On It!, governments will employ "bail ins," forcing what
he calls "creditors" of various kinds to bear banks' losses. This seemingly
good news, however, conveniently neglects to reveal who all these "creditors"
are. Those stuck paying for bank shortcomings may also include customers,
depositors who do not understand that when they opened a bank account,
they were in effect lending their money to a bank and getting in return
only an IOU ...
11.10.14 - Bank 'creditor' bail-ins replace taxpayer bail-outs - Telegraph
The Governor of the bank of England, in his position as chairman
of the international Financial Stability Board (FSB), has unveiled
proposals for forcing creditors to bear banks' losses. Mr. Carney
said agreeing global rules on dealing with losses at "systemically
important banks" was a "watershed" moment. Under the new so-called
"bail in" rules, globally systemic banks will have to hold "total
loss absorbing capacity" [TLAC] - equity or debt that can be
converted into shares - of at least 16-20pc of their assets,
weighted for risk. If a bank fails, its creditors will then see the money owed to them turned into shares. This means that they, rather than taxpayers, are the support in the event of a bank suffering heavy losses ...
11.10.14 - NY woman celebrates 100th birthday with sky dive - AP
Eleanor Cunningham of Howes Cave, New York, has bested former President George H.W. Bush.
He celebrated his 90th birthday by skydiving; she made the big leap to mark her centennial.
Cunningham kissed her 7-month-old great-great-granddaughter before suiting up for her
100th birthday jump Saturday at Saratoga Skydiving in Gansevoort (GANZ'-voort). It was
her third jump, after taking up the sport at age 90 ...
11.6.14 - Banks spying for the I.R.S.? - YouTube
Many were shocked on October 25 to read the New York Times investigation "Law Lets I.R.S. Seize Accounts on Suspicion, No Crime Required," using a law that lets government confiscate the bank accounts of those who deposit or withdraw even relatively small amounts of cash. This is enough under today's law for the I.R.S. to expropriate someone's bank account, based merely on their using cash as criminals might do, even if no actual crime has been committed ...
11.5.14 - US Mint sold out of silver Eagles amid huge demand - CNBC
The U.S. Mint said on Wednesday it has temporarily sold out of its American Eagle silver bullion coins following "tremendous'' demand in the past several weeks. Sharp breaks in gold and silver prices to their lowest in more than four years have unleashed a surge in demand for investment coins and small bars by retail investors around the world, with buyers in Germany queueing out the door and some U.S. investors returning to the market for the first time in years ...
11.5.14 - German Bank 'Charging' Negative Interest - ZeroHedge
On November 1st, the first European bank has passed along these negative interest rates to its retail customers.
So if you maintain a balance of more than 500,000 euros at Deutsche Skatbank of Germany, you now have the privilege of paying 0.25% per year ... to the bank. It almost seems like an episode from the Twilight Zone ... or some bizarre parallel universe. That's the investment environment we're in now. Bottom line: if you're responsible with your money and set some aside for the future, you will be penalized. If you blow your savings and go into debt, you will be rewarded.
11.5.14 - DON'T BANK ON IT Book Review - RightSideNews
Craig R. Smith and Lowell Ponte's book, "Don't Bank on It," should be a required primer for high school and college students who often graduate economically illiterate unless they major in Economics. The average American's economic literacy would be tremendously augmented by reading this book, written for the average person who is not an investor or a banker. Will we become a cashless society as the government eliminates the middlemen and becomes America's bank? (Read the book to find out!) ...
11.4.14 - Aging America: The U.S. Cities Going Gray The Fastest - Forbes
Since 2000, the senior population has increased 29% compared to overall population growth of 12%. The percentage of Americans in the senior set has risen from 12.4% to 14.1%, and their share of the population is projected to climb to 19.3% by 2030. There are two principal causes for this: the baby boom generation is reaching 65 years old, while the U.S. fertility rate has fallen markedly in recent decades...
10.31.14 - AARP Alternatives for Conscientious Seniors - ILNews
AARP membership has declined from a peak of 40 million in 2008 to about 38 million today. This, in spite of the fact that the over 50 demographic has been growing. Since 2008, the ranks of alternative organizations - some of which cater specifically to conservatives - have seen exponential growth. AARP's troubles seem worse since its full throated support of Obamacare. Many in the alternative media have questioned AARP's extreme politics. AARP pushed for Obamacare and lobbied against Medigap reform that would have lowered most seniors' insurance bills ...
10.30.14 - THE GREAT SOCIAL SECURITY ROBBERY - News Release
(Idea Factory Press, Phoenix, AZ) - Social Security was supposed to be
better than a fixed pension. Its payments were supposed to increase each
year to keep up with inflation, so that senior citizens would keep the
value, the same purchasing power, they had earned. "But under President
Barack Obama, those on Social Security have been robbed year after year
of the cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) they deserve," says financial
author Lowell Ponte, a retired editor of Reader's Digest magazine.
Real-world price inflation has been running between 6 and 11 percent
a year since President Obama took office ...
10.28.14 - Some struggle with leaving their jobs - USAToday
Many people give so much of themselves to their jobs that they don't have the time or energy to develop other interests.
"Work is the primary source of identity for many of us and absorbs our best energies and creativity, so retirement is a major transition," says psychologist Kris Ludwigsen. Many retirees miss both the money and the companionship that their work provided, he says. "It's important, if you enjoy your work, to continue to work. I worked until I was 80." A recent survey showed that the majority of pre-retirees (72%) would like to keep working in retirement ...
10.28.14 - THE STORY THE NEW YORK TIMES MISSED: - PRBuzz
Many were shocked on October 25 to read the New York Times investigation "Law Lets I.R.S. Seize Accounts on Suspicion, No Crime Required," using a law that lets government confiscate the bank accounts of those who deposit or withdraw even relatively small amounts of cash. This is enough under today's law for the Internal Revenue Service to expropriate someone's bank account, based merely on their using cash as criminals might do, even if no actual crime has been committed. Those who have read one or more of the five books Craig R. Smith and Lowell Ponte have written, including their new book DON'T BANK ON IT! The Unsafe World of 21st Century Banking, were not surprised by this ...
10.27.14 - Hacking Top Crime Americans Worry About - Gallup
More Than One in Four Americans Say They Have Been Hacked - As the list of major U.S. retailers hit by credit card hackers continues to grow this year, Americans are more likely to worry about having credit card information they used in stores stolen by computer hackers than any other crime they are asked about. Sixty-nine percent of Americans report they frequently or occasionally worry about this happening to them. Having a computer or smartphone hacked (62%) is the only other crime that worries the majority of Americans. Those whose household incomes are $75,000 or more a year, are more likely than lower-income Americans to worry frequently or occasionally about hacking of their credit card information ... Video: Banks Vulnerable to Hacking ...
