| January 1, 2007 - A new retirement year - banished words - have seniors hunt terrorists
Here we go again - another year of surprises and challenges - but as the retirement years zip by at warp speed, the resolutions are fewer and less taxing.For me, most of my resolutions start with "I'll try" or end with "Ah, what the hell."
The only resolution I kept from last year - never to watch "reality" TV shows - that was easy. But this year, the only one I'm truly geared up for is a new creative retirement Job challenge - building another website that brings with it a large learning curve - how to use video - this is easy stuff for the youngsters but it's all new to me. Overall though, I look back on 06 as a good year and according to a new Ipsos Reid survey the majority of Canadians (76%) feel the same way. A senior's website also notes that 88% of us near to or in our retirement years are predicting that 07 will be a very good year. Americans are also, confident about the new year economically, however, six in 10 people think the United States will be the victim of a terrorist attack. An identical percentage thinks it likely a biological or nuclear weapon will be unleashed somewhere else in the world - 35 per cent predict a cure for cancer will be found. So to all, a positive, productive and profitable 2007. --------------------------------------The Lake Superior State University has issued it's 32nd annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Miss-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness. My granddaughter will be disappointed to learn that the word - AWESOME is on the list (Given a one-year moratorium in 1984, when the Unicorn Hunters banished it "during which it is to be rehabilitated until it means 'fear mingled with admiration or reverence; a feeling produced by something majestic." "Many write to tell us there's no hope and it's time for "the full banishment.") However, I refused to follow their 2006 suggestions when they added my favourite creative battle cry to their list - "Git-er-done" - to me that's a real, down-home, blue-collar, positive affirmation. Check out the 2007 banished word list --------------------------------------My thanks to retired buddy Tom Adams for the following - SENIOR SOLDIERS
I'm over 72 now and the Armed Forces say I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 35 to join the military.
They've got the whole thing backwards. Instead of sending 18-year-olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join until you're at least 35.
For starters: Researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds.
Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy. Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. If we can't kill the enemy we'll complain them into submission. "My back hurts!" "I'm hungry!" "Where's the remote control?" !
An 18-year-old hasn't had a legal beer yet and you shouldn't go to war until you're at least old enough to legally drink.
An average old guy, on the other hand, has consumed 126,000 gallons of beer by the time he's 35 and a jaunt through the desert heat with a backpack and M-60 would do wonders for the old beer belly. An 18-year-old doesn't like to get up in the morning before 10am.
Old guys get up early every morning to pee. If old guys are captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd probably forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser. !
Boot camp would actually be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we actually like soft food. We've also developed a deep appreciation for guns and rifles.
We like them almost better than naps. They could lighten up on the obstacle course however.
I've been in combat and I didn't see a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training. I can hear the Drill Sergeant now, "Get down and give me...er..one." And the running part is kind of a waste of energy. I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet. An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to actually carry on a conversation, and to wear pants without the top of his butt crack showing and his boxer shorts sticking out.
He still hasn't figured out that a pierced tongue catches food particles, and that a 400-watt speaker in the back seat of a Honda Accord can rupture an eardrum. All great reasons to keep our sons at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off to possible death. Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten cowards who attacked our hearts on September 11. The last thing the enemy would want to see right now is a couple of million old farts with attitudes. Now, let's start the new year with a new creative retirement job - Git-er-done (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 3, 2007 - Retirement job videos and when music mattered
I know I'm singing the same song over and over, but as promoted by the home website developing a creative retirement job via a website is an stimulating way to keep mentally alert as you grow older - keeps the old cerebrum part of the brain in good working order.
Then there's the icing on the cake - the extra money in the bank.I know there are many retirees who, as it was for me, are new to computers which they use mainly for exchanging profane Emails and searching for information and know nada about building a website. For them, as it was for me, there's the Montreal based Site Build It - they handle all the techie stuff and keep you up to date but there's also the forums were SBIers gather to help each other - I have been rescued so many times over the past two years by fellow SBIers I feel I'm in an internet lifeboat most of the time. I'm not alone in singing the praises of SBI - I found these two videos on YouTube - SBIers who telling the world their stories on how they used the SBI roadmap. The first is from Spain and a website that deals with the training of horses - From Josephine from andalusians-for-you.com The next on is interesting - John has built a retirement job with a
website dealing with an Art Form Discovery Called Encaustic Painting Is A Fun Pastime Why not at least research the possibility of starting a retirement job via the internet - there are so many ways to participate - sell your knowledge - sell your products, (yours or someone else's), sell Ebooks, CD's and DVD's - the possibilities are endless
----------------------------------------
Some background to this next entry - a number of years ago, the great Edward R. Murrow was the host of a radio show called "This I believe" - the theme was "the common meeting grounds of beliefs, which is the essence of brotherhood and the floor of our civilization." Notables such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller and Harry Truman, as well as average citizens took a few minutes to tell stories that illustrated the guiding principles by which they lived. Back in April of 05, National Public Radio, here in the states. Revived the program and they list some of the stories on their website - one of my regular internet visiting places. The following story reached out to me - a reminder that time is short and something not to be wasted, esprecially when it comes to family - When the music mattered - Korinthia Klein, Milwaukee My grandfather died 20 years ago. I was 15.
He was kind, strong, fair, and very funny. When I was a young musician, he was my biggest fan. My grandpa used to applaud when I tuned, and I would roll my eyes and shrug off his enthusiasm as too biased. I would play my violin for him when he would visit, and he loved everything, but each time he would have one request. "Could you play Amazing Grace?" he would ask, hopefully and with a twinkle in his eye, because he knew my answer was always, "I don't know that one!" We went through this routine at every major holiday, and I always figured I'd have time to learn it for him later.
About the time I entered high school and had switched to viola and started guitar, grandpa got cancer. The last time I saw him alive was Thanksgiving weekend of 1985 My mom warned us when we turned onto the familiar street that grandpa didn't look the same anymore and that we should prepare ourselves. For a moment I didn't recognize him. He looked so small among all the white sheets, and I had never thought of my grandpa as small in any sense. We had all gathered in Ohio for the holiday, and I'm sure we all knew we were there to say goodbye. I can see now that grandpa held on long enough to see us each one more time. I remember how we ate in the dining room and laughed and talked while grandpa rested in his hospital bed in the den. I wonder if it was sad for him, alone with our voices and laughter. Knowing grandpa, he was probably content. The next morning, I found my moment alone with him. I pulled out my guitar, tuned to his appreciative gaze and finally played him "Amazing Grace." I had worked on it for weeks, knowing it never mattered if I actually played it well, and choosing not to believe as I played that it was my last concert for my biggest fan. The cancer had stolen his smile, but I saw joy in his eyes and he held my hand afterward, and I knew I had done something important. I argued with people all through college about my music major. I was told by strangers that music wouldn't make me any money and it wasn't useful like being a doctor.
But I know firsthand that, with music, I was able to give my grandpa something at a point when no one else could.
Neither money or doctors could make him feel like himself.
For a few minutes, with my guitar, there was beauty and love and escape. At its best, music is the highest expression of humanity's better nature, and I'm privileged to contribute to such a profound tradition. So this I believe: Music matters. Love matters. And in our best moments, they are one and the same. -------------------------------------------Everyone have a great day - hope you'll visit on Friday.
In the meantime check out the Retirement Jobs Library - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 5, 2007 - Retirement Flashback with music and another video
Ever had a retirement flashback? Remember the Michael J. Fox Movie - "Back to the Future" and the rocket car that would blast him back to times past? The other night we're playing cards at a buddy's place - music from the 40's played in the background - mostly big band stuff - but suddenly there it was - Muggsy's cornet - and BAM - like Fox, in a flash I was transported back 66 years to my house on MacLean Avenue in Toronto. I was 12 years old and along with three buddies we would gather in my bedroom and pretend we were Jazz musicians and our favourite group was Muggsy Spanier and his Rag Time Band - as you will soon hear - it wasn't really ragtime but, rather, jazz that would now be called Dixieland. The four of us would mimic holding and playing the instruments and we learned every riff - each of us had our solos down pat - we would bup-bup-bup along with the record and never miss a note. I was Muggsy on cornet, Dave Kerr played the tenor sax, Paul Edmonds doubled on trombone and piano and Ted Laidlaw played his imaginary clarinet. Between us, we had an impressive collection of jazz 78's, but - my favourite was Muggsy's Wish I could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate - I handled the vocal which was tough to do because there's a Muggsy solo right after the vocal that in reality wouldn't of worked - I learned many, many years later that the vocalist was George Brunis, the trombone player - but I had his gravely voiced delivery down pat. The guys once talked me into auditioning for a school concert by belting out "Sister Kate" - after I completed my Muggsy bit- Mr. Taylor the teacher in charge of the audition, stared at me in stunned silence for about 30 seconds then blurted out something like - "OK, David that was.................interesting - now Joan Cuthbert will play The Woodpecker Song on her piccolo" The guys were collapsing with laughter in the back of room - but I knew I had nailed it - Muggsy would have been proud. Just like Fox in the movie, I was ahead of my time - the tight-ass, WASP culture that prevailed in Toronto the Good in the 30's and 40's wasn't ready for Muggsy and me. One more Muggsy classic - if I may say so - I could mimic Muggsy's solo on this one, never missing a note and I would double my effort with great pantomime at the end when the guys start yelling "play that thing" - just like they do on the record - give a listen to Big Butter and Egg Man Me, Muggsy and the guys in our make-believe Chicago Jazz Club - great times. ---------------------------------------
Have another video for you to watch - a fellow by the name of John Forsyth, has built a income producing retirement job after he, like me, discovered Site Build It. Jon, like thousands of others, knew zip about building a website but, over time, with SBI guiding him every step of the way, he produced an interesting site that deals with - are you ready - juggling. This is fun stuff as Jon and his family tell their SBI story as a musical video - enjoy and learn
---------------------------------------
Finally our Retirement thought for the day_ With old age comes skill - it's called Multi Tasking - you can laugh, cough, sneeze, fart and pee all at the same time.
---------------------------------------
Have a great weekend and hope you'll visit again on Monday - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 8, 2007 - Retirement mess - retirement web wanderings and a child explains God
My wife calls it the "retirement hell pit" and frequently issues strict instructions to close the door when we have visitors - and every January it's the same plea - "Why don't make a New Year's resolution to clean up that swamp you call an office?"I've made several attempts to clean-up and organize the several piles of newspapers and magazines that are stacked higher than my desk - tidy up the many post-'em notes attached to everything that's stationary - pick up the CD's laying on the desk, file cabinets and floor and return them to their proper cases - and I guess the heaps of file folders should be filed in the file cabinet - but damn it, why bother - it's my world and I'm happy as a bull frog in his swamp.
Besides, believe it or not, I know where everything is - most of the time. But be of good cheer all you retired mess-up's There's a new book by Eric Abrahamson, a professor of management at Columbia University, and journalist David H. Freedman - A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder - that convincingly puts forth a case that mess is good. Get this - Freedman writes - "Messy desks can be highly functional, with the most-needed documents ending up at hand and the less-important ones buried. People who said they keep a Very neat desk' spend an average of 36 percent more time looking for things at work than people who said they keep a 'fairly messy' desk." Send a memo on this one - "Two-thirds of people feel guilt or shame about their messiness.
But the truth is an ultraneat home can feel sterile and unlived-in, with little sign of the personalities of its occupants.
A moderately messy home feels warmer, and more comfortable and nurturing, and reflects the interests and activities of the family." - Freedman and Abrahamson did not specify what they consider to be "moderate". The authours offer this final piece of advise - "Don't fight with partners or children over messiness. By now you've resolved to keep your mess - how about being at ease with it, too? - that's what I've suggested for years.
-------------------------------------------------------- Retirement News web wanderings -
--------------------------------------------------------
My thanks to retired buddy Jim Hill for sending the following - It was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in Chula Vista, CA.
He wrote it for his third grade homework assignment, to "explain God." I wonder if any of us could have done as well?
EXPLANATION OF GOD:
"One of God's main jobs is making people.
He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth.
He doesn't make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers."
"God's second most important job is listening to prayers.
An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off." "God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy.
So you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have." "Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church." "Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God.
They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him
But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K."
"His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did.
And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important." "You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time." "You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God! Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway." "If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can.
It is good to know He's around you when you're scared, in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids." "But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases. And...that's why I believe in God."
--------------------------------------------------------Everyone have a great day - hope you return Wednesday - Now, lets start work on our creative retirement job - here's a good place to start - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 10, 2007 - Retirement for robots - drugs and booze for spiders video - hit songs for the retired
In 2056 my granddaughter Mackenzie will be 65 years old, ten years from retirement age and living in a society, according to a British think-tank, that may have to deal with what will likely be a very controversial subject - the emancipation of the robots. Now I'm not making this up Bucko - the Brits paid big bucks for this forecast.
The research, commissioned by the U.K. Office of Science and Innovation's Horizon Scanning Centre predicts that - "labour output and greater intelligence provided by robots will ultimately lead to greater human prosperity and an improvement of the human condition." However, if not kept under control - "a monumental shift could occur if robots were developed to the point where they could reproduce, improve or think for themselves." At that stage, the researchers suggest the Robots could sue the government and demand equal rights with humans - including old age pensions and social security cheques - if indeed there is such a thing as old age pensions and social security in 2056 - I keep telling all my grandkids - don't count on it.. But, I wonder - would these robot citizens ever retire or would they just keep on going like the energizing bunny?
----------------------------------------
Interesting stats - - 33 Estimated percent of the78-million baby boomers who suffer from high blood pressure.
- 25% of boomers with high blood pressure who told pollsters they have changed their lifestyle to combat the problem.
- 67% of those with high blood pressure who said they knew that using decongestants when they have a cold may raise blood pressure.
- 80% of both men and women, who say that men complain more when they get a cold than do women.
----------------------------------------And while on the subject of stats and Boomers - it's not the teenagers we should be worrying about - here's some alarming U.S. statistics concerning drug use - the fastest-growing population of drug abusers is white, middle-aged Americans. In an New York Times article, Mike Males, a senior researcher at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, in San Francisco wrote the following - "Among Americans in their 40s and 50s, deaths from illicit-drug overdoses have risen by 800 percent since 1980, including 300 percent in the last decade.
In 2004, American hospital emergency rooms treated 400,000 patients between the ages 35 and 64 for abusing heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, hallucinogens and "club drugs" like ecstasy. Equally surprising, graying baby boomers have become America's fastest-growing crime scourge. The FBI reports that last year the number of Americans over the age of 40 arrested for violent and property felonies rose to 420,000, up from 170,000 in 1980.
Arrests for drug offenses among those over 40 rose to 360,000 last year, up from 22,000 in 1980.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 440,000 Americans ages 40 and older were incarcerated in 2005, triple the number in 1990." Now, with all that in mind, take a look at this video sent in by not-yet-retired chum Bill McKay for sending this video - Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Spider Webs
----------------------------------------
Retirement news web wanderings - - couldn't help myself - I had to register my Email with MI5, the British security Service - made me feel like an old, retired James Bond - but the wife and I have many friends in the UK.
MI5 is now offering to send Emails to individuals when there is a change in the terror threat level. As of today that level is assessed as SEVERE - meaning an attack is highly likely and indicates a continuing high level of threat to the UK.
- Here's a creative retirement job idea for those of you who may be retired language teachers or, like 27 year old Sebastien Babolat, a student who divides his time between France and California, can teach your native language to others - In addition to his podcasts, he also includes excerpts from French songs and book reviews.
----------------------------------------
Thanks to my retired buddy Bill Ozard out there in oil rich Alberta for sending this list.
Bill, a former early morning DJ played many of the following hits before the lyrics were changed for the benefit of those of us now in our retirement years. - Herman's Hermits - "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Walker"
- The Bee Gees - "How Can You Mend A Broken Hip"
- The Temptations - "Papa's Got A Kidney Stone"
- Ringo Starr - "I Get By With A Little Help From Depends"
- Marvin Gaye - "I Heard It Through The Grape Nuts"
- Procol Harem - "A Whiter Shade Of Hair"
- Johnny Nash - "I Can't See Clearly Now"
- Leo Sayer - "You Make Me Feel Like Napping"
- ABBA - "Denture Queen"
- Paul Simon - "Fifty Ways To Lose Your Liver"
- Roberta Flack - "The First Time I Ever Forgot Your Face"
- Commodores - "Once, Twice, Three Times To The Bathroom"
- Bobby Darin - "Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' A Flash"
Blessed are the FLEXIBLE...for they shall not be bent out of shape!----------------------------------------Now let's get cracking - it's time to research creative retirement job possibilities - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 12, 2007 - Positive retirement - amazing pics - stress and Epsom salts
----------------------------------------------
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing. - George Bernard Shaw
One thing I learned years ago -
the hard way- never, ever, consider yourself a failure - especially during your retirement years - that's one of the top three rules in developing a positive attitude.I came across the following the other day - the story of man who - - Failed in business at the age of 21
- Was defeated in a legislative race at the age of 22
- Failed again in business at 24
- Overcome the death of his girlfriend at 26
- Had a nervous breakdown at 27
- Lost a congressional race at age of 34
- Lost a senatorial race at age 45
- Failed to become Vice President at the age 47
- Lost a senatorial race at 49
- Was elected as the President of the United States at the age of 52
This was Abraham Lincoln who never labeled himself a failure and kept moving forward - true he made one big mistake by going to the theatre that night - but before that, he turned failures into successes - bring up a picture of old Abe in your mind the next time you start hitting on yourself.
One more piece on this positive positioning during retirement - visualization - as far as your brain computer is concerned - it's doesn't make any difference whether it's real or an image. Researchers tracked blood flow using a functional MRI on subjects that viewed a face or place, versus imagining the same face or place - the same blood flow and brain activity took place regardless of whether the object was real or imagined. Visualizing ourselves succeeding can be a powerful motivational tool.
It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success. - Havelock Ellis
----------------------------------------------
Here's a fun commercial - the making of a great day for two old retired guys
----------------------------------------------
Another reason to start thinking about a creative retirement job via the internet.In a recent study, 67 per cent of working Canadians say that physical well-being. Is more important that their financial well-being. The study, conducted by the financial services firm Investors Group, concludes that this could be the reason that more than half (58 per cent) said they plan to do some kind of paid work in retirement - this is in stark contrast to the 23 per cent of current retirees who are working. Baby boomers have the strongest intentions to remain in the workforce, with 65 percent of respondents in the 45-64 age group saying they plan to do some sort of work in retirement. Studies in other western countries are coming up with the same stats - so think about it - here's a retirement guide to help you come up with some retirement job ideas
----------------------------------------------
Amazing pictures - first, The people riding in the left side window seats know - this just isn't going to be a good trip -
 Second - You know your not going to have a good day when -
----------------------------------------------
Retirement News web wanderings found yet another way to reduce stress - take a bath with Epsom salts.
The compound is actually magnesium suffate. The magnesium helps bind serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well-being and relaxation. Magnesium can also help reduce inflammation, relieve sore muscles and aching joints. The chemical can be easily absorbed through the skin by taking a bath (mix 2 cups of Epsom salt in a standard-size bathtub) or having a facial (mix % teaspoon into over-the-counter cleansing cream, massage, then rinse with cool water). For more information, click here. ----------------------------------------------
Thanks to retired buddy Jim Hill for the following - WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT? - (taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds) - Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of her own. They like other people's.
- A grandfather is a man & a grandmother is a lady!
- It's funny when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog."
- Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them.
- Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us.
- They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money.
- When they take us for walks, the y slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.
- They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also why we shouldn't step on "cracks."
- They don't say, "Hurry up."
- Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes.
- They wear glasses and funny underwear.
- They can take their teeth and gums out.
- They have to answer questions like "why isn't God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?".
-
When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.
- They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time and kiss us even when we've acted bad.
----------------------------------------------
Retired? - Get on the retirement bandwagon - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 15, 2007 - Poker and retirement - retirement fun stuff and two old gals
Retirement confession - I am mathematically challenged.
It would be easier to teach chipmunks how to sing opera than to teach me how to calculate pot odds, hence, my fantasy of becoming a professional Texas Hold 'Em poker player will never be a reality - that plus my age and my wife's veto. For the uninitiated, pot odds are the breakeven ratio of money in the pot to the amount you have to bet to make a call.
My in-head, "retirement years" calculator is just too sluggish and pulling out a cheat sheet is frowned on in the best poker circles. That's why I find it surprising that my son Gord on the other hand, calculates his chances with the speed of Intel processor - obviously an extra DNA bonus from his mother. Gord recently enjoyed an experience I can only dream of - he earned a seat at a televised Texas Hold 'Em competition in Las Vegas - Mansion Poker's Dome Poker carried on the Fox Sports network here in the states and through syndication in Canada. Last Month, Gord took most of a Sunday, on-line, in competition with 122 other players from around the world and beat them all earning him a $7,000 trip to Vegas and a seat at the qualifying table in a series that ends with a million dollar payout. It ran on Fox Christmas eve - Gord was, for a time, the third ranked chip earner, but, after a back and forth battle, he bowed out when his opponent caught a King on the river card to pair up and beat Gord's pair of queens - but what a trip.  That's my boy, second from the left with the sunglass pushed back - cool - the eventual winner of the $25,000 was a young lad from Australia, fourth from the left - he also earned a seat for the next $50,000 round that will also earn the winner a seat at the million dollar table.Anyway, getting back to my feeble poker prowess - I found the following on a poker website (I can't give proper credit as I deleted the URL) Suppose you had to pick one of the following two options: - (A) - A guaranteed $1,000,000
- (B) A %10 chance of getting $2,500,000
- 89% of getting $1,000,000
- %1 chance of getting $0.
Which option would you pick? According to Gregory Bassham and Marc C. Marchese authors of "Don't Play on Tilt! Avoiding Seven Costly Critical Thinking Errors in Poker," most people would choose option (A) even though the expected value of option (B) is $140,000 higher. The authours say this is because most people suffer from "loss aversion." After I retired and bankrolls strictly budgeted, I started playing with "loss aversion" - "the tendency to prefer avoiding losses rather than acquiring gains" "Poker players afflicted with a bad case of loss aversion tend to become "rocks," that is tight, passive players who fold hand after hand, bet cautiously, and in general play very conservatively…In the long run, however, such a strategy is bound to increase losses." That's what I was doing - playing it conservatively - close to the chest - more worried about taking a loss rather than being - selectively aggressive. I bring this up only because it occurred to me that many of us, when we retire, play the game of life the same way - we become "rocks - tight, passive players who play it cautiously" - but that's not the way to play the retirement game - go for it aggressively - as the book notes - " to win big pots, you can't be held back by loss aversion." - it's the same with living your retirement years. -------------------------------------------
Retirement news web wanderings - found a great site for those looking for retirement gifts or for retirees searching for tee shirts, golf shirts, ball caps and other stuff with a retirement theme. Some of the retirement tee shirt lines - - Retired - now I do what I want to do as long as it's near a bathroom
- I'm retired to where in hell is my discount
- Retired snowbird and proud of it
- Retirees do it with a pension
- I'm retired so all I have to do is what the voices in my wife's head tell me
- I'm retired, this is as dressed up as I get
- Retired, too old to work, too young to die
- Also there are great U.S. Military retirement tee shirts
Click here to shop for retirement fun stuff -------------------------------------------
Interesting picture - tilt your head to the left while viewing - 
-------------------------------------------Worth repeating - sports columnist Tom Jones in today's St. Pete Times - "The CBC's Hockey Day in Canada was so good I have creases in my back and crumbs in my recliner after lounging for 12 hours Saturday watching it.
From little towns to big cities, CBC spanned the country for a the best hockey stories from all levels. It's just another reminder that no sport is more a part of the fabric of a nation than hockey in Canada."
-------------------------------------------
Thanks to retired buddy Elma Hickman for the following - Two little old ladies were sitting on a park bench outside the local town hall where a flower show was in progress. The thin one leaned over and said, "Life is so darned boring. We never have any fun any more. For $10.00 I'd take my clothes off and streak through that stupid flower show!"
"You're on!" said the other old lady, holding up a $10.00 note. The first little old lady slowly fumbled her way out of her clothes and, completely naked, streaked (as fast as an old lady can) through the front door of the flower show.
Waiting outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the hall, followed by loud applause and shrill whistling. The smiling and naked old lady came through the exit door surrounded by a cheering crowd. "What happened?" asked her waiting friend.
"I won 1st prize as Best Dried Arrangement." Have a great day - hope you visit again on Wednesday and now let's live our retirement aggressively - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 17, 2007 - Cranky retirement - amazing pictures - how to stay young
Are you approaching retirement or already retired and find yourself becoming cranky every time you go on-line?Personally, cranky is not a word I would use when I wander the web - frustration maybe - but not "cranky" - however, Boston Web entrepreneur Jeff Taylor is reaching out to the 50 Plus crowd with the launch of Cranky.com, an Internet search tool targeted to us GOTY's (Getting Older but Thinking Younger). With only about one-third of seniors online, The 50-plus demographic, Taylor said, isn't "just frustrated, but literally cranky" about searching online, finding the experience often confusing and difficult. "This whole group hasn't grown up with the Web, and they didn't really need to use it in their jobs," Taylor said. Cranky.com, is Taylor's latest move in his master plan to build an Internet brand known for its dedication to those "turning 50 who want to live to be 100," a group that is steadily expanding - every day 12,000 people turn 50, and seniors 65-and-up are the fastest growing population on the Web, according to Jupiter Research. Taylor said months of market research had convinced him that Internet searches often were confusing and difficult for the 50-and-older crowd.
Cranky.com's search results aren't delivered in large print for deteriorating eyesight, but they are narrowed down to the top four search resultson any given topic and presented in a simple, easy-to-understand format. The top four - and guess where the host website is positioned when you search for the keywords "Retirement Jobs" - number five - true, very good in a search that list tens of thousands of sites - but it's page two - meaning a searcher has to click to advance - better to make page one. There's another feature of this new search engine for seniors - if the searcher is fifty plus, he/she can offer a one to five star rating and review of the site - I mention this (wink-wink) only because it's an interesting concept. OK, I know what you're thinking - "the old goat has no pride - groveling and pleading like a sleazy politician begging for votes." Well.......you're right - but Bucko, if you decide to follow my lead and build a creative retirement job via the internet you too will shame yourself in order to build traffic to your site. Anyway, Cranky.com is the first age-relevant search engine designed for the 50 plus crowd.
---------------------------------------------
Now lets take a break and look at some amazing pictures contained in two PowerPoint presentations - my thanks to retired buddy Jim Hill for sending this into the Retirement News Blog - it deals with planes and aviation My daughter-in-law Julie forwarded this album of outstanding pictures from the bottom of the sea. If you do not have a PowerPoint Viewer - you can download a FREE copy at this Microsoft website
---------------------------------------------Someone said that the following is from comedian George Carlin - I can't confirm that, however, it's worth remembering - note number three - that's why a creative retirement job via the internet is so important. HOW TO STAY YOUNG - 1: Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
- 2: Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
- 3: Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
- 4: Enjoy the simple things.
- 5: Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
- 6: The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
- 7: Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
- 8: Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
- 9: Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
- 10: Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. As a follow-up to number three - click here - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 19, 2007 - Goodbye Art - videos and in the land of Srandra Dee
In case you missed it, take a moment to read this Retirement News Blog entry from November 6th of last year that - hailed the courage of columnist Art Buchwald.Art died Wednesday (Jan. 17, 2007) in Washington. He was 81 - his life was a "tale of gumption, heartbreak and humor."
This past year he displayed remarkable courage - the doctors told him he had only a few weeks to live - "I decided to move into a hospice and go quietly into the night," he wrote in one of his columns. "For reasons that even the doctors can't explain, my kidneys kept working............. The French ambassador gave me the literary equivalent of the Legion of Honor......The National Hospice Association made me man of the year. I never realized dying was so much fun." Raise one today for Art Buchwald - what a way to go.
--------------------------------------------
Fifty years ago, a person typically stayed with the same company for their entire career. Today, most people will hold three to seven positions during their lifetime.
Also, companies care less a bout their employees or, at least, it invests less in their employees. In a new book - "The New America Workplace" James O'Toole and Edward Lawler write, - "Companies are hiring contract and part-time workers. That's because the skill sets needed for particular jobs keep changing as technology advances, and employers don't want to get saddled with workers who can't keep up.
They are also scaling back retirement plans and other benefits, saying they need to protect themselves - not necessarily their workers - if their finances take a hit."
With this background environment it's no wonder workers are looking more at working for themselves and one of the major workplace escape hatches is the internet. Now, this is an American stat, but I would bet the farm it would also stand up in the other industrialized nations - - More than eight out of 10 Americans consider themselves "entrepreneurial" and one quarter dream of owning a business.
As you can see here, the internet can offer unlimited business opportunities - opportunities that take little cash investment but can, over time, produce
A steady stream of income - it just takes, time, persistence and patience.
--------------------------------------------
As a follow up to the above - here's an inspirational movie for those of you are thinking about developing a creative retirement job on-line - there's a commercial slide at the end you can click or ignore - I have no commercial affiliation with them - The 212 movie
--------------------------------------------
Retirement News Picture of the Week
 Retirement health Alert - Cranberry Juice - the new wonder drink? Scientists at Worcester Polytechnic Institute say the cranberry may provide an alternative to antibiotics, particularly in fighting a kind of bacteria that have become resistant to conventional treatment. Previous studies of cranberry juice noted its ability to prevent urinary tract infections. The new research shows how compounds in the juice prevent the bacteria from adhering to human cells in three ways.
--------------------------------------------
A fun video collection - An interesting golf tip fun commercial clever commercial
--------------------------------------------
My thanks to retired buddy Tom Adams for sending in the following -
IN THE LAND OF SANDRA DEE Long ago and far away, In a land that time forgot, Before the days of Dylan Or the dawn of Camelot. There lived a race of innocents, And they were you and me, Long ago and far away. In the Land of Sandra Dee. Oh, there was truth and goodness - In that land where we were born, Where navels were for oranges, And Peyton Place was porn. For Ike was in the White House,
And Hoss was on TV, And God was in his heaven - In the Land of Sandra Dee. We learned to gut a muffler, We washed our hair at dawn, We spread our crinolines to dry
In circles on the lawn. And they could hear us coming All the way to Tennessee,
All starched and sprayed and rumbling - in the Land of Sandra Dee. We longed for love and romance, And waited for the prince, And Eddie Fisher married Liz, And no one's seen him since. We danced to "Little Darlin'", And Sang to "Stagger Lee"
And cried for Buddy Holly - In the Land of Sandra Lee. Only girls wore earrings then, And three was one too many, And only boys wore flat-top cuts, Except for Jean McKinney. And only in our wildest dreams Did we expect to see A boy named George with Lipstick - In the Land of Sandra Dee. We fell for Frankie Avalon,
Annette was oh, so nice, And when they made a movie, They never made it twice.
We didn't have a Star Trek Five, Or Psycho Two and Three, Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty - In the Land of Sandra Dee. Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, And Chester had a limp,
And Reagan was a Democrat Whose co-star was a chimp. We had a Mr Wizard,
But not a Mr T, And Oprah couldn't talk yet - In the Land of Sandra Dee. We had our share of heroes, We never thought they'd go, At least not Bobby Darin, Or Marilyn Monroe. For youth was still eternal, And life was yet to be, And Elvis was forever - In the Land of Sandra Dee. We'd never seen the rock band That was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson, And Zeppelins weren't Led. And Beatles lived in gardens then, And Monkees in a tree, Madonna was a virgin - In the Land of Sandra Dee. We'd never heard of Microwaves, Or telephones in cars, And babies might be bottle-fed, But they weren't grown in jars. And pumping iron got wrinkles out, And "gay" meant fancy-free, And dorms were never coed - In the Land of Sandra Dee. We hadn't seen enough of jets To talk about the lag, And microchips were what was left at The bottom of the bag. And Hardware was a box of nails, And bytes came from a flea, And rocket ships were fiction - In the Land of Sandra Dee. Buicks came with portholes, And side show came with freaks, And bathing suits came big enough
To cover both your cheeks. And Coke came just in bottles, And skirts came to the knee, And Castro came to power - In the Land of Sandra Dee. We had no Crest with Fluoride, We had no Hill Street Blues, We all wore superstructure bras Designed by Howard Hughes. We had no patterned pantyhose Or Lipton herbal tea Or prime-time ads for condoms - In the Land of Sandra Dee. There were no golden arches, No Perriers to chill, And fish were not called Wanda, And cats were not called Bill.
And middle-aged was thirty-five And old was forty-three, And ancient were our parents - In the Land of Sandra Dee. But all things have a season, Or so we've heard them say,
And now instead of Maybelline We swear by Retin-A. And they send us invitations
To join AARP, We've come a long way, baby - From the Land of Sandra Dee.
So now we face a brave new world In slightly larger jeans, And wonder why they're using Smaller print in magazines. And we tell our children's children of the way it used to be, Long ago and far away - In the Land of Sandra Dee. But we're still movin' on - we have our creative retirement jobs - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 22, 2007 - Jimmy's retirement - a retirement pledge
If you believe the formula worked out by British psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall, today - 01/22/07 - is the most depressing day of the year - it's all based on such things as weather - debt vs monthly salary - time since Christmas - failed resolutions - low motivational levels and other stuff.If Jimmy the gent is still with us he would, I'm sure, consider it all to be a huge pile to doo doo.
I was introduced to Jimmy several years back - a tall, skinny guy with wavy white hair that topped a deeply tanned face - natty dresser - multi coloured sports shirt, white pants and loafers and red socks.
Always courteous, Jimmy would greet everyone with a firm handshake and a smile that made you think of a mischievous leprechaun about to open the pot of gold - I thought at the time, if Jimmy was a member of the mob they would have nicknamed him Jimmy the Gent.
You just liked being around him - you fed off his enthusiasm. Jimmy was 89 years old when I first met him and he was a dancer. I thought I still could still move on the dance floor with some of my best stuff learned 63 years ago at the Balmy Beach Canoe Club dances, but Jimmy made it look like I had plastic casts on both legs. I can still picture Jimmy and his partner - Ellen, Elaine, Estelle, something like that who, I was told, was 11 years Jimmy's junior jivin' to Two O'clock Jump - midway through the dance everyone stopped dancing and circled Jimmy and his gal to watch the two of them transport us back to our high school years. SIDEBAR - For those young un's reading this who think that Two O'clock Jump refers to adjusting your watch, I have a video for you that illustrates the beat the Jimmy and his gal worked with. Also, I would warn you that the young people dancing at the beginning of this video, when compared to Jimmy and his partner, look like they all just popped a couple of Ativans - no comparison. Also, the guy who posted this video calls it - One O'clock Jump" - he's wrong - this is Harry James and his orchestra and Two O'clock Jump.To keep the record straight - here's Count Basie and his band with One O'clock Jump OK, back to Jimmy - He was also a giver - first to offer his help to anyone in need - the all around good guy. I asked Jimmy his philosophy on aging - I can't remember his exact quote but I will never forget the jest of it - "Always maintain a spirit of adventure"He didn't mean skydiving or climbing mountains although if that rows your boat good luck - he said every day he always looked for a new challenge - something that would grab his interest - keep him motivated. As mentioned, Jimmy is the kind a friend you like being with - he energizes you - you never grow old when you associate with the Jimmy's of this world. At the other end of the scale - the M and M's (Miserable Malcontents) - who drag you down and make you feel old - dump them - change your phone message with the following - "I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call.
I am making some changes in my life.
Please leave a message after the Beep.
If I do not return your call, you're one of the changes."
If you're an M and M - snap out of it - as the retirement years zip by, the light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter every day. I don't know if Jimmy is still with us, I lost contact when we moved to another area of Florida, but I will always remember him and his "spirit of adventure" - especially when they play Two O'clock Jump".
----------------------------------------
I just posted interesting new stats in the Connect to Canada chapter of the home website concerning Canada as the U.S. top trading partner.
----------------------------------------
My thanks to retired buddies Jim Hill and Bill Ozard for sending the following - authour unknown - well worth the read - ties in with Jimmy's story - pass it on -
Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body ... the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family, for less grey hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant-garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 A.M. and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 40's 50's and 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten , and I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect. I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn grey, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no", and mean it. I can say "yes", and mean it. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. I like being old.
It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be, but will continue to rejoice in what was.
----------------------------------------
Thanks to retired buddy Carol Raycraft for the following - Dan was nearing retirement but had no pension but when he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his old, sickly father died, he decided he needed a woman to enjoy it with. So one evening he went to a singles bar where he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Her natural beauty took his breath away. I may look like just an ordinary man," he said as he walked up to her, "but in just a week or two, my old father will die, and I'll inherit 20 million dollars." Impressed, the woman went home with him that evening and, three days later, she became his stepmother. Women are so much smarter than men...
Now let's research for a creative retirement job that maintains your spirit of adventure - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 24, 2007 - The importance of retirement jobs and other stuff
Here's a happy thought - an amazing study recently published by the prestigious National Bureau of Economic Research, a U.S. based study group, reveals retirement can make you sick OK, not retirement on it's own, but how you live your retirement. The researchers, economist Dhaval Dave at Boston's Bentley College, Inas Rashad at Georgia State University and Jasmina Spasojevic at Metropolitan College, extraordinary data from a University of Michigan study that tracked more than 12,000 people, 55 to 75 for about ten years. First the researchers eliminated all those who displayed any health problems at the beginning of the study - that left more than 4,000 people to analyze. Within this healthy group, those who retired completely from the workforce saw their health deteriorate much more than those who kept working. After six to seven years, the retirees had a 23- to 29-per-cent greater increase in difficulties with mobility and simple activities
They also suffered an eight-per-cent increase in lifestyle-related illnesses such as diabetes or high blood pressure and an 11-per-cent decline in mental health Bill Robson, director of research at the C.D. Howe Institute, one of Canada's leading economics think tanks, noted that while the study sounds discouraging, the results "strike me as plausible," he says, because the study seems carefully designed. Now, that's the bad news - now for the good news - when you dig deeper into the study, you quickly realize retiring is OK, if you look after yourself physically and mentally - however, many retirees forget the mental part. The study shows people who work seem to do this H and M bit better than people with leisure, largely because work provides an automatic social network. Robson says that when Americans with average or better retirement benefits were compared with those with smaller incomes, the ones with less significant incomes were actually healthier - this despite other research that claims lower incomes link to poorer health. Why? Robson explains that those with smaller retirement incomes were more likely to work part-time. Keeping mentally active through retirement is vital and the internet offers a wonderful opportunity to keep you involved and motivated through a creative retirement job.
--------------------------------------------
Retirement news web wanderings - The founder of this site, Robert Kalin, could be on to something - an eBay type site for makers of handmade gifts You join and sell your stuff just like eBay - interesting marketplace for one-of-a-kind handmade gifts.
--------------------------------------------
I ran across the following article in the Union Sentinel - Blairsville Georgia, written by Trent Brownrigg, a full time internet marketer and online business coach, who was writing about - why most home based businesses fail. His first two items caught my eye - - Most new opportunities do not help you make money.
They will give you some ideas for making money, but then leave you out in the cold by having you do everything on your own.
There simply is no good support system.
Nobody should be a part of a business opportunity without a good support system. -
A good support system should include at least some of the following;
Good leaders, help forums, ongoing training, conference calls, marketing tools, suggested resources, Ebooks, Blogs, FAQ's, etc...
Basically they should have many ways to help you as much as possible with any question you might have.
I second all that - big time, that's why I only recommend Site Build It - I received that kind of support plus much more from SBI when I started out as a clueless newbie - still do - take a video tour at no cost.
--------------------------------------------
Thoughts from a retiree who has too much time on his hands. - A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Wow...that was fun!"
- I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose-fitting clothing. If I HAD any loose-fitting clothing, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place!
- When I was young we used to go "skinny dipping," now I just "chunky dunk."
- Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.
- Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?
- Wouldn't you know it... Brain cells come and brain cells go, but FAT cells live forever.
- Why do I have to swear on the Bible in court when the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed outside?
- And remember: life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
Now, let's research our creative retirement job - take a video tour - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 26, 2007 - Retirement medical updates - Retired Chinese - fun senior videos
First, a couple of personal notes concerning recent medical findings.How's this for timing - I'm flying back home in the middle of next month for a CT scan and a chit-chat with the Doc and this headline greeted me this morning - "The most common method of diagnosing a stroke in emergency rooms catches only about one out of every four cases - far fewer than an MRI scan" CT scans are a type of X-ray, whereas MRI uses powerful magnets instead of radiation to produce an image. The study led some experts, writing in the Lancet medical journal, to declare that MRI scans should replace CT X-rays as the standard of care. MRI scans should be adopted as the new standard of care, wrote the doctors, while they also criticized governments and health care systems, accusing them of having poor track record in assessing new technologies. It's going to tough to erase that from my mind when I put on the open-butt gown.
-----------------------------------------------I was one of the lucky ones - years ago I quit my two pack-a-day smoking habit cold turkey - Nathan, also a two-a-day-smoker, quit
after having a stroke - when he recovered he had no cravings, no desire to quit - "My body forgot the urge to smoke," he told his doctor. So now researchers are zeroing in on a silver dollar-sized spot deep in the brain that, when damaged or manipulated can wipe out the urge to smoke.
"The quitting is like a light switch that went off," said Dr. Antoine Bechara of the University of Southern California, who scanned the brains of 69 smokers and ex-smokers to pinpoint the region involved. This special area of the brain is called the insula - a key structure in the brain for perceiving the urges to take the drug.
If Bechara's findings are validated, they suggest developing drugs that target the insula might help smokers quit. About 44-million Americans smoke, and the government says more than 400,000 a year die of smoking-related illnesses - and it's amazing to me how many retirees still smoke.
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------My problem is not with China's communist government but with Google. We're talking about a big time market opening up for internet entrepreneurs - China's online population grew by 23.4 percent last year to 13-million people, about 10 percent of its 1.3 billion population - in two years China could top the United States as the nation with the most internet users. True, if you're selling products, it may be tough to find items not already made in China, but selling information is an open market and I was wondering if my sites were getting through. As for the Retirement News Blog and the the home website, both are non-political so reading them shouldn't put any Chinese in the slammer which political postings can do over there - neither are they, at least in my eyes, subversive in nature or obscene so therefore shouldn't be blocked by the government. This world wide aspect is what makes working a creative retirement job via the internet such fun - the visits from folks all over the world. My hosting site - the best in the business, lists the top 30 of the 52 countries site visitors to my sites hail from - China is not listed but Taiwan is number 16 - they must be English speaking Taiwanese because
Google's translator, when I last checked, doesn't work when you try the English to Chinese translation of my sites - true, it's still in Beta. But Chinese shouldn't be too tough, after all I can translate this Blog and the the home website, from English to Arabic, a language that Google says - "is a very challenging language to translate to and from: it requires long-distance reordering of words and has a very rich morphology."
Maybe this is why United Arab Emirates listed in my top 30 countries statistics. The translator on the front page of the the home website only covers Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and English but the Google's translator at this site covers nearly every language on the planet. Imagine selling your knowledge, expertise or product to a world-wide market this size - take a creative Retirement Job reality check Anyway, I hope the folks at Google get the Chinese translation operational - envision the millions of Chinese baby boomers and those already retired who are just learning about the internet - imagine them educating themselves about creative retirement Jobs thereby helping me build a revenue source for my Texas Hold 'em adventures - hell, I could move to Vegas - if my wife would let me. How would you spend the extra income from your site?
-----------------------------------------------Now to the dark side of the internet - according to Forbes, transplant brokers are using the internet offering product to those in need of an organ and the money to pay for it. The magazine cites one transplant broker in California whose fees range from $140,000 for a kidney to $290,000 for a heart, liver or lung. The World Health Organization estimates 10 percent of the world's 61,000 kidney transplants in 2004, were cases of "transplant tourism" in which the patient travel to another country for surgery. Calling this business a "troubled corner of medicine," Forbes says. "It's inhumane and exploitative, for the rich to buy organs harvested from the poor or imprisoned."
-----------------------------------------------Retirement News Web Wanderings - I have to admit that I spend a fair amount of time at this site - offers clips from old TV shows from the 50's and 60's plus some original stuff that's hilarious - example - a five minute skit starring Bea Arthur and Sally Struthers plus other gals you'll recognize - Sex and the Classics - a take off of the TV show Sex In the City - other spoofs - Desperate Classic Housewives and Gray Anatomy. As a TV interviewer years and years ago, this still is one my favourite TV clips - a classic from first Bob Newheart Show. -----------------------------------------------
Don't fool with seniors -
They always ask at the doctor's office why you are there, and you have to answer in front of others what's wrong and sometimes it is very embarrassing. There's nothing worse than a Doctor's Receptionist who insists you tell her what is wrong with you in a room full of other patients. This is how an 86 old senior handled it. He walked into a crowded waiting room and approached the desk.... The Receptionist said, "Yes sir, what are you seeing the Doctor for today??" "There's something wrong with my dick", he replied. The Receptionist became irritated and said, "You shouldn't come into a crowded waiting room and say things like that." "Why not? You asked me what was wrong and I told you," he said. The Receptionist replied; "Now you've caused some embarrassment in this room full of people. You should have said there is something wrong with your ear or something and discussed the problem further with the Doctor in private." The man replied, "You shouldn't ask people questions in a room full of strangers if the answer could embarrass anyone." - the old man stomped out of the office but returned several minutes later. The Receptionist smiled smugly and asked, "Yes??" "There's something wrong with my ear," he stated. The Receptionist nodded approvingly and smiled, knowing he had taken her advice. "And what is wrong with your ear, Sir??" "I can't piss out of it," he replied.
The waiting room erupted in laughter - Mess with seniors and you're gonna lose! Now, let's check out how you can make extra income via the internet with a creative retirement job - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 29, 2007 - Retirement driving - amazing pictures -the new retirement age
There's an old joke hereabouts that goes like this - An elderly Floridian called 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into.
She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: "They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake pedal and even the accelerator!" she cried. The dispatcher say, "Stay calm, Maam, an officer is on the way."
A few minutes later, the officer radios in. "Disregard.", he says. "She got in the back-seat by mistake." You see, driving in Florida, especially in areas heavily populated by retirement communities, can be at times..... a real adventure - take this past weekend. I swear to God, it looked as if no one was driving the car, and when the car swerved into the opposite lane - pulling back just in time to miss oncoming traffic but still forcing one car over onto the soft shoulder I decided to drive past even though the wife was pleading for me to back off.
There was a driver - an old guy so small he was hidden by the head rest - he was looking through rather than over the steering wheel - and are you ready - he was talking on his cell phone. I know it's bad form to speak ill of those of my generation, after all, I'm not without fault but when it comes to driving I believe there are some of us who should have their keys taken away - not me of course - I consider myself in the majority - those four out of five drivers who think they're safe drivers
and the 59 percent who believe they aren't distracted drivers - but are we being honest with ourselves?. A survey of 1,200 people by Nationwide Mutual Insurance also shows: - Nearly three-fourths admit to talking on a cell phone while driving.
- 38 percent said they have driven a certain distance without any recollection of doing so.
- Thirty-five percent of Generation Y drivers admit to multitasking while driving, whereas 30 percent of Generation X and 21 percent of baby boomer drivers do.
- Technology and food are
the biggest distractions for Generation Y drivers. Thirty seven percent text or instant
message while driving and 29 percent would like Internet access in the car.
- Nearly
three out of four eat snacks in the car, while almost half eat full meals while driving.
So obviously it's not just old timers threatening us on the roads but in certain areas of Florida you have to be extra careful.
--------------------------------------------
My thanks to retired neighbour Norma Lamphier for sending these pics of Bambi and Friend - two of the world's most renowned shy and timid creatures have found each other in safe companionship.....through the lens of Tanja Askani "Alberta Canada"  
And while on the subject of amazing pictures - take a look at this collection. This is a PowerPoint presentation - you can download a free PowerPoint Viewer here.
--------------------------------------------
Why do I promote the idea of using the internet to build a retirement job? Because
from here on in, as we age, the important thing will be what we know, not in how much we can do physically. As noted in a recent paper of aging by Alan Dowd - "Thanks to the technology-powered service economy of today, most of us work jobs that require little in the way of physical labor. Rather than moving heavy machinery, livestock, or pieces of earth, we move ideas with Word documents, numbers via Excel spreadsheets, pictures and concepts in PDF, inventory by BlackBerry and cell phone." Dowd notes that there are already some 50 million Americans between the ages of 50 and 74 and over the next 15 years, the size of this population is projected to grow by more than 24 million people. The number of Americans between the ages of 25 and 54, by way of comparison, will increase by just 3 million over that same timeframe. That's an important stat because, in the past, our most productive years are supposed to fall within that 25-54 period, before leveling and falling off in the next twenty but those days are long gone - thanks to technology.
Dr. Barry Spiker, a senior fellow at CAC, observes, "Today's 65-year-old man is a different person than was the 65-year-old in 1942. He's different because of healthcare and the type of work he does." Now let's follow up on that - check out the retirement Job Library - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
January 31, 2007 - Retirement in the Land of No - more amazing pics - Grandma and the Train
Do not retire in the Land of No. It's a dark, dreary place populated by naysayers and your own demons who grab you by your ankles and pull you down into the swamp of negativity - certainly not the environment for building a creative retirement job. The Land of No is a world created by authours BJ Gallagher and Steve Ventura in their new book - Yes Lives in the Land of No - a parable about triumph over negativity. Their contention is that the language of no is often based on fear - fear of failure, taking risks, the unknown.
Then there's the battle of trying to break all the bad habits we created and nurtured over the years that fuels our fear of trying something new. Gallagher and Ventura suggest you first look at the downside of your project and work on solutions - don't say, "Yes, but..." Instead, say, "Yes and here's how I can make that work."
And here's an important piece of advice - solicit the thoughts and opinions of others and ask for feedback when presenting an idea - appreciate the people who are positive influences in the Land of No. You must remember, that building a creative retirement Job via the internet is not the same as learning eye surgery, but it does take commitment and patience - however, you have to escape from the Land of No. I found after researching all the benefits of SBI I built up my confidence to "give it a go" by simply telling myself - "what have I got to lose?" - enthusiasm for the project increased with each creative step - maintaining a positive attitude was essential. Research out of the Netherlands suggests maintaining the language of the Land of No can add dangerous amounts of stress to your life - the study asked subjects between the ages of 65 and 85 to react to statements such as, "I still have positive expectations concerning my future,'' and, "I often feel that life is full of promises.'' Of the 397 who died during the study, 56.5 per cent fell into the Land of No pessimists category. Work hard to escape from the Land of No - it's no place to retire to.
------------------------------------------
After researching retirement Job ideas, I discovered that opportunities abound in the animal kingdom. So I opened a new Pet News chapter on the host website There are unlimited possibilities to turn your love of animals in a revenue producing retirement job - there's also a pet picture gallery with some fun pics - if you have a pet pic to offer there's an Email link at the bottom of the gallery.
------------------------------------------
Man, I love this kind of material - my thanks to daughter-in-law Julie for sending this to the Retirement News -
The Best of National Geographic Photos of 2006 This is a PowerPoint Presentation - if you need to, you can download a free copy of PowerPoint Viewer here One more video - Beware of thermal imaging cameras at airport security checkpoints - it could prove to be embarrassing
------------------------------------------Thanks to Retired buddies Craig and Cathy Olson for the following - Grandma and the Train
A grandmother was working in the kitchen listening to her 5 year old grandson playing with his new electric train in the living room.
She heard the train stop and her son saying, "All of you sons of bitches who want off, get the hell off now....cause this is the last stop! And all of you sons of bitches who are getting on, get your asses on the train....cause we're going down the tracks." The horrified grandmother went and told her grandson, "We don't use that kind of language in this house. Now I want you to go to your room and you are to stay there for TWO HOURS
When you come out, you may play with your train...but I want you to use nice language." Two hours later, the boy came out of the bedroom and resumed playing with his train. Soon the train stopped and the grandmother heard the boy say, "All passengers, please remember your things, thank you and hope your trip was a pleasant one. We hope you will ride with us again soon." She heard the little darling continue..."For those of you just boarding, remember there is no smoking in the train. We hope you will have a pleasant and relaxing journey with us today." As the grandmother began to smile, the child added, "For those of you who are pissed off about the TWO HOUR delay, please see the bitch in the kitchen." Now let's grab a coffee - sit back and watch a video - (Go to URL)
To reference this entry please copy the url in this link:
(Permalink)
|
