This is an amazing artist out of Australia: Megan Washington - her music and her outlook on life is refreshing.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
The Story of Maria Elena and the VW Bug
The Story of Maria Elena and the VW Bug
Today, Mom and I met children playing in fountain at Crown Center a delightful woman named Maria Elena. She and her daughter shared their table with us for a bit at Irish Fest. Here is one of the stories Maria Elena told us:
Years ago, when she was young, she lived in the old west end of Kansas City. One day, she went out to her car to go to the store.
Maria Elena's big car was sandwiched in between two VW bugs. The bugs had parked so close to her car that she was barely able to get out without touching them. She did actually touch one just slightly.
Well, after some tight maneuvering, Maria Elena extricated her car from its' parking spot and started off to the store.
As she was turning the corner, she noticed that someone was following her. It looked like two men were in the car and they were following her quite closely. Maria Elena was a little worried. She began making turns on every corner in an effort to lose the men in the car behind her but they stuck tight no matter which street she went down. Eventually, she ended up at a stop light on Broadway where she had the opportunity to get a closer look at the men in the car behind her. But there was no one in the car!
She got out to take a closer look at this car with no driver. When she was trying to wiggle out of the parking space, she had hooked the bumper of the VW behind her and had been unknowingly towing the little VW all around the neighborhood! Hah!
Now what would she do with that car? Well, she would have to take it back to the parking space in front of her house. So, she got back in her big car and turned right. But guess what happened? The bumper unhooked and the VW stayed at the light!
Oh no! Now what would she do? Well, Maria Elena was pretty shook up after wiggling her car out from between the two VW's and then the harrowing ordeal of thinking she was being followed so she went home and told her family what had happened.
Now, someone else called the owner of the stranded VW and asked him why his car was over on Broadway. He said 'it's not, it's right in front of my house.' Ha, but it wasn't in front of his house! So, he thought someone stole his car and left it over on Broadway. Maria Elena and her family never told the neighbor how her car had got stuck to his bumper and she was the one to tow his VW over to Broadway. So, go ahead and have a good laugh but don't tell her old neighbor!
Today, Mom and I met children playing in fountain at Crown Center a delightful woman named Maria Elena. She and her daughter shared their table with us for a bit at Irish Fest. Here is one of the stories Maria Elena told us:
Years ago, when she was young, she lived in the old west end of Kansas City. One day, she went out to her car to go to the store.
Maria Elena's big car was sandwiched in between two VW bugs. The bugs had parked so close to her car that she was barely able to get out without touching them. She did actually touch one just slightly.
Well, after some tight maneuvering, Maria Elena extricated her car from its' parking spot and started off to the store.
As she was turning the corner, she noticed that someone was following her. It looked like two men were in the car and they were following her quite closely. Maria Elena was a little worried. She began making turns on every corner in an effort to lose the men in the car behind her but they stuck tight no matter which street she went down. Eventually, she ended up at a stop light on Broadway where she had the opportunity to get a closer look at the men in the car behind her. But there was no one in the car!
She got out to take a closer look at this car with no driver. When she was trying to wiggle out of the parking space, she had hooked the bumper of the VW behind her and had been unknowingly towing the little VW all around the neighborhood! Hah!
Now what would she do with that car? Well, she would have to take it back to the parking space in front of her house. So, she got back in her big car and turned right. But guess what happened? The bumper unhooked and the VW stayed at the light!
Oh no! Now what would she do? Well, Maria Elena was pretty shook up after wiggling her car out from between the two VW's and then the harrowing ordeal of thinking she was being followed so she went home and told her family what had happened.
Now, someone else called the owner of the stranded VW and asked him why his car was over on Broadway. He said 'it's not, it's right in front of my house.' Ha, but it wasn't in front of his house! So, he thought someone stole his car and left it over on Broadway. Maria Elena and her family never told the neighbor how her car had got stuck to his bumper and she was the one to tow his VW over to Broadway. So, go ahead and have a good laugh but don't tell her old neighbor!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Guardianship Seminar at Platte County Resource Center
Our Senior Alliance had a table at the Guardianship Conference last Thursday. Terry Edwards, the Platte County Public Administrator, organized the conference which was such a success that there are already plans to hold it again next year.
Topics included Compliance Obligation of a Conservator, Social Security Disability, Advocacy and the Role of Hospice and Bankruptcy in a Conservatorship Authority. Professionals from around both states attended. It was a treat to talk to people in person that you usually only speak with over the phone.
Keeping up with the latest changes in laws affecting seniors is so important for those of us who work with seniors and their families on a regular basis. Thank you, Terry, for putting this together! I look forward to attending the conference again next year!
Seniors and their families in and around Kansas City can find help by visiting the Senior Alliance website. Here, you can find all the people you need to help you in one place.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Tumbled Stones at Meyer & Oak in Brookside
I noticed this on my way to the office the other day.
Somebody took out one of the pillars in Brookside!
It looks like someone tried to drive through on the sidewalk! See the pile of stones that used to be a pillar?
The sidewalk along Meyer Blvd is extra wide making it a great place to run, walk, or stroll.Children often ride their bicycles and skateboards along this Kansas City Boulevard in Brookside.
Good thing no one was run over!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Pending Home Sales Up
From Realtor Magazine, 5 April 2010:
Pending Home Sales on an Upswing
Pending home sales increased again in March, affirming that a surge of home sales is unfolding for the spring home buying season, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in March, rose 5.3 percent to 102.9 from 97.7 in February, and is 21.1 percent above March 2009 when it was 85.0; this follows an 8.3 percent increase in February. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which usually occur with a lag time of one or two months.
Read More...
Pending Home Sales on an Upswing
Pending home sales increased again in March, affirming that a surge of home sales is unfolding for the spring home buying season, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in March, rose 5.3 percent to 102.9 from 97.7 in February, and is 21.1 percent above March 2009 when it was 85.0; this follows an 8.3 percent increase in February. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which usually occur with a lag time of one or two months.
Read More...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
facebook "likes" challenges Google's links
This article landed in my inbox this morning. It provokes the question "how much does facebook really know about us and what are they willing to do with that information?"
Here is the email I received from Stefan Swanepoel:
New Strategy Changes the Rules
Could a Social Media Web site be a threat to the dominance of the Google Search Engine?
Facebook has introduced a new revolutionary shift in the evolution of the Internet with its announcement last week at the f8 developer conference of their soon-to-be-ubiquitous “Open Graph” initiative - a new form of “social links.”
The launch of this new platform allows Web sites to drive traffic from Facebook by including a "Like" or “Recommended” button on their pages.
Facebook's Open Graph allows readers to like a topic or article, thereby sharing it with their Facebook friends and in some cases, creating a permanent link in their profile.
Will Like Replace Links?
It seems that the “Like” button could potentially become more popular than “Links” largely because the information shared is related to a specific user and carries with that their recommendation.
According to Zuckerberg billions of "Like" buttons will shortly be scattered all over the web. It is estimated that more than 50,000 Web sites have installed the new social plug-ins within the first week of the announcement.
One of those companies, ABCNews.com, reported a 250% jump in Facebook referral traffic since adding the plug-in only a week ago.
So overall the “Like” button seems to be great for creators of good content such as authors, publishers, top brands, etc. Good content can now be tagged, shared and indexed and the creators benefit from potentially a huge viral distribution.
Keeping them Honest
The obvious concern is of course that Facebook becomes the gatekeeper of millions of people’s preferences…lots of very valuable information in the hands of one company. This is even a larger concern as Wired magazine reported that Zuckerberg stated he doesn't care about the privacy of Facebook users.
Facebook has also made a very strategic move to become a very dominant “traffic cop” that directs and shapes a significant chunk of all web traffic.
Google must be very concerned as this undermines their algorithm that uses links between sites to determine the order of their search results. If “Likes” becomes more popular than “Links” we could have a challenge for the leader board.
Staying in the race Microsoft this week announced “Messenger Connect.” Their version of “Your Internet ID’” they claim with be all your social profiles rolled into one. Never count Gates and company out.
For now Facebook has clearly strengthened their position as the #1 social media network. As a matter of fact they are surging forward as one of the largest repositories of personal information in the world.
About the Author
Nineteen-time author Stefan Swanepoel publishes the annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report and the annual Swanepoel SOCIAL MEDIA Report. His Reports are widely regarded as the leading research on the most important business and technology trends impacting the real estate industry. For more information visit www.RETrends.com
Tinus Swanepoel
RealSure Bookstore Manage
So, what do you reveal about yourself on facebook? Do you have concerns about what they might do with the information you give out?
Here is the email I received from Stefan Swanepoel:
New Strategy Changes the Rules
Could a Social Media Web site be a threat to the dominance of the Google Search Engine?
Facebook has introduced a new revolutionary shift in the evolution of the Internet with its announcement last week at the f8 developer conference of their soon-to-be-ubiquitous “Open Graph” initiative - a new form of “social links.”
The launch of this new platform allows Web sites to drive traffic from Facebook by including a "Like" or “Recommended” button on their pages.
Facebook's Open Graph allows readers to like a topic or article, thereby sharing it with their Facebook friends and in some cases, creating a permanent link in their profile.
Will Like Replace Links?
It seems that the “Like” button could potentially become more popular than “Links” largely because the information shared is related to a specific user and carries with that their recommendation.
According to Zuckerberg billions of "Like" buttons will shortly be scattered all over the web. It is estimated that more than 50,000 Web sites have installed the new social plug-ins within the first week of the announcement.
One of those companies, ABCNews.com, reported a 250% jump in Facebook referral traffic since adding the plug-in only a week ago.
So overall the “Like” button seems to be great for creators of good content such as authors, publishers, top brands, etc. Good content can now be tagged, shared and indexed and the creators benefit from potentially a huge viral distribution.
Keeping them Honest
The obvious concern is of course that Facebook becomes the gatekeeper of millions of people’s preferences…lots of very valuable information in the hands of one company. This is even a larger concern as Wired magazine reported that Zuckerberg stated he doesn't care about the privacy of Facebook users.
Facebook has also made a very strategic move to become a very dominant “traffic cop” that directs and shapes a significant chunk of all web traffic.
Google must be very concerned as this undermines their algorithm that uses links between sites to determine the order of their search results. If “Likes” becomes more popular than “Links” we could have a challenge for the leader board.
Staying in the race Microsoft this week announced “Messenger Connect.” Their version of “Your Internet ID’” they claim with be all your social profiles rolled into one. Never count Gates and company out.
For now Facebook has clearly strengthened their position as the #1 social media network. As a matter of fact they are surging forward as one of the largest repositories of personal information in the world.
About the Author
Nineteen-time author Stefan Swanepoel publishes the annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report and the annual Swanepoel SOCIAL MEDIA Report. His Reports are widely regarded as the leading research on the most important business and technology trends impacting the real estate industry. For more information visit www.RETrends.com
Tinus Swanepoel
RealSure Bookstore Manage
So, what do you reveal about yourself on facebook? Do you have concerns about what they might do with the information you give out?
Friday, March 12, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Waldo Rapist - Reward
Kansas City Waldo Area ALERT - Come Together Kansas City
The Waldo neighborhood, just south of Brookside, in Kansas City has been assaulted by a serial rapist. Let's come together to stop this affront. Kennedy's Bar & Grill, at 75th & Washington Street, is sponsoring an "Extinguish Fear; Ignite Courage" event Saturday February 6th from 2 until 5pm. Music by Abbey Road Beatles tribute band.
Extinguish Fear & Ignite Courage will raise money to be applied towards a reward to catch the rapist. A $10 admission charge will get you 2 drink tickets and appetizers. All money goes toward the reward.
Police describe the rapist as a bald black man, 6 feet tall, 250 pounds. He has pockmarks on his cheeks, possibly acne scars.
One victim told the police that the rapist has bad breath and his clothes smelled of exhaust fumes.
All money collected at the Extinguish Fear Ignite Courage will go to the reward.
If the rapist is captured before the event, all proceeds will go to the Kansas City Police Department TIPS Hotling program and the event will be a CELEBRATION.
Kennedy's @ 75th & Washington
February 6 @ 2pm--5pm
$10 & Your Presence
Live Music, 2 drinks & food
Ignite Courage Extinguish Fear
Catch Rapist - Support Community
If you see this man, call TIPS Hotline 816.234.4438
He may drive a pickup truck.
Dogs do not deter him.
If you live in Kansas City, please come out in support.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Do We Really Need to Choose Between Safety and Freedom?
This is a ReBlog of a post by Ron Paul.
Saturday, January 16, 2010 11:15 AM
National Security: The Big Fraud
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=532
National Security: The Big Fraud
By Sheldon Richman
The handwringing about the would-be Christmas Day airplane bomber and the politicians' tiresome declarations that it will never happen again miss the point: As long as the U.S. government pursues its imperial program of invasion, regime change, occupation, and sponsorship of corrupt governments in the Muslim world, Americans will be targets for avengers. This does not excuse the killing of innocents -- it merely points out an inevitable chain of events.
It's either foreign intervention and retaliatory terrorism or nonintervention and security. There's no third way.
We can't eat our cake and have it too. Every empire has reaped a terrorist whirlwind. "Terror" is the tactic that the weak use against the strong. The U.S. government unleashes the most powerful "conventional" weapons known to man, including pilotless killer drones operated like videogames thousands of miles away. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab sewed an explosive into his underwear and ended up burning himself.
It is disgraceful that the choice between terrorism and security is rarely publicly discussed in terms of the choice between American imperialism and nonintervention.
The empire is treated as a given -- even by most so-called progressives -- as though it were ordained by history. The American people are expected to believe that the very existence of their society depends on the U.S. government's policing the globe and using whatever violence it deems appropriate (that is, whenever things do not suit the interests of U.S. policymakers and their economic partners in the "private" sector).
But this picture is precisely upside down. It is the imperial program and the inevitable "war on terror" that threatens Americans' way of life -- not to mention the very lives of people in the lands that "our" government tramples. Government in the United States has long regarded the liberties of Americans as inconveniences standing in the way of bigger, nobler projects. Since the attacks of September 11 -- not a bolt from the blue but a roughly predictable consequence of U.S. foreign intervention -- the usurpations have accelerated. The "war on terror" functions like a blank check both to justify curtailment of particular freedoms (such as freedom from surveillance) and to instill an embarrassing submissiveness in a people whose predecessors rebelled against similar oppression. Imagine the first few generations of Americans letting themselves be treated the way we are treated at airports. "You may not leave your seat beginning one hour before landing." "Oh, okay. Whatever you say, dear leader, as long as you protect me." When the TSA begins requiring passengers effectively to strip in front of the newest inspection devices, who will raise a word in protest?
The sad irony is that none of these measures -- and nothing even more severe -- will make us safer. What we call terrorism will always be cheap, flexible, and at least one step ahead of the plodding, clueless authorities. Al-Qaeda is not an organization. It's an idea and an open-ended set of tactics. Clear it out of Afghanistan -- and it appears in Pakistan or Yemen or New Jersey. When you step back and take a broader view, the U.S. government looks like a big, pathetic, stupid giant trying to catch a pesky, clever mouse.
The terrorists' advantage lies in the fact that bureaucracies are institutionally stupid. Do we really need more proof after the Christmas Day incident? Just as the SEC couldn't see Bernie Madoff's fraudulent activities even when handed reams of evidence, so the vaunted "national security apparatus" -- for which Americans are compelled to pay hundreds of billions of dollars every year -- couldn't stop a kid from Nigeria wearing explosive briefs from getting on a plane, despite warnings from his own father as well as other solid information.
The "protection" forced on us by the U.S. government is an outright fraud. It can never deliver on its promise to keep us safe because big organizations like the Department of Homeland Security (!) are too riven by interagency rivalries, informational distortions, and hierarchical tone-deafness to work effectively. (The same is true for businesses that grow large because of anti-competitive government privileges.) Letting private companies protect themselves at their own expense would have to work better.
Does this mean we must remain vulnerable? No. We'll find a reasonable degree of safety when America comes home.
Saturday, January 16, 2010 11:15 AM
National Security: The Big Fraud
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=532
National Security: The Big Fraud
By Sheldon Richman
The handwringing about the would-be Christmas Day airplane bomber and the politicians' tiresome declarations that it will never happen again miss the point: As long as the U.S. government pursues its imperial program of invasion, regime change, occupation, and sponsorship of corrupt governments in the Muslim world, Americans will be targets for avengers. This does not excuse the killing of innocents -- it merely points out an inevitable chain of events.
It's either foreign intervention and retaliatory terrorism or nonintervention and security. There's no third way.
We can't eat our cake and have it too. Every empire has reaped a terrorist whirlwind. "Terror" is the tactic that the weak use against the strong. The U.S. government unleashes the most powerful "conventional" weapons known to man, including pilotless killer drones operated like videogames thousands of miles away. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab sewed an explosive into his underwear and ended up burning himself.
It is disgraceful that the choice between terrorism and security is rarely publicly discussed in terms of the choice between American imperialism and nonintervention.
The empire is treated as a given -- even by most so-called progressives -- as though it were ordained by history. The American people are expected to believe that the very existence of their society depends on the U.S. government's policing the globe and using whatever violence it deems appropriate (that is, whenever things do not suit the interests of U.S. policymakers and their economic partners in the "private" sector).
But this picture is precisely upside down. It is the imperial program and the inevitable "war on terror" that threatens Americans' way of life -- not to mention the very lives of people in the lands that "our" government tramples. Government in the United States has long regarded the liberties of Americans as inconveniences standing in the way of bigger, nobler projects. Since the attacks of September 11 -- not a bolt from the blue but a roughly predictable consequence of U.S. foreign intervention -- the usurpations have accelerated. The "war on terror" functions like a blank check both to justify curtailment of particular freedoms (such as freedom from surveillance) and to instill an embarrassing submissiveness in a people whose predecessors rebelled against similar oppression. Imagine the first few generations of Americans letting themselves be treated the way we are treated at airports. "You may not leave your seat beginning one hour before landing." "Oh, okay. Whatever you say, dear leader, as long as you protect me." When the TSA begins requiring passengers effectively to strip in front of the newest inspection devices, who will raise a word in protest?
The sad irony is that none of these measures -- and nothing even more severe -- will make us safer. What we call terrorism will always be cheap, flexible, and at least one step ahead of the plodding, clueless authorities. Al-Qaeda is not an organization. It's an idea and an open-ended set of tactics. Clear it out of Afghanistan -- and it appears in Pakistan or Yemen or New Jersey. When you step back and take a broader view, the U.S. government looks like a big, pathetic, stupid giant trying to catch a pesky, clever mouse.
The terrorists' advantage lies in the fact that bureaucracies are institutionally stupid. Do we really need more proof after the Christmas Day incident? Just as the SEC couldn't see Bernie Madoff's fraudulent activities even when handed reams of evidence, so the vaunted "national security apparatus" -- for which Americans are compelled to pay hundreds of billions of dollars every year -- couldn't stop a kid from Nigeria wearing explosive briefs from getting on a plane, despite warnings from his own father as well as other solid information.
The "protection" forced on us by the U.S. government is an outright fraud. It can never deliver on its promise to keep us safe because big organizations like the Department of Homeland Security (!) are too riven by interagency rivalries, informational distortions, and hierarchical tone-deafness to work effectively. (The same is true for businesses that grow large because of anti-competitive government privileges.) Letting private companies protect themselves at their own expense would have to work better.
Does this mean we must remain vulnerable? No. We'll find a reasonable degree of safety when America comes home.
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