A little more Vernon Howard...

"Give thought to this thought: I live and feel my own nature.
I live and feel only my own nature. So my inner location,
whatever and wherever it may be, is the only factor that
determines whether I'm going to be happy or unhappy, free
or chained.

That is astonishingly clear information for you to wander
around in, meander around in, all day long. And that
revelation that you only live, feel, experience yourself
will open dozens of doors to self-transformation and self-
uplifting." ....Vernon Howard

From Vernon Howard

Vernon Howard's
SECRETS OF LIFE (R)

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"Unpleasant behavior is sick behavior. Few people want to think
about this fact, but you will do so. From now on, you will see
that unpleasant people are sick people. You know the thousand
varieties of unpleasantness including sarcastic accusations,
delirious demands, repulsive self-worship, a cold and hostile
face. If another person is unpleasant, realize that your wish
for sunlight must have nothing to do with his darkness."

A Treasury of Trueness, # 476

a little Tolstoy...

“…now our whole life, from birth to death with all its dreams, is it not in its turn also a dream, which we take as the real life, the reality of which we do not doubt only because we do not know of the other more real life?”…..from Letters by Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy, or Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (September 9 [O.S. August 28] 1828 – November 20 [O.S. November 7] 1910) (Russian: Лев Никола́евич Толсто́й, Russian pronunciation: [lʲɛv nʲɪkɐˈlaɪvʲɪtɕ tɐlˈstoj] listen (help·info), was a Russian writer widely regarded as one of the greatest of all novelists. His masterpieces War and Peace and Anna Karenina stand, in their scope, breadth and vivid depiction of 19th-century Russian life, at the very peak of realist fiction.

Tolstoy's further talents as essayist, dramatist and educational reformer made him the most influential member of the aristocratic Tolstoy family. His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Gandhi^[1] and Martin Luther King, Jr.

The teaching of mature Tolstoy concentrated exclusively on the moral teaching of the Gospels. Tolstoy's Christian beliefs were based on the Sermon on the Mount, and particularly on the phrase "turn the other cheek", which he saw as a justification for pacifism, nonviolence and nonresistance. Of the moral teaching of Christ, the words "Resist not evil" were taken to be the principle out of which all the rest follows. He condemned the State, which he saw as sanctioning violence and corruption,^{[citation needed]} and rejected the authority of the Church, which sanctioned the State. His condemnation of every form of compulsion authorizes many^[who?] to classify Tolstoy's later teachings as Christian anarchism.

……. Wikipedia

Anger Management

ANGER MANAGEMENT

When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don't know. I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it.

A man answered, saying 'Hello.'

I politely said, 'This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?'

Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear 'Get the right f***ing number!' and the phone was slammed down on me.

I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude. When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits. After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again.

When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled, 'You're an asshole!' and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word 'asshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, 'You're an asshole!' It always cheered me up.

When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic asshole calling would have to stop.

So, I called his number and said, 'Hi, this is John Smith from the telephone company. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?' He yelled 'NO!' and slammed down the phone. I quickly called him back and said, 'That's because you're an asshole!' and hung up.

One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a 'For Sale sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number. A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshole (I had his number on speed dial), I thought that I'd better call the BMW asshole, too.

I said, 'Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?'

He said, 'Yes, it is...' I asked, 'Can you tell me where I can see it?'

He said, 'Yes, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax . It's a yellow rambler, and the car's parked right out in front.'

I asked, 'What's your name?' He said, 'My name is Don Hansen.'

I asked, 'When's a good time to catch you, Don?'

He said, 'I'm home every evening after five.'

I said, 'Listen, Don, can I tell you something?' He said, 'Yes?'

I said, 'Don, you're an asshole!'

Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too. Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call.

Then I came up with an idea. I called Asshole #1. He said, 'Hello.' I said, 'You're an asshole!' (But I didn't hang up.) He asked, 'Are you still there?' I said, 'Yeah.' He screamed, 'Stop calling me!' I said, 'Make me.' He asked, 'Who are you?' I said, 'My name is Don Hansen.' He said, 'Yeah? Where do you live?' I said, 'Asshole, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax, a yellow rambler, I have a black Beamer parked in front.' He said, 'I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers.' I said, 'Yeah, like I'm really scared, asshole,' and hung up.

Then I called Asshole No. 2. He said, 'Hello?' I said, 'Hello, asshole.' He yelled, 'If I ever find out who you are...' I said, 'You'll what?' He exclaimed, 'I'll kick your ass,' I answered, 'Well, asshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now.'

Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax , and that my gay lover was on his way over to kill me. Then I called Channel 9 News about the gang war going down in Oaktree Fairfax. I quickly got into my car and headed over to Fairfax . I got there just in time to watch two assholes beating the shit out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead news helicopter and surrounded by a news crew.

NOW I feel much better. Anger management works!!



my thanks to: Real King of France

Drug costs for seniors growing...

By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY, Nov 12, 2008

Elderly and disabled people in Medicare prescription drug plans with the largest enrollments will pay 43% more on average in monthly premiums next year than when the drug program began in 2006, and some enrollees will see increases of as much as 329%, two analyses show.

The rising costs "are wreaking havoc on seniors' wallets and are simply not sustainable in the long run," says Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Overall, the Medicare drug program is costing taxpayers less than originally estimated. The government's drug spending on the program fell by 12% to $44 billion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, largely from the widespread use of low-cost generic drugs. The government pays part of the drugs' costs for seniors and helps subsidize premiums for low-income people.

Still, seniors have seen their actual expenses for premiums and drug co-payments go up each year. Insurers have raised prices for many reasons, including increases to cover higher drug costs and more prescriptions filled.

Monthly premiums in the drug-only plans will go from an average $26.03 in 2006 to $37.10 next year, according to Avalere Health, a private consulting company. People who signed up for a policy marketed as the low-price leader in 2006 — Humana's standard plan — will pay $40.83 next year, up from $9.51 in 2006, according to Avalere's analysis and a similar one from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-partisan research group.

Humana raised premiums to reflect its actual costs, according to its government filings. Spokesman Tom Noland says its prices remain competitive with other insurers.

The amounts Medicare beneficiaries pay at pharmacy counters as their share of drug costs, particularly for brand-name products, jumped in many plans as well — from $1 a month per prescription to more than $13 per drug, Avalere reported.

Enrollment for the drug program next year will begin Saturday. About 17 million people are enrolled in drug-only plans and an additional 9 million are in plans that cover both drugs and medical care.

Avalere and Kaiser looked at drug-only plans with the largest enrollments. Kaiser studied six plans nationally that cover about half of all enrollees. Avalere studied plans that cover about 60% of the enrollees.

Medicare spokesman Jeff Nelligan says most beneficiaries should be able to find a plan that is the same price or cheaper than what they're paying now, as long as they are willing to change plans. In some cases, the lower-cost plans cover both medical care and drugs and are offered by private insurers as an alternative to traditional Medicare.

Yet many seniors are worried. Mary Madden, 80, a retired administrator from Cleveland, says her premium will rise next year from $33.70 to $38.20, and the monthly amount she pays for two of her drugs will go from $30 to $38 each.

She's tempted to drop out of the program and go without drug coverage — but she knows she'll face a financial penalty if she rejoins later. "So, I'm leaning (toward) staying in," she says.

My comments: Since I am a senior with Heart Disease and taking three Rxs daily, I will cut my costs in half by taking my pills every other day. A roll of the dice to be sure but you have to do something to live within the budget. I'm sure I'm not the only senior to take this route.

Tuesday is Veterans Day

Thanks to this soldier and his brothers in arms and all who have served our nation over the course of its history, we are still a free nation. Our Military Forces are the only reason we are still a free society. Thanks and a salute to all serving in uniform. And a 'rest in peace' to all who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. We cannot express enough gratitude for your service to our nation.

We'll See.....

We'll See

Once upon a time, there was a farmer in the central region of China. He didn't have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his field.

One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, Oh, what a horrible thing to happen. The farmer said simply, We'll see. He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift.

Everyone's reaction now was, What a lucky man. And the farmer said, We'll see.

A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, What a poor fellow!

The farmer smiled and said, We'll see.

Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, What a fortunate man.

The farmer said, We'll see.

Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, What a shame for the poor boy.

The farmer said, We'll see.

Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him.

Everyone said, What a fortunate young man.

The farmer smiled again - and said We'll see.


Moral of the story:
There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. Many times what looks like a setback, may actually be a gift in disguise. And when our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from.

"Think we should add another car?"

Sir, have you registered yet?