frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Weighing In On Airport Searches...A Common Sense Approach...!!!
- 12/03/10 02:34 AM
For the first ten years of my work history I worked in the Quality Assurance Department of an industrial plastics manufacturer...Many of the popular thoughts I had held as a result of my formal education and short life experience were dispelled as I trained and earned my way to supervise the department...BUT...Let me try to stay on target and on the subject of the recent TSA (Transportation Security Administration) regulations designed to scan or strip search each passenger attempting to board a plane, in the hope of finding some 'thing' or 'device' to be used in some terrorist act...First of all, … (9 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...A Thanksgiving Reflection...In Black & White...!!!
- 11/19/10 01:59 AM
A Thanksgiving Reflection...In Black & White...!!!
We refer to movies that were made before the invention of color technology as 'BLACK & WHITE'...Likewise, the first televisions were 'black & white'...
In reality, a careful review of those movies clearly shows that they were rendered in shades of gray...not true black and white...likewise, with TVs...
Fact is, even today, if you look real close at a state of the art modern LCD TV, bright blacks and vivid whites are a challenge to faithfully reproduce...
When we search for truth, we sometimes say, "there it is in black and … (13 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Bowles Simpson Plan...OR...How To Square BS...!!!
- 11/12/10 01:41 AM
Bowles Simpson Plan...OR...How To Square BS...!!!
Some months ago, a bipartisan group was commissioned by the Obama administration to analyze our federal budget and make recommendations on how to fix our ginormous fiscal problems...
Lead by Erskine Bowles, a respected Democrat, and Alan Simpson, an equally respected former Republican Senator from Wyoming, the commission would hopefully provide some guidance on how to steer our Country out of its fiscal mess...
Well, several months later, and earlier than anticipated, the commission has spoken...
Although their findings may be a bit too timid for some, nevertheless, it might … (12 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Is It Time To Use The "I" Word...IMPEACHMENT...???
- 11/05/10 02:39 AM
Is it time to use the "I" word...IMPEACHMENT...???
In an election intended to send a clear message to Washington, not because of Republican popularity or a landslide change of power, but because of overwhelming public disgust, it appears some are still not getting the message...!!!
I remember in 1994, President Clinton was 'forced' to make a shift toward the center to appease voters who gave the Republicans a landslide mandate with their 'Contract With America'...he got the message and saved himself a second term...
When George H. W. Bush, the elder one, was forced to eat crow … (10 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Does The Teachers Union Truly Speak For All Teachers...???
- 10/29/10 02:40 AM
Listening to all the campaign ads on both the radio and TV, which bombard us with at least exaggerations, if not down right lies about candidates...I thought I would sit quietly and discern for myself where to draw the lines in this election...
So.......Does the Teachers Union truly speak for ALL TEACHERS...???
Here goes...
I, myself, believe in CONSERVATIVE POLITICS...
I believe in PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY...
I believe in FISCAL RESTRAINT...PARTICULARLY LOWER TAXES...
I believe in GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT...NOT GOVERNMENT CONTROL...
I believe in THE RIGHT TO LIFE FOR ALL PEOPLE...BORN AND UNBORN...
I believe in FAMILY … (15 comments)
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frans friday forum: Should We Be Wearing RED, not PINK...Fran's Friday Forum...!!!
- 10/22/10 04:48 AM
I can't tell you how many sporting activities we have participated in since early spring which have advocated and promoted BREAST CANCER AWARENESS by displaying plenty of pink...pink baseballs, pink bats, pink shoes, spikes, shirts, hats, lapel pins, ties, ribbons, etc...
And this is all good, but are we as a culture missing the REAL point...???
If we are sincere in eradicating cancer, particularly BREAST CANCER, and I think most of us are sincere in this regard, maybe we should be wearing BRIGHT RED...which, to me, is more indicative of the serious threat that CANCER really represents...
Are … (32 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...It's About Choice, Not Change...!!!
- 10/15/10 03:01 AM
Next month is a critical time for our country...a crossroad of considerable importance...
The November elections, make no mistake about it, will be a referendum on whether we want BIG GOVERNMENT or LESS GOVERNMENT INTRUSION...
And given my years of experience and education, and record of voting under both Democrat and Republican tents, this election is ONE OF CHOICE, NOT CHANGE...
WE ELECT our representatives, GOD GIVES HOPE...!!!
CHANGE comes about whether we want it or not, and comes regardless how we vote, but the direction our Nation and our economy take depends solely on THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS...
THE CHOICES … (7 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Title Insurance And Foreclosures...!!!
- 10/08/10 03:57 AM
My good friend from Oregon, Todd Clark, recently asked if I would write a post on the current status of foreclosures from a title insurance standpoint...
I am not an expert in this area, nor am I a lawyer, so what I offer here is very much anecdotal based on talking to some title insurance execs and counsel...
The recent moratorium on proceeding with foreclosures by some large lenders is what seems to have precipitated the current interest in this regard...The underlying cause of these moratoriums stemmed from the foreclosing agents for some lenders handling these foreclosures in BUNDLES … (8 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...PAYDAY...Balancing The Political Checkbook...!!!
- 10/01/10 04:27 AM
Balancing the political checkbook is not easy...!!!
We have made far too many withdrawals and are way too short on deposits...and I'm not just talking about the economy...
Sooner or later, the piper must be paid...
Our system of checks and balances has fallen into disrepair...The executive and legislative branches of our great Republic have hijacked our government...
Only the Judicial branch is left to rectify the situation...
The Supreme Court, specifically, is the only salvific body left which has the power to re-balance the imbalance...
Now, I'm no lawyer, and even less a … (5 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Don't Lose Hope...!!!
- 09/24/10 05:52 AM
What is HOPE...???
Have you ever seen HOPE expressed by the symbol of AN ANCHOR...???
That image gives us a keen insight of what HOPE is all about...
A boat or ship properly anchored will withstand practically any threat or storm that may arise...
We, as humans, are like that, also...!!!
If we are properly anchored, we will be able to withstand most of what life offers or thrusts upon us, if not, then we may be in danger of losing our way, becoming lost in a vast sea of chaos and confusion...
So, we … (11 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Using Active Rain As A Journal...!!!
- 09/16/10 05:05 AM
I think it was in 2007 that I began blogging on Active Rain...
So, for the past 3 years I have posted almost one thousand articles on my blog...!!!
When I started out blogging, my thoughts were that it would serve as a site upon which I could maintain a daily journal...After all, on many occasions and by many individuals whom I respect, JOURNALLING was highly valued and strongly advocated...for personal, business, and spiritual and physical health reasons...
And since I learned that a 'BLOG' is nothing more than a 'WEB LOG'...the marriage of a journal with a … (5 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...911...Remembered, Not Forgotten...!!!
- 09/10/10 03:19 AM
Often, it seems as though we Americans quickly forget the important things that come our way, and long remember silly, or seemingly unimportant events...Not so with 911 however.Some have said that the events of that day, September 11, 2001, which caused the untimely deaths of over 3,000 innocent people of all faiths, cultures, and nationalities, were a payback from God for the wayward way Americans lead their lives...You can believe whatever you wish, but my gut tells me that Americans in general, and their behaviour, are held to a much higher standard than the rest of the world, both by Americans … (7 comments)
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frans friday forum: God Goes MAD...Fran's Friday Forum...!!!
- 09/03/10 03:00 AM
RELAX...!!! God hasn't really gone mad...!!!No, believe it or not, God is still in control of, and piloting, Planet Earth as, at tremendous speed, it glides reliably through the vast universe God has created...as it has done for billions of years...!!!The marvel of it all is the great number of miracles that occur each day to accomplish its mission...!!!Hence, the term I used in the title to this post...M A D...MIRACLES A DAY...to point out to most of us ‘numbed' earthlings who are oblivious, the mysteries that surround us each day...literally each moment...!!!The miracle and mystery of LIFE ITSELF, which most … (5 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Capture The Spirit...!!!
- 08/27/10 04:24 AM
In my last post I wrote about ‘HATE', and the proper time to express it...!!!You can ‘HATE' onions or you can ‘HATE' politicians...One is no problem, the other may be counter productive...!!! You can figure out which is which...!!!You see, in our Country, we ELECT our politicians...and sometimes we are forced to survive under corrupt and wrong minded and misguided ‘PUBLIC SERVANTS' who have no vision for our Republic, but are totally self seeking and self serving...How is it that so many voters can be blinded by truth and select corrupt leaders...???I don't have an answer, but I know from history, that … (9 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...The Buick Stops Here...Pass The Buick...!!!
- 08/20/10 05:58 AM
For a few years now, we have been driving a 2006 Buick Terraza crossover...With 5 kids and two adults the 7 passenger seating and the rear seat entertainment package sealed the deal to buy this vehicle...!!!Of course with the economy being what it is, and the high prices of new cars, we opted to buy this 18,000 mile certified pre-owned which came with a warranty extending the original factory warranty of 3 years/36,000 to somewhere over 50,000 miles...!!!Shortly after the purchase, at approx. 27,000 miles a problem developed in the audio system...I use the term audio system because in today's cars … (6 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran’s Friday Forum...A Day Late...A Dollar Short...!!!
- 08/14/10 04:02 AM
We arrived home late Thursday night from a well deserved, well earned, and long needed four day getaway vacation...Traveling with seven makes for some challenging decisions while vacationing...You want to enjoy everything, not miss much, and eat well...but budget considerations play a big role in all of this...Well, the vacation was quite simple...but we all had a great time...Oh, don't get me wrong, there were the usual back seat(s) bickering, whining, and arguing...but nevertheless, they did not put a damper on our enjoyment...We began our trip with a stop at Cooperstown, N.Y., site of the Baseball Hall Of Fame...Being a ‘baseball … (9 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran's Friday Forum...Who Is At The Center Of Your Universe...???
- 07/30/10 03:48 AM
Who is at the center of YOUR Universe...???
It's a shame that modern technology in electronics has eliminated most all STATIC from our airwaves...else, we may be able to easily comprehend what it's like when we are not communicating on the right wavelength.......noise, static, chaos, miscommunication, and anarchy, instead of unity...As I've written many times before about priorities, balance, juggling, moderation, and the like, many still don't get it...!!!Focus, is the key...and awareness is the door through which we must walk...Simply put, if we don't know God or have a relationship with Him...Upon Whom do we focus...And therein lie all the … (10 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran’s Friday Forum.......Only...On Tuesday...!!!
- 07/20/10 04:08 AM
Just getting off another weekend of tournament baseball...my main laptop computer is still out of commission...and I need a small window of opportunity between thunderstorms and baseball to get the lawn mowed...!!!
That's the extent of my apologies for not posting regularly lately...
Hoping to get my computer back on line and have some free time between the end of July and the beginning of Midget Football and Fall Baseball...
Last Sunday we celebrated my Aunt Catherine's 90th birthday. It was a great affair...she seemed surprised by it all and was overwhelmed by the large number of guests, including her only … (8 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran’s Friday Forum...Two Computers Byte The Dust...!!!
- 07/09/10 05:05 AM
What an unlucky week...two computers bite the dust...My TOSHIBA laptop of many years...victim of some nasty trojan virus...AND...
My netbook...cracked glass screen...
So while I'm mourning their passing in the excessive heat advisory conditions of the Northeast...
My thoughts will turn to the District Baseball Tournament this weekend...
Have a great weekend, and enjoy A/C or good baseball...!!!
Oh, BTW, any suggestions for a computer replacement...???
P.S. Please ignore the lack of graphics...this post written on my son Justin's borrowed computer...!!!
… (7 comments)
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frans friday forum: Fran’s Friday Forum...How To Squeeze Ten Pounds Into An Eight Pound Bag...!!!
- 07/02/10 08:23 AM
There's an old adage that warns us when we're carrying too much baggage...or at least more baggage than we can handle..."You can't get 10 pounds of something into a 5 pound bag..."
I've found on my recent search for a car replacement that the same is true for automobiles. When you're trying to haul 8 or more passengers, you just can't do it in most of today's 5, 6, or 7 passenger vehicles.
Oh, I remember the good old days when you opened the rear door in one of those big old sedans or station wagons and just piled in the … (9 comments)
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For the first ten years of my work history I worked in the Quality Assurance Department of an industrial plastics manufacturer...Many of the popular thoughts I had held as a result of my formal education and short life experience were dispelled as I trained and earned my way to supervise the department...BUT...Let me try to stay on target and on the subject of the recent TSA (Transportation Security Administration) regulations designed to scan or strip search each passenger attempting to board a plane, in the hope of finding some 'thing' or 'device' to be used in some terrorist act...First of all, … (9 comments)
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