“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”

  That’s a well-known exhortation by the late President Theodore Roosevelt.  He was all about actually doing something yourself, rather than expecting (or electing) others to do it for you.  I’ve tried to live up to his advice, not always successfully, but always with a better outcome than if I hadn’t tried at all. The… Continue reading “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”

An excellent perspective on the breakdown of our society

  (This article will deal with matters of religious faith, so if you’re not into that, you might want to skip it.) Fellow author and Christian John C. Wright has penned a magnificent essay, one of the best I’ve ever read about our modern world and the society in which we live.  It’s Christian in… Continue reading An excellent perspective on the breakdown of our society

Quote of the day, week and month

  From the anonymous blogger at Come And Make It: Nothing creates poverty.  Poverty is the beginning state.  It takes zero effort to be poor.  It does take a lot of work not to be poor. True dat.  True, true dat. I wish our politicians and bureaucrats would understand that.  You can’t legislate people out… Continue reading Quote of the day, week and month

The best explanation of the supply chain problem I’ve ever read

  Jim Rickards has done us all a great favor by explaining the supply chain crunch in a way that anyone can understand, putting it in clear, unambiguous terms that can’t be misunderstood.  Here’s an excerpt. What’s at the root of the supply chain breakdown? That’s a critical question but the answer is almost irrelevant.… Continue reading The best explanation of the supply chain problem I’ve ever read

Staying alive in today’s urban crime and unrest

  Like it or not, many of us live in cities and neighborhoods where crime is surging, political tensions are rising, and the risks to life and limb have never been higher.  I don’t see that getting better anytime soon. Ken Hackathorn, well-known to generations of shooters, law enforcement and military professionals, offers his thoughts… Continue reading Staying alive in today’s urban crime and unrest

I feel that way sometimes, too…

  There are very few cartoonists who can capture the human dilemma so consistently and so accurately as Stephan Pastis.  Click the image to be taken to a larger view at the “Pearls Before Swine” Web page. It’s like the well-known wail of complaint allegedly uttered by many trainee computer programmers (of whom I was… Continue reading I feel that way sometimes, too…

A lesson in leadership

  Larry Lambert brings us an object lesson in leadership from Napoleon Bonaparte.  I won’t steal his thunder by copying his blog post here:  click over to Virtual Mirage and read it for yourself.  It won’t take you long. I found it inspiring because Bonaparte had many maxims that make solid good sense.  One of… Continue reading A lesson in leadership

“The great volcano at Washington … belching forth the lava of political corruption”

  In 1839, Abraham Lincoln (then a member of the Illinois state legislature) gave a speech concerning the banking industry in the United States, and more specifically the operations of the Treasury Department and its regulation of US banks.  Most of the speech need not concern us today;  and we probably would not agree with… Continue reading “The great volcano at Washington … belching forth the lava of political corruption”

A reader offers useful input on home heating and other matters

  Following yesterday’s article about choosing and buying alternative-fuel heaters for our home, reader Kevin e-mailed me about his and his wife’s experiences heating their home in Massachusetts (a far colder state than Texas during much of the winter).  He generously gave me permission to share his e-mail with you, including the image below. I… Continue reading A reader offers useful input on home heating and other matters