Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Pettry amzanig huh?

It’s true, I’ve been lax about reporting here, but there’s a reason. My life is in a transition, not a bad one, but one nonetheless. I will be back when things have stabilized and the direction is clearer. Thanks for being a loyal reader.

Got word today that one of my high school colleagues crossed over. I don’t remember him much from high school, which isn’t noteworthy, but as I learned of his MS in his 50’s and his innovative experimenting with stem cells, I watched closely. It seemed what he was doing was so cutting edge. Of course it isn’t allowed in the U. S. I don’t know what gave out finally but hated to hear it. We need those kinds of great success stories in order to move forward. Rest in Peace Richard. You fought a great fight.

Well I am the mother of a ten year old daughter and Beiber is the guy so off we went to Sierras first concert last night. Us and 15,000 other people …here’s a picture

Michael Jordans Motivational Advice

Be Passionate. “Even when I’m old and grey, I won’t be able to play it, but I’ll still love the game.”

Make It Happen. “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

Put In Work. “I’m not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat.”

You Must Try. “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”

Mind Over Matter. “My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn’t stand the sideline.”

Believe. “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”

Find A Way. “If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

Attitude Is Everything. “Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.”

Stay Committed. “The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace.”

Prepare To Fail. “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Sorry to have been out of touch. Too much going on I didn’t want to discuss in a public forum. Still don’t. Recent events are devastating. My thoughts best encapsulated below. Nancy > All points are good ones. But it is instructive to look at gun homicide in > industrialized countries. These are the numbers per 100,000 people in a > couple with comparable socio-economic status to us: > > Australia: .14 > Belgium: .68 > Canada: .51 > England: .07 > France: .06 > Germany: .19 > Sweden: .14 > > United States: 2.97 > > The US has less than 5% of the world’s population but has approximately > (it’s difficult to get an exact number here) 45% of the civilian owned > guns. More guns, more gun deaths. > > There is a significant correlation between the proportion of people in a > state who own a gun and the murder rate in that state. More guns, more gun > deaths. > > All other things being equal, one utterly compelling fact comes though: > the more guns there are the higher the rate of death from a firearm. > > The question of how to go about dealing with this simple and unassailable > fact isn’t easy to answer. But we have got to do something to reduce the > violence. It’s killing our children, eating us up emotionally, shredding > communities and pitting good people against each other. > > Some things seem fairly obvious (at least to this liberal): > > a. ban assault weapons — no civilian needs an assault weapon. They exist > for a single reason: to kill many people. Ditto for high-powered ammo and > rapid fire rifles. > > b. institute a voluntary gun buy-back — melt down the guns turned in > and build a monument to the children who have been slaughtered by those > assault weapons > > c. close down the gun shows where anyone can buy any weapon with no check > other than whether his/her credit card is approved. regulated gun shows > can, of course, continue just like shows for any other commodity. > > d. require background checks for anyone who wishes to purchase a gun — > heck, we do this for anyone who wants a mortgage, a passport or a Nexus > card (for crossing the Canadian or Mexican borders) > > e. require a re-application after five years — heck, we do this for > drivers’ licenses. > > None of these would violate the 2nd Amendment. None would cause problems > for skeet shooters, rifle-range enthusiasts, hunters or people who feel > they want a gun for their own personal protection. > > Finally, there are some things that get glossed over in the debates: > > a. The myth of the lone gunman stopping a robbery or taking out the bad > guy in the mall or stopping the intruder coming through the window is … a > myth. These things happen in novels and movies. They virtually never happen > in the “real world.” > > b. In most cases where a guy with a gun tries to stop a guy with a gun it > goes badly. Within the last month a pastor killed his own granddaughter who > he thought was an intruder and a home owner shot and killed a 12 and a 13 > year-old who were friends of his son whom he thought were trying to break > into his house. > > c. even if you manage to kill an intruder the psychological costs of this > act are terrible. We get so used to seeing Clint Eastwood or Bruce Willis mow > down the bad guys and then go home and pour a beer that we fail to > appreciate the horrific mental toll of actually killing someone. Talk to a > soldier who’s actually killed someone up close and personal. Talk to a cop. > It’s devastating