1. We recently had a small invasion of ants in our house's mud room. Did you know accordingly to people who study ants, that there are 1.6 million ants per every person in the world? Reminds me of the song High Hopes:
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can't
Move a rubber tree plant
But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
2. Gender equality has landed at Target. The big box retailer announced last Friday that “it will start phasing out gender-based signage in some departments (due to) response to customer feedback that distinguishing between products for girls and boys is unnecessary and even harmful”.
I remember going to Sears back in the day for school shopping where I would pick out my clothes by “matching Garanimals.” Looks like things have come full circle -- you didn't look for the boys or girls clothing sections at Sears. All you did was match animals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXceQWHxcpo
3. “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito.” African Proverb
4. When I was five, I used to play “Monday Night Football” in my back yard. I used to pretend that I was the kicker starting off the game by sending the ball from the tee into the sky and into the neighbor’s yard. I was allowed, back in the early ‘70s, to watch only the opening kickoff and the first offensive series on Monday Night Football before I had to go to bed. After all, 9:00 PM was way past my bedtime.
For the better part of my adolescence, Cosell, Meredith and Frank Gifford were the voice of MNF and of America. Monday Night Football had a 70 share (70% of all TVs) back in the 1970s and their discussions during the telecasts set the conversations on Tuesdays. RIP Frank Gifford. Thanks for backyard memories.
5. Did you ever wonder why our paper currency is green? As a way to finance the American Civil War, the federal government began issuing paper money for the first time since the American Revolutionary War. These new bills became known as green backs because their backsides were printed using green ink, which was an anti-counterfeit measure since the cameras of the time could only take pictures in black and white. When the government shrunk the size of the money in 1929, the green color remained because the color green was associated with stability.
6. “Jesus never sought to change the world through public policy but rather through personal transformation. All people didn't embrace Him either.” - Pastor T.D. Jakes, The Potters House
7. On Sunday after church, Tina, the girls and I went to Wegman’s at King of Prussia for lunch and some grocery shopping. My favorite part of the trip was at the checkout lane when I used my Apple Watch to pay for the groceries. I just positioned my watch in front of the reader and technology did the rest.
8. After Moses killed a man and was banished from Egypt, he found solace in the wilderness as a shepherd. I am sure he wondered why in the world he went from palace luxuries to watching sheep graze. God knew that Moses would be leading the Israelites, shepherding them if you will, throughout the wilderness for 40 years after their release from bondage. Right now, whatever job you have, whether it is a server at a restaurant, a CEO of a company, an administrative assistant or a young mother, you are being trained for something in the future; so therefore, soak up everything you can because later in life, you will draw on these experiences – just like Moses.
9. I was engaged in a discussion last evening that eventually ended up at American exceptionalism. While I believe that America has done tremendous good in the world, I also believe that this hubris has lead us down a path of societal destruction. Before we begin to “save the world”, we must first save ourselves by making changes in our lives. To change the direction of anything, the nucleus – the core – must be attacked and altered. Everything that our government tries to change seldom attempts to attack the core of the issue. In an upcoming blog post, I will explain why taking care of your family unit – however you define it – is the first step in leaving the world better than you found it for your kids. We must return to common sense and doing things in moderation.
10. The 2016 political campaigns and elections for everything from the Presidency to the State house will be the first time that the millennials (18-34) will equal the baby boomers as a share of eligible voters. Some interesting views on these two groups:
· 51% of millennials have a positive view of President Obama; 31% have a negative view
· For those 50 and over, 41% are favorable toward the President and 49% have a negative view of him
· 60% of millennials believe government should do more to solve problems; 46% of people over 35 years of age believe government should do more
Believe,Act.Serve.
#Reedy-Right Now
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can't
Move a rubber tree plant
But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
2. Gender equality has landed at Target. The big box retailer announced last Friday that “it will start phasing out gender-based signage in some departments (due to) response to customer feedback that distinguishing between products for girls and boys is unnecessary and even harmful”.
I remember going to Sears back in the day for school shopping where I would pick out my clothes by “matching Garanimals.” Looks like things have come full circle -- you didn't look for the boys or girls clothing sections at Sears. All you did was match animals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXceQWHxcpo
3. “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito.” African Proverb
4. When I was five, I used to play “Monday Night Football” in my back yard. I used to pretend that I was the kicker starting off the game by sending the ball from the tee into the sky and into the neighbor’s yard. I was allowed, back in the early ‘70s, to watch only the opening kickoff and the first offensive series on Monday Night Football before I had to go to bed. After all, 9:00 PM was way past my bedtime.
For the better part of my adolescence, Cosell, Meredith and Frank Gifford were the voice of MNF and of America. Monday Night Football had a 70 share (70% of all TVs) back in the 1970s and their discussions during the telecasts set the conversations on Tuesdays. RIP Frank Gifford. Thanks for backyard memories.
5. Did you ever wonder why our paper currency is green? As a way to finance the American Civil War, the federal government began issuing paper money for the first time since the American Revolutionary War. These new bills became known as green backs because their backsides were printed using green ink, which was an anti-counterfeit measure since the cameras of the time could only take pictures in black and white. When the government shrunk the size of the money in 1929, the green color remained because the color green was associated with stability.
6. “Jesus never sought to change the world through public policy but rather through personal transformation. All people didn't embrace Him either.” - Pastor T.D. Jakes, The Potters House
7. On Sunday after church, Tina, the girls and I went to Wegman’s at King of Prussia for lunch and some grocery shopping. My favorite part of the trip was at the checkout lane when I used my Apple Watch to pay for the groceries. I just positioned my watch in front of the reader and technology did the rest.
8. After Moses killed a man and was banished from Egypt, he found solace in the wilderness as a shepherd. I am sure he wondered why in the world he went from palace luxuries to watching sheep graze. God knew that Moses would be leading the Israelites, shepherding them if you will, throughout the wilderness for 40 years after their release from bondage. Right now, whatever job you have, whether it is a server at a restaurant, a CEO of a company, an administrative assistant or a young mother, you are being trained for something in the future; so therefore, soak up everything you can because later in life, you will draw on these experiences – just like Moses.
9. I was engaged in a discussion last evening that eventually ended up at American exceptionalism. While I believe that America has done tremendous good in the world, I also believe that this hubris has lead us down a path of societal destruction. Before we begin to “save the world”, we must first save ourselves by making changes in our lives. To change the direction of anything, the nucleus – the core – must be attacked and altered. Everything that our government tries to change seldom attempts to attack the core of the issue. In an upcoming blog post, I will explain why taking care of your family unit – however you define it – is the first step in leaving the world better than you found it for your kids. We must return to common sense and doing things in moderation.
10. The 2016 political campaigns and elections for everything from the Presidency to the State house will be the first time that the millennials (18-34) will equal the baby boomers as a share of eligible voters. Some interesting views on these two groups:
· 51% of millennials have a positive view of President Obama; 31% have a negative view
· For those 50 and over, 41% are favorable toward the President and 49% have a negative view of him
· 60% of millennials believe government should do more to solve problems; 46% of people over 35 years of age believe government should do more
Believe,Act.Serve.
#Reedy-Right Now