I have never intended to use this blog as a place to talk about a specific person but I am making an exception today for 2 reasons. First, I believe since I have next to no readership that this is at least a moderately private place. Second, some people just need to have the truth told about them somewhere, even if only in an obscure little blog place like this.
I met this individual on a dating website. He is nearly 75 years old and he portrays himself as a highly intelligent, gentlemanly person who is pleasantly in retirement, seeking a female companion who is like minded, intelligent, relatively healthy, etc.
The same behavior pattern I'm about to describe has been shown to me in person twice. The first time I could let it slide, the second, hm, well not so much. I will not give his full name here. If you want that, you will need to give me a good reason and some information about him to make me believe you need the information.
We spoke by phone for at least a month, maybe a week or two more prior to our actual meeting. He has a nice small home near the Arkansas/Texas state line. He has extensive illnesses that require medication and also uses a walker to move in the house and everywhere he goes. He is still able to drive but in my opinion, he will be able to do that much longer.
He is very nice, generous, kind....for a period of about 7 to 10 days. At that time, he becomes very insulting, degrading, irritating in the extreme. On both occasions this behavior appeared RIGHT AFTER I had completed a 2,5 to 3 hour chore of helping him get ready for a doctor's appointment, driving him to and from the appointment, and participating in the exams by the doctors and asking relevant questions of the doctor regarding the man's health, which he had given me permission and even asked me to do.
On both occasions, once I had him safely back into the car from the doctor and we were headed back to his home, he became verbally critical and abusive of everything about me...not about anything with the doctor visit. Rather, with my driving, my personality, my very existence it seemed. To be honest, I do not take this kind of verbal abuse lightly and I returned my opinion of his attack on me. No profanity of course but firm. I believe he had gotten what he wanted from me and rather than just ask me to leave, he engaged in the abuse.
Once he was back in his home safely, I packed my things and promptly left his home. Both times, I intended never to return or even speak on the phone with him. He is the one who initiated the phone calls the second time. I'm very sorry I accepted those calls and the attempt to "make up" for the previous behavior. I will not make that mistake again and I urge anyone reading this who has a similar experience to not give a second chance.
I'm giving initials only here but if you feel you've possibly run into someone like this and want to confirm your feelings, let me know. The initials are RS, has a south Texas phone number.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Friday, March 29, 2019
How to Shop for Personal Auto Insurance
Before I start, some information about me and my decision-making
process.
1.
I am a
licensed Property, Liability, Auto, Life and Health agent in the state of
Texas. I worked in the insurance
industry for about 20 years. I focused
on commercial (business insurance) not personal insurance. That does make a difference in my point of
view and knowledge about personal insurance.
2.
Even with that, I have had my vehicles insured every
year since I began living on my own not with my parents and that’s 50 years now. I made sure my vehicles were always insured
even before I became an insurance agent.
3.
I do understand how to look up an insurance
company on the Best’s rating site (http://www.ambest.com/home/ratings.aspx). I highly recommend this to anyone. No matter if you can barely spell insurance,
you can tell a good rating from a bad rating without much outside help.
Once you have checked out the rating for the insurance company; notice I
said insurance company, not an agent.
You can search Yelp for reviews on an agent. An agent can represent a great company but
still be a lousy agent. A good agent will
not represent a bad company because that’s just bad business and he/she knows
it.
So how do you get a in touch with a good agent. Generally speaking, for personal auto
insurance…that is insurance on your own car, using an agent from companies such
as Allstate, State Farm, Nationwide, and other well-known companies like these
is a good idea. First, the company makes
sure the agent is qualified to represent them and has the knowledge to really
bring value to the people insured through their company. By bring value, I mean that they will give
you the best advice available to them and their knowledge will be based on
several years of experience writing the type of coverage you are seeking. There are also many fine independent
agents. Take your time with these agents
to be sure of their experience and knowledge of the current market for
insurance companies. Any independent
agent who represents a company with a good Best’s rating will typically be
qualified because he/she must be accepted as an agent by that company. Quality companies want only quality agents to
represent them.
I have been reading of some very bad experiences that people have had
with less well-known companies and agencies.
The time to find out your agent or company does not have a good
reputation is NOT after you’ve had a loss.
Rather the time to do your search is BEFORE you buy the insurance. A good agent will take the time to make sure
you understand your choices in coverage, deductibles, premium payment plans and
all the important issues to decide at the time your policy is written.
I know we all want a cheap price because auto insurance is getting higher
all the time. This is of course because
the cost automobiles goes up all the time.
The higher priced the vehicle, the higher the insurance will be. This is easy to understand…the insurance cost
to repair a Mercedes will typically be much higher than the repair to a Ford
Ranger pick-up. In addition, the liability
portion of your insurance goes higher for the exact same reason. The car YOU hit may be a high priced vehicle
so the amount your insurance company must pay out to repair the car you hit
will be high.
The way to keep your insurance prices low is to be the best driver you
can possibly be. Always expect the other
driver to do something stupid and don’t be “that other driver doing something
stupid” yourself. Don’t get speeding
tickets, don’t drive and drink….you know what NOT to do.
If you are new to the world of purchasing auto insurance, please find a
reputable agent who represents good companies to guide you with your first
purchase. Go in person, sit down, ask all
the questions you need to so that you clearly understand what you will be
buying. The most important thing to know
is that in the event of an accident you will have a company that will stand up
and do the right thing for you and for the other party.
Also, about deductibles….what are they for anyway? Well a deductible is a way of making you the
insured have “skin” in the game. If you
know that any accident you have, you will have to bear at least part of the
cost, it will improve your thinking, your driving decisions, and your driving
behavior. No quality agent wants to
insure a careless driver. A careless
driver creates headaches for everyone involved, but most of all for
themselves.
So that’s about all I can say about purchasing car
insurance. I’ll just add a simple tip on
major purchases that I received a very long time ago from an older lady. She said she always tried to buy locally
because she knew the money would stay in her community and be beneficial to
everyone else who lived where she lived as that money would be earned by her
friends and neighbors. The second thing
she said was that she and her husband never bought the most expensive item when
they were shopping for themselves. They
also never bought the cheapest. They
always shot for the mid-priced item knowing it would do the job and it would be
sturdy enough to last the time they thought it should.
I hope these tips help you make quality decisions about
insurance and other purchases as well.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Stop the War on Christmas
I have for years mentioned the following
idea to friends about how to stop the war on Christmas....so we can say Merry
Christmas in stores, in schools, on the street, wherever we are.
It's simple really.
By and large, who BUYS Christmas
presents? Right....people who at least give a passing thought to Christ
himself. Obviously, professing Christians buy Christmas presents.
Also, those who honor the holiday because their parents and grandparents do (or
did when still alive). Other people buy a present or two when work
situations or family situations demand it. But still, the bottom line is
that by and large, it's Christians who buy Christmas presents, Christmas foods,
Christmas cards, Christmas wrapping paper and ribbons, Christmas books.
So if you would like to have a new
appreciation for Christians, it’s simple. We all work together and
boycott one year. Now boycott is a strong word for what I'm
suggesting.
I'm merely suggesting that we NOT BUY anything
for Christmas. We can give gifts to children under say, 12. The
older ones should understand what we are doing when we explain it. We can
give gifts to all others in these ways: give a handmade gift (whether you
make it or you buy it at a Church Bazaar.) Re-purpose a gift. That
means giving someone a gift that you received some time in your life and have
never used. Make something yourself---knit, sew, sculpt, paint, anything
you can do like that. Buy a craft kit and make something. If none
of those work for you, then get some notepaper and write down what you promise
to do for the recipient in the coming year. Promise to clean up the
kitchen after dinner some night, promise a to Wrap them in any wrap you
have….leftover from last Christmas, newspaper, anything. And use up all
the saved ribbon you have.
Now seriously, if the vast majority of
Christians do this….abstain from buying presents just ONE year…..I think the
economic jolt will encourage a change back to appreciating the holiday itself
and our faith.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
How Does Music Make You Smarter
I am putting this information on this blog primarily for my own uses because I don't want to lose this excellent information. If someone else finds and uses it, that's fine too. As a musician for most of my life (60 plus years), and a middle school band director for several years also, I have seen the difference that music can make in a person's life. For most of my life, teachers knew this but had no hard evidence to present that proved it, other than who made it the top honors classes. Now, with MRI machines and others techniques, it can be observed HOW it happens. The truly great news, in my opinion, is that a person or child does NOT have to be an extraordinarily gifted musician to benefit from musical learning. It does however have to be more than just a passing general music class or even choir; it has to be a physical action along with the music. In other words, actually playing an instrument. This gives 3 avenues of learning...at least....i. e., sound, sight, and touch.
Anyway, I'm posting this here for others to see and for myself so I know I can always find it. Here is their actual link, which hopefully will continue to work.
The Mozart Effect:
Have you ever noticed how your favorite music can make you feel
better? Well, new research studies now show how music can make you
smarter too!
Scientists at Stanford University, in California, have recently revealed a molecular basis for the Mozart Effect, but not other music. Dr. Rauscher and her colleague H. Li, a geneticist, have discovered that rats, like humans, perform better on learning and memory tests after listening to a specific Mozart sonata.
A book called The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell, has condensed the world's research on all the beneficial effects of certain types of music.
Major corporations such as Shell, IBM, and Dupont, along with hundreds of schools and universities use music, such as certain Baroque and Mozart Effect pieces, to cut learning time in half and increase retention of the new materials.
According to the research outlined in the book, musical pieces, such as those of Mozart referred to as the Mozart Effect, can relieve stress, improve communication and increase efficiency. Creativity scores soar when listening to Mozart.
In my teacher and parent training seminars, I have been using the Mozart Effect music for years as a strategy to reduce learning time and increase student memory of the material. Music activates the whole brain and makes you feel more energetic and there is a well-documented link between music and learning.
In the workplace, music "raises performance levels and productivity by reducing stress and tension, masking irritating sounds and contributing to a sense of privacy", says Don Campbell, author of The Mozart Effect.
Mr. Campbell has compelling new evidence to show how music, specifically called the Mozart Effect, used properly, calms students with such problems as ADHD and even helped autistic children. He says "43 of the world's largest industrial companies provide music to their employees." Dupont used a music listening program in one department that cut its training time in half and doubled the number of people trained. Another corporation using music found that clerical errors decreased by one third.
Dr. Georgi Lozanov, the renowned Bulgarian psychologist, developed a methodology for teaching foreign languages that used baroque music with a beat pattern of about 60 beats per minute. Students learned in a fraction of the normal time. In a single day, one half of the normal vocabulary and phrases for the term (up to 1000 words or phrases) were learned. In addition, an added benefit was that the students had an average of 92% retention of what they had learned!
Dr.Lozanov proved conclusively that by using certain Baroque pieces, foreign languages can be mastered with 85-100% effectiveness in 30 days, when the usual time is 2 years. Students learning with the Baroque Music were able to recall their second language with nearly 100% accuracy even after they had not studied it for four years!
For many years, with thousands of students, The Center for New Discoveries in Learning has been evaluating the use of music and learning both in the classroom and while students study. We have found that students using the Mozart Effect pieces and certain other Baroque pieces (recorded at about 60 beats per minute) felt calmer, could study longer and had a higher rate of retention as well as earning better grades according to their teachers.
These special music Mozart Effect pieces, recorded at just the right tempo, activate the left and right brain for the maximum learning/retention effect. The music activates the right brain and the words your child is reading or saying aloud activates the left brain. This increases the learning potential a minimum of five times according to the research.
When your body hears the even, one beat per second of music, your heart rate and pulse relax to the beat. When you are in this relaxed, but alert state, your mind is able to concentrate more easily. Music corresponds to and affects our physiological conditions.
During heavy mental work, our pulse and blood pressure rises, and it's usually more difficult to concentrate in this state. The Baroque and Mozart music pieces on the Mozart Effect learning tapes and compact disks have been especially selected for their beat pattern, reduce your blood pressure and pulse rate and increases your ability to learn at the same time.
Listen to these Mozart Effect CD's when you study, work or drive in the car to receive the tremendous benefits. This is the music of such composers as Mozart, Vivaldi, Pachabel, Handel and Bach. I use these CD's every day and find them found them to be extraordinarily effective.
At McGill University in Montreal, neuroscientist Anne Blood, who conducted the study said, "You can activate different parts of the brain, depending on what music you listen to. So music can stimulate parts of the brain that are underactive in neurological diseases or a variety of emotional disorders. Over time, we could retrain the brain in these disorders." Harvard University Medical School neurobiologist, Mark Jude Tramo, says that "Undeniably, there is a biology of music. There is no question that there is specialization within the human brain for the processing of music. Music is biologically part of human life, just as music is aesthetically part of human life."
Based on all the available research, we highly recommend the Music for the Mozart Effect 4 volume program to achieve the best results in learning, health and creativity using music and learning together.
The tapes are called Music for the Mozart Effect*, Volumes I, II and III and IV. Volume I is called Strengthen The Mind, Music for Intelligence & Learning (best used for studying). The suggested uses for how to listen are included with the CD's or tapes; Volume II - Heal The Body (best used for reducing stress, tension and accelerating healing); Volume III - Unlock the Creative Spirit - Music for Creativity & Imagination (best used during times you want to accelerate your creativity). Volume IV is a two volume set - Disc A is to Focus and Activate the Mind and Disc B is for Clarity and Restful Attention.
For your use at home or in the classroom, The Center for New Discoveries in Learning has the several sets of music available to help your child or student learn more effectively or help you in the work place.
Anyway, I'm posting this here for others to see and for myself so I know I can always find it. Here is their actual link, which hopefully will continue to work.
How to Learn Anything Fast!
The Mozart Effect:
How Music Makes You Smarter
Have you ever noticed how your favorite music can make you feel
better? Well, new research studies now show how music can make you
smarter too!Scientists at Stanford University, in California, have recently revealed a molecular basis for the Mozart Effect, but not other music. Dr. Rauscher and her colleague H. Li, a geneticist, have discovered that rats, like humans, perform better on learning and memory tests after listening to a specific Mozart sonata.
A book called The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell, has condensed the world's research on all the beneficial effects of certain types of music.
Some of the hundreds of benefits of the Mozart Effect are:
- Improves test scores
- Cuts learning time
- Calms hyperactive children and adults
- Reduces errors
- Improves creativity and clarity
- Heals the body faster
- Integrates both sides of the brain for more efficient learning
- Raises IQ scores 9 points (research done at University of California, Irvine)
Study Reveals How Music Makes You Smarter
In 1996, the College Entrance Exam Board Service conducted a study on all students taking their SAT exams. Students who sang or played a musical instrument scored 51 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and an average of 39 points higher on math.Major corporations such as Shell, IBM, and Dupont, along with hundreds of schools and universities use music, such as certain Baroque and Mozart Effect pieces, to cut learning time in half and increase retention of the new materials.
According to the research outlined in the book, musical pieces, such as those of Mozart referred to as the Mozart Effect, can relieve stress, improve communication and increase efficiency. Creativity scores soar when listening to Mozart.
In my teacher and parent training seminars, I have been using the Mozart Effect music for years as a strategy to reduce learning time and increase student memory of the material. Music activates the whole brain and makes you feel more energetic and there is a well-documented link between music and learning.
In the workplace, music "raises performance levels and productivity by reducing stress and tension, masking irritating sounds and contributing to a sense of privacy", says Don Campbell, author of The Mozart Effect.
Mr. Campbell has compelling new evidence to show how music, specifically called the Mozart Effect, used properly, calms students with such problems as ADHD and even helped autistic children. He says "43 of the world's largest industrial companies provide music to their employees." Dupont used a music listening program in one department that cut its training time in half and doubled the number of people trained. Another corporation using music found that clerical errors decreased by one third.
Dr. Georgi Lozanov, the renowned Bulgarian psychologist, developed a methodology for teaching foreign languages that used baroque music with a beat pattern of about 60 beats per minute. Students learned in a fraction of the normal time. In a single day, one half of the normal vocabulary and phrases for the term (up to 1000 words or phrases) were learned. In addition, an added benefit was that the students had an average of 92% retention of what they had learned!
Dr.Lozanov proved conclusively that by using certain Baroque pieces, foreign languages can be mastered with 85-100% effectiveness in 30 days, when the usual time is 2 years. Students learning with the Baroque Music were able to recall their second language with nearly 100% accuracy even after they had not studied it for four years!
For many years, with thousands of students, The Center for New Discoveries in Learning has been evaluating the use of music and learning both in the classroom and while students study. We have found that students using the Mozart Effect pieces and certain other Baroque pieces (recorded at about 60 beats per minute) felt calmer, could study longer and had a higher rate of retention as well as earning better grades according to their teachers.
These special music Mozart Effect pieces, recorded at just the right tempo, activate the left and right brain for the maximum learning/retention effect. The music activates the right brain and the words your child is reading or saying aloud activates the left brain. This increases the learning potential a minimum of five times according to the research.
When your body hears the even, one beat per second of music, your heart rate and pulse relax to the beat. When you are in this relaxed, but alert state, your mind is able to concentrate more easily. Music corresponds to and affects our physiological conditions.
During heavy mental work, our pulse and blood pressure rises, and it's usually more difficult to concentrate in this state. The Baroque and Mozart music pieces on the Mozart Effect learning tapes and compact disks have been especially selected for their beat pattern, reduce your blood pressure and pulse rate and increases your ability to learn at the same time.
Listen to these Mozart Effect CD's when you study, work or drive in the car to receive the tremendous benefits. This is the music of such composers as Mozart, Vivaldi, Pachabel, Handel and Bach. I use these CD's every day and find them found them to be extraordinarily effective.
Recent News Reports on How Music Improves the Brain and Heals the Body
A recent news article reported that researchers have discovered direct evidence that music stimulates different regions of the brain responsible for memory, motor control, timing and language. For the first time, researchers also have located specific areas of mental activity linked to emotional responses to music.At McGill University in Montreal, neuroscientist Anne Blood, who conducted the study said, "You can activate different parts of the brain, depending on what music you listen to. So music can stimulate parts of the brain that are underactive in neurological diseases or a variety of emotional disorders. Over time, we could retrain the brain in these disorders." Harvard University Medical School neurobiologist, Mark Jude Tramo, says that "Undeniably, there is a biology of music. There is no question that there is specialization within the human brain for the processing of music. Music is biologically part of human life, just as music is aesthetically part of human life."
Based on all the available research, we highly recommend the Music for the Mozart Effect 4 volume program to achieve the best results in learning, health and creativity using music and learning together.
The tapes are called Music for the Mozart Effect*, Volumes I, II and III and IV. Volume I is called Strengthen The Mind, Music for Intelligence & Learning (best used for studying). The suggested uses for how to listen are included with the CD's or tapes; Volume II - Heal The Body (best used for reducing stress, tension and accelerating healing); Volume III - Unlock the Creative Spirit - Music for Creativity & Imagination (best used during times you want to accelerate your creativity). Volume IV is a two volume set - Disc A is to Focus and Activate the Mind and Disc B is for Clarity and Restful Attention.
For your use at home or in the classroom, The Center for New Discoveries in Learning has the several sets of music available to help your child or student learn more effectively or help you in the work place.
Each CD has specially selected music to enhance learning, spatial intelligence, creativity and body awareness.
Purchase The Mozart Effect
$16.00 Each CD
$48.00 for Set of 3 CDs $28.98 for Volume 4
(2 CD set)
$48.00 for Set of 3 CDs $28.98 for Volume 4
(2 CD set)
- Volume 1
Strengthen The Mind, Music for Intelligence Learning
Best used for studying. The suggested uses for how to listen are included with the CD's or tapes.
BUY NOW: CD $16.00 - Volume 2
Heal The Body
Best used for reducing stress, tension and accelerating healing.
BUY NOW: CD $16.00 - Volume 3
Unlock the Creative Spirit, Music for Creativity & Imagination
It is best used during times you want to accelerate your creativity.
BUY NOW: CD $16.00 - Entire Set:
Vols. 1, 2, & 3
BUY NOW: CD $48.00 - Volume 4
Focus and Clarity - 2 CD's - Focus your mind for intensive study all study projects. This is the one I use daily when I study or write. Two disc set - Disc A is to focus and activate the mind and Disc B is for clarity and restful attention.
BUY NOW: CD | $28.98
The Mozart Effect for Children
$18.00 Each CD
$54.00 for Set of 3 CD's
- Volume 1 - Tune Up Your Mind
BUY NOW: CD |$18.00 - Volume 2 - Relax, Daydream and Draw
BUY NOW: CD | $18.00 - Volume 3 - Mozart in Motion
BUY NOW: CD |$18.00 - Entire Set: Vols. 1, 2, & 3
BUY NOW: CD | $ 54.00
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This site contains a registered trademark and copyrights registered with the USPTO.
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