The U.S. is nearly a deadbeat nation and few politicians care

| January 23, 2024

It’s called the third rail of politics, and in those areas of spending where politicians with the best of intentions dare to talk, nothing gets done. Only a few have suggested finding a solution to our ballooning debt and yearly deficits … or two of the primary drivers: Social Security and Medicare. These programs continue […]

NPR’s Twitter account gets an appropriate label

| April 13, 2023

There is part of me that can’t help but smile when seeing the new label that Elon Musk’s Twitter put on NPR’s feed. The left-leaning taxpayer-funded media title is partially accurate since tax dollars are used to support public radio and television. At this point with the variety of media news and programming available in […]

Music Monday: Sheryl Crow and NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

| April 12, 2021

Stumbled across a pre-COVID19 lockdown NPRMusic Tiny Desk Concert on YouTube when watching another video from an automotive friend of mine … and since I like Sheryl Crow “music” … I figured it would be an easy fill for Music Monday. Her “Soak Up The Sun” hit from 2002 was included a couple years ago, […]

Stealing cookies, punishment, deterrents and election laws

| January 12, 2021

The Storming United States Capitol 1/6/2021 and White House plus multiple cities protests 2020 In recent years, NPR has not been my source for balanced reporting and commentary, but I still occasionally pick up a morsel or two that resonates. This time it was shared by a politically liberal/progressive friend on her daily Life Logs […]

Do you recycle or think about your environmental footprint?

| July 24, 2019

As a conservation minded “conservative” and as someone who has always balanced the cost vs benefits of decisions, I once thought “recycling” was as simple as “not littering” and cleaning up pollution highlighted by the 1971 ad campaign (Iron Eyes Cody photo above). From an early age we were bombarded by pointing out how careless […]

From “One Giant Leap” boldness, to “Interstellar” brain cramps

| June 15, 2019

Brenda and I watched the movie Interstellar (2014) once before, but we watched it again this past week, and as often happens, we picked up on a few more interesting facts that made our brains hurt … well at least mine: General relativity, The Science of Interstellar, Black Holes and Time Warps. Thankfully I could […]

Music Monday: The NPR Morning Edition theme is changing

| May 6, 2019

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Huntington Bank and their 24-Hour Grace Overdraft Fee Relief

| March 31, 2018

I’ve been around long see banking change from daily dealing with a local banker that I knew by name … who also knew me (and my business) by name … to just a drive up teller window or ATM to the latest technology of snapping pics of checks and tapping on a smartphone. I sort […]

Debating political spin, fake news, lies and misleading the public

| February 19, 2017

Having been around journalists and the media most of my working life, I disagree with the broad brush of many who paint them as "knowingly biased and of misleading the public." Most reporters, professional journalists, aspire to gather and report the relevant facts with the purpose of getting a story correct and providing the facts […]

One of the more interesting Health Care discussions …

| April 15, 2015

NPR’s Tom Ashbrook entertained an interesting discussion around the Cadillac plan tax which is part of Obamacare. If you’ve notice changes in your plan (just as colleges have), you will understand the emotions in the discussion. Well worth listening too … and yes, I’m a conservative who sometimes listens to NPR.   NPR Tom Ashbrook […]

Introverts and Extroverts … which are you?

| November 20, 2013

I listened to an older NPR story forwarded to me after a book conversation with a friend after we discussed leadership qualities companies value. The book Quiet: the Power of the Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain offered an interesting perspective and set up an analysis regarding where on the […]

Tom and Ray Magliozzi from NPR ‘Car Talk’ are retiring

| June 10, 2012

Although I’m not an “every week” listener, I’ve heard enough shows and shared several “puzzlers” to become a fan. I’m going to miss their sensible nonsense regarding life and sometimes helpful car advice. I’ve often thought these two guys were able to attract a steady audience of both liberals and conservatives in a way that […]

Current/Olbermann and NPR linked on NPR.org website

| June 21, 2011

It probably doesn’t surprise many conservative readers to see Keith Olbermann’s face on the NPR.org website, but I WAS surprised to see ads for the new Olbermann show. I would have thought that management at NPR was using a bit more discretion, so as not to so blatantly hightlight the left-leaning bias suspected of public […]

Speech policing by taxpayer and sponsor funded NPR

| October 26, 2010

In the hyper-sensitive political environment and deeper ‘left’ verses ‘right’ split in America, there are some subjects which some in the media see as off limits to open discussion. The fallout for even broaching certain subjects is that the self-proclaimed “speech police” have little problem threaten ones job or flat out firing perceived offenders — […]

Politically liberal Dan Baum and “Happiness is a worn gun”

| July 29, 2010

While traveling this week, I enjoy a point of view and odd story for NPR which had self-proclaimed “liberal Democrat” Dan Baum about his Happiness is a worn gun article in Harper’s Magazine on the radio. (currently a PDF version of the article here) He addresses the subject of the love of guns from the […]

Blind to the lack of cost control in current health care legislation

| March 19, 2010

Personal Opinion post: I’m attempting to be understanding of those with different political philosophies than myself as they relate to reforming health care. That said, I can’t imagine those who support progressive social and economic re-engineering of our nation even stomaching the shenanigans currently going on in Washington DC? At times like these, it may […]

NPR news story on remembering Capt. David “Seth” Mitchell

| November 2, 2009

Although most of my conservative friends would be appalled I listed to National Public Radio, they produced an appreciated story reflecting on the life of Capt. David “Seth” Mitchell, 1 of 14 Marines killed on October 27th and played the story nationally (MP3 Link). It was good to hear how the community of Loveland (NE […]

Win a New 2009 VW Jetta TDI Clean Diesel

| January 16, 2009

During a business call this week, a fellow who listens to streaming  radio and knows my interest in Volkswagen TDIs, mention that a station he listens to was holding a sweepstakes offering a  New 2009 VW Jetta TDI Clean Diesel as their grand prize. The station is  KCPW in Santa Monica, California and features “an […]

NPR’s CarTalk and Biodiesel

| March 20, 2006

Tom and Ray Magliozzi host a radio program (and newspaper column) called CarTalk and it has been an entertainment mainstay for National Public Radio listeners for many years. Last month they inflamed a few biodiesel nuts (including myself) by making an incorrect comment regarding biodiesel by assuming it was the same thing as virgin or […]

NPR interview with Mike Pelly

| June 30, 2005

National Public Radio’s Morning Edition ran an interview with Mike Pelly (Olympia Green Fuels) on biodiesel on June 29th. It was a well done short 4 minute PR interview (right click/save-as for MP3 Audio)that was balanced politically. Mike Pelly tells Steve Inskeep about biodiesel in this short interview. Pelly is a well know biodiesel advocate […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog