13
March

Be Warned- Great Deals that aren’t great

Posted by Bruce - in Blog - No Comments

bait and switch

I KNOW BUT I WAS SO CLOSE

Yesterday I purchased a voucher for a great trip on Groupon that turned out to be lousy. It’s the old  bait and switch routine that you might expect when you get those telemarketing calls that say you’ve “won a wonderful trip” but….  Here is how it went down (below). HAVE YOU HAD A SIMILAR STORY HAPPEN TO YOU?

(1) There was an advertised price on the Groupon page that was extremely low.

(2) When you went to click to purchase the trip that price was only based on a certain date. The other prices were only a few dollars more.

(3) After purchasing the voucher you had to call another number to redeem this coupon, which I did a few hours later.

(4) Not only did it take forever to speak to a representative but now the price I paid was no good and if  I wanted the trip I’d have to pay a considerable amount more per ticket. To make matters worse I had to call a different number just to get my money back.

(5) Of course when I called “Groupon” to get a refund the office was closed.

(6) Trust me not only won’t I rest but Groupon won’t rest until I get a refund from this bogus trip.

(7) The moral of this story is if it seems to be good to be true it probably is even from a “respected company”

12
March

Banned Words-Confusion

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Philosophy - No Comments

banned

 

#banned words, # bossy, #the n word,

 

I believe the words that you use can make all the difference in getting your point across to others or tearing them apart from you.  I also believe the government nor the public at large should ban speech and that the answer to “bad speech” is more “good speech”. I’m particularly concerned that the P.C police will start to enforce banning so many words that our culture will begin to just stop communicating with words and act in a violent way instead.  Yet we must respect that others can be hurt by not only what we say but how we say and should therefore think before we speak.  Therefore the issue of banned words is not a simple issue for me, other then to say “do unto others as you want done unto you”.

I also believe the use of certain words can be specifically offensive because of how those words were used to degrade or commit violent acts against others of a particular group, race, religion etc.  For example the “N word” was used during the despicable conditions of slavery and the “K word” was used by those committing genocide against those of the Jewish faith.  These words can still  cause undue pain  when used by others from the race or religion that hurt or killed their ancestors in the past.  Therefore how do we balance the rights of “free speech” with the moral duty of respect for others. Here is a solution below. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

(1) If you can take it and with similar individuals then give it. For example if you’re with friends that say stupid/silly things and nobody gets particular offended then go for it.

(2) Comedy Acts should be prohibited entrance for the prohibition of banned words.

(3) If you are in a business situation or around others that you know might take offense to certain words then be respectful and don’t use those words around them.

(4) Understand the meaning and history of certain words and phrases before you use them.

(5) If you’re offended by certain words be open with others about those words and tell them why they hurt you.  If there the type of people who continue use such words maybe it’s best to make different friends.

(6) Most importantly know that we are all human and sometimes can say the “wrong words” therefore we shouldn’t condemn a person because they occasionally slip.  Unless it becomes a pattern or is said with venom we should probably let it go.

 

12
March

Vosges = Means Wow!!

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, food - No Comments

This is definitely one of the finest Chocolates I’ve encountered. The flavor is smooth but with little bits of Goji & Pomegranate that taste too good to be good for you but they still are.  The actual flavor of the chocolate has a lasting impression without it being overpowering.

Vosges Super Dark pomegrante & goji **** 1/2

11
March

Malaysian Mystery

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????????  TOO STRANGE

I can not even imagine the despair and confusion the families and friends are going through as the try to find out what has happened to their loved ones who’s plane has “just disappeared” yet I find the whole event bizarre.  It appears the government is doing their best to downplay any thoughts that terrorism played a role in the disappearance of the plane and as of yet we don’t know of any terrorist group that has claimed responsibility for this devastation. Yet why does it appear the government is trying to hide something?

Here a few questions I believe we should be asking. How in today’s time does a plane that seemed perfectly normal disappear without any call of alarm by the pilot or crew? Who would be most affected if this was caused by terrorism, pilot suicide, or a major plane malfunction and would they try to silence the information given to the public at large? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

11
March

A Sparkle to your day!

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, food - 1 Comments

dasani sparkling apple

I felt I was drinking too much sugary drinks and needed something more natural but with a slight kick ;” Dasani Sparkling Apple” hit that spot. It’s purity refreshes my body but with a kick of apple enables me to live a bit more dangerously.  I would have a liked a kick more of the apple  but maybe I’m being a bit of masochist because I’m trying to get off the sugary hits I’ve continued to experience.  Overall Dasani Sparkling Apple is a drink that allows you to feel good about what you’re drinking without feeling like you’re missing something.

***  Stars

11
March

One person can make the difference

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Philosophy - No Comments

trust

In life we run into many different people that because of their words or actions can inspire us to reach the highest mountaintop or fall down what appears to be an endless cliff.   These are individuals that appear to share  your vision and have the talent to make that picture come alive or let it that image become lost in confusion or despair. The point is how do you know that you’ve met the right person who truly can make us a star. Here are a few factors (below) that might be helpful.

(1)  Recommended- Is this person recommended by someone you can truly trust?

(2) Experience- Does this person have the knowledge and/or experience to make your dreams come true?

(3) Chemistry- Do you feel that this individual has the chemistry so that you can work through the good and difficult parts of your dream(s)?

(4) Honesty- Can you trust this person that they won’t let you fall without trying to catch you?

(5) Missing- Does this person have the pieces of the puzzle that you don’t have to develop your plans/goals?

(6) Reliability- Has the person performed as they say they would or have their been excuses?

(7) Goals- Does this individual share your goals, vision and ideals?

10
March

I love Snyder!

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, food, funny, Uncategorized - No Comments

Don’t worry I’m not coming out of the closet unless you consider my pretzel fetish, it’s not that bad.  It’s just whenever I go food shopping and see a bag of Snyder Pretzels I have to buy them and worse then that I have to eat them right away. I could just be going for a bottle of milk but Snyder will stand in the way and that I’ll have to eat them. Why does that sound bad

The latest variety I had to try was the “Salted Carmel” and this flavor  lived up to it’s name and added to my waistline.  The light Carmel taste with a touch of a salt is just what the doctor ordered (I hope it’s on my next prescription). Snyder my love affair with the pretzel continues with you and you’re many flavors.

10
March

Rational and Irrational Fear

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Philosophy - No Comments

It can be life saving to have some fears and life alliterating to have other fears.  Fears such as of smoking cigarettes and swimming to deep in the ocean can add years to your life while other fears such as not being able to speak in a crowd and fear of conflict can make you miss many milestones.  HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH FEARS TO BATTLE AND WHICH FEARS YOU SHOULD KEEP?  I use the following rational (below).

(1) Does the fear prohibit you from being the best you can be?

(2) Is your fear preventing you feel from truly helping those in need ?

(3) Does your fear control you or do you control it?

(4) Is this a fear that you’ve seen other conquer to their advantage?

(5) Does this fear cause you to distance yourself from a loved one?

(6) Is this fear based on a particular faith value or is something occult or superstitious based?

(7) Will you be proud of conquering this fear whether it initially works to your advantage or takes longer to see positive results?