Tag Archive for Rant

Why are women less happy?

May 25, 2009 Reluctant Rant, Society

A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that women are less happy now than in the 1970′s, when a similar study was conducted. Not only did the subjective happiness of women decrease absolutely but also relative to men.

female-depressedThere are several theories as to why. Some guess that the women’s movement was unsuccessful. Others posit that men have gained more than women from women saturating the workforce, but that doesn’t really explain the absolute decrease in female happiness.

Many are overlooking a few fundamental reasons:

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21 Suggestions for Success

March 7, 2009 Reluctant Family, Inspirational, Personal, Rant, Society

Key to successA friend of mine tipped me off to these suggestions, but they are both profound and simple:

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.

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For the last time – it was blocked!

September 7, 2008 Reluctant Football, Rant
Does it matter that it was 15 yards further?

Does it matter that it was 15 yards further?

So what’s all the controversy?  I’m so tired of hearing the reports of the BYU vs Washington game on Saturday.  All the ESPN analysts kept talking about the “controversial” call by the refs.  In reality, the call made no difference in the outcome of the game.

The call came after Jake Locker scored what seemed to be the overtime-forcing touchdown with mere seconds left in the game.  As he stood up, he flipped the ball over his head, sending it a considerable distance into the air.  According to the rule (which is not a judgment call, but a hard and fast rule) that action is considered celebrating and is illegal.  The referees were forced to throw a flag and access a 15 yard penalty on the PAT.

On the PAT, BYU broke through the line and smothered the ball.  Take a peek at that image.  If Jorgensen hadn’t blocked it, it looks very likely someone else would have.  Does it really matter that it was 15 yards further than normal?  So it was more like a 35 yard field goal rather than a PAT kick.  That’s still a routine kick for a PAC-10 (or any NCAA) kicker.  If the kick had been missed, it would be a different story.  But it was blocked easily.  You can’t even claim that the kicker had to alter the tragectory. It really didn’t matter.

Not once did the national media mention anything about the amazing block by BYU?  The entire focus of the game was on that one call by the referees that really had no bearing on the game.

Congratulations BYU!  Well executed block.

PS.  Jorgensen was even being held on the block.  You can see it in the picture.

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Bad Patriotism

July 16, 2008 Reluctant Politics, Rant

Just a few days after my recent post on True Patriotism, I found this article from The Philadelphia Inquirer. This guy is a prime example of “Bad Patriotism.”

He claims that because America has “sinned,” we shouldn’t celebrate Independence Day.

Put the fireworks in storage.

Cancel the parade.

Tuck the soaring speeches in a drawer for another time.

This year, America doesn’t deserve to celebrate its birthday. This Fourth of July should be a day of quiet and atonement.

For we have sinned.

Wow… talk about overreaction as well as bad patriotism.  This is the negativity that The Centrist mentioned in this article.

Balance is what this country needs.  Not polarization.

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Empathy Deficit Disorder and shifting the blame

July 4, 2008 Reluctant Rant, Science, Society

Some that know me well (especially my wife) can attest to the fact that I don’t have a great deal of patience in showing empathy or sympathy (yes, there is a difference).

EmpathySo when I saw this article from CNN about EDD (Empathy Deficit Disorder), I finally realized that I can’t help it either.

I’m afflicted with a disorder.  A disease that I can’t control.  EDD is rampant among Americans, so that makes me more comfortable knowing that I’m in a large group of people who “just can’t” show empathy.  It’s not our fault, we have a disease.

The psychologist who “identified” this disorder credits it with creating most conflict in this world.  From war to divorce, it’s all because of EDD.  It destroys lives and causes political strife.

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$112 billion for single parents

April 15, 2008 Reluctant Politics, Rant, Society

A recent study indicates that American taxpayers spend $112 billion a year on assistance to single parents and divorces.  Wow! That’s a lot of money.  Should we eliminate assistance for single mothers?  No, that would be seriously stupid.  But the assistance needs to be much better managed.  Some responsibility needs to go along with it.

The single parents need to show that they are trying to do something with their lives.  That they are taking care of their families properly.  Perhaps that their children are actually improving in school, etc.  I know this is a complicated issue, but it seems that the politicians won’t touch it with a ten foot poll because of the fear of seeming uncompassionate.

It’s time for this country (as a society) to accept responsibility.

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The Fear Epidemic

April 6, 2008 Reluctant Family, Personal, Politics, Rant, Society

Fear is the root of all evilFear is destroying our lives. There are some that say that money is the root of all evil.  If that is true, fear plays a close second fiddle. It’s crushing our society, our children and our families. It’s one of the most debilitating problems in the 21st century.

There are many who would argue that drugs, sexuality, crime, abortion and many other issues are more destructive to our society.  However, there is nothing more socially acceptable, yet so destructive as fear.  This isn’t the fear generated from horror shows, but fear of the unknown and the possibility of tragedy.

Let’s take a quick quiz.

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