Only Wonder Asides

Why do online contact managers suck?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:17:54 -0500

I have been trying for far too many years to find a good integrated solution for organizing my contacts. Every program I’ve found, be it Outlook or Plaxo (my two most commonly used applications) are pretty limited in their offerings, and don’t play well with others. I’ve held our hopes for Google contacts, but it simply isn’t quite there yet. I may be headed back to Outlook because of the integration with Plaxo, but I sure don’t want to.

Jobless hit with bank fees on benefits

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:27:23 -0600

Jobless hit with bank fees on benefits:

Thirty states have struck such deals with banks that include Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., JP Morgan Chase and US Bancorp, an Associated Press review of the agreements found. All the programs carry fees, and in several states the unemployed have no choice but to use the debit cards. Some banks even charge overdraft fees of up to $20 — even though they could decline charges for more than what’s on the card.

I’m sorry but this is just wrong.

Joe the Plumber advises GOP-ers

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:21:35 -0600

Joe the Plumber advises GOP-ers:

When GOP congressional aides gather Tuesday morning for a meeting of the Conservative Working Group, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher – more commonly known as Joe the Plumber — will be their featured guest. This group is an organization of conservative Capitol Hill staffers who meet regularly to chart GOP strategy for the week.

May I go on the record at how bizarre this is? Someone please tell me what credentials this guy has to advise anyone on anything.

From The Mouths of Babes...

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:55:03 -0600

This note came to me from another member of the Nashville for All of Us coalition:

just thought i would share this with all you…while tucking in my 12 year old daughter i whispered in her ear that the english only amendment (of which she has heard me speak about at home) had been defeated…to which she smiled and then said that “now maybe people can start trying to find the good in each other and stop focusing on our differences”…

tonight was truly a good night for nashville

Amen

Zimbabwe Is Dying - NYTimes.com

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:28:26 -0600

Zimbabwe Is Dying - NYTimes.com: The hospital’s surgical wards were closed in September. A doctor described the heartbreaking dilemma of having children in his care who he knew would die without surgery. “I have no pain medication,” he said, “some antibiotics, but no nurses … If I don’t operate, the patient will die. But if I do the surgery, the child will die also.”

Random Song Lyric -- God of the Ages

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:05:31 -0600

This chorus came to me today and I will be working on a lyric to match:

God of the Ages, we know you are here.

God of all Wisdom, come whisper in our ears.

For we are broken, and we are weak.

God of the Ages, speak.

How to Repair a Broken Financial World - NYTimes.com

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:03:23 -0600

How to Repair a Broken Financial World - NYTimes.com

The End of the Financial World as We Know It - NYTimes.com

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:01:27 -0600

The End of the Financial World as We Know It - NYTimes.com

Medical myths Part 2

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:24:31 -0600

Medical myths Part 2

Festive medical myths

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:22:08 -0600

Festive medical myths

This is a new...

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:40:52 -0600

This is a new use of my Tumblr account as I’m going to start using it for phone updates from dial2do. I hope that you will bear with my (?) that I make out on the road.
http://dial2do.com/19cl3y2

Joe Biden hitting his stride

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:19:00 -0500

Joe Biden hitting his stride

No Interviews Till She's Ready

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:57:01 -0500

No Interviews Till She's Ready: A senior McCain campaign official advises that, despite the gaggle of requests and pressure from the media, Gov. Sarah Palin won’t submit to a formal interview anytime soon. She may take some questions from local news entities in Alaska, but until she’s ready — and until she’s comfortable — which might not be for a long while — the media will have to wait.

Musician, actor Jerry Reed dies at 71 |

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:39:41 -0500

Musician, actor Jerry Reed dies at 71 |: RIP to a great picker.

The Great Seduction by Debt

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:47:47 -0500

The Great Seduction by Debt : There are dozens of things that could be done. But the most important is to shift values. Franklin made it prestigious to embrace certain bourgeois virtues. Now it’s socially acceptable to undermine those virtues. It’s considered normal to play the debt game and imagine that decisions made today will have no consequences for the future.

My people are more important than yours...

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:14:54 -0500

My people are more important than yours...:

“A lot of people are asking, ‘What does Hillary want?’” Clinton told supporters at a rally in New York. “I want what I have always fought for: I want the nearly 18 million people who voted for me to be respected and heard.”

Uh … EXCUSE ME!!! What about the 18 million people who voted for Senator Obama? Shouldn’t they be respected and heard as well?

Green Vehicles

Sat, 31 May 2008 10:20:34 -0500

Green Vehicles: These are very cool. If I had a spare $20,000 I would seriously think about getting one.

What's up with Facebook?

Fri, 30 May 2008 22:30:37 -0500

I know that Twitter has taken responsibility for the problem in updating the Facebook status, but my Google IG widget for Facebook has been down all day and I’m wondering if there are some problems with the infrastructure at Facebook. One of the reasons I have like Facebook as my primary social networking site is its ability to interact with other services. Hopefully this will be fixed soon.

"It is hard to remember a time when more shifts in the global balance of power are happening at once..."

Wed, 21 May 2008 00:48:10 -0500

“It is hard to remember a time when more shifts in the global balance of power are happening at once — with so few in America’s favor.”

- Thomas Friedman
Imbalances of Power - New York Times

The Personalized Faith

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:45:44 -0500

I have generally responded negatively to much contemporary worship music for its individualistic tone. Much of it is “me” centered, and I have bemoaned the lack of worship resources that worship God in a communal context.

In researching a sermon on Psalm 23 today, I was struck by how often the Psalms use individualistic language in their worship. I haven’t done a comparison yet, but certainly the early Hebrew songwriters believed that personal expressions of praise to God were appropriate. Maybe I have been missing something along the way in my critique.