tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74755595227637087102024-02-07T14:20:01.657-08:00Richard J. Chandler - Music, Counseling & ConsultingTips for creating happiness and success in your life through music, the arts, holistic health, yoga, loving relationships, hobbies, and connection with community.Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-2203917312823681972018-10-07T13:02:00.001-07:002018-10-07T13:02:14.448-07:00Anger Management in St Cloud, MNI just wrote <a href="https://search.google.com/local/posts?q=Chandler+Counseling+%26+Consulting+-+St.+Cloud,+MN&ludocid=5629990026603858722&lpsid=2218675425440603208">a short post on anger management </a>that may be of interest. Thanks, Richard Chandler, MA, LPC<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuL50CoQcc-ELkLmA9M_PYCoSWdn8pVPb52-ORHzu8Q5VxxISkGNQxdNDYQMu3sMqGyP5-78jPwj2TwdpO1-n68Ue-TXwO1z9PX89T5ndLE60jLY9hPjFWHgYRzaXaiv8mSH6R8Ak0HA/s1600/Angry+man+in+need+of+anger+management+in+St+Cloud%252C+MN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuL50CoQcc-ELkLmA9M_PYCoSWdn8pVPb52-ORHzu8Q5VxxISkGNQxdNDYQMu3sMqGyP5-78jPwj2TwdpO1-n68Ue-TXwO1z9PX89T5ndLE60jLY9hPjFWHgYRzaXaiv8mSH6R8Ak0HA/s320/Angry+man+in+need+of+anger+management+in+St+Cloud%252C+MN.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-62890711545630865002018-08-22T19:06:00.003-07:002018-08-22T19:07:14.771-07:00Loving Returns on Deposits in Your Romantic Partnership AccountI posted this on my Google business page for counseling. Making these deposits will get you wonderful loving returns. The post is short but helpful!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLzCykSYF2HsIRpqVKFLxMoUr_TFTbidwi6Dnsi_7nnsqMmTDcUwdekk3P33E8wbVYXjHPgmd8P09YKw2LbM4_xz8Qak1hOZZKbx7pN7C1HoaA_USlOnjucKvh9sMR6aju1DfSAFafiU/s1600/Loving+Marriage+Partners+with+Bikes+in+Sunset+Kiss.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLzCykSYF2HsIRpqVKFLxMoUr_TFTbidwi6Dnsi_7nnsqMmTDcUwdekk3P33E8wbVYXjHPgmd8P09YKw2LbM4_xz8Qak1hOZZKbx7pN7C1HoaA_USlOnjucKvh9sMR6aju1DfSAFafiU/s320/Loving+Marriage+Partners+with+Bikes+in+Sunset+Kiss.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the link:</div>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=chandler+counseling+%26+consulting&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8">Chandler Counseling & Consulting - St Cloud, MN </a></div>
Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-880764174403493072018-07-31T19:47:00.001-07:002018-07-31T19:47:08.199-07:00<b>It has been years since last posting. Time to update my info. and post once again!</b>
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Here is a short update:<br />
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<li>I ended my 26-year massage therapy practice at the end of 2017</li>
<li>Am now in my 7th year of counseling practice</li>
<li>My career as a composer continues to grow with a number of new pieces</li>
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I will continue to use this site to share helpful info on having a successful life. Part of success for most people is having a connected romantic partnership. To that end, I wrote this web page. I hope you might find it helpful!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EqrVYDxG2Tk0TtfoyN3Ah526GunlptBBdBKawsjhbRf2GRDijheXnVJ5ZmAa6Ql8SAjHe-NuJRwxtcYpBad6idAILJxiVKfEauD_VHLhQO82qP2aaQQxugR1qeMDvGVYyjFjGQLhmMQ/s1600/Happy+Hearts+of+Loving+Romantic+St.+Cloud%252C+MN+Couples+after+Marriage+Therapy+with+Chandler+Counseling+%2526+Consulting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EqrVYDxG2Tk0TtfoyN3Ah526GunlptBBdBKawsjhbRf2GRDijheXnVJ5ZmAa6Ql8SAjHe-NuJRwxtcYpBad6idAILJxiVKfEauD_VHLhQO82qP2aaQQxugR1qeMDvGVYyjFjGQLhmMQ/s320/Happy+Hearts+of+Loving+Romantic+St.+Cloud%252C+MN+Couples+after+Marriage+Therapy+with+Chandler+Counseling+%2526+Consulting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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http://stcloudcounselingtherapy.com/9-ways-to-improve-your-love-relationship/</div>
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Best,</div>
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Richard</div>
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Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-90120867909937287082012-04-22T11:45:00.005-07:002018-07-31T19:36:29.927-07:00How are your own federal taxes being spent?Here is a way to see how your own federal tax dollars, medicare and social security taxes are being allocated. <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/2011-taxreceipt" title="What your specific taxes pay for" target="_blank">Please go here</a> for the quick calculator.Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-71415053321402125332012-03-21T21:28:00.001-07:002012-03-21T21:33:19.832-07:00Energy Facts & The FutureIn one of my college classes, my professor, Dr. Luke Tripp, continually admonishes us to think critically. Elements of critical thinking according to Dr. Tripp include: Definition of the problem or question, looking at assumptions, concepts, data, information, analysis, interpretations, inferences, conclusions & implications. He goes on to list standards of critical thinking including: Clarity, completeness, logic, coherence, validity, consistency with the facts, accuracy, relevance, justifiability & significance as the criteria to assess what one hears and sees in the news.<br /><br />With all of this in mind, we were pleased that the president’s weekly address included the kind of evidence that is usually missing in the public opinion advertising by the oil industry and the political rhetoric that masquerades as news. So take a look at this video and consider if it isn’t finally time to really put our country’s resources into moving in the direction of clean energy, which doesn’t have the hidden cost of climate disruption which seems to play a part of the severe weather that we have been having here in our country and around the world.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- Richard & Bonnett Chandler March 19, 2012</div><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E5Qqvmqgz2A?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="504" height="286"></iframe>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-60219461117106462802012-02-23T19:03:00.000-08:002012-02-23T19:05:16.512-08:00A Great Idea Gets A Better Voice Than MineFor a number of years, on my own very small soap box, in front of my usual audience of one, I have been telling my audience that one of the most central legislative initiatives we need to have in our country is to repeal laws that give tax benefits for exporting jobs, while enacting laws that reward companies for keeping jobs in our own country. This doesn't mean that companies wouldn't be free to hire workers anywhere in the world that they wished to do so. It simply means you and I would no longer be financing that job-exporting way of doing business with our money, as we have been doing for years, and to our mutual detriment.<br /><br />Since, to my knowledge, The President has not heard this directly from me, it might be that enough other people believe that this is a good idea, and the president has heard this from someone else. Or perhaps the President even came up with the idea himself. Either way, he explains it in his Weekly Address: Continuing to Strengthen American Manufacturing.<br /><br />What I would like to see from President Obama is an actual proposal identifying the language in existing laws that need to be eliminated, and the language for new laws to be enacted that would do what he states needs to be done. And then have him push it, with sponsors of the proposed legislation from both houses of congress. Here is the short talk:<br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kwLW08DJaL8?rel=0" frameborder="0" height="286" width="504"></iframe>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-43420812804535604352012-02-05T17:46:00.000-08:002012-02-05T17:50:54.615-08:00We Rebuilt Famous Quotes Homepage!Hello All,<br /><br />We finally rebuilt our <a href="http://famousquoteshomepage.com/">Famous Quotes Homepage</a> website! I hope to add a few more posts here, too, in the coming months.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Best,<br /><br />- Richard Chandler</div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-34564588929110674432010-12-19T22:29:00.000-08:002010-12-19T22:34:06.332-08:00Thank a Musician Over the Holiday Season!This is the time of year that a great many musicians play <a href="http://www.musicquoteshomepage.com/">loads of music</a>. It is important to acknowledge that there is a great deal of work and time put in to this, with practice time, rehearsals and driving time that musicians do which the public doesn’t see in order to provide the Holiday Season entertainment that most people expect to be treated to. So thank a musician for their dedication and let him or her know that they are appreciated.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- Richard Chandler<br /></div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-52557928744046662542010-11-28T18:11:00.000-08:002010-11-28T18:21:47.526-08:00Thanksgiving... A Time To Be Grateful for Mother EarthOddly enough, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1fiubmOqH4">the youtube.com video</a>, upon which this post is based, is a Thanksgiving Day message. As we are enjoying what we often refer to on Thanksgiving, as “earth’s bounty,” it is a very good time to reflect on the undeniable fact that all of what we are enjoying is due to the earth itself. To the extent that we continue to behave as if the ways in which we consume have no consequences, is, in my view, the very opposite of the gratefulness that Thanksgiving Day engenders.<br /><br />We are not only inspired by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1fiubmOqH4">this video</a>. We’re also inspired our nephew, Andrew Gustafson, who has embraced a new career of helping homeowners begin to live off of the earth’s clean, nonpolluting energy, through the sale and installation of solar heating and electrical power. As we as individuals, families, businesses, organizations and local through national government agencies embrace these technologies by being willing to pay more in the short run to save a great deal in the long run, we will not only benefit personally, we will eventually reverse the damage done to our planet and restore it for ourselves and future generations.<br /><br />One day we hope to eat fish the fish in our lakes and rivers as often as we want, without being concerned about mercury toxicity from acid rain. That will happen as we support the clean, green technologies and the people and organizations that are forging ahead and leading us into doing what we all know, in our hearts, is right for our beautiful planet. Happy Thanksgiving!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- <a href="http://stcloudmassage.com">Richard Chandler</a><br /></div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-78733142545790916752010-11-24T17:37:00.000-08:002010-11-28T18:22:50.399-08:00Polarity Therapy Conference - A TravelogueA week ago, I returned from upstate New York, where I attended our very first gathering of the International Polarity Education Alliance, which is made up of both new and very experienced Polarity Therapy professionals. Our time together was very warm and rewarding, as I connected with friends from past <a href="http://stcloudmassage.com/Massage_Therapy_for_Headaches_Neck_Shoulder_Back_Pain_Stress.htm">Polarity Therapy</a> conferences as well as with interesting new people. Here is <a href="http://polaritytherapyonline.com/">a link to a short travelogue</a> about what I experienced.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- <a href="http://richardjchandler.com">Richard Chandler</a><br /></div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-14060047538872155912010-11-14T19:58:00.000-08:002010-11-14T20:03:09.562-08:00A Short Commentary On the Recent ElectionWithin two days after the elections, I visited with two friends who served as election judges, both of whom are very patriotic, in the sense that they love and care about our county, and I believe both of them voted quite differently from each other.<br /><br />As you can imagine, one of the two was extremely disappointed with the national results. She strongly felt that we are becoming too insensitive to all of the people in our country, in the sense that we are too wrapped up with own personal lives, and less willing to think about our fellow citizens, who are not doing so well economically.<br /><br />She strongly feels that we need government leaders who are willing to pass legislation that helps the middle class, as well as the and less economically advantaged, to better their lives, by having government better support all of its people through more free and low cost access to education, healthcare and opportunities to work.<br /><br />Ironically, those that I know who were happy with the election results, volunteer quite often to help the less economically fortunate… most often doing so through church organizations and local initiatives.<br /><br />It seems to me that both approaches are critical, and not mutually exclusive.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- <a href="http://richardjchandler.com">Richard J Chandler</a><br /><br />Our newest commentaries are posted first on <a href="http://famousquoteshomepage.com">Famous Quotes Homepage . com</a><br /></div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-27503238202898778402010-10-24T19:11:00.000-07:002010-10-24T19:16:01.416-07:00The Wisdome of Having 2 or More Web BrowsersBecause web browsers often crash, consider having at least 2 of them, so you’ll always have one working one in which to download a fresh copy of the one that crashed.<br /><br />Please consider making FamousQuotesHomepage.com as your homepage for your primary or secondary website browser. And one more thing. It has useful homepage links to email, weather, fresh and interesting news stories, Google search, and updated weekly quotations.<br /><br />Thanks so much,<br /><br /><br />RichardRichard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-67351711938628948432010-10-17T12:27:00.000-07:002010-10-17T12:28:51.373-07:00The Need to Continually Improve Our Computer Skills and Upgrade Our Hardware and SoftwareOn Sunday, I had some issues with my computer not working properly. After doing my best to resolve them on my own, which took at least an hour, I brought the computer into Office Depot and received some valuable help from Chris, who said they would charge nothing for assessing the problem. His assessment, which lasted about 20 minutes, eventually helped resolve the issue, and I am grateful for his time and expertise. Without his help, I would not have been able to complete the updates on this, and our other websites, or write this message.<br /><br />This incident really brought home the fact that we are very dependent on our computers to get our work done. Without good, properly operating equipment, and the ability to use it well, and fix difficulties that arise with some speed, we simply can’t get our work done.<br /><br />In Bonne’s work as a group home counselor, her employer recently switched to a paperless system to track everything having to do with their clients. The high volume of forms, client logs, medical information and programming directives, has moved from a paper system to a complex, web-based program. Without already having fairly high-level computer skills, Bonne could have been one of the many employees who recently lost their jobs due to an inability to navigate through the new program with reasonable speed and accuracy.<br /><br />Who would have thought that group home counselors would need good computer skills to work with developmentally disabled adults? And here is the reality… It was more than enough to learn the complex program itself that here workplace now required within the short timeframe they had to learn it. If she hadn’t been skilled and reasonably fast in basic computer skills, such as keyboarding, cutting and pasting, working with a mouse and navigating quickly through multiple screens, she would have been let go as so many were. As a group, the older, (now former), employees were especially affected.<br /><br />Prior to this switch to paperless client care, her employer had no computers in their group-homes at all, so there was not an opportunity at her workplace to acquire basic computer skills. And there were only a few months of notice that skills with computer-only client-care would be required.<br /><br />Where did Bonne get her skills? She has assisted in the administration of our own, small, natural-healthcare businesses for many years, as well as having used her computer personally, for emailing and navigating the internet. Had she not done this with her own laptop over the years, she could have gone from full-time employment, to no employment, like so many of her former co-workers, who hadn’t kept up with computer literacy, because lack of computer skills now is the new illiteracy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- Richard Chandler</div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-54686731286993159182010-10-03T17:03:00.000-07:002010-10-03T17:11:53.742-07:00Politicians Manipulate Advantages of a Tax Cut for Small BusinessOf the 26,911,465 business establishments operating in the USA, only 7,387,724 had employees, which is less than a third of all businesses. (US Census statistics) Recently, politicians have been claiming the difficulty of small businesses to create jobs, as a reason for not letting the tax rates of Americans earning $250,0000 or more to automatically return to the rates that were in place prior to the George W. Bush tax cut for wealthy Americans.<br /><br />As a small business, in the 'no employees' category, I feel this lobbying for renewing the Bush tax cuts, which is on personal income, (not business income), by Republicans, supposedly on behalf of small businesses, is misplaced and misleading. It implies that not renewing this tax break for wealthy Americans somehow affects small businesses in general. It certainly doesn't affect mine. Even if we did earn a personal income of over $250,000, (which is not likely in my lifetime, as our income would have to increase many-fold to do so), we still wouldn't hire people. It is just too much life-complication for a very small business like ours.<br /><br />And my suspicion is that the scheduled return of pre-Bush-era tax-rates still would not be all that relevant, in terms of hiring decisions for businesses, with an increase in personal tax rates for those earning a personal income of $250,000 or more. Why? Because the decision to hire or not to hire would likely have to do with whether it would make sense for overall for the long-term profitability of the business itself, and not so much for the amount left over for the business owners after some share of the business profit is removed from the business and added to the payroll that owners typically pay themselves as employees in their own businesses. In other words, for a business that is large enough and complex enough to have employees, decisions to hire and retain employees aren’t so directly tied to an increase in the owner’s personal tax rate.<br /><br />So, as far as I’m concerned, if you are a politician lobbying to renew the Bush tax cuts, do so based on the honesty of declaring how you want to keep more of your personal money when you have high incomes, and not on the basis of somehow keeping small businesses from being detrimentally affected.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- Richard Chandler</div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-24966549313213978672010-09-12T21:58:00.000-07:002010-09-12T22:02:40.180-07:00Writer Jonathan Franzen - Cover of Time MagazineI get a lot of pleasure out of reading. I really do. But it has been many years since I deliberately read fiction for pleasure. In other words, other than reading through a few fiction pieces from the New Yorker over the years – yes, you’re right… the cartoons are the only part of the magazine that I consistently read – I have read no other fiction, relegating novels to a minor list on my fantasy retirement plan.<br /><br />Then, I read the cover article about the writer Jonathan Franzen in the August 28, 2010 issue of Time Magazine, written by another writer, <a href="http://www.famousquoteshomepage.com/Lev_Grossman_Fiction_Author_Codex_The_Magicians.htm">Lev Grossman</a>. (His quotations from that article are shown below.)<br /><br />And the article itself blew me away. It was so well written, and so enthusiastic, in a measured way, that I wanted to discover more about Lev Grossman’s own writing. So I went to Barnes & Nobel, (our main local bookstore), and purchased the Codex. I read it over three days and was thoroughly entertained! And in addition, learned some new things about early books and the early renaissance period of time in England.<br /><br />- Richard ChandlerRichard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-1133542750295501442010-09-06T05:04:00.000-07:002010-09-06T05:11:36.320-07:00Combat Operations Troops Now Gone - 5th Anniversary of KatrinaMilestones & Commemorations… The week of August 30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> marked two events for our country – the end of the combat mission in Iraq and the 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. On Sunday, I heard the president’s speech about Katrina. This past Tuesday evening, he addressed the nation on Iraq. In my view, it is good for us to acknowledge that despite the fact there still remains much more to do in Iraq, Louisiana and Mississippi, a great deal has been accomplished.<br /><br />James <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Carville</span>, a CNN contributor and resident of New Orleans stated that it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">wasn</span>’t a 50/50 accomplishment, but more like a 75/25 accomplishment with 75 being how far we have come in the five years since the disaster. Of the high in USA troops of 140,000 in Iraq, we have brought 90,000 home and the remaining 50,000 are primarily in a support and training role with combat action only if attacked.<br /><br />So while neither of these warrants celebration, it is good for us as a nation to acknowledge that over time, with planning, funding, action and resolve, we Americans can solve problems and make things better. A good part of patriotism is being proud of the accomplishments of our nation. Let’s take just a little time to do that, temporarily setting aside our strong personal opinions of what we think <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">wasn</span>’t right and could have been better or different, to acknowledge that with the incredible commitment and sacrifice of our troops and the people who have dedicated themselves to restoring the Gulf region, things have changed for the better.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- Richard Chandler</div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-21730806729045626882009-12-26T20:50:00.000-08:002010-11-28T18:24:44.249-08:00A ‘present-day’ meaning for Christmas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUcLfRf3Cx24SueyO8S4rcCYMR-nH9lqR1T5CQo35AijWUdVqpkdDOPUQVoVlWmL4scSjDeUo9N3W7I3Ohp_HbOShW3-YTZoyElIyvTqy7SYb09nFz4rAuDhreAEpJFxVQjj0cYReEM0/s1600-h/Abraham_Maslow_Heirarchy_of_Needs_Chart.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUcLfRf3Cx24SueyO8S4rcCYMR-nH9lqR1T5CQo35AijWUdVqpkdDOPUQVoVlWmL4scSjDeUo9N3W7I3Ohp_HbOShW3-YTZoyElIyvTqy7SYb09nFz4rAuDhreAEpJFxVQjj0cYReEM0/s320/Abraham_Maslow_Heirarchy_of_Needs_Chart.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419775108302931506" border="0" /></a><br />While there are many views on the meaning of Christmas, mine relate with Abraham Maslow’s table of human needs, shown at the top of the quotations section below. For me, Christmas is a birth of the most noble of principles and values into our physical world. A treasured few include love, compassion, being of service, tolerance of differing views, cultures and beliefs.<br /><br />These most principled of values, which for me also include artistry – the manifestation of our inner vision of truth and beauty within the physical world – are in fact, ‘self actualization’, as shown by Dr. Maslow. And Christmas is about birthing the most elevated ways of being, into our world… a world where humans too often live lives focused on fulfilling their more basic of needs, rather than seeking to manifest the higher ones.<br /><br />With most people this is not by choice. Because of poverty and being on the receiving end of exploitation, there is little time or resources available to do anything other than survive and try to feel safe in the world. So, like the main character in Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol, we would do well to reflect on any ways in which we may be, as individuals or as a society, like Mr. Scrooge… on the ‘dishing it out’ side of exploitation.<br /><br />Once we are OK on that count, how may we give birth to our highest of aspirations,<a href="http://richardjchandler.com"> </a><a href="http://richardjchandler.com">artistry</a> and service or seek to be a more decent human beings, in our own corner of the planet?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- <a href="http://stcloudmassage.com">Richard Chandler</a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-81943020852719614352009-08-29T19:01:00.000-07:002009-08-29T19:06:56.735-07:00The Real Reason Why Healthcare Reform is OpposedIf, like most all of you, the hours you have heard politicians promise to reform healthcare were added up, it would amount to days and days of rhetoric. But now, we collectively have elected a president who is following through on that promise, and if this is not derailed by misinformation and emotional manipulation, we may finally have more certainty that we will not lose or health or our finances, should we or a family member have a serious health challenge.<br /><br />For Bonnett and me, it is long past the time to treat an issue that affects our health and pocketbook in such a direct way, like a rematch of the election, and focus instead on the actual proposal itself, so all Americans can have the best healthcare possible, utilizing the best health practices now in use in our own country as well as other counties. We of course also need to do this with very close scrutiny of costs.<br /><br />So please keep informed on the details of the proposals. Make sure your information is real, factual and about the healthcare proposal itself, and not misinformation put out with the intent of manipulating and scaring people in an effort to win a political battle that will surely cause all of us to continue losing to rapidly escalating healthcare costs and declining healthcare service.<br /><br />This issue affects you and us very personally. If you were voting on the present healthcare system we have now, as if it were a proposed healthcare plan, the very plan we will continue to have if healthcare reform is derailed, would you vote for it?<br /><br />- <a href="http://richardjchandler">Richard Chandler</a> & Bonnett Chandler<br /><br />(Note: The major cause of bankruptcy in the USA is unfunded health expenses.)Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-80497785426033919182009-07-09T21:55:00.000-07:002009-07-09T21:58:14.359-07:00Micheal Jackson Memorial Service of July 7, 2009<span style="font-family: arial;">When I went upstairs for lunch, the Michael Jackson Memorial service was on TV and I was immediately drawn in by the superb musical tributes. As a musician, this service reminded me of how much music is deeply appreciated… and in honoring Michael Jackson’s artistic contributions, the work of musicians and dancers in total is also honored. This reflection, sparked by the heartfelt singing of Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder, uplifted me.<br /><br />- Richard Chandler<br /><br />I posted a video of Usher and a news link on my site: <a href="http://musicquoteshomepage.com">MusicQuotesHomepage.com</a><br /></span>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-8358646887804977292009-05-26T22:09:00.000-07:002009-05-26T22:10:04.085-07:00Local Environmental Citizen, Harry DavisRecently, I had the pleasure of having a meal and beer with my good friend, Harry Davis. Harry is very committed to working in a local way to mitigate the effects of environmental degradation and global warming. Earlier in the day, he did volunteer work by planting a community-based organic garden using heirloom seeds.<br /><br />By growing a portion of our own food, we learn a great deal; including discovering first-hand appreciation for those who provide us with food. We also decrease the transportation costs and thereby of help to lesson global warming.<br /><br />- Richard ChandlerRichard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-22167326866303742692009-05-16T21:22:00.000-07:002009-05-16T21:23:56.442-07:00President's Weekly Video Address: Credit Card Reform<span style="font-family:arial;">President's Weekly Video Address: <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Weekly-Address-Credit-Card-Reform/">Credit Card Reform</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The new presidential initiative announced below takes away disincentives for workers who have lost jobs from seeking retraining and education and makes it more possible to immediately gain new educational skills to fill jobs that remain in demand. For me, it is exciting to witness bold action that helps people being put into practice at a time when it is needed.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">- Richard Chandler</span>Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-69556601323929364292009-05-06T20:27:00.000-07:002009-05-06T20:40:00.975-07:00Big Money Likes Tax Loopholes... Not Happy with President's ProposalsSupporting policy that makes better sense for middle class Americans, by closing down loopholes in our tax code that permit skimming what should stay here - for jobs and revenue - and exporting it elsewhere, makes sense to working people. I find it very interesting to note that actually doing this, as the President proposed, (see below), will be opposed by many in congress who will give lots of reasons, other than real ones having to do with big money supporters, for opposing what makes good sense to most Americans.<br /><br /><br />More from the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/05/04/Continuing-the-Conversation-Tax-Reform-for-American-Jobs/">administration proposal here...</a><br /><br /><br />- Richard ChandlerRichard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-53462347521332119592009-04-25T22:23:00.000-07:002009-04-25T22:28:17.128-07:00The 'Armenian Holcaust' of 1915Yesterday, I had the privilege to visit with a friend of Armenian descsent who brought my attention to another genocide tragedy. Like the Holocaust, this tragedy was horrific in how it occurred and in its scope, which included the murder of over 1,500,000 Armenian people in the early part of the 20th century. Below you will find our President’s complete statement calling for acknowledgement of the genocide, (the president instead used the Armenian word for the event, the ‘Meds Yeghern’.), although he had used our own word, “genocide,” to describe it in past statements and speeches, while still a US Senator.<br /><br />April 24, 2009 Statement of President Barack Obama on Armenian Remembrance Day:<br /><br />Ninety four years ago, one of the great atrocities of the 20th century began. Each year, we pause to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who were subsequently massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The Meds Yeghern must live on in our memories, just as it lives on in the hearts of the Armenian people.<br /><br /><br />History, unresolved, can be a heavy weight. Just as the terrible events of 1915 remind us of the dark prospect of man’s inhumanity to man, reckoning with the past holds out the powerful promise of reconciliation. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts.<br /><br /><br />The best way to advance that goal right now is for the Armenian and Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a part of their efforts to move forward. I strongly support efforts by the Turkish and Armenian people to work through this painful history in a way that is honest, open, and constructive. To that end, there has been courageous and important dialogue among Armenians and Turks, and within Turkey itself. I also strongly support the efforts by Turkey and Armenia to normalize their bilateral relations. Under Swiss auspices, the two governments have agreed on a framework and roadmap for normalization. I commend this progress, and urge them to fulfill its promise.<br /><br /><br />Together, Armenia and Turkey can forge a relationship that is peaceful, productive and prosperous. And together, the Armenian and Turkish people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity.<br /><br /><br />Nothing can bring back those who were lost in the Meds Yeghern. But the contributions that Armenians have made over the last ninety-four years stand as a testament to the talent, dynamism and resilience of the Armenian people, and as the ultimate rebuke to those who tried to destroy them. The United States of America is a far richer country because of the many Americans of Armenian descent who have contributed to our society, many of whom immigrated to this country in the aftermath of 1915. Today, I stand with them and with Armenians everywhere with a sense of friendship, solidarity, and deep respect.<br /><br />- Barack Obama (1961- )Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-65047239909572991762009-04-24T21:36:00.000-07:002009-04-24T22:01:16.024-07:00The President's Statement of Halocaust Remembrance Ceremony of April 23, 2009We gather today to mourn the loss of so many lives, and celebrate those who saved them; honor those who survived, and contemplate the obligations of the living.<br /><br />It is the grimmest of ironies that one of the most savage, barbaric acts of evil in history began in one of the most modernized societies of its time, where so many markers of human progress became tools of human depravity: science that can heal used to kill; education that can enlighten used to rationalize away basic moral impulses; the bureaucracy that sustains modern life used as the machinery of mass death -- a ruthless, chillingly efficient system where many were responsible for the killing, but few got actual blood on their hands.<br /><br />"While the uniqueness of the Holocaust in scope and in method is truly astounding, the Holocaust was driven by many of the same forces that have fueled atrocities throughout history: the scapegoating that leads to hatred and blinds us to our common humanity; the justifications that replace conscience and allow cruelty to spread; the willingness of those who are neither perpetrators nor victims to accept the assigned role of bystander, believing the lie that good people are ever powerless or alone, the fiction that we do not have a choice."<br /><br />- Barack Obama (1961- )<br /><br />But while we are here today to bear witness to the human capacity to destroy, we are also here to pay tribute to the human impulse to save. In the moral accounting of the Holocaust, as we reckon with numbers like 6 million, as we recall the horror of numbers etched into arms, we also factor in numbers like these: 7,200 -- the number of Danish Jews ferried to safety, many of whom later returned home to find the neighbors who rescued them had also faithfully tended their homes and businesses and belongings while they were gone.<br /><br />We remember the number five -- the five righteous men and women who join us today from Poland. We are awed by your acts of courage and conscience. And your presence today compels each of us to ask ourselves whether we would have done what you did. We can only hope that the answer is yes.<br /><br />We also remember the number 5,000 -- the number of Jews rescued by the villagers of Le Chambon, France -- one life saved for each of its 5,000 residents. Not a single Jew who came there was turned away, or turned in. But it was not until decades later that the villagers spoke of what they had done -- and even then, only reluctantly. The author of a book on the rescue found that those he interviewed were baffled by his interest. "How could you call us 'good'?" they said. "We were doing what had to be done."<br /><br />"That is the question of the righteous -- those who would do extraordinary good at extraordinary risk not for affirmation or acclaim or to advance their own interests, but because it is what must be done. They remind us that no one is born a savior or a murderer -- these are choices we each have the power to make. They teach us that no one can make us into bystanders without our consent, and that we are never truly alone -- that if we have the courage to heed that "still, small voice" within us, we can form a minyan for righteousness that can span a village, even a nation."<br /><br />- Barack Obama (1961- )<br /><br />Their legacy is our inheritance. And the question is, how do we honor and preserve it? How do we ensure that "never again" isn't an empty slogan, or merely an aspiration, but also a call to action?<br /><br />I believe we start by doing what we are doing today -- by bearing witness, by fighting the silence that is evil's greatest co-conspirator.<br /><br />In the face of horrors that defy comprehension, the impulse to silence is understandable. My own great uncle returned from his service in World War II in a state of shock, saying little, alone with painful memories that would not leave his head. He went up into the attic, according to the stories that I've heard, and wouldn't come down for six months. He was one of the liberators -- someone who at a very tender age had seen the unimaginable. And so some of the liberators who are here today honor us with their presence -- all of whom we honor for their extraordinary service. My great uncle was part of the 89th Infantry Division -- the first Americans to reach a Nazi concentration camp. And they liberated Ohrdruf, part of Buchenwald, where tens of thousands had perished.<br /><br />The story goes that when the Americans marched in, they discovered the starving survivors and the piles of dead bodies. And General Eisenhower made a decision. He ordered Germans from the nearby town to tour the camp, so they could see what had been done in their name. And he ordered American troops to tour the camp, so they could see the evil they were fighting against. Then he invited congressmen and journalists to bear witness. And he ordered that photographs and films be made. Some of us have seen those same images, whether in the Holocaust Museum or when I visited Yad Vashem, and they never leave you. Eisenhower said that he wanted "to be in a position to give firsthand evidence of these things, if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to propaganda."<br /><br />Eisenhower understood the danger of silence. He understood that if no one knew what had happened, that would be yet another atrocity -- and it would be the perpetrators' ultimate triumph.<br /><br />What Eisenhower did to record these crimes for history is what we are doing here today. That's what Elie Wiesel and the survivors we honor here do by fighting to make their memories part of our collective memory. That's what the Holocaust Museum does every day on our National Mall, the place where we display for the world our triumphs and failures and the lessons we've learned from our history. It's the very opposite of silence.<br /><br />But we must also remember that bearing witness is not the end of our obligation -- it's just the beginning. We know that evil has yet to run its course on Earth. We've seen it in this century in the mass graves and the ashes of villages burned to the ground, and children used as soldiers and rape used as a weapon of war. To this day, there are those who insist the Holocaust never happened; who perpetrate every form of intolerance -- racism and anti-Semitism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism, and more -- hatred that degrades its victim and diminishes us all.<br /><br />"Today, and every day, we have an opportunity, as well as an obligation, to confront these scourges -- to fight the impulse to turn the channel when we see images that disturb us, or wrap ourselves in the false comfort that others' sufferings are not our own. Instead we have the opportunity to make a habit of empathy; to recognize ourselves in each other; to commit ourselves to resisting injustice and intolerance and indifference in whatever forms they may take --"<br /><br />- <a href="http://famousquoteshomepage.com/">Barack Obama</a> (1961- )<br /><br />whether confronting those who tell lies about history, or doing everything we can to prevent and end atrocities like those that took place in Rwanda, those taking place in Darfur. That is my commitment as President. I hope that is yours, as well.<br /><br />It will not be easy. At times, fulfilling these obligations require self-reflection. But in the final analysis, I believe history gives us cause for hope rather than despair -- the hope of a chosen people who have overcome oppression since the days of Exodus; of the nation of Israel rising from the destruction of the Holocaust; of the strong and enduring bonds between our nations.<br /><br />It is the hope, too, of those who not only survived, but chose to live, teaching us the meaning of courage and resilience and dignity. I'm thinking today of a study conducted after the war that found that Holocaust survivors living in America actually had a higher birthrate than American Jews. What a stunning act of faith -- to bring a child in a world that has shown you so much cruelty; to believe that no matter what you have endured, or how much you have lost, in the end, you have a duty to life.<br /><br />We find cause for hope as well in Protestant and Catholic children attending school together in Northern Ireland; in Hutus and Tutsis living side by side, forgiving neighbors who have done the unforgivable; in a movement to save Darfur that has thousands of high school and college chapters in 25 countries, and brought 70,000 people to the Washington Mall -- people of every age and faith and background and race united in common cause with suffering brothers and sisters halfway around the world.<br /><br />Those numbers can be our future -- our fellow citizens of the world showing us how to make the journey from oppression to survival, from witness to resistance, and ultimately to reconciliation. That is what we mean when we say "never again."<br /><br />"So today, during this season when we celebrate liberation, resurrection, and the possibility of redemption, may each of us renew our resolve to do what must be done. And may we strive each day, both individually and as a nation, to be among the righteous."<br /><br />- Barack Obama (1961- )<br /><br />Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)Richard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475559522763708710.post-8818092580154376152009-04-02T21:22:00.000-07:002009-04-02T21:39:53.548-07:00Broadband Access - The New Rural Electric Upgrade<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7Q64eImlOlC0kOmlT5sbaRU1XTJ8hIna-MAype0bCI0a7kY_t_4JHl3Ypo8ehImrbrWy7KqmNrMX7IScQRSwiuiEBdxxUyp9o2Y1UjHAqIgqb2B-2QCQcUvSlFATSmfnqf5HWHzWURU/s1600-h/Clematis_Flower_Photograph_by_Kirk_Lamb.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7Q64eImlOlC0kOmlT5sbaRU1XTJ8hIna-MAype0bCI0a7kY_t_4JHl3Ypo8ehImrbrWy7KqmNrMX7IScQRSwiuiEBdxxUyp9o2Y1UjHAqIgqb2B-2QCQcUvSlFATSmfnqf5HWHzWURU/s320/Clematis_Flower_Photograph_by_Kirk_Lamb.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320317454645699602" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.portraitsbykirklamb.com/">© 2004 - 2009 Kirk Lamb</a></div><br /><br />There are several people that I know who live about 25 miles outside of St. Cloud, MN, and only have access to dial-up internet service. Their lives are hampered by this, as the internet is now geared towards much faster speeds, so pages take forever to load and online videos are virtually unavailable to them. Even when they can have something load overnight, it often crashes.<br /><br />We as a country passed legislation years ago to require that everyone and anyone who lived in a rural area was served by electricity. This proved to be a very good idea for everyone, and not just those who were rural residents.<br /><br />The time has come where the same benefit for our rural citizens to have broadband internet access has arrived. The beneficiaries again are not just those rural residents, but all of us. When the totality of our citizenry have this basic access that those of us who live in more populated areas have enjoyed for some time, commerce will increase, education of rural children will be updated and our ability to send a rural friend a video to watch will finally be possible.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/rural/">Here is the link</a> to our President and Vice President's agenda for farm, business and residential improvement for rural areas. Please support this agenda, even if you are not a rural resident. Time has proven that support for our rural areas benefits us all.<br /><br />- <a href="http://richardjchandler.com">Richard</a> & Bonnett ChandlerRichard Chandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508271425688623666noreply@blogger.com0