Turning 35: Reflections on Life Thus Far.

Well its official, I am now middle age. Looking back on 35 years I recall very little other than bits and pieces, fragments of events that have occurred. The mid 70's where my time. I recall travelling with my parents and the familiar roadside stops of the day such as gas stations such as Texaco, Shell, Diamond Shamrock. Familiar to travelers were the chains of hotels, their signs visible from miles. One of the most familiar being the Holiday Inn with its green glow and yellow arrow pointing towards a good nights rest, Best Western, Motel 6, and others that are still around today.

I can also recall historical moments, both glorious and tragic. On the bright side there was the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the breakdown of the Berlin Wall, and other amazing and wonderful events. however on the negative we also had the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, The Shuttle Challenger explosion and loss of the entire crew, the fatal crash and death of Princess Diana, and most memorably the destruction and utter loss of our sense of security as a country, with the destruction of the Twin Towers in the attacks of 911.

Looking through old issues of  National Geographic give glimpses of ads of the era. From cars to products, you could find a majority of these among the great stories and photos that captured the world we live in for posterity.  As I get older these are the things I recall fondly and when I happen to visit a antique shop or flea market and come across an item from what people refer to as "the good ol days", I am taken back to that time and slowly the familiar scenes and sights are brought back into focus. Thats what is commonly referred to as nostalgia.

Its amazing to see the advances from then till now in technology and business. The use and development of computers and communication devices that we now find indispensable  have also formed how the world has changed. The now fast paced world of business, where decisions can be made, implemented and carried out within seconds thanks to the Internet  has significantly changed how we work, live and play.  I have seen the breakdown of organization within the office and the halt of business when that technology malfunctions or shuts down.

Overall there have always been pros and cons, changes and advancements and events which bring us ever closer to either our own perfect society or utter downfall of humanity. With the strains on our alliances with our neighboring countries who we once stood strong with as allies and friends caused by the war in Iraq and the middle east countries we are now even more unsure of our nations continued safety.

Hopefully the next 35 years will not bring us deeper into conflict with our allies. Only time will tell what can happen and if the past 35 years have shown progress continues to happen and nothing we do will change that.
hopefully I'll be around to reflect on the next 30 years.

Providing Options For Assisted Living and Care

We all have an obligation to care for our parents when they get to the point in life where they are no longer able to care for themselves. Maybe its due to the rigors of age or disabilities but we do what we can to make sure they are cared for. Sometimes that obligation interrupts our own lives, especially if we have families and children.

Having assistance available to help provide added care is something that becomes a necessity at some point or another and usually a costly one. With the recent health reform  that may take years before it is fully readily available and functioning, there are other resources available.

Live in providers have recently became a more feasible option. Having this opportunity available for my own parents was a miracle. As with any type of arrangement one needs to consider the pros and cons. Seeking qualified persons with medical knowledge and possible background as a licensed healthcare provider is something you may want to look for. Having a background check on anyone you plan on having stay onsite can also avoid any issues.

Another option is retirement communities that are usually located within minutes of a hospital or medical facility and usually have on staff medical assistants to provide immediate and constant care for those residents that require it.  Seeking a competent physician that can provide a list of facilities qualified to handle the individual needs of the patient is also an invaluable asset.

Taking into account expenses is also something that can affect the type of care provided. Medicare and Medicaid along with health insurance can usually make ends meet but also saving a little to put aside for emergencies that may arise is not a bad idea either.

Overall caring for our loved ones is a major responsibility, but knowing that there are options available to assist in making this stage of their life an easy one, as well as being assured they are getting the best care possible gives a peace of mind that they are in good hands.

Local Events: Drug Wars and Violence Along the Border.

The recent issues with the drug cartels across the border in Mexico have started to spill across to local border towns and are becoming an ever increasing threat to the local populations, and the economy, as the executions being carried out by these groups are targeting not only rival gangs, but civilians that happen to be caught in the crossfire.

Local authorities are stretched thin attempting to curtail these events with the help of the US Border Patrol and National Guard being stationed along the border areas along the Rio Grande river. Across the border these executions are being carried out using a variety of methods from bombings within cities, to decapitation of their victims usually obscenely displaying the remains from bridges or laying piled beside roads as  a warning to opposing cartels.

Raids led by Border Patrol have turned up stashes of weapons and ammunition enough to supply an army. Recently major members of these feudal groups have been systematically removed or killed in standoffs with authorities and Mexican military.

As each day goes by more and more of these occurrences are becoming a bigger threat to the farmers and ranchers along the border and necessitating the purchase and use of a gun for personal protection. Local ranchers have been aware of the threat of illegals that cross into the US for years but have started taking a more defensive posture when coming across persons coming across the border.

Hopefully these attacks can be brought under control in the coming days. The general state of security in the United States since the events of 911 has given us a state of awareness that we will have to retain  if we don't want a repeat of history.

Introduction

Greeting and Salutations to everyone. Let me welcome you all to The Worldly Observer. First let me introduce myself, my name is Terry and I will be bringing you events that are going on in this world we live in. There is no doubt the world we live in is slowly becoming a harsh reality that we all have to face on a daily basis.

With the local wars between drug cartels in our local area here to the war abroad that has been an ever present reminder that the times we live in are very violent and dangerous. The uneasy alliances between world powers have never been more strained than in recent times, and the ever changing natural disasters have become increasingly more frequent with each passing year.

Amidst all this, there are stories of survival and strength all around us from local areas to national levels. The goal of this blog is to try and bring you the stories that effect us everyday from positive to negative. These stories and events are happening all around us and I'll try to keep you informed on as many of them as possible.

As mentioned earlier there can't be all bad news, and thats what I will be trying to bring you with lighter posts and columns each week with a story of the week that I will ask you the reader to submit and I will chose one each week to post.  I will also be doing occasional columns reviewing items and providing opinions on happenings.

I hope you will join me in this journey and contribute ideas on anything you would like to hear about or ideas for new columns. As this is a new blog I do also ask if you do happen to disagree with the opinions expressed in this blog, do remember they are my own opinions and are not intended to express any particular belief or portray any culture in a negative view. If you feel I have done so please feel free to send me your comments within a professional manner.  Refrain from profanity or abusive language.

That being said I hope you will enjoy joining me as we will explore the world around us and learn to appreciate the beauty that we sometimes take for granted, for we all are worldly observers.