Recent News Nuggets

The Secret to Making Our Inner Light Shine – by Dr. Ross Reck

Ross Reck – David Brooks, Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times, wrote an essay titled “The Moral Bucket List” which…
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Getting Involved

Did you ever notice how some people seem to be involved in just about anything that needs doing? Whether it…
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Not Dancing in the Dark – Art Fettig Newsletter – June 22, 2009

Art Fettig – Shin:  device for finding furniture in the dark. I did better than that the other night. I…
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It Only Takes a Couple of Words to Make Another Person’s Day – by Dr. Ross Reck

Ross Reck – The following story was sent in by a subscriber in response to the Reminder about Being the Rainbow…
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What YOU Can Do To Change the Political Climate

Hundreds of Our Friends feel as if they can do nothing except Vote at the next election. This is not…
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Can an ICE “agent” Be Arrested?

Yes, and it HAS happened in the Past
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The Shame of Troy Nehls

Troy Nehls Attacks US Capitol Police Officers Fanone coughs “go fuck yourself” to Troy Nehls as Nehls blames Capitol Police…
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Thinking Positive Thoughts About People We Meet Can Energize Our Day – by Dr. Ross Reck

Ross Reck – Dr. Douglas Gentile, a distinguished professor of psychology at Iowa State University, found that when people took…
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We Pay a Heavy Price for Our Fear of Failure – by Dr. Ross Reck

Ross Reck – The biggest difference between high achievers and everyone else is that high achievers are not afraid to…
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Christian Menefee – LD TX-18

Christian Menefee – Christian has never backed down from a fight — not when Texas Republicans tried to throw out…
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The Philosophy of Touching by Art Fettig

Art Fettig was certified as a “Speaking Professional” in 1980 by the National Speakers Association. He is the veteran of…
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Quilt of Valor Presented to Terry Pochert

A Quilt of Valor® (QOV) is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a…
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The Case Against ICE

Jonathan Rose walks with any apparent injuries, doesn’t limp, and walks with a normal stride after he claims 37-year-old Renee…
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Randy Villegas – California CA-22

Randy Villegas – Randy Villegas is an educator, a small business owner, and the proud son of Mexican immigrants. He’s…
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Donavan McKinney – Michigan MI-13

Donavan McKinney – Donavan McKinney is a State Representative who has already delivered for Detroit. He’s secured $10M+ for community…
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Nida Allam – North Carolina NC-04

Nida Allam is a bold, unapologetic progressive who has delivered real wins by raising wages, investing in public schools, and…
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Trump and Oil

Trump – The only thing Trump knows about oil is what is on his French Fries.
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Wise People Admit Their Mistakes and Learn from Them – by Dr. Ross Reck

Ross Reck – Over the years, I’ve crossed paths with a number of people who can’t admit it when they’ve…
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Does the US Congress Deserve Their Pay?

Gridlock, shutdowns, missed deadlines, and low public approval (often under 20%). Some members work hard; others appear disengaged, grandstanding, or…
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  • Can You Really Reconcile with a Trump Voter?
    “When Donald Trump was elected in 2016, like …
  • Trump Lawyers Abusing the Court
    Judge issues humiliating smackdown of Trump lawyers in …
  • Giving thanks for our veterans
    ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton | Nov. 13, 2020 …
  • Alex Trebek was the Kind of Person We Should All Aspire to be by Ross Reck
    71st Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria …
  • Why Trumpsters Believe His Lies
    President Donald Trump has been bending and breaking laws all of his life. Michael Cohen, his longtime personal lawyer, stated under oath that Trump directed him to violate federal campaign finance law; the state of New York has evidence that Trump and his family have been cheating on their taxes for years; the Trump family’s “persistently illegal conduct” and “repeated and willful self-dealing transactions” have led the New York attorney general to file a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation. The list goes on.
  • Trump Supporter, “I came here to fight…”
    ““I came here to fight,” a Trump supporter …
  • Christmas Snow
    Circus – by Art Fettig
    I watched the movie Jumbo about a circus elephant and my wife Jean asked me “Art, did you see a circus very often when you were a kid?” And BOOM!!! It all came rushing back to my memory. I had a booking for the Michigan School Administrators or Principals, someone, and it was at the Amway Grand in Grand Rapids and we couldn’t leave the hotel.
  • Trump Degrades Military by Calling Them “Loosers”
  • Coming Out
    Stories You Must Read OutSports.com, Unique Smith, …
  • Becoming An Expert on YouTube
    Great Resources TechSmith – How to Make a …
  • Drum Set
    Don’t Wait Too Long – Art Fettig and Greg Brayton
    Did you ever get the news that someone you’ve known for a long time had passed away and you got the feeling inside that that friend had just waited too long? Maybe it was that they just waited too long to use their special talent waiting for somebody to pay them big bucks for trying.
  • Writing
    Yard Sailin’
    Music by Art Fettig and Greg Brayton It is strange, …
  • Businessman Carrying Load
    On Finishing Things
    I had an unusual experience while visiting Ayr Mount.  I met a fine artist from England. I’m not sure if he now lives here or was visiting. He just turned 80 and when I told him I was 91 and still write and speak some he asked, “What have you finished in the past ten years?” 
  • The Shame of the Trump Administration
    March 3, 2017 – The Trump administration is …
  • Your Support is Need – The DAV (Disabled American Veterans)
    We can use your help – Click Here We can use …
  • Lightspeed: The Ghostly Aether and the Race to Measure the Speed of Light by John C.H. Spence
    Lightspeed: The Ghostly Aether and the Race to Measure …
  • Alexander Graham Bell
    My Nova Scotia Adventure
    It was in mid-May, 1991 and I was on a small Air Canada scheduled flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia and as we approached for a landing there was a dense fog. The plane drifted down, and then suddenly the engine roared and we soared into the air. Luckily I had a seasoned flyer sitting in a seat next to me and he advised me that this happened all the time, that we would just fly around and approach the landing again until we had a break in the fog.
  • Lindsey Graham – The Hypocrite
    Let’s get 1,000 replies: #LindseyMustGo is trending. …
  • Pandemic Far From Over
    You will find more infographics at Statista …
  • Art Fettig and Greg Brayton
    Bad Day – by Art Fettig
    Have you ever had a bad day? Let’s put it this way, the best thing that has happened to me today, so far, is when my computer crashed. Before that it had been downhill all day. Can you feel my pain. Yet!
  • I AM No “Loser”
    I don’t consider myself a “loser”, …
  • How to Download Twitter Videos
    Two of the most popular are: …
  • Spare Ribs, BBQ
    Hog Dealers – by Art Fettig
    One time early in my career as a professional speaker I had a call from the Iowa Hog Grower Association and they wanted me to do a banquet speech for their members at an annual meeting.
  • It’s Time To Lock Him Up
    In there own words… THEY CALLED HIM THESE …
  • Instruction
    You can sell your writing – by Art Fettig
    Over the years people have asked me, “Art, did you ever teach regular courses at schools and such?
  • A Great Read “The Madman Theory”
    The Madman Theory: Trump Takes On the World by Jim …
  • 2016 Election – Trump Campaign’s Grave Counterintelligence Threat
    Image by Mary Pahlke from Pixabay If this …
  • Are You Persistent or are You Stubborn? – Ross Reck
    Persistence means to stay the course in pursuing your goals in spite of whatever difficulties or opposition you may run into. Stubbornness, on the other hand, is more along the lines of: “My mind is made up, so don’t confuse me with the facts.”
  • Student
    Teacher, Teacher – by Art Fettig
    I believe that right now, our American teachers are facing one of the most challenging times in American History. I’m praying for them.
  • Bankruptcies during Trump Takes Its Toll
    Bankruptcies during President Obama’s …
  • Trump Doesn’t Know When WWII Was!
    The Spanish Flu was in 1918 and WWII ended in 1945. …
  • ‘Heeeeeeerrrrrrrr’s Charlie!’ by Art Fettig
    Many years ago it used to tick me off when watching …
  • Hands Clapping
    ‘Heeeeeeerrrrrrrr’s Charlie!’ – by Art Fettig
    Many years ago it used to tick me off when watching the Johnny Carson Show. Ed McMahon, the M.C., would say “Now H – e – r – e ‘ s Johnny!” and the audience would go nuts, a screaming and cheering and a hollerin’ and Johnny would slowly strut around like a cock rooster and just bask away in that fantastic standing ovation.
  • Evangelicals Stoop to a New Low
    This week, a photograph emerged of Liberty University …
  • Corruption in the NRA
    You will find more infographics at Statista…
  • VA Prescriptions Delayed Because Louis DeJoy’s Cutbacks in Postal Services
    Thousands of US veterans are now receiving …
  • Trump Takes Credit for Obama’s Success
    More lies out of the White House. Shame! Dow Jones …
  • White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity by Robert P. Jones
    Available from Amazon.com Drawing on history, public …
  • Art Fettig with Quilt from daughter Amy
    The Quilt – by Art Fettig
    Amy, my daughter in San Diego, a very busy bi-lingual BSN Senior Case Manager and a Blue Ribbon Award winning quilter extraordinaire, has created a wonderful quilt for me to wrap up in when I doze in my Lazy Boy rocker. She named it  “Growth Unlimited” .  What a memorable gift! What a blessing! What a labor of love. 
  • 5 Key Demands for the New Coronavirus Bill | Robert Reich
    Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains the …
  • Sure, Not a Racist Boone In My Body
    The “friendly” people of Harrison, …
  • White Boy Rick Released
    When White Boy Rick Wershe, an FBI snitch who spend three decades in prison was released, he wore a shirt that said Free Big Meech? What was that about? The answer appears to be Hollywood money
  • You CANNOT Compare COVID-19 and the Flu
    Is Coronavirus More Severe Than The Flu …
  • Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) Resigns from Bread for the World
    Rep. Yoho (R-FL) Resigns Ted Yoho resigns from the …
  • Waterglass
    The Story – by Art Fettig
    In reviewing a CD of a talk I gave for the U.S. Army …
  • Will Knight
    We Endorse Will Knight for Maricopa County Attorney
    Will Knight is the son of a first-generation Latina immigrant and an American expat who met and married in Popayan, Colombia, where Will was born. From early in life, Will has known the value of a criminal justice system responsive to the needs and concerns of individual victims as well as the community at large.
  • Order Of The Turtle Innovation Exequatur Let it be Known Art Fettig has dared to be different.
    Learning Opportunities – by Art Fettig
    I never attended college. I earned just one-half credit for attending a course on Overcoming the Fear of Computers at our Community College. 
  • Harold and Art
    Walking In Another’s Shoes
    Many years ago in Michigan I was a member of the Battle Creek chapter of the Lions organization. We had an annual meeting where each of us was assigned a blind person in our community to bring as a guest to dinner at the hotel where we met.  Instead of bringing a guest I made arrangements with my blind buddy, Harold Rowley to participate in a little experiment. Harold had lost his sight when he was a very young child. 
  • Our Vision for a United Country is not Dead
    There are many people that have words of optimism …
  • Art Fettig - Professional Speaker
    My 50th Anniversary as a Professional Speaker – by Art Fettig
    Little did I know that evening at Bryant,Ohio when I stood in front of that audience some fifty years ago that I was embarking on a great adventure that would require travel to 50 of our United States, 7 Canadian Provinces and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Hong Kong to the Arctic Circle and hither and yon.
  • Idiot in the White House
  • North Carolina Flag
    Say Something Good – “Far Enough South”
    North Carolina. When I was widowed in 1993 I buried myself in work and it was several years before I took to courtin’. One thing I knew though was that I was tired of the cold Michigan winter weather and snow.
  • Nancy and Art
    Precious Moments
    Did you ever try to locate something and you just couldn’t find it, but you found something much better? Well that happened and I found a little book my daughter Nancy presented to me on my birthday ten years ago. It is precious. What a perfect thing to read for Father’s Day. There is no title on it but the last words of the dedication say, “Oh my Papa, to me you are so wonderful.” There are eleven stories, each one more special to me than the last.
  • The Music of Art Fettig and Greg Brayton
    The Dancin’ Rag The story behind “The …
  • Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, Sexy, and Smart―Until You’re 80 and Beyond
    Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, Sexy, and …
  • The Shameful Giuliani’s Rant
  • Sunrise Sunset
    More Happiness
    God, how the world needs a good shot of happiness and positive thinking right now, this minute, if not sooner.  Enough gloom. Let’s think about sunshine and happiness and smiling too. Let’s think about that greatness that is in you.
  • Humming Birds
    Our Hummin’ Love Song
    Are you staying home as you read this because of the coronavirus? Well for folks married or otherwise this can be quite a challenge. It might be quite a strain. I’ve read that the sales of alcohol, illegal drugs and porno are soaring. Mental health problems, suicide and spouse abuse are skyrocketing. Oh where is the relief we seek?
  • How Stupid Can 45 Supporters Be?
    A conservative group’s protest called …
  • Student Studying
    Father Skiffington
    When I was a student at the University of Detroit High School my English teacher in the eleventh grade was named Father Skiffington.
  • Seven Republican Governors Have Blood on their Hands
    Reckless and irresponsible. [efn_note]CBS News, Jason …
  • Dove
    Let It Flow
    Is there anybody out there still reading this?  I hope a few will respond. After watching the news one wonders. Leave your comments below near the bottom of the page. 
  • Shame in the 45 White House
    Trump “Fiddled” while People Died How can …
  • I’m Layed Off, What Do I Do Now?
    Several steps have been outlined by the experts. File …
  • Wash Your Hands?
    Wash your hands. That is the mantra we are hearing …
  • Peace
    An Instrument Of Thy Peace
    In this time of turmoil let us pray.. I believe that right now this might be the greatest crisis that we have faced as a nation.  Fear appears to have overcome this whole world and it is a time for prayer. Early in my life I discovered this Prayer of St. Francis and only recently have I realized that the prayer itself  is a menu of ways that we might individually serve as an instrument of the Lord’s Peace. Examine the words of this prayer yourself and see if one particular mission might call out to you.
  • Trump’s Speech: It’s Always Somebody Else’s Fault
    Instead of Orange-Faced, Trump Should Be Red-Faced A …
  • Kushner’s Ethics Again in Question
    Who cares about ethics? Assets held by President …
  • Dog with Glasses
    My First School Speech
    My academic career left a lot to be desired.  Not only was I a poor student but I was a troublesome one too.  My graduation yearbook lists my achievement as spending the most time in the jug (after school detention) than anyone in the history of the University of Detroit High School; a dubious distinction indeed.
  • Jurors Were Paid Off in Trump’s Impeachment Trial
    Follow The Money $5,600, the maximum allowed for the …
  • Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel
    Sub for a Pres
    In 1975 then President of the United States, Gerald Ford had to cancel his speech for the Michigan Petroleum Association’s Annual meeting at the Grand Hotel,  Mackinac Island, Michigan. The Petroleum Association President  called me and hired me to speak as the replacement for President Ford.
  • Serenity! Serenity!: Living the Serenity Prayer - by Art Fettig
    Serenity
    God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change those things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 
  • Our Recommendations for 2020
    Do Your Research BallotPedia.org United States …
  • Senate Republicans Vote NOT to hear Witnesses with Factual Testimony
    The impeached President’s supporters Senator …
  • The Sham of the National Prayer Breakfast
    The National Prayer Breakfast is a thing that is not …
  • End Citizens United
    End Citizens United There’s no way around it: The …
  • Trump Strikes a Hornet’s Nest
    It looks Trump is starting a war with Iran. Hundreds …
  • Weight Scale
    Easing Into 2020
    It is just January 2nd as I write this but this is my third day of high productivity. I cheated and started early. First thing I did was weigh myself.
  • OMG – Trump’s National Debt is Sky Rocketing
    Do Be Fooled by Trump’s Lies Voo-doo Magic So …
  • The Heart of the Reformation – By David R. Weiss
    The following article was received via email shortly …
  • The Year 2020
    Resolutions
    Here I go again! I don’t know about you but it seems like every year, a few days after Christmas I get all antsy and I feel compelled to write down a whole bunch of impossible resolutions.
  • Interesting Article about White Rule
    We came across an interesting article by Vince Wade …
  • Good Morning
    Your World is What You Make it – by Dr. Ross Reck
    Until a year ago, I rarely dealt with the bank branch that handled my business account. Those transactions were always handled by an associate.
  • Hong Kong
    A Hong Kong Memory
    Have you ever gone into an ethnic restaurant here in the U.S. and pretended to yourself that you were back in time visiting a foreign land? Jean wanted to find something different for me on Veteran’s Day and so after driving around for a bit we arrived at the Hong Kong restaurant in Durham, NC.
  • Delusional Donald Trump
    My Name is Vince Wade
    A perceptive, smart-ass newspaper columnist named H.L. Mencken made that prediction in 1920, nearly a century ago.
  • Statue of Liberty
    No News Is Good News
    What a wonderful fall day here in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Just a bit of nip in the air and the leaves on the trees in our yard are like a rainbow. The air is so fresh and crisp and I slept like an angel last night. Certainly, all is well with the world.
  • Numbers - Pi
    One Day
    One day a schoolteacher wrote on the board the following: 
  • We are Hiring
    Job Application
    Jean and I innocently walked into a local Target Store and at the front of the store they had a table with three young ladies recruiting new employees to work this Christmas season.
  • Eagle
    Nova Scotia
    I’d flown in to Halifax and after two aborted landings we finally gotten on the ground.
  • Art Fettig
    My Becoming A Writer
    On the morning of February 14th, 1961 I became a writer. First thing, I answered a want ad offering a used Underwood typewriter for sale.
  • Searching
    Searching
    For the past few weeks, I have been endeavoring to sort out the books and booklets I’ve written by date. Then I want to make a second collection sorted by topic. I thought it would be a simple project but now I am suffering from the result of a lifetime practice of sloppy bookkeeping.
  • Scolding - Military Training
    Scolding
    Have you ever been scolded and told “You just better straighten yourself out.”  Well I caught myself saying that to myself yesterday.
  • Turtle - Try and Stop Me
    A Lucky Idea
    H. L. Hunt, who in his time was one of the richest men in the United States, once said that “You must decide what it is you want and decide what you will give up to get it.” Persistence falls into that category. The reason my poem titled “Pay Attention Brother” has been an inspiration to new writers is that many of them never had a hint of the price they must pay to succeed as a writer.
  • Meagan and Natalie Metz
    Plaintiffs in Lawsuit Featured in Flagstaff Exhibit
    Twenty women who have faced extraordinary challenges and have overcome hardships are profiled in a new documentary-style exhibit at Flagstaff’s Pioneer Museum. It’s called “Resilience: Women in Flagstaff’s Past and Present.”
  • Slow Down
    Slow Down and Remember, Bold Print
    I was listening to the news this morning, really trying to keep up with the reporters but they were just a tiny bit too fast for my comprehension. It wasn’t that I couldn’t hear, keeping up was my problem. 
  • Prison Bars
    Art Fettig, “Pass it on!”
    A dynamic speaker named Bill Sanders invited me to join him one day when he was visiting Jackson prison. That would be around 1980. We went into the maximum security section and visited with prisoners serving life sentences and then we would each gave a little speech and talked with prisoners privately.
  • Art Fettig as Mr. Lucky
    Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag
    James Brown, the old Blues singer, wrote and sang a song titled “Papa’s got a brand new bag”. I sort of associated that song with the different brands I have had in my career.
  • Art Fettig and Greg Brayton
    Laughing with Greg
    Did you ever get to laughing so hard that you had to get down on the floor and get into a fetal position just to survive?
  • Greg and Art – Friends, Song Writers and Pals
    Songwriting With Greg
    From February of 1997 to February 2001 I wrote a total of 57 songs which we recorded with Greg Brayton at his studio in Coldwater, Michigan.
  • Sun with Sunglasses
    Hot
    Hot has been the topic of conversation these recent days and my memory went back to 1951 when I was a G.I. at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas.

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