From the Desk of Murray Lincoln

For your inspection

Digital Image from Misty Hollow

Crop Circles

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/ and http://mistyhollow-digitalimages.blogspot.ca/

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Crimean War 1856 to 2014

Check out https://www.facebook.com/mistyhollowcarving

Misty Hollow Carving and Misty Hollow Digital Images

These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.

“Misty Hollow Carving” was launched in October 2008

Misty Hollow Digital Images were launched on September 26, 2012.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Crimean War 1856 to 2014

The opening ceremonies of 2014 Sochi Olympics was a showcase of Russia today. And if you witnessed this great presentation you will have noticed the spectacular show of the past up to the present. You would have seen what Russian leaders today would like you to know about Mother Russia and its care for its people.

But if you did any reading and any study of the present situations leading up to the 2014 Sochi Olympics you will have noticed that this area is one of the favorite spots of President Vladimir Putin. If you read enough you will see also that a long time ago(maybe not that long ago) people that had lived safely and happily in that area and general region were removed so that the land would be able to be used for better ideas – like the Sochi 2014 Olympics.

The area has been in turmoil for many years. Yet we forgot that and celebrated the Gold that Canada was able to win – beating Russians and Americans in Hockey was the highlight for all of us in our country!

Now following the Olympics news has been filled with the sad tale unfolding in the Ukraine with turmoil, fighting, soldiers and protesters. Many have died again over who should be in charge.

At the same time the area called “The Crimea” has been invaded by Russian Troops. The local government that had been part of the Ukraine was ousted and a new Russian authority took control. Russian soldiers took over Ukrainian Army Bases and confined the Ukrainian soldiers to their bases. The fighting was over in a matter of days with little or no loss of blood.

What the dickens is going on in that area of the world? We all thought that Russia was progressing toward a better future and relations with rest of the world.

I mean, some folks were a little uptight because the Gay Folk of the world couldn’t get an easy in to the Russian Empire. Old Vladimir Putin didn’t want their kind parading through the streets and trying to recruit the youth of Russia to become Gay. It was such a big deal that our leaders all stayed home in protest. I mean we all kind of saw that Gays are right and the rest of the world is nuts.

But Vladimir Putin had other things on his mind for Mother Russia – the Gay stuff kind of took everyone’s attention away from what was to happen in the Ukraine.

What is wrong with these people anyway? Can’t they live in peace? Why not just get on with life like the rest of us… let the Gays be Gay, let Straights be Straight and let those that could care less about what kind of sin/sex some are doing or not doing just keep worrying about it all!!!?

But while that was happening and we worried – hundreds of Ukrainians died.

WHY?

Well maybe with a wee bit more reading you will see that the Russians were beat back in the Crimean area by the French and English along with the soldiers from the Ottoman Empire in the mid 1850s – and they never forgot what happened.

Take time to read this article “The Crimean War” on Wikipedia.

The Crimean War gave history lots of stuff that some of us remember… “Nurse Florence Nightingale”… the most infamous battle ever… “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and all kinds of history wrapped up in War Stories.

But who could ever thought that it would all start reappearing again in 2014 – a 158 years later?

Russia did – because they don’t forget… and Vladimir Putin loves his country.

Whoa!

Some one said… It took Hitler a couple of years to invade another country after the Olympics were held in his country. It has taken Mr. Putin just a few weeks. Makes one wonder what is next?

Oh Boy!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

For your inspection

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SUCCESS

Check out https://www.facebook.com/mistyhollowcarving

Misty Hollow Carving and Misty Hollow Digital Images

These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.

“Misty Hollow Carving” was launched in October 2008

Misty Hollow Digital Images were launched on September 26, 2012.

“Crop Circles’ Web Site” where all my images are available.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SUCCESS

By John Maxwell (click here for source)

When will you be successful? If you’re like most people, what comes to mind is someday—somewhere off in the future, when you’ll suddenly wake up and think, “I made it! I’m a success!” That’s how most unsuccessful people see success: as something to strive for and hope to reach “someday.”

Each of us has a picture in mind of what we want our career to look like, our family to look like, and yes, from an early age we often conjure up images of the houses, cars, and things we would like to obtain. In many persons’ minds, success is something way off in the distance that they will run themselves ragged to get to – if they ever get to it at all.

At one time, I viewed success as a place where I would arrive. I defined it as the progressive realization of a predetermined, worthwhile goal. But over time, I realized that the definition falls short of the mark. It leads to “destination disease” – the belief that if we just arrive somewhere (e.g. attain a position, accomplish a goal, have a relationship with the right person), we will be successful.

But many years ago, I came to a different conclusion about success. All the traditional definitions either made success a destination to reach, or required some magic formula to obtain. I began to see success as a journey, an ongoing process of growth. And after over nearly fifty years of knowing successful people and studying the subject, this is the definition of success that I now embrace:

Success is…

Knowing your purpose in life,

Growing to reach your maximum potential, and

Sowing seeds that benefit others.

You can see by this definition why success is a journey rather than a destination. No matter how long you live or what you decide to do in life, you will never exhaust your capacity to grow toward your potential, nor will you run out of opportunities to help others. When you see success as a journey, then you never have the problem of trying to “arrive” at an elusive final destination. And you’ll never find yourself in a position where you’ve accomplished some final goal - only to discover that you’re still unfulfilled and searching for something else to do.

Another benefit of focusing on the journey of success instead of on arriving at a destination or achieving a goal is that you have the potential to become a success today. The very moment that you make the shift to finding your purpose, growing to your potential, and helping others, successful is something you are right now, not something you vaguely hope one day to be.

Let’s talk more about how to pursue each of the three aspects noted above.

Knowing Your Purpose

I believe that God created every person for a purpose. As psychologist Viktor Frankl said, “Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life. Everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.” Each of us has a purpose for which we were created. Our responsibility - and our greatest joy - is to identify it.

Finding our purpose requires us to seek to discover two things: our passion, and our giftedness. What is the deep desire set in your heart, the thing that sets your soul on fire? What makes you cry? What do you get most excited about? And what are you good at? No one else in the world has exactly the same gifts, talents, background, or future that you do.

Think about the unique mix of abilities you have, the resources available to you, your own personal history, and the opportunities around you. If you objectively identify these factors and discover the desire of your heart, you will have done a lot toward discovering your purpose in life.

Growing to Your Potential

Novelist H.G. Wells said that wealth, notoriety, place, and power are no measures of success whatsoever. The only true measure of success is the ratio between what we might have been and what we have become. In other words, success comes as the result of growing to our potential. It’s been said that our potential is God’s gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift to him.

We have nearly limitless potential, yet few ever try to reach it. Why? The answer lies in this: We can do anything, but we can’t do everything. Many people let everyone around them decide what their agenda is in life. As a result, they never really dedicate themselves to their purpose in life. They become a jack of all trades, master of none--rather than a jack of few trades, focused on one.

Reaching your potential requires focus. That’s why it’s so important for you to discover your purpose. Commitment to continual improvement is also key. Each day you can become a little bit better than you were yesterday.

Forget the past and focus on the future. That’s where your potential lies, ahead of you - no matter whether you’re eight, eighteen, forty-eight, or eighty. You still have room to improve yourself. You can become better tomorrow than you are today. As the Spanish proverb says, “He who does not look ahead remains behind.”

Sowing Seeds That Benefit Others

When you know your purpose in life and are growing to reach your maximum potential, you’re well on your way to being a success. But there’s one more important part to the success journey: helping others. Without that aspect, the journey can be a lonely and shallow experience.

Helping others is something you can do right here, right now, whether it’s spending more time with your family, developing an employee who shows potential, helping people in the community, or simply putting your own desires on hold for the sake of your team at work. The key is to link your purpose with your desire to help others.

Entertainer Danny Thomas said, “All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”

The success journey will not look the same for everyone, because the picture of success is different for every person. What doesn’t change are the principles used to take the journey. They can be applied at home, in school, at the office, on the ball field, and in church. It doesn’t matter where you are now. You can learn and apply these ideas. You can be successful today.

~ Murray Lincoln ~

For your inspection

Digital Image from Misty Hollow

Crop Circles

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/ and http://mistyhollow-digitalimages.blogspot.ca/

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Press Release – Re Circles of Support and Accountability - CUT

Check out https://www.facebook.com/mistyhollowcarving

Misty Hollow Carving and Misty Hollow Digital Images

These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.

“Misty Hollow Carving” was launched in October 2008

Misty Hollow Digital Images were launched on September 26, 2012.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When I received this Press Release it arrived on the heels of a telephone call informing me that the local successful program was being cut.

There is much to read and much to think about. Many questions…

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Press Release – Re Circles of Support and Accountability - CUT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Harper Government Shutters Most Widely Respected and Effective Program for Sexual Offenders:

Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA)

· Correctional Services of Canada (CSC) recently informed all 18 Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) projects in Canada that their contracts will be terminated at the end of March 2014. The Correctional Service of Canada says it does not have the $2.2-million budget to support CoSA. We believe the government must provide CSC with the means to support CoSA to offset the threats to public safety.

· To date, four studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the CoSA model have been published in peer-reviewed journals, all of them showing the same outcome: dramatically reduced rates of sexual and other reoffending among CoSA participants. These findings have encouraged the US federal government to support CoSA project development in many communities; the UK and other international jurisdictions are following suit.

· CoSA has been supported by the federal government since 1994. This partnership in risk-management between CSC and the community, where ordinary citizens, supported by local professionals volunteer their time to accompany high-risk sex offender as they return from prison, has become a best-practice model for jurisdictions in the United Kingdom, the United States, and several countries in the European Union. In fact, US-based research has assessed projects according to their fidelity with the original Canadian CoSA model.

· Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) began in 1994 when a community of concerned Canadians responded to the release of Charlie Taylor, a notorious child sexual offender. Taylor was surrounded with a group of volunteers committed to supporting him while holding him accountable for his actions. Taylor died 12 years after his release with no more victims – one of CoSA Canada’s goals. CoSA continues this approach today with 700 CoSA volunteers nation-wide supporting 155 sexual offenders.

On the recommendations of CSC, the Parole Board of Canada holds many of the highest-risk sexual offenders beyond their statutory release date to the last day of their sentence. At that point, these high-risk sexual offenders are released to the community with no access to follow-up services or formal support and little chance to develop accountability. Left unsupported, offenders’ risk of reoffence escalates. Local citizens have stepped into this gap to provide crucial support and to foster accountability. Community members are willing to do their part to enhance public safety and protect the most vulnerable. But they need the support of their federal government.

· The National Crime Prevention Centre, an arm of Public Safety Canada, is nearing completion of a $7.5 million evaluation of CoSA nationally. It concludes September 2014, but the CSC, also an arm of Public Safety Canada, has decided not to wait and is pulling its support in March.

· At the same time the government is unable to secure a $2.2million budget for CoSA, it is spending nearly $80 million launching measures such as the, “Safer Streets and Communities Act.” Research[1] shows that such measures are unlikely to work, whereas many experts in Canada and internationally are convinced CoSA is an approach most likely to work.

For more information, interview or commentary, contact . .Dan Haley danhaley@nexicom.net 705-750-5942

~ Murray Lincoln ~

http://-digitalimages.blogspot.ca/

For your inspection

[1] [1] See for example, Gendreau, P., C. Goggin, & F.T. Cullen. (1999). The Effects of Prison Sentences on Recidivism. Ottawa: Solicitor General Canada; and Ruddell, R. and Winfree, L.T. (2006). "Setting Aside Criminal Convictions in Canada: A Successful Approach to Offender Reintegration." The Prison Journal, 86 (452-469).

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Double Yeah Canada!!

Check out https://www.facebook.com/mistyhollowcarving

Misty Hollow Carving and Misty Hollow Digital Images

These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.

“Misty Hollow Carving” was launched in October 2008

Misty Hollow Digital Images were launched on September 26, 2012.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Double Yeah Canada!!

(Whew – 15 Days since I had enough time to sit and pour into this Blog. It hasn’t been happening because I forgot – just too darn occupied with everything else.

My third trip to Kingston is happening this afternoon. I sure have been I prison a lot lately. It will soon be a life sentence. For my non-regular readers… I am a volunteer in a unique role of serving with the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) with Corrections Service Canada (CSC). And with the role that I serve in there are a number of important committee meetings as of late – with a change in my role coming up soon.)

I just watch the Canadian Men’s Hockey Team win the Gold medal at the Olympics in Sochi Russia. I also witnessed the Team from Sweden win the Silver Medal. Both teams played hard and should be congratulated for doing so well.

I couldn’t help but think that for approximately one hour of struggling to win on the ice surface – representing their country so well… with most of their fellow country folk watching…these poor guys were dead tired… exhausted in fact. Their legs were screaming for relief. Their chests were gasping for the vital oxygen that was so needed to make it all happen. These were athletes at their finest moment.

And the moment of each goal – their country folk back home were cheering their heads off… as if they had made the goal each time.

Then when the last second ticked off the clock and the Gold medal was Canada’s – WOW. The crowd filled with so many thousands of people cheered as if they had won the game… each one of them had played and each one had scored.

Yet the 15 guys, top athletes in the very best shape of anyone in Canada… needed a rest and to let their bodies build up again… nearly 33 Million of us over weight and out of shape desperately needed to get off our butts and do some exercise of some sort – claimed the victory personally.

And the 33 Million won the Gold for Canada!

Ironic isn’t it? We don’t do a thing but we win. But maybe cheering helps us win… maybe.

But my win personally will be when I can ride my bicycle again, walk

again and just get busy doing stuff without any snow to drive me nuts.

I have shoveled enough snow… am sick and tired of ICE that has made it slippery and dangerous for people to walk and carry one business!

Yeah CANADA.

I shouldn’t complain really. I could be stuck on a quiet island in a warm place, eating the local fruit and local fresh fish, enjoying the home baked bread from a local bakery… and just chilling out on a warm afternoon.

But instead I have been located in one of the coldest countries on earth – so our Team could win Hockey Gold. Because without the cold we would never would have had ice… and never learned that slippery ice can be skated on… and that we could win Gold.

Oh Ya!

Double Yeah Canada!!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

For your inspection

Saturday, February 8, 2014

I need and want a NEW CAR!

Check out https://www.facebook.com/mistyhollowcarving

Misty Hollow Carving and Misty Hollow Digital Images

These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.

“Misty Hollow Carving” was launched in October 2008

Misty Hollow Digital Images were launched on September 26, 2012.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I need and want a NEW CAR!

Ten days ago I stated I was so busy… it is winter… too cold for old people… and that Life is whirling around me. Yikes.

Well it gets better, the story that is! Maybe not better – just more interesting.

Our vehicle broke down when I was in Ottawa. It died in our driveway when my wife was backing in.

It was the battery… dead … $250… ($90 labour plus $150 plus taxes.

Second the garage people discovered that an orange light on the dash board indicted a problem… looking into that they determined a Brake sensor was a problem – but that indicated that the main ECM (the computer brain for the vehicle) was in need of replacing… and if I didn’t do that the next emission tests to get the license for the vehicle would be a “Fail”… part ordered… and labour charge to be around… $450

Oh ya… I forgot… it cost $106 to have that estimate done… total… $556

Sheesh!

Driving carefully home from Whitby Ontario one last Saturday… there was a terrible fluttering sound below the hood of the vehicle. I was sure we had hit a bird or something was dying in the engine compartment. Nope! No bird. The “serpentine belt” which is like the old “V Belt” of days gone by…the $14 kind… had been cut in half, instead of running on 7 grooves we now had three left.

Slowly we crept back to the city holding our breath.

Darn it… should have held our breath a little longer on the way to the garage. The cost of new belt was to be $50 with $90 an hour to repair it. They ordered the belt. We waited until Tuesday to get the new belt. It came and was the wrong one. Reordered and left the car on their garage hoist for another day.

The call came that Wednesday afternoon to tell me that the vehicle was ready… $159

Can anything else go wrong? Holding my breath when I say – “no”…?

My optimistic and positive wife said, “Oh well it is cheaper than buying a new car!”

But I NEED and WANT a NEW CAR.

Oh Yah…

Today I rented a brand new Dodge Dart 2.4L for a 4 day business trip.

Oh ya! It has everything… a screen that shows the stuff behind the car when I backup… its own GPS… Sirius Sat Radio…heated seats… heated steering wheel … telephone connections (Bluetooth)… and a million other gadgets that I will fiddle with for four days. Oh Ya Oh YAH! OH YAAAAAH!!!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

For your inspection