Force Christmas down their throats and Make Em Like IT!!!!!

Last year I was lamenting on the commercialization of Christmas, until Steve V. set me straight.

No reason to participate in the "War on Christmas" angst.

Godless capitalism is what it has always been: godless capitalism. It has *always* longed to maximize spending and minimize our interest in things higher than this world. The task of keeping both Christ and Mass in Christmas does not belong to American industry, but to the Faithful.

One can certainly roll one's eyes at the naked worship of Mammon. But when you do that you should take a little responsibility too and chalk stuff like TV ads up, not to evil socialist atheists engaging in some nefarious leftist War on Christmas that has nothing to do with "conservative family values" but to good solid godless capitalism that is just trying to figure out how to shake the Money Tree more efficiently in a postmodern and dechristianizing culture.

Being disappointed and perpetually vexed because exploitive corporate entities you naively associate with childhood, Christmas and mistletoe are actually exploitive corporate entities is a waste of time.

Learn to separate out what is essential to Christmas from what has, in our culture, learned to parasitically feed off Christmas and retain your joy.

G.K. Chesterton, "Comfort for Communists"

Ours, ours is the key O desolate crier,
The golden key to what ills distress you
Left without ever a God to judge you,
Lost without even Man to oppress you.

Look west, look west to the Land of Profits,
To the old gold marts, and confess it then
How greatly your great propaganda prospers
When left to the methods of Business Men.

Ah, Mammon is mightier than Marx in making
a goose-step order for godless geese,
And snobs know better than mobs to measure
Where Golf shall flourish and God shall cease.

Lift up your hearts in the wastes Slavonian,
Let no Red Sun on your wrath go down;
There are millions of very much organized atheists
In the Outer Circle of London Town.

- G.K. Chesterton, "Comfort for Communists"

How can you tell hes a king?

88 pounds since May. A comment I oft hear is I am now 1/2 the man I was. More accurately but more cumbersome of a statement would be 2/3 the man I was. That in and of itself is a humorous deprecation of my progress. I have found quite a bit of humor in peoples reactions.

The most perplexing contrast is those who comment what great shape I have attained .vs. those who wonder if I have a possibly life threatening illness. Quite the dissimilitude! Either healthy or deathlike by sheer observation!

I am below the 200 pound mark, which is still overweight by all the various algorithmic weight scales I have found.

My TOPS goal weight is a scant 4 pounds away. My mindset body weight is 185. Which is what I weighed when I was in the best shape I can recall. I am tempering my expectations with the reality that I just might not be able to maintain that slim.

I have purged my closet and I am starting to acquire a less rotund attire. Being a size M and tucking in a size XL just does not look good...

The Thanksgiving story ala Rush!

It's time for the traditional true story of Thanksgiving, as written by me in my second best seller of 2.5 million copies in hardback: See, I Told You So. "Chapter 6, Dead White Guys, or What the History Books Never Told You: The True Story of Thanksgiving -- The story of the Pilgrims begins in the early part of the seventeenth century (that's the 1600s for those of you in Rio Linda, California). The Church of England under King James I was persecuting anyone and everyone who did not recognize its absolute civil and spiritual authority. Those who challenged ecclesiastical authority and those who believed strongly in freedom of worship were hunted down, imprisoned, and sometimes executed for their beliefs. A group of separatists first fled to Holland and established a community.

"After eleven years, about forty of them agreed to make a perilous journey to the New World, where they would certainly face hardships, but could live and worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences. On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail. It carried a total of 102 passengers, including forty Pilgrims led by William Bradford. On the journey, Bradford set up an agreement, a contract, that established just and equal laws for all members of the new community, irrespective of their religious beliefs. Where did the revolutionary ideas expressed in the Mayflower Compact come from? From the Bible. The Pilgrims were a people completely steeped in the lessons of the Old and New Testaments. They looked to the ancient Israelites for their example.

"And, because of the biblical precedents set forth in Scripture, they never doubted that their experiment would work. But this was no pleasure cruise, friends. The journey to the New World was a long and arduous one. And when the Pilgrims landed in New England in November, they found, according to Bradford's detailed journal, a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. And the sacrifice they had made for freedom was just beginning. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims – including Bradford's own wife – died of either starvation, sickness or exposure. When spring finally came, Indians taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod and skin beavers for coats.

"Life improved for the Pilgrims, but they did not yet prosper! This is important to understand because this is where modern American history lessons often end. Thanksgiving is actually explained in some textbooks as a holiday for which the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Indians for saving their lives, rather than as a devout expression of gratitude grounded in the tradition of both the Old and New Testaments. Here is the part that has been omitted: The original contract the Pilgrims had entered into with their merchant-sponsors in London called for everything they produced to go into a common store, and each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belong to the community as well. They were going to distribute it equally. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community as well.

"Nobody owned anything. They just had a share in it. It was a commune, folks. It was the forerunner to the communes we saw in the '60s and '70s out in California – and it was complete with organic vegetables, by the way. Bradford, who had become the new governor of the colony, recognized that this form of collectivism was as costly and destructive to the Pilgrims as that first harsh winter, which had taken so many lives. He decided to take bold action. Bradford assigned a plot of land to each family to work and manage, thus turning loose the power of the marketplace. That's right. Long before Karl Marx was even born, the Pilgrims had discovered and experimented with what could only be described as socialism. And what happened? It didn't work!"

"It never has worked! "What Bradford and his community found was that the most creative and industrious people had no incentive to work any harder than anyone else, unless they could utilize the power of personal motivation! But while most of the rest of the world has been experimenting with socialism for well over a hundred years – trying to refine it, perfect it, and re-invent it – the Pilgrims decided early on to scrap it permanently. What Bradford wrote about this social experiment should be in every schoolchild's history lesson. If it were, we might prevent much needless suffering in the future. 'The experience that we had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years...that by taking away property, and bringing community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing – as if they were wiser than God,' Bradford wrote.

"'For this community [so far as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense ... that was thought injustice.' Why should you work for other people when you can't work for yourself? What's the point? Do you hear what he was saying, ladies and gentlemen? The Pilgrims found that people could not be expected to do their best work without incentive. So what did Bradford's community try next? They unharnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking the undergirding capitalistic principle of private property.

"Every family was assigned its own plot of land to work and permitted to market its own crops and products. And what was the result? 'This had very good success,' wrote Bradford, 'for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.' Bradford doesn't sound like much of a Clintonite" I wrote then "does he? Is it possible that supply-side economics could have existed before the 1980s? Yes. Read the story of Joseph and Pharaoh in Genesis 41. Following Joseph's suggestion (Gen 41:34), Pharaoh reduced the tax on Egyptians to 20% during the 'seven years of plenty' and the 'Earth brought forth in heaps.' (Gen. 41:47) In no time, the Pilgrims found they had more food than they could eat themselves.

"Now, this is where it gets really good, folks, if you're laboring under the misconception that I was, as I was taught in school. So they set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London. And the success and prosperity of the Plymouth settlement attracted more Europeans and began what came to be known as the 'Great Puritan Migration.'" But this story stops when the Indians taught the newly arrived suffering in socialism Pilgrims how to plant corn and fish for cod. That's where the story stops, and the story basically doesn't even begin there. The real story of Thanksgiving is William Bradford giving thanks to God for the guidance and the inspiration to set up a thriving colony. The bounty was shared with the Indians. They did sit down and they had dinner, and I think they had a turkey, but it was not the Indians who saved the day. It was capitalism and Scripture which saved the day."

Primer: How to stop scientific debate.

The first source I need to point to is Linked here.

There is a danger of monoculture or groupthink that has grown up around Man Made Global Warming. In particular, Warren considers the idea of "peer review", which alarmists constantly brandish as proof of the indisputability of their findings:

"Peer review was never meant as a sort of good housekeeping seal of approval on scientific work. It is not a guarantee of correctness. It is really an extension of the editorial process — bringing scientists from relevant fields to vet whether work is really new and different and worthy of publication, to make sure the actual article communicates the work and its findings clearly, and to probe for obvious errors or logical fallacies.

Climate scientists have tried to portray peer review as the end of the process– ie, once one of their works shows up in a peer-reviewed journal, the question addressed is “settled.” But his is never how science has worked. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is the beginning, not the end. Once published, scientists attempt alternatively to tear it down or replicate its conclusions. Only work that has survived years of such torture testing starts to become “settled.”

The emails help to shed light on some aspects of peer review that skeptics have suspected for years. It is increasingly clear that climate scientists in the monoculture have been using peer review to enforce the orthodoxy. Peer review panels are stacked with members of the club, and authors who challenge the orthodoxy are shut out of publication, while authors within the monoculture use peer review as a shield against future criticism. We see in the emails members of the monoculture actually working to force editors who have the temerity to publish work critical of the orthodoxy out of their jobs. We are now learning that when alarmist scientists claim that there is little peer-reviewed science on the skeptic’s side, this is like the Catholic Church enforcing a banned books list and then claiming that everything in print supports the Church’s position.

History teaches us that whenever we allow a monoculture - whether is be totalitarian one-party rule or enforcing a single state religion, corruption follows. Without scrutiny of their actions, actors in such monocultures have few checks and little accountability. Worse, those at the center of such monocultures can become convinced of their own righteousness, such that any action they take in support of the orthodoxy is by definition ethically justified.

This, I think, is exactly what we see at work in the Hadley [sic] emails."

Next we have Watt's Up With That, and a fascinating and disturbing trip along just one thread of the CRU emails, where the UEA is asked to release a list of the meteorological stations, and the raw data for those stations. In response, UEA essentially tell him to go and screw himself.

Eschenbach takes us through his sequence of letters and FOI requests to the university, and juxtaposes the unhelpful responses he gets with the emails flying around behind the scenes in which the climate scientists are urging each other to batten down the hatches and give nothing away. It's a long post, but I strongly recommend it to you if you haven't already seen it.

"in 2005 Warwick [Hughes, climate researcher] asked Phil for the dataset that was used to create the CRU temperature record. Phil Jones famously replied:

Subject: Re: WMO non respondo

… Even if WMO agrees, I will still not pass on the data. We have 25 or so years invested in the work. Why should I make the data available to you, when your aim is to try and find something wrong with it. …

Cheers Phil

Hmmm … not good. Or as they say in “1984″, double-plus ungood. Science can only progress if there is a free exchange of scientific data The scientific model works like this:

* A scientist makes claims, and reveals the data and methods he used to come to his conclusions.

* Other scientists who don’t agree attack the claim by (inter alia) seeing if they can replicate the result, using the first scientist’s data and methods.

* If the claims cannot be replicated, the claim is adjudged to be false.

Obviously, if the data or the methods are kept secret, the claims cannot be verified. Attacking other scientist’s claims is what what scientists do. This adversarial system is the heart of science. Refusing scientific data because someone will attack it is an oxymoron, of course they will attack it. That’s what scientists do."

So I wonder, isn't that the role of a scientist?

Chasing Corporations Out Of The U.S.

This was a disturbing read for me.

"But it is not just taxation that is chasing corporations out of America. Another top consideration is access to talent. The U.S. now spends more per capita on public education than any other OECD country, but its students test in the bottom decile."

"A culture that turns a blind eye to government failure, but is quick and unrelenting to blame society's ills on business, will naturally and subliminally embrace socialist solutions. The problem is that when one intervention fails, the government attempts to fix its errors with yet more intervention"

As taxes become more punitive for the rich, those who can will relocate to a more hospitable local. A liberal blogger I know, when confronted with this stated that "The rich will not leave the US, they never had it so good."

This is not the world of the 1950's and 1960's. Well educated workforce's are luring businesses to their locations in a siren song of business friendly government. Our administration seems content with pressing forward with the idea that business needs to earn less and pay more to the government and workforce.

Everything has a price. Every choice has repercussions.

In a large group meeting, at a previous employer of mine. One of management was asking the crowd "What is it you want?" in my typical clownish style shouted anonymously "More Pay for less work." Which got a laugh and the management response of "Me too!"

Talk about human nature in action. If you took a paper and pencil out right now and started a list of things that you should be doing around your home. I am pretty sure that list would grow a life of its own as each item conjured up another. If you were to do the same exercise three months later, I bet you will list many of the same things.

As a thought experiment, what if you were to assign some compensation to the top five items on the list, a reward, if you will...

Human nature.

Morbidly Fit

BMI scale is misused by Health Care professionals.

Lloyd was a work out partner of mine. This was not by intention, rather, by serendipity. As a newly wed I got a membership to Gold Gym and would start my mornings with a robust workout. I answered a bellowing call to spot Lloyds benchpress. After that he 'helped' me with my workouts. Even now the sore muscle memory hits me.

Lloyd was a Body builder, he had some success but would complain about the drug use. Also, the politics that made size more important then symmetry and definition. Lloyd was a Natural body builder and had to put in the hours instead of the juice. This was before the steroid issues blew up. Turns out he was spot on about the overuse. Anyways, this man was genetically gifted. He stood around 6'4" and 285 lbs. at 5% body fat. He was a regular marathon runner as well. Quick read. He was in shape.

Now in the course of human events he had a kid by someone he was not married too. He had left the lifestyle in order to provide for his kid. So he was working at the Oil Fields and working out morning and night.

Lloyd had tried to get life insurance, he was denied for being Morbidly Obese. This was done by someone sitting in a cubical looking on some actuarial charts. Fighting the system resulted in him driving all over the southland visiting various doctors and then going to others to confirm that he was NOT obese.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a statistical measurement which compares a person's weight and height to identify weight problems within a population. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by Adolphe Quetelet, get that 19th Century!

Dr. GJ Hamwi's developed a more comprehensive formula designed for a person with a light, medium, or heavy frame.

For medium frame men: 106 lb for the first 5 ft; 6 lb for each inch over 5 ft

or

Weight for a Male 5 ft 11.5 in Tall: 175 lb

Light Frame: 158 lb

Heavy Frame: 193 lb

No formula can predict ideal body weight accurately. There are too many differences in body types, frame size and body composition. If you want to REALLY know, do an immersion test. Find out your body composition and you are better informed.

My Spoon is too big

Well my clothes are actually...

I grabbed a favorite shirt of mine and went out to eat recently. This particular dinner has been blogged about below with pictures. My shirt looks like crap on me, because it had been on a much larger version of me.

All my old shirts are too big. This, is very annoying to me for a couple of reasons. I LIKE my old shirts but when you put on a dress shirt and its like tucking in a spinnaker sail IT LOOKS LIKE GATHERED CRAP!

It was bad enough that my Briefs had turned into Boxers (I do not like boxers). Now my shirt collection is requiring being purged! Tee-shirts can be worn big. It is even comfortable. Sweat Shirts I prefer big. It turns out there is something to be said for work shirts that fit.

Do NOT get me wrong. I am well pleased that for the first time in 30 years I am below 200 pounds. I just never took into account that my wardrobe would become obsolete.

Silly me...

Okay, I feel better (until I look at my FORMER shirts again)... So anyways. I went to the Doctors today. My NEW doctor. My old one saw the writing on the wall and opted for early retirement then face the Government Rationed Healthcare system that seems to be coming our way.

This new doctor was not born in the USA. No big deal, but I am starting to wonder if there are ANY new doctors being born in the USA... And I got a bit of a life shock, this may or may not make sense\be funny to anyone out there depending upon your age and experience.

THIS DOCTOR IS YOUNGER THEN ME! For the first time EVER! yes, it was a fundamental shift in my universe. Shocking to say the least. Doctor baby face was nice enough, he apparently enjoys his laptop computer as he spent much more time looking at it then at me. I was anxious to hear how my blood work went. Being Type II, and having shunned 88 pounds, you can understand.

He starts explaining things, with an increasingly confusing loop the loop of information:

Doc: Okay your blood test results are excellent, your numbers are at the upper range for normal.

Me: Wow, Normal? Great I was hoping to get off my medication.

Doc babyF: Well, your numbers are normal for a regular person.

Me: I have daily bowel movements, I am not sure what that has to do with...

Doc babyF: No I mean your blood work would show your not diabetic in a normal person.

Me: I'm not a normal person?

Doc babyF: You have Diabetes.

Me: Yes, but with my weight loss I was thinking I would be able to reverse that. Now you say my numbers show my blood sugars are normal! That means I'm Cured!

Doc babyF: No, it doesnt, you still have diabetes. If you Did NOT have diabetes your blood test would be normal.

Me: Did the numbers before show I had dabetes?

Doc babyF: Yes, most assuradly.

Me: and now the numbers show my blood is the same as a normal, non-type II person?

Doc babyF: Exactly correct.

Me: So the only reason I am not cured NOW is because I was diagnosed earlier?

Doc babyF: Yes, that is correct.

Me: ........................................wtf?

Anyways. My BP is phenomenal! My Cholesterol is Excellent! My weight is a tad high (according to a highly flawed calculation called BMI, but so be it).

All in all I am a much healthier human being, just in time for Christmas! Now if I just had something to wear!

Nuff Said!

WoW video

This was just such a cute short video, I had to share.

Shopping heard around the world.

Food shopping has come under my dominion. That came hand in hand with meal planning. You would not think the two are mutually exclusive. At one point in time we would look for something to make one night only to discard idea's due to a key ingredient missing. Or there would be a drive to the market prior to execution of supper.

In Europe, I understand, there is a daily shopping that occurs. While there may already be a concept for the weeks food, the bulk of items are shopped that day.

Once upon a time, going shopping would mean going to various shops. Either a Butcher, or Fishmonger, produce, canned goods and sundry items. There are quite a few people who have a nostalgia for that even view it as a superior ideal. My thinking is that idea jaundiced by retrospect. Most of the shops had very limited selection, so your meals would be a tight rotation of meat and potato's or something that was localized.

Personally I like having my two weeks of meals listed with full list of ingredients that I can check my pantry then fill in the blanks at the store.

Is it better or worse then EU or the 'good ol days'?

Having been asked:I do not think that simplistic of a question is appropriate in the complexity or in the assumption that there is an issue.

Eat Global Warming!

I am opposite to PETA's agenda. Saying I am a vegetarian can have an odd effect on some people who mentally categorize in a mind narrowing fashion.

However, I am reading today that California decided that people need to go out of state to purchase Televisions. This is due in part to Man Made Global warming and government wanting the highest energy cost they can achieve. Yes, that paragraph is very slanted.

In reading all this cap and trade, carbon footprint, government regulation. I wonder when we will each have our own carbon limit. Something like the UK is contemplating. "Wow, I am over my carbon allowance, I better stay home and darken my house to catch up..."

Why is it, I wonder, if the planet is in such danger, why not simply outlaw meat production?

Eating vegan is more environmentally efficient than feeding the animals in a meat-based diet. Veganism also greatly reduces the wastes, pollution, and deforestation caused by mass raising of animals.

We have altered vast ecosystems and devoted massive resources to support the world's burgeoning livestock herds. These animals need to be fed. They need water to survive. If they are ranged, they need land. And these animals produce enormous quantities of waste.

The ecological footprint of meat production is deep and wide, and ranges from forest destruction in Central and South America for ranching to suppression of native predators and competitors in the United States.

Seven kilograms of grain are required to produce 1 kilogram of beef; the conversion is 4-to-1 for pork and 2-to-1 for poultry. Each kilogram of meat represents several kilograms of grain that could be consumed directly by humans, not to mention the water and farmland required growing the grain.

Huge amounts of food - not to mention the water and farmland required growing the food - can be freed up by reduction in meat production. For example, if the 670 million tons of the world's grain that is fed to livestock were reduced by 10 percent, the resulting grain could feed 225 million people.

The massive waste produced by livestock threatens waterways worldwide. In the United States, where 130 times more animal manure is produced than human waste - 5 tons for every U.S. citizen - animal waste is the principal source of water pollution.

However, Al Gore has dismissed this method, maybe because it will do nothing for his bank account. Nothing in the cap and trade bill address meat consumption either, possibly due to the lobbyists?

Or maybe all of this rancor is not about the Earth at all...

Climatologists Baffled by Global Warming Time-Out

It has to be getting more and more difficult to believe in the man made global warming cult Al Gore has been raking in the cash from.

"The planet's temperature curve rose sharply for almost 30 years, as global temperatures increased by an average of 0.7 degrees Celsius (1.25 degrees Fahrenheit) from the 1970s to the late 1990s. "At present, however, the warming is taking a break," confirms meteorologist Mojib Latif of the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences in the northern German city of Kiel. Latif, one of Germany's best-known climatologists, says that the temperature curve has reached a plateau. "There can be no argument about that," he says. "We have to face that fact.""

With Hurricanes At Thirty Year Low, Gore Turns To Photoshop

Climate change appears to have stalled just before the upcoming world summit in the Danish capital, where thousands of politicians, bureaucrats, scientists, business leaders and environmental activists plan to negotiate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Billions of euros are at stake in the negotiations, meaning who is going to get the slush fund that cap and trade 'creates' to stop global warming. I guess that makes it a real crises!

The Guild

Season 3 of this really funny niche program has its finale show next Tuesday.

If you have not partaken in this wonderful internet enterprise please start here.

How the Government "creates jobs"

When I was younger I had an imaginary friend. The man in the White House has created some imaginary jobs. The real difference is my imaginary friend did not cost lots of money to "create".

When it comes to this administrations transparency, ABC news saw through this prevarication.

"Here's a stimulus success story: In Arizona's 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that's what the Web site set up by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says.

Discrepancies on government web site call into question stimulus spending.

There's one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the state has only eight districts.

And ABC News has found many more entries for projects like this in places that are incorrectly identified.

Late Monday, officials with the Recovery Board created to track the stimulus spending, said the mistakes in crediting nonexistent congressional districts were caused by human error.

"We report what the recipients submit to us," said Ed Pound, Communications Director for the Board.

Pound told ABC News the board receives declarations from the recipients - state governments, federal agencies and universities - of stimulus money about what program is being funded.

"Some recipients clearly don't know what congressional district they live in, so they appear to be just throwing in any number. We expected all along that recipients would make mistakes on their congressional districts, on jobs numbers, on award amounts, and so on. Human beings make mistakes," Pound said.

The issue has raised hackles on Capitol Hill.

Rep. David Obey, D-Wisc, who chairs the powerful House appropriations Committee, issued a paper statement demanding that the recovery.gov Web site be updated.

"The inaccuracies on recovery.gov that have come to light are outrageous and the Administration owes itself, the Congress, and every American a commitment to work night and day to correct the ludicrous mistakes.""

How can they say that? How can it be? They're literally making up numbers out of whole cloth. They are sending money to places that are not there! Where is the money going?

Hope and Change! How is that working for you?

Music from on Highschool.

Leave it to the ulta-capable Krista (Schlesinger) Kausen, who somehow, someway tracked down Mr. B. Mister Edward Brahams has the distinction of being a molding influence on my life. As a music teacher at Costa Mesa High School he earned respect and, to me, was an example of what a teacher can be. Trust me that bar is set very high.

Krista sent me a message asking if his location was near mine, geographically. Sure enough he was living in the next town north, or 15 miles as the bike rides. It turns out he and his wife had fifth wheeled it up to a town called Cottage Grove and started looking for roots to set. He got a teaching position in Drain Oregon and eventually retired. Until recently he has been doing substitute work.

After my wife found his phone number I gave a call to his wife. Who recalled who I was, not that I am particularly memorable or anything. Well, Steve Vircsik and I did camp on his front lawn once, tent and all. The return phone call was very nostalgic as those synapses that recognized his voice re-activated. Along with have a dozen memory centers. We made tentative plans to meet.

My history with Mr. B is an nine year span. From seeing my sisters concerts, and finally seeing Steves last pops concert in 1980. My sister lives a good 90 miles to the south and she was eager to re-acquaint as well.

Some coordination of effort took us forward to today. A brisk October afternoon at a local Sizzler (his choice). You might recall a time when you were waiting to meet someone and that anxious feeling, eyes darting every which way trying to gather in that first glance. That was me, in the parking lot.

Through the wooden door and lo and behold. A very familiar face and beard! You can tell when someone recognizes you. Thank goodness I lost weight! It was a handshake with that toothy grin with an eye twinkle that hints of mischief.

The normal platitudes were given, we ordered and sat. Thirty years of memories started flowing and it was all I could do to pick and choose what to talk about. Myrna has kept in close contact with several Mesa Teachers, Art Viterelli(sp) and Don Utter to name a few. I went over several HS people who I am now face booking with, yes Dale Tracy was featured.

His recollection of the Mesa Years is filled with fun. He really enjoyed his students. He was very excited about Kathy Harbor's upcoming visitation. I had a wonderful feeling inside each time I got a laugh. Either recounting old stories, or new commentary. A few things that had nagging me came out in question. One of which was his impression of the 1979 pops concert. Todd Knipp, Steve Vircsik and myself had been the Masters of Ceremony. It was my first and last attempt at on stage comedy. My own dad had hated it. Mr. B had thought it was wonderful.

In retrospect what an amazing opportunity Mesa High provided. Heck, I think I knew it at the time!

Bus trips, Concert competitions, Knotts, Disneyland, Jester Harrison(rest in peace), the horrible treatment of anyone daring to substitute. It just goes on and on.

As the evening wore down we set up an invite for our Christmas Open house (anyone reading this is invited). He and his should be coming, which will be awesome. He proffered me a gift. A music CD recorded from our chior and madrigal days. Including a great outtake.

I had the tape but it had, alas, worn out. Now I have a CD and oh so many memories. The mind does swim.

Obama Slashed 60,000 Jobs

ABC News business story: "Obama Admin Slashed 60,000 Jobs From Recent Stimulus Report."

- Unrealistic data. Little chance that a $42,000 grant actually created 5,000 jobs.

Joe Bieden VP adress (SNL)

Just a little too creative for words.

The Auto-play forced me to make this a link instead.

LINK

There you go!

Supermarketing

Cedric watched as a woman at his supermarket shopped with a three-year-old girl. As they approached the candy section the little girl asked for some chocolate and her mother told her, 'No' . The little girl immediately began to whine. The mother said softly, 'Now Cindy, our shopping is going well, Don't be upset... we'll soon be out of here.'

Next, they came to the aisle where the ice cream was on sale and the little girl began to ask for an ice cream bar. When told she couldn't have one she began to fuss. The mother said gently, 'There, there, Cindy, don't cry. Only two more aisles to go and then we'll be at the check out'.

When they got to check out the little girl immediately began to demand candy from next to the register. Finally she threw a tantrum when her mother would not let her have any. The mother, calmed her saying, 'Cindy, we'll be through this queue in two minutes and then we can go home and have a glass of sparkling juice and a nap.'

Cedric followed them out to the car park and stopped the woman to compliment her on her child management.

'I couldn't help admiring how patient you were with little Cindy,' Cedric said.

The mother turned and replied, 'Oh, no, I'm Cindy. My little girl's name is Dorothy.

About law abiding in Massachusetts

Children may smoke, but they may not purchase cigarettes.

Taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of their taxi during their shifts.

Looking for more dumb laws? Check out DumbLaws.com!
Affiliation with the Communist party is illegal.

No gorilla is allowed in the back seat of any car.

Bullets may not be used as currency.

Alcoholic drink specials are illegal.

Massachusetts liquor stores can only open on Sundays if they are in Berkshire, Essex, Franklin, Middlesex or Worcester counties and are within 10 miles of the Vermont or New Hampshire borders.

It's illegal to drive Texan, Mexican, Cherokee, or Indian cattle on a public road. (MGL Chapter 129 Section 35)

Tomatoes may not be used in the production of clam chowder.

Hunting on Sundays is prohibited.

It is illegal to go to bed without first having a full bath.

At a wake, mourners may eat no more than three sandwiches.

Public boxing matches are outlawed.

It is unlawful to injure a football goal post, doing so is punishable by a $200 fine.

It's illegal to keep a mule on the second floor of a building not in a city unless there are 2 exits. (MGL Chapter 272 section 86)

It's illegal to sell fewer than 24 ducklings at a time before May 1, or to sell rabbits, chicks, or ducklings that have been painted a different color. (MGL Chapter 272 Section 80D)

It's illegal to allow someone to use stilts while working on the construction of a building. (MGL Chapter 149 Section 129B)

Defacing a milk carton is punishable by a $10 fine.

It is illegal to frighten a pigeon.

An old ordinance declares goatees illegal unless you first pay a special license fee for the privilege of wearing one in public.

Quakers and witches are banned.

Snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked.

It is illegal to reproach Jesus Christ or the holy ghost. (MGL Chapter 272 section 36)

Boston

No one may take a bath without a prescription.

It is illegal for any citizen to own more than three dogs.

An old law prohibits the taking of baths on Sunday.

Duels to the death permitted on the common on Sundays provided that the Governor is present.

Women may not wear heels over 3 inches in length while on the common.

Anyone may let their sheep and cows graze in the public gardens/commons at any time except Sundays.

No more than two baths may be taken within the confines of the city.

No one may cross the Boston Common without carrying a shotgun in case of bears.

It is illegal to play the fiddle.

Two people may not kiss in front of a church.

It is illegal to eat peanuts in church.

Burlington

You may not walk around with a "drink".

Cambridge

It is illegal to shake carpets in the street, or to throw orange peels on the sidewalk (section 12.16.100).

It costs $50 extra for a permit for hurling, soccer or Gaelic football games in a public park on a Sunday. (section 12.20.030)

Hingham

You may not have colored lights on your house if it can be seen from Main Street. Only white lights may be visible.

If you live on Main Street and want to paint your house, the colors must be approved by the historical society.

Hopkinton

Though horses and cows are allowed on the common, dogs are prohibited.

Longmeadow

It is illegal for two men to carry a bathtub across the town green.

Marlboro

One may not detonate a nuclear device in the city.

Silly string is illegal in the city limits.

It is illegal for any citizen to own more than two dogs.

It is illegal to buy, sell or possess a squirt gun.

Milford

Peeping in the windows of automobiles is forbidden.

Newton

All families must be given a hog from the town's mayor.

Catholic bashing (phrase of the day)

Check this out from the Washington Post.

The Archdiocese’s ultimatum

By David Waters

In a surprisingly bold and seemingly unbiblical move, [tuck that word away for the time being] the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is threatening to discontinue its social support for nearly 70,000 people—including a third of Washington’s homeless—because of its opposition to a proposed same-sex marriage bill. [Think about this. The issue in question is not support of the homeless. It is really same-sex marriage, ... which has another name, FWIW.]

Under the proposed bill, according to a story by Post reporters Tim Craig and Michelle Boorstein, religious organizations would not be required to perform same-sex weddings, "but they would have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians." [And therefore…]

Apparently, the archdiocese is concerned that it could be forced, for example, to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, open adoptions to same-sex couples, or rent a church hall to gay and lesbian groups. "If the city requires this, we can’t do it," Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. "The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that’s really a problem." [Yes, that is a problem. But notice the key part here: "The city is saying that in order to provide…" Get that? "The city is saying…".]

And withdrawing support for the poor and the hungry isn’t a problem? [Ummm… did he slip into Bearded-Spock-Reality? The issue is same-sex marriage.]

It gets complicated anytime church and state work together to provide services for people, especially when a mix of public and private funds and facilities is involved. In this case, for example, the church manages a number of city-owned homeless shelters. [aaaaaaand….? So…. the Archdiocese is ready to continue to help so long as the City doesn’t pressure the the Archdiocese to do morally repugnant things. Is that it?]

The use of public funds and facilities should be governed by secular laws and regulations, including anti-discrimination laws. But churches and other non-profit religious organizations are exempt from many such laws, because of church-state separation.

The Church should have every right to oppose any piece of legislation and to use its funds and facilities as it sees fit. [Except when it interferes with a liberal agenda?] On the other hand, if any church is going to accept government funding for any purpose, shouldn’t it be required to abide by government rules?

But the larger question is this: [Get this….] Is the Church really going to ignore the gospel imperative to feed, clothe, shelter and care for the disadvantaged—in this case 70,000—because it might have to provide better benefits to a few of its own workers? I don’t think that’s what Jesus meant by "going the extra mile." [And the City is going to ignore the prescription by God not to commit sodomy. Is that it?]

As DC council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) put it: "Are they really going to harm people because they have a philosophical disagreement with us on one issue?" [How thick is Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3)?]

This seems to be the scenario.

The Archdiocese is presently doing its part to help homeless people.

The City is going to press the Archdiocese to do things which are morally repugnant and contrary both to Scripture and the natural law.

So, standing there with its hands open in both directions, waiting to help the poor, it would actually be the CITY which would cut off funds to help the Archdiocese, because the Archdiocese refuses to condone sodomy.

Get that? The City would suspend the funds.

Therefore the liberals, to pressure the Church to violate the interior logic of Christianity, say that the Church wants to "harm" the poor.

Is that what I just read?

And the writer, Waters, who flashes out the word "unbiblical" might want to review Holy Writ’s comments on sodomy.

(special thanks to Fr. Zuhisdorf)

Sarah Palins best seller experpts

Drudge got a sneak peek of the Former Alaskan Governor and VP Nominees book today:

HER TURN!
Fri Nov 13 2009 07:27:12 ET

Going Rogue: An American Life
by Sarah Palin
Chapter Four; Section 8, pages 255-257

By the third week in September, a “Free Sarah” campaign was under way and the press at large was growing increasingly critical of the McCain camp’s decision to keep me, my family and friends back home, and my governor’s staff all bottled up. Meanwhile, the question of which news outlet would land the first interview was a big deal, as it always is with a major party candidate.

From the beginning, Nicolle [Wallace] pushed for Katie Couric and the CBS Evening News. The campaign’s general strategy involved coming out with a network anchor, someone they felt had treated John well on the trail thus far. My suggestion was that we be consistent with that strategy and start talking to outlets like FOX and the Wall Street Journal. I really didn’t have a say in which press I was going to talk to, but for some reason Nicolle seemed compelled to get me on the Katie bandwagon.

“Katie really likes you,” she said to me one day. “she’s a working mom and admires you as a working mom. She has teenage daughter like you. She just relates to you,” Nicolle said. “believe me, I know her very well. I’ve worked with her.” Nicolle had left her gig at CBS just a few months earlier to hook up with the McCain campaign. I had to trust her experience, as she had dealt with national politics more than I had. But something always struck me as peculiar about the way she recalled her days in the White House, when she was speaking on behalf of President George W. Bush. She didn't have much to say that was positive about her former boss or the job in general. Whenever I wanted to give a shout-out to the White House’s homeland security efforts after 9/11, we were told we couldn’t do it. I didn’t know if that was Nicolle’s call.

Nicolle went on to explain that Katie really needed a career boost. “She just has such low self-esteem,” Nicolle said. She added that Katie was going through a tough time. “She just feels she can’t trust anybody.”

I was thinking, And this has to do with John McCain’s campaign how?

Nicolle said. “She wants you to like her.”

Hearing all that, I almost started to feel sorry for her. Katie had tried to make a bold move from lively morning gal to serious anchor, but the new assignment wasn’t going very well.

“You know what? We’ll schedule a segment with her,” Nicolle said. “If it doesn’t go well, if there’s no chemistry, we won’t do any others.”

Meanwhile, the media blackout continued. It got so bad that a couple of times I had a friend in Anchorage track down phone numbers for me, and then I snuck in calls to folks like Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and someone I thought was Larry Kudlow but turned out to be Neil Cavuto’s producer. I had a friend call Bill O’Reilly after I was inundated with supporters in Alaska asking why the campaign was “ignoring” his on-air requests for a McCain campaign interview. I had another friend scrambling to find Mark Levin’s number. Aboard the campaign plane I was within twenty-five feet of reporters for hours on end. Headquarters’ strategy was that I should not go to the back of the aircraft and talk to the press. At first this was subtle, but as the campaign wore on, Tracey or Tucker would call headquarters to request permission, and someone in DC would respond, “No! Absolutely not- block her if she tries to go back.”

Fort Hood

As my prayers go out to the friends, family and victims of Fort Hood. I cannot help but feel rage that political correctness has brought about 13 peoples lives, and STILL the MSM feels this is not enough.

While I was getting ready for a good long rant I found a blog entry that really spoke to me as an American and as a person of faith" (warning its long)

Mark P. Shea

One thing you can give our media Chattering Classes: They are utterly consistent. After Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on a roomful of defenseless people in Fort Hood, it was absolutely assured that we would immediately be told that this outrage had nothing to do with his Islamic faith and that it was not an act of terror. Then, as time went on and the bleedin' obvious became bleedin' obvious, we would spend all weekend enduring TV pundits scratching the $200 haircuts on their 88-cent heads and pondering the question of whether there might be some remote connection between Islamic belief and a guy who praises Muslim suicide bombers as heroes and martyrs, sits under the teaching of a Radical Islamic imam who praises his act of slaughter as heroic, uses his authority as a psychiatrist to proselytize vulnerable patients with Islamic agitprop, and dresses in traditional Muslim garb and shouts "Allahu akbar!" as he guns down his prey.

It was a spectacular display of deliberate willed stupidity by a media culture that demonstrates repeatedly it does not want to acknowledge that Islam tends to breed such acts of terror with startling frequency. And it was predictable because it happens every time some Islamic butcher opens up on innocent victims in the name of the Prophet. So, for instance, when a Koran-spouting Egyptian took it upon himself to butcher innocent people for the crime of flying on El Al, the initial twaddle from both the state and the media immediately assured us this was an "isolated incident" and that it had nothing to do with the crazy, bloodthirsty Islamic beliefs of the butcher who did it. Finally, after nearly a year of intensive study of the noses on their own faces, the FBI and CNN finally figured out that the murders were specimens of Islamic terrorism. Same deal with the guy in Seattle, who slaughtered a few Jews in the name of Allah some years back. We got the assurance from the media that this had nothing to do with Islam. Then they eventually tried the novel approach of opening their eyes to see the plain light of day. Good job, Sherlock.

Of course, that same media culture has absolutely no trouble painting Christians as dangerous fanatics (no doubt due to the roving gangs of gun-toting Methodists who shout "Jesus is Lord" as they blast away at defenseless people). We live in a culture where Larry David can piss on Jesus, but we are continually lectured on the need to respect the sensitivities of butchers who get invited to participate in the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute Presidential Transition Task Force and who return the favor by murdering the sons and daughters of the nation that gave him a great education and such high honors.

Meanwhile, the Religion That Can't Grow Up beholds the carnage wrought by another Son of the Prophet and naturally blames . . . somebody else, while feeling sorry for itself:

"When a white guy shoots up a post office, they call that going postal," said Victor Benjamin II, 30, a former member of the Army. "But when a Muslim does it, they call it jihad."

Um, no. When the Muslim calls it jihad, we call it jihad, just as when a Christian used to call it a crusade, we call it a crusade. (And, by the way, when the rare Christian does something heinous in the name of Jesus, Christians condemn the evil act and the one who committed it, not the world for being upset by the evil act.) But in the world of our crazy media, the first response to mass murder by an Islamic killer is moaning that somebody made fun of the shooter. Poor widdle butcher. Boy, I'm sure lucky that nobody in our culture ever mocks us mackerel snappers or says we are the greatest force for evil in the whole wide world. If they did, I guess we'd be perfectly justified in opening fire on innocent human beings.

Indeed, speaking of us mackerel snappers, some particularly ingenious thinkers actually found a way to blame 400-year-old English Catholics for Hasan's crime:

There simply is no information yet about what Hasan's motives were, or whether Hasan is indeed muslim [sic] or not. Of course, that last bit of information is the one that everyone will want to know about the most, even though in a fundamental sense it matters the least. . . .

However, something disquieting about the date . . . . It should be noted (as others like Ali Eteraz already have) that today is Guy Fawkes Day -- the anniversary of a plot by a Catholic dissident to blow up the English Parliament then dominated by Protestants).

If the shootings were motivated by some sense of grievance against US foreign/military policy, then the date is surely significant.

If you are wondering why centuries-dead Catholics are the Prime Suspects for some of our Chattering Classes, Roland Emmerich does a standup job making clear what motivates so much of the willed stupidity from the Won't See the Noses on Their Faces Brigade. It's all about the cowardice:

For "2012," Emmerich set his sites on destroying the some biggest landmarks around the world, from Rome to Rio. But there's one place that Emmerich wanted to demolish but didn't: the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure located in the center of Mecca. It's the focus of prayers and the site of the Hajj, the biggest, most important pilgrimage in Islam.

"Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit," the filmmaker told scifiwire.com. "But my co-writer Harald [Kloser] said, 'I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie.' And he was right."

Emmerich went on: "We have to all, in the western world, think about this. You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have . . . a fatwa, and that sounds a little bit like what the state of this world is. So it's just something which I kind of didn't [think] was [an] important element, anyway, in the film, so I kind of left it out."

Note the passive voice. Emmerich doesn't acknowledge that he is a coward afraid of offending Bronze Age Bullies with thin skin. Instead, he blabbers something about "what the state of the world is." By this, he means that Christians have that whole "love your enemies" and "turn the other cheek" thing that makes us such safe targets to courageously attack. In a word, Rome doesn't issue fatwas.

Now, I'm all for not leaping to conclusions. Merely having a Muslim-sounding name no more makes it an act of Islamic terror than being named Rodriguez makes a shooter a "Roman-Catholic terrorist." But had the shooter in Orlando had a history of praising the IRA murders and bombings, of posting that non-Catholics deserve death, of trying to use his position to pressure subordinates to convert, and of opening fire on rooms full of defenseless people while shouting "Hail Mary!" I think normal people would agree that this guy was a terrorist inspired by a very dark version of the Catholic Faith. What drives me crazy about our media is that they constantly make the preemptive leap to definitively declare that acts of evil committed by Muslims have nothing to do with their Muslim faith, when any fool can see that's exactly what inspired them.

No, that doesn't mean all Muslims are terrorists (of course!). Indeed, one of the few sensible people in this entire exasperating farce of idiots in need of Insensitivity Training was Osman Danquah, co-founder of the Islamic Community of Greater Killeen, who, after listening to Hasan's Radical Islamic nuttery, told him, "There's something wrong with you," and assumed the Army would, you know, take care of an obvious threat to its own troops in its midst. But the Current Thinking among the leadership is that the slaughter of a few troops is to be preferred to upsetting the sensitivities of butchers and those who love them:

Danquah assumed the military's chain of command knew about Hasan's doubts, which had been known for more than a year to classmates in a graduate military medical program. His fellow students complained to the faculty about Hasan's "anti-American propaganda," but said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim student kept officers from filing a formal written complaint.

That's because, like everybody else in charge in this crazy country, we treat ideas as though they are genetic traits we can't help having and refuse to acknowledge the possibility that ideas have consequences. We regard theological and philosophical profiling with the same horror as racial profiling. But here's the thing: Skin color doesn't kill. Thoughts of the heart, however, are exactly where murder begins. That doesn't mean instituting Thought Police, but it does mean that when somebody (or some particular ideological group) demonstrates a pattern of sympathy for violence, we are idiots to ignore it.

And it means we are absolute idiots to go on ignoring the fact that a) Islam has plenty of room in its body of doctrine for this sort of brutal violence; b) Islam has plenty of people who approve of this kind of violence and are in various stages of readiness to commit it; and c) Radical Islamic ideologues often emit glaring warning signals. We are even greater fools to tiptoe around those Muslims whose first reaction to such crimes is to blame everybody else but their tradition and to demand victimhood for themselves.

We want very much to believe that Violent Islam is a perversion of the Islamic tradition and Wise and Benevolent Islam is the Real Islamic tradition. But the reality is that Islam is an invented human religion that borrows from fragments of Judaism and Christianity, mixes in Mohammed's own delusional (or lying) claims of revelation, and completes it with a dash of conventional wisdom from seventh-century Arab culture. It is not a magisterial faith with some adjudicating body that defines what is and is not the orthodox reading of the Koran. It is whatever its various adherents say it is.

That means that if you are looking for a sanction for violence in the Koran, you can find it, because it's there. So is the wisdom, almsgiving, and peace stuff, if you want that. So Muslims who commit these heinous acts with such frequency are not "betraying Islam" when doing so out of self-described piety. They are, in fact, implementing one possible interpretation of the Muslim tradition (and often slaughtering a great many other Muslims in the process). Westerners who lie to themselves that these monsters are "not real Muslims" are simply self-deluded fools. They are as Muslim as Mohammed, as are their Muslim victims. There is no Islamic Magisterium to excommunicate them. They don't speak for all Muslims, but they most certainly do speak and act for the disturbingly large percentage of Muslims who either applaud them, remain silent, or complain about being victims of suspicion and distrust by the victims of terror instead of complaining about the thugs who commit the terror in the name of Islam.

That said, the reality is that the cure, if it is to come at all, will have to come from within Islam: from Muslims who inculcate in their children a sense of shame for Radical Murderous Islam, just as Christians have successfully inculcated shame in their own ranks for expressions of Christianity that turned a blind eye to slavery, terrorism, oppression of women, and racism. It will not come from the preferred Western dream of a post-religious secular world scrubbed clean of "religion." Such experiments have been attempted in communist countries; they are akin to saying, "We've noticed a correlation between immune systems and disease, so let's get rid of immune systems." Not accidently, the disease of human sin has only prospered in such regimes to the tune of millions slaughtered. Instead of pretending the beast of Radical Islam is not there, the West will sooner or later have to learn how to educate itself about theology again -- or perish. It will also have to profile those who have not a particular skin color but a particular ideological paper trail of ideas and views that makes it obvious they sympathize with Radical Islamic violence, just as we should profile those who sympathize with skinheads, Klansmen, or tales of the Glorious IRA Terrorists.

Most of all, it means we need to get theologically literate again and find a more sophisticated way of understanding things than simply dumping Christianity and Islam into a bucket and calling it all "religion" (which, as we all know, leads to undifferentiated "violence"). The only way to counter an inflamed theology like Islam is with a healthy one, not with the watery delusions of postmodern secularism. And that, sooner or later, means a return to the sanity of the Catholic Faith.

Don't Copy Europe's Mistakes: Less Government Is the Right Way to Fix Healthcare

Probieren geht über Studieren.

Before the election, I read a lot of Obama's speeches and wondered why his orations were so exulted. I really did not see much in them. Thus, I was chastised by liberal's that reading was not enough, I had to listen to the nuance to really get the greatness of the man. I bing-ed a few and found him stammering and stuttering when off teleprompter. Again, not that motivational.

While he did say some things that I thought would be great to see to fruition, those things too were just hollow. Like most of his speeches now appear to be.

Barack Obama once said to Harry Reid, "Harry, I've got a gift." He was referring to his speeches. The ego of this man is amazing, he thinks that his speeches soar and lift people's souls and inspire them to great actions and deeds!

Speeches are words. Maybe if he revisited what got him elected? *sigh* He's not going to stop making these empty speeches. I can only continue to see how he is not\was not ready to lead.

Bloodless President Barack Obama makes Americans wistful for George W Bush

The President Whose Words Once Soared

When Our Military is Attacked, Obama is a Nowhere Man

Planet saving diet.

First off I am a vegetarian, I am a registered Republican and practicing Catholic. I believe the amassing evidence that Man Made emissions have little impact on climate change.

However, if you are one of the MMGW zealots and your not a vegan, you are by my definition a hypocrite.

The production of one calorie of animal protein requires more than ten times the fossil fuel input as a calorie of plant protein. This means that ten times the amount of carbon dioxide is emitted as well.

The United States imports roughly 200 million pounds of beef from Central America every year. Aside from the fuel used in transport, grazing land is needed for all of these animals. Where does all that land come from in a densely forested region? The answer: from clear-cutting forests and rainforest

Animal production consumes an amount of water roughly equivalent to all other uses of water in the United States combined. Besides grains, animals need water to survive and grow until they are slaughtered. One pound of beef requires an input of approximately 2500 gallons of water, whereas a pound of soy requires 250 gallons of water and a pound of wheat only 25 gallons.

The most effective way to fight the global warming crisis is to stop eating meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Smithsonian Institution, "Smithsonian Researchers Show Amazonian Deforestation Accelerating," Science Daily Online, 15 Jan. 2002.

David Pimentel and Marcia Pimentel, “Sustainability of Meat-Based and Plant-Based Diets and the Environment,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 78.3 (2003)

Andrew Pierce, "Global Warming Is Mankind’s Greatest Challenge, Says Prince," The Times 28 Oct. 2005.

H. Steinfeld et al., Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, Livestock, Environment and Development (2006).

David de Rothschild, The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change (Rodale Books, 2007) 66.

NewScientist.com, "It's Better to Green Your Diet Than Your Car," 17 Dec. 2005.

"Global Warming: Methane," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 8 Mar. 2006.

"Sources and Emissions: Methane," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2 Jun. 2006.

US Environmental Protection Agency. 1984. Report to Congress: Nonpoint Source Pollution in the US Office of Water Program Operations, Water Planning Division. Washington, D.C.

Merritt Frey, et al., Spills and Kills: Manure Pollution and America's Livestock Feedlots, Clean Water Network, Izaak Walton League of America and Natural Resources Defense Council (August 2000)

What a sad day

The house passed the "Worst Bill in History."

I sent an e-mail to my congressman stating how disappointed I am with his irresponsible vote. Further, when a political opponent steps up I will be supporting him.

Raining Ma'am

Twenty-nine or so years ago I bought myself a rain-coat. In the interest of full disclosure I wanted a long black coat, and found one at Banana Republic that filled that particular want.

The picture here is close except mine is black in color. This was probably one of the more expensive items of clothing I have ever purchased. It was listed at $189.00 and I got it at $149.00 on sale.

This means about $5.00 a year and dropping. While using it as a rain coat in Southern California is fairly laughable. Using it as a raincoat in Oregon is quite handy. (It rains here).

It doubles as a great Halloween costume with an appropriate mask as well. So it is a multi-use garment. I got a nice Balley cowboy hat a few years back, basic black as well. With the two of them I stride the inclement weather quite dry.

Happy is a pretty simple definition, right?

Just to warn you, I am a bit irk'd at the moment. In that tiny universe called Face Book, there are bunches of friends from various points in my life that gather. One of them is the definition of kindness and sweetness, what you would call a really good person.

She is of a political slant similar to mine and posted on her support of traditional marriage. This invoked the rage of someone else who sputtered from discussion to argument to name calling to ad hominem and diatribes. This is not the first time this person has done this. I was the recipient at one point. I opted to ban and say "go away," as there was nothing useful or positive or even worthwhile being offered.

If you do not agree with me on point x your not a real friend, your not fair and good, you are angry, you are judgmental, you are racist, etc. I am right you agree with me or be CAST OUT! *sigh*

"No human trait deserves less tolerance in everyday life, and gets less, than intolerance." --Giacomo Leopardi

There is some comfort in surrounding yourself with people who agree with you, act like you do, hold your same values. There is great value in questioning beliefs, paradigms, choices. I often marvel at the ability of give and take in arguments.

A true debater can argue multiple sides of a topic and still hold a personal belief. A very strong belief as it is formulated on a solid bedrock of knowledge.

I can only surmise that lashing out like that is some fear based reaction, because confidence in your own belief is challenged and you lack the maturity to accept a change of view.

How important is it to be right? I guess we could ask Galileo..

Epic- you gotta go big!

Fort Hood

Maybe this just struck me as wrong. I am not sure.

There was a horrible tragedy at Fort Hood TX. I'm sure everyone knows about this.

Today I came across this Washington Post story. Why would the commander in chief put shout outs and whoop up the crowd first? Or maybe I am just reading too much into this.

"SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

[*] OBAMA: Please, everybody, have a seat. Let me first of all just thank Ken and the entire Department of the Interior staff for organizing just an extraordinary conference.

I want to thank my Cabinet members and senior administration officials who participated today. I hear that Dr. Joe Medicine Crow (ph) was around, and so I want to give a shout out to that Congressional Medal of Honor winner. It's good to see you.

(APPLAUSE)

My understanding is is that you had an extremely productive conference. I want to thank all of you for coming and for your efforts, and I want to give you my solemn guarantee that this is not the end of a process, but the beginning of a process and that we are going to follow up.

(APPLAUSE)

We are going to follow up. Every single member of my team understands that this is a top priority for us. I want you to know that, as I said this morning, this -- this is not something that we just give lip service to. And we are going to keep on working with you to make sure that the first Americans (ph) get the best possible chances in life in a way that's consistent with your extraordinary traditions and culture and values.

Now, I have to say, though, that beyond that, I had planned to make some broader remarks about the challenges that lay ahead for Native Americans as well as collaboration with our administration.

But as some of you might have heard, there has been a tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. We don't yet know all the details at this moment. We will share them as we get them.

What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed, and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence.

My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and with the families of the fallen and with those who live and serve at Fort Hood."

This speaks to me of Priorities gone wrong. Add to that the Gaffe. Crow is not a Medal of Honor recipient!

Juxtapose this simple lone statement that Sarah Palin issued:

"Todd and I would like to offer our condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic shooting today at Fort Hood. Our thoughts and prayers will be with them.

- Sarah Palin"

Harness the laughter, find the source!

It is a given that Connor is going to share something he finds funny. His days are a good 90% smiles. An infectious smile at that, with a twinkling of the eyes that you know his cleverness.

His humor is such that he will find something amusing and crack himself up. Peals of laughter is the term I would use. Now, figuring out why something is funny is another matter.

With kids in general you can become perplexed at what they view as the end all be all in humor. With Connor his enthusiastic enjoyment makes that perplexing shared item funny regardless of the what.

Case in point: "I'm the Captain, I love pools, pools, pools, pools." This is sung in a short sing-song manager, followed by laughter, then repeated a few times.

Along with head scratching bewilderment, Tina and I find ourselves rattling off this little ditty. This has been going on for several months. Most times our older two discover the origins. This time no such luck. It stayed beyond our scope of understanding. In truth this is not something doggedly persued, it is just a passing "WT* is that?" sort of thing.

"I'm the Captain, I love pools, pools, pools, pools."

So there was a conjunction of sorts, earlier in the week. I had the curiosity about the ditty at the same time Connor was skimming You Tube.

"Connor, show me I'm the Captain, I love pools, please?" He did his happy squeal and started typing in Google search, 'Water of Doom' this brought up a 32 second film clip.

I must caution you that this clip is not all that. I recommend you can stop it after 10 seconds to get the part that Connor likes. Oh the sound on it is REALLY LOUD!

Connors singing of "I'm the Captain, I love pools, pools, pools, pools." is much superior...

And again

Sabotage? Possibly.

Weeks and weeks of calorie counting and exercise and I got sick and tired. I did not do the stuff I needed to do, as much as I hate to admit weakness.

I let the weekly calories sneak up to a sustainable level for my size. I have some doubts to the RMR .vs. my true blue RMR (which I understand can be actually calibrated). While I have not gained massive amounts, I had stopped short of my goal.

So I gave up for a week and just ate. Overate, as well. My system seems to have revolted a bit. Gastronomically I just do not feel all that great. As fun as that was, now it is back to the counting and loosing. I put in quite a few miles walking this week even with the gluttony.

I scrubbed my spread sheet and I am starting it up again today for a 10 week run that will have to take into account Thanksgiving and Christmas. At least I will have some challenges eh?

This is my route to work. I walk to work, home for lunch, back to work, home at the end of the day. It not quite a mile, however there is a bit more to this then a flat map shows.

The minimum elevation is 449 feet (above sea level). The maximum elevation is 607 feet. This puts my walk at a vertical 128 feet with a -184 foot decent (you reverse those for the walk home).

Typically it takes me 10 to 15 minutes depending upon my walking speed. With wind sprints included I am around the 8 minute mark. I figure that is 400 calories a day burned walking.

Rush Limbaugh Predicts!

With the elections today Rush decided to predict how the MSM will spin the results.

Instead of picking who will win. Classic Rush!

So we can look back and see if he had any accuracy...

Update: wow can he call them!

PVP'r vid (mostly for Shoo)

The Worst EVER!

The Wall Street Journals "take" on Pelosi's Health care bill.

Epic new spending and taxes, pricier insurance, rationed care, dishonest accounting: The Pelosi health bill has it all.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reportedly told fellow Democrats that she's prepared to lose seats in 2010 if that's what it takes to pass ObamaCare, and little wonder. The health bill she unwrapped last Thursday, which President Obama hailed as a "critical milestone," may well be the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced.

UGH!