From the brain of Dr. Bob

Working with my kid...

2012-01-19T22:55:00.001-06:00

Last night and tonight have been interesting. You have to understand that up till a few years ago I was always very active in working with my children. Even though I worked nights, most of that time I worked from home.
That changed a few years ago. My job was airline related, I did technical assistance for technicians fixing airline ticketing equipment. When 9/11 happened my office go downsized a few people at a time . I was lucky and held on longer than others, but in the end I was let go.
I took a job at a community college fixing computers but I worked nights. Eventuality I went to days but along with my part time job of teaching them, I had to take on a job at a major retail store. So I was basically home maybe one a week.
This not good because my youngest son has Asburgers, a high functioning form of Autism. He has really needed a dad and I have not been emotionally or physically there. We were loosening connection.
In school he was needing to write a narrative essay, but he was drawing a blank on how to do it. It was passed the due date but they would take it if we could get it done soon. Now I am not the best writer but I have learned how to write bettthan many so even though I was tired, as he was to, I got to help him write his paper.
The result I do not care if he gets a good grade on. We had connected again in ways we haven't done in years. I think he enjoyed it as well. He was relaxed as he climbed into bed as if he once again knew he had a dad who loved him.
In my Wednesday night co-dependency group, I am a facilitator of a group going over the book, The Father Heart of God. I have learned in the past two days just what a joy it is for me to be part of my sons life again. How much more does it mean to the Father God to be part of my life if I will just let Him be a part of it?

Retail workers sign petition to “Save Thanksgiving” | SFGate Blog | an SFGate.com blog

2011-11-18T12:19:00.001-06:00

Retail workers sign petition to “Save Thanksgiving” | SFGate Blog | an SFGate.com blog

So let me see if I understand this correctly.

More and more stores, from Target to Best Buy, are pledging to start the Black Friday shopping extravaganza’s early — like after dinner on Thanksgiving night. And they’ll stay open all night long.
That upsets a lot of workers, including Anthony Hardwick of Omaha, Neb., who says he’d rather be at home with his family than stocking shelves or working a register at Target. Plus to make it though the night he’ll have to sleep most of the day, he told CNNMoney.com.
Hardwick started an online petition called “Tell Target to Save Thanksgiving” calling for Target to open later that quickly attracted 157,000 signatures.

Here is a guy who has a job in an economy that is not doing very well so he starts a protest so he does not have to work on Thanksgiving. I would think that the man would be thankful that he has a job and can work on that day. I would think that he would be thankful that he is not in a soup kitchen with his family. Nope, the protest is there, and he is upset he has to work. While I do not care to work on the day, someone has to and the Walmart that I work at will take care of the people that work there. We will have some food set out for us to eat during breaks. We will get holiday pay based on the average hours we worked. And more important, my family will have 8 hours more of pay from my part time job, maybe being able to get some presents for each other.

Get your priorities correct people.

Church tweets protest of Steve Jobs funeral via iPhone | News To Me with George Mathis

2011-10-06T17:16:00.000-05:00

Church tweets protest of Steve Jobs funeral via iPhone | News To Me with George Mathis

This has got to be what I consider the ultimate in irrational behavior. If you look up irony in the dictionary, this news article should be found there.

Westboro Baptist, those of the protest the military funereals because America is going to Hades in a hand-basket fame, have decided to protest the funereal of Steve Jobs. Why, because he did not use technology for God...

Religious leader Margie J. Phelps, in responding to an Associated Press headline on Twitter concerning Jobs’ death, said the group would picket the funeral because Jobs had “a huge platform; gave God no glory and taught sin.”

I never knew he taught sin... must have been one of those things I missed because I am not an Apple fanboy. (and I am not putting down Apple or Jobs, just the religious fanatics that the fanboys are). What is ironic is how they put this message up on Twitter:

Yes, that is right, they protested Jobs, and his lifestyle, on a phone that he helped to create. I am a Christian. I can honestly say that if I thought that Jobs represented Satan and all that stand with him, I would not be using the tools he created to talk about how I would protest his lifestyle.

School Surveys 7th-Graders on Oral Sex - FoxNews.com

2011-06-16T07:29:00.000-05:00

School Surveys 7th-Graders on Oral Sex - FoxNews.com

Was this really necessary?

Tessitore said her daughters, both students at Memorial Middle School, were told they had to complete a Youth Risk Behavior Study.
“Kids were actually told to sit down and take them,” said John Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “The parents here are very upset.”
Whitehead said the girls were deeply disturbed by the subject matter of the study – including questions about suicide, drug use and sexual behavior.
“One of the questions is, ‘have you ever had oral sex,’” Whitehead said. “You’re talking about kids who probably don’t even know what oral sex is.”

But in stead of accepting responsibility the principal passes the buck:

Principal Fran Thomas told Fox News Radio that students were indeed given the survey – and admits it was graphic. But Thomas said the school has nothing to do with the content and they were required to administer the survey to fulfill a grant requirement.
“I can take no responsibility for what’s on that survey,” Thomas said. “It’s not generated by the school system.”

So in stead of saying that I could have stopped this if I had not applied for the grant, he says that it was mandated by the grant and I had no control over it. Then they wonder why the kids do not take responsibility for their own actions!

Travel Time

2011-05-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Will have to be going to another campus for the next few weeks. Could be interesting, it is one of the ones that I used to work at. Not sure why they need me, call load does not look too bad. I was told that we have a number of projects that need to be done, so I will be up there for a little bit. It is between semesters so I will not have the commute between the two campuses to teach.

Now, if I could only get to the point that I did not have to work the third job. I enjoy Walmart, but 3 jobs is a bit too much. Each weekend drains me so much.

Well, here goes .....

Osama, who? Ask clueless teenagers - Hindustan Times

2011-05-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

Osama, who? Ask clueless teenagers - Hindustan Times

My daughter was four years old when 9/11 happened. She kind of remembers me watching TV for hours trying to make sense of it all. She kind of remembers seeing a big plane crashing into tall buildings in New York. But while she may remember those things and we have talked about them over the years, I do not think that something that we talked about who was who was responsible for doing it. It does not surprise me these facts:

According to Yahoo!, 40% of searches on Sunday for 'who killed Osama bin laden' were from people aged 13-20.
But teenagers aged 13-17 made up 66% of searches for the question 'who is Osama bin Laden?'

Why would't this be the truth. We teach our children all sorts of things, but then do not teach them about others. And then call them clueless when they do not know about something? I can understand the questions they asked desperately, flooding internet, confused and clueless as they were about the man who ran the world's largest terrorist network and whose manhunt of 10 years had finally culminated in his killing in a Pakistani city, the Daily Mail reported.

Scores more turned to Twitter to pose the question and get the answer, before they were quickly embarrassed by other users for their lack of knowledge.
One youngster wrote: 'Who is Osama Bin Laden and why should I care?'. Another asked: 'Is he famous?'
A young Twitter user wrote: 'Who is Osama? And why is it so good he died?'. Another poster referred to the terrorist leader as 'Ben' Laden.

What bothers me is that they did not ask their parents. We as a culture have grown cold to what our kids need and let them surf the web for answers. And then we wonder why they are messed up.

When I get time to visit with my kids tonight, I think I have to ask them if they understand exactly what happened Sunday night, and why they should care.

An American family in London watches and worries | Commentary | Minnesota Public Radio News

2011-05-03T09:33:00.000-05:00

An American family in London watches and worries | Commentary | Minnesota Public Radio News

I wrote to my friend what I said to my daughter. "Christians do not celebrate the death of anyone."
As a Christian I value all life. Jesus taught us to pray for our enemies. Proverbs 24:17 teaches, "Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble." It's not easy, but that's what Jesus has asked me to do.

I guess this sums up what I felt last night as I typed those words. I cannot celebrate the death of anyone. I wish he could have come to know Jesus. On the other hand, a moral evil is gone and we no longer have to put up with it. In that respect, the world is a little safer. But my life will still go on.

Bin Laden Dead

2011-05-02T23:27:00.001-05:00

As I sit here and watch the talking heads talk about the death of Bin Laden I feel nothing. Has anything really changed? I got up this morning and went to one of my jobs. My relationships have not changed and my income has not increased.

So what has changed? Nothing! God still is in control, at least what I let Him.

Time to get on with life.

Palin caught in crosshairs map controversy after Tucson shootings

2011-01-11T00:53:00.000-06:00

I really am getting tired of this. The guy did not have right leaning motives, if anything they were to the left, but some how Palin is responsible for him killing all these people. What connection am I missing here?

Palin caught in crosshairs map controversy after Tucson shootings: "He said Palin needs allies who can 'point out repeatedly that the cross hairs are irrelevant. The only thing that's relevant is what Jared Loughner was influenced by, and according to his posting and his videos, there's not an iota of evidence that he was even aware of these things. So you need allies out there saying that.'"

Could Sarah Palin be right about Michelle Obama?! - CSMonitor.com

2011-01-05T22:56:00.000-06:00

Could Sarah Palin be right about Michelle Obama?! - CSMonitor.com:

"In an editorial the Wall Street Journal criticizes Sarah Palin for criticizing Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign. The point seems to be that such talk from the Ms. Bully Pulpit is innocuous or benign. The writer makes an analogy with Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign.

Now if Michelle Obama were just a Chicago-based community activist who was organizing a nation-wide propaganda campaign to urge people to eat healthily I would have no objection."

Interesting thoughts. Does Ms. Obama speak for herself or her government when she speaks? If she is good enough to meet heads of states without her husband, can she not represent her government in other things. If the president can be held responsible for what he says as being government beliefs, then her words would be as well.

Yes she has the right to free speech, we all do. But free speech gets lost when you are an official government person. It can not go both way.

When the government steps in and tries to educate us, we must remember that other than public schools, that is not their job.

Yes I think obesity is a problem in America. A simple trip to a Wal-mart on any weekend will show you that. But when the government steps in and tries to use its bully pulpit, then maybe we should talk back.

Spam Campaign May Mark Comeback for Storm, Waledac Operators - Security - News & Reviews - eWeek.com

2011-01-05T00:42:00.000-06:00

Spam Campaign May Mark Comeback for Storm, Waledac Operators - Security - News & Reviews - eWeek.com:

Interesting new worm out there. While the mass emails that told you go to some link had for the most part died down, they seem to be back again. This one has you download a fake Acrobat reader update to infect you. What gets to me is the staggering numbers it seems to be generating.

"'The overall volume is hard to estimate as it depends on many factors,' Tillmann Werner, malware analyst at Kaspersky Lab, told eWEEK. 'We observed one successfully delivered mail per second on average—that means 3,600 spam mails per hour or 86,400 per day for each bot. The botnet is still very young and constantly growing. We counted about 2,500 different IP addresses that participate in the fast-flux service network which is used to hide the C&C [command and control] infrastructure. The total number of infected machines is probably magnitudes higher, but there is currently no way to measure it."

What really gets to me is that these people could be real successful in a real job and yet they do this.

FOXNews.com - World's Strongest Beer Launches at $762 a Bottle

2010-08-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

Just what you need to take to your local PETA meeting!

FOXNews.com - World's Strongest Beer Launches at $762 a Bottle: "The blond Belgian ale, named The End of History, is an astonishing 55 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and is presented in a case made from stuffed animals, including stoats and squirrels."

A long day

2010-08-12T19:42:00.000-05:00

Time seems to go by slowly on some days. Yesterday and today seem to be a pair of ones. I tried to tell my daughter that it was a long day yesterday and she looked at me strange. I could see the cogs going in her head and before she could say anything I said, 'well technically it has been 24 hours, but it feels longer'.

Yesterday and today have been convocation days at the college that I work at. As part of the team that takes care of the multimedia and the computers I get to put in long days to make sure things go right when these events take place, and this semester it was on my campus. Rooms had to be set up, projectors made sure to be running, etc. You get the idea.

I did get one blessing though. I changed jobs abruptly in the college and because of that had to change shifts that I was working. That meant that I lost the two classes that I was going to teach. Teaching brings in the extra $ that I need. I thought that nothing could be done. But a little faith and prayer and a little putting out of feelers that I was available (the Bible does say 'faith works'), helped me get one class to teach out of the two. While it would have been better to have the two, I am sure that God will provide.

You can do it... we can help

2010-08-11T01:12:00.000-05:00

Had an interesting night tonight. Last night I replaced the float assembly in the toilet tank. In doing so, the old metal pipe that was coming out of the wall which already had a kink in it got a worse kink. In doing so, the old metal (probably original pipe from the 60s or 70s) got fatigue and started spraying water.

My thought was to get some JB Weld to try to seal the pipe. So with some money in my pocket I headed out to the Home Depot. The wonderful woman at the South Tulsa store talked me out of the weld and suggested that I try to replace the pipe with a new type mesh hose. I was not sure that I had the skills but she talked me into it. Well it took two trips to get all the parts needed, and a lot of help from my 14 year old daughter Annie, and it was after 10 when I was done, and it took a few disassembles and reassembles. But we got it all done. And afterwards we sat down to some Ice Cream and the first David Tennant episode of Doctor Who.

I really could have used his screw driver thought.....

FOXNews.com - U.S. Atheists Reportedly Using Hair Dryers to 'De-Baptize'

2010-08-09T23:53:00.000-05:00

FOXNews.com - U.S. Atheists Reportedly Using Hair Dryers to 'De-Baptize': "American atheists lined up to be 'de-baptized' in a ritual using a hair dryer, according to a report Friday on U.S. late-night news program 'Nightline.'

Leading atheist Edwin Kagin blasted his fellow non-believers with the hair dryer to symbolically dry up the holy water sprinkled on their heads in days past. The styling tool was emblazoned with a label reading 'Reason and Truth.'"

I kind of find this interesting even if it is a few weeks old. It seems that it is OK to make fun of the way that Christians do things. Now to be fair, they make fun of infant baptism, a thing that I do not believe in but accept that some do. But what gives these people the right to make fun of beliefs. If a Christian was to do the same about their beliefs, they would be intolerant Bible thumping fanatics. If they do it, they are trying to open our eyes to the truth.

Seems they might have a bit more faith they they claim, they seem to think that we do not have the truth and that they do.

Do people think before they create advertisement?

2010-08-08T19:42:00.001-05:00

Sitting at lunch, reading the company magazine. They want us to sell USB sticks so they have an ad in it for colored USB sticks. Picture has a tween girl sitting at a computer. Now the kicker! The colors; fearless red, aqua blue, ... Lolita. Excuse me, did any one stop to think about this?

Where are the parents?

2010-08-07T18:38:00.000-05:00

Many people who know me know I work for a large retail store chain on the weekends. Seen a lot of weird stuff in my two years here. Today has to take the cake. I work in electronics and we haves Nintendo Wii display with a game in it. When I came back from break two kids were playing the game. That in itself is not strange.

Two and half hours later I leave for lunch. The kids ate still playing.

My questions: where were the parents and how could you leave a kid alone that long in a store where there are a lot of strange people?

Or is it just me

Update: mom showed up for her kids Of course I was writing the above at lunch and she came back after I had returned from it. Three and a half hours!

New York Weekly Paper 'Smithsonian Messnger'Depicts Obamas As 'Sanford And Son' - wbztv.com

2010-05-05T23:24:00.000-05:00

New York Weekly Paper 'Smithsonian Messnger'Depicts Obamas As 'Sanford And Son' - wbztv.com: "Hazel N. Dukes, president of the state NAACP conference, said in a statement Wednesday that the county should immediately pull advertising from any publication that ran the photo.

'It is simply shocking and outrageous that such a blatantly racist ad would run in any paper, much less an official paper of Suffolk County,' Dukes said. 'New Yorkers of all races and ethnicity are disgusted by it and reject it.'"

And just were these people when George Bush was racially electrotyped all those years as a cowboy with a little bitty hat in so many editorial cartoons. I bet they thought they were funny. But when one of your own gets made fun of, the shoe goes on the other foot.

"Why can't we all just get along?"

Book Review – Different Eyes – The Art of Living Beautifully

2010-04-16T16:30:00.001-05:00

Different Eyes: The Art of Living Beautifully

A few weeks ago, my Twitter stream had an offer go through it. If I had a blog and agreed to give a book review, the nice people from Zonervan would give me a book. Hey, i will do anything for free so I thought why not. I contacted they, got the book a few days later, and now, the last day that the review should be done I finally got the book read. I am not saying it was a boring book. Quite the opposite. In fact, I had to put it down to many times the chew on what the author had to say.

Now when I got the book I did a big eye roll. The author, Steve Chalke, was listed on the back cover as being '”..a UN Special Advisor working to combat people trafficking.” Oh well, another liberal author, is it too late to send the book back or pretend that I never got it in the first place. I am glad that I did not do it. I took the time to do what I said I would. And in some ways, that is what the author was trying to say.

Now, do not get me wrong. I still feel, especially from my conservative point of view that the author is more liberal. I have no problem with that. I know a lot of people who are liberal and we can learn from each other if we put prejudice aside and listen to each other. And that is what I had to do here.

The book is divided into Parts. Each part has two sections and a Thinking Christianity section. The first section is available to read if you are so inclined. And it was the first section that really got me upset with the author. His premise as I could tell, was that we have interpreted Jesus, the Bible and Christianity in our own image. Did what our meaning of the words match up with what the Bible really said. How bold of him to think that was my reaction. Are you going to tell me that my way is wrong and yours is right. What makes your opinion any better than mine. First reactions are not always right. At one point he points out that if you take the 10 commandments as a list of do’s and do not’s then you have missed the point. Read the whole thing. Of course, that is what I try to do. As he pointed out that God just before this said, ‘be holy for I am holy’, not the commandments take on a different meaning. They are not suggestions as some might say, but God is saying, ‘I am Holy, here is how you are to be Holy!’ Now we do not have a list of rules to follow, but ideals.

Now that becomes the them of the book, the ideals that we should have as Christians. In fact, in the very last chapter he says what the whole book has said in two lines:

In truth, however, as we have seen, the formation of moral habits and practices is a real and ongoing communal discipline. Whereas blind obedience to a set of inflexible rules is not only a lazy and poor substitute for moral formulation, it will also stunt your growth.

I yelled out in my mind why didn’t you say that 140 pages ago. I could have saved a lot of time. And then I thought, no I was not ready for what he had to say. Although I feel this is the way I lead my life (not as well as I could I will say), I realized that I would not have accepted what he said 140 pages before this. I had to let him weave the stories of Jesus life and the old and new testament saints into a pattern that I had not see up until then. I did not see that when Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, He did not ask which was the neighbor, he asks who acted like the neighbor. Who threw away the rules and did what was right. It was like the story that I heard Charles Swindol say on his radio show, Insight for Living, this morning. A story of a little boy who in Nazi Germany was lead with a neighborhood in Germany to dig their own graves, and then lined up naked and shot. The boy did not get shot by some miracle, but was covered by his parents blood and fell into the pit when they did. The Germans covered the bodies, but the shallow grave let him breath till night. He dug his way out and went from farmhouse to farmhouse asking for help and all panicked and would not take him in. He then said something no Jewish person would ever say. As the door opened, he said, ‘Do not turn me away, I am the person that your Jesus talks about when he says not to turn away one in need.’ And the took him in warmly. The people had to turn away the fear that they would be killed for taking him in, to do as the Good Samaritan did, throw out the rule book and like the way Christ wanted them too.

Am I going to say this is easy, nope. It is a struggle every day, and we have to have the insight not to say something is wrong because our church says it is wrong, but we have thought it through and said this is how Jesus would have acted. Does that mean we will always agree. No, because we are fallen humans and still see things differently. While the author talks about how much better it would be if we would council young pregnant woman to have their babies, and help with the adoptions rather than be political about it, I had to scream a little bit. First because I know many people/ministries that are doing that. Second, because why can we not do both? In the end we will have disagreements and I think that is OK.

The book is not a simple read. If you pick it up, make sure that you know that you will have to take some time to digest the nuggets that are there. I do recommend it though.

Different Eyes: The Art of Living Beautifully

3D TV: Not for the drunk, tired, or pregnant | HDTV | Playlist | Macworld

2010-04-15T15:35:00.000-05:00

3D TV: Not for the drunk, tired, or pregnant | HDTV | Playlist | Macworld:

"Viewing in 3D may cause disorientation for some viewers. Accordingly, DO NOT place your TV television near open stairwells, cables, balconies, or other objects that can be tripped over, run into, knocked down, broken or fallen over."

I have to really ask myself, do I really want to watch 3D TV so bad that I would endanger my health. Not to mention the other warnings:

Children and teenagers may be more susceptible to health issues associated with viewing in 3D and should be closely supervised when viewing these images.

and

Pregnant women, the elderly, sufferers of serious medical conditions, those who are sleep deprived or under the influence of alcohol should avoid utilizing the unit's 3D functionality.

WOW

ACORN to formally disband | Reuters

2010-03-24T00:30:00.000-05:00

ACORN to formally disband | Reuters: "'ACORN has faced a series of well-orchestrated, relentless, well-funded right wing attacks,' the group said in a statement announcing the moves."

And just how is this different than what the did to the conservatives? Sorry guys, if you can not take it, do not dish it out.

Setting your sights on something BIG!

2010-03-16T01:35:00.001-05:00

Obese mother Donna Simpson weighs 43st, but she is determined to nearly double her size to become the world's fattest woman.
The 42-year-old from New Jersey is set on reaching the 1,000lb mark (71st) in just two years.
Remarkably, she insists she is healthy despite now needing a mobility scooter when she goes shopping.

Donna Simpson aims to be world’s fattest woman in two years - World news, News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

I guess everyone needs a hobby, but this is kind of ridiculous! I cannot see how it can be good for her to be so heavy, even if she feels she is healthy. It cannot be good for her heart.

in reference to:

"Obese mother Donna Simpson weighs 43st, but she is determined to nearly double her size to become the world's fattest woman. The 42-year-old from New Jersey is set on reaching the 1,000lb mark (71st) in just two years. Remarkably, she insists she is healthy despite now needing a mobility scooter when she goes shopping."
- Donna Simpson aims to be world’s fattest woman in two years - World news, News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk (view on Google Sidewiki)

BBC News - Love Story author Erich Segal dies from heart attack

2010-01-20T00:37:00.000-06:00

BBC News - Love Story author Erich Segal dies from heart attack: "Love Story, which had the tagline 'Love means never having to say you're sorry', was nominated for seven Oscars - including Segal's screenplay - and won one for best original score."

I guess that he will never have to say he is sorry anymore. As sappy as I thought the movie and book were, it is true, true love means never having to say you are sorry ever again.

University chaplain squeezes Christmas sermon into text message

2009-12-07T22:35:00.002-06:00

University chaplain squeezes Christmas sermon into text message

And an interesting message it is, take a look.

Posted using ShareThis

The 5 Rules of Black Friday

2009-11-25T23:19:00.002-06:00

The 5 Rules of Black Friday

Posted using ShareThis

From the article:

Black Friday can be scary. Children and small men often get trampled by large women rushing to score special deals. Parking lots are filled with NASCAR drivers and everyone is hopped up on coffee and Red Bull. The best thing to do is sleep right through it, but if you must shop, please be nice.

Smile at the cashier. He doesn’t want to be there and hates you for perpetuating the tradition. Smile at other shoppers too because you are all in this together. If you must shove someone out of the way to grab the last $79 GPS at Radio shack, do it gently.

Please pay attention folks, the sanity you save may be my own.

Psalm 109:8 bumper stickers -- a wrong-hearted prayer for President Obama? - Faith & Reason

2009-11-20T08:33:00.000-06:00

"Pray for Obama."

A kind and generous statement.

Or is it?

A crop of bumper stickers and T-shirts emblazoned with that call to prayer for the president have appeared for sale recently online through make-it-yourself outlets such as Zazzle.com and CafePress.com. And most of the "Pray for Obama" slogans are accompanied by a scripture reference: "Psalm 109:8.

"In the New International Version translations, that verse reads;

May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.

Aha! So, they're praying for Obama's tenure to be a short one. Fair enough. But what does that really mean?

Psalm 109:8 bumper stickers -- a wrong-hearted prayer for President Obama? - Faith & Reason

Take time and read the rest of the verses in context. It is an eye opener what these people are asking for. While I do not care for the politics of Mr. Obama, I would never wish this stuff on him.

reBlog from converstations.com: ConverStations

2009-09-29T17:49:00.001-05:00

I found this fascinating quote today:

Let's not get caught up on 21st Century Skills being [about] using a computer, social network, or mobile device. Two decades ago, Twitter wasn't a twinkle in our eye -- now it's everywhere. At the end of this century, Twitter may not be a 21st Century Tool, let alone a 21st Century Skill.converstations.com, ConverStations, Sep 2009

You should read the whole article. As a computer educator and geek it is a very interesting read. We do not need to teach Word for example but teach how to do Word Processing. We do not need to teach Twitter but how to communicate.

The safe browsers are safe no more…

2009-09-02T11:51:00.001-05:00

From ZDNet

Security researchers have intercepted a fake Flash Player update creating a Firefox add-on that spies on a target user’s Google search results.

The malicious Firefox extension, called “Adobe Flash Player 0.2,” injects ads into the user’s Google search results pages and even has the capability to monitor the user’s browsing activities, particularly Google search queries using the Firefox browser.

It then sends the information it gathers to a hacker-controlled server.

Do not get Flash from any place but the Adobe site. What used to be safe, the alternative browsers, like Firefox, are now becoming methods of attack. Be aware…..

Psalm 119:64“The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) . All Rights Reserved.

O.C. residents sue Facebook | facebook, information, beck, county, orange - News - OCRegister.com

2009-08-19T07:47:00.000-05:00

The other two plaintiffs are Orange County children – Xavier O., 11, and Chris C., 12 – who reportedly opened accounts without their parents' permission. Since Xavier posted information about having swine flu, "his parents have been unable to learn where the minor's medical information may have been stored, disseminated or sold by Facebook," the complaint states.

O.C. residents sue Facebook | facebook, information, beck, county, orange - News - OCRegister.com

If this had been my kids, I would not be suing Facebook, I would be spanking their buts. Responsibility, teach it to your kids please...

Why I would like to learn to fly someday

2009-07-28T23:29:00.001-05:00

A picture by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty as he was flying to one of his stops...

dumpr.net

2009-07-08T01:56:00.002-05:00

Help I am traped in a Rubik's Cube and get not get out
Create your own Rubik's Cube

Pew Research Center Poll: 64 Percent Think There's Too Much Coverage Of Michael Jackson's Death - wbztv.com

2009-07-02T23:44:00.001-05:00

LOS ANGELES (AP) ―Nearly two in three Americans say news organizations have given too much coverage to the death of Michael Jackson, but half say the media have struck the right balance between covering the pop star's personal life and musical career.

In a Pew Research Center poll published Wednesday, 64 percent of those surveyed said Jackson's death last week in Los Angeles has received too much coverage, 29 percent said the story received the right amount and 3 percent said the story got too little attention

Pew Research Center Poll: 64 Percent Think There's Too Much Coverage Of Michael Jackson's Death - wbztv.com
Put with the 2/3 group. A week later and they seem to make up stories about things. Please can we let the story go. A lot of people have died this week. Some are true heroes.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

A marked man...

2009-07-02T12:08:00.001-05:00

Mayfield said outside court Wednesday he would travel to Daytona, but wasn’t sure in what capacity. His suspension covered both his roles as driver and owner of his car, and he wasn’t sure he could put something together in time.

Larry Gunselman and Tommy Baldwin, two owners who potentially could have given Mayfield a ride, said they weren’t considering him for Saturday night’s race.

“Whether he’s right, wrong or different right now, he’s marked,” said Baldwin, “and that’s going to hurt him probably for the rest of his career.”

Mayfield not at Daytona when garage opens - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports

It is a shame that it has to be this way. I am not a Mayfield fan, I think in someways he is a jerk, but I think NASCAR was wrong and have defended him. The 3 ring circus that NASCAR set up for drug testing was an exercise in stupidity. That being said I must agree with Baldwin here. He is going to have a hard time getting any car he drives/owns through inspection much less being noted for infractions on the course. NASCAR has effectivly killed him.

Mayfield Wins against NASCAR ... or does he?

2009-07-02T12:06:00.002-05:00

The Brighter Light

2009-06-18T10:58:00.001-05:00

Notes from my pastor's (Pastor Bob Yandian) sermon called the Brighter Light are available on my Sermon Notes Page.

What and Idiot

2009-06-08T01:13:00.000-05:00

Why I can never be a Kyle Bush fan. No respect for what he won or what went into the making of it.

NASCAR – The Big Bully?

2009-06-05T16:20:00.001-05:00

From Nascar.com

LONG POND, Pa. -- NASCAR has filed a countersuit in federal court against driver Jeremy Mayfield and denied each of the suspended driver's arguments why his failed drug test should be overturned.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston, speaking Friday from Pocono Raceway, says the countersuit was filed against Mayfield for willfully violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy, breach of contract, and defrauding NASCAR and its competitors of earnings.

Among the claims of the lawsuit are that Mayfield knowingly participated in NASCAR competition using a combination of drugs in violation of the substance abuse policy and violated his contracts with NASCAR and the standards of care he owed fellow drivers and spectators.

Mayfield was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test conducted eight days earlier at Richmond International Raceway.

The bolder text is what I want to emphasize here. I love NASCAR. Some may think it is as boring as watching paint dry but if you watch it you see the high speed chess match that it is. Should a driver take 2 or 4 tires, do we have enough Gas to go the distance, and any of a lot of other questions.

And yes, they should have a substance abuse policy. By all means. When you are going near 200 MPH you need to know that the guy next to you is not on some trip.

But how could Mayfield what drugs are on the substance abuse policy? No driver has been told that. NASCAR, IMHO is acting like the big bully here. Mayfield started this team with barely any money and he just wants to race. He has not been a ‘start and park’ car, he is actually trying and was having a bit of success.

NASCAR, tell us all, or at least the drivers, what they need to watch out for. Revise it as necessary. But do not tell the drivers not to take any drugs at all. He says he took Claritin and a prescription. Tell us what he took or let him race. This has gone on long enough.

I guess some people have not enough to complain about!

2009-04-20T20:11:00.001-05:00

From FOXNEWS.COM:

A social services accounting clerk wants compensation for missing his lunch break on April 3 during a horrific upstate New York immigration center massacre that left 13 dead plus the gunman.

James Kauchis, a government employee of the Broome County Department of Social Services, confirmed that he filed a formal complaint last week seeking the pay, according to the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin.

But he wouldn't discuss it with the newspaper.

"That's a matter between me, the administration and the union," Kauchis said.

How can this guy complain when so many lost their life that day. What a shame.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

April Fools

2009-04-01T22:44:00.002-05:00

Today was an interesting day. I did my usual teaching and went to work. I was aware of it being April 1, April Fools day, but no one had tried to pull an obvious joke on me so I was not thinking about it.

Driving to my real job I was listening to a talk show on local station KRMG, the Neal Boortz show. I usually listen to him as I do not agree with everything he says but it is interesting. He started to describe during his Government outrage segment how Obama had told GM and Chrysler that if they wanted any more money they would have to withdraw their participation in NASCAR. Boortz was upset! He cannot tell them how to advertise.

Needless to say I got to work and started to tell a co-worker about it. We both agreed it was the wrong thing to do. I figured I would blog about it so I started to search about it. Seems that the Internet was abuzz about it. One article said Obama and NASCAR was the biggest Google News search for the day, and it all started with an article at the Car and Driver magazine web site. Well Car and Driver meant it as an April Fools joke but it seems that it took on a mind of its own. Some places have not retracted the statements yet either.

So while I did not get hit directly, I guess I got it indirectly.

Of course my stepdaughter got it. She got a Facebook message that said Obama and her were second cousins and clicked the link.

Obama was the subject of a lot of the jokes today. Hope he does not mind.

One of the reasons that I do not like unions...

2009-03-26T13:30:00.001-05:00

From Fox News

A bill working its way through Congress that changes how employees can create and join unions is facing tough criticism from workers who say it gives unions the green light to use aggressive tactics to get them to sign up.

The Employee Free Choice Act -- known in Congress as the "card check" bill -- calls for an easier system to allow employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations. Under the bill, employees can request blank cards from existing unions that employees can sign to express interest in joining the union. If 30 percent of employees sign the cards, companies can hold secret-ballot elections to decide on unionization.

But workers at the Dana Corporation Auto Parts plant in Albion, Ind., say the card check process has nearly torn the 50-person plant apart after harassment and intimidation from the United Auto Workers union forced them to a secret-ballot vote.

A union organizer came to the plant two years ago to ask employees to join the UAW because the company had signed a neutrality agreement with the union.

The meeting, however, did not go well, according to plant employee Larry Guest.

"He was using real rough language -- cursing. It didn't go over well with the women at all. There were a couple that just got up and left," Guest told FOX News.

Employees said union representatives approached them in the break room, at the plant doors and even followed them to their cars.

"He was just like an itch that you couldn't scratch. He just wouldn't go away," said employee Rita Murphy.

"After a while we realized he was going to be here morning, noon and night until he got his numbers that he needed," said Betty Pop.

We will miss you....

2009-03-01T02:54:00.001-06:00

From Fox news (and I am sure many other places)

Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation's most familiar voices, died Saturday in Arizona, FOX News has confirmed. He was 90.

Harvey died surrounded by family at a hospital in Phoenix, where he had a winter home, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for ABC Radio Networks, where Harvey worked for more than 50 years. No cause of death was immediately available.

Paul, I knew when Angel died you would not last much longer as you were so in love with her. I will miss your voice and you doing the news.

No one, and I mean no one, can replace you in the industry. We will miss you.

Psalm 73:25-26“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

Boy am I in trouble......

2009-02-28T09:57:00.000-06:00

I'm an embarrassment to Barack!

I only scored 18 on the Obama Test

From the no good deed goes unpunished department

2009-02-26T13:05:00.001-06:00

WBZ TV Watercooler web page reports:

DENVER (AP) ― A good Samaritan who helped push three people out of the path of a pickup truck before being struck and injured has gotten a strange reward for his good deed: A jaywalking ticket.
Family members said 58-year-old bus driver Jim Moffett and another man were helping two elderly women cross a busy Denver street in a snowstorm when he was hit Friday night.
Moffett suffered bleeding in the brain, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder and a possible ruptured spleen. He was in serious but stable condition Wednesday.

Kind of reminds me of a few years ago, a good Samaritan was helping people here in Tulsa that got stuck in the snow by towing them out of the drifts and got a ticket

Just when you think that the younger generation has gone to Hades...

2009-02-17T20:22:00.001-06:00

From ESPN.com

Two missed free throws, ordinarily the cause of a coach's headache, became the symbol of sportsmanship in a Milwaukee boys basketball game earlier this month.

Milwaukee Madison senior Johntell Franklin, who lost his mother, Carlitha, to cancer on Saturday, Feb. 7, decided he wanted to play in that night's game against DeKalb (Ill.) High School after previously indicating he would sit out.

He arrived at the gym in the second quarter, but Franklin's name was not in the scorebook because his coach, Aaron Womack Jr., didn't expect him to be there.

Rules dictated Womack would have to be assessed a technical, but he was prepared to put Franklin in the game anyway. DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman and his players knew of the situation, and told the referees they did not want the call.

The referees had no choice. But Rohlman did.

"I gathered my kids and said, 'Who wants to take these free throws?'" Rohlman said, recounting the game to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Darius McNeal put up his hand. I said, 'You realize you're going to miss, right?' He nodded his head."

McNeal, a senior point guard, went to the line. The Milwaukee Madison players stayed by their bench, waiting for the free throws. Instead of seeing the ball go through the net, they saw the ball on the court, rolling over the end line.

"I turned around and saw the ref pick up the ball and hand it back to the player," Womack said in the Journal Sentinel. "And then [McNeal] did the same thing again."

Romans 8:35,37“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

If you can not trust a parking ticket....?

2009-02-05T19:49:00.001-06:00

So that you do not have to worry about things to worry about... From the BBC

Drivers found the following message on the yellow ticket on their windscreen: "PARKING VIOLATION This vehicle is in violation of standard parking regulations".

The ticket then instructed drivers to visit a website, where drivers could "view pictures with information about your parking preferences".

The website instructed users to download a tool bar containing a virus

According to internet security watchdog The SANS Institute, the website then had photos of cars in various car parks around Grand Forks and instructed users to download a tool bar to find photos of their own vehicle.

When you invent a better mouse trap, someone invents a better mouse I guess.

Giving back to what got you there

2009-02-05T16:33:00.001-06:00

From SceneDaily.com

Hamlin said during Thursday’s 2009 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway that he will give away the tickets on his official Web site, DennyHamlin.com.
“They can sit in my seats each and every week at every single race track we go to,” Hamlin said. “Basically, they just enter in there, and we’ll choose a handful to be sitting in my seats each week.”
Hamlin said he will give away a minimum of four tickets per race, with more tickets available at some tracks. They won’t be bad tickets, either, he insisted.
And you don’t have to be a Hamlin fan, either.
“That’s not to go out there and try to get more race fans,” Hamlin said. “It’s not [just] for Denny Hamlin race fans; it’s for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to be there in your Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. gear or your Carl Edwards gear. It doesn’t matter to me. I just want to help the race fans out that don’t have the means to or have gone for the last 20 years and now aren’t able to because of financial reasons.”
Hamlin estimated that the tickets have cost him between $75 and $150 apiece, and he isn’t getting any discounts or favoritism from tracks.
“They’re coming out of my pocket,” he said. “And it’s actually been a pretty big hassle, but it doesn’t matter.”
The economy has hurt race fans, Hamlin said, and everyone in the sport needs to be aware of the struggles of the fans.

Thanks Denny. I may try to get tickets for Texas or Kansas, as they would be the closest to me, but I probally will not. I cannot afford to take the time off from work to go. I have never scene a race live, only on the TV, I would love to go.

What I appreciate is that you, like most NASCAR drivers, know what got you where you are and appreciate the fans. This however, is a step above and beyond. Thanks again.

Did you have to make your point that way...

2009-02-05T12:57:00.001-06:00

From Fox News

"Malaria is spread by mosquitoes," Gates said while opening a jar onstage at the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference — a gathering known to attract technology kings, politicians, and Hollywood stars.

"I brought some. Here I'll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected."

I guess that it was a way of making a point, that there is need for all people to live in safety from disease. He assured the audience that they did not contain malaria. But what about other disease they could have had.

Forget about that, what about what someone next to me had. The mosquito bites the person next to me, maybe they have aids. Then it bites me. I now have their blood mixed with the bugs and injected into mine.

I wonder if Bill Gates is as smart as he things he is.

30 Seconds in to the future

2009-01-30T13:41:00.001-06:00

From the Journal Now (Winston-Salem Journal)

In 1987, the science-fiction satire Max Headroom depicted a media-obsessed future in which television commercials were reduced to one-second bites.

Welcome to the world of tomorrow. During Sunday's Super Bowl, Miller High Life will show a series of one-second commercials. But let's hope they don't have the same effect as the "blipverts" on Max Headroom, which over-stimulated sedentary viewers and caused them to explode.

Since Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the Super Bowl, MillerCoors had to go to individual NBC affiliates to buy airtime. Hank Price at WXII confirmed that the ads would air here, and that MillerCoors had bought four seconds of airtime. He said that the station does not discuss the rates it charges advertisers, so we don't know if they paid 4/30th the going rate or more.

OK, so I do not have my jetpack that I was told I would have when I was a kid (40 years ago), but stuff from 20 years ago is now coming true.... this is weird. Here is hoping that those watching will not explode!

what a neat photo of the inauguration

2009-01-28T01:32:00.001-06:00

From David Bergman a picture of the inauguration taken over several minutes. You can zoom in on the picture with remarkable clarity.

What do these 10 songs have in common?

2009-01-28T00:30:00.001-06:00

1. Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life - Eric Idle / Monty Python

2. Cabaret - Liza Minnelli

3. Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye - Gracie Fields

4. My Way - Sid Vicious

5. They’re Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa - Napoleon

6. Fame! I Want To Live Forever - The cast of Fame

7. We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place - The Animals

8. Going Underground - The Jam

9. Spirit In The Sky - Dr and The Medics

10. Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think - The Specials

Find the answer.

John 4:24“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

Follow the Inaguration with Twittervision

2009-01-19T16:20:00.000-06:00

Do not mess with a good thing NASCAR

2009-01-16T21:46:00.001-06:00

I do not know where NASCAR thinks they are helping the sport when we read from Fox Sports the following piece of information that will help reduce cost (supposedly):

When the truck series first debuted, the series was able to limit expenses by having teams pit once at halfway under a competition caution and have fewer men over the wall.

A similar plan could be in the works that would bring trucks down pit road according to the order on the track. Teams would be allowed to pit and the trucks would then return to the track in the same order, similar to a TV time out in football or basketball.

One of the things that attracts me to NASCAR is the high speed chess match that takes place each week. Do we pit now, do we wait to pit, do we take two or four tires? All of these effect the results. Do just do a competition caution would increase the yawn factor about 75%. So much can be gained or lost in the pits. No NASCAR, do not do it. I realize it is the TRUCKS and that is a testing ground of sorts, but leave this stuff to your minor leagues or the ARCA Remax series.

Do not listen to the soundbytes and talking heads...

2009-01-15T22:09:00.001-06:00

Listen to what the man says himself. It is amazing what you hear versus what he said.

From the Dept. of taking back what was not yours to give in the first place....

2009-01-13T23:49:00.001-06:00

GREENFIELD, Calif. — Police have arrested a Greenfield man for allegedly arranging to sell his 14-year-old daughter into marriage in exchange for $16,000, 100 cases of beer and several cases of meat.
Police say they only learned of the deal after 36-year-old Marcelino de Jesus Martinez went to them to get his daughter back because payment wasn't made as promised.

FOXNews.com - Man Allegedly Tries to Sell Daughter Into Marriage for Cash, Beer and Meat - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
I thought that we had passed the era when woman were slaves about 1000 years ago or so. Lock this guy up and throw away the key (providing that he is guilty - hard not to be when he admits he did something wrong so he can get his money back).

Finding Osama Bin Laden

2009-01-05T16:50:00.001-06:00

Twitter Hack

2009-01-05T12:39:00.001-06:00

From Mashable.com comes:

Twitter is being blindsided today by a new wave of attacks, this time involving the takeover of the accounts of prominent users. Barack Obama, Britney Spears, CNN’s Rick Sanchez, Fox News, and Facebook’s official accounts are amongst those that have been targeted thus far, with each sending out an obviously fake message ranging from explicit comments to ads for online scams. Here’s what the Fox News account looked like earlier today:

I wonder why they did not go after my account. Maybe cause I just am not important enough.

Isaiah 1:16-17“wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

Time to track Santa

2008-12-23T14:28:00.001-06:00

Thanks to the trackers at NORADSanta, we are able to know where Santa is on his trip this year....

Enjoy, stay safe and do not light a fire and burn Santa up, use the Video Yule log.

What Can We Learn From A Genealogy

2008-12-23T13:24:00.001-06:00

New Sermon Notes posted. It is from this past weekend. I listened to it from their MP3 downloads page as I was in Children's church at the time. Pastor Bob talks about the genealogies of Christ and just what we can learn from them.

From the 'Maybe Darwin was right' department

2008-12-23T10:54:00.001-06:00

From WBZ-TV

Man Burns Home Melting Ice With Blowtorch

NEW BEDFORD (AP) ―

New Bedford fire officials say a homeowner using a blowtorch to melt ice on his back porch set the home on fire causing up to $30,000 in damage.
Fire Capt. Scott Kruger tells The Standard-Times of New Bedford that no one was injured during Monday's incident at the three-story home.

I do not have anything to add

Divorces are down because of the economy!

2008-12-23T10:42:00.001-06:00

From Fox Business News web site:

SAN FRANCISCO--The recession and economic turmoil is creating a new class of casualties: Married couples who can't afford to get divorced. In these tough times many people are finding it's cheaper to stay together, even when they can't stand each other.

"The reason that the economy has such an enormous impact on divorce is that most people in the middle-income brackets are getting by on whatever income they have. They're just getting by," said Bonnie Booden, a family law and divorce attorney in Phoenix.

I guess there is something good to be said about this bad economy.

I'm Watching you dad

2008-12-19T18:28:00.001-06:00

Just how big is Santa's sleigh

2008-12-19T15:01:00.002-06:00

If you are not on Twitter... this just in from NoradSanta... on Twitter

noradsanta Santa's sleigh is 75 cc long, 40 cc wide. 1 cc = 1 Candy Cane

Well is that the large or small Candy Canes.....
I am glad to see that NORAD Santa is upgrading its stuff, Annie used to love to check out the page with me each hour.

All your computers belong to us...

2008-12-19T13:35:00.000-06:00

Your Computer is Under Investigation - F-Secure Weblog : News from the Lab

Interesting little program. Have not seen prank viruses (assume it does nothing else) like this one in a long time.

Out of Town goes out

2008-12-18T17:10:00.001-06:00

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — They survived when Barnes & Noble took over the Harvard Coop, and even when the Tasty, a 16-stool diner with a fanatical following, gave way to an Abercrombie & Fitch.

CJ Gunther for The New York Times

The newsstand’s fate is big news on Harvard Square. The Cambridge city manager is seeking another news vendor for the 431-square-foot kiosk.

But when word spread this week that Out of Town News, the landmark newsstand just outside Harvard’s gates, might close, the legions who love Harvard Square went numb.

Every now and then I hear news from back home in Massachusetts. This was not good news to me. The New York Times reports that Out of Town News is going out of business.

I will have the Harvard Square of my teens and 20's to remember. I spent many a few buck at the Out of Town. In my comic reading days they always seemed to have the new stuff out first, and I had to have it. Back then I liked getting an out of Massachusetts taste for news. Since the Internet as we know it did not exist this was the only way possible. It was the only place that you could get some off the wall, obscure publication also. If it was in print, the Out of Town had it. And what a location. In the middle of Harvard Square. No. not on a corner, in the middle.

Out of Town, have not seen you in years, knowing that you will close makes me sad, but it is evolution. Like they say in the article:

“Many people who are lamenting the loss of the kiosk,” Ms. Jillson said, “are certainly people who get up in the morning, turn on their laptop and get their news on the Internet.”

Nothing says Merry Christmas like..... superheros???

2008-12-17T18:13:00.001-06:00

First a little Batman

Then a little X-Men thrown in for good measure:

And then a little more Batman to round out the festivities

..this time with a Christmas Carol

Matthew 1:20-21“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

What do wally-world and hell have in common

2008-12-16T01:29:00.001-06:00

From the blog entry of the pastor of Destiny church: The Great Tribulation spoken of in scripture and Wal-Mart this time of year have something in common; they will bring out the best or worst in someone. The half hour in the supercenter parking lot made me thankful that I was a believer as surely Hell must be something akin to this. There's a reason people like me "DO" most of their shopping online and "DON'T" have Christian bumper stickers… :-)

We had crazy weather here in Oklahoma Sunday and Monday (and Tuesday too they say) and I can tell you, he is right. But for every bad person I met many good. Being a pallet mule (our name for the receiving people who unload the truck and haul the stuff out to the floor), I can tell you I have seen my share of people stop in front of me and think nothing of it. Not something you want to do in front of a guy hauling two tons of dog food behind you.

But I have also seen my share of people that step out of the way quickly and smile as I move by, as if to say thanks for bringing the stuff out here. And the total strangers that when a small box drops will go out of there way to pick it up for me.

Pastor Mike, you have spoken at Grace and few times since I joined and was my sons youth pastor. I love you, but maybe you need to look at the good sometimes. That being said, yes, you nailed it on the parking lot!

Luke 1:46-47, 49“[Mary's Song] And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

Pizza can save your life!

2008-12-15T23:58:00.001-06:00

A Florida pizza delivery man who was challenged by armed robbers in the city of Miramar got in first with his own weapon - a large pepperoni pizza.
Eric Lopez Devictoria, 40, flung the piping hot pizza at the gunman, then turned on his heels and ran.
He made a safe getaway, according to the Florida Sun-Sentinel, despite one shot being fired as he fled.
Police later arrested three teenage suspects, who have been charged with armed robbery

BBC NEWS | Americas | US man uses pizza in self-defence
You know, if they had put this in a movie, no one would have believed it (unless it was a Chuck Norris movie). Hats off to a brave man.

The real reason for the season

2008-12-15T18:11:00.001-06:00

Luke 1:30-33“But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

For those who drink the Apple Kool-Aid

2008-12-11T19:47:00.000-06:00

Mapple - The Simpsons
Uploaded by aarplane

As the sun sets on the Petty Empire

2008-12-11T19:24:00.001-06:00

From NASCAR.COM

Yet in the ensuing months, economic reality intervened. A recession hit. Sponsorship dried up. And so began the long tumble toward Thursday, when Petty Enterprises announced that it is negotiating with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports to field its flagship No. 43 car, and Labonte announced that he had been released from all ties to the organization. It's another step toward the end of Petty Enterprises as the sport has always known it, the team that family patriarch Lee Petty founded in 1949.

"In over 15 years of racing in the Sprint Cup Series, I can't remember a time when the sport's landscape looks as it does today," Labonte said in a statement. "Saying that, Petty Enterprises and I had serious and very sincere discussions about what was best for myself and everyone involved at Petty Enterprises moving forward. These discussions culminated with us agreeing that moving in a separate direction will be the greatest way to reach our end goals. It was by no means an easy decision."

Meanwhile, Petty Enterprises said it is in "exclusive" negotiations with GEM, which fields three Sprint Cup entries, about a transaction that would essentially involve the Gillett organization absorbing Petty's No. 43 car, which has been without primary sponsorship since General Mills announced last year its intentions to move to Richard Childress Racing for 2009. A deal with GEM would theoretically secure a place in the sport's future for the No. 43 car and owner Richard Petty, who drove it to seven championships.

I for one, though I am new to the sport will miss Petty and their presence. It is the likes of Kyle Petty and his devotion to Victory Junction Camp that showed me there was more to these guys than 'go fast, turn left'. We will miss you all. Mr. Labonte, may you find a great ride.

More Stupid Christmas Gifts

2008-12-11T17:27:00.000-06:00

Got to love the global warming mug!

Nothing says I'm fiends with you like koobface.

2008-12-10T15:09:00.001-06:00

There's nothing like social networking sites to keep people connected and worms propagating — such as the all new and improved Net-Worm:W32/Koobface.CZ. A little infection equals a little comment in someone's little site somewhere.This version of Koobface targets the following sites in its body:–

– bebo.com
– myyearbook.com
– blackplanet.com
– facebook.com
– myspace.com
– friendster.com

You've Got Comment! - F-Secure Weblog : News from the Lab

Well, the social network sites get to play the game now. Seems like they are going after them hard.

Redneck Smoke Detector [PIC]

2008-12-04T23:17:00.002-06:00

As a redneck I really do not see the humor in this.... do you?

read more | digg story

Nothing says Merry Christmas like killing an unborn child...

2008-12-04T19:22:00.001-06:00

From Fox News web site

A number of Planned Parenthood clinics in Indiana and Illinois are offering gift certificates for their services this Christmas.

Officials say the vouchers enable people to give their loved ones "the gift of life" — that would help pay for annual checkups and birth control — but also can be used for abortions.

There is nothing that I can add to this...

Thank you to Jdimytai Damour

2008-12-04T13:20:00.001-06:00

From Fox News web site:

Damour was asphyxiated last Friday while trying to shield a pregnant shopper from the throngs of bargain hunters pushing their way into the Valley Stream, N.Y., store.

His name may not be one that rolls of the tongue. He was the worker that was killed in the Wal-Mart stampede in New York. At least I now know that his death was not in vain. He was trying to protect a pregnant woman from the stampede. A stampede that did not need to happen in the first place.

Nassau police said Wednesday that the conflict among shoppers who remained in their cars and those who waited in the cold weather fostered a "mob mentality" that led to the death last week of 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour, according to the paper.

So, some stayed in cars and wanted to cut in line in front of those who stayed outdoors. Who is right, who is wrong? I do not know. I do know that people acted like animals. It appears that evolution is wrong. We revert it seems, rather than evolve.

John 8:12“[The Validity of Jesus' Testimony] When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

Apple and antivirus

2008-12-03T17:00:00.001-06:00

From Network World

A support page on Apple's Web site recommending users purchase antivirus software for their Macs received a lot of attention over the past couple of days, but on Tuesday Apple removed the page from its Web site.

The Web page seemed to go against Apple's newest ad campaigns that suggested only the PC needs antivirus software. Even though the page has been removed, Apple did not telling customers to absolutely not protect themselves.

"Since no system can be 100% immune from every threat, running anti-virus software may offer additional protection," said Evans.

Got a co-worker on one job that says that Windows Machines get all the viruses and Macs do not. Guess he drank to much Apple flavored Kool-Aid. Facts are facts. The Apple II was the first machine to ever get a computer virus.

Apple Virus 1, 2 and 3(From Claws and Paws web site)
The earliest case of a virus that succeeded "in the wild" goes back to late 1981, even before the work of Fred Cohen. In fairness, this does not appear to have been noted by many until long after the fact. For the benefit of those who do not delight in flame wars the author will not be identified: those who have followed the history of viri will know whom I refer to as Joe :-).
The idea was sparked by a speculation regarding "evolution" and "natural selection" in pirated copies of games at Texas A&M: the "reproduction" of preferred games and "extinction" of poor ones. This led to considerations of programs which reproduced on their own. (I see no reason to doubt the author's contention that there was no malice involved: this was, after all, the first case that we know of. Indeed, it was Joe's contention that a virus had to be relatively "benign" in order to survive.)

Apple II computer diskettes of that time, when formatted in the normal way, always contained the disk operating system. Joe attempted to find the minimum change that would make a version of the DOS that was viral, and then tried to find an "optimal" viral DOS. A group came up with version 1 of such a virus in early 1982, but quarantined it because of adverse effects. Version 2 seemed to have no negative impact, and was allowed to "spread" through the disks of group members.

Eventually security was relaxed too far and the virus escaped to the general Apple user population. It was only then that the negative impact of the virus was seen: the additional code length caused some programs, and one computer game in particular, to abort. A third version was written which made strenuous efforts to avoid the memory problems: parts of the coding involve bytes which are both data and opcode. Version 3 was subsequently found to have spread into disk populations previously felt to be uninfected, but no adverse reactions were ever reported.

(For those who have Apple DOS 3.3 disks, location B6E8 in memory, towards the end of track 0, sector 0 on disk, should be followed by eighteen zero bytes. If, instead, the text "(GEN xxxxxxx TAMU)" appears, the digits represented by the "x"s should be a generation counter for virus version 3.)

The story has an interesting postscript. In 1984, a malicious virus was found to be spreading through the schools where all this took place. Some disks appeared to have some immunity. These immune disks turned out to all be infected with version 3.

So you see, Windows machines may have more viruses but Apple users were the first ones. Windows is more popular and will always have more for that reason. Do not drink the Apple Kool-Aid. It tastes terrible.

John 6:35“Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

Ads on tests add up for teacher - USATODAY.com

2008-12-02T23:24:00.000-06:00

Tom Farber gives a lot of tests. He's a calculus teacher, after all.

So when administrators at Rancho Bernardo, his suburban San Diego high school, announced the district was cutting spending on supplies by nearly a third, Farber had a problem. At 3 cents a page, his tests would cost more than $500 a year. His copying budget: $316. But he wanted to give students enough practice for the big tests they'll face in the spring, such as the Advanced Placement exam.

"Tough times call for tough actions," he says. So he started selling ads on his test papers: $10 for a quiz, $20 for a chapter test, $30 for a semester final.

Ads on tests add up for teacher - USATODAY.com

I know times are tough, but this just seems a little ridiculous to me. From the comments after the article, it seems the students do not mind.

What is next? Whiteboards with banner ads?

Customers injured in crush suing Wal-Mart - CNN.com

2008-12-02T16:18:00.001-06:00

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two customers are suing Wal-Mart for negligence after being injured in a mad rush for post-Thanksgiving bargains that left one store employee dead, the men's attorney said Tuesday.

A temporary worker at this Wal-Mart was crushed to death when shoppers rushed into the store last week.A temporary worker at this Wal-Mart was crushed to death when shoppers rushed into the store last week.Temporary Wal-Mart worker Jdimytai Damour, 34, was crushed to death as he and other employees attempted to unlock the doors of a store on Long Island at 5 a.m. Friday.

Attorney Kenneth Mollins said Fritz Mesadieu and Jonathan Mesadieu were "literally carried from their position outside the store" and are now "suffering from pain in their neck and their back from being caught in that

Customers injured in crush suing Wal-Mart - CNN.com

Will the madness never end.... Sue your fellow bargin hunters, they are the ones that hurt you. Or how about suing yourself for being so stupid that you are in a crowd of people that kill a man to get a bargain?

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Top 10 stupid gifts from chickens to toilet golf - Yahoo! News

2008-12-02T16:04:00.001-06:00

Top 10 stupid gifts from chickens to toilet golf - Yahoo! News

Do not know what to get that special person on your list. How about these two items from the top 10 list of stupid gifts.

How about a Barack Obama 'Yes We Can" opener? It was number 7 on the list. My personal favorite though was:

2. Wealth Redistribution 2008 Holiday Ornament:

This tree ornament announces that the ornament that used to be there has been removed and given to someone who needs it more. The Redistribution Holiday Ornament will let everyone know you're spreading the wealth whether you want to or not.

Gonna be a great Christmas I can tell!

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Was this necessary?

2008-12-01T15:53:00.001-06:00

A man is dead now because several someones had to have a great buy on a big screen TV! Is this the spirit of Christmas? It is a sad state of affairs that lead to this. We as a human race need to be ashamed of ourselves. We have sunk as a people to mass mob mentality. I read people are trying to blame Wal-Mart for not providing the man training in crowd control. While that is true, how about people being trained in how to be civil to each other. This is not Wal-Mart's fault and if we try to put the blame on them it is wrong. We all need to learn to take control of our own actions. Any one of those people could have stopped to try and help that man, and all of them should have stopped. This is crazy.

You know it must be Christmas time

2008-12-01T11:35:00.001-06:00

As if the crazy stuff that happened on Black Friday was not enough to tell you it is Christmas, FOX News is telling the story of the cost of the 12 Days of Christmas. This story comes out every year.

That's this year's cost, according to the annual "Christmas Price Index" compiled by PNC Wealth Management, which tallies the single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, purchased repeatedly as the song suggests. The price is up $8,508 or 10.9 percent, from $78,100 last year.

Now for more serious news I guess.....

John 1:1-2, 14“[The Word Became Flesh] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

Racing Season is over...

2008-11-25T18:06:00.001-06:00

So it is time to go to Speedtv,con and vote for the Speed Performance Awards. Like the man says, vote early and vote often. Check out the 'Temper, Temper' and 'Best Finish categories for some great videos.

Gleaming still works - or does it?

2008-11-25T17:30:00.001-06:00

From the Washington Post this interesting story with a Biblical theme

PLATTEVILLE, Colo. -- A farm couple got a huge surprise when they opened their fields to anyone who wanted to pick up free vegetables left over after the harvest -- 40,000 people showed up.

Joe and Chris Miller's fields were picked so clean Saturday that a second day of gleaning -- the ancient practice of picking up leftover food in farm fields -- was canceled Sunday. " 'Overwhelmed' is putting it mildly," Chris Miller said. "People obviously need food."

She said she expected 5,000 to 10,000 people to show up Saturday to collect free potatoes, carrots and leeks. Instead, an estimated 11,000 vehicles snaked around cornfields and backed up more than two miles. About 30 acres of the 600-acre farm 37 miles north of Denver became a parking lot.

Miller said they opened the farm to the free public harvest after hearing reports of food being stolen from churches. It was meant as a thank-you for customers.

I am not sure if this is true Biblical gleaming. 11,000 cars hitting the place at once. Would a true Biblical gleamer have a car in the first place. I am not sure if the people here were wanting a handout or a hand. If it was the first, shame on them, if it was the latter, we as a nation and our churches have failed deeply.

Colossians 3:17“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

MySpace Suicide case to go to the jury

2008-11-24T20:27:00.001-06:00

I am of two minds about this case and no matter what happens it is not good. In reality is not about suicide but about reading the rules and cyber-bullying.

If you are not familiar with the case, simple, girl on MySpace gets a boyfriend on MySpace. Only it is not a boy it is an ex-friends mom who wants to find out what the girl is saying about her mom (which was nothing). In the end, mom wants to hurt the girl so she says the world would be better off without her. So she kills herself. Law does not allow arrest on forcing a person to commit suicide, by its nature it is single person crime where the victim is also the murder. So they arrest her on violating MySpace rules.

Mom's defense is really poor at best:

Drew has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and accessing computers without authorization.

The defense has asked for dismissal on grounds there was no proof that Drew ever read the MySpace terms of service that ban use of false identities and harassment.

So let me get this right. She admits to using the system but not to reading the rules. Maybe I can use this defense if I ever get a ticket. I mean, the police cannot know that I saw a speed limit sign. By its nature, if you use the service you agree to the rules.

I wonder what will happen. Time will tell.

A sign of the times in NASCAR

2008-11-12T17:33:00.001-06:00

From NASCAR.COM

MIAMI -- Teresa Earnhardt and Chip Ganassi will combine their slumping race teams next season, an effort to stabilize their organizations in a tough economic time.

The combined team will be called Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya will drive the Nos. 1 and 42 and Aric Almirola will be behind the wheel of the No. 8. The driver of the No. 41 has not been named.

Both organizations have struggled to secure sponsorship this season, forcing the teams to pool resources.

Interesting that this would happen. Chevy shop and a Dodge shop. Will it be a sign of what is to come for the big 3 automakers? They have not decided what cars to go with but it would appear to be Chevy's as Dodge has been less help then Chevy when it came to cars this year.

Be good for goodness sake!

2008-11-12T15:50:00.001-06:00

From Fox News comes a story about Christmas and another group trying to get Christ out of Christmas (though they say that they are not).

The American Humanist Association is spending $40,000 to encourage people not to believe in God. While I applaud the fact they are urging people to be good, I find it interesting that they want to solve a problem that should not be:

"We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you," said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. "Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion."

Ok, so the reason they feel left alone is that the holiday is religious. Why should that bother them? If there is no God then people are celebrating something that does not exist. They have two choices. Join the celebration of people they think are foolish for celebrating or ignore the holiday. If they truly believe there is no God, they why should this holiday bother them? Or is it that it does bother them and they have a nagging feeling that maybe there is a reason for the Christ in Christmas?

Colossians 1:9“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Study shows how spammers cash in

2008-11-12T14:09:00.000-06:00

By hijacking a working spam network, US researchers have uncovered some of the economics of being a junk mailer.

The analysis suggests that such a tiny response rate means a big spam operation can turn over millions of pounds in profit every year.

It also suggests that spammers may be susceptible to attacks that make it more costly to send junk mail.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Study shows how spammers cash in

An interesting read. It seems that the rate of return on spam is really quite low.

The response rate for this campaign was less than 0.00001%. This is far below the average of 2.15% reported by legitimate direct mail organisations.

But even with that low percentage:

Scaling this up to the full Storm network the researchers estimate that the controllers of the vast system are netting about $7,000 (£4,430) a day or more than $2m (£1.28m) per year.

Clearly it pays to be a spamer or people would not do it. Now there is economic proof of it.

Long ago and far away, in a galaxy... well you get the idea

2008-11-10T17:01:00.001-06:00

Enjoy

Saturday night live and Keith Olbermann

2008-11-04T18:48:00.003-06:00

The really sad thing about this video is that he nailed the attitude of Olbermann to a T. It is funny that NBC would to that to their news division's poster boy.

The other side of the world

2008-10-30T12:28:00.001-05:00

From the Make Use Of web site, a total but fun waste of time. Find out what is on the other side of the world from where you are.

Obama urges counting of military votes - USATODAY.com

2008-10-28T18:04:00.001-05:00

Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign is encouraging state elections officials to ensure that all military personnel serving away from home are able to vote, after a Virginia law threatened to toss some absentee ballots aside.

Obama urges counting of military votes - USATODAY.com

Thanks Senator Obama. In a campaign that has been crazy with ACORN rumors this is a sign that you care about it being a fair election. You run the risk, with the military being more conservative as a whole, of loosing a few states. You want it to be a fair election and that is good.

Though I will most likely vote for McCain, you have gained respect in my eyes.

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Former Newsweek Reporter Admits Dreaming About Taking Out Giuliani - FOXNews.com Elections

2008-10-24T17:53:00.001-05:00

Michael Hastings wrote in GQ magazine that he had a "recurring fantasy" that he could somehow stop the former New York City mayor in his tracks.

"I quickly realized Rudy was a maniac. I had a recurring fantasy in which I took him out during a press conference (it was nonlethal, just something that put him out of commission for a year or so), saving America from the horror of a President Giuliani. If that sounds like I had some trouble being 'objective,' I did. Objectivity is a fallacy," he said.

Hastings said he wasn't the only reporter who despised Giuliani, although he frequently tried to appear sympathetic to his campaign staff so he could get information from them.

Former Newsweek Reporter Admits Dreaming About Taking Out Giuliani - FOXNews.com Elections

Nice to know that we have an unbiased press out there. Hey, I know both sides are represented here, but the press as a whole is a lot more liberal than conservative. For every FOX News, there is a CNN, MSNBC, and who knows how many newspapers.

It is downright scary that this man was/is a reporter for a major magazine that is supposed to be unbiased in its reporting.

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Got to love Reverend Fun

2008-10-24T16:43:00.001-05:00

One of the best efforts I have seen there is a long time. Generally his material is good for a laugh.

Catch him at Reverendfun.com

Or get the RSS feed at: http://www.reverendfun.com/features/rss/?language=en

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FCC to sponsor David Gilliland's Yates Racing ride - Sprint Cup Series | SceneDaily.com - NASCAR News

2008-10-16T19:30:00.000-05:00

On Feb. 17, 2009, all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital.

"I'm flattered that the FCC chose our No. 38 Ford to help them convey the message about the upcoming digital television transition taking place next year," Gilliland said. "This is a very big undertaking to convert the entire country to digital services, but the end result will be improved picture and sound quality and those are definitely important factors to NASCAR fans.”

Financial terms of the sponsorship were not disclosed.

FCC to sponsor David Gilliland's Yates Racing ride - Sprint Cup Series | SceneDaily.com - NASCAR News

Your tax dollars at work. Next thing you know we will have a president say 'Gentleman, start your engines....'. Oh I forgot, we had that already.

Mickey Mouse Tries to Register to Vote - FOXNews.com Elections

2008-10-15T16:26:00.001-05:00

Mickey Mouse is as American as apple pie, and he has starred in films, TV shows and video games. But apparently he can't vote.

Florida elections officials rejected Mickey's application this summer. It is unclear whether Mickey tried to register as a Democrat or a Republican. But the application included a stamped logo of ACORN, the community organizing group that is facing accusations of voter registration fraud.

ACORN -- which has a history of voter fraud allegations -- acknowledged its logo was on the application but said its workers routinely scan all suspicious applications.

"We don't think this card came through our system," Brian Kettenring, ACORN's head organizer in Florida, told the St. Petersburg Times.

Mickey Mouse Tries to Register to Vote - FOXNews.com Elections

I guess I do not understand how this could happen. If it has the stamped logo of ACORN, and if ACORN has done questionable voting drives in the past, then how can Mr. Kettering say that he did not think it came through their system.

You see, I have said it here before, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Please fix your system or get out of the business. If a conservative based group were doing this there would be screams of protest.

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This scares me

2008-10-01T17:45:00.001-05:00

From FoxNews GretaWire (Greta Van Susteren)

450 pages that they are going to vote on and the almost 0% chance that they have read it all (or any part of it at all).

They want to vote on a economic stimulus bill to bail on the banks but they have no idea what is in it. I say leave everything alone. It took us a while to get into this problem and we are not going to fix it by going to the government and asking for money. Sure it will hurt. Getting fat hurts, but the diet to loose weight hurts. We have been feeding at the pig trough too long. Time to go on a diet.

IANAE though....

One more thing... if pro is the opposite of con then progress is the opposite of....... (fill in the blank, it should be obvious)

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Tell the Children

2008-09-27T09:38:00.002-05:00

New post on my Sermon notes page. Tell the Children is from Jack Hayford and is a podcast that I get from him. It deals with what we should show of our Christian faith to our children and how and uses the Bible to show it.

Twittering the Debate: Amateur Pundits Plan to Sound Off - America’s Election HQ

2008-09-26T19:17:00.001-05:00

Now that Barack Obama and John McCain are definitely and unequivocally going to debate on Friday night, a popular micro-blogging site is making it easy for just about anyone to be an instant political pundit.

Let the twittering begin.

Twitter, the online communication network that lets users post short messages of up to 140 characters called “tweets,” has launched a political section to streamline its coverage.

Called election.twitter.com, the company has launched a specialized section that aggregates election-related topics in a continually updating feed.

Twittering the Debate: Amateur Pundits Plan to Sound Off - America’s Election HQ

I guess that 15 minutes of fame are now measured in seconds now and are accumulative. I use Twitter but I find this kind of weird. Especially because the system is overloaded and this can only attract new users who try to add to their total to get their 15 min. of fame.

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Jamie Lynn Spears says motherhood so much fun | Reuters

2008-07-10T12:50:00.001-05:00

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Teenage mom Jamie Lynn Spears, sister of pop star Britney Spears, showed off her new baby girl in an OK! magazine exclusive on Wednesday and said being a mother was "so much fun."

Jamie Lynn Spears says motherhood so much fun | Reuters

Great, that is all we need. A bunch of teenage girls (and some pre-teens) wanted to have a baby cause Jamie says it is so much fun.

Well she has people to take care of the kid. The average teen will not. It will not be fun for them.

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FOXNews.com - Director of Will Smith-Founded School Says It's Not Scientologist - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment

2008-07-01T09:51:00.001-05:00

LOS ANGELES — Will Smith 's soon-to-open private school is not a Scientology facility, as some reports have suggested, the academy's director said.Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have founded the New Village Academy, scheduled to open in September.The school will use instructional methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard called study technology. And a few teachers belong to the church.

FOXNews.com - Director of Will Smith-Founded School Says It's Not Scientologist - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment

There is an old saying that really fits here. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.

I have no problem with them having a school, that is their right. When they try to say it is not a Scientology school I have a problem. Scientology tried the same stunt here in Oklahoma a few years ago saying that a drug treatment facility that they were trying to get money for was not related to Scientology.The government knew better since you had to use Hubbards materials to get through the session it was called for what it was.

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