Happy New Year...

It has been a day.

Went to a funeral.

Called in to work.

Ran some errands.

Groceries.

Called in to work again.

It's 10:35pm.

Hopefully I will post again before I go to bed.

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year now...

...in case it's tomorrow before I get back here...

later...

Scientific Proof that the Media is Liberally Biased...

I have commented about mainstream media sources a lot.

There are those who thought that I was a misguided soul.

Others who felt that I was just a little off.

Well folks, there is a scientific study that proves that what I have been saying is true.

Proof that I am not hallucinating; nor am I off-balanced.

Before now all you had was faith in me and in what I had to say.

(Thank you readers!)

The article, Media Bias Is Real, Finds UCLA Political Scientist, reveals some key findings from a three year scholarly study that was executed by two UCLA researchers.

While the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal is conservative, the newspaper's news pages are liberal, even more liberal than The New York Times. The Drudge Report may have a right-wing reputation, but it leans left. Coverage by public television and radio is conservative compared to the rest of the mainstream media. Meanwhile, almost all major media outlets tilt to the left.

"I suspected that many media outlets would tilt to the left because surveys have shown that reporters tend to vote more Democrat than Republican," said Tim Groseclose, a UCLA political scientist and the study's lead author. "But I was surprised at just how pronounced the distinctions are."

I encourage you to read the entire article. It may help you to be more discriminating in your daily intake of news.

later...

Just a few of my prior posts/rants concerning the media:

Saturday, October 01, 2005
The News... Untrustworthy?

Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Happy to Leave Louisiana...

Monday, September 05, 2005
Just Stop It...

From the ACLU?

I just received this link called "Ordering Pizza in 2010" via e-mail.

Go here.

I'm really going to bed.

Really.

later...

It's After 1 (a.m.)...

I was called back into work this evening.

I am just now home, again.

You guys have a good Friday.

Going to bed.

I'll be back here...

later...

Let's Blog to Church...

There's a church that has a podcast of its sermons.

It also has a blog...

where you can comment.

Blogging is welcome in this church.

Where was technology when I was a kid.

I could have avoided a lot of my mom's 'goose-pinches' if I could have wriggled/kept busy/talked/blogged during church.

later...


Mosaic Church Web Site Now Allows Blogging after Sunday Service

Raising the Veil of Ignorance...

The incident in Texas with a threatening hand grenade...

Then the posting of a new cartoon by D.T. Deveraux.

I haven't posted the cartoon here on my blog as I have younger readers visit my blog.

So, all you guys under 18 go ask your parents if you can read this post before going any further.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I didn't know, or understand, enough about jihad to understand the cartoon that D.T. had drawn.

I have no excuse.

I know better than to trust the mainstream media.

I had to ask D.T. to explain his artistic statement and he willingly obliged:

D. T. Devareaux said...

Merry Christmas TJ!

The subject of this piece is the “just reward” awaiting the jihadist suicide bomber. At the nucleus of the explosion is a visionary scene of what awaits this indiscriminate murderer and cowardly killer of civilian men, women and children.

Allah promises the shahid, or those who slay and are slain for Allah, the heavenly reward of “virgins”, “fair women with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes”--to do with as you can probably infer. Incidentally, I also read that Allah rewards the faithful martyr with pretty young boys. In any case, while I’m not so righteous as to deprive the jihadist of his rightful reward of 72 virgins, I’m just enough of an ass—given the Islamic aversion to pork--to give those waiting maidens swine heads and porcine puckers. Such are the wages of driving explosive laden cars into packs of Iraqi children to blow up a few U.S. marines or wearing bomber belts onto to Israeli buses.

DTD

5:12 PM



I have spent the greater part of my evening at the computer getting some understanding and education.

I started here:

Jihad in the Qur'an and Sunnah By SHEIKH ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN HUMAID

I then read a dated article from the Kashmir Herald of India. Dated February, 2003, Jihad in India reveals the concerns of citizens in another country.

This article reveals a recruiting tool used to entice young men:

Religious Cassettes Advocate Jihad by Emphasizing Martyr's Sexual Rewards

Here are some video links.

Here are a lot of articles and political cartoons on The Palestinian Media Watch. The first article on this web page is entitled "65% of Palestinians Support Al-Qaeda Attacks in the US and Europe: Religious War against "Infidels" inherent to PA religious ideology"

The hate against Christians and Jews is greater than I had imagined.

How can we believe that Muslims and Islamists are a peace-seeking religion when they are told to destroy the infidels?

We are the infidels.

Why would the mainstream media want to keep me ignorant of how intense their hatred is?

Don't I hear on the TV all the time that the majority of Muslims are peaceful? That jihad is spiritual and not the physical enactment of killing and terror?

Well I have read something entirely different concerning jihad tonight.

I have also learned that those who do not embrace jihad (the killing of infidels/Christians/Jews) are considered hypocrits.

And that's not a good thing to be called if you are a Muslim/Islamist.

Not a good thing at all.

Here's one more dated article:

Of course, the great majority of Muslims are peaceful – so what?

later...


To see D.T.'s new cartoon you can get to his blog, The Study of Revenge, via my sidebar or by clicking here.

We're Home...

The picture is at the end of Christmas Day; after the chores were finished. It's Carrie and Parker with the Border Collie named B.B.

We made it home and all is "good".

Calais and Kyle left here this morning (before we got back) and are on their way to Kyle's family's home in Washington state. They will make a stop at Justin's in San Francisco on their way north.

Everyone in the neighborhood knew when we arrived home as you could 'hear us coming'.

Confirmed by "Pa", the noise from the van is an exhaust leak. Having had the back one-half of the exhaust system literally hit the pavement last year, I'm not so sure that I will have this repaired.

I was forced to in the last 'incident' as my muffler was dragging the ground.

If things will stay status quo, and not litter the roadway, I'm not so sure that I will have it repaired.

The van runs fine...

We just won't be as anonymous in the traffic as we used to be.

Had a few telephone calls this evening.

I have a lot of ultrasounds lined up for tomorrow so I need to get to bed.

One item of interest for you guys before I go.

A friend of a friend's cousin, so to speak, was the motorist who called in a Muslim woman who had threatened him on the highway in Richardson, Texas, with a grenade.

The media isn't calling the woman a Muslim.

Yep... you heard me right.

She had a grenade and had pulled the pin and was making threatening motions with it at the 'cousin'.

Police found more ammunition on her person and in the trunk of her car.

An act of road rage?

...or a statement?

This is a story that I would like to know more about.

Currently, this is all that is really available via the media:

Road Rage Incident Leads To Apparent Grenade Threat

If you have high-speed internet, go to this video link.

Have to go to bed now...

I have work to do tomorrow.

later...

Christmas Day...

The livestock still needs to be tended, no matter what day it is.

It's dark now and all the outside chores are done.

My brother, Don, has already headed back to El Campo, Tx.

My sister, Kay, lives in Denver. They didn't get to come down as she had to work.

Justin called and we all got to talk with him. That was really nice.

Justin is still living in San Francisco and we don't get to see him much at all.

We really miss him.

We had a very nice day today.

We will be heading back home tomorrow.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day!

later...

Luminaria...

I thought that today's word was especially appropriate since I am in Texas for Christmas.

There are so many different regional customs across the United States concerning the celebration of Christmas.

It's really neat.

The Word of the Day for December 24 is:

luminaria \loo-muh-NAIR-ee-uh\ noun

: a traditional Mexican Christmas lantern originally consisting of a candle set in sand inside a paper bag

Example sentence:
More than one neighborhood in our Texas town is lit by luminarias lining the streets for the annual Christmas Stroll.

Did you know?
"Luminaria" is a fairly recent addition to English; the earliest known use in our language dates from 1949, about the time that the old Mexican Christmas custom was gaining popularity among Anglo-Americans. In some parts of the U.S., particularly New Mexico, these festive lanterns are also called "farolitos," which means "little lanterns" in Spanish. We borrowed "luminaria" from Spanish, but the word has been around with exactly the same spelling since the days of Late Latin. The term ultimately traces to the classical Latin "luminare," meaning "window," and to "lumen," meaning "light." It is related to other light-bearing words such as "luminary," "illuminate," and "phillumenist" (a fancy name for someone who collects matchbooks).

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas Morning tomorrow!

later...

December 23, 2005

We had a busy day today.

I helped Dad hay the cows and the goats. I didn't have to do much really.

It's not like it was when I was a kid.

Four-wheelers...

Big round bales with a big tractor.

Sure saves on the back, and cuts down on a lot of time.

Good night.

We Made It...

We're here.

Safe and sound.

Just a little bit later than we expected, but not by much.

Hope your Christmas journeys are without incident.

later...

Houston. Houston Do You Copy...

I believe that there is an exhaust problem that is making the noise.

It's dark.

I will have to crawl under the van and look at it in the morning.

So far, so good.

Houston, We Have a Problem...

We're driving through Texas on the way to Nana and Pa's.

A sudden loud noise, then the engine started to sound funny.

I'll Be Home for Christmas...

We are leaving for "Nana and Pa's House" today.

They live way out in the Hill Country of Texas with satellite TV...

but dial-up internet.

*so*

Look for some more of those audio posts!

I'll see what I can do on the internet too.

Everyone have a Merry Christmas and many blessings to you all.

later...

Commentary on Commentary...

I made a comment on a blog today and I suppose that they have refused to post it due to its…

?what?

I don’t know other than a blatant refusal to view opinions from the other side of the fence. I had no malice or vulgarity in it whatsoever.

Several other commentators were able to have theirs posted and one of them had their racial ‘terminology’ down pat.

However, I did notice that the post had been moved to an archived area on the blog after that colorful post had been made.

So, I won’t try again.

I’ll just do it here.

Here on my little blog, and I’ll make my comments…

Plus a few more.

First of all, I have to say that I do read everything “through”.

Secondly, I was criticized for using a Fox News article and was advised to:

Please be sure to also read the articles of links you provide. Fox news is not a credible news source. You might as well be linking to the tabloids.

The news article that I had provided was an Associated Press story. I simply asked which mainstream media source did that person prefer and commented on the fact that the AP is subscribed to by all the mainstream media organizations (MSM’s). In my ‘original’ comment, I provided several links with the same exact story from CNN, BBC, CBS, and the Dallas Morning News.

I was told that I was missing the point of the original entry. I tried to clarify my comments by copying and pasting the following quote from the original post:

The thing that kills me is the stupidity of Christmas vs. Holiday issue. Who really gives a rat's ass?

What my statement actually said was that I had been following this particular post and its comments. What I wanted to let them know was that “I cared”.

And maybe that is what caused the whole problem in the first place;

the fact that I do care.

(Please see recent posts.)

While the *offended* blog appears to belong to an individual, there is a possibility that a second person has administrative access to it also.

While my second comment on this particular post was not allowed, another comment was made by a different individual who seemed to be privy about its content.

It appears that I have made the second blog (possible) owner quite angry.

Or perhaps a copy of it was e-mailed to a close acquaintance.

Knowing that I will most likely not be allowed to post a second comment; it is here, on my little blog, that I once again will turn.

And just so you don't waste any more of your time, you'll never convince me that blatant commercialism and conspicuous consumption are needed to convey the true meaning of Christmas.

Blatant commercialism is not what I am concerned about. It is the politically correct attitude towards Christmas and the banning of Christmas and any terminology or activities that are associated with it by retailers and others who, in the very recent past, have used these same Christmas terms and participated in these same Christmas activities.

It is the renaming of Christmas Trees and making them Holiday Trees.

It is telling employees that you cannot say “Merry Christmas” in the workplace.

It is the renaming of local parades that have always been called Christmas parades throughout their entire history.

It is the outright denial of the recognition of Christmas and what it stands for. Christmas and the Christmas Season is Christmas and not a Holiday.

Commercialism is a problem, but it has always been driven by the retailer trying to sell their goods. The push for “Christmas Sales” seems to start earlier every year. No longer do retailers wait until Thanksgiving Day to start enticing the customers to do their shopping.

I don’t believe that Christians are driving commercialism.

As far as conspicuous consumption and the true meaning of Christmas, I am not exactly certain who this is in reference to. I, myself, am not part of a large gift giving group of people.

Most years, I am thankful to have the ability to buy gifts for my children. Conspicuous consumption is not in my budget. Conspicuous living isn’t either. My car is 18 years old.

I don’t know about anyone else’s budget or conspicuous consumption, but I do see quite a few expensive $35,000 to $40,000 cars running around town. Lately, I have seen a couple of $100,000+ cars too.

I wonder what kind of car the commenter drives.

While I don’t buy a lot of Christmas presents, I do have need of renewable items to keep my household running and my annual expenditures are, and will continue to be, very carefully distributed between the retailers of my choice.

Retailers will have to meet my criteria to receive any of my money. I have practiced this methodology for several years now. Long before the “big Christmas debate”.

Why you feel your religion is such that it must get its validity from department stores is beyond me.

I do not seek validity for my religion from anyone or anything.

Knowing that the dollar is what keeps these businesses operating is the leverage that Christians have. Christians can choose to spend their money in other establishments. While I may not make such a big difference as an individual, tens of thousands of people can.

Counting to a million always starts with Number One.

And while I do think it's a bad idea to ban Western music in Iran, I'll remind you that we have a much longer history in this country of civic and religious leaders trying to ban our own music, many times citing that the music is "un-Christian".

I think that there may be some confusion here between “un-Christian” and “immoral”.

Morals are required of every member of society no matter what form of religion you do, or do not, practice.

As far as Christians in this country as having a longer history of banning music, well, that is quite debatable. The United States is very young when compared to other countries.

What is interesting is that when Christians stand up and say something or take a stance about an issue, any issue, the hairs stand up on the neck of the opposition and the name calling begins.

But if a Muslim, Islamist, Buddhist, or anyone else that isn’t a Christian, were to do or say the same exact thing… it would be okay because we must be tolerant of them.

For everyone except Christians, “it’s a bad idea”.

I doubt you'll make much of a difference when you cite intolerance in others but then exhibit it yourself.

Because I say that I am Christian, cite my beliefs, and am willing to stand up for what I believe, I am viewed as intolerant.

People with religious affiliations that aren’t Christian can use my same words under a different ‘heading’ and wouldn’t be criticized.

The poster(s) is intolerant of me and others who are like me.

Yet, somehow I believe that the poster(s) would probably be tolerant of jihad (at the very most think it’s a “bad idea”), because Muslims are not talking about un-Christian stuff…

Just un-Muslim stuff.



later…

Diamond Pet Foods Recall...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2005
Media Contact:
Mark Brinkman, Diamond Pet Food
573/229-4203

Diamond Pet Food has discovered aflatoxin in a product manufactured at our facility in Gaston, South Carolina. Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical by-product from the growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus, on corn and other crops.

Out of an abundance of caution, we have notified our distributors and recommended they hold the sale of all Diamond Pet Food products formulated with corn that were produced out of our Gaston facility (see complete list below). Please note that products manufactured at our facilities in Meta, Missouri and Lathrop, California are not affected. The Gaston facility date codes are unique from other Diamond facility codes in that either the eleventh or twelfth character in the date code will be a capital "G" (in reference to Gaston).

States serviced by our Gaston facility include Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky (eastern), Main, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Vermont, and Virginia.

We are rapidly analyzing retained samples of all products produced in Gaston so we can isolate specific lot numbers impacted and provide this information to our distributors, retailers and customers as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, if your pet is showing any symptoms of illness, including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, yellowish tint to the eyes and/or gums, and severe or bloody diarrhea, please consult your veterinarian immediately.

Product quality and customer satisfaction are important to us. We pledge to keep you updated as new developments occur.

Gaston Facility Products Removed From Sale

Diamond Low Fat Dog Food

Diamond Hi-Energy Dog Food

Diamond Maintenance Dog Food

Diamond Performance Dog Food

Diamond Premium Adult Dog Food

Diamond Puppy Food

Diamond Maintenance Cat Food

Diamond Professional Cat Food

Country Value Puppy]

Country Value Adult Dog

Country Value High Energy Dog

Country Value Adult Cat Food

Kirkland Signature Maintenance Cat Food

Canine Club Adult Dog Food

Professional Chicken & Rice Senior Dog Food

Professional Reduced Fat Chicken & Rice Dog Food

Professional Adult Dog Food

Professional Large-Breed Puppy Food

Professional Puppy Food

Professional Reduced Fat Cat Food

Professional Adult Cat Food

Owners of animals that become ill who have been feeding a Diamond Pet Food product are advised to take their animal and a feed sample to their private veterinarian immediately. The NYS Dept. of Agriculture & Markets will be contacting feed control officials in other states as well.

Middle English Christemasse, from Old English Cristes mæsse, literally, Christ's mass

The title of my post is a direct quote from Merriam-Webster's dictionary.

I am still being bothered by the rhetoric of many concerning the use (or lack of use) of the word/term Christmas in advertising, every day verbage, on TV, etc.

I am still being horrified by the response of some towards Christians. Saying that Christians are non-tolerant.

Why do not they not see other religions as they really are?

Christians are the most tolerant of them all.

How about the Muslims or the Islamics?

How about the new laws in Iran? Is that tolerance?

I have spent some time reading about it all this evening.

Ran across a Marshall Fields 'promo' about their "holiday stuff" and spent some time on their website.

They do not mention the word Christmas at all. (At least I can't find it.) Not even in conjunction with the events they are having with Santa Claus.

How about this terminology:

Gift Giving Week

Do you think it will catch on?

I won't buy anything with Marshall Fields name on it.

Do you 'bots' hear me?

I am not supporting anyone who doesn't support Christians and Christianity.

later...



By the way...

Here are some new poll results that could prove promising:

The poll says ... Merry Christmas!

By Michelle Healy, USA TODAY

If you think greetings such as "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" are poor substitutes for "Merry Christmas," you've got company.
A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday finds that 69% of adults surveyed say "Merry Christmas" is the greeting they most likely would use this time of year when first meeting someone. That's up from 56% in 2004. Only 29% would opt for "Happy Holidays," down from 41% in 2004.

The "Merry Christmas" preference appears to cross religious boundaries, including non-Christians and respondents who say they have no religious affiliations.

Perhaps that's no surprise, given well-publicized concerns that references to Christmas are being diluted in American society, from town celebrations to shopping malls. Fresh debate was prompted by the holiday greeting card sent by President Bush "with no explicit reference to this as the holy time of Christmas," noted Janet Davis, head of American studies at the University of Texas-Austin.

The issue is so heated that Wal-Mart faced a brief boycott threat until it issued a denial that it bars employees from wishing customers "Merry Christmas."

A solid majority of 61% denounce the move to use generic wording. Just 28% call it a change for the better. Last year, 44% called the generic trend — considered by some as more inclusive of the growing number of non-Christians — a change for the better; 43% said it wasn't.

The shift "speaks to both the power of the vocal, religious conservative movement as well as the somberness of the season," Davis says. "Given the situation in Iraq and the aftermath of Katrina, 'Happy Holidays' may ring a bit false" for many Americans.

The telephone survey of 1,000 adults has an error margin of plus/minus 3 percentage points.

Merry Christmas!

Basketball Road Trip...

We got back from two basketball games in Stillwater at 10:34pm.

We left at 4:30pm.

I've let the dogs out and have fed them and the cats.

Need to feed the fish and go to bed.

Valerie went to the game with us and is spending the night with us as her mom is very ill. Her brother went home with another family for the night.

The kids are already in bed.

The girls lost by 2 points in the last minute of the game.

The boys lost also by 'quite' a bit more.

*sigh*

They were good games.

I received a compliment from one of the referees tonight.

He wanted to know if I *was* the boys' basketball coach.

(As in, not substituting for tonight's game. As in, I am a "girl". As in, I was coaching them by myself.)

I told him, "Yes, I am *the* coach."

He said that I was doing a good job with them.

That makes me feel a lot better now.

We were threatened by snow and ice on the way there and back, but we didn't have any difficulties on the 70+ mile trip and made it home safe.

We are wore out.

Going to bed as we have school and work tomorrow.

Tomorrow night...

Hospital/Office party for all the staff and their families.

You guys have a good Tuesday.

later...

Blog Bots...

I know that bots (robots) scan billions of pages across the internet every day looking for content to supply to their search engines.

Bloggers usually like search engine bots as they can potentially send more traffic to their site.

I had an unusual hit today and I am not exactly sure what or who it was.

It’s possible that my blog was scanned today by a consumer blog bot. If not, then maybe it was the bot’s human counterpart.

hmmm…

This visit got me to thinking.

After doing a little reading and research this evening, I have discovered that bloggers are beginning to make a very large impact in this country.

The consumer marketing industry is taking notes and developing technology to datamine the millions of blogs that are already here. The gleaned information that is gathered by the consumer bots is then organized and interpreted for use by major corporations.

Blogger’s voices are beginning to be heard. Not only are they being heard… they are being listened to.

Being a letter writer ‘from way back’, this is probably some of the best news that I have heard in a long time.

I never knew whether or not any of my letters were ever read or just thrown away in the trash.

Mainstream media across the nation is already standing up and taking notice. Especially since the Dan Rather/CBS document scandal concerning President Bush was uncovered by a blogger.

There is so much information available at our finger tips these days that a lot of bloggers are doing their own research. Sometimes their research and stories are better than the paid and published journalists!

Finally, the liberal news media will be unable to continue the strangle hold that they have had for decades on the news. Mainstream media is being forced to meet a new standard now; a standard that they didn’t invent themselves.

There are skeptics that say bloggers will take things to the extreme, that there is a lot of inaccurate information out there, and that malicious blogging will be a problem.

Well… we already have all that.

They’re called politicians and mainstream media.

And while bots are continuing to scan this post I have a few ideas to throw out there for you.

Another use for blog bots has crossed my mind.

Maybe blogs will put pollsters out of business too.

The consumer bots are able to gather “honest” information. Information that wasn’t skewed or tainted by the way a question was asked or presented.

Maybe the pollsters will be replaced by “polling bots”.

I think that I would like the information that was provided by a pollster bot.

Every time I hear a poll result about something, especially something that sounds ridiculously unlikely, I wonder about how they asked their questions, where they were when they asked them, and who did they ask?

It is unlikely that a lot of the polls are truly random and unbiased.

Either way, I am always suspicious of poll results.

I am patiently waiting for a politic bot to cross my path.

By the way *politic bots*… Paul Wesselhoft has yet to respond to my letter.

And would you please mark in my file that I am a registered voter who does make it to the polls to cast my vote.

later…


In case you’re interested:

How many blogs are there?

An exact number isn’t known at this time, but Technorati currently boasts of 23.3 million as of today. That’s a lot of bandwidth.

MSM Requiem

Blogging for Dollars

umbria

It's a Week Before Christmas...

My neighbor Sue is so sweet. She sent a Christmas card, a handmade beaded butterfly, and ~wonderful and tasty~ homemade fudge across the street to us.

I know that she is a very busy lady and has a lot to do.

Although I do wonder if her profferings aren't motivated due to some form of "guilt"?

*sigh*

Sue makes me feel so inadequate as a neighbor in so many ways.

Thank you Sue for the wonderful gifts!

With basketball games early this morning and an echocardiogram and abdominal study this afternoon, I have declined to do much else today.

(I have always wanted to say something like that.)

The kids and I sat down and watched a movie this misty, drizzly, rainy -wants to turn to snow- evening.

Other than running a few loads of laundry I have done much else.

Some news for those who are following/chasing the tails/tales of my wayward cat.

Another piece of the puzzle concerning my cat has arrived via e-mail.

In the body of the communique` was a hint that perhaps this ring of bandits/thieves/ne'er-do-wells could be getting very close to becoming a statewide underground organization.

It also implied that my cat may be in danger of being transported to another undisclosed location.

*rats*

Just when I am "almost" confident that I have the current location of the crime scenes figured out.

With this new information and evidence, perhaps I could entice the OSBI to take a look into my case.

This latest photo also reveals that there is a new "player" involved in the crime ring.

This piece of evidence could be just enough evidence to tip the scales in my favor.

later...

Time to Go Home...

Merry Christmas!

Ice Skating in Downtown Oklahoma City...

Fun for everyone!


Calais only fell one time. Yeah!


Carrie's Self-Portrait

Did You Know About This...

I guess the Democratic Party in the state of Washington pulled this magnetic bumper sticker from their website soon after posting it.

Surely, surely this was a joke of some sort?

They have some other interesting things still left in their online store.

Anti-Christian bumper stickers...

Could we expect similar stickers to surface against other faiths?

I doubt it...

Other religions aren't as "tolerant".

later...

An E-mailed Request...

I just received an e-mail from Rene'.

T.J.
A classmate of Elijah's and a fellow ******** Cub Scout lives with his
mom (single parent) in ******* Apts. and well, their apt was broken
into between 11am and 12 noon today. Practically everything is gone.
She had no rental insurance. They took all *****'s christmas gifts, (mostly
given to them already), his wallet with about $40. and his games, their tv;
vcr, dvd and movies. Of course the place is a wreck. She has a job at
WalMart. Her money has been going to fix up her ole Intrepid car. Which
is now broken down again...won't start.She said she was behind on her
utilities and needed to put most of this check of only $225? towards the
electric bill. She said they attended Victory a while back, but with the
car issues and finances,etc...they've not been in while. I don't know if
they were members or not. Do you have any ideas of where to start
for help?

I have taken the name of the apartments out and also the boy's name to help protect their privacy.

I have given Rene' the contacts for Shepherds of Love Ministry, but I feel that this little family is going to need a lot more than one benevolent provider to meet their needs.

If anyone has any other contacts and/or suggestions please leave the information in the comments here on my blog. Or you can e-mail me in private if you want.

later...

And Another Thing...

While we’re talking about Christmas…

There is something else that is bothering me about Christian Bashing.

When someone spouts off and tells Christians to quit being “intolerant” of other people and their religions…

and they say to quit threatening to not shop at stores that won’t/don’t promote Christmas…

and they tell Christians to go and do something useful like go help homeless and needy people…

Well… that just goes all over me!

Where would all the Christian Bashers be if it weren’t for the generosity of Christians in America? Without the charitable giving of time and money by the Christians in this country the government wouldn’t be able to keep up with all the needs of anyone, anywhere.

Christians are big on “giving” and they give “big”.

While there are a lot of charitable people here in America, I would challenge anyone on a statistical face off; a dollar for dollar statistical comparison between the dollars donated annually by individual Christians as compared to non-Christians.

Per the Charity Navigator:

In 2004, giving to charities rose 2.3 percent from 2003 levels, when adjusted for inflation. This moderate increase comes after several years of stagnant giving resulting from the economic downturn that started in 2001. The current trend is a positive sign for those who depend on the services of America's charities, which is all of us. Few people realize how large charities have become, how many vital services they provide, and how much funding flows through them each year. Without charities and non-profits, America would simply not be able to operate. Their operations are that big.

Religious organizations received the most support--$88.3 billion. Much of these contributions can be attributed to people giving to their local place of worship. The next largest sector was education ($33.8 billion). When adjusted for inflation, all but two categories of charities saw increases in contributions.

The Charity Navigator is a rating service to help people decide which charities they want to give to. A search on the Charity Navigator website on the term “Christian” turns up 559 charities.

Take a stop by the Better Business Bureau and their Wise Giving Alliance site. On their website they have a similar database set up where they look at the financial records of charitable organizations and rate them according to how much of your donated $1 goes to overhead and salary costs as opposed to their stated purpose/programs. I have visited this site before and it is quite an eye-opener.

Their pie charts tell the entire story in a single picture. Why don’t you take a moment and look at your favorite charity.

Here a few of the Christian organizations that made a significant impact on the hurricane relief effort as listed by the BBB.

World Vision teams with churches and other groups here in the U.S. and around the world. 85 cents of your dollar goes to funding programs and not administrative costs.

How about the United Methodist Committee on Relief? 95 cents of your dollar goes to aid.

Salvation Army – 85 cents

Oklahoma’s Feed the Children – 91 cents

Catholic Charities – 77 cents

While not listed as a charity on any website we must not forget the Southern Baptists!

Having partnered with the Red Cross since 1987, as of December 8, 2005, they have served over 27.4 million hot meals and 25.2 million snacks to the hurricane survivors.

The Southern Baptist Convention of the North American Mission Board is comprised of 44,000 churches and missions in the U.S. and its territories. Their disaster relief is provided through a cooperative program where each church contributes. American Red Cross – In the News - Southern Baptists Help Feed Millions After Katrina

Where would today’s Red Cross be without those “darn Christians”? If it weren’t for the *volunteer* Baptists, it makes me wonder if the American Red Cross would be a recommended charity by the BBB. By the way, the Red Cross’ CEO salary is almost a $500,000/year.

hmmm…

And here’s some hard data for you folks:

From the National Center on Charitable Statistics, Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, The Urban Institute 2003 data:

Oklahomans that filed itemized income tax returns gave an average of $3887 each with an average adjusted gross income of $38,344. (It sure looks like a bunch of *tithers* to me!)

Ranked 43rd in the nation for adjusted gross incomes; Oklahomans rank 18th in the nation for donations!

Wyoming ranks #1 and Utah #2 for tax deductible charitable giving in the nation.

Christian Bashers need to take notice.

If it weren’t for Christians giving, and giving, and giving…

you would be paying more in taxes, taxes, taxes…

because the government wouldn’t be able to cover the billion$, and billion$, and billion$…

that the charitable people in this country give every year.

They have been giving every year for decades - without the impetus of a major hurricane.

So if Christians want the Salvation Army in front of Wal-Mart or if they want Merry Christmas plastered all over the store fronts or Nativity Scenes on the courthouse lawn…

Taxpayers need to think twice before they say “no”.

Christian Bashers need to stick a sock in it and put their wallet where their mouth is…

Before I stick my wallet back in my purse.

later…

Merry Christmas!

We're back from our annual musical Christmas School Concert. All of the kids did a very good job and it was a wonderful presentation. The high school band and choir performed some difficult pieces of music tonight. And I must say that the little elementary kids did a spectacular job too.

Hearing some Christmas music was nice for a change.

When I had taken Carrie to the mall I had noticed the music that was playing didn't have any Christmas-type of songs. You know... carols and such.

Not even one.

Kind of made me sad.

It was at Penn Square Mall (if anyone wants to know).

It is really nice to be somewhere, and to be a part of something, where Christmas is welcome.

"All Blogged Up" seems to have found out that there are a lot of "Closet Christmas Types" at a local Wal-Mart. Maybe there aren't as few of us Christmas well-wishers as the media wants to make it out to be.

Of course, you have to wonder about people who seem to be a little mad about the Christmas and Holiday terminology debate. Elephant Soap seems to be a little huffy about it too.

It just seems to me that Christmas just isn't "their holiday".

Kind of makes them "grouchy".

So I have a great solution.

Why don't they not celebrate it.

They can work the hospital shifts...

and the overnights at the telephone company...

and at the police department...

and at all of those other jobs that have to keep going on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

They could cover for all of those people who believe in Christmas and who want to celebrate it with their families and with Christmas parades and such.

All the folks who want a Holiday Parade and a Happy Holiday, well they can celebrate on New Year's Day. In fact, why don't they just pick any day of the year that they want for their own special holiday.

If you don't like Christian holidays... hey, don't be a part of them.

But don't shove anti-Christmas stuff down my throat.

Let's not forget that this is the United States of America. I don't have to be politically correct and I don't have to be tolerant, especially when it concerns my religious beliefs.

And while I am on my little soap box here:

What really irritates me is that there are those who want me, as a citizen, to be tolerant of them and support their religious freedoms and to listen to all of their "rhetoric". But they want to be intolerant, critical, and judgemental of my rights, viewpoints, and beliefs.

In other words... they want me to listen to them but they don't want to listen to me.

Seems to me that things are a little skewed here.

If anyone would like to read a little bit about the history of Christmas you might find out some things that you didn't know about.

According to World Book: Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

And for those of you who think you are taking the "Christ" out of Christmas:

The word Xmas is sometimes used instead of Christmas. This tradition began in the early Christian church. In Greek, X is the first letter of Christ's name. It was frequently used as a holy symbol.

later...

Tomorrow...

We came home from the basketball games tonight, ate some leftovers, I went through my e-mail, then I sat down to work on my Final Paper... *some more*.

When I looked up it was already after 10pm.

Tomorrow we start all over again, with work and school, ending with the school Christmas Program starting at 6pm.

At least I am fairly certain that we will have a tomorrow. I hope all of you do too.

It doesn't look like Tookie Williams is going to have too many more tomorrows.

I really have a hard time understanding how people can support a man like that.

I guess I should take into consideration that he has left such a great legacy to so many gang members. Having been the co-founder of the Crips Gang, that lends itself to quite an accomplishment in and of itself.

I suppose.

Reportedly Mr. Williams is a 'jewel' in society now, writing children's books and all. But he fell short of my vote for the Nobel Peace prize since he wasn't able to get the Crips to disband before his execution.

Not that he really tried to, or anything like that.

The least he could have done was to turn in some of the other murderers that he knew. Being the "good little gang member" that he is, that really wasn't likely to happen.

Tookie Williams, a "beacon of hope" to all the young gang members in this country.

Sorry, I meant to all the "troubled youths".

Tookie Williams is someone to look up to. You know, like Superman, Roy Rogers, et al.

Although nobody will be looking up at him tomorrow as he'll probably be at eye-level with the witnesses of his death on the executioner's table.

Yeah... I guess there's quite a few folks that think that murdering a couple of people isn't so bad and that he shouldn't have to pay the penalty that a judge and jury has awarded him.

After all... rules and laws were made to be broken. Right?

I guess that Mr. Tookie Williams' friends don't think we should have to pay any fines or penalties for breaking any laws.

Do you?

Well... they would probably make *me* pay my fines and penalties since I am not notorious, or anything close to it.

If I could only get nominated for something... *anything*.

Which makes me wonder... if my boys foul someone in a basketball game, do you think I could talk the referees out of awarding those penalty shots to the other team?

We need all the 'outside' help we can get.

I'll tell them that my boys have earned 'redemptive points' at school... or something like that.

I think it's worth at least a try.

later...

Time for Bed...

I have just now returned home for the evening. (it's 10pm)

It has been quite a day.

Carrie wanted to go shopping for her Christmas present this year. So her and I went shopping and got her some *stuff* that she *really* likes.

Fifteen year olds can be hard to buy for. Especially when it concerns clothes.

Then it was home and I did a few things here at my desk. (Like pay some bills.) Then it was time to get ready to go to a dinner/meeting that we had this evening.

We had a little appreciation dinner for all the doctors that refer cases to our hospital for various reasons (like ultrasounds).

The food was really really good and the company was great.

It was a good day and a good evening.

Now it's time for bed.

Tomorrow night... basketball games!

later...

Search Terms...

I received a hit last night with the search terms: "whatever happened to Virginia O'Hanlon".

It is interesting to know what happens to people who, especially through innocence, make such a difference in many people's lives. Virginia's query and subsequent reply, at the young age of 8, has survived well over a century and still touches people's lives today.

While I am not exactly sure whether this information is 100% accurate or not, it is a probable answer to what happened to young Virginia and the remainder of her life with us on this earth.

While the queries that reach my blog are certainly interesting, and sometimes quite entertaining, I have yet to receive a spiritual query such as the one that The Turtle Speaks did.

This query hit on the Turtle's blog, "sometimes i wonder do god really loves me", really struck an unnerving chord in me.

Searching the internet for God.

This makes me feel so inadequate as a Christian.

Where are we, as Christians in this natural world, that people who are searching for God can't find Him?

later...

Where Would Jesus Shop...

A new television ad has hit Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas.

The 30-second spot starts off with:

"Our faith teaches us 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'

"If these are our values, then ask yourself: should people of faith shop at Wal-Mart this holiday season?"

Good question.

Interesting advertising campaign.

I have had "problems" with the retail giant's labor policies for many years now and I have been quietly boycotting the stores.

I have been doing this for quite some time; without any prompting from anyone else.

Long before e-mailed forwards...

long before blogs...

long before Wal-Mart Watch...

long before Wake-Up Wal-Mart...

You get the idea... I have been doing this for a looong time.

I have a few questions here for the sponsors of this ad campaign:

1. Is this ad a reflection of your personal faith?

2. Do you feel this strongly about your faith or are you trying to commercialize and capitalize on mine?

3. Advertising that attempts to pull on emotional strings really turns me off. Why don't you just give us the facts?

4. Can't the facts stand on their own merit or do you think that I'm not smart enough to figure it out on my own?

5. Did you pray about this ad campaign before you released it?

6. Finally, did you ask yourself the ultimate question?


What would Jesus do concerning Walmart?

later...




Wal-Mart critics: Where would Jesus shop?

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

We have returned home from an entertaining evening at The Stage Door in Yukon. We were invited to see Matthew in his acting debut.

We watched the dress rehearsal of the stage play of "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" by Andrew J. Fenady. The play was presented as if it were being broadcast over the radio. Very interesting and entertaining.

Matthew did very well for his first 'acting job'. I'm sorry, but I didn't capture a snapshot of him performing.

I was unaware that such a theatrical group existed in Yukon. What a pleasant surprise.

I can certainly recommend this little production for those of you who are looking for a relaxing Christmas outing for the family.

The Stage Door is in an older building at 601 Oak Street and waxes nostalgic of an earlier time.

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" will be playing on December 9th, 10th, 16th, and 17th at 8:00 p.m. and two matinees on December 11th and 18th at 2:00 p.m.

Call for reservations at 405.265.1590.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Commentary and reprint of the editorial from "Newseum.org"


Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.



"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measure by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest man that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank GOD! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Eminent Domain...

It seems that a lot of people are having "eminent domain" troubles.

I wasn't aware that there was a similar problem going on here in Oklahoma until I read a post by The Turtle Speaks.

People could protest, write letters, go to court... They could do all kinds of things to make others aware of their plight and to voice their dissent.

How about an internet comic strip that consists of two characters?

Boone State
On Friday November 4 of 2005, Oklahoma State University announced that they would be taking 410 homes north of the OSU campus in order to make space for an "athletic village." These properties are owned by Stillwater residents who are being forced to sell their home for an amount that OSU will decide is the "fair market value" of their house. Many of these residents have lived in their house for 20+ years and do not want to sell or move. OSU will deal with these residents by using their position of "eminent domain." You can learn more about this injustice here.

"Boone State" is two people's irreverent response to this shameful and flagrant abuse of power. One is an OSU student who lives in the area and is about to lose the home he has owned for four years. The other is an OSU graduate who is acting as a concerned citizen.

I hope that the "two people's irreverent response" is heard.

I hope that the two comic strip "characters" are listening.

I e-mailed them and asked if I could post one of their strips. Permission was given as long as proper credit was given.

I'm sure there are lot of Oklahoma blogs that get a lot more traffic than I do. Maybe those bloggers would be willing to do the same thing.

I'll try to help the comic strip guys along...

with some exposure...

here on my little blog.

later...


**More info here.

It's Late... Again.

We're home from the basketball games. Both the girls' and boys' teams won tonight. The boys' game was quite a bit closer than the girls' with a score of 48 to 40. It was a good and fair game.

On the way to the game this evening I heard a news story on the radio concerning the Oklahoma Tax Commission's tax rebate program. When I got home this evening I couldn't find anything reported about it at all. (Keep in mind that I do not have cable TV.)

According to the KTOK radio news report, it seems that there were quite a few checks printed on plain white paper instead of the 'colored' paper with the check numbers on them. Evidently someone tried to cash their plain white paper check today and the institution called the police on him because they thought that the check was bogus.

Bank of America was in charge of this venture and cannot explain how the plain white paper stock made it into the print batch. The Oklahoma Tax Commission says that anyone with a 'white' check can call their office to get a new check issued to them; or I guess they could try to cash the check that they have.

That could be a scene.

Heck... you could scan several of those checks on your computer and just print them out from the house.

Makes you want to run out and buy one of those new 'fast' laser jet printers doesn't it?

You would think that one mistake would be enough with a project this large but there was more than one error made with this historical transaction. Several checks had the wrong address on them so a lot of people (KTOK didn't know how many) didn't get their checks at all. These checks were sent back to the Oklahoma Tax Commission's offices on Lincoln Boulevard.

Yes... these checks all had the OTC's address on them. *interesting*

Bank of America states that they used the data that was provided to them by the OTC.

Well... I'm sure that they all will find out what happened here.

I was wondering why the OTC didn't choose an "Oklahoma" bank to take care of this for them. You would think that the State of Oklahoma would be about supporting state businesses.

Is it because they didn't think that we had a bank that could handle the $91 million tax surplus money?

I wonder if we're going to ever get another "tax rebate" check. KTOK reported that it cost .51 cents for each check that was sent out. Multiply that by a few million.

If we do get another tax rebate, which bank do you think will get the job.

I wonder if there will be processing fees taken out of it first.

later...

Remiss in My Duties...

The temperatures are expected to take a downward turn starting tomorrow. It will be bitter cold with day time highs in the teens. Our first snowfall is expected on Wednesday.

Unlike winter vacation “hot-spots” in other parts of the country, Oklahoma isn’t known for having ‘nice weather’ when frozen precipitation is expected.

A weather related tragic news story has brought to my attention how I have neglected to do something that I knew I should have already done.


Elderly Man Dies in Fire
Monday, December 5, 2005 at 5:31pm

Oklahoma City firefighters say it was Bart Estrada, age 80 who was killed in a mid-morning house fire at 512 SE 22nd.

By Jerry Bohnen

Firefighters can't say for sure but many suspect it was the propane heaters used by an elderly man to keep warm that killed him.
Barta Estrada, age 80 was found dead in the burned ruins of his home at 512 SE 22nd shortly after the home caught fire around 10am.
Officially, Estrada died of smoke inhalation. Neighbors told KTOK's Mary Beth Henschel the elderly man had tried and failed to get assistance. He did odd jobs for them in return for food. Firefighters say there was no running water in the house and the man caught rain water in buckets to use for drinking water. The house had electricity but no gas for heating.


I had received a newsletter from Teresa at Shepherd’s of Love Ministry a few weeks ago. The specific target of the letter was about helping families and individuals that have had their utilities turned off… or were expecting to have them turned off.

I knew that I wanted to help.

I just haven’t “gotten around to it yet”.

Mr. Estrada’s death was a “slap of reality” for me.

Whether or not Mr. Estrada was on their list for receiving aid from Shepherd’s of Love Ministries or not isn’t the point; they will help people who are in similar circumstances.

Mr. Estrada’s tragic death could have been prevented.

I was thinking that I was really sorry that Mr. Estrada wasn’t my neighbor.

Then I got to thinking about whether or not I would have been too busy to help.

Teresa, the check is in the mail.

later…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
For your information:

Shepherds of Love Ministry, Inc.
P.O. Box 5043
Edmond, OK 73083-5043

Finishing the Week-End...

I have been so busy that Linda from Norman e-mailed me and told me that she was taking care of and feeding my virtual pets for me.

*Thanks Linda*

I was able to finish my final paper today.

Took me ~several~ hours...

Go to work and do an ultrasound.

Filled up with gas.

$1.91/gallon

Drop by Walgreen's to get a few essentials including *toilet paper*.

Stopped at Blockbuster and picked up a couple of movies.

Then we all actually sat down and watched a movie together.

*wow*

The movie is over.

It was good.

The week-end is finished.

Starting all over in the morning.

Hope to have a proper post...

tomorrow?

;+ )

later...

Girls Win Tournament...

Got up late this morning.

Went to game on one cup of coffee.

Girls win semi-finals game.

Come home, eat lunch.

Worked on school paper for short while.

Parker comes home from all-night lock-in with Nicholas and Matthew.

Nicholas comes home with him for the afternoon and evening.

We all go back for championship game.

Call from work during 2nd quarter.

Girls win game in last minute and a half. *gulp*

Watch the boys final game.

Watch trophy presentations, MVP's, All-Tourney players, etc.

Several of our girls get all-tourney and one gets MVP.

Go to Incredible Pizza to celebrate.

Carrie goes to spend the night with basketball team members. (Continuance of tourney win celebration.)

Drop Parker off at Nicholas'.

Go to work to do ultrasounds.

Just now home.

Parker is home.

A Good Day.

Going to bed.

later...

It's a Small Internet/World...

Just now home.

Boy's basketball game (we lost/don't ask)

Braum's with the team after the game.

Take two boys home.

Call from work.

Take Carrie home.

Go to work.

Do ultrasound.

Come home again.

Read my favorite blogs.

Find surprise in blogger's post.

Generous blogger.

Now I can go to bed *happy*.

later...

P.S.

The virtual pets do take a bit to load sometimes. Just be patient. I hope you enjoy them.

My New Pet...

adopt your own virtual pet!

Can't Have the Spider without the Pig...

adopt your own virtual pet!

"Suicide of the West"

Political Cartoon by D. T. Devareaux


I ran across this blog the other night. A very talented person has posted their political cartoons on it.

No rhetoric.

Just titles of the images that have been created.

A picture really is worth a thousand words.

later...