Saturday, February 28, 2004

James Is 4 Today

Today is James' birthday! Four years old, time flies! We're taking him to Animal Kingdom for the day, he's never been there before. More later.

Friday, February 27, 2004

The Love Of The Truth

The love of the truth means you love being hurt, you love being let down. You love being disappointed, because the truth will hurt you, it will let you down, it will disappoint you. Especially the truth about other human beings, the truth about human action, human activity, human deeds. It will hurt, it will cut, and the truth about yourself will hurt and cut more deeply even than the truth about other human beings. Most of us have difficulty facing the truth about others, especially others we love or others we respect, but most of find it utterly impossible to face the truth about ourselves. - Garner Ted Armstrong 1930-2003

Some people don't want to be commanded to do anything. If God commanded them to stay alive, I think they'd commit suicide just to show Him they could do it. - Garner Ted Armstrong 1930-2003

Thursday, February 26, 2004

It's Free, It's Really Free!

Click here to receive your very own Windows Security update CD. It's good for Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 98, and Windows 98 Second Edition (SE). It contains critical updates released through Oct 2003. Did I say it was FREE! It will save you alot of time if you ever reinstall your operating system and only have a dialup connection to download updates. Thank you Scobleizer for pointing the way.

Speaking of reinstalling Windows: Mom, don't forget about this. Her hard drive crashed on her Dell computer - Dell sent someone to replace it, and that's all he did. He replaced it but did not reinstall the operating system. I think Dell should have left her with a computer set up as she bought it - it was only about six months old. She's no techie. So much for Dell, I guess you grow so much and start leaving your customers in the lurch.

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

NY Times Reviews "The Passion"

After reading this review I just wanted to comment on a couple of points he made.

"The Passion of the Christ" is so relentlessly focused on the savagery of Jesus' final hours that this film seems to arise less from love than from wrath, and to succeed more in assaulting the spirit than in uplifting it. Mr. Gibson has constructed an unnerving and painful spectacle that is also, in the end, a depressing one. It is disheartening to see a film made with evident and abundant religious conviction that is at the same time so utterly lacking in grace.

Mel Gibson chose to focus on the final hours of the life of Jesus Christ and His death was incredibly gruesome and brutal. So if you want to be honest telling the story, why whitewash it? It also speaks of the brutality of the Romans and the desperation of the religious leaders of the day to be rid of a thorn in their side - which was actually a reflection of the brutality and desperation of Satan, who tried to cause Jesus Christ to fail in His mission. Satan never relented and took full advantage of his chance to cause Jesus to sin right up to the end, by any means he could.

"Mr. Gibson has departed radically from the tone and spirit of earlier American movies about Jesus, which have tended to be palatable (if often extremely long) Sunday school homilies designed to soothe the audience rather than to terrify or inflame it."

Jesus Christ did not come to "soothe" the world. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. Matthew 10:34 He drove the religious leaders to a frenzy many times (the same would happen today, whether Christian or Jew) and they often tried to kill Him - He could get lost in a crowd because He looked like any ordinary Jew of His day. His message cuts to the core of your being and causes EXTREME discomfort. Human beings don't like to admit they are wrong. Jesus Christ was NEVER politally correct. For the most part, the gospel you hear preached is a gospel about Jesus Christ, but you seldom hear the message, the Good News, Jesus brought.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Further reading:

The Real Jesus

The Real Reasons Why Christ Came To This Earth

God's Message for US, Today


Kids and Toy Guns

Ravenwood is right about that.

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Yellow Leaves

James noticed the leaves were changing color today. He picked up some that were red and some yellow - he was delighted. In case you are wondering it's only just recently that the leaves have changed and have been falling - in large numbers anyway. Florida is like that. I raked some leaves into a big pile for him to play in and he loved it. He told me he lost one of his toys so I took the rake and found it for him. His friend, Cindal, came over to play for a while. He was sad when she had to go.

We went to pick up Joshua and when we came back he wanted to play outside again. I sat on the porch and read a book while he played, it was a gorgeous day. About an hour went by and I began looking at the tree he was playing under. It was almost devoid of leaves and I remembered how it used to be so green and alive. I noticed something move. A squirrel? No, too big. I looked closer but couldn't make it out. I got up and walked under the tree and saw a raccoon sitting on a branch trying, I guess, to sleep. Lately we've noticed a family of raccoons wandering around but I've never seen just one alone. I think maybe he got stuck up there when we came home and couldn't get down because James was playing under him. I don't know. I made sure James understands that raccoons are dangerous and to stay away from them.

In the morning James and I admired a big tom turkey strutting around the yard trying to impress all the girls. He impressed us. That's a beautiful bird when they're strutting around like that. It was a good day for watching the animals.

Friday, February 20, 2004

It's Not Over

Russia Says New Missile Will Beat Any U.S. Defenses

Russia has developed ballistic missile technology that can outwit any defensive system, a top Russian general said on Thursday, in a clear challenge to the United States' planned $50 billion anti-missile shield.
A Quiz

I found this through the Daily Dish. It's the Yankee or Dixie quiz. I scored 52% dixie. I guess that makes sense, I grew up in New Jersey and lived in Japan, Texas and Florida. I really hate the term yankee though, I don't hear it much here in Florida (although I've occasionally met someone obsessed with the whole yankee/southerner thing, and I do mean obsessed, like can't stop talking about it) but in Texas it was soooo annoying. It's always said in a denigrating fashion, at least that's what it sounded like to me. I guess I just really don't care where someone is from.

Here's a list of dialect maps.

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Health Food

Remember when I posted about the guy who ate only McDonald's for a month and how sick he got? That's not just McDonald's, alot of the food we eat is pretty much "manufactured" and really not all that healthy, especially fast food.

On the way home from picking up Joshua he said he wanted to eat his snack, reached into his bookbag and pulled out a little container of mashed potatoes from Popeye's Chicken. I really hadn't concerned myself with Joshua's school, that's Irma's thing, but I didn't realize the lunches were all from local fast food establishments. Pizza Hut, Chick Fila (whatever), Popeye's, Subway, and some Chinese place. That's what they're feeding the kids these days. I knew the government schools were doing that but Joshua is in a private school. Last year his school wasn't doing that. You're much better off packing a lunch.
Blame It On New Jersey

A Little Secret About Bottled Water

It's rough enough that the millions of Americans who buy bottled water are paying for something that used to basically be free. But even harder to stomach is the message that comes on the bottle: Like milk and eggs, water now "expires."

But does water really spoil? Despite the labels reminding consumers to drink up, there is virtually no evidence that drinking water beyond the expiration date has any health impact at all. The Food and Drug Administration considers bottled water to have an "indefinite shelf life." Even the bottled-water industry is hard-pressed to justify the labels.


Why New Jersey?

To some degree, the fact that bottled water carries expiration dates can be blamed on New Jersey, the only state that officially requires it. That regulation dates back to 1987, though it's not completely clear what prompted it. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services says only that: "The intent of the law was to protect the safety and quality of drinking water."

The Guest That Wouldn't leave

Law slanted in favor of unwelcome guests In Florida at least.

"They tell me I can't just put him out," she said. "I have no say-so about who's in my house. It's like I'm not the head of household in my own house. He is the ruler."

If it got as bad as some of the stories in this article I think I would just let the house burn.

A Glimpse of the Truth

PA leader: Israel has no right to exist

Nasser asserted Israel cannot exist "among human beings" because it was "founded on the basis of robbery, terror, killing, torture, assassination, death, stealing land and killing people," reported Palestinian Media Watch.

Apparently it doesn't exist "among human beings."

TKO?

Semicolon keeps same-sex marriages going 2nd judge delays ruling, cites punctuation error in plaintiff's petition

The Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund asked the judge to order the city to "cease and desist issuing marriage licenses to and/or solemnizing marriages of same-sex couples; to show cause before this court."

Warren said the petition should have an "or" where the semicolon is placed.

"I am not trying to be petty here, but it is a big deal," he told the group's attorneys, concluding, "I don't have the authority to issue it under these circumstances."


The United States, as founded, is broken beyond repair. This is not the government set up by our forefathers. If they were alive today they would lead another revolution. Our Judges have no respect for the rule of law, they don't really even pretend to anymore, and the congress are collaborators with them. It's all about them and what they want. The U.S. is far from the worst nation in this respect but: Luke 12:48 For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required;

Isaiah 1:4 Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. 5 Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment.

This is what is coming, as hard as it is to believe:

Isaiah 1:7 Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 8 So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city. 9 Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah.

Interestingly, Saddam thought of himself as the ressurected Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Ancient Babylon was in Iraq. He wanted to rebuild Babylon, take control af the Arab world and it's oil, destroy Israel and eventually control the world. But God had said the city of Babylon would never rise again and He used the U.S. to take Saddam down.

Jeremiah 51:5 For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the Lord of hosts, Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel." 6 Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; He shall recompense her. 7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged. 8 Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed. 9 We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.

The nations of the world did not want Iraq overthrown because they were "drinking in" alot of money from Saddam. They became "drunk" and wanted to keep that very sick and dangerous man in power. They were deranged. They are also not ready to forgive the U.S. for doing it, we've made enemies by doing the right thing. It says "we would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed." Could that mean our attempts at starting a democracy there will fail? I don't know. It certainly means there will not be much of anything there, it will always be a weak nation. I have alot more to study about this.

I do know that now the U.S. is having to defend itself from within and from without. Will we suffer another major terrorist attack? Will it weaken our economy further, causing repercussions around the world. Will the E.U. economy collapse, causing the rise of another stronger, more aggressive Europe, similar to WWII? Will all out war start in the middle east first? The next World War has started, how will it play out?








Tuesday, February 17, 2004

China

China's 'gendercide' crisis

This is the story of a huge, well armed nation in trouble. Not good.

In addition, to an aging population, China increasingly is developing a population dominated by males. This, too, is a direct offshoot of the one-child policy, which has resulted in the "disappearance" of millions of girls – most of whom are assumed to have been killed at birth or shortly afterward, while others were the victims of sex-selection abortion procedures. Many other young girls are put up for foreign adoption. Two-thirds of Chinese children put up for adoption are female.

As first reported in WorldNetDaily, in September 1997, the World Health Organization released a report at WHO's Regional Committee for the Western Pacific that said more than 50 million women were estimated to be "missing" in China because of the institutionalized killing and neglect of girls due to Beijing's population control program that limits parents to one child.

WHO documented what can only be described as the biggest single holocaust in human history – and doing it in a surprisingly clinical and low-key fashion. It was characterized in that WorldNetDaily report, for the first time, as "gendercide," a phrase that has been picked up by other organizations and activists around the globe.


Educate yourself about a dangerous country that is literally surrounding us with a huge shipping presence and control of the Panama Canal.

Yesterday

Yesterday I could not keep my eyes open, I was so tired. Poor James wanted to play outside but I didn't let him. He wouldn't take a nap either. He went to bed like I told him at naptime but he just played silently for a couple of hours on his bed until he came into my room and watched TV on my bed. I really need him to take a nap. I'll have to take him outside later today and let him run around and get tired.

Monday, February 16, 2004

Another Temple Wall Collapse

Jerusalem wall collapse sparks dispute

The collapse yesterday of an 800-year-old embankment next to where Jewish women pray at what is commonly known as the "wailing wall" sent people fleeing from falling rocks.

Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar said it was the fifth time in two years that parts of the walls had begun to crumble, buckle or crack as a result of what she called unsupervised construction by the Waqf – a charge the Muslim clerics deny. "What concerns me most is the Temple Mount itself is in danger of collapsing. ... The earthquake has certainly done more damage but nobody goes to check," she told Reuters.

Sunday, February 15, 2004

Why Is This So Funny?

Canada Condemns 'Racist' Conan O'Brien TV Show Not Conan O'Brien - the reaction.

Canada, you take yourself WAY to seriously. Your inferiority complex is showing.

Friday, February 13, 2004

Makes Sense To Me

Rumsfeld: Israel is Against Being Thrown Into Sea

"Everyone knows that the reason Israel has nuclear weapons is to protect itself from being thrown into the sea." So said yesterday, more or less, the United States' Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Ynet reports that Rumsfeld, speaking with reporters in Munich yesterday, was asked why the United States is silent when "Israel has more nuclear arms than any other nation in the world." Rumsfeld said, "You know the answer by yourself, and the whole world knows the answer. Israel is a small country with a small population. It is a democracy, but exists among neighbors who want to see her in the sea. Israel has made it clear that she does not want to be in the sea, and as a result, over several decades, has organized in such a manner so as not to be thrown into the sea."

This Doesn't

Hamas Warns of New Suicide Campaign

At what point do you stop calling it new? When you have so many "campaigns" that they start running together can you really consider it a new campaign or is it just a continuation of the same old one? I think we need a world court opinion on this. If the Palestinians are guilty of unwarranted use of the "new" slogan then we should throw them into the sea. Better, skip the whole thing and throw them into the sea anyway.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Astronomers spy 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond Even DeBeers can't touch this one, it's 50 light years from Earth.

Here's the original press release and a photo. Actually, it's more of an image than an actual photo.

There is also a photo and press release of a cluster of newborn stars, these are 3300 light years away.
Just Another Day

Today at the hotel we had a guest call 911 because there was a man-ghost in her room. The police and fire department showed up and apparently were not amused. They took her away - hopefully to a psychiatric hospital.

I say hopefully because fire departments don't have a sense of humor when it comes to false alarms. When I was working at another hotel the security guard saw smoke in the hall and we called 911. She started evacuating the rooms when one of the guests (a girl from England) confessed she just set off a fire extinguisher and that was the cause of the smoke. We would have just made her pay for it but it was out of our hands and they had her arrested and sent to jail.

Thursday, February 12, 2004

What Are They Teaching Your Kids?

A reading of an introductory evolutionary textbook in Realplayer stream or MP3 format.

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Knock It Off Mr. Kerry

Here's a letter to the editor of The Washington Times from a guy who served with President Bush in the Texas Air National Guard. The Democrats should be ashamed of themselves. Of course, they are not. Your choice in this election will be to continue to defend America or hand America over to it's enemies.
Speaking of Earthquakes

Earthquake felt across Israel

This is extremely significant. The Temple Mount has already been collapsing and an earthquake could cause the collapse of the muslim temples on the mount - Palestinians will go crazy crazier and the Jews will take over the site and build the third temple. They are trembling with anticipation to build it.

Speaking of the Third Temple

The Temple Mount Faithful have sent a letter to the Pope demanding return of items (Temple Menorah and other treasures) pilaged by the Romans when they destroyed the Temple. No word from the Vatican yet. I don't suppose the answer will be yes.

Of No Significance Whatsoever

My car rolled over the 200,000 mile mark and I missed it. I'll have to make it a point to look at the 300,000 mile mark.



Why does God Allow Human Suffering?

If there IS a God, and if GOD IS LOVE, then WHY? Oh God, Where Were You When I Needed You?

This is not your standard church answer and is worth a read.


When God Shakes the Earth

During an earthquake, all men are equal. As the deep, awesome rumbling from beneath the earth - the thin wail of cats and howling of dogs, the dizzying feeling of disequilibrium comes to you as the sounds of thousands of roaring locomotives thunder beneath; as all the familiar things with which you surround yourself, your own home and so well-remembered environment, the very buildings, houses, streets, stones, trees and walks, your automobile, as all begin to move, swaying, groaning, giving way with splintering crashes and groaning roars; all men, rich and poor, great and small, suddenly realize their incredibly fragile humanity.

This is a fascinating article. They don't teach this in school and they don't teach it in church either. What are they trying to hide? And why?

Here, he touches on creation:

A careful study of the meaning of the words involved and the Bible itself shows the famous "creation week" of Genesis 1 and 2 was in fact a much later re-creation of an original earth which was created countless ages in the past. The Eternal God is the Creator. However, God does work oftentimes through "natural" forces, using the very physical laws which He Himself has instituted and which He sustains.

The serious student of historic and dynamic geology, biblical prophecy and geophysical sciences of today would have no quarrel whatever with claims of great age for the earth: 4 1/2 billion years or more.

Actually, the rocks themselves prove there were many emergences and burials of the land masses of our earth beneath the surface of the sea.

The important thing to realize is Almighty God is shown to have directly intervened in the forming of the continents themselves, by divine command, causing "the dry land to appear" where, previously, the whole world was viewed to be nothing but the "deep," vast expanses of endless oceans.

This reshaping of earth's surface prior to the creation of Adam could have occurred ages after earlier stages of creation, wherein the world was populated by countless billions of the creatures we find in fossil form today, such as the dinosaurs, amphibians, gigantic carrion-eating birds, winged reptiles and monstrous land mammals.

Even the casual student of paleontology is brought very quickly face to face with the incontrovertible evidence of sudden burial of these incredibly huge populations of various life forms - and the fact that each of these life forms, in its own succession, "appears" and just as suddenly "disappears" in the record of the rocks!

One of the greatest weaknesses of the evolutionary theory is the astronomical number of "intermediate species" which are plainly missing!

By analogy, it is as if someone took a motion picture of you as a baby in diapers gleefully playing with a rattle. Then, on your 40th birthday, he took a shot of you as a mature man, driving an automobile.

How many tens of millions of feet of motion picture film would have been required to have actually watched the gradual growth and development from the baby to the mature man? By way of analogy, such is the case with the "missing links" or missing intermediate species within the fossil record.

There would be overwhelmingly more creatures with partly formed scales, partly formed wings, ungainly, weird, undeveloped and unfit to survive relics of literally billions of intermediate species, than there would be the finished forms!

Suffice it to say that the fossil records in the rocks show such mammoth cataclysms in the past that they completely defy human imagination. It is doubtful that the most imaginative special effects, trick photography, graphic arts and skills of Hollywood could suffice to impress our minds with the real truth of what happened back in the distant past when all the dinosaurs died so suddenly!

When we are ushered on the scene, in creation week, we are seeing the emergence of our "lithosphere from the depths of the bathysphere," or the oceans. This meant the expanding of the tectonic plates of the earth on their floating mass of plasticlike magma, and the cascading and rushing of the waters from the continents and the continental shelves to their ocean beds. The forces at work, the building of mountains, rupturing of the earth along fault lines and explosions of volcanoes would have been absolutely tremendous.


The full article can be read here.


Tuesday, February 10, 2004

To Protect and To Serve Part II

Go back and read yesterday's post (and commentary) if you didn't already, then read this.

The Butlers had been the victims of Brown's harassment over the past year, Williams said, and at the time of his death Brown was wanted in Phelps County for second-degree burglary, first-degree trespassing, resisting arrest and violation of an ex-parte order.

"These charges all stem from complaints made by the Butlers," Williams said. "Officers from the Phelps County Sheriff's Department had attempted on several occasions to arrest Brown but could not locate him."


This had been going on for a year. He was breaking into their house on a regular basis and harrassing them.

The problems started "over a year ago" when the Butlers caught Brown "window-peeking," Butler said.

"And then it got progressively worse," Butler said, with Brown making threats, unwanted phone calls and home break-ins.

Butler said he believes Brown entered the couple's home many times and prowled around while they were out.

"My wife came home and caught him in the house on Christmas Eve," Butler said. Brown assaulted and injured Mrs. Butler at that time.

Butler said he was dissatisfied with the sheriff's department's handling of the harassment and frustrated with the deputies' inability to find Brown and arrest him on the warrants.

"I saw him every day for the last three days. You can't find anybody if you don't look for them," Butler said.

Butler said he feared that an incident would occur as it did Friday night. He said he had pleaded with deputies to find Brown "before something like this happened."


You know what's coming don't you?

Butler, the business representative for the Carpenter's Union Local No. 2298, said Brown kicked in the back door and entered the house with the firearms.

"I got shot in my bed," Butler said. "When a man knocks the door in and starts shooting you and your wife, you've got a right to shoot back."


What if he didn't have a loaded firearm close at hand? What if he had to go open his gun safe?

Williams said Brown had forced his way into the Butler home. He was armed with a .22 caliber rifle and a .22 caliber handgun, gloves and extra ammunition.

"Brown then began firing shots at Mr. and Mrs. Butler. James Butler retrieved a handgun and fired at David Brown striking him several times," Williams said.


That's the way to do it.

Monday, February 09, 2004

New Template

I've been wanting to change the template for a long time, I just didn't want to spend the time to do it. I thought it would be alot harder. It took all of 15 minutes to get everything moved over, not bad. This should be cleaner and easier to read. If you like it, thank Jamie for sending an email to prompt me to change it. If I had a website for Jamie I would post it. I should have known that. Thank you.
To Protect and To Serve

How kidnapper-murderer was caught

My point? Government doesn't prevent crimes. Government doesn't solve crimes. Government doesn't punish crimes. Government fosters crime. Government encourages crime. Government enables crime.

From personal experience, the police are the cleanup crew. They write up a report and too often that's it. The criminals are long gone and if they are lucky they may find them. The police will not be around when you need them - you are on your own. That's the way it is. It doesn't matter how good the cop is, he's not there when you need him, he comes afterward.

Half the Country (or more) Still Won't Take These Guys Seriously

'Al-Qaida has nukes'

Williams quotes an anonymous federal official as saying: "The question isn't whether bin Laden has nuclear weapons, it's when he will try to use them."

I hope this isn't true, but I know we aren't finished with al-qaida, we haven't heard the last of them. We will have to throw the politically correct garbage out the window first. We can do it, we just don't have the national resolve yet.

Chickens

I'm seriously considering getting some chickens. I've been checking out the different types and I would want some for eggs and perhaps some to eat. I like Buff Orpingtons for eating and eggs and Araucanas for the eggs. I like alot of the varieties I've seen but would only get one or two kinds. I think it would be a good experience for James too, he loves to look at the chicks in the feed store, he loves all kinds of animals. I don't know yet though. My main concern is what to do when I go on vacation. You can't leave chickens home alone like snakes.

Do You Like Curry?

I found an interesting curry site. It gave me a few new ideas.

Sunday, February 08, 2004

Are You Kidding Me?

Painkillers for aborted babies?

"We must do everything possible to relieve the terror and suffering of children as they are aborted," said Black in a statement

Everything possible, that is, except NOT ABORT THEM.

China

Adm. Moorer's Last Warning

In his closing years, Moorer's singular worry was China. He believed that Red China was using front companies like Hutchison to set up strategic bases near key "choke points" for control over shipping lanes. He was also quite disturbed that China's Hutchison had taken control of the port in Freeport, the Bahamas - just 60 miles from Florida.

Moorer saw China's demand for Taiwan as just one reason the Chinese may go to war sometime in the future with the U.S. There was also a struggle for hegemony over Asia. And he never bought the notion that Beijing's ideological Maoists had any intention of remaking China into a democracy.

Inevitably, he argued, China would be in a conflict with the United States.


More To Come?

Terrorists building bombs in mid-flight?

Do we want to stop them as much as they want to hurt us?



Friday, February 06, 2004

Small Miracle

Humming Bird Nest

Tax Info

Remember last year when the government mailed out checks as a tax refund? Well, I was under the impression it was a refund from the previous tax filing when in fact it was an Advance Child Tax Credit and must be posted against your 2003 taxes. If that was the case I would rather they didn't mail it out in advance. Some people who thought they were due refunds will be shocked.
More Temple Mount Collapses

And what it means from the perspective of the Temple Mount Faithful: Temple Mount Wall Collapses

The collapse of walls on the Temple Mount, and all the other signs that were mentioned above, are very clear signs that the foreign pagan presence on the Temple Mount is about to be removed. G-d has started to prepare His holy hill for Israel to purify it and to build the Temple. The Hand of G-d continues to appear again and again in Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, as well as over all the land of Israel, calling the Israeli Government to do what He expects of them to do: to purify the Temple Mount and immediately rebuild the house of G-d. This will open the Eastern Gate for the coming of Mashiach ben David.

And Now A Word From The Religion Of Peace

"It was always my wish to turn my body into deadly shrapnel against the Zionists and to knock on the doors of heaven with the skulls of Zionists."

Wow Riyashi, that's really intense. Are they spiritual skulls or the real thing 'cause, well, I think you forgot them. Do spirits have skulls? Maybe you should have thought that through before it was too late.

Brought to you by this article and Worldnet Daily.

Thursday, February 05, 2004

If America Is Such An Evil Empire

how come nobody is risking their lives and the lives of their children to escape it? Everyone wants to come here, hardly anyone wants to leave.

They really should let this guy come to America just based on his creativity. A '59 Buick boatmobile! How cool is that?

I remember reading story after story, Readers Digest had alot of them, about all the attempts and successes of people trying to escape East Germany over or through the Berlin Wall. How many people die trying to escape Cuba and we don't even know about them? But oh no, Castro is a wonderful leader and Cuba is paradise.
Sometimes People Mean What They Say

Islam will invade Europe and America

So says Muhammad Mahdi Othman 'Akef, who recently took over the Egyptian-based movement after the death of leader Mamoun Al-Hudhaybi.

Just Say No

I just want to point out something in this commentary about the U.N.

The setup:

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights plans to debate a new resolution next month called the "Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Human Rights" that will give homosexuals protected minority status.

The resolution has the support of a number of Western nations, including Canada and the European Union. Interestingly, the principle opponent to the resolution is the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The OIC has become the de facto power at the United Nations, since it generally votes as a single bloc. That gives the OIC a 57-vote advantage. That is enough to explain why Israel is the recipient of more U.N. condemnatory resolutions than any other state in history. But it may not be enough to kill the U.N.'s resolution affirming homosexual minority status.


That's interesting but not my point. Here's the important part:

The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights guarantees "freedom of religion" - but that freedom evidently really is only when such religious freedom "doesn't conflict with the aims and intentions of the United Nations" (as the UNDHR clearly states). This effectively demonstrates that such "guarantees" aren't worth the paper they are printed on. This sets up a precedent for the United Nations to forbid a religion from teaching an exclusive way of salvation, i.e., faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to God.

In this case "the aim and intention of the United Nations" is to persecute those whom it deems are persecutors of homosexuals.

It wouldn't be so scary if so many in this country (democrats) weren't so eager to give American sovereignty over to the U.N. Of course, it wouldn't stop there - what beliefs do you hold that the U.N. may not agree with? How close are we to losing the "American way?" Where is Superman when you need him?

Democrats

Why do they hate us?

Never Question Modern Medicine

Michelle Malkin has a new baby and tells of some of her experiences with the gods of medicine.

Beware of vaccine bullies

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Good Commentary on the Superbowl Sideshow

Exposing Viacom's Indecency

Doctors Harrassed by Government?

Oh My! I'm shocked! Federal Harassment of Doctors

We don't need socialized medicine, we need to completely get rid of all insurance, federal and private. Watch the healthcare costs come way down to an affordable level. If a procedure is new and too expensive, the cost will come down in time, just like VCR's, computers and everything else. What we have now and what it is becoming is going to bury us under it's shear weight. Keep it simple. Private charity and donations will take care of those who cannot afford but have a real need.

Same with taxes. Get rid of all the tax laws, start new. 10% flat tax for all. Very simple to understand and fair to all. And stop taxing every last possible thing you can think of to wring every last dime out of the citizens. Government running out of money? Slash all the pork. American people are not the only thing in this country that's overweight.

Don't worry, it will never happen - not until the aliens come down from space and take over the world.


James

Yesterday I heard a strange noise by the garage door when the kids were playing outside. I opened the door and James had a broomstick and was trying to press the button to lower the door. After a few tries he did it. Now James can officially open every door in the house without help.

Just as I wrote this I heard a popping sound like a firecracker so I got up to check the kids. They were sitting on the lawn watching our neighbor next door crack a whip in the driveway. Everytime she made it crack they would both clap.

Do You Have Tivo?

Are you aware that they monitor everything you play, pause and replay?

This marks the third year that TiVo has released details of its second-by-second review of how Super Bowl viewers used their TiVo units. Not only did users pause and replay the infamous portion of the halftime show more than any moment during the game, but they also did the same for some commercials.

I suspect the same is true for digital cable.


Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Quick Thinking

Woman Tells Of Wild 75-Mile Ride In Runaway Car

You're in a car accelerating out of control, 75 - 100 mph, no brakes - what do you do? How 'bout TURN IT OFF.

This story sounds a bit strange - she said "I couldn't get the clutch down. I couldn't get the brake down." There was a mechanical problem found but it wouldn't effect the clutch or brakes. Even if the brakes got too hot and faded the clutch could still be disingaged. And she could have just turned it off. I guess she panicked.
Yet Another Scam

Inmate Scam Could Cost You Hundreds In Phone Charges

They call you and try to get you to dial *72 and a phone number using any means possible (including threatening to kill you) and if you do you have just allowed them to make a bunch of long distance calls and bill it to your phone. Don't do it.

Sunday, February 01, 2004

Blind Leading the Blind

244 Muslim Pilgrims Die in Hajj Stampede

"All precautions were taken to prevent such an incident, but this is God's will. Caution isn't stronger than fate," Madani said.

The god of death wanted his worshipers trampled.

The annual hajj, which began Thursday, climaxed Saturday as some 2 million Muslim pilgrims listened to Saudi Arabia's top cleric denounce terrorists, calling them an affront to Islam. However, he defended the kingdom's strict interpretation of the faith.

Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Sheik said in his sermon there were those who claim to be holy warriors, but were shedding Muslim blood and destabilizing the nation.

"Is it holy war to shed Muslim blood? Is it holy war to shed the blood of non-Muslims given sanctuary in Muslim lands? Is it holy war to destroy the possession of Muslims," he said, adding that their actions gave enemies an excuse to criticize Muslim nations.


Hell no! Brethren, muslims are only supposed to kill non-muslims who we are not already oppressing. Go, kill Americans, kill Europeans, allah is fine with that people. Remember, terrorism is bad - and it's only terrorism if you kill fellow muslims. Now go, shed the bood of the infidels. Remember - muslim = friend, non-muslim = enemy.

That is what they said. If my posting it offends you - touche.


This Just In

Pensioner told she's too old to buy a jigsaw

Iris Milne, 84, rang up to order a 1,000 piece puzzle featuring Notre Dame cathedral in Montreal.

But a phone operator told her the sale couldn't go ahead because people over the age of 80 have trouble filling out the forms.

The Daily Express reports bosses at Express Gifts, which runs the Ace catalogue, later apologised and explained the ban only applies to people over the age of 90.


You can drive a car when you are 90 but you can't buy a puzzle? And what kind of forms do you have to fill out if you are phoning in the order? No doubt this was in one of them socialist countries.
Do You Know What Day It Is?

It's Chocolate Day!

Hmm. I read somewhere else it is Dec 28. I guess two chocolate days can't hurt. According to Celebrate the Date today is Healthy Heart Day. Next Sunday is Moo Cow Day. Who makes this stuff up? And why? Ring finger Day? Flip a Pancake Day? How 'bout flip a bird day? OK, that was just dumb. They give you a joke for each day too. The joke for today is:

A class professor was giving a lecture on company slogans and was asking his students if they were familiar with them. "Joe," he asked, "which company has the slogan, 'come fly the friendly skies'?"
Joe answered the correct airline.

"Brenda, can you tell me which company has the slogan, "Don't leave home without it?"
Brenda answered the correct credit card company with no difficulty.

"Now John, Tell me which company bears the slogan, 'Just do it'?"

And John answered, "Mom...."


Can you tell I don't really have anything to say today? I never got pictures of the snow, I'm watching a "Wings" rerun, and it's raining - has been almost all night. There's not much interesting in the news (to me anyway), no exploding whales. Wow, that was a popular subject. Everyone wanted to see the exploded whale. There is a video available. And there is a definitive exploding whale website, but it's a different whale and the explosion was sort of helped along (dynamite). Here's an excerpt.

So they moved the spectators back up the beach, put a half-ton of dynamite next to the whale and set it off. I am probably not guilty of understatement when I say that what follows, on the videotape, is the most wonderful event in the history of the universe. First you see the whale carcass disappear in a huge blast of smoke and flame. Then you hear the happy spectators shouting "Yayy!" and "Whee!" Then, suddenly, the crowd's tone changes. You hear a new sound like "splud." You hear a woman's voice shouting "Here come pieces of... MY GOD!" Something smears the camera lens.

Have fun!




Been There

Here's a map of states I've visited.



create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide

Looks like I need a vacation.