Quote of the Day

The apostle Paul tells us that life is a struggle, a life and-death conflict between two opposing forces. If we try to ignore the conflict, if we do not firmly choose the right side and take up our armor and our weapons for the battle, we will inevitably find ourselves jarred and shaken by spiritual reality. We may even become casualties of a battle we thought we could wish away. Truth has a way of intruding on our pleasant little illusions.

--Ray Stedman, Spiritual Warfare

Mark Steyn Interview

Part 2. Again, this is a must see interview. Mark is very articulate and well informed about the "culture war" going on between the West and Islam. Part 1 is here.

One Persons Trash ...

Is another person's artwork.

Very amusing website.

Early Voting

I love early voting. It's better to have a range of days to get out and vote rather than having everyone do it on one day. I voted today and they had computer voting machines. It's the first time I used them and I found it extremely easy. In fact, James was with me and he was scrolling and changing pages for me. Not that I needed that, he wanted to, but it was so self-explanatory that he did it without any instruction at all. I want to say if a 6-year old could do it anyone can but there's always a small percentage of people who will screw it up no matter what.

And everyone working there was very friendly and helpful, almost bizarrely so. They asked me for a photo ID and verified my address as well. What if I said I didn't have one? I didn't ask. Should have.

Contagious Laughter

Tip of the Iceburg

A very interesting video interview of Mark Steyn by Michelle Malkin. Must see internet TV.

"Americans, in my experience, are a lot nicer than Europeans when things get unpleasant. On the continent they go through these phases where they pay lip service to multiculturalism and celebrate diversity and all the rest of it, but at a certain point, when they realize that they're looking at a life and death situation, a percentage of them will change in very unpleasant ways ..."

Dirty Trick

Flames overwhelm Coyotes

Not real coyotes, not real flames.

The Problem With Iraq

Iraq was never supposed to be easy but by far the two greatest reasons we are having problems are 1.) the detractors on the left who have inflicted great harm on our country's morale and given moral support (and sometimes actual support) to our enemy and 2.) political correctness which permeates our society and severely weakens our ability to wage war when necessary.

It is very unfortunate that war is sometimes necessary and I pray the day comes soon when there will be no more tears in the world, but now, war is necessary. War is not the answer*, we will not fight a war which will make future wars unnecessary, but in this world evil pops it's ugly head up from time to time and it must be put down fast and with no mercy in order to save innocent lives.

*The answer is Jesus Christ.

Just Another Mad Clown

Che Guevara: 39 Years of Hype

I guess all the cool people will be wearing Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden t-shirts soon enough.

R.I.P. Pink Flamingo

Everyone's favorite pink lawn ornament has passed. I actually haven't seen one of those in I don't know how long.

Very Cool Video

Flying below the radar

You don't get that perspective very often.

The Watchmaker

This little animation examines the complexity of the natural world: The Watchmaker

Probably won't persuade anyone dead set against God but what can you do?

I went to the Museum of Natural History Church of Darwin while in New York recently so the kids could see the dinosaurs there. I had forgotten how much of a shrine to evolution that place was. Darwin and evolution live there as the Pope lives at the Vatican. There are even Darwin t-shirts and memorabilia everywhere. Funny how two people can look at the same thing and see two different things. Evolution sounds so right on the surface but when you really think about it, listen to what is taught about it, examine and carefully consider the complexities of the world around us from the Universe as a whole to the smallest parts of the atom, evolution just falls flat on its face.

I guess that's why so many believe it. Most people don't really think about what they believe, whether it's evolution or God. They believe what they believe and don't let the details get in their way. Of course, some are just so set on what they believe that it colors everything they look at.

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened. --Sir Winston Churchill

How It's Done

Beth Greer, 73, and her husband Tommy Greer, 60, say they returned home from work shortly before 11pm Monday night. Within minutes, they were staring down the barrel of a gun.

"I heard a shot go off and, of course, I just knew he had killed Tommy. In an instant, he stepped back into the garage. One step in the garage, still with his gun pointed at me, and I just opened fire on him. I just shot, shot, shot, shot," Beth Greer remembered.

Well done. No one else will protect you and the police will just stop by after you're dead and fill out the proper forms - it's just the way it is.

Sheriff George Payne said, "Historically, we don't release the names of victims like this, and they're victims involved in shootings. But they wanted to do that to tell their story so the rest of the public knows that this is America and we're not going to be intimidated by these thugs that think they can come to our homes and rob us or shoot us, and we're not just going be intimidated and roll over for them. Quite frankly, there was a gun battle there and she won the gun battle and this outlaw lost his life."

"A few times we'd had incidents that's happened at the shop. I've often sat and wondered, 'What would I do if somebody did come in and pull a gun? What would I do?' Now I know what I will do because I was able to get through that. I won't ever, ever hesitate to pull a gun and shoot somebody if they come at me," said Beth Greer.

A Big Difference

I saw the report on the news about the stingray that jumped into a boat here in Florida and stabbed a man in the chest. It didn't make sense to me how that could happen but that's what was said. I even saw a woman on Fox News blaming the event on global warming and that didn't make any sense to me either. Granted, I missed the very beginning but, come on - global warming?

Well, the truth comes out. The stingray apparently did jump into the boat but the man was only stabbed when he picked it up to throw it overboard. That makes a heck of a lot more sense, so why didn't they say that on the news. Why make it seem like the stingray attacked him?

Don't trust the news to get anything right, don't pick up stingrays, and global warming has nothing to do with this.

Update: I just saw Jeff Corwin on Fox say that it isn't unusual for these stingrays to jump out of the water. I guess the timing was right and it landed in the boat. It was a complete accident, it didn't attack or anything close. Everything would have been fine if he had not picked it up.

Mo Hotta

I was so curious about the heat of the more potent Blair's Death Sauce that I ordered some and just received them yesterday. I got the Mega Death Sauce and Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce, the Cholula sauce was free. I said the Original Death Sauce was delicious but not as hot as I had expected. Well, the Mega Death Sauce makes up for that. This is a seriously hot sauce, not for the uninitiated. I put a few dabs of the sauce in some jambalaya and I was sweating for about half an hour. Very nice. Mega Death Sauce is worthy of the name. It's also pretty smooth, a very strong heat but not biting, no tears, just a long lasting, lip numbing heat.

The Dave's Insanity Sauce is good, too. I tried it on some Doritos. Just a drop will do. It's not quite as hot as the Mega Death sauce but it's still a seriously hot sauce, be careful.

The Cholula sauce is very good, it's from Mexico. It's just not all that hot. It's great for adding flavor and would work very well on Mexican food.

I don't always like my food spicy. In fact, sometimes I would rather not add heat at all. I just like to be prepared for when I'm in the mood and now I am definitely prepared for all occasions. I am a Blair's fan! And Mo Hotta Mo Betta has great service and great products.

Burnin'

I bought a couple of bottles of hot sauce while in Port Jefferson, NY at a hot sauce store. I've had the Santava! before and love it, it's a great tasting sauce. I've never tried Blairs hot sauce before (on the left). I know Blairs has a reputation for the hottest sauces and I wanted to try one. I decided against the super hot sauces made with pure capsaicin but I wish I hadn't. The Blair's Original Death Sauce is delicious, no doubt about it. I got the one with chipotle added and I love the taste. I will not complain one bit about the taste. But the name? Death Sauce. I expected a seriously hot sauce. When I eat sushi I like to put wasabi on it so that tears just barely come to my eyes. I thought I could get this out of the Death Sauce but it really isn't that hot. It's delicious and it's got some heat to it but I poured it on my eggs this morning and it wasn't in the least bit uncomfortable. It's got it all over Tabasco though.

Here it is at Mo Hotta Mo Betta - use extreme caution it says.

I had this one in my hand, should have tried it. Or better yet.

B-2 or Not B-2

On the way home Saturday afternoon, driving through Delaware, I believe, or Maryland on I-95 I noticed what looked like a UFO flying around. It was a B-2 Bomber and it was very hard to keep my eyes on the road. When it was turning it was very obvious but when it leveled out it was hard to see, it almost disappeared because it's so flat. A very cool plane.

B-2

Here's another view of the B-2. Irma took these while I was driving, it wasn't easy. That was the most incredible aircraft I've ever seen in flight, and I've seen quite a few. Just awesome.

Guiding Light

Greetings from Asbury Park Barnegat Light, New Jersey. I actually drove through Asbury Park, but didn't spend any time there, don't know what all the fuss is about.

Here's looking down from the top of the lighthouse.

Ayaka's Surprise English Lesson

A couple of funny segments from Japanese TV.

Take Your Fish For A Walk?

Well, now you can, with the Terranaut

Between this post and the next, it's apparent that some people really do have too much time on their hands. At least these guys are doing something constructive, if not actually useful.

Most Expensive House

And it sits on the head of a pin. Incredible.

Can you imagine using the hair from a dead spider's leg as a paint brush?

He added: "To actually work on a project this small takes a lot of discipline. I have to slow my nervous system right down."

"I have to take a deep breath and work in between heart beats as any movement or pulse through my finger would obliterate the sculpture."

Please, No More ...

Accident commercials! It seems the latest rage in TV commercials is showing a car accident. Volkswagen, insurance companies and I just saw one from a distracted drivers awareness group. I don't need to see more car accidents.

One insurance commercial shows a guy tossing his coffee cup onto the passenger seat and after the accident it's still sitting right there at the edge of the seat. People need seatbelts but cups don't play by the laws of physics I guess.

Volkswagen's surprise accident commercials are the worst. They don't make me want to buy a volkswagen, they make me want to change the channel.

It reminds me of a radio commercial I used to hear. No clue what the product was but the commercial started with teeth grinding and the announcer said he would play that sound until you buy the product. The second the commercial would come on I would change the station. Like I said, "No clue what the product was."

Societal Cancer

Melanie Phillips says Australian Prime Minister John Howard "is the only western leader who has grasped that the greatest danger to the west lies in the way it has been attacked and undermined from within, a process that is continuing and which threatens to hand liberal democracy over to its Islamic enemies who are laying siege to it from without."

I don't know if he's the only leader to believe it but he's the only one to come out and say it. That takes a lot of guts.

Forget Wooden Nickels, Don't Take Checks

You sell something on eBay and the buyer sends a check, so you take it to the bank it's issued by to make sure it's a good check. "She said it was a valid account and that there were funds to cover it."

So what do you do? You cash it ... and the bank has you arrested for cashing a phony check.

Clark Howard is not very pleased with the banks behavior and is asking people to remove their money from all Bank of America accounts until they pay half of the guys court costs. Howard even offered to pay half, so far, no go.

Mentos and Diet Coke Vs. Face

You've probably seen the exploding coke videos that have spread all over the internet, if not, when you drop a Mentos candy into a bottle of Coke it explodes like a geyser. This guy thought it would be a good idea to let it explode into his mouth. Very funny.

Forgiveness and Joy

The Day Of Atonement by Charles Spurgeon

Beloved, let us go into our houses with joy; let us go into our gates with praise. The atonement is finished; the High Priest is gone within the vail; salvation is now complete. He has laid aside the linen garments, and he stands before you with his breastplate, and his mitre, and his embroidered vest, in all his glory. Hear how he rejoices over us, for he hath redeemed his people, and ransomed them out of the hands of his enemies. Come, let us go home with the High Priest; let us clap our hands with joy, for he liveth, he liveth; the atonement is accepted, and we are accepted too; the scapegoat is gone, our sins are gone with it. Let us then go to our houses with thankfulness, and let us come up to his gates with praise, for he hath loved his people, he hath blessed his children, and given unto us a day of atonement, and a day of acceptance, and a year of jubilee. Praise ye the Lord? Praise ye the Lord!

It Was Only A Matter Of Time

GORE: Cigarette smoking 'SIGNIFICANT' contributor to global warming

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore warned hundreds of U.N. diplomats and staff on Thursday evening about the perils of climate change, claiming: Cigarette smoking is a "significant contributor to global warming!"

That man is self-destructing before our eyes. His life now depends on global warming being all he says it is - and it isn't.


"Must ... Convince ... World ... Aaaaahhhh!"