According to www.mygoals.com, who call themselves the “premiere website for setting and reaching personal and professional goals,” these are the top New Year’s resolutions for 2005.
1) Lose weight and get in shape Made by 26% of people who make New Year’s resolutions.
2) Get a better job 13%
3) Be more organized, use time more efficiently 13%
4) Spend time for personal growth/self improvement 12%
5) Get out of debt and/or save more money 12%
6) Improve relationships with family 8%
7) Go back to school 8%
8) Fix up the house 4%
9) Spend more time having fun 3%
So how many of these are resolutions you’re planning on making? How many are resolutions you made last year? How’d ya do at keeping them? Yeah, me too. Let’s see…
1) I wish-I’ve tried that one too many years and keep failing
2) need to get a second job, not necessarily a better one- how about just winning the lottery without playing?
3) For an adult with A.D.D. I’m coping pretty well- although my wife may not think so
4) I’ve read “7 Habits” and “Power of Positive Thinking,” how much more can I improve, I mean really, ain’t I pretty damn near perfect already?
5) need to get a second job, not necessarily a better one- how about just winning the lottery without playing?- or did I say that already?
6) how much more can I improve, I mean really, ain’t I pretty damn near perfect already? - or did I say THAT already?
7) I’d love to get a Master’s someday, but I even if I ever could make up my mind as to what I want to get it in, numbers 3, 5, and 6 all get in the way, don’t they?
8) Okay, you can all stop laughing now, especially my father-in-law, uncle-in-law, brother-in-law, and wife.
9) See, that’s where I’m good- because my idea of fun is different than most people. Maybe I’m boring by most people’s standards. Most people would love to bar-hopping or dancing or hang gliding or gambling or extreme water sports-ing or something. But I enjoy teaching and coaching (most of the time) and this-writing- is fun for me.
This year is going to be different. Here are my resolutions for this year:
1) Quit smoking
2) Quit drinking more than a couple beers a week
3) No more sushi
4) Quit picking fights with thick-necked guys named “Gunter”
5) Quit chewing tobacco
6) Quit betting on NFL, NBA, NASCAR, horses, etc.
7) Cancel my subscriptions to Hustler, Penthouse, Playboy etc.
8) No more unilateral pre-emptive invasions of third world countries or violations of the Geneva Conventions through torture and abuse
9) Lose weight and get in shape
10) Write shorter columns
Not bad, eh? See I figure you have to set your goals in such a way that you insure at least a modicum of success. If I choose resolutions that I’m ALREADY keeping, than when 2006 comes around, I’ll be at least an 80% success and only a 20 % failure. That way, I build up my self-esteem and maybe then I’ll have enough confidence to take on those last two in 2007. Never put off today what you can put off tomorrow, I always say.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Annual Exclusive Interview
I wouldn’t have recognized him when he came in if he hadn’t been smoking the Meerschaum pipe that he told me he would be. Of course, he likes to travel incognito. I sat down in the booth across from him and took out my reporter’s notebook and pen. He had a Carhart jacket on a if he were just another farmer, and Dickie’s jeans, but wide red suspenders, like you might expect from him, and a buffalo plaid flannel shirt.
He asked me if I’d like a cup of coffee and he flagged down the waitress to order some for me. He welcomed me with a disarming grin as I sat down.
“How are you kiddo?” he asked.
“I’m good , Nick, just getting over my annual cold. How about you? Besides busy, I mean.?”
“Well, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been better” he sighed.
“I’m so sorry, what’s wrong?” A nervous feeling pulled at my stomach. This was like seeing your father cry for the first time. He isn’t supposed to ever have anything wrong with him.
“It’s nothing, I probably shouldn’t have even mentioned it. Every so many years or so I sort of go through a bit of a funk. Nothing major. My version of Seasonal Affective Disorder, I suppose” he revealed.
“A funk. What kind of funk could you possibly have, I thought that you’re supposed to always be, well, jolly.”
“Well, see that’s part of it. People don’t allow me to be human. I have limitations, I have feelings, I even have off-days. I know I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself. I usually manage to keep my focus on others. That’s something that everyone should do. It’s the surest way to experience joy. I guess I’m having another one of my identity crisis’s.”
“Identity crisis?”
“Well sure. You’d have one too, if you were me. I was a philanthropist, a missionary, a Church leader. There were all kinds of expectations put on me. I always tried to point people to the Lord and to Scripture. The last thing I’d ever want to do is to eclipse my Lord. But when He performs a few miracles through you, people start seeing you as some kind of super hero.”
“Miracles, I knew about leaving gold in the stockings of the poor girls without dowries, but I didn’t know about any miracles, give me an example” I asked.
“Well,” he scratched his head, “A scary thing happened on my way to the Council of Nicea. (as in Nicean Creed) I stopped at an Inn along the way. There was a terrible famine. I was surprised that the innkeeper seemed to have plenty of food. I was appalled to discover that he was butchering children and intended to serve them to his unsuspecting guests. I prayed and God restored and revived three boys that had been packed in a salt barrel. The innkeeper was so shocked by the miracle that he repented and converted to Christianity.”
“Holy guacamole!” I said. “No wonder you became so famous.”
“After my death, my fame continued to spread throughout Europe and Asia.” He continued. “Fame is a cruel mistress. Anyone would have an identity crisis if they had so many people with their own ideas of who they think you are. I was declared the protector of children, virgins, merchants, and sailors and even the patron saint of Russia.”
I piped in- “Arlo Guthrie once pointed out that you wore a red suit, so you must be a communist. And a beard and long hair, so you must be a pacifist. He said “What’s in that pipe that he’s smoking?”
“If you must know, it’s Turkish blend of long leaf tobacco. I certainly don’t condone and even discourage smoking. It’s a filthy habit, but you try quitting a habit you’ve had for more than 1,700 years! And of course I am a pacifist, I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the Communist party- but I told you last year that I don’t want to talk about politics. “
“As I was saying…An interesting thing about part of Russia- Siberian Christians lived in homes under the snow. They had a fire in the center and an opening at the top for the smoke. Essentially, their door was climbing a ladder through that smoke hole. I think that’s where people got the idea that I come down the chimney. They depended on reindeer for food, clothing and transportation. As Russians shared their stories about me with the Scandinavians, the reindeer and the chimney things stuck.”
“Things changed a lot with the Reformation. Some zealots not only wanted to stop celebrating St. Nicholas Day but Christmas too! Martin Luther enjoyed Christmas and saw no harm in using my example and my reputation to teach kids moral values. But it was important to other Protestants to rid Christianity of what they call 'the cult of the saints.' I appreciate that people should pray directly to the Lord, and I agree that even the greatest leaders and martyrs of the Church should be venerated, not worshiped- there’s a difference. But I can’t help feeling that we’ve lost a lot of great stories and teaching tools by wiping away so much history like that. I also wonder if that didn’t just backfire, you know.”
“What do you mean?” I interrupted.
“Well, after that, my image became much more secular, even mingled with all kinds of superstitions and pagan myths. All of a sudden I’m an elf, a pixie, “Father Christmas,” Old Man Winter, or even the gods Oden or Thor!”
“Some cultures tried to make Christ Child, not Nicholas, the gift giver. That never really took off. I understand that there’s that same old debate going on in the U.S. this year. Put the “Christ back in Christmas.” Let me tell you, I know the Lord, He’s a close friend of mine. I don’t think He’s always pleased that we celebrate His birthday by going into debt.”
“One of my nicknames, “Kriss Kringle” is kind of an Americanization of the German “Christ Kindle” which means "Christ Child." Like everything else in America, my image has pretty well been homogenized and pasteurized from everybody else’s ideas. “Santa Claus,” a corruption of the Dutch “Sinterklaas,” a shortened form of “Sint Nikolaas. You see my problem? Sometimes even I don’t know what my real name is!”
“You know what,” I interjected, as if little ‘ol me could help him somehow, “Is there anything I can do? I mean, can I tell my readers to do anything for you? What do YOU want for Christmas this year?”
“You know what, just being able to talk about this and get it all off my chest may be enough. I really don’t want anything for myself. But I’ll tell you what you can do. You can tell your readers that they can go to http://www.booksforsoldiers.com on the internet to find out how they can send books to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“They can also buy lots of prepaid phone cards and send them to the injured and recovering service men and women at the V.A. hospital in Washington, that way they can call their families for Christmas. Here’s the address-“
He pulled out an index card with this address:
Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001
“A lot of them have lost limbs. They’re not sure who they are anymore either. Are they soldiers? Are they husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters? Helping them get in touch with their folks during the holidays will help them reconnect and remember who they are. That will give lots of people a very Merry Christmas. That, and to keep them and all your service men and women in your prayers.”
I promised him I’d do at least that. But I think my daughters had a good ideas too. Their Great Grandma Laura brought us out a big batch of Christmas cookies and both girls have told me that I have to save some of them for him. So I will.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Rapid Deployment Kits
Rapid Deployment Kits
Here's a great way to show the troops that you support them, and that you're praying for them.
Here's a great way to show the troops that you support them, and that you're praying for them.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Lighten Up, will ya?
There’s a lot of debate lately about “keeping Christ in Christmas.” Some people are dead set against saying “Happy Holidays,” instead of “Merry Christmas,” because they think “Happy Holidays” is too politically correct. The irony is that people started saying “Happy Holidays” in order to avoid offending people, but now, all kinds of people are terribly offended when you do say it.
I loved one Christian editorial writer’s point of view. He actually thought that we SHOULD take Jesus out of Christmas, because Christmas has become a shameless exercise in materialism and commercialism. This writer thought that we should just let it be the shallow, selfish thing-fest that it has become and make Easter more Spiritual, and focus on Jesus’ birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection all in the Spring. His point was that it was sacrilegious how blatantly we exploit Jesus’ birth in December.
That may be a little culturally extreme. I’d rather just wish people a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays interchangeably and not worry about who’s offended or who’s not. Why apologize for a good thing? Just because you don’t believe in a good thing, that doesn’t make it a bad thing.
I’m sure that if you shared any of the following greetings, someone, somewhere would probably be offended; Congratulations on your new baby. Way to go on passing that exam! How d’ya like your new car? I’m so relieved that you’re feeling better.
But in the interest of Holiday understanding, allow me to take you on a quick Christmastime tour:
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of lights. "Hanukkah " is Hebrew for "dedication.” The first evening of Hanukkah starts after the sunset of the 24th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev.
Greek invaders wanted to stop Israelis from worshiping the true God, they wanted them to worship their gods instead. A Jewish family, the Maccabees, defeated an overwhelming enemy, and rededicated the Temple.
After the occupiers had been driven from the Temple, the Maccabees took down the pagan statues and restore the Temple. They needed ritually purified olive oil to light a Menorah to rededicate the Temple. However, they found only enough oil for a single day. They decided to use it until they could get new oil purified. Miraculously, the one day’s oil burned for the eight days that it took them to press new oil and ceremonially bless and present it. That’s why Jews light one candle each night of the eight-day festival.
Kwanzaa is a celebration of life, family, and community based on the principles of African culture. Kwanzaa was established in aftermath of the Watts Riots, provoked by cases of police brutality. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Ron Everett, a professor at California State University, Long Beach. Everett wanted to preserve, continually revitalize and promote American culture through African rituals.
Kwanzaa celebrated by some African Americans for a week between December 26 and January 1. It’s not a religious holiday, but a cultural one, based on various elements of “first harvest” celebrations celebrated in Africa. “Kwanza” is Swahili for “first fruits. Each of the days symbolizes one of the Seven Principles: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.
Back in my hometown of Phoenix, luminaries mark the route from house to house. Luminaries are small candles sitting in paper sacks filled with sand. In Mexico and parts of the Southwest, “Las Posadas” are nightly processions enacted the nine nights before Christmas. Each night, children dressed as Mary, Joseph, and shepherds knock on neighbors’ doors, singing a ritual song that begs entrance to the posada (inn), only to be turned away. Grown ups dressed as the Devil chase the children with sparklers and roman candles. On Christmas Eve, “El Bueno Noche” (the good night) the family at the last house sing a welcome song, and the whole parade enters for a party with fruit punch, tamales and piñatas.
And of course Clark W. Griswald (Chevy Chase), was the first American to light his house up like an airport runway so that Santa Claus could tell where to bring the presents. And so that the hoards of Vikings could know where the credit card customer lived, so they could bring the devastatingly high interest rates.
But, yes, the most important festival of lights will be the one that sheds light on the true meaning of Christmas. So may I suggest that the family that prays together, stays together. And a “Christian Nation” begins at home. Instead of worrying about how “un-Christian” Christmas seems to be getting, why not make your own Christmas a little more Spiritual and a little less superficial. Why not start reading devotions and praying nightly during the festival of Advent.
Advent means “coming.” It is a season when we prepare for Jesus’ arrival. There are five candles in an advent wreath. 3 purple or blue, and one pink, and one white. Purple symbolizes both His royalty and our repentance.
It is a circle, which has no beginning and no end. Pine is used because it is "evergreen," also representing eternal life. However, the wreath is also foreshadowing of Christ's passion. Pine needles and/or holly leaves represent the crown of thorns and holly berries and/or poinsettia flowers represent the blood He shed on the cross.
The first violet candle is the “Prophets candle” and symbolizes the hope that Old Testament Jews had that a Messiah would one day come.
The second violet candle is the “Bethlehem” candle and represents the peace that the new God/Man savior would bring, ending the long spiritual rift between God and mankind.
The pink candle is the “Angels’” candle (or in some traditions, the “Mary” candle) it symbolizes the joy of Heaven that a Savior was finally to be born.
The last violet candle is the “Shepherds’” candle and represents the love or adoration of those ready to accept the gift of the Christ child.
The large white candle in the center, often lit on Christmas or Christmas Eve is the “Christ Candle” and represents Jesus as the “Light of the world,” or the Epiphany, God on Earth.
Click here if you're interested in a few Advent Devotions posted on another one of my websites.
I hope this column was enlightening. Merry Christmas.
I loved one Christian editorial writer’s point of view. He actually thought that we SHOULD take Jesus out of Christmas, because Christmas has become a shameless exercise in materialism and commercialism. This writer thought that we should just let it be the shallow, selfish thing-fest that it has become and make Easter more Spiritual, and focus on Jesus’ birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection all in the Spring. His point was that it was sacrilegious how blatantly we exploit Jesus’ birth in December.
That may be a little culturally extreme. I’d rather just wish people a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays interchangeably and not worry about who’s offended or who’s not. Why apologize for a good thing? Just because you don’t believe in a good thing, that doesn’t make it a bad thing.
I’m sure that if you shared any of the following greetings, someone, somewhere would probably be offended; Congratulations on your new baby. Way to go on passing that exam! How d’ya like your new car? I’m so relieved that you’re feeling better.
But in the interest of Holiday understanding, allow me to take you on a quick Christmastime tour:
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of lights. "Hanukkah " is Hebrew for "dedication.” The first evening of Hanukkah starts after the sunset of the 24th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev.
Greek invaders wanted to stop Israelis from worshiping the true God, they wanted them to worship their gods instead. A Jewish family, the Maccabees, defeated an overwhelming enemy, and rededicated the Temple.
After the occupiers had been driven from the Temple, the Maccabees took down the pagan statues and restore the Temple. They needed ritually purified olive oil to light a Menorah to rededicate the Temple. However, they found only enough oil for a single day. They decided to use it until they could get new oil purified. Miraculously, the one day’s oil burned for the eight days that it took them to press new oil and ceremonially bless and present it. That’s why Jews light one candle each night of the eight-day festival.
Kwanzaa is a celebration of life, family, and community based on the principles of African culture. Kwanzaa was established in aftermath of the Watts Riots, provoked by cases of police brutality. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Ron Everett, a professor at California State University, Long Beach. Everett wanted to preserve, continually revitalize and promote American culture through African rituals.
Kwanzaa celebrated by some African Americans for a week between December 26 and January 1. It’s not a religious holiday, but a cultural one, based on various elements of “first harvest” celebrations celebrated in Africa. “Kwanza” is Swahili for “first fruits. Each of the days symbolizes one of the Seven Principles: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.
Back in my hometown of Phoenix, luminaries mark the route from house to house. Luminaries are small candles sitting in paper sacks filled with sand. In Mexico and parts of the Southwest, “Las Posadas” are nightly processions enacted the nine nights before Christmas. Each night, children dressed as Mary, Joseph, and shepherds knock on neighbors’ doors, singing a ritual song that begs entrance to the posada (inn), only to be turned away. Grown ups dressed as the Devil chase the children with sparklers and roman candles. On Christmas Eve, “El Bueno Noche” (the good night) the family at the last house sing a welcome song, and the whole parade enters for a party with fruit punch, tamales and piñatas.
And of course Clark W. Griswald (Chevy Chase), was the first American to light his house up like an airport runway so that Santa Claus could tell where to bring the presents. And so that the hoards of Vikings could know where the credit card customer lived, so they could bring the devastatingly high interest rates.
But, yes, the most important festival of lights will be the one that sheds light on the true meaning of Christmas. So may I suggest that the family that prays together, stays together. And a “Christian Nation” begins at home. Instead of worrying about how “un-Christian” Christmas seems to be getting, why not make your own Christmas a little more Spiritual and a little less superficial. Why not start reading devotions and praying nightly during the festival of Advent.
Advent means “coming.” It is a season when we prepare for Jesus’ arrival. There are five candles in an advent wreath. 3 purple or blue, and one pink, and one white. Purple symbolizes both His royalty and our repentance.
It is a circle, which has no beginning and no end. Pine is used because it is "evergreen," also representing eternal life. However, the wreath is also foreshadowing of Christ's passion. Pine needles and/or holly leaves represent the crown of thorns and holly berries and/or poinsettia flowers represent the blood He shed on the cross.
The first violet candle is the “Prophets candle” and symbolizes the hope that Old Testament Jews had that a Messiah would one day come.
The second violet candle is the “Bethlehem” candle and represents the peace that the new God/Man savior would bring, ending the long spiritual rift between God and mankind.
The pink candle is the “Angels’” candle (or in some traditions, the “Mary” candle) it symbolizes the joy of Heaven that a Savior was finally to be born.
The last violet candle is the “Shepherds’” candle and represents the love or adoration of those ready to accept the gift of the Christ child.
The large white candle in the center, often lit on Christmas or Christmas Eve is the “Christ Candle” and represents Jesus as the “Light of the world,” or the Epiphany, God on Earth.
Click here if you're interested in a few Advent Devotions posted on another one of my websites.
I hope this column was enlightening. Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
The Quest for the Historical Santa Claus: Pagan God, Satan, or Christian Saint
The Quest for the Historical Santa Claus: Pagan God, Satan, or Christian Saint
As regular readers know, I am a big history buff. I'm especially a sucker for Santa Claus history. This is an awesome essay on just that.
As regular readers know, I am a big history buff. I'm especially a sucker for Santa Claus history. This is an awesome essay on just that.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
By now you probably already knew…
By now you probably already knew…
Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper Thursday, December 9, 2004
We hadn’t decided how or when to tell our girls. We thought that a special dinner or something might be fun. We thought about telling them when we told Bethany’s folks. Then we went to the library.
“Me have a secwet,” Grace told Mrs. Rosberg, the librarian. “we hafin’ a baby bwother!” she announced with a smile.
We were mortified. How did she even know, since we hadn’t told her? We make it a policy to 1) not tell anyone till we tell our own parents and 2) tell as few people as possible until we’re at least four months along. Maybe that’s superstitious or overly private or not putting enough faith in God or something, but the majority of miscarriages happen in the first trimester, so we don’t advertise the first few months.
Fortunately, it seemed like Mrs. Rosberg didn’t quite understand Grace, what with her speech impediment and all. We were ready with the explanation that there’s a new baby at the babysitter’s and that she’s been asking for a new baby at our house too, but we really have know idea where she comes up with these outlandish ideas…etc. etc.
Of course, it makes sense that Grace would’ve known even before we did. Last year she was pestering us about it. One day I was swinging her on her swing and she told me she wanted a baby brother. I chuckled at her, the way dads chuckle at kids when they ask for something outlandish and the dad thinks it’s really cute, but doesn’t want to smash their dreams either.
“Well, honey,” I tried to placate her, “Mommy and Daddy aren’t even thinking about having more kids right now and even if we were, I’m not sure whether or not we can really afford to. I’ll tell you what kiddo, if it’s really that important to you, why don’t you ask Jesus about it.” Bad idea (at least if I didn’t want more kids). Asking God if you should have more kids is like asking your parents if they want more grandkids. The guy LOVES babies. I also have this theory that He pays more attention to the prayers of little kids too.
Darned if that turkey Grace didn’t stop everything she was doing, walk over to the slide, fold her hands and ask God for a baby brother right then and there!
“So if we had a little brother, what should we call him?” I asked the girls one day.
“Ummm, STEVE!” Grace declared.
“Let me guess, like Steve, the host of ‘Blues Clues’?” I asked.
“Uh huh,” Grace confirmed, nodding her head.
“NOT Steve,” Ellie protested, “JOE!” For those of you who don’t have little kids, the character of Steve left the ‘Blues Clues’ show to go to college and left his puppy, Blue, and his house to his little brother Joe.
Unfortunately for them, we are NOT naming any of our kids after TV characters. My parents tried that with my older brother. Dad loved James Gardner’s show “Maverick,” but at the Hospital, he forgot that Gardner played “Brett Maverick” and accidentally named my brother after Brett Maverick’s brother Bart, which decades later, of course, became another famous TV name.
No, we don’t know what we’re having. No, we aren’t going to find out. But I love when students ask me…
“Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” they ask.
“Yes” I answer.
“So what are you having?”
“A baby,” I tell them, “well, if you want to get technical about it, I guess that actually my wife is having the baby, but it’s ours.”
“No, are you having a boy or a girl.”
“Yes, our baby will be either a boy or a girl.”
“Are you going to find out whether you’re having a boy or a girl?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“When it’s born.” At this point they usually give up with a groan.
No, we don’t like to share the names we plan on, if only because we may change our minds last minute. Be that as it may, there’s never any shortage of people who have name ideas. Most of them characters from TV shows. One student thought they’d be smart and suggest “Mallory” for a girl. Yeah, whatever. My nephew Nolan doesn’t know how close he was to being named “Agamemnon.”
We’ve talked to the girls and made it clear that Steve and Joe aren’t name options and that if they get a sister, they still have to love her and be thankful for her.
Grace never fails to ask Beth, “How’s Baby doing today?” with a pat to her Mom’s tummy.
“One, two, three, fower, FWIVE! Dere’s fwive people in dis van,” She’ll tell us, “Because I counted Baby!”
Ellie has offered to give Baby, her toddler bed- but not her “blankie” or her night light/music box that attached to her crib (and later her toddler bed).
The other night, out of the blue, she asked me what I wanted for my birthday. As if a two year old is really thinking seriously about what to get her father for his birthday.
“Well, gee,” I told her, “you know, Baby is due to be born right around my birthday time, so I guess I just hope that Baby and Mommy are alright and healthy and everything by my birthday.”
“Yeah, me too, I guess,” she told me.
Since I figured that she asked me because her birthday is in December and a lot of people have been asking her, I decided to ask her too. “Say, Ellie, it seems to me that YOUR birthday is coming up here in the next couple of weeks. What do you think you’d like for YOUR birthday?”
She must not have been trying to get me to ask her that because she really had to stop and think about it for a while.
“Hmmm,” she put her finger to her head and got a very pensive look on her face as she thought.
“Um…turkey an’ p’tatoes!” she declared.
Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper Thursday, December 9, 2004
We hadn’t decided how or when to tell our girls. We thought that a special dinner or something might be fun. We thought about telling them when we told Bethany’s folks. Then we went to the library.
“Me have a secwet,” Grace told Mrs. Rosberg, the librarian. “we hafin’ a baby bwother!” she announced with a smile.
We were mortified. How did she even know, since we hadn’t told her? We make it a policy to 1) not tell anyone till we tell our own parents and 2) tell as few people as possible until we’re at least four months along. Maybe that’s superstitious or overly private or not putting enough faith in God or something, but the majority of miscarriages happen in the first trimester, so we don’t advertise the first few months.
Fortunately, it seemed like Mrs. Rosberg didn’t quite understand Grace, what with her speech impediment and all. We were ready with the explanation that there’s a new baby at the babysitter’s and that she’s been asking for a new baby at our house too, but we really have know idea where she comes up with these outlandish ideas…etc. etc.
Of course, it makes sense that Grace would’ve known even before we did. Last year she was pestering us about it. One day I was swinging her on her swing and she told me she wanted a baby brother. I chuckled at her, the way dads chuckle at kids when they ask for something outlandish and the dad thinks it’s really cute, but doesn’t want to smash their dreams either.
“Well, honey,” I tried to placate her, “Mommy and Daddy aren’t even thinking about having more kids right now and even if we were, I’m not sure whether or not we can really afford to. I’ll tell you what kiddo, if it’s really that important to you, why don’t you ask Jesus about it.” Bad idea (at least if I didn’t want more kids). Asking God if you should have more kids is like asking your parents if they want more grandkids. The guy LOVES babies. I also have this theory that He pays more attention to the prayers of little kids too.
Darned if that turkey Grace didn’t stop everything she was doing, walk over to the slide, fold her hands and ask God for a baby brother right then and there!
“So if we had a little brother, what should we call him?” I asked the girls one day.
“Ummm, STEVE!” Grace declared.
“Let me guess, like Steve, the host of ‘Blues Clues’?” I asked.
“Uh huh,” Grace confirmed, nodding her head.
“NOT Steve,” Ellie protested, “JOE!” For those of you who don’t have little kids, the character of Steve left the ‘Blues Clues’ show to go to college and left his puppy, Blue, and his house to his little brother Joe.
Unfortunately for them, we are NOT naming any of our kids after TV characters. My parents tried that with my older brother. Dad loved James Gardner’s show “Maverick,” but at the Hospital, he forgot that Gardner played “Brett Maverick” and accidentally named my brother after Brett Maverick’s brother Bart, which decades later, of course, became another famous TV name.
No, we don’t know what we’re having. No, we aren’t going to find out. But I love when students ask me…
“Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” they ask.
“Yes” I answer.
“So what are you having?”
“A baby,” I tell them, “well, if you want to get technical about it, I guess that actually my wife is having the baby, but it’s ours.”
“No, are you having a boy or a girl.”
“Yes, our baby will be either a boy or a girl.”
“Are you going to find out whether you’re having a boy or a girl?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“When it’s born.” At this point they usually give up with a groan.
No, we don’t like to share the names we plan on, if only because we may change our minds last minute. Be that as it may, there’s never any shortage of people who have name ideas. Most of them characters from TV shows. One student thought they’d be smart and suggest “Mallory” for a girl. Yeah, whatever. My nephew Nolan doesn’t know how close he was to being named “Agamemnon.”
We’ve talked to the girls and made it clear that Steve and Joe aren’t name options and that if they get a sister, they still have to love her and be thankful for her.
Grace never fails to ask Beth, “How’s Baby doing today?” with a pat to her Mom’s tummy.
“One, two, three, fower, FWIVE! Dere’s fwive people in dis van,” She’ll tell us, “Because I counted Baby!”
Ellie has offered to give Baby, her toddler bed- but not her “blankie” or her night light/music box that attached to her crib (and later her toddler bed).
The other night, out of the blue, she asked me what I wanted for my birthday. As if a two year old is really thinking seriously about what to get her father for his birthday.
“Well, gee,” I told her, “you know, Baby is due to be born right around my birthday time, so I guess I just hope that Baby and Mommy are alright and healthy and everything by my birthday.”
“Yeah, me too, I guess,” she told me.
Since I figured that she asked me because her birthday is in December and a lot of people have been asking her, I decided to ask her too. “Say, Ellie, it seems to me that YOUR birthday is coming up here in the next couple of weeks. What do you think you’d like for YOUR birthday?”
She must not have been trying to get me to ask her that because she really had to stop and think about it for a while.
“Hmmm,” she put her finger to her head and got a very pensive look on her face as she thought.
“Um…turkey an’ p’tatoes!” she declared.
Psalm 146:7-9
Actual Bible Verse:
He (God) upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.
~Psalm 146:7-9
hoping to ruffle some feathers and provoke some cognitive dissonance. Sorry if I went too far and offended anyone. That's why it's just on my blog and not in my actual column.
You have to admit, the "Moral Values" expressed in Psalm 146 do sound a little more akin to the Democratic party than "Compassionate Conservatism."
"Better Dead than Red (as in state)"
-Ted
He (God) upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.
~Psalm 146:7-9
Republican Approved Version:He upholds the cause of the corporations and gives tax cuts and tax incentives to people with the means of production, in order to stimulate the economy.
The LORD uses the Patriot Act to justify holding prisoners indefinitely without indictment.
the LORD repeats suggestions often enough until people are blind to the facts, (say "Saddam Hussein" and "9/11" together in the same sentence whenever you can).
the LORD lifts up those who are successful, and if you work hard enough and "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps," maybe you could be more successful too.
the LORD hates "slimy liberals," fags, lesbos, Jews, and "people-of-color," especially "Rag-Heads.
The LORD watches over everyone with surveillance cameras and Internet tracking software and requires people to sign loyalty oaths before being permitted to enter his campaign rallies,
but He frustrates the ways of Ohio voters, especially in minority neighborhoods.
hoping to ruffle some feathers and provoke some cognitive dissonance. Sorry if I went too far and offended anyone. That's why it's just on my blog and not in my actual column.
You have to admit, the "Moral Values" expressed in Psalm 146 do sound a little more akin to the Democratic party than "Compassionate Conservatism."
"Better Dead than Red (as in state)"
-Ted
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Jeff Foxworthy on Iowa
If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Iowa.
If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because it's the coldest spot in the nation, you might live in Iowa.
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, you might live in Iowa.
If you instinctively walk like a penguin for five months out of the year, you might live in Iowa.
If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there, you might live in Iowa.
If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Iowa.
If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you might live in Iowa.
If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Iowa.
If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Iowa.
YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE Iowan WHEN:
1. 'Vacation' means going east or west on I-80 for the weekend.
2. You measure distance in hours.
3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
4. You often switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again
5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings).
7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
9. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
11. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
12. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
13. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
14. Down South to you means Missouri.
15 A brat is something you eat.
16 Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
17. You go out to a tail gate party every Friday.
18. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
19. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
20. You find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
21. You refer to yourself as "Iowegean."
22. You think that it's not a "salad" without Jello
23. "Dinner" is the noon meal, "Supper" is the evening meal, and "Lunch" is either between dinner and supper or after supper.
Click here to email me if you have more to add.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Keep away
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. " ~Mark Twain
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Monday, November 29, 2004
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Current Month's Issue of ARTnews Magazine
Wierds stuff!Current Month's Issue of ARTnews Magazine Fear no Art!
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Confessions of an L-tryptophan addict
Confessions of an L-tryptophan addict
by Ted Mallory Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper Thursday, December 2, 2004
I sent out a letter to LYF parents about the annual Thanks-Giving dinner toward the end of October/ at the beginning of November. Still, one parent thought I should cover my bases. With church attendance what it’s been, not to mention the pastor-vacancy and the shrinking sizes of junior high and high school classes…we worried about whether we’d have enough food and enough help.
So I sent out another letter the week before and I decided to make phone calls. The prospect of calling all eighteen high school students in the congregation seemed a little daunting. I’m not exactly phone-phobic, but it’s not something I enjoy or do well. I prefer to let my fingers do their walking on a keyboard for emails or newsletters.
I eliminated calls before I began. There are three sets of siblings in LYF, no need to call people twice. Eight of the eighteen are pretty faithful in their participation, of course four of them are two of those three sets of siblings. That left nine phone calls of people who either participated part of the time or were as a Pastor or church Elder might refer to as “delinquent.”
One family had moved away, that narrowed it down to eight. Moving creates bureaucratic hang ups. The small, rural, conservative Lutheran church sits waiting for some official letter or application or notice of transfer of church membership or something the same way things were done in the nineteenth century. Things are so fluid and fickle in California that you just assume people aren’t members anymore if they’ve been gone for a month.
So I started calling. The two siblings were in, that was good news, although we only asked for one turkey from each family, not one from each kid. Some one else had bought a house and was going to move later this year. Their plan was to pain the new house the weekend of the dinner, but they’d bring food, great. Thanks. Someone else was having their big, extended family’s official family Thanksgiving that weekend. Understandable, thanks for letting us know, oh well, catch ya next year. Someone else was moving back into their home after months of rebuilding. More than understandable, do what ya gotta do.
Another, I don’t know if we’ll be there but we’ll send the food, Okay, thanks. Another, oh, we’re visiting family out of state that weekend, but we’ll send the food. Great, it wasn’t pre-cooked, but I could take care of that. I left a message on a the machine of another, but they never got back to me. Is that more than eight yet? Probably, that’s why I teach Art and not Math.
The hardest was the kid who apparently thought that I was assuming that they were their parent. They flatly told me that they would not be participating and then started giggling at me derisively as they hung up. I don’t know if they thought I had hung up already or just thought I was that stupid. Oh well. It wasn’t my intention to try to force them to do something they didn’t want to or that they thought would be boring or too much work. I see the turkey dinner as a service to the congregation and the community. And, I see the youth group as a way to have fun while growing in your faith. Maybe this kid sees us as dumb or lame or whatever kids call things that they don’t like these days. C’est la Vie, time to apply Luke 10:10-12.
At any rate. I figured, we’d have at least 10 or 12 turkeys, surely that would be enough to serve the average 160 people who come through the line every year. I had gotten the ingredients for Edna Johansen’s stuffing. One of the moms had gotten the groceries for corn and cranberries. I even took care of the potatoes with Staley’s. That sounds like no big deal, but as a non-detail, attention deficit afflicted guy like me, that was a personal victory. Sorry to come in last minute, as usual. Rick, thanks for saving me.
I figured that even if we only had six core kids and a couple of parents, we could handle the work. One mom offered to make two turkeys just in case. I thought about doing that too, although I already had two to make, mine and that family who was going out of state. The next worry was whether or not anyone would come. It used to be that Church was at 9:45 and people pretty well just filed down right after Church at 11. With the vacancy, St. John begins services at 8:15. Would people come back for lunch after going home for an hour?
My alarm went off at it’s usual 5:30 Saturday morning.
“Are you going to put your turkey in?” Beth asked.
I usually turn my alarm off on weekends, so I was crabby as a bear woke early from hibernation.
“Mmmggrg.” I mumbled. “It takes four hours, if I were going to have it done by the time we go in to decorate I would’ve had to start it an hour ago. Leavemealone. ZZZZZZ.”
Eventually I did get the first bird in by seven. There were six kids and two parents at the church to decorate and set tables at nine. A few of the usually true-blue boys weren’t there because they were at the Harlan football game at UNI. I can’t blame them. But we no only did a terrific job, we got done in record time- just one hour.
At eleven I checked my turkey. Toast. Hmmm, I don’t get it. The label said “3-4 hours for 10-12 lb turkeys” and “3 ½-51/2 for 12-15 lb turkeys.” So why did 4 hours do this?
“T-E-D!” Beth turned my name into a three syllable word. “Weren’t you WATCHING it? What did you think that little red button that pops out is for?”
She went to Denison to buy a replacement, along with some groceries for our own pantry. I set to work salvaging what I could. Surprisingly, only the first outer inch or so was really ruined. Once you got deeper in there was a lot of juicy meat. I pulled as much off the bones as I could and then got busy on my pumpkin pies. MMMM, does that ever make a house smell good! I’m proud to say that Martha Stewart would be proud! They were the best two pies I’d ever made. No over flow, no burnt crust, set up nice and firm. (of course, I did check on them every fifteen minutes or so.)
No sooner than I set the turkey in Tupperware out on the porch, the neighborhood cats started barking at our door. I thought it would be wise to put the turkey safely inside the refrigerator.
Turkey number two was probably the best tasting of the three. I know because I tested each of them. I think I learned from Julia Child that you’re supposed to do that sort of thing. I even found Biblical precedent for it: For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." ~1Timothy 5:18
Some people loath turkey. Others tolerate it once or twice a year. I could have it once a week. I think it’s great. Maybe it’s that it’s a comfort food. Maybe it’s that it’s got a deeper flavor than chicken, like Bison compared to beef, turkey makes chicken seem boring. Maybe it’s the L-tryptophan, that famous enzyme that makes you sleepy.
Turkey number two wasn’t done till eight or nine at night. It was definitely the best looking of the three. Reddish. Although, since the oven had been on 350º for twelve hours, some of the plastic from the top of the bag had melted onto the skin of the bird. Of course, this could also have been because when I put the turkey in the bag, the bottom fell out, so I had to tie it at both ends, rather than just one.
What a wonderful turn out! Not only did we have nine kids, but we had eleven of their parents helping on the line and in the kitchen. Not only that, but we didn’t just have 160 guests, we had around 200! Maybe it was a miracle, but we had just enough food too. Most years all the LYF families negotiate over who gets stuck with the leftovers. This year, there weren’t enough to worry about. And needless to say, people were very generous. Hopefully the offering will make up for any future revenue shortfalls LYF has because of a smaller and smaller membership preventing further fundraisers. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
So, three days later we loaded up the girls and drove to Sioux Falls, where Beth’s cousin has to worry about cooking. I can just enjoy the soothing effects of the tryptophan, and watch the Detroit Lions beat whoever they’re matched up against this year.
Thank you Charter Oak, thank you LYF kids and parents, and Thank you, Lord. Now, if I could just figure out what to get my parents and brother and his wife for Christmas!
by Ted Mallory Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper Thursday, December 2, 2004
I sent out a letter to LYF parents about the annual Thanks-Giving dinner toward the end of October/ at the beginning of November. Still, one parent thought I should cover my bases. With church attendance what it’s been, not to mention the pastor-vacancy and the shrinking sizes of junior high and high school classes…we worried about whether we’d have enough food and enough help.
So I sent out another letter the week before and I decided to make phone calls. The prospect of calling all eighteen high school students in the congregation seemed a little daunting. I’m not exactly phone-phobic, but it’s not something I enjoy or do well. I prefer to let my fingers do their walking on a keyboard for emails or newsletters.
I eliminated calls before I began. There are three sets of siblings in LYF, no need to call people twice. Eight of the eighteen are pretty faithful in their participation, of course four of them are two of those three sets of siblings. That left nine phone calls of people who either participated part of the time or were as a Pastor or church Elder might refer to as “delinquent.”
One family had moved away, that narrowed it down to eight. Moving creates bureaucratic hang ups. The small, rural, conservative Lutheran church sits waiting for some official letter or application or notice of transfer of church membership or something the same way things were done in the nineteenth century. Things are so fluid and fickle in California that you just assume people aren’t members anymore if they’ve been gone for a month.
So I started calling. The two siblings were in, that was good news, although we only asked for one turkey from each family, not one from each kid. Some one else had bought a house and was going to move later this year. Their plan was to pain the new house the weekend of the dinner, but they’d bring food, great. Thanks. Someone else was having their big, extended family’s official family Thanksgiving that weekend. Understandable, thanks for letting us know, oh well, catch ya next year. Someone else was moving back into their home after months of rebuilding. More than understandable, do what ya gotta do.
Another, I don’t know if we’ll be there but we’ll send the food, Okay, thanks. Another, oh, we’re visiting family out of state that weekend, but we’ll send the food. Great, it wasn’t pre-cooked, but I could take care of that. I left a message on a the machine of another, but they never got back to me. Is that more than eight yet? Probably, that’s why I teach Art and not Math.
The hardest was the kid who apparently thought that I was assuming that they were their parent. They flatly told me that they would not be participating and then started giggling at me derisively as they hung up. I don’t know if they thought I had hung up already or just thought I was that stupid. Oh well. It wasn’t my intention to try to force them to do something they didn’t want to or that they thought would be boring or too much work. I see the turkey dinner as a service to the congregation and the community. And, I see the youth group as a way to have fun while growing in your faith. Maybe this kid sees us as dumb or lame or whatever kids call things that they don’t like these days. C’est la Vie, time to apply Luke 10:10-12.
At any rate. I figured, we’d have at least 10 or 12 turkeys, surely that would be enough to serve the average 160 people who come through the line every year. I had gotten the ingredients for Edna Johansen’s stuffing. One of the moms had gotten the groceries for corn and cranberries. I even took care of the potatoes with Staley’s. That sounds like no big deal, but as a non-detail, attention deficit afflicted guy like me, that was a personal victory. Sorry to come in last minute, as usual. Rick, thanks for saving me.
I figured that even if we only had six core kids and a couple of parents, we could handle the work. One mom offered to make two turkeys just in case. I thought about doing that too, although I already had two to make, mine and that family who was going out of state. The next worry was whether or not anyone would come. It used to be that Church was at 9:45 and people pretty well just filed down right after Church at 11. With the vacancy, St. John begins services at 8:15. Would people come back for lunch after going home for an hour?
My alarm went off at it’s usual 5:30 Saturday morning.
“Are you going to put your turkey in?” Beth asked.
I usually turn my alarm off on weekends, so I was crabby as a bear woke early from hibernation.
“Mmmggrg.” I mumbled. “It takes four hours, if I were going to have it done by the time we go in to decorate I would’ve had to start it an hour ago. Leavemealone. ZZZZZZ.”
Eventually I did get the first bird in by seven. There were six kids and two parents at the church to decorate and set tables at nine. A few of the usually true-blue boys weren’t there because they were at the Harlan football game at UNI. I can’t blame them. But we no only did a terrific job, we got done in record time- just one hour.
At eleven I checked my turkey. Toast. Hmmm, I don’t get it. The label said “3-4 hours for 10-12 lb turkeys” and “3 ½-51/2 for 12-15 lb turkeys.” So why did 4 hours do this?
“T-E-D!” Beth turned my name into a three syllable word. “Weren’t you WATCHING it? What did you think that little red button that pops out is for?”
She went to Denison to buy a replacement, along with some groceries for our own pantry. I set to work salvaging what I could. Surprisingly, only the first outer inch or so was really ruined. Once you got deeper in there was a lot of juicy meat. I pulled as much off the bones as I could and then got busy on my pumpkin pies. MMMM, does that ever make a house smell good! I’m proud to say that Martha Stewart would be proud! They were the best two pies I’d ever made. No over flow, no burnt crust, set up nice and firm. (of course, I did check on them every fifteen minutes or so.)
No sooner than I set the turkey in Tupperware out on the porch, the neighborhood cats started barking at our door. I thought it would be wise to put the turkey safely inside the refrigerator.
Turkey number two was probably the best tasting of the three. I know because I tested each of them. I think I learned from Julia Child that you’re supposed to do that sort of thing. I even found Biblical precedent for it: For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." ~1Timothy 5:18
Some people loath turkey. Others tolerate it once or twice a year. I could have it once a week. I think it’s great. Maybe it’s that it’s a comfort food. Maybe it’s that it’s got a deeper flavor than chicken, like Bison compared to beef, turkey makes chicken seem boring. Maybe it’s the L-tryptophan, that famous enzyme that makes you sleepy.
Turkey number two wasn’t done till eight or nine at night. It was definitely the best looking of the three. Reddish. Although, since the oven had been on 350º for twelve hours, some of the plastic from the top of the bag had melted onto the skin of the bird. Of course, this could also have been because when I put the turkey in the bag, the bottom fell out, so I had to tie it at both ends, rather than just one.
What a wonderful turn out! Not only did we have nine kids, but we had eleven of their parents helping on the line and in the kitchen. Not only that, but we didn’t just have 160 guests, we had around 200! Maybe it was a miracle, but we had just enough food too. Most years all the LYF families negotiate over who gets stuck with the leftovers. This year, there weren’t enough to worry about. And needless to say, people were very generous. Hopefully the offering will make up for any future revenue shortfalls LYF has because of a smaller and smaller membership preventing further fundraisers. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
So, three days later we loaded up the girls and drove to Sioux Falls, where Beth’s cousin has to worry about cooking. I can just enjoy the soothing effects of the tryptophan, and watch the Detroit Lions beat whoever they’re matched up against this year.
Thank you Charter Oak, thank you LYF kids and parents, and Thank you, Lord. Now, if I could just figure out what to get my parents and brother and his wife for Christmas!
Ten Thanksgiving myths exposed - The Daily Campus - Focus
Ten Thanksgiving myths exposed - The Daily Campus - Focus:
"Ten Thanksgiving myths exposed"
Myth #1: The Plymouth Pilgrims of 1620 were the first to celebrate Thanksgiving in America.
Fact #1: The Indians at that time had been living in North America for some 40,000 years before the Pilgrims even arrived, and they certainly had celebrated their harvest before.
Myth #2: The Pilgrims wore only black and white clothing, and they had buckles on their hats, garments and shoes.
Fact #2: Buckles did not come into fashion until the seventeenth century, and black and white were usually only worn on Sundays and formal occasions.
Myth #3: The Mayflower intended to land in Virginia but instead landed in Cape Cod due to navigational error.
Fact #3: The Pilgrims did intend to land in Virginia, but not the Virginia that we all know and love. They were planning to land in "Northern Virginia," which is modern-day New York state, but ended up in Cape Cod instead.
Click here to read the rest!
"Ten Thanksgiving myths exposed"
Myth #1: The Plymouth Pilgrims of 1620 were the first to celebrate Thanksgiving in America.
Fact #1: The Indians at that time had been living in North America for some 40,000 years before the Pilgrims even arrived, and they certainly had celebrated their harvest before.
Myth #2: The Pilgrims wore only black and white clothing, and they had buckles on their hats, garments and shoes.
Fact #2: Buckles did not come into fashion until the seventeenth century, and black and white were usually only worn on Sundays and formal occasions.
Myth #3: The Mayflower intended to land in Virginia but instead landed in Cape Cod due to navigational error.
Fact #3: The Pilgrims did intend to land in Virginia, but not the Virginia that we all know and love. They were planning to land in "Northern Virginia," which is modern-day New York state, but ended up in Cape Cod instead.
Click here to read the rest!
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Thankful for freedom
Rockwell's Four Freedoms
Thankful for freedom
Thursday November 25, 2004
This thanksgiving I am grateful for America’s great artist, Norman Rockwell. Rockwell painted four of his most famous paintings, “the Four Freedoms” in response to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address:
In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we
look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression --everywhere in the world.
Think about the First Amendment.:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances.”
FDR’s hope was that these freedoms would be extended throughout the world.
Rockwell remembered how Arlington, Vermont neighbor, Jim Edgerton had stood
up during a town meeting to voice a particularly unpopular opinion.
Rockwell’s 1943 painting shows Edgerton, dressed in work clothes, surrounded
by skeptical onlookers in decidedly white-collar clothes.
Maybe I identify with the guy in this painting. There are times when my opinions may
not be broadly shared or well-liked, but there are times when I feel passionately enough that I have to share them. Thank God, we live in a country I can. And so can you. More than ever before, we can call in to radio shows or email in to Travis Justice on Channel 3, or write in to the NEWSpaper.
If there are impediment to this freedom, it’s not government censorship. One market forces. When essentially three or four corporations own our major media outlets, what makes the agenda will be what sells, or what doesn’t offend advertisers- not what needs to be said. The
other is peer pressure. People won’t speak up or disagree if they’re made to feel inferior or intimidated socially.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way--
everywhere in the world.
Christians in Sudan are sold into slavery. Churches are bombed in Iraq. Religious organizations must register and be closely regulated and scrutinized in China. But if we are going to protect this freedom for ourselves and make it appealing to others, we need to be careful to remember our own history. Sure, the Puritan Pilgrims we remember on Thanksgiving were fleeing England to find religious freedom, because they were being persecuted, but who was persecuting them. Christians were disagreeing with Christians. The Puritans felt persecuted by King James (as in King James Bible).
It didn’t take the Pilgrims long to deny religious freedom to others. Rhode Island was founded by people kicked out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony because they let women participate in home Bible studies. I’m a Christian who opposes mandatory prayer in public schools because as a Lutheran-Christian, I don’t want my children forced to participate in Mormon or Scientologist rituals. Surely Baptists, Methodists, and Catholics would agree with me on that.
Thank God that He allows Muslims, Hindus, and even Satanists to reject Him. He doesn’t FORCE anyone to love Him or believe in Him, and thank God, neither does the United States of America. God wants everyone to know the truth about Him and He continues
to love them even if they deny that truth, but they reject Him, not the other way around. Rockwell’s painting features contrasting skin tones in the multi-ethnic figures, a daring thing to do in the 1940’s. “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.”
The third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means
economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime
life for its inhabitants --everywhere in the world.
Did you know that if the entire world were only 100 people, 59% of
the entire world's wealth would belong to only 6 people and all 6 would be citizens of the United
States?! How lucky, how blessed, how fortunate, how spoiled? I love Thanksgiving, I love turkey, I love eating, but I have to tell you, that this statistic does make me eat my pumpkin pie with a scoop of guilt.
Be that as it may, this is one of the most beautiful, warm, joyful paintings by Norman Rockwell ever. It’s the one with Grandma and Grandpa hosting Thanksgiving dinner, serving up the picture-perfect bird on a platter to the family gathered around the holiday table.
The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a
world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression
against any neighbor --anywhere in the world.
This painting shows a mom and dad tucking their kids into bed at night. The dad has a newspaper with headlines announcing WWII bombings in Europe. I know that Charter Oak isn’t immune to crime or violence. I know that Iowa probably isn’t immune to terrorism, but I love living here. I love our traditional values, our rural common sense, knowing our neighbors, being able to walk to church. Outsiders might accuse us Midwesterners of being sheltered or unrealistic, but I don’t care. That’s exactly why I left LA to raise my family here, so that we can be the family in this painting. Tucking our girls in at night and helping them say their prayers. Thank God for our safety.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind
of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the
very antithesis of the so-called "new order" of tyranny which the dictators seek
to create with the crash of a bomb. To that new order we oppose the greater
conception --the moral order. A good society is able to face schemes of world
domination and foreign revolutions alike without fear.
Since the beginning of our American history we have been engaged in change, in a
perpetual, peaceful revolution, a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly, adjusting itself to changing conditions without the concentration camp or the quicklime in the ditch. The world order which we seek is the cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized society.
This nation has placed its destiny in the hands, heads and hearts of its millions of
free men and women, and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God. Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights and keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose.
Thank God for the goals and hopes of FDR and the WWII generation
Thursday, November 18, 2004
It's only Monday, Mr. Mom
I like to think of myself as a modern guy. There was never any question as to whether or not I'd help with our kids. There are some guys out there who have lots of grandkids already and they've never changed a poopy diaper. I'm not saying that makes me a good dad or anything. Here's a hint guys, never refer to it as "babysitting" the next time you have to watch your own kids without your wife's help.
Modern as I may be I have to admit that there are times when its hard. I have to tread lightly here guys, because I don't want the lady readers to think I'm complaining. Lets just say PARENTING can be hard. Last summer I must have sent out two dozen resumes filled out at least a half a dozen applications and still couldn't land a summer job. Some people work places for years and then lose that job. Teachers lose theirs every summer. Anyway, Bethany got a summer job but I couldn't, that meant I had to play Mr. Mom. And parenting is hard. Single parenting is even harder. Personally, I think that men are parentally retarded. It's like we're missing a gene or something. I'm not saying that women have it any easier, but I for one don't feel especially competent in the area.
So when Lonestar came out with their hit song, Beth just looked at me and started laughing. I think she meant to be laughing WITH me, not AT me, but I can never quite tell the difference.
Pampers melt in a Maytag dryer
Crayons go up one drawer higher
Rewind Barney for the fifteenth time
Breakfast six, naps at nine
There's bubble gum in the baby's hair
Sweet potatoes in my lazy chair
Been crazy all day long and it's only Monday Mr. Mom
Not only should you avoid putting darks in with lights, but some darks are cheaper than others, so you can't just put any old purple in with the blues, or you'll be singing the blues. Check all pockets for candy, gum, and toys. Never put anything in the dryer without checking to make sure that you got the stains out. And "Super-Bee" the stuffed toy sent home by the teacher for good "bee-havior" needs to take baths at home in the teacher's washing machine, not ours.
You know, not to give them a free plug, but those Mr. Clean "erasers" really work pretty well on most crayons- on the wall, but you still have to use a lot of elbow-grease. If your kids get a hold of a Sharpie permanent marker and it bleeds through the paper they're drawing on, you'd better hope they were working straight on the terrazzo floor instead of the nice oak table.
I hate Barney. I don't mind the Wiggles or Dora the Explorer. Of course, my favorite is Kim Possible. I think it's because it reminds me a little of the old Scooby Doo show, that and Kim Possible is a cheerleader. The joy of DVDs is that you can just click to the beginning, no waiting. The joy of cable TV is Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel.
Why is it that when I don't have to go to work, they're always up at six, but on schooldays pulling them out of bed is like pulling teeth! Maybe if I tried putting them down for a nap at 9 they'd actually sleep. Waiting till after lunch just leads to a major battle of the wills.
No trouble with bubble gum in hair yet, lollipops a few times. Gum just lands on the carpet in the van. Several times they've decided to play beauty shop and cut their own hair, a couple times with a shaving razor, not just scissors!
Sweet potatoes- now I don't know it that's a Southern thing, or a baby food thing. I've sat down in a wet chair plenty of times. Milk, juice, water, and of course, plenty of potty. My mom used to make us popcorn on Friday nights when we watched Rockford Files when I was a kid, so that's something I wanted to be able to do for my kids. Let me tell ya, they LOVE popcorn. Let me tell ya somethin' else: I don't know what vacuum cleaner you currently using, but Eletralux really sucks.
Thought there was nothing to it Baby, now I know how you feel What I don't know is how you do it!So, now on those nights when Beth has a meeting or teaches a class, I don't get quite as freaked out, instead I think about how she has to do it every night that I'm gone for a football or basketball game.
Our girls are at this great age. They're at the age where Grace will lean over to Ellie's side of the van and point at her, with her finger inches away. When Ellie protests, Grace defends herself in the age old, big-sibling style,
"What? I'm not touching her- look, I'm not TOUCHING her!"
They've also got great imaginations. Ellie has an imaginary friend she calls "P.J." When I didn't have school one day but Grace did, I took Ellie into Denison to get groceries. She'd behaved herself pretty well so I agreed to take her out to "McDonald's Happy Meal." Of course this was after the Daylight Savings time change so I thought we were going out to lunch at 11:30, but it was more like 10:30 because my watch is broke. At any rate, "P.J." had to come with us.
This was a little hard for me. She wheeled a high chair up to our booth for him and kept talking to him and pretending to wipe his hands after she'd feed him French fries. I'm used to people staring at me because I'm outspoken or I dress goofy. It's new to me to have people staring at me because someone I'm with is talking to people who aren't there.
What ya gonna do? Parenting can be hard.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Monday, November 15, 2004
Annual LYF Rake&Run
Pictured are back row; Vacancy Pastor Ed Brandt, Seniors LYF Vice President Grant Kuhlman and LYF TreasurerLee Kuhlman and Sophomore Jeke Goslar. Middle row, Seniors LYF President Lacy Neddermeyer, and LYF Secretary Molly Goslar and Sophomore Jason Kuhlman. In Front; Landscaper Jamie Neddermeyer or Audubon and Melvin Neddermeyer.
LYF Rake & Run
Sunday, November 14th members of St John Lutheran Youth Fellowship met at Melvin and June Neddemeyer's farm to participate in the LYF's annual "Rake-n-Run." Every year high school students from the congregation help cleam up leaves for elderly members of the community.
The day began with lunch and a Bible study based on 1Thesalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all circumstances." Student considered that serving others is one way of giving thanks, giving thanks by giving back. God doesn't just tell us to be give thanks when we're happy, but under ALL circumstances.
Students then raked the lawns of nine houses, starting on the Southeast side of Charter Oak and working their way to the Northwest. LYF President Lacy Neddermeyer's dad and her brother Jamie helped the crew. Jamie owns his own landscaling business in Audubon. His mower, blower and expertise really sped up the process.
The kids were also joined by Vacancy Pastor Ed Brandt, who brought tarps and fresh experiencing from helping with his home congregation St. Paul, Ute's LYF rake-n-run the week before.
Kids shared the work but also shared plenty of fun, jumping into piles of leaves and determining which brand of rake was most effecient. At the end of the day, homeowners were thankful that their yards were cleaned up and the crew was thankful it was all over so that they could go home and recover.
This Sunday, Novemeber 21st, St. John LYF will host their other annual Fall project, a Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Everyone is invited. The LYF will begin serving at 11 AM in the basement of St John Lutheran Church in Charter Oak. A free-will offering will be collected with matching funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Turkey, potatoes, vegetables, deserts and Edna Johansen's famous dressing.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Religiosity is politically expedient
Matthew 7:15-23
Beware "Conservative-Christian" friends! Religiosity is politically expedient. Don't be surprised if Bush and the Neocons sell you out. For all their talk about "moral values" like gay-marriage bans and overturning Roe v. Wade.
Beware "Conservative-Christian" friends! Religiosity is politically expedient. Don't be surprised if Bush and the Neocons sell you out. For all their talk about "moral values" like gay-marriage bans and overturning Roe v. Wade.
'Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character.
'Knowing the correct password--saying 'Master, Master,' for instance--isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience--doing what my Father wills. I can see it now--at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.' ~Matthew 7:15-23 (the Message)
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Spelling Study
"I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt "
Why Americans Hate Democrats, A Dialogue - Nice guys finish last. By Richard Thompson Ford
Why Americans Hate Democrats:A Dialogue - Nice guys finish last.
By Richard Thompson Ford
"Bush doesn't propose to 'privatize' Social Security. He proposes to eliminate it and replace it with glorified 401(k) plans the same plans that have kept so many senior citizens working into their golden years after the stock market tanked in 2001. He plans to eliminate Social Security still the most popular federal program in American history. George Bush wants to eliminate Social Security. Say this three times. Now say it every time you speak to the press, no matter what question the reporter asks you."
By Richard Thompson Ford
"Bush doesn't propose to 'privatize' Social Security. He proposes to eliminate it and replace it with glorified 401(k) plans the same plans that have kept so many senior citizens working into their golden years after the stock market tanked in 2001. He plans to eliminate Social Security still the most popular federal program in American history. George Bush wants to eliminate Social Security. Say this three times. Now say it every time you speak to the press, no matter what question the reporter asks you."
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
One nation, handcuffed together
Here's a great editorial from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
One nation, handcuffed together
Deborah Ellsworth
November 6, 2004
So the old "Moral Majority" rose up again and swamped the boat this election. With war, global terrorism, unemployment, an elitist health-care system and other serious issues dominating this election, who saw this coming? Who saw this leviathan lurking beneath the surface?
The day after the election, vacuuming furiously while tears of despair ran down my face, I began thinking about the war in Iraq. Clearly this is an unjust war. But what is a just war?
Of course, World War II is always the first one mentioned. Then the next one that seems to come up is our Civil War. Surely, Abraham Lincoln had to fight the war to hold our country together. This has been ingrained in us since our elementary school days.
That's when it struck me: What if Lincoln had just let the South go? What if we now had a country on our southern border made up of the states that formed the Confederacy?
Hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't have died.
OK, the slaves wouldn't have been freed as soon. The Confederacy probably would have been the last holdout country with slaves, but at some point, it would have had to bow to world pressure and give up slavery. In the meantime, perhaps creative Abolitionists in the North would have found ways to make daring raids into the Confederacy, and the underground railroad would have still operated, and ... well, who knows what other methods for freeing the slaves might have arisen?
But think about it. If the South were its own country, then all those people who so desire it could have a Christian theocracy. They could have a country where the Bible is read in schools; where Creationism is taught in science class and evolution is not; where homosexuality would be against the law; where the Internet and Hollywood movies and rap music could be banned by law.
There would be trade relations between the Union of the United States and the Confederacy, and travel arrangements.
Also, evangelical Christians from the U. of the U.S. who desired to live in a Christian theocracy could emigrate to the Confederacy. Likewise, progressive-minded citizens from the South, as well as gays and others who would be persecuted, could immigrate here.
And then, maybe in the 2004 U. of U.S. election, these moral values would have prevailed: tolerance and respect for others; peace and justice; care for our needy citizens; scientific research to advance humankind; and care for the beautiful planet that God gave us.
Yes, I said the God word. I, too, am a Christian: a liberal, progressive Christian who believes that the moral values I just listed would be endorsed by Jesus Christ. And Buddha. And Mohammed. And of course, those dreaded secular humanists, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
Yup, maybe Lincoln should have let the South go. As I understand it, many Southerners consider Yankees foreigners anyway.
Deborah Ellsworth, a teacher, lives in St. Louis Park.
Election result maps
Election result maps
These maps are absolutely fascinating, especially if you're a History major like me.
These maps are absolutely fascinating, especially if you're a History major like me.
mallory's milieu
mallory's milieu
this link is to my "umbrella" site. Click there and you have access to all of my other sites.
definition of a milieu
this link is to my "umbrella" site. Click there and you have access to all of my other sites.
definition of a milieu
Monday, November 08, 2004
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Defying the laws time and space
Well, you had an election two days ago. Did anyone vote in it? Was anyone elected? I only ask because this newspaper is sort of a time machine. See, I’m writing this in the past, my future is your present.
Over a week ago I would’ve predicted that it would be an even tighter race than it was in 2000. I’d also predict that at the time you’re reading this, the election still won’t be decided. I predicted a week ago that it will be contested and that there will be all sorts of allegations of fraud. This is especially scary since if it goes to the Supreme Court again, their decisions may be contested too, especially if Chief Justice Renquest’s poor health leaves him incapacitated.
But then, I tend to be pessimistic about these things. I blame my Lutheran upbringing, hope for the best, but plan for the worst and you’ll be relieved by anything in between.
Here in the comfort of a week ago, I’m afraid that I predict that it doesn’t matter whether you in my future elected Bush or Kerry. Regardless of who won, I predict that the war in Iraq will get worse, there will probably be a draft. Taxes will go up (regardless of who’s elected or what they promised). Terrorists will still hate us. People will still disagree about things like education, abortion, and gay marriage. Health care costs will continue to skyrocket, but inflation on everything else will catch up with it. And, oh yeah, they’ll probably reinstitute the draft.
The pessimist moans, “Well, things couldn’t get any worse,” of course the ever “can-do” optimist cheerily enourages, “oh sure they could!”
I know, I’m just a nattering naybob of negativity, aren’t I. The hardest part of this is that no matter who won last Tuesday, half of you agree with me, am I right? If Kerry won, all my dearly loved Republican friends a frightened that we’re going to Hell in a hand basket and that any minute now all the gay Hollywood terrorist-tolerant elitists are going to outlaw God. But if Bush won, many of my well-meaning progressive friends are planning their escape routes to Canada for when the goose-stepping brown-shirts come knocking on their boarded up doors in order to round them up and burn their books.
There is good news though. No more of those infernal campaign ads for at least another three years.
The optimist says brightly, "This is the best of all possible worlds," whereupon the pessimist sighs, "I'm afraid you're right."
Either way, it’s still a confusing time. Its times like these that we really need to lay down the law. Just remember, we’re a nation of laws.
Newton’s Laws:
I. Any object in motion tends to remain in motion.
Yikes, does that mean things are going to keep going the way they’ve been going?
II. The amount of force depends on the mass times its acceleration.
So does that mean that if we are going to Hell in a hand-basket, Hell’s power depends on our speed and the size of the hand-basket?
III. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
What is that supposed to mean? Isn’t that the “law of the jungle?” You know, “whatever they do to you, do it back to them, only double.” Yikes. Does that mean that the lying and cheating and dirty tricks (and negative campaign ads) are going to continue even now that the election is over? We need to change the laws.
The laws of thermodynamics describe some of the fundamental truths observed in our Universe.
I. Conservation of Energy. This law suggests that energy can be transferred from one system to another in many forms. However, it can’t be created nor destroyed. Thus, the total amount of energy available in the Universe is constant.
Does that include negative energy? How much energy was wasted on all those campaign ads? As much as the money wasted on ads for drugs to help with acid reflux disease and sexual dysfunction?
II. This law also predicts that the entropy always increases with time. Entropy is the measure of the disorder or randomness of energy and matter in a system. Because of the second law of thermodynamics both energy and matter in the Universe are becoming less useful as time goes on. Perfect order in the universe occurred only in the instant after creation, when energy and matter and all of the forces of the Universe were unified.
In other words, “things fall apart.” This side of Heaven, nothing will ever be perfect, we have to use them up the way they are, you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, or everybody’s favorite “---- happens.”
III. The third law of thermodynamics states that if all the kinetic energy in the universe could be stopped, a state called “absolute zero” would occur. Absolute zero results in a temperature of 0 Kelvin or -273.15° Celsius.
That’s -523.4 Fahrenheit. Brrrr. Well, the Red Sox finally won the World Series, that hasn’t happened since 1918. At least if we are going to Hell in a hand basket, it’s probably froze over.
There you have it. Being too legalistic gets you no where. Speaking as someone from your past, I hope that whichever President you picked doesn’t turn into one of those real law-and-order types.
Just remember, when gravity becomes the law, only outlaws will levitate.
Over a week ago I would’ve predicted that it would be an even tighter race than it was in 2000. I’d also predict that at the time you’re reading this, the election still won’t be decided. I predicted a week ago that it will be contested and that there will be all sorts of allegations of fraud. This is especially scary since if it goes to the Supreme Court again, their decisions may be contested too, especially if Chief Justice Renquest’s poor health leaves him incapacitated.
But then, I tend to be pessimistic about these things. I blame my Lutheran upbringing, hope for the best, but plan for the worst and you’ll be relieved by anything in between.
Here in the comfort of a week ago, I’m afraid that I predict that it doesn’t matter whether you in my future elected Bush or Kerry. Regardless of who won, I predict that the war in Iraq will get worse, there will probably be a draft. Taxes will go up (regardless of who’s elected or what they promised). Terrorists will still hate us. People will still disagree about things like education, abortion, and gay marriage. Health care costs will continue to skyrocket, but inflation on everything else will catch up with it. And, oh yeah, they’ll probably reinstitute the draft.
The pessimist moans, “Well, things couldn’t get any worse,” of course the ever “can-do” optimist cheerily enourages, “oh sure they could!”
I know, I’m just a nattering naybob of negativity, aren’t I. The hardest part of this is that no matter who won last Tuesday, half of you agree with me, am I right? If Kerry won, all my dearly loved Republican friends a frightened that we’re going to Hell in a hand basket and that any minute now all the gay Hollywood terrorist-tolerant elitists are going to outlaw God. But if Bush won, many of my well-meaning progressive friends are planning their escape routes to Canada for when the goose-stepping brown-shirts come knocking on their boarded up doors in order to round them up and burn their books.
There is good news though. No more of those infernal campaign ads for at least another three years.
The optimist says brightly, "This is the best of all possible worlds," whereupon the pessimist sighs, "I'm afraid you're right."
Either way, it’s still a confusing time. Its times like these that we really need to lay down the law. Just remember, we’re a nation of laws.
Newton’s Laws:
I. Any object in motion tends to remain in motion.
Yikes, does that mean things are going to keep going the way they’ve been going?
II. The amount of force depends on the mass times its acceleration.
So does that mean that if we are going to Hell in a hand-basket, Hell’s power depends on our speed and the size of the hand-basket?
III. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
What is that supposed to mean? Isn’t that the “law of the jungle?” You know, “whatever they do to you, do it back to them, only double.” Yikes. Does that mean that the lying and cheating and dirty tricks (and negative campaign ads) are going to continue even now that the election is over? We need to change the laws.
The laws of thermodynamics describe some of the fundamental truths observed in our Universe.
I. Conservation of Energy. This law suggests that energy can be transferred from one system to another in many forms. However, it can’t be created nor destroyed. Thus, the total amount of energy available in the Universe is constant.
Does that include negative energy? How much energy was wasted on all those campaign ads? As much as the money wasted on ads for drugs to help with acid reflux disease and sexual dysfunction?
II. This law also predicts that the entropy always increases with time. Entropy is the measure of the disorder or randomness of energy and matter in a system. Because of the second law of thermodynamics both energy and matter in the Universe are becoming less useful as time goes on. Perfect order in the universe occurred only in the instant after creation, when energy and matter and all of the forces of the Universe were unified.
In other words, “things fall apart.” This side of Heaven, nothing will ever be perfect, we have to use them up the way they are, you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, or everybody’s favorite “---- happens.”
III. The third law of thermodynamics states that if all the kinetic energy in the universe could be stopped, a state called “absolute zero” would occur. Absolute zero results in a temperature of 0 Kelvin or -273.15° Celsius.
That’s -523.4 Fahrenheit. Brrrr. Well, the Red Sox finally won the World Series, that hasn’t happened since 1918. At least if we are going to Hell in a hand basket, it’s probably froze over.
There you have it. Being too legalistic gets you no where. Speaking as someone from your past, I hope that whichever President you picked doesn’t turn into one of those real law-and-order types.
Just remember, when gravity becomes the law, only outlaws will levitate.
Concordia Art Dept.
Concordia students visit Europe
I really want to promote Concordia University, Nebraska's Art Department. It is simply one of the best in the nation.
I really want to promote Concordia University, Nebraska's Art Department. It is simply one of the best in the nation.
Go ahead and gloat
"In a Democracy you get the government you deserve."
~unknown
Am I dissapointed in the election? Naturally. But I appreciate what Tom Brokaw had to say before he went off the air after covering the returns. He reminded us that Kerry isn't going to jail, and there are no tanks in the streets. No matter how emotional this campaign was, America remains stable.
One good thing about this election is that if America isn't perfect in 2008, Republicans won't be able to blame anyone but themselves.
"There are two tragedies in life: one is not to get your heart's desire.
The other is to get it."
~George Bernard Shaw
It was awesome to see what high turn outs there were on both sides. Bush spin-doctors are quick to point out that he received more votes than any President in history, of course what they don't tell you is that so did Kerry!
So, we'll see, won't we? I suspect that there are more "moral issues" than just abortion and homosexuality that will begin to wear away at America's patience, like poverty and corporate corruption. Oh yeah, and war.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch."
~Benjamin Franklin
"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul
can always depend on the support of Paul."
~George Bernard Shaw
SO, believe it or not, I have hope. Hope because you always have to hit bottom before you get help. Hope because Democracy is all about dynamic tension. Our political system, like God's universe, seeks equilibrium, balance of interests. Because America is always changing.
Hope that just because a majority of Americans thought that we shouldn't switch horses in mid stream, you also can never step in the same stream twice.
"Remember, Democracy never lasts long. It soon
wastes, exhausts and murders itself! There was never
a Democracy that did not commit suicide."
~Samuel Adams
That doesn't mean I'll shut up and crawl into a corner and wait for my countrymen to wake up to our need for change.
A member of the minority owes it to his country to be a member of the opposition, otherwise there would be no dynamic tension.
George W Bush once said, ""If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm dictator." It's easy to blow that off as a joke, but fascism is no joke.
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
~Abraham Lincoln
We have three distinct branches of Federal Government to offer a system of checks and balances. We have layers of municipal, county, state, regional, and federal government to do the same thing. Now that Bush's party has control of all three branches and a majority of state houses and governorships, it is more important than ever that Democrats not just roll over and alow America to become a one-party system.
Yes, the Democrats need to listen to and respond to the values of the majority in spite of always having been the party who protected the rights of the minorities. But, my dear Republican friends and families, please, PLEASE, you also need to not turn a blind eye to abuses of our leaders just because they claim to share so many of your values.
"But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. It behooves you, therefore, to be watchful in your States as well as in the Federal Government."
~Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address, March 4, 1837
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
~Wendell Phillips, (1811-1884), abolitionist, orator and columnist for The Liberator, in a speech before the Massachusetts Antislavery Society in 1852
~unknown
Am I dissapointed in the election? Naturally. But I appreciate what Tom Brokaw had to say before he went off the air after covering the returns. He reminded us that Kerry isn't going to jail, and there are no tanks in the streets. No matter how emotional this campaign was, America remains stable.
One good thing about this election is that if America isn't perfect in 2008, Republicans won't be able to blame anyone but themselves.
"There are two tragedies in life: one is not to get your heart's desire.
The other is to get it."
~George Bernard Shaw
It was awesome to see what high turn outs there were on both sides. Bush spin-doctors are quick to point out that he received more votes than any President in history, of course what they don't tell you is that so did Kerry!
So, we'll see, won't we? I suspect that there are more "moral issues" than just abortion and homosexuality that will begin to wear away at America's patience, like poverty and corporate corruption. Oh yeah, and war.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch."
~Benjamin Franklin
"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul
can always depend on the support of Paul."
~George Bernard Shaw
SO, believe it or not, I have hope. Hope because you always have to hit bottom before you get help. Hope because Democracy is all about dynamic tension. Our political system, like God's universe, seeks equilibrium, balance of interests. Because America is always changing.
Hope that just because a majority of Americans thought that we shouldn't switch horses in mid stream, you also can never step in the same stream twice.
"Remember, Democracy never lasts long. It soon
wastes, exhausts and murders itself! There was never
a Democracy that did not commit suicide."
~Samuel Adams
That doesn't mean I'll shut up and crawl into a corner and wait for my countrymen to wake up to our need for change.
A member of the minority owes it to his country to be a member of the opposition, otherwise there would be no dynamic tension.
George W Bush once said, ""If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm dictator." It's easy to blow that off as a joke, but fascism is no joke.
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
~Abraham Lincoln
We have three distinct branches of Federal Government to offer a system of checks and balances. We have layers of municipal, county, state, regional, and federal government to do the same thing. Now that Bush's party has control of all three branches and a majority of state houses and governorships, it is more important than ever that Democrats not just roll over and alow America to become a one-party system.
Yes, the Democrats need to listen to and respond to the values of the majority in spite of always having been the party who protected the rights of the minorities. But, my dear Republican friends and families, please, PLEASE, you also need to not turn a blind eye to abuses of our leaders just because they claim to share so many of your values.
"But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. It behooves you, therefore, to be watchful in your States as well as in the Federal Government."
~Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address, March 4, 1837
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
~Wendell Phillips, (1811-1884), abolitionist, orator and columnist for The Liberator, in a speech before the Massachusetts Antislavery Society in 1852
Thou shalt not kill, part two
Thou shalt not kill, part two
'We kill at every step, not only in wars, riots, and executions. We kill when we close our eyes to poverty, suffering, and shame. In the same way all disrespect for life, all hard-heartedness, all indifference, all contempt is nothing else than killing. With just a little witty skepticism we can kill a good deal of the future in a young person. Life is waiting everywhere, the future is flowering everywhere, but we only see a small part of it and step on much of it with our feet.'
~Hermann Hesse, German poet and novelist. "
"21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."
~Matthew 5:21-22
'We kill at every step, not only in wars, riots, and executions. We kill when we close our eyes to poverty, suffering, and shame. In the same way all disrespect for life, all hard-heartedness, all indifference, all contempt is nothing else than killing. With just a little witty skepticism we can kill a good deal of the future in a young person. Life is waiting everywhere, the future is flowering everywhere, but we only see a small part of it and step on much of it with our feet.'
~Hermann Hesse, German poet and novelist. "
"21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."
~Matthew 5:21-22
Is anyone ever truly prepared to kill? | csmonitor.com
Thou shalt not kill
20% Maximum rate of U.S. soldiers who shot to kill while under fire during World War II
55% Firing rate in the Korean War, due to "improved" psychological conditioning by the military
95% Firing rate in the Vietnam War
16% Rate of U.S. veterans from the Iraq war who suffer from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder
Source: Christian Science Monitor
20% Maximum rate of U.S. soldiers who shot to kill while under fire during World War II
55% Firing rate in the Korean War, due to "improved" psychological conditioning by the military
95% Firing rate in the Vietnam War
16% Rate of U.S. veterans from the Iraq war who suffer from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Doonesbury@Slate - The Strawpoll
Doonesbury@Slate - The Strawpoll
Chaos prevails. Weeks drag by as armies of red and blue lawyers duke it out across the country. We become the land of many Floridas -- 2000 redux, only much worse.
Chaos prevails. Weeks drag by as armies of red and blue lawyers duke it out across the country. We become the land of many Floridas -- 2000 redux, only much worse.
Books For Soldiers - Care packages for the mind.
Books For Soldiers - Care packages for the mind.
Hey this is really cool! What if everyone who found out about Books For Soldiers by landing on my Column site sent Bibles and devotional books like Portals of Prayer, Daily Bread, or Upper Room or Guideposts?
Hey this is really cool! What if everyone who found out about Books For Soldiers by landing on my Column site sent Bibles and devotional books like Portals of Prayer, Daily Bread, or Upper Room or Guideposts?
Mission - Iraq Veterans Against the War
Mission - Iraq Veterans Against the War
Interesting, soldiers serving now are standing up, doing the patriotic thing and opposing this war just like men like John Kerry opposed Vietnam after they came home from their tours of duty.
Interesting, soldiers serving now are standing up, doing the patriotic thing and opposing this war just like men like John Kerry opposed Vietnam after they came home from their tours of duty.
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
Here is an excellent article from an awesome magazineSojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
Christian in the middle
by Linda Mele
Apparently, the only friends I have who are comfortable sending me bulk e-mails are conservative Christian Republicans. In this election year, I have received countless right-leaning e-mails that have contained long lists of the sins of Democrats without acknowledging that Republicans, too, have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I was dismayed at the un-Christlike nature of the e-mails, but more dismayed that people I know, love, and respect thought I would find them amusing, fair, or enlightening.
I am Christian and I am nonpartisan, because I believe God is nonpartisan. Therefore, I had assumed that my centrist views would have allowed me to cultivate a diverse group of friends from across the political spectrum, but I was wrong. I spend a lot of time in Christian worship and in Christian activities, and therefore have acquired a preponderance of Christian friends who are statistically more likely to be conservative Republicans than anything else. Therefore, people - even people who know me well - assume I am a conservative Republican, too.
Why is this? Why does the whole society, Christian and non-Christian, assume that an active, devout Christian must espouse the party doctrine of the GOP in all circumstances? If Jesus returned to earth, would he necessarily be a Republican, join the NRA, lobby for pro-business interests and looser environmental laws, and then go duck hunting with Dick Cheney to celebrate victory on all of the above? And if we're supposed to support George W. Bush because he shares our faith, then what of Jimmy Carter? Shouldn't we also have been a big supporter of his? When did Christians cut an exclusive deal with the Republican Party? I must have missed the memo.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not in love with the Democratic Party either. I am troubled by the morals and logic that give us "Save the Whales," "Save the Rainforest," "Save the Guy on Death Row," but go ahead and kill the unborn child. They support life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness gained at the expense of another life, masked with smug confidence in a contradictory value system. Adding to my consternation is that the mere expression of my opinion that there is a moral imperative on the question of abortion results in my being labeled intolerant. Liberal Democrats claim to be the sole arbiters of tolerance. Yet if you are not for them, you are against them. You are "anti-abortion," not "pro-life." Claiming that people who don't agree with you are your enemies is the precise definition of intolerance. But be careful about breaking this news to liberal Democrats. If they learn that they are equally as intolerant as conservative Republicans, it will cause a rift in their self-image, and they will implode the next time they look in a mirror.
As a Christian in the middle, I find myself blazing my own trail through the political scene, using only my faith as a guide. My faith tells me that Jesus would want to save everyone and everything. Saving is important to him. It's a Messiah thing. The unborn child who has the potential to live, the murderer who has the potential to repent, the things in nature that represent the Eden that God made for us and will give us again. All of these, he wants to save. Sometimes people are saved through love and compassion. Sometimes they are saved through tough consequences for wrong choices. I believe the compassion of the left and the morals of the right are not mutually exclusive and have already been shown to exist together in one great life, that of Jesus Christ. He is the divine Centrist, the alpha and the omega, at once liberal and conservative. He gives to us while he demands from us, his grace for our faith. He has great plans for us, but he expects great things from us as well. This is what I try to model in my own life.
But clearly I'm not doing a very good job of it, because many people are under the impression that I am on one side, a political side, that takes preference over spiritual issues. I am troubled by the label. I do not think my life reflects the label. But yet, I am branded.
I am not a Democrat. And I am not a Republican. I am a Christian, and I belong to the Party of God.
Linda Mele is a construction manager for nonprofit organizations and churches, and is an active member of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Torrance, California, where she lives with her husband, Stephen, and two daughters, Emma and Laura.
Christian in the middle
by Linda Mele
Apparently, the only friends I have who are comfortable sending me bulk e-mails are conservative Christian Republicans. In this election year, I have received countless right-leaning e-mails that have contained long lists of the sins of Democrats without acknowledging that Republicans, too, have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I was dismayed at the un-Christlike nature of the e-mails, but more dismayed that people I know, love, and respect thought I would find them amusing, fair, or enlightening.
I am Christian and I am nonpartisan, because I believe God is nonpartisan. Therefore, I had assumed that my centrist views would have allowed me to cultivate a diverse group of friends from across the political spectrum, but I was wrong. I spend a lot of time in Christian worship and in Christian activities, and therefore have acquired a preponderance of Christian friends who are statistically more likely to be conservative Republicans than anything else. Therefore, people - even people who know me well - assume I am a conservative Republican, too.
Why is this? Why does the whole society, Christian and non-Christian, assume that an active, devout Christian must espouse the party doctrine of the GOP in all circumstances? If Jesus returned to earth, would he necessarily be a Republican, join the NRA, lobby for pro-business interests and looser environmental laws, and then go duck hunting with Dick Cheney to celebrate victory on all of the above? And if we're supposed to support George W. Bush because he shares our faith, then what of Jimmy Carter? Shouldn't we also have been a big supporter of his? When did Christians cut an exclusive deal with the Republican Party? I must have missed the memo.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not in love with the Democratic Party either. I am troubled by the morals and logic that give us "Save the Whales," "Save the Rainforest," "Save the Guy on Death Row," but go ahead and kill the unborn child. They support life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness gained at the expense of another life, masked with smug confidence in a contradictory value system. Adding to my consternation is that the mere expression of my opinion that there is a moral imperative on the question of abortion results in my being labeled intolerant. Liberal Democrats claim to be the sole arbiters of tolerance. Yet if you are not for them, you are against them. You are "anti-abortion," not "pro-life." Claiming that people who don't agree with you are your enemies is the precise definition of intolerance. But be careful about breaking this news to liberal Democrats. If they learn that they are equally as intolerant as conservative Republicans, it will cause a rift in their self-image, and they will implode the next time they look in a mirror.
As a Christian in the middle, I find myself blazing my own trail through the political scene, using only my faith as a guide. My faith tells me that Jesus would want to save everyone and everything. Saving is important to him. It's a Messiah thing. The unborn child who has the potential to live, the murderer who has the potential to repent, the things in nature that represent the Eden that God made for us and will give us again. All of these, he wants to save. Sometimes people are saved through love and compassion. Sometimes they are saved through tough consequences for wrong choices. I believe the compassion of the left and the morals of the right are not mutually exclusive and have already been shown to exist together in one great life, that of Jesus Christ. He is the divine Centrist, the alpha and the omega, at once liberal and conservative. He gives to us while he demands from us, his grace for our faith. He has great plans for us, but he expects great things from us as well. This is what I try to model in my own life.
But clearly I'm not doing a very good job of it, because many people are under the impression that I am on one side, a political side, that takes preference over spiritual issues. I am troubled by the label. I do not think my life reflects the label. But yet, I am branded.
I am not a Democrat. And I am not a Republican. I am a Christian, and I belong to the Party of God.
Linda Mele is a construction manager for nonprofit organizations and churches, and is an active member of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Torrance, California, where she lives with her husband, Stephen, and two daughters, Emma and Laura.
Interactive Electoral Map
Interactive Electoral Map: "Interactive Electoral Map"
Be your own strategist. Click on a state to see how winning it would effect the election.
Be your own strategist. Click on a state to see how winning it would effect the election.
NPR : Gracie Allen's 'Surprise' White House Run
Let's revive the 'Surprise Party'
NPR : Gracie Allen's 'Surprise' White House Run: "in the 1940 presidential race, comedienne Gracie Allen ran as a less-than-serious candidate. We hear her read from the platform of her Surprise Party."
NPR : Gracie Allen's 'Surprise' White House Run: "in the 1940 presidential race, comedienne Gracie Allen ran as a less-than-serious candidate. We hear her read from the platform of her Surprise Party."
Monday, November 01, 2004
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Why don’t you ever write?
Why don’t you ever write?
by Ted Mallory Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper Thursday, October 28, 2004
"Do you ever get nasty phone calls about stuff you write in the paper?” asked a friend from Ute the other day. I guess I thought that they were worried about me. Only later, when we were leaving school and getting into our cars did I notice the “W” sticker prominently displayed on their bumper. Maybe it wasn’t worry, maybe it was a hint.
Actually no one’s ever called. What I want to have happen is for readers to write letters to the editor. Since I’ve been writing this column, that’s only happened once. They did a very good job too, and I agreed with what they wrote, even though they were motivated to write it because their disagreed with me.
A few times people have written in “A Note of Thanks” to the paper for something they linked. And a couple of times I’ve received notes or letters directly, that were positive. Thank you, by the way, those always mean a lot to me.
Last year, one of my Journalism students, an Eagle Scout, wrote a letter to another newspaper. His opinion was that he thought that the city employees in his town should have a dress code, so that they’d look more professional.
Some one was so frustrated by what he wrote that they sent him anonymous hate mail, and crank called him. It turned out to be an adult. There was even some suspicion that it was his former Scout Master! Yikes.
I WANT you to write to the NEWSpaper. Even if its in response to or in disagreement with me. There are three reasons that I want you to write. One is for feedback to this column.
Another is because we don’t know how lucky we are to even HAVE a newspaper. Are you kidding me? Two towns as small as ours? If you appreciate having our own paper, please contribute your news, stories, letters, opinions, photographs, anything you can think of. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lyon Publishing would even welcome book and movie reviews, recopies, memories and even poems!
Finally, I want to encourage you to write the paper because it is your First Amendment right! Lets make the NEWSpaper our “forum,” a public meeting place for open discussion, debate and expression of ideas.
A newspaper is a grown-up, sane, civilized, respectable, and fun way to discuss and debate. Crank phone calls, anonymous hate letters, bricks through windows, toilet-papered trees, and burning crosses on lawns are decidedly NOT fun or civilized, let alone grown-up.
My goal is not to indoctrinate or to win arguments. My goal in this column is to make you think. If I make you laugh or touch you somehow- bonus. If I do manage to persuade you to my point of view, double bonus.
Ah, but if I help you understand different points of view while solidifying your own opinion-even if it’s the complete opposite of mine- that’s bonus too. That’s the role of a free press and of a public forum.
You can drop your letters off in the Ute office, or mail them to Lyon Publishing in Mapleton. You can email them to their office at mpress@longlines.com. Or you can send it to me at coachmallory@hotmail.com.
You could use a letter-to-the-editor to explain something, to try to persuade people to do something, to warn readers of the consequences of some action or inaction, to criticize something, to propose a new idea, or to praise something or someone. I call that an Oprah-torial, when you call attention to unsung heroes or promote books or products that have really impressed you. Here are some tips on writing letters-to-the-Editor:
· Keep it short and on one subject. Under 300 words is best. I know, I know, this is a case of “do as I say, not as I do”
· If it’s to a paper other than this one, try to make it related to something that appeared the newspaper. While some papers print general commentary, many will only print letters that refer to a specific article.
· Be careful to avoid libel, that’s when you deliberately write something that’s not true in order to hurt someone’s reputation. One good way is to deal with issues, policies or actions, rather than dealing with personalities. Another is to be sure you’ve got your facts straight.
· Offer a solution, an alternative, a course of action. Don’t just complain. Teddy Roosevelt called people who did that “Muckruckers.” Ever rake manure after it had started to dry? You made it start stinking again didn’t ya? That’s muck-rucking.
· Try this simple outline. Three paragraphs; An introduction that points out the problem and your position, A main body that provides facts and sound reasoning that supports your position, and finally a conclusion that restates your opinion and urges the reader to take action.
Please write soon and write often. We look forward to hearing you. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to vote Tuesday- even if it’s because you want to try to cancel out my vote! Not only is it your right, it’s your duty! What’s more, if you don’t vote, then you won’t deserve to complain.
by Ted Mallory Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper Thursday, October 28, 2004
"Do you ever get nasty phone calls about stuff you write in the paper?” asked a friend from Ute the other day. I guess I thought that they were worried about me. Only later, when we were leaving school and getting into our cars did I notice the “W” sticker prominently displayed on their bumper. Maybe it wasn’t worry, maybe it was a hint.
Actually no one’s ever called. What I want to have happen is for readers to write letters to the editor. Since I’ve been writing this column, that’s only happened once. They did a very good job too, and I agreed with what they wrote, even though they were motivated to write it because their disagreed with me.
A few times people have written in “A Note of Thanks” to the paper for something they linked. And a couple of times I’ve received notes or letters directly, that were positive. Thank you, by the way, those always mean a lot to me.
Last year, one of my Journalism students, an Eagle Scout, wrote a letter to another newspaper. His opinion was that he thought that the city employees in his town should have a dress code, so that they’d look more professional.
Some one was so frustrated by what he wrote that they sent him anonymous hate mail, and crank called him. It turned out to be an adult. There was even some suspicion that it was his former Scout Master! Yikes.
I WANT you to write to the NEWSpaper. Even if its in response to or in disagreement with me. There are three reasons that I want you to write. One is for feedback to this column.
Another is because we don’t know how lucky we are to even HAVE a newspaper. Are you kidding me? Two towns as small as ours? If you appreciate having our own paper, please contribute your news, stories, letters, opinions, photographs, anything you can think of. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lyon Publishing would even welcome book and movie reviews, recopies, memories and even poems!
Finally, I want to encourage you to write the paper because it is your First Amendment right! Lets make the NEWSpaper our “forum,” a public meeting place for open discussion, debate and expression of ideas.
A newspaper is a grown-up, sane, civilized, respectable, and fun way to discuss and debate. Crank phone calls, anonymous hate letters, bricks through windows, toilet-papered trees, and burning crosses on lawns are decidedly NOT fun or civilized, let alone grown-up.
My goal is not to indoctrinate or to win arguments. My goal in this column is to make you think. If I make you laugh or touch you somehow- bonus. If I do manage to persuade you to my point of view, double bonus.
Ah, but if I help you understand different points of view while solidifying your own opinion-even if it’s the complete opposite of mine- that’s bonus too. That’s the role of a free press and of a public forum.
You can drop your letters off in the Ute office, or mail them to Lyon Publishing in Mapleton. You can email them to their office at mpress@longlines.com. Or you can send it to me at coachmallory@hotmail.com.
You could use a letter-to-the-editor to explain something, to try to persuade people to do something, to warn readers of the consequences of some action or inaction, to criticize something, to propose a new idea, or to praise something or someone. I call that an Oprah-torial, when you call attention to unsung heroes or promote books or products that have really impressed you. Here are some tips on writing letters-to-the-Editor:
· Keep it short and on one subject. Under 300 words is best. I know, I know, this is a case of “do as I say, not as I do”
· If it’s to a paper other than this one, try to make it related to something that appeared the newspaper. While some papers print general commentary, many will only print letters that refer to a specific article.
· Be careful to avoid libel, that’s when you deliberately write something that’s not true in order to hurt someone’s reputation. One good way is to deal with issues, policies or actions, rather than dealing with personalities. Another is to be sure you’ve got your facts straight.
· Offer a solution, an alternative, a course of action. Don’t just complain. Teddy Roosevelt called people who did that “Muckruckers.” Ever rake manure after it had started to dry? You made it start stinking again didn’t ya? That’s muck-rucking.
· Try this simple outline. Three paragraphs; An introduction that points out the problem and your position, A main body that provides facts and sound reasoning that supports your position, and finally a conclusion that restates your opinion and urges the reader to take action.
Please write soon and write often. We look forward to hearing you. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to vote Tuesday- even if it’s because you want to try to cancel out my vote! Not only is it your right, it’s your duty! What’s more, if you don’t vote, then you won’t deserve to complain.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Ted's Prayer Blog
Ted's Prayer Blog
Here is finally the Prayer blog that I've thought about starting for months but never got around to.
Here is finally the Prayer blog that I've thought about starting for months but never got around to.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
This is for all my friends and former students who know what a Peanuts aficianado I am. This is a cell from the 'Its the Great Pumkin, Charlie Brown.' Charles Shultz was a genius. Masterful mix of watercolor, ink, crayon, and charcoal. It's the WWI Flying Ace (AKA Snoopy) traveling behind enemy lines.
Mallory
Turkey and Gravy Flavour at Jones Soda
Turkey and Gravy Flavour at Jones Soda
Okay, this is just too gross to not share.
Okay, this is just too gross to not share.
Send Us Your Label Ideas
Send Us Your Label Ideas
You can email your photos to Jones Soda and get them printed on bottle labels! Cool, huh?
You can email your photos to Jones Soda and get them printed on bottle labels! Cool, huh?
The Official Website of Coach John Wooden
The Official Website of Coach John Wooden
Wooden is a Christian leader who has an awesome training model for athletes and business people called "the Pyramid of Success."
Wooden is a Christian leader who has an awesome training model for athletes and business people called "the Pyramid of Success."
Monday, October 25, 2004
"Randi," digital image, 2002. Maybe I like this one because this kid is particularly photogenic (photogetic?) maybe I like it because in spite of her being photogenic, it's still honest, it captures a moment, a "slice of life" of "Americana," you know what I mean, she's tired and hot yet enthusiastic and excited, losing daylight and wind-swept, yet hopeful and youthful. It may or may not be the most balanced composition, but I just have always thought I was lucky to capture it because it has some kind of magic to it.
Mallory
Experiment- this digital image was created by using a slow shutter speed and looking at the cheerleaders through a bouquet of balloons that were flapping furiously in the wind while relfecting the "Friday Night Lights" at the football game. You could choose to see it as a big blurry mess, or remember that much of art is serendepity and look at it as if it is a masterful Futurist work that is full of energy and shows the motion and dynamism of high school cheerleaders getting the crowd fired up!
Mallory
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
