This quote bothered me:
"We have to make sure that produced oil is used for consumption and not for storing." - Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani
Now, let me see if I understand this. It is okay for us to buy it as long as we are not saving it for a rainy day. You want us to only buy what we are using. I guess that makes sense since you are OPEC and if we need it and you want to jack the price around we have to pay it because we need it.
Folks, this should be another reason why we have to ween ourselves off of foreign oil. OPEC wants to dictate what we do with the oil as well as how much we pay. What ever happened to supply and demand?
Think about it. If we need 1 million barrels of oil a day they will sell it to us, but if we are saving any of it, they want to charge us more. I cry, "BULL!"
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Turkey Day
I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. My wife and I had a non-traditional day having lunch at Furr's Family Restaurant and the doing a bit of geocaching. We had thought about cooking a big spread like we normally do but we both decided that eating dinner out and not having to cook and clean was appealing.
We had never been to Furr's before, but I thought it was a lot like K&W cafeteria back in NC...a place I sorely miss. Anyhow, the food was good and it was all you could eat for $9.09 + drink and tax. I think it was just under $12 person so my wife and I only spent $24 (not including tip) for the two of us. Sweet deal and good food. A little too much salt, but overall it was very good. We will be back, for sure.
After a great meal we headed out to Breckenridge Park to see how many caches we could get before either we ran out of life or my wife ran out of energy. Ever since she had her thyroid removed she has no been the same spunky wife I know and love. We ended up walking for about 2.5 hours and she asked to call it quits. We managed to find seven caches and a bonus cache.
We came home and took care of unloading the van as well as watering and feeding the dogs. We had taken The Golden with us (but not Little Man) so she did not need walked. After their food digested I took little man out to let him get some exercise and so he could use the bathroom.
After I got back I was a little hungry, so I ate a few leftovers from last night (meatballs, peas, and mashed potatoes). There is not much to watch on TV (my wife is watching Moonstruck) and I am pretty much caught up on all my TV watching this week. I guess I should go read.
We had never been to Furr's before, but I thought it was a lot like K&W cafeteria back in NC...a place I sorely miss. Anyhow, the food was good and it was all you could eat for $9.09 + drink and tax. I think it was just under $12 person so my wife and I only spent $24 (not including tip) for the two of us. Sweet deal and good food. A little too much salt, but overall it was very good. We will be back, for sure.
After a great meal we headed out to Breckenridge Park to see how many caches we could get before either we ran out of life or my wife ran out of energy. Ever since she had her thyroid removed she has no been the same spunky wife I know and love. We ended up walking for about 2.5 hours and she asked to call it quits. We managed to find seven caches and a bonus cache.
We came home and took care of unloading the van as well as watering and feeding the dogs. We had taken The Golden with us (but not Little Man) so she did not need walked. After their food digested I took little man out to let him get some exercise and so he could use the bathroom.
After I got back I was a little hungry, so I ate a few leftovers from last night (meatballs, peas, and mashed potatoes). There is not much to watch on TV (my wife is watching Moonstruck) and I am pretty much caught up on all my TV watching this week. I guess I should go read.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Non-Christians, Please Read
Robert Spencer has a great piece on his web site, "Jihad Watch". It really hits the nail on the head on how Islam is getting away with things no other religion could.
No Christmas?
Another celebration drops "Christmas" from its title. Folks it is only going to get worse.
Interesting
Friday, November 21, 2008
CNN Has No Clue
I was browsing CNN's (Communist News Network) web site and found this little ditty. While I the headline grabbed me, the real gem is the sheer ignorance of the interviewer. It is obvious that he does not have a clue about the Christian faith.
Just for the record, I admire the pastor's responses. I think he did a pretty good job defending the faith.
And to clear things up for you, if you are truly a Christian, then you believe in your heart the only way to heaven is to know Jesus Christ on a personal level. There is only one path, and Jesus is it. If you think there are "many ways to salvation", you are mistaken.
Just for the record, I admire the pastor's responses. I think he did a pretty good job defending the faith.
And to clear things up for you, if you are truly a Christian, then you believe in your heart the only way to heaven is to know Jesus Christ on a personal level. There is only one path, and Jesus is it. If you think there are "many ways to salvation", you are mistaken.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
10 Days
I have been tracking my diet (food journal) at livestrong.com on a section called "The Daily Plate". While far from perfect, the tool does list quite a few foods by name brand and also many restaurant items as well. It makes keeping track of my food intake a lot easier.
After tracking my diet for 10 days, I have notices this. Per the FDA guidelines:
* I have only been above calories one day (14th)
* I have been above the suggested fat intake two days (14th and 19th)
* I have been above the suggested cholesterol levels on two days (15th and 17th)
* I have been above the suggested sodium levels on five days (11th, 12th, 14th, 17th, and 19th)
* I have been above my suggested carb intake only once (14th)
* I have only consumed the suggested fiber amounts once (19th)
* I have exceeded the protein quota every day but one (19th)
After studying 10 days worth of data I have determined I really need to increase my fiber intake (fruits and veggies) and cut back on the boxed/frozen foods that are high in sodium. I also need to cut my protein intake some. The days I exceed my quota I am doing so by 50% or more. One day (14th) I was at 200%. Yeah, the 1th was a bad day. Fat, calories, sodium, carbs...I really took the prize then. If I remember correctly, I had pizza for dinner that day and a huge bowl of granola for breakfast. Lunch included one pint of chocolate milk and some Parmesan cheese pasta...lots of fat and sodium.
This exercise in monitoring my food intake has been very helpful and I plan on continuing for as long as I can.
Pray for me. I need help in eating more fresh fruit and veggies and less protein, fat, and salt.
One other part of this is to track how much exercise I get. Normally it is only walking th dog and my geocaching but I did go jogging once last week and did some push ups and sit ups. I did more than I was used to so I was a bit sore the next day...
After tracking my diet for 10 days, I have notices this. Per the FDA guidelines:
* I have only been above calories one day (14th)
* I have been above the suggested fat intake two days (14th and 19th)
* I have been above the suggested cholesterol levels on two days (15th and 17th)
* I have been above the suggested sodium levels on five days (11th, 12th, 14th, 17th, and 19th)
* I have been above my suggested carb intake only once (14th)
* I have only consumed the suggested fiber amounts once (19th)
* I have exceeded the protein quota every day but one (19th)
After studying 10 days worth of data I have determined I really need to increase my fiber intake (fruits and veggies) and cut back on the boxed/frozen foods that are high in sodium. I also need to cut my protein intake some. The days I exceed my quota I am doing so by 50% or more. One day (14th) I was at 200%. Yeah, the 1th was a bad day. Fat, calories, sodium, carbs...I really took the prize then. If I remember correctly, I had pizza for dinner that day and a huge bowl of granola for breakfast. Lunch included one pint of chocolate milk and some Parmesan cheese pasta...lots of fat and sodium.
This exercise in monitoring my food intake has been very helpful and I plan on continuing for as long as I can.
Pray for me. I need help in eating more fresh fruit and veggies and less protein, fat, and salt.
One other part of this is to track how much exercise I get. Normally it is only walking th dog and my geocaching but I did go jogging once last week and did some push ups and sit ups. I did more than I was used to so I was a bit sore the next day...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Nothing New
I am sure most of you have read about the Somali pirates who have boarded a Saudi oil tanker. This might be shocking to some, but this really nothing new...it has been going on for years.
This really is not surprising at all. Somalia is a Muslim country and the Muslims have been pirates of the high seas for hundreds of years. Every hear of the Barbary Pirates? The wiki is a good read and very educational. Many people forget that the US was at war with these pirates in the late 1700's and even wrote up a treaty to end the hostilities.
This is just more proof that we fight a war with radical Islam and it needs to be taken seriously.
This really is not surprising at all. Somalia is a Muslim country and the Muslims have been pirates of the high seas for hundreds of years. Every hear of the Barbary Pirates? The wiki is a good read and very educational. Many people forget that the US was at war with these pirates in the late 1700's and even wrote up a treaty to end the hostilities.
This is just more proof that we fight a war with radical Islam and it needs to be taken seriously.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Draft Notice
Well all the liberals who hate war and voted for B.H. Obama are going to hate this. It is a draft, pure and simple. You can put all the tax credits for young adults you want on it but it is still mandatory service...just like many other socialist countries.
Again (and I will keep saying this) for all y'all that voted for BHO, I hope you will stand by him when he starts implementing his policies. I know who some of you are and I will keep tabs on you just to make sure that you are true to your candidate. God knows I stood by GWB during his two terms. I may not have liked everything he did but I stand by him.
Don't be a hypocrite!
Again (and I will keep saying this) for all y'all that voted for BHO, I hope you will stand by him when he starts implementing his policies. I know who some of you are and I will keep tabs on you just to make sure that you are true to your candidate. God knows I stood by GWB during his two terms. I may not have liked everything he did but I stand by him.
Don't be a hypocrite!
The Report
Well, the doctors office just called and all my blood work was normal. No thyroid or prostate issues and no cancers that they know of.
I then asked about my cholesterol and I was told my total was 199, which is good because it is below 200. The break down was:
Triglycerides (good cholesterol) - 135, which is in the good range
LDL (bad cholesterol) - 119, which is borderline.
They want to wait a year and take it again to see if my LDL goes up, stays the same, or goes down. My diet is already pretty low in cholesterol and I have a feeling that it is mostly hereditary. If it goes up any, they will consider putting me on drugs to lower it. My doc knows I am no a big fan of taking drugs so anything I have to take long term will be new for me. However I am not going to fret...I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
I then asked about my cholesterol and I was told my total was 199, which is good because it is below 200. The break down was:
Triglycerides (good cholesterol) - 135, which is in the good range
LDL (bad cholesterol) - 119, which is borderline.
They want to wait a year and take it again to see if my LDL goes up, stays the same, or goes down. My diet is already pretty low in cholesterol and I have a feeling that it is mostly hereditary. If it goes up any, they will consider putting me on drugs to lower it. My doc knows I am no a big fan of taking drugs so anything I have to take long term will be new for me. However I am not going to fret...I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Omnivore
You know the routine...post this list and bold what you've eaten. I am borrowing this from Spork who shamelessly lifted it from Ellie Mae...
If I counted correctly I got a 51.
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese - I bought some once, but couldn't make myself taste it!
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips - but I don't see the point
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Har
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
If I counted correctly I got a 51.
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese - I bought some once, but couldn't make myself taste it!
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips - but I don't see the point
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Har
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Es'plain This To Me
I read on Foxnews that there is a ad campaign that has me a bit miffed. It is from Why Believe In A God Dot Org and the reason I am miffed may not be what you think.
Here is a link to the ad. I am not upset that they are telling people they don't have to believe in "a god" (personally I believe in THE GOD, but I understand that I am biased...) but the tag line, "just be good for goodness sake" as me bothered. How should a person define "good"? Wordnet has a great listing for good, but is that really what the ad is asking us to do?
I am not smart enough nor do I have the time to postulate on all the details so I will just leave it at that. Before anything can be defined, you have to have a benchmark. Also if you can do good, then you have the ability to do evil and again, how is that defined?
The web site is pretty clear that we should not have ethics or values set in stone but we must remember that morals and ethics are not the same. Look them up.
Here is a link to the ad. I am not upset that they are telling people they don't have to believe in "a god" (personally I believe in THE GOD, but I understand that I am biased...) but the tag line, "just be good for goodness sake" as me bothered. How should a person define "good"? Wordnet has a great listing for good, but is that really what the ad is asking us to do?
I am not smart enough nor do I have the time to postulate on all the details so I will just leave it at that. Before anything can be defined, you have to have a benchmark. Also if you can do good, then you have the ability to do evil and again, how is that defined?
The web site is pretty clear that we should not have ethics or values set in stone but we must remember that morals and ethics are not the same. Look them up.
Tub Of Lard
Part of the signing up for benefits at work is getting a "health coach" from WebMD (this whole process saves me $300 a year on my medical bennies...whoo hoo!). While I am in pretty good shape (not Sig9 good, but not bad for a 43 y/o who has had some minor back surgery) I knew exercise and diet were some things I needed to work on. So I signed up, got my $300 benefit bonus bucks, and let the "Health Coach" (who I was told by the CS rep, had a "Mastorate"...I am not a smart man and I had not heard of that term before....Mastors, yes, Doctorate, yes, Mastorate, no) call me. We discussed my eating and exercise habits and found out...surprise - I am "fat", or overweight by about 15 pounds.
Most people who see me full clothed (read: EVERYONE but my wife and doc) had no idea that my 5'10" frame carried around about 190 pounds. While I am no Adonis, I am somewhat muscled in the upper body and legs. However when the shirt comes of, the first thing you notice is my "ice cream gut"...which is where those 15 pounds are hiding.
The health coach told me to keep a food and and exercise diary to help me get a handle on my eating habits and since I had a physical yesterday, I figured yesterday was a good day to start. So, I started filling in the health journal WebMD mailed me and was off.
Later that day while searching for the number of calories in a 3 ounce portion of Perch, I found The Daily Plate at livestrong.com . Not only does it have lists of foods by their name brand, but it also has many restaurant menus listed. Being rather curious, I signed up for a free account and started logging my food from yesterday. After entering in some info on my height, weight, and weight loss goals, I was informed I could eat about 2200 calories a day if I wanted to lose one pound a week. Since I am a slow and steady kinda guy, that is the plan I selected.
Yesterday I clocked in just at the total number of calories allowed and still lose my pound this week. I was about 50% higher than recommended in levels of sodium and 8% too high in fat. Everything else was good. This looks like a nice tool to help track my weight lose.
I won't know the results of my physical until the blood work comes back but my guess is that my cholesterol will be a bit high...everyone in my family seems to battle that although my blood pressure was in the "normal" range.
Most people who see me full clothed (read: EVERYONE but my wife and doc) had no idea that my 5'10" frame carried around about 190 pounds. While I am no Adonis, I am somewhat muscled in the upper body and legs. However when the shirt comes of, the first thing you notice is my "ice cream gut"...which is where those 15 pounds are hiding.
The health coach told me to keep a food and and exercise diary to help me get a handle on my eating habits and since I had a physical yesterday, I figured yesterday was a good day to start. So, I started filling in the health journal WebMD mailed me and was off.
Later that day while searching for the number of calories in a 3 ounce portion of Perch, I found The Daily Plate at livestrong.com . Not only does it have lists of foods by their name brand, but it also has many restaurant menus listed. Being rather curious, I signed up for a free account and started logging my food from yesterday. After entering in some info on my height, weight, and weight loss goals, I was informed I could eat about 2200 calories a day if I wanted to lose one pound a week. Since I am a slow and steady kinda guy, that is the plan I selected.
Yesterday I clocked in just at the total number of calories allowed and still lose my pound this week. I was about 50% higher than recommended in levels of sodium and 8% too high in fat. Everything else was good. This looks like a nice tool to help track my weight lose.
I won't know the results of my physical until the blood work comes back but my guess is that my cholesterol will be a bit high...everyone in my family seems to battle that although my blood pressure was in the "normal" range.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Do They Really Deserve It?
Reports are streaming out of the news agencies that a top priority for the Obama camp is "to work on policies to help the stricken US auto industry adjust to the economic crisis." (quote taken from breitbart.com). Why?
Why must the American taxpayers give money to those who ventured into capitalism and are failing? Why reward good behavior? Also on the list is helping those with upside down mortgages. Again, why? An upside down mortgage only hurts if the person is trying to sell. Why does this person need help? Owning a home used to be "the American dream", but now it is viewed as a right. If you bought beyond your means, then I think you need to reflect on what you are doing. This country has become too entrenched in credit. Now I understand mortgages to buy homes and I can even see loans to by cars but America is addicted to credit cards.
"Come on El Gee, you have credit cards." Yes I do. I have one that I use for online purchases which is paid off each month and I am also paying off one that we got carried away on but other than the $2000 I owe on that one card and our mortgage, we have no debt (except for a hospital bill for my wife's thyroidectomy a few months ago).
"AHA! See, you have debt and part of it is medical. If we had a socialized medical system then you would not owe on it at all."
Wrong. Had we been on socialized medicine, my wife would not have been given the surgery and while the details are personal, lets say that had it not been for her PAC (Physicians Assistant, Certified) being very curious then the surgery would not have happened at all.
I have a real problem with the stimulus packages and bailouts that have been granted and that are proposed. It just seems to me that we are rewarding bad behavior and bad business choices. Using the logic that our federal government is using I should go out and start a business and when it fails, expect the fed to bail me out. How ludicrous!
I am not going to jump on the anti-Obama train because after re-reading my history I learned a lot about the great depression and how we are mirroring it to some degree right now. FDR did some radical things that were viewed as "socialist" at the time and this country survived, even flourished. Obama and the democrats are looking to head down the FDR road and I cannot say that I blame them, but I can say that I really do not like where that road leads.
This country is in a bit of a mess. We have allowed greed to overwhelm us and cloud our thinking. We have become excessively greedy and I am afraid that it has really hurt us this time.
America, pray for our leaders. Pray for our country. Pray for Jesus to come quickly. And if you do not know Jesus as your personal savior, then please search your heart and accept him. He knocks, will you answer?
Why must the American taxpayers give money to those who ventured into capitalism and are failing? Why reward good behavior? Also on the list is helping those with upside down mortgages. Again, why? An upside down mortgage only hurts if the person is trying to sell. Why does this person need help? Owning a home used to be "the American dream", but now it is viewed as a right. If you bought beyond your means, then I think you need to reflect on what you are doing. This country has become too entrenched in credit. Now I understand mortgages to buy homes and I can even see loans to by cars but America is addicted to credit cards.
"Come on El Gee, you have credit cards." Yes I do. I have one that I use for online purchases which is paid off each month and I am also paying off one that we got carried away on but other than the $2000 I owe on that one card and our mortgage, we have no debt (except for a hospital bill for my wife's thyroidectomy a few months ago).
"AHA! See, you have debt and part of it is medical. If we had a socialized medical system then you would not owe on it at all."
Wrong. Had we been on socialized medicine, my wife would not have been given the surgery and while the details are personal, lets say that had it not been for her PAC (Physicians Assistant, Certified) being very curious then the surgery would not have happened at all.
I have a real problem with the stimulus packages and bailouts that have been granted and that are proposed. It just seems to me that we are rewarding bad behavior and bad business choices. Using the logic that our federal government is using I should go out and start a business and when it fails, expect the fed to bail me out. How ludicrous!
I am not going to jump on the anti-Obama train because after re-reading my history I learned a lot about the great depression and how we are mirroring it to some degree right now. FDR did some radical things that were viewed as "socialist" at the time and this country survived, even flourished. Obama and the democrats are looking to head down the FDR road and I cannot say that I blame them, but I can say that I really do not like where that road leads.
This country is in a bit of a mess. We have allowed greed to overwhelm us and cloud our thinking. We have become excessively greedy and I am afraid that it has really hurt us this time.
America, pray for our leaders. Pray for our country. Pray for Jesus to come quickly. And if you do not know Jesus as your personal savior, then please search your heart and accept him. He knocks, will you answer?
Friday, November 07, 2008
It Is Getting Ugly
I will be quite honest and admit that I am not happy about the results of the elections but I refuse to disrespect the president elect Obama. I may not respect him, but I will respect the office.
I am really disappointed in many comments left on the conservative blogs this morning. I am also disappointed in the proliferation of "My President Is Black" mementos that are for sale online. Had I wore a shirt that says "My President Is White", then someone would have called me a racist.
People, this is not the time to fight with each other. This is EXACTLY what the Enemy wants us to do. All the Devil can do is lie and that is what he is doing right now. White or Black, we need to stand together and get over our differences.
Barack Obama, I implore you to bring this nation together. We are becoming more polarized each and every day.
Conservative bloggers, stop feeding the fire. Show the world who is "the bigger man".
I am really disappointed in many comments left on the conservative blogs this morning. I am also disappointed in the proliferation of "My President Is Black" mementos that are for sale online. Had I wore a shirt that says "My President Is White", then someone would have called me a racist.
People, this is not the time to fight with each other. This is EXACTLY what the Enemy wants us to do. All the Devil can do is lie and that is what he is doing right now. White or Black, we need to stand together and get over our differences.
Barack Obama, I implore you to bring this nation together. We are becoming more polarized each and every day.
Conservative bloggers, stop feeding the fire. Show the world who is "the bigger man".
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
OMG, Now What?
I have been reading a lot of news sites/blogs this morning, trying to get a spin on what they are feeling and I am proud to see that while they are disappointed, they are not sore losers.
Many people are asking, "What now?" My answer, which is the same as the other conservatives, is "keep fighting the good fight". Fight for what you believe in, support the officials you elected, keep writing your congressmen and representatives, and mostly, RESPECT the OFFICE of the president.
We cannot afford to lick our wounds, pout, cry, or withdraw. This is the time America needs to stand together. If things "go to hell in a handbasket", we dare not shout to all the liberals, "WE TOLD YOU SO!!!!" As much as it would be liberating, it would be the wrong thing to do.
As I have mentioned, I voted Baldwin/Castle (and I still need to see how they did) so I was going to be disappointed either way, but I am happy to see that it looks like record numbers of voters turned out this year. That is a POSITIVE THING. More people need to vote.
The reality that we have proven that a man of color can run and be elected to the highest post in the USA is reassuring. This truly is a great nation and can remain that way if we all work together. Black or white, we are all Americans.
There is one thing that puzzles me. Why is the world so interested in our elections? They don't want to live here and they have no direct connection with our government. Americans don't fret over who the next king or queen of Europialand is (although we do take a mild interest when a communist government becomes a democratic or socialist one) and we shouldn't. Alas, I digres.
America, your change is coming. You have a mostly democratic government now and your ideas will have an easier time to be passed into laws. Make the most of this time. Prove all the Independents and Republicans wrong...show them that BHO is the man and the liberal Congress is right. I will be glad to admit that I am wrong, but I have a funny feeling that I won't have to.
One other thing. When things don't turn out the way you wanted them to, don't start blaming the Bush Administration. We were not allowed to do that with Clinton and Carter, so you don't get a free pass, either.
The democratic process has been used and we have seen a changing of the guard. I am glad the race is overwith and patiently wait until January when BHO takes office. I am interested in seeing who he appoints and what his first actions are.
Many people are asking, "What now?" My answer, which is the same as the other conservatives, is "keep fighting the good fight". Fight for what you believe in, support the officials you elected, keep writing your congressmen and representatives, and mostly, RESPECT the OFFICE of the president.
We cannot afford to lick our wounds, pout, cry, or withdraw. This is the time America needs to stand together. If things "go to hell in a handbasket", we dare not shout to all the liberals, "WE TOLD YOU SO!!!!" As much as it would be liberating, it would be the wrong thing to do.
As I have mentioned, I voted Baldwin/Castle (and I still need to see how they did) so I was going to be disappointed either way, but I am happy to see that it looks like record numbers of voters turned out this year. That is a POSITIVE THING. More people need to vote.
The reality that we have proven that a man of color can run and be elected to the highest post in the USA is reassuring. This truly is a great nation and can remain that way if we all work together. Black or white, we are all Americans.
There is one thing that puzzles me. Why is the world so interested in our elections? They don't want to live here and they have no direct connection with our government. Americans don't fret over who the next king or queen of Europialand is (although we do take a mild interest when a communist government becomes a democratic or socialist one) and we shouldn't. Alas, I digres.
America, your change is coming. You have a mostly democratic government now and your ideas will have an easier time to be passed into laws. Make the most of this time. Prove all the Independents and Republicans wrong...show them that BHO is the man and the liberal Congress is right. I will be glad to admit that I am wrong, but I have a funny feeling that I won't have to.
One other thing. When things don't turn out the way you wanted them to, don't start blaming the Bush Administration. We were not allowed to do that with Clinton and Carter, so you don't get a free pass, either.
The democratic process has been used and we have seen a changing of the guard. I am glad the race is overwith and patiently wait until January when BHO takes office. I am interested in seeing who he appoints and what his first actions are.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Busy Week
Last week was rather busy for me. Not only was work busy but home/church life was rather busy as well. I had a meeting on Monday night, two meetings and corporate prayer on Tuesday, Care Group on Wednesday, fix a friend's computer on Thursday, Church Work Day on Saturday, Teach Sunday School on Sunday and I still had to prepare the lesson at some point...WOW!
While I was tired, I did manage (with God's help) to get it all done. I still managed to go out on Sunday and do a little geocaching, although it was not overly memorable. I am just trying to get to my goal of 1000 caches by the the end of 2008. I have 138 to go and not a lot of free weekends to do it in. Wish me luck.
This week does not look quite as bad, but I am on call. I was supposed to be at two meetings last night at church but I had to cancel because I was working on a call. To my knowledge there is nothing planned for tonight and we have care group on Wednesday.
Most of the meetings at church are geared around our financial situation. We have a lot of things that we have to consider and the decisions are not ones to be made lightly. Pray for us as we try to do God's will.
While I was tired, I did manage (with God's help) to get it all done. I still managed to go out on Sunday and do a little geocaching, although it was not overly memorable. I am just trying to get to my goal of 1000 caches by the the end of 2008. I have 138 to go and not a lot of free weekends to do it in. Wish me luck.
This week does not look quite as bad, but I am on call. I was supposed to be at two meetings last night at church but I had to cancel because I was working on a call. To my knowledge there is nothing planned for tonight and we have care group on Wednesday.
Most of the meetings at church are geared around our financial situation. We have a lot of things that we have to consider and the decisions are not ones to be made lightly. Pray for us as we try to do God's will.
A Tale Of Two Installs
Ubuntu Linux released version 8.10, aka "Intrepid Ibex" last week. I have been a faithful Ubuntu user since lat 2004 when I installed it on an older 400 mhz sandbox I had. It did not take too long for me to duel boot that and WinXp on my main PC, a P4, 3 ghz, Nvidia 5600 video card home built unit with Ubuntu being the OS of choice.
I have only done a complete reinstall a couple of times and those were mostly due to upgrade failures...I am not sure which version but one of them failed horribly on most of my upgrades (both home and work). I have been very pleased with the free OS from Canonical. It has been stable and performed very well in the Windows-centric world we live in.
I have faithfully upgraded to each new version with only a couple of failures along the way...not bad for seven to eight upgrades. On Saturday I upgraded my loaner laptop from work, an HP NC-6000 with an ATI Mobile Radeon 9600 graphics card, 1 gig of RAM, and a 1.5 ghz processor. It was formally my work laptop until the handware refresh a few months ago and it served me well for 3+ years.
The install went smoothly, albeit slowly (the download speeds were bouncing up and down a lot) so it took about 3 hours to download, install, and configure the laptop before I considered it finished. Outside of the length of time it took to get the upgrade complete, my only complaint was the video. I kept getting an error telling me that it was going to default to generic video settings. I fought with it for a while before I managed to find this link that explained and helped me out. A few minutes later and I was back in business with the open source drivers and the laptop was "good to go". Well, there was one small issue. Since I was wireless when I did the upgrade, I was knocked offline and forced to enter the WEP info again. I was glad I had it memorized.
On Sunday, I decided to upgrade my dual boot "main" PC to 8.10. After my experiences with th laptop, I was a little nervous, but I knew that there was little I could not fix if I set my mind to it.
As before, the download took a long time but the installing and configuring went much faster since the P4 was faster than the mobile centrino processor in the laptop. Once the configuring was done, I rebooted and BINGO, the machine was back up and running.
So, what do I think? Not much difference so far. No problems or crashes to report. I will have more to report later.
BTW, 8.04 will not prompt you to upgrade to 8.10 unless you tell it to (System | Administration | Software Sources | Updates | Normal Releases).
I have only done a complete reinstall a couple of times and those were mostly due to upgrade failures...I am not sure which version but one of them failed horribly on most of my upgrades (both home and work). I have been very pleased with the free OS from Canonical. It has been stable and performed very well in the Windows-centric world we live in.
I have faithfully upgraded to each new version with only a couple of failures along the way...not bad for seven to eight upgrades. On Saturday I upgraded my loaner laptop from work, an HP NC-6000 with an ATI Mobile Radeon 9600 graphics card, 1 gig of RAM, and a 1.5 ghz processor. It was formally my work laptop until the handware refresh a few months ago and it served me well for 3+ years.
The install went smoothly, albeit slowly (the download speeds were bouncing up and down a lot) so it took about 3 hours to download, install, and configure the laptop before I considered it finished. Outside of the length of time it took to get the upgrade complete, my only complaint was the video. I kept getting an error telling me that it was going to default to generic video settings. I fought with it for a while before I managed to find this link that explained and helped me out. A few minutes later and I was back in business with the open source drivers and the laptop was "good to go". Well, there was one small issue. Since I was wireless when I did the upgrade, I was knocked offline and forced to enter the WEP info again. I was glad I had it memorized.
On Sunday, I decided to upgrade my dual boot "main" PC to 8.10. After my experiences with th laptop, I was a little nervous, but I knew that there was little I could not fix if I set my mind to it.
As before, the download took a long time but the installing and configuring went much faster since the P4 was faster than the mobile centrino processor in the laptop. Once the configuring was done, I rebooted and BINGO, the machine was back up and running.
So, what do I think? Not much difference so far. No problems or crashes to report. I will have more to report later.
BTW, 8.04 will not prompt you to upgrade to 8.10 unless you tell it to (System | Administration | Software Sources | Updates | Normal Releases).
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