AdSense

I decided to sign up for AdSense, a Google ad program which can make me RICH!!!

Actually, I signed up to see what type ads were "targeted" for my site.  Since I have little idea what this Blog is about, I thought that it would be nice to see what I am about!

I can get rid of it if it is too whatever, so it seems safe to me. (At the side of the blog).

RICH (adj) Holding in trust and subject to an accounting the property of the indolent, the incompetent, the unthrifty, the envious and the luckless. That is the view that prevails in the underworld, where the Brotherhood of Man finds its most logical development and candid advocacy. To denizens of the midworld the word means good and wise.(The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce)

Vote Fraud

I'm glad Obama won by as much as he did. There is a democratic organization ACORN (I know it claims to be non-partisan),which committed numerous illegal/questionable activities; registering dead people, using the phone book to register names, signed up people more than once and even paid off registrants, using phony addresses, etc. I was worried that Obama might steal the election, but he did not.

In WA (last election), the GOP candidate for governor won & won the first 2 recounts, but after the 3rd which put the DEM ahead the counting stopped. There were numerous ballets that mysteriously showed up showing the DEM was the vote getter. The WA governor is the one that put the atheist display near the Christian one at the state capital.

In MN, the same sort of dirty tricks are putting the DEM candidate AL Franken ahead by a few dozen votes. The GOP candidate won by a few thousand votes election day but now the mysterious votes are showing up again.

I don't know if GOP are just not as dirty or not as dedicated. I do tend to read/visit conservative blogs/sites so don't know of the GOP dirty tricks if any.

One thing that makes this country great is the free & above board elections. People might make ridiculous (according to me the final arbitrator) choices but at least then we get what we deserve.

fraud (n) : deceit; trickery; cheating; Law intentional deception to cause a person to give up property or some lawful right; something said or done to deceive; trick; artifice; a person who deceives or who is not what he or she pretends to be; impostor; cheat

Blessed Christmas

Blessed Christmas to All!

Last night we had our Christmas eve service at 2200; I love Christmas; we sang almost all of my favorite hymns and read the Christmas story.  This is what Christmas is about!  The Birth of our Savior!

Necessity

My daughter was talking about necessity in her blog.  In particular that some say (not her) cable is a necessity.

How many other things are considered necessities but are not?

New car - even though the old one runs fine & would save you $20-30K; new clothes; a new computer (my own fault) - even though all you use it for is email & surfing; etc.

It is like the difference between needs & wants.  Many people confuse them.  Needs like food, shelter, companionship, water; wants like the above "necessities".  When we are young we express most everything as a need; hopefully as we grow older (and hopefully wiser) we recognize the difference.

Reminds me of a Money magazine article that I read long ago.  It was examining the finances of a young family.  The wife "needed" to work to pay the bills.  The magazine added up the extra clothes, transportation, child care, eating out, taxes, etc that were required to allow the wife to work.  In this particular case (not all couples would be like this one) the extra money that the wife's working brought in was basically nothing.  What they thought of as a necessity was not!

ne·ces·sity (n) anything that is inevitable, unavoidable, etc. as a result of natural law; that which is necessary in natural sequence; the compulsion or constraint of man-made circumstances, habit, custom, law, etc.; logical or moral conditions making certain actions inevitable or obligatory; something that cannot be done without; necessary thing: often used in pl.

Charity

I give to various charities, not a great amount but something.  I try to give to organizations that don't spend more than a total of 20% on admin and fund raising.  It seems that Church oriented organizations spend the least on these items (LSSI, Catholic Charities).  I wonder if we used these organizations would our taxes go down (maybe the hated Bush's faith based initiative was a good idea); the government spends at least 40% on overhead.

We give to a few Church organizations, the Salvation Army, the shelter where we got our dog, & some environmental ones.

I really like groups that spend their (our) money for the stated purpose. The Nature Conservancy is one of my favorite conservation groups.  They use the money to buy land to save areas or creatures; they don't spend their money suing us (US Government).

char·i·ty (n): 1. Provision of help or relief to the poor; almsgiving. 2. Something given to help the needy; alms. 3. An institution, organization, or fund established to help the needy. 4. Benevolence or generosity toward others or toward humanity. 5. Indulgence or forbearance in judging others.  6. often Charity Christianity The theological virtue defined as love directed first toward God but also toward oneself and one's neighbors as objects of God's love.

TV

I watch a lot of TV.  On Monday we watch Chuck, Tuesday: House & Eli Stone, Wednesday: Bones, one of us Private Practice other Life, Thursday: Grey's Anatomy  & I watch The Unit on line.  I like the fact that most of the major networks have show on line, if we miss one we can catch it there.  We often record the shows to watch later since it seems that one or the other of us is out.

My favorite shows are mainly old shows like Scarecrow & Mrs King, The Pretender, Remington Steele, Gilmore Girls, MacGyver,  Newhart, & Due South.  A perfect show would have some sexual tension between the male & female leads (not consummated), humor, quirky minor characters, & action.

Interesting the only show that has all of them is Chuck.  Usually the shows that I like are not that popular and are cancelled.  I don't like reality shows in general.  I can not understand why anyone would care who a bachelor would pick out of a bunch of gold digger girls or who wants to watch anyone lose weight.

REALITY (n)The dream of a mad philosopher. That which would remain in the cupel if one should assay a phantom. The nucleus of a vacuum (The Devil's Dictionary Ambrose Bierce)

If you say it enough times…

It seems if you say it enough times it becomes the truth.

Obama, who had much more campaign money than McCain, was able to say many, many times things that weren't true like that McCain was against stem cell research which wasn't true he was against embryonic cell research. But if you ask the average person if McCain was for stem cell research the person would say NO! I'm sure if McCain had more money he would have used the same tactics

Global Warming is another say it enough… Al Gore (the inventor of the internet) has said many many times that Global Warming is a fact that there is no more debate; it may be true but there are numerous scientists that feel that it is merely normal temperature variations.

Why do we believe something merely because it is repeated numerous times or if a celebrity spouts it? Is it because we are too lazy to research data ourselves? The internet allows us to see many contradictory views. The main street media tends to have a bias so we learn good things about their candidate & bad about his opponent; ditto their pet theories.

I once heard that college isn't to learn a specific set of facts but to learn to learn! We should put to use our brains not just our ears!

truth (n) 1. Conformity to fact or actuality. 2. A statement proven to be or accepted as true. 3. Sincerity; integrity. 4. Fidelity to an original or standard. 5a. Reality; actuality. b. often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.

Snow Joy

I have noticed my posts have not been as positive as my actual life is!

Today, Frisbit, my wife & I went for a walk in the snow. We had about 2-3" & it was still coming down, our street had not been plowed yet. It is so pretty when it snows and everything is covered by a white coat. My wife & I love the snow. When we got home there was snow all over us; Frisbit everywhere, Mary on her coat, hair, slacks, boots, me the same plus some in my beard.

Christmas is a season for rejoicing, the birth of our Savior. I have a beautiful, intelligent wife; 2 grown children who are healthy & smart with wonderful spouses, a son in Heaven, plus 5 grandsons who are bright & healthy & active. My life has been truly blessed.

blessed(adj) 1 a: held in reverence b: honored in worship 2: of or enjoying happiness ; specifically : enjoying the bliss of heaven 3: bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune

Dog Walk Thoughts

I was trying to get Frisbit (our dog, his picture above is many years ago, he is over 11 years old now) to understand cause & effect.  He would go into the snow and get snow in his paws which caused him to limp, I would then clean his paw and he would stop limping.  I explained to him that if he stayed on the road or sidewalk he wouldn't get more snow in his paws & start limping.  He would look at me & then go into the deep snow and we would start all over again!

We walked in a new sub-division this morning, with expensive houses (to me at least, $250-350K when first bought).  I am cheap.  I always tried to spend less than we made.  Our kids did not have all the trinkets of their friends  but they did have money for college.  We bought a house we could afford, our cars lasted usually 10-12 years, our present car is 9 yrs. old.  So when I see all the bailouts, that are mainly due to spending more than you have or buying things you can't afford, I get upset  

 During the dog walk (in my coat, sweatshirt, knit cap, gloves & boots) I saw a young teenager in a hoodie, no coat, no gloves waiting for the school bus.  It seems colder now than when we were kids, we grew up in MI so the temperatures are basically the same.  We (men mainly retired) were talking in the YMCA locker room the other morning that as kids we were never too cold, we had snowball fights, sledding, ice skating, etc. but now we complain all the time about the cold. 

cheap (adj) deserving of scorn; contemptible made cheap by their own behavior
INFORMAL stingy; niggardly

Misc Thoughts

Reading my kids' blogs, I see these long coherent paragraphs well thought out with an elegant writing style, then I reread mine! It is good to have kids eclipse their parents (actually just their dad, there mother is also brilliant like them).

We hooked up the digital to analog converter today to see if it worked (we are dinosaurs without cable [or air conditioning either]). And behold there are extra channels out there hidden from mere mortals! One problem with digital reception using an outdoor antenna is the crazy mosaic that occurs every once in a while. I pointed this out to my wife on a picture at WalMart, she remarked about why the government thinks this is better.

My spelling is getting worse & wosre! Thank goodness for the computer spell checking (of course the numerous internet humorous letters which get past spell checking do give one pause). Just think how intelligible my ravings would be; I just type close to the spelling & it gets underlined in red, a little cntl-click or correct button on the mouse & there are options that many times include the correct spelling (some examples from above include "intelligible" & "brilliant"). I wonder if my GrandKids will even have to learn to spell!

mis·cel·la·ne·ous (adj) : consisting or formed of various kinds; varied; mixed a box of miscellaneous candies; having various qualities, abilities, etc.; many-sided

Guilt

At our Church (Trinity United Lutheran Church), I run / created our website, lead two Bible studies (Tuesday morn & early Sunday morning), lead an after Church Bible studies ( so far on Daniel & Revelations basically 2 per month), & try to sing in the choir (I'm in the choir but don't have the best voice or musical attitude) and do a few minor things here & there.

I feel guilty because there are so many other people who seem to do so much more (we have a small congregation in a large beautiful Church building).

I've been asked to be on the Church council (12 members [wonder where that number came from]) and have refused to do it.

Personally I think I would not be good there since I don't like working in groups (must be my military training) & those who know me can testify I can be a real pain in the neck with my strong opinions.

The study today was on Mary mother of Jesus & how she took on a great duty when she was a young girl; how she said "may it be done to me according to your word" or "“Let it be with me according to your word”(Luke 1:38 NASB/NRSV).

So I feel guilty!

guilt (n) the state of having done a wrong or committed an offense; culpability, legal or ethical;  a painful feeling of self-reproach resulting from a belief that one has done something wrong or immoral

Book of Daniel

The Bible Book of Daniel is a great book.  I'm surprised a movie hasn't been made about it.  In the first chapter Dan (for short) is taken from Israel & trained up to be a Babylonian bureaucrat, he won't eat the unclean meat & wine from his rulers and strikes a deal that let him & his buddies try a vegetarian diet and see who is fitter.  Turns out Dan & Friends are.

Chapter 2 has Nebuchadnezzar threatening to kill all his wise men (including Dan & Friends) if they don't tell him his dream AND its meaning.  Dan does it with God's help.

Chap 3 we meet Dan's friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (which are their Babylonian names, Dan's was Belteshazzar, the others were Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-nego) who don't bow to the Golden statue & end up in the fire (literally), a neat thing some of poor soldiers who put them in were killed by the fire.  They survived with God's help.

Chap 4 has another dream & a mad Nebuchadnezzar, Chap 5 has the "writing on the wall". Chap 6 is the famous Lion's Den.  Chapters 7-12 have to do with various visions, much of John's Revelation is previewed in Daniel.

I guess too much God for Hollywood, I remember all the great religious movies of my youth like 10 Commandments, Samson & Delilah,etc. I guess remaking old movies not as well is their speed.

But if you get a chance read or reread Daniel. Between Ezekiel & Hosea in the Bible about 3/4 of the way thru the Old Testament.

ve·he·ment (adj) acting or moving with great force; violent; impetuous having or characterized by intense feeling or strong passion; fervent, impassioned, etc.

National Debt

An interesting site is  http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/ which shows the national debt up to day. When I looked (12/15/08 @ 0830 CST) it was $10,611,236,421,496.46 or approx. $34,759.12 per person. The official site is http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/NPGateway.

Of course, it will be accelerating with all the bailouts, it's a good thing that Obama complained about how high our deficit was & will wave the magic wand & make the rich pay it down!

irrational (adj) lacking the power to reason contrary to reason; senseless; unreasonable; absurd

Fan

I was raised in MI so I am a Detroit fan.  The Lions are working on a 0-16 record, my Pistons got Allen Iverson & now have a losing record with him, the Tigers were horrible last year after picking up Miguel Cabrera; the only bright spot is the Red Wings which won it all last year & are in first place in their division this year.

I find that playing fantasy sports is easier than being a Detroit fan.  Even if Detroit loses, at least Calvin Johnson scores a TD & has 90 yds. receiving (15 pts.).  I wonder if most fantasy sports players have bad real teams.

I use to get upset if my teams lost.  Is it getting older & mellower that allows me to approach losing with more dignity / apathy?

raving (noun) Date:14th century: irrational, incoherent, wild, or extravagant utterance or declamation —usually used in plural

Bailouts

305,858,630 is an estimate of the population of the USA. Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bailout could reach 100 billion dollars. Auto bailout could reach around 59 billion dollars. Financial bailout could cost 1,000 billion dollars. AIG bailout could reach 150 billion dollars.

Let's assume the rest of the bailouts (States, newspapers, favorite industry,etc.) is only another 15 billion.  That makes 1324 billion dollars or $4,328.8/ person of course since we don't have the money we have to "borrow" it @ 5-8% per year.

The latest bailout is of course the auto industry.  My wife & I come from Michigan where the auto industry is the major employer & we have relatives who are retired from GM.  The conservative in me does not want to give these companies the money to build cars that most people don't want but the Christian side of me does not want put people out of work.

In general I am against bailouts since I don't want my grandkids to have to pay for our excesses.  The capitalist system tends to work best without government intervention. 

I am also afraid of a society that can not make mistakes & pay for experience, some times I feel that the voters voted for the president elect since they want others to pay for them.  I saw a cartoon that had a couple getting a mortgage payment & saying it must have been mailed before the election.  There was a YouTube video showing a woman wanting Obama so her mortgage & other bills would be paid.

I am rereading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand & worrying that it is happening per the book.

Rant to speak or declaim extravagantly or violently; talk in a wild or vehement way

Start of Personal Blog

Welcome to my ravings.  

Every once awhile I have some thoughts & since the internet is fairly anonymous  why not share them with others?

I write the TULC blog for our Church site (Trinity United Lutheran Church in Waukegan,IL) which not a good place for my ravings so this is it!