Associated Press reports that U.S. Special Inspector
General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart W. Bowen Jr. called "a summer of
uncertainty" in Baghdad over whether American forces will stay past a
year-end withdrawal deadline and continue military aid for the unstable
nation. Iraq is more deadly now than a year ago in a 172-page report.
AP notes, "The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction report can be found at http://www.sigir.mil/ "
There are two basic reasons for the increased hostilities in Iraq from the insurgents. 1.) They are incredibly stupid in trying to force out the military by the December deadline. OR 2.) They are blind to the possibilities of an American-free Iraq.
All they have to do is sit tight for a few months, focus their terrorism in another place and do the slight of hand trick then Obama will look through the TV screen at millions of Americans saying, "I told you so." After December, they can overrun Iraq and take it back from the now freedom loving people of Iraq.
The plan is for the U.S. Embassy to take over training 400,000 Iraqi police after the military leaves. Hmmm, I wonder how that is going to work for them and for us. Not well, I'm positive.
If the Iraqi people truly want to continue with free elections, and live free then they need to hire some of the best S.W.A.T team trainers, and Special Forces black ops trainers to get serious about handcuffing insurgents from creating all this turmoil. It seems to me that 400,000 Navy SEALS and/or Army Rangers can whip the insurgents spoiling their most devious plans. The key, of course, is making sure the 400,000 are freedom lovers and not insurgent spies.
That's in an ideal world.
It seems the days of $900 toilet seats is still plaguing the U.S. Taxpayer in the form of a company called Anham, LLC who has charged the military $900 for a $7.05 switch; and charged $3,000 for a $183 circuit breaker. They say they have saved the federal government $132 million, but their contracts total in the billions. I'm definitely in the wrong business, how about you?
Stewardship falls on the shoulders of this Fat U.S. government, but he is so fat he can't bend over and tie his shoes. He's so fat, his waste is burying the taxpayer to the point of asphyxiation.
Q4You -- So, just for grins, what would your plan be for Iraq?
Quality of by gones...
I took speed reading when I was in the 5th and 6th grades. Eventually, I was reading two hundred words a minute with a 99% comprehension. For a 6th grader that is truly fast reading, not as fast as Dr. Reed on Criminal Minds but fast. That is how I was able to read two or three books in a week during the summer.
Today, I have the whole of the internet for my reading pleasure but I find it doesn't give me nearly the satisfaction that the books I used to read gave me. I have my Kindle and have downloaded all of Georgette Heyer's works that I can find in ebook format, even one that she had cancelled the publishing contract on Beauvalet.
The kinds of books ranged from drama, suspense, western, mystery, historical, romance, and a lot of the classics like Michael Strogoff, Jane Eyre, Tess of the du Bervilles, Madame Bovary, Ivanhoe, Scarlett Pimpernel to name just a few.
The quality was superb. I remained riveted to the pages until the wee hours of the mornings and sometimes I was still reading when the sun rose behind the trees outside my window. Enthralling and gripping are words that can only mildly describe stories like The Count of Monte Christo, and Gone With The Wind. Some might think those stories are far to advanced for a thirteen year old to read, but I do beg to differ on that score.
One only need read my blog Upon Reflection to recognize my disenchantment with most of the books being stacked on bookstore shelves these days. How is it that it is so difficult to acquire an agent, so nearly impossible to get a work published these days and still we consumers are offered things with barely a quarter of the quality of Pride and Prejudice? You do know that some enterprising young author updated that particular work of art, gave it a different name and attached his own to the manuscript sending it in with a kiss on the envelope. He received a note back saying the quality of the work was substandard and the storyline was unrealistic and unbelievable. I shudder.
I think it must be the fault of the consumer. If we would quit buying the unacceptable quality, then perhaps the publishers would get the message that we want more authors like Alexander Dumas to be published. Oh, they are out there. I've read good quality stuff on many blogs around the Net. Who is the next Charlotte Bronte? Where is the next Alistair McLean? I want more P.G. Wodehouse.
Q4You: What was your favorite book and why? And, is there a contemporary author that you think equals the quality of that old book?
Today, I have the whole of the internet for my reading pleasure but I find it doesn't give me nearly the satisfaction that the books I used to read gave me. I have my Kindle and have downloaded all of Georgette Heyer's works that I can find in ebook format, even one that she had cancelled the publishing contract on Beauvalet.
The kinds of books ranged from drama, suspense, western, mystery, historical, romance, and a lot of the classics like Michael Strogoff, Jane Eyre, Tess of the du Bervilles, Madame Bovary, Ivanhoe, Scarlett Pimpernel to name just a few.
The quality was superb. I remained riveted to the pages until the wee hours of the mornings and sometimes I was still reading when the sun rose behind the trees outside my window. Enthralling and gripping are words that can only mildly describe stories like The Count of Monte Christo, and Gone With The Wind. Some might think those stories are far to advanced for a thirteen year old to read, but I do beg to differ on that score.
One only need read my blog Upon Reflection to recognize my disenchantment with most of the books being stacked on bookstore shelves these days. How is it that it is so difficult to acquire an agent, so nearly impossible to get a work published these days and still we consumers are offered things with barely a quarter of the quality of Pride and Prejudice? You do know that some enterprising young author updated that particular work of art, gave it a different name and attached his own to the manuscript sending it in with a kiss on the envelope. He received a note back saying the quality of the work was substandard and the storyline was unrealistic and unbelievable. I shudder.
I think it must be the fault of the consumer. If we would quit buying the unacceptable quality, then perhaps the publishers would get the message that we want more authors like Alexander Dumas to be published. Oh, they are out there. I've read good quality stuff on many blogs around the Net. Who is the next Charlotte Bronte? Where is the next Alistair McLean? I want more P.G. Wodehouse.
Q4You: What was your favorite book and why? And, is there a contemporary author that you think equals the quality of that old book?
Willfully persisting in sin
Read Heb. 10:26. Let
that verse melt into your being for a moment. It says:
For if we willfully persist in sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins remains: only a terrifying expectation of judgment and a fierce fire which will consume God's enemies.
Insisting upon the crucifixion of Jesus even a second time is woefully a sin that bears unforgiveness. Jesus offered Himself once. It was a serious struggle for Him. So serious that He sweat drops of blood. He said, "Lord, take this cup...nevertheless, not My will, but Yours."
For if we willfully persist in sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins remains: only a terrifying expectation of judgment and a fierce fire which will consume God's enemies.
Insisting upon the crucifixion of Jesus even a second time is woefully a sin that bears unforgiveness. Jesus offered Himself once. It was a serious struggle for Him. So serious that He sweat drops of blood. He said, "Lord, take this cup...nevertheless, not My will, but Yours."
The real question becomes: How can a True Believer willfully persist in crucifying Jesus even a second time?
I tell you every time I read the account of His crucifixion or even think about it, tears pour down my cheeks.
Can you imagine what happened to Him? Never mind the betrayal and scattering of your closest friends. Can you feel those whips tipped with iron striking your back? Can you feel the ropes dig in to your wrists and feel the blood drip to the marble floor? Can you feel the rough hands of the soldiers pushing you, slapping you? Can you hear their taunts and feel their spittle as it mixes with your blood and slides down your face? Can you feel those thorns sinking into your scalp? Can you feel that robe being ripped off your back...the scabs of dried blood sticking to the robe and causing another river of blood to pour down your legs to the floor? Do you know what being beaten beyond recognition of even being a man looks like? Can you feel the weight of the rough wood on your lacerated back? No water, no sleep, no food for hours and hours. Can you hear the clang of iron against iron as the Roman Centurion hammers the nails into your feet and hands/wrists and then being jarred as the cross is set upright. You can't breathe unless you stand up on the nail in the flesh of your feet. Your chest is tight and you are so thirsty as the sun bakes the blood on your body. Dust swirls up your nostrils choking you as you try again to breathe. And then you cry out because your most loving Father turns His face away from you. You have completely been forsaken, rejected.
Isaiah 53
"4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Doesn't a True Believer repent of the deadness of former ways?
Isn't there a 180 degree turn around for a True Believer to Jesus and away from worldly ways?
The next question is: Does "receiving knowledge" equal to believing, understanding and drinking the living water that Jesus offered the woman at the well and anyone that believes in Him? Does "receiving knowledge", "have a taste of the heavenly gift" and "a share in the Holy Spirit" literally describe the Life Changing experience of being made a Brand New Creature in Christ?
I say, no. It does not equal having a truly circumcised heart. It is impossible for a True Believer to even think about asking Jesus to go through that day again. The thought makes me want to gag.
The basic question should be this. Does Jesus live in your heart? If He does, then He is part of you and you part of Him. How can a True Believer ask Him to do it all over again?
Allen West and the Blonde
I'm thinking Allen West's remarks in email to Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz stemmed not from her remarks on the floor of the House, but from the protest she ordered waged at his headquarters in Florida. His remark that she tend to her own district makes that clear to me. It is also clear that when one has two names, it is difficult to really know who one is.
I find it quite humorous that five Democrat women stand up shoulder to shoulder to demand West's apology to Wasserman-Schultz. Really? I guess no one who is a Republican has the right of free speech or to form an independent opinion?
Bearing in mind that one of our forefathers cracked his cane over the head of another of our forefathers Charles Summers for insulting his uncle in his "Crime Against Kansas" speech in 1855. Summers was staunchly against slavery and made every chance to speak against it. Preston Brooks took great exception to the insults to his uncle the Senator from South Carolina and took the opportunity to literally beat Summers bloody while he sat at his desk in the Senate. No action was taken against either of them.
Politics has become one of the dirtiest games ever played. All manner of kicking, biting and scratching are always present in the thorny briers tossed about on the Senate and House floors, lies from the Presidential podium, and media gag orders. We've become immune to most of it. Demanding an apology is one of the most insincere, thin-skinned, paltry, whinny things to do. It reminds me of when Don Imus called a group of women "nappy-headed" and it caused them to be traumatized for life. Does anyone remember even one name of that group? How about where the group was? It was a flash in the pan from a shock jock. It was his job and he went too far. It was also his opinion. I never listened to him and don't listen today.
West's remarks are only what the media make them to be. If you want to be outraged, then by all means waste that energy. Another outrage will occur on the Senate and House floors tomorrow and again the next day and every day from now until the end of time. It is what men make it to be.
Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.
6 Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff, And they hear my words, for they are sweet.
7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave, As when one plows and breaks up the earth.
8 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.
9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I escape safely.
David was a really smart cookie... er, king. I try to always remember this particular Psalm as my prayer before I rise in the morning. Wise words are fruitful to the hearing soul.
I find it quite humorous that five Democrat women stand up shoulder to shoulder to demand West's apology to Wasserman-Schultz. Really? I guess no one who is a Republican has the right of free speech or to form an independent opinion?
Bearing in mind that one of our forefathers cracked his cane over the head of another of our forefathers Charles Summers for insulting his uncle in his "Crime Against Kansas" speech in 1855. Summers was staunchly against slavery and made every chance to speak against it. Preston Brooks took great exception to the insults to his uncle the Senator from South Carolina and took the opportunity to literally beat Summers bloody while he sat at his desk in the Senate. No action was taken against either of them.
Politics has become one of the dirtiest games ever played. All manner of kicking, biting and scratching are always present in the thorny briers tossed about on the Senate and House floors, lies from the Presidential podium, and media gag orders. We've become immune to most of it. Demanding an apology is one of the most insincere, thin-skinned, paltry, whinny things to do. It reminds me of when Don Imus called a group of women "nappy-headed" and it caused them to be traumatized for life. Does anyone remember even one name of that group? How about where the group was? It was a flash in the pan from a shock jock. It was his job and he went too far. It was also his opinion. I never listened to him and don't listen today.
West's remarks are only what the media make them to be. If you want to be outraged, then by all means waste that energy. Another outrage will occur on the Senate and House floors tomorrow and again the next day and every day from now until the end of time. It is what men make it to be.
Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.
6 Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff, And they hear my words, for they are sweet.
7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave, As when one plows and breaks up the earth.
8 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.
9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I escape safely.
David was a really smart cookie... er, king. I try to always remember this particular Psalm as my prayer before I rise in the morning. Wise words are fruitful to the hearing soul.
Free birth control?
Really?
One of the commentators on this story points out that birth control is already free and has been since the beginning to time. It's called abstinence. Another commentator states that since people are people and will never be celibate, then the IOM is correct in pushing for free birth control.
One of the things that sets humans apart from the baser animal kingdom is self-control, deductive reasoning, and planning. To be promiscuous as well as indiscriminate, a person is living a risk-filled lifestyle with probability of STDs and pregnancy. Birth control merely opens the door wider for health risks, rather than preventive medicine. The only 100% effective birth control is abstinence which I taught both my daughters.
Of course it is a shame babies are born without fathers in the home, and born to babies themselves. It isn't the child's fault, but the biological parents. How can we fix this? Our society is hell bent for leather to dispel self-control and have it your way, you deserve a break today, just do it. What comes into the home in the form of sexual commercials (whether explicit or innuendo), movies with sexual content, and an astonishing number of TV shows promoting loose morals and foul language on commercial TV, is just part of the problem.
The bulk of the fault lies within the realm of what parents teach their children. Willfulness of children isn't being reigned in any longer. Small children are throwing tantrums in public while parents just pat them on the head. The lack of self-control of the parents is the forerunner of wild teenagers. Disobedience is not being curtailed and leads to disrespect of society in general thus we have the lack of respect for the sanctity of life.
It is no more than what the Bible prophesies for the end times.
As for me and my house, I would that Christ shall find me bringing Him glory, working for Him and being ready for Him. I am celibate and proud of it. I pray all Christians will pray for more self-control and exhibit self-control. It is part of the Fruit of the Spirit so it is a gift from God.
Thank you to Ambro at Free Digital Photos for the photo.
Rupert Murdoch's phone hacking scandal
Pill prevents HIV
Isn’t this the most fascinating thing… two studies tell us that the daily intake of a pill prevents HIV from infecting heterosexuals. That’s just grand. It’s like the morning after pill, right?
I’m wondering when are they going to invent a pill that gives you the same effect as having intercourse. Then we can all go around sucking on these pills and still be celibate – Thus, no HIV, no STDs, no horrible jealousies, actually no homosexual problems because it’ll come from a pill, nothing messy in our lives. Yet, we’ll all be walking around glowing and completely mellow.
Oh, wait! God has already done this for us. It is part of the Fruit of the Spirit and is called self-control. It’s right up there with kindness, mercy, gentleness, faith, meekness, love… there it is, self-control.
Some studies have shown that marriages between Christians are in just as much danger as marriages between atheists and agnostics, probably more so. It’s what the anti-God media would have us believe. (Another study showed 90% of all journalists did not believe in God. But, I wonder Who they pray to when trouble looms like a tornado in their lives.) When actually the percentage of divorces within the Evangelicals who attend church at least once a week is much lower than those who say they are Christian but are not affiliated with a denomination.
The point is we must look closer at the data sets. One study tells us coffee is bad, another study tells us that it is good for us. I’ll let you in on a secret. God did give us a pill that simulates sexual satisfaction. It is call chocolate. Google it and see if I’m not correct!
Light bulbs–Squiggles are out… well, maybe
We’ve got florescent, incandescent, halogen, LCD, and glow sticks at Halloween. All of these light blubs have proven good within the sphere of usage. The florescent/energy conservant CFL bulb was supposed to be the best bulb ever to be invented. Hey it's cool to touch a lit bulb. It could last more than two years.
But it is dangerous when it breaks. It is dim when first turned on. It sometimes doesn't last for even 6 months, much less as long as the package states, and the store won’t take them back or exchange them.
Regardless, the government chose this curvaceous, long-lasting bulb for us to use for everything from a reading light to a zapping shadows. That, is the point. Who is this Big Brother leaning over our shoulders demanding obedience in how to use energy? Good intentions to the side. We’ve got a huge gorilla in the middle of the room and someone needs to go sit on him.
The House of Representatives is trying to do just that. It is a thankless job, however. Reps. Joe Barton and Michael Burgess (I hope we’re related somewhere on the tree) have introduced a bill to save the old incandescent bulbs and to overturn the energy standards which will make them illegal in 2014. The old ones just misses the energy reduction mark.
The White House states these new bulbs and the energy standards will save $6 billion in 2015.
Really? Why isn’t the WH saving this much already? Saving who? Why is the gov’t so keen on energy savings when they can’t stop spending our hard-earned tax dollars? Why do they force us to buy health insurance and tell us which bulbs to buy and give us ultimatums on the kinds of electric plugs our houses can have (plugs that will regulate our energy usage)?
If this government wants us to believe it is interested in saving money in 2015, then it had better pass a balanced budget that has reasonable spending cuts, otherwise we’ll just have to quit feeding the gorilla.
WANTED: One fat lady to sing over the budget in Washington, D.C.
But it is dangerous when it breaks. It is dim when first turned on. It sometimes doesn't last for even 6 months, much less as long as the package states, and the store won’t take them back or exchange them.
Regardless, the government chose this curvaceous, long-lasting bulb for us to use for everything from a reading light to a zapping shadows. That, is the point. Who is this Big Brother leaning over our shoulders demanding obedience in how to use energy? Good intentions to the side. We’ve got a huge gorilla in the middle of the room and someone needs to go sit on him.
The House of Representatives is trying to do just that. It is a thankless job, however. Reps. Joe Barton and Michael Burgess (I hope we’re related somewhere on the tree) have introduced a bill to save the old incandescent bulbs and to overturn the energy standards which will make them illegal in 2014. The old ones just misses the energy reduction mark.
The White House states these new bulbs and the energy standards will save $6 billion in 2015.
Really? Why isn’t the WH saving this much already? Saving who? Why is the gov’t so keen on energy savings when they can’t stop spending our hard-earned tax dollars? Why do they force us to buy health insurance and tell us which bulbs to buy and give us ultimatums on the kinds of electric plugs our houses can have (plugs that will regulate our energy usage)?
If this government wants us to believe it is interested in saving money in 2015, then it had better pass a balanced budget that has reasonable spending cuts, otherwise we’ll just have to quit feeding the gorilla.
WANTED: One fat lady to sing over the budget in Washington, D.C.
Obama calls for compromise on debt
What part of "Stop the Spending" is so hard to understand? How can raising taxes promote spending cuts?
We had high corporate taxes back in Clinton's regime and it basically stunted domestic growth to something less than spectacular. Clinton was cruising on Reagan's economic train. When taxes were cut later in 1997, the economic boom began in earnest.
We are facing the exact same responses that European countries are facing right now. So many people have settled into the government handout hammock that they will react violently just as those in Spain and Greece and France have responded to domestic cuts in spending in order to get the debt under control. Americans agree something must be done about the debt and are for cuts, "but just don't cut my benefits and my handouts."
We are giving billions of dollars away to other countries around the world (check grants.gov to count the billions). It's time to count the eggs in the basket and determine how many we'll eat and how many we want to hatch.
Belt cinching is not a popular habit in America. No surprise there.
We had better get better at it, and we had better get the price of diesel under control otherwise our economy will collapse. Is that too shocking? Just look what has happened in the housing market. Suddenly, people who couldn't afford the house they bought were losing their houses to repossessions and to bankruptcy. Why do people over spend? over extend? buy even when their credit is maxed out? It has become the "Just do it" and "Have it my way" generation. Take it and don't worry about the consequences.
That is not at all what God teaches us.
Proverbs 6:6-8Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 25:28He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a broken down city without a wall.
Proverbs 27:26The lambs are for your clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
Luke 14:28-30For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.
There are many more where these come from. Self-control in spending is something our legislators do not have. It would seem the democrats are just not listening because they didn't listen to us about the Obamacare, now they are not listening about the debt. Letters and phone calls are not getting through to them. What is a heterosexual, self-controlled, frugal, Christian, prayer warrior to do? Have you prayed about it? I am.
August 6th is the Day of Prayer for our nation and for everyone concerned about the state we are in, the state of our communities, the state of our military, the state of our debt, and the search for the brains of our legislators. Don't forget to pray!
We had high corporate taxes back in Clinton's regime and it basically stunted domestic growth to something less than spectacular. Clinton was cruising on Reagan's economic train. When taxes were cut later in 1997, the economic boom began in earnest. We are facing the exact same responses that European countries are facing right now. So many people have settled into the government handout hammock that they will react violently just as those in Spain and Greece and France have responded to domestic cuts in spending in order to get the debt under control. Americans agree something must be done about the debt and are for cuts, "but just don't cut my benefits and my handouts."
We are giving billions of dollars away to other countries around the world (check grants.gov to count the billions). It's time to count the eggs in the basket and determine how many we'll eat and how many we want to hatch.
Belt cinching is not a popular habit in America. No surprise there.
We had better get better at it, and we had better get the price of diesel under control otherwise our economy will collapse. Is that too shocking? Just look what has happened in the housing market. Suddenly, people who couldn't afford the house they bought were losing their houses to repossessions and to bankruptcy. Why do people over spend? over extend? buy even when their credit is maxed out? It has become the "Just do it" and "Have it my way" generation. Take it and don't worry about the consequences.
That is not at all what God teaches us.
Proverbs 6:6-8Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 25:28He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a broken down city without a wall.
Proverbs 27:26The lambs are for your clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
Luke 14:28-30For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.
There are many more where these come from. Self-control in spending is something our legislators do not have. It would seem the democrats are just not listening because they didn't listen to us about the Obamacare, now they are not listening about the debt. Letters and phone calls are not getting through to them. What is a heterosexual, self-controlled, frugal, Christian, prayer warrior to do? Have you prayed about it? I am.
August 6th is the Day of Prayer for our nation and for everyone concerned about the state we are in, the state of our communities, the state of our military, the state of our debt, and the search for the brains of our legislators. Don't forget to pray!
Google blasts Blogger with new dashboard
I was totally unprepared! I went to sleep and when I awoke, this weird thing had happened to my blog dashboard. It is new! It looks similar to WordPress. Everything is out of place, and I'm at a loss.
I'm going to have to think about this for awhile. When the message said, "service unavailable at this time" I should have closed my browser and watched a movie or read a book. I have to write a review for Mark Bertrand's new mystery. Yeah... maybe I should do that.
Wait... do I hear the Twilight Zone music? Rod! Is that you!?!
I'm going to have to think about this for awhile. When the message said, "service unavailable at this time" I should have closed my browser and watched a movie or read a book. I have to write a review for Mark Bertrand's new mystery. Yeah... maybe I should do that.
Wait... do I hear the Twilight Zone music? Rod! Is that you!?!
Casey Anthony: 1 more week in jail
Along with millions of others, I'm quite sure, I waited with bated breath to hear the sentencing of Casey Anthony. One year per count of lying which equals only four years in jail.
I have to add my outrage against this jury's verdict. While there wasn't one single piece of evidence that flew in their faces screaming, "She's guilty!" there were so many pieces that fitted together which did scream it. Circumstantial evidence can convict a person if all other avenues of circumstances pointing to another person can be eliminated.
There weren't any footprints in blood, or fingerprints on the tape but the single evidence that points to her guilt for me was the fact she never reported her daughter missing. That tells me she knew where her daughter was.
There was a case in Baton Rouge where an 18-month old went missing. The babysitter was fixing his dinner and then he was gone. She claimed he opened the screen door and went out without her knowledge. When they found the baby's body, he'd been dead for longer than she had reported him missing. All said and done, the sitter's boyfriend had shaken him to death. Both of them tossed him in the creek behind the house where water ran over him for hours. Everyone, including the D.A. thought the babysitter had done it. But, she reported the baby missing. I held out judgment until the trial and there the attorneys made the boyfriend spill the beans about his own involvement.
Casey spends one more week in jail, and then she's free. Well, not exactly. She faces $4,000 in fines, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in investigation restitution. Her lies caused extra work, extra costs, extra testings which means she has to pay back all those costs plus court costs. She's looking at a minimum of $115,000 to pay up. For her skill sets, that might as well be $1 million. Although, the judge never said she couldn't financially benefit from the sale of her story. So be looking for her book to be published by Putnam or Simon & Schuster coming out soon to a bookstore near you.
Unless, of course, it runs in the same vein as O.J. Simpson's book. I would seriously look askance at any publisher that sells her story. I can tell you right now she'll be pointing fingers to everyone else but herself. She'll play the victim to the nth degree. All that book will do is give evidence she actually did kill her daughter, or give evidence to her supporters that some dark stranger abducted her daughter. The fact she didn't come up with that lie proves she isn't very bright.
Kudos to her attorneys! They did a marvelous job in putting reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors. I give all the jurors an "F" for failure to read evidence correctly. Casey Anthony was a very bad mother for not filing a missing person's report on her daughter. Thirty-one days go by before her mother becomes concerned enough to report it. That is the tell of guiltiness in my estimation.
However, God is the final judge when time has run out. If she never accepts Jesus as her savior, she'll have to give account for her actions back in June 2008. She won't get away with it. On the other hand, if she does accept Jesus as her savior, she's forgiven already. Praise God for that, because I have held hatred and anger in my heart against some of my brothers and sisters, and that makes me guilty of murder.
Question: Guilty or not guilty?
I have to add my outrage against this jury's verdict. While there wasn't one single piece of evidence that flew in their faces screaming, "She's guilty!" there were so many pieces that fitted together which did scream it. Circumstantial evidence can convict a person if all other avenues of circumstances pointing to another person can be eliminated.
There weren't any footprints in blood, or fingerprints on the tape but the single evidence that points to her guilt for me was the fact she never reported her daughter missing. That tells me she knew where her daughter was.
There was a case in Baton Rouge where an 18-month old went missing. The babysitter was fixing his dinner and then he was gone. She claimed he opened the screen door and went out without her knowledge. When they found the baby's body, he'd been dead for longer than she had reported him missing. All said and done, the sitter's boyfriend had shaken him to death. Both of them tossed him in the creek behind the house where water ran over him for hours. Everyone, including the D.A. thought the babysitter had done it. But, she reported the baby missing. I held out judgment until the trial and there the attorneys made the boyfriend spill the beans about his own involvement.
Casey spends one more week in jail, and then she's free. Well, not exactly. She faces $4,000 in fines, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in investigation restitution. Her lies caused extra work, extra costs, extra testings which means she has to pay back all those costs plus court costs. She's looking at a minimum of $115,000 to pay up. For her skill sets, that might as well be $1 million. Although, the judge never said she couldn't financially benefit from the sale of her story. So be looking for her book to be published by Putnam or Simon & Schuster coming out soon to a bookstore near you.
Unless, of course, it runs in the same vein as O.J. Simpson's book. I would seriously look askance at any publisher that sells her story. I can tell you right now she'll be pointing fingers to everyone else but herself. She'll play the victim to the nth degree. All that book will do is give evidence she actually did kill her daughter, or give evidence to her supporters that some dark stranger abducted her daughter. The fact she didn't come up with that lie proves she isn't very bright.
Kudos to her attorneys! They did a marvelous job in putting reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors. I give all the jurors an "F" for failure to read evidence correctly. Casey Anthony was a very bad mother for not filing a missing person's report on her daughter. Thirty-one days go by before her mother becomes concerned enough to report it. That is the tell of guiltiness in my estimation.
However, God is the final judge when time has run out. If she never accepts Jesus as her savior, she'll have to give account for her actions back in June 2008. She won't get away with it. On the other hand, if she does accept Jesus as her savior, she's forgiven already. Praise God for that, because I have held hatred and anger in my heart against some of my brothers and sisters, and that makes me guilty of murder.
Question: Guilty or not guilty?
135th Space Shuttle mission ends an era: inventions from the space race
In July of 1969 I was bleary-eyed before the TV switching from CBS to NBC watching the iconic mission into space: The first man to step foot on the moon in response to Jack Kennedy's challenge. Like many space geeks (that term wasn't even thought of back then) of the time, I glued to the tube watching every history making moment. This week will end a space shuttle era when Atlantis will deliver a load of supplies to the space station. The weather looks grim, but I know the mission will be a success because frankly, "failure is not an option."
Only 4 crew members will make this historic last flight. I find it bittersweet, and yet so exciting. The new program will make way for deeper space missions such as to asteroids and to Mars. I'm wondering why not use some of the resources found on the moon? Why not utilize our oh so efficient advanced technology to invent new things which would give us the opportunity to use our moon to advance into deeper space?
We have definitely benefited from our space exploration through new products...
We have come such a long way in 42 years since July 20, 1969 because of the Space Race. We have
Corningware™
pens that don't use gravity to write
freeze-dried beverages
cordless tools
ear thermometers
forehead thermometers (the really cool color temp gauge)
better baby food from algae experiments for long-term food usage closer to Mother's Milk than soy
Nitinol -- nickle/titanium alloy which has an unusual property. The NiTi wire will continually exert pressure on the braces with no need for wire tightening thus making the brace time shorter. Personally, when my wires were tightened, I couldn't eat anything for at least 3 days... wonder if this would be a good diet restricter, too.
Better pace makers
Protective paint
Smoke detectors
Shoe soles
Scratch resistant glasses
Water filters
Teflon
Disposable diapers -- absorbent gelatin that maintained a thermal balance
Memory foam
Micro-chips -- leading to desk top computers, leading to laptops, cell phones
Advanced robotic missions to the moon and into deep space
Satellites -- leading to GPS, global telecommunications
Hubble telescope
Reusable shuttle for trips back and forth into space
We owe a great deal to the space exploration endeavor in that the inventions make our lives easier and more comfortable with better communications worldwide. I tip my hat to NASA -- job well done.
Question: Can you think of any other inventions that I've overlooked or left out?
Only 4 crew members will make this historic last flight. I find it bittersweet, and yet so exciting. The new program will make way for deeper space missions such as to asteroids and to Mars. I'm wondering why not use some of the resources found on the moon? Why not utilize our oh so efficient advanced technology to invent new things which would give us the opportunity to use our moon to advance into deeper space?
We have definitely benefited from our space exploration through new products...
We have come such a long way in 42 years since July 20, 1969 because of the Space Race. We have
Corningware™
pens that don't use gravity to write
freeze-dried beverages
cordless tools
ear thermometers
forehead thermometers (the really cool color temp gauge)
better baby food from algae experiments for long-term food usage closer to Mother's Milk than soy
Nitinol -- nickle/titanium alloy which has an unusual property. The NiTi wire will continually exert pressure on the braces with no need for wire tightening thus making the brace time shorter. Personally, when my wires were tightened, I couldn't eat anything for at least 3 days... wonder if this would be a good diet restricter, too.
Better pace makers
Protective paint
Smoke detectors
Shoe soles
Scratch resistant glasses
Water filters
Teflon
Disposable diapers -- absorbent gelatin that maintained a thermal balance
Memory foam
Micro-chips -- leading to desk top computers, leading to laptops, cell phones
Advanced robotic missions to the moon and into deep space
Satellites -- leading to GPS, global telecommunications
Hubble telescope
Reusable shuttle for trips back and forth into space
We owe a great deal to the space exploration endeavor in that the inventions make our lives easier and more comfortable with better communications worldwide. I tip my hat to NASA -- job well done.
Question: Can you think of any other inventions that I've overlooked or left out?
Bin Laden found by CIA man behind the scene
We all knew it, but here is a story of great perseverance to find the intractable terrorist.
When most of the movers and shakers in the CIA weren't so sure of who lived in the compound, "John" was, and pushed for an operation to take out Bin Laden. For months, Obama fretted over who or who was not in the compound, finally giving the go ahead in April. The CIA is being rightfully cautious in not revealing the names of those operatives involved in discovering the whereabouts of the murderer and assassin, bin Laden.
"John" toiled for ten years like a bloodhound on a fresh trail. His
I understand the prez's trepidation, but sometimes you just have to trust the person who has been dogging the trail of the most wanted man in the world. From September to April, the operation was grinding to a point of exposing the Islamic villain. "John" knew the courier would lead to the terrorist leader, and he kept updating the memo with fresh information. He finally had his man.
The fact that Pakistan was harboring the criminal is something that our country's heads of state should be deeply contemplating. This country has taken billions of dollars from us every year, and yet with the other hand has been doing some covering up of villainous acts and villainous people. In actual fact, that is an act of war. Yet, one of the most embarrassing presidents we've ever had is twiddling thumbs while Pakistan continues to accept billions of our tax payer dollars.
Yes, we need friends in that area of the world, but we need to be chary of friends with knives in their hands and fake smiles on their faces.
Whatever you want to say about the CIA and some of its more unsavory acts in times past, this agency did not just the United States but the whole world a great service in destroying the head of the snake called al-Qaeda.
When most of the movers and shakers in the CIA weren't so sure of who lived in the compound, "John" was, and pushed for an operation to take out Bin Laden. For months, Obama fretted over who or who was not in the compound, finally giving the go ahead in April. The CIA is being rightfully cautious in not revealing the names of those operatives involved in discovering the whereabouts of the murderer and assassin, bin Laden.
"John" toiled for ten years like a bloodhound on a fresh trail. His
I understand the prez's trepidation, but sometimes you just have to trust the person who has been dogging the trail of the most wanted man in the world. From September to April, the operation was grinding to a point of exposing the Islamic villain. "John" knew the courier would lead to the terrorist leader, and he kept updating the memo with fresh information. He finally had his man.
The fact that Pakistan was harboring the criminal is something that our country's heads of state should be deeply contemplating. This country has taken billions of dollars from us every year, and yet with the other hand has been doing some covering up of villainous acts and villainous people. In actual fact, that is an act of war. Yet, one of the most embarrassing presidents we've ever had is twiddling thumbs while Pakistan continues to accept billions of our tax payer dollars.
Yes, we need friends in that area of the world, but we need to be chary of friends with knives in their hands and fake smiles on their faces.
Whatever you want to say about the CIA and some of its more unsavory acts in times past, this agency did not just the United States but the whole world a great service in destroying the head of the snake called al-Qaeda.
Afghanistan: War without end
I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here, but the more I think about that Eugene city counsel, the angrier I get. The more I hear about Obama's plans for the Afghanistan war, the more nauseated I become. The more I hear about our soldiers with boots on the ground in Afghanistan the prouder of them I am. There truly is something great about our country and a lot of has to do with our soldiers!
Our country as a whole has no notion what real sacrifice is. We have grown so fat and complacent in our daily plenty, we don't know that our troops have blisters on their feet, our military live in tents, and our men are being killed all to pay the price of freedom.
The most recent attack in Kabul makes it clear the job is NOT done in Afghanistan, yet the idiot we call president has publicly declared the last day our men will be there. Oh, wait! It was after he announced the date 10,000 troops were leaving that the bomb dropped. Hello? Is there anything in there at all?
Our forefathers never went to war unless they were sure they could finish it, and they never went to war unless it was the right thing to do. As a young nation, we had to stand firm on baby legs, but the character and strength of men like George Washington, Samuel Adams, Admiral Farragut, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Kit Carson and all the others helped to shape our nation into the giant it has become -- Paul Bunyan, move over!
Now we have people who break their word, who think things like Socialism and Fascism are good things even when they failed miserably in other nations.
Then we had people who lived by God's word, who believed in biblical principles and gauged character by those principles. Today, Christians are embarrassed by God and are apathetic to anything godly to the point of allowing a minority to decide saying the Pledge of Allegiance is divisive. The minority have no respect for our flag or for our country. Where is the patriotism, the pride, the character, and the love for Freedom in our country?
Afghanistan is a symptom of cancerous Taliban, not a war. It is indicative of the cancer the people of this world are suffering. If we allow the Taliban to overtake Afghanistan again, then we are Isaiah 58.
The question isn't "What should we do?" The question is "What does God desire us to do?"
Our country as a whole has no notion what real sacrifice is. We have grown so fat and complacent in our daily plenty, we don't know that our troops have blisters on their feet, our military live in tents, and our men are being killed all to pay the price of freedom.
The most recent attack in Kabul makes it clear the job is NOT done in Afghanistan, yet the idiot we call president has publicly declared the last day our men will be there. Oh, wait! It was after he announced the date 10,000 troops were leaving that the bomb dropped. Hello? Is there anything in there at all?
Our forefathers never went to war unless they were sure they could finish it, and they never went to war unless it was the right thing to do. As a young nation, we had to stand firm on baby legs, but the character and strength of men like George Washington, Samuel Adams, Admiral Farragut, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Kit Carson and all the others helped to shape our nation into the giant it has become -- Paul Bunyan, move over!
Now we have people who break their word, who think things like Socialism and Fascism are good things even when they failed miserably in other nations.
Then we had people who lived by God's word, who believed in biblical principles and gauged character by those principles. Today, Christians are embarrassed by God and are apathetic to anything godly to the point of allowing a minority to decide saying the Pledge of Allegiance is divisive. The minority have no respect for our flag or for our country. Where is the patriotism, the pride, the character, and the love for Freedom in our country?
Afghanistan is a symptom of cancerous Taliban, not a war. It is indicative of the cancer the people of this world are suffering. If we allow the Taliban to overtake Afghanistan again, then we are Isaiah 58.
The question isn't "What should we do?" The question is "What does God desire us to do?"
Saying the Pledge of Allegiance is divisive
“It’s a little ironic to see those who have championed the idea of tolerance be less tolerant on this question,” Clark Said. Mayor Kitty Piercy called the Pledge of Allegiance divisive. “If there’s one thing the flag stands for,” Piercy says, “it’s that people don’t have to be compelled to say the Pledge of Allegiance or anything else.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/28/compromise-on-pledge-allegiance-in-oregon-town-has-some-seeing-red/#ixzz1QbfcBTcd
I have heard just about everything now. We are going to celebrate the 4th of July in just a few days. It will be the 235th anniversary of thousands of lives given in sacrifice to a young America just so we have the privilege of pledging our allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
Shame on those city officials who don't want to say the pledge. Shame on that mayor, Kitty Piercy" who calls the pledge divisive.
Shame on anyone in the United States who has lost that patriotic spark when the fireworks go off, the lump in the throat when we sing "Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, o're the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? The rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that Star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
No one knows the second verse of that song, but in it we find our nation's motto in the very words of the second verse. Those words come from scripture, Psalm 20:7 "Some trust in chariots and ... horses, be we trust in God."
O thus be it ever, wen free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just;
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall
Wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Francis Scott Key wrote the words 1779-1834
I believe that if someone has a problem with singing the National Anthem, or with saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, then they should look for another nation in which to live. There are none so blessed with so much as America the Beautiful.
Violent video games = Free Speech says Supreme Court
It was a 7-2 vote to overturn a California law which limited the sale of video games classified as violent to minors. I guess the next thing minors can buy will be Playboy and Penthouse.
Why do we need a law prohibiting the sale of violence and pornographic materials to minors? What is it about our society that screams for legislating every part of our lives?
Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan agreed that the government should not protect children by limiting violence in the media. Scalia said there hasn't been any traditions set by our government that restricts child access to violence, stating in his brief, "Certainly, the books we give children to read -- or read to them when they are younger -- have no shortage of gore. Grimm's Fairy Tales, for example, are grim indeed."
While my imagination is most certainly more vivid than any TV show or movie, I'm not so sure that the violence our society faces today more specifically the disregard of the sanctity of life, isn't somehow tied to the views of the parents instead of the viewing of cowboy/Indian shoot-em-ups on Saturday morning.
My nine and ten year old daughters somehow acquired a pack of cigarettes and decided to try this product behind the school gym. Fortunately, they were seen and the little bird imparted the tasty morsel to my ears before my daughters made it home. Of course they were dizzy and sick at their stomachs, so I knew the lesson was learned that you must learn to smoke. Since I smoked regularly at that time, my orders for them to cease and desist weren't that piercing. They didn't notice the many times I tried to quit. Unfortunately, they both started smoking long before they were old enough all because of my own example rather than the Camel commercials or the Benson & Hedges ads in magazines.
The deeper question is how could a minor play a violent video game without the parent knowing and putting a stop to it? Of course that would take pay attention to the minors of the household, wouldn't it? That would mean getting home in time for dinner and bedtime activities rather than allowing hired help do those particular "chores". How do parents know what their own child is capable of if they are not home long enough to actually relate to him/her/them?
Society has leaned upon government so long now that we can't seem to live a single day without some kind of intrusion into our homes regulating how we live, how we use products, how we raise our children. Isn't it time to take the reigns back into our own hands? Isn't it time to take raising our children in the way they should go seriously?
Why do we need a law prohibiting the sale of violence and pornographic materials to minors? What is it about our society that screams for legislating every part of our lives?
Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan agreed that the government should not protect children by limiting violence in the media. Scalia said there hasn't been any traditions set by our government that restricts child access to violence, stating in his brief, "Certainly, the books we give children to read -- or read to them when they are younger -- have no shortage of gore. Grimm's Fairy Tales, for example, are grim indeed."
While my imagination is most certainly more vivid than any TV show or movie, I'm not so sure that the violence our society faces today more specifically the disregard of the sanctity of life, isn't somehow tied to the views of the parents instead of the viewing of cowboy/Indian shoot-em-ups on Saturday morning.
My nine and ten year old daughters somehow acquired a pack of cigarettes and decided to try this product behind the school gym. Fortunately, they were seen and the little bird imparted the tasty morsel to my ears before my daughters made it home. Of course they were dizzy and sick at their stomachs, so I knew the lesson was learned that you must learn to smoke. Since I smoked regularly at that time, my orders for them to cease and desist weren't that piercing. They didn't notice the many times I tried to quit. Unfortunately, they both started smoking long before they were old enough all because of my own example rather than the Camel commercials or the Benson & Hedges ads in magazines.
The deeper question is how could a minor play a violent video game without the parent knowing and putting a stop to it? Of course that would take pay attention to the minors of the household, wouldn't it? That would mean getting home in time for dinner and bedtime activities rather than allowing hired help do those particular "chores". How do parents know what their own child is capable of if they are not home long enough to actually relate to him/her/them?
Society has leaned upon government so long now that we can't seem to live a single day without some kind of intrusion into our homes regulating how we live, how we use products, how we raise our children. Isn't it time to take the reigns back into our own hands? Isn't it time to take raising our children in the way they should go seriously?
Google: The search is on the other foot
The Wall Street Journal reported today Google, the giant search engine which has multiple service companies, faces a serious probe by Federal regulators due to some market dominance issues siting a group called Fairsearch.org.
The most serious accusation is Google manipulates search results to favor Google services, and the use of product descriptions of other companies without their permission. Of course Google denies these allegations. Since Google has more than two-thirds share of web searches and more than that in Europe, according to WJS, why would the giant need a manipulation crutch?
I'm not saying Google is the best, however after doing multiple searches for the same thing over many months, I still get the same top results. I'm not at all sure what that says considering empirical data must be controlled along with other scientific things. I do know that of all the search engines I've used, only Google seems to give me the optimum results more specific to my searches.
Internet businesses have complained Google positions itself above their sites in searches for business information as an example. If you do your own search, you'll see that Yahoo comes in just below the paid ads. It seems to me they just might be jealous.
Question: What has your experience with Google been?
"Google engages in anticompetitive behavior…that harms consumers by restricting the ability of other companies to compete to put the best products and services in front of Internet users, who should be allowed to pick winners and losers online, not Google," said Fairsearch.org, a group representing several Google critics, including Microsoft and travel services Expedia Inc., Kayak.com, and Sabre Holdings.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303339904576403603764717680.html#ixzz1QDOjqx4e
The most serious accusation is Google manipulates search results to favor Google services, and the use of product descriptions of other companies without their permission. Of course Google denies these allegations. Since Google has more than two-thirds share of web searches and more than that in Europe, according to WJS, why would the giant need a manipulation crutch?
I'm not saying Google is the best, however after doing multiple searches for the same thing over many months, I still get the same top results. I'm not at all sure what that says considering empirical data must be controlled along with other scientific things. I do know that of all the search engines I've used, only Google seems to give me the optimum results more specific to my searches.
Internet businesses have complained Google positions itself above their sites in searches for business information as an example. If you do your own search, you'll see that Yahoo comes in just below the paid ads. It seems to me they just might be jealous.
Question: What has your experience with Google been?
Prayer life and results
At Jacob's Well, we're studying how to deal with anxious thinking. This kind of thinking permeates our world today because we are flying around trying to get a thousand things done in 30.5 seconds. Knowing it is impossible, we worry how it will all be done. Most of it is our own fault because we simply overextend ourselves similar to piling mountains on our plate because we are terribly hungry, but knowing we can't possibly eat everything on it.
Other times our anxiety stems from the unknown mountains or valleys with dark corners. How is it that we do not seem to hold onto the complete peace God has given us through the Fruit of the Spirit?
It isn't bad to want to see results of prayer and confirmation of God's working in our lives. Sometimes that is how He comforts us when He instantly says yes to a small thing, so that we will understand that He is definitely working on the BIG things we've been praying about incessantly.
We just cannot know or understand God's ways. We ask, and we receive. Then we ask, and then we receive. It seems to be a results motivated prayer life.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. " Why isn't that enough?
We are told in many different ways, but most clearly through Paul to, "worry over nothing, to pray about everything."
Phi 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
So the mature Christian should be able to leave everything in God's hands and be comfortable with how He answers our prayers. It is rather difficult to just let go and let God. God showed me in no uncertain terms that His will is done for those who love Him. And sometimes... sometimes He is waiting on us to conform to His desires and to let go of our desires.
It all boils down to Trust. When we know our God has plans not to harm us, but for our good, then there is no way we can go wrong. It's just those trials and painful tribulations, and that dark valley of death that we know we must walk through that gets us all twisted into knots.
Has He ever failed me? Never.
Will He ever fail me? Never.
That must be enough.
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD rejoices over you. He will quiet you with His love. Or as The Message puts it,
Your GOD is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, he'll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs.
Other times our anxiety stems from the unknown mountains or valleys with dark corners. How is it that we do not seem to hold onto the complete peace God has given us through the Fruit of the Spirit?
It isn't bad to want to see results of prayer and confirmation of God's working in our lives. Sometimes that is how He comforts us when He instantly says yes to a small thing, so that we will understand that He is definitely working on the BIG things we've been praying about incessantly.
We just cannot know or understand God's ways. We ask, and we receive. Then we ask, and then we receive. It seems to be a results motivated prayer life.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. " Why isn't that enough?
We are told in many different ways, but most clearly through Paul to, "worry over nothing, to pray about everything."
Phi 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
So the mature Christian should be able to leave everything in God's hands and be comfortable with how He answers our prayers. It is rather difficult to just let go and let God. God showed me in no uncertain terms that His will is done for those who love Him. And sometimes... sometimes He is waiting on us to conform to His desires and to let go of our desires.
It all boils down to Trust. When we know our God has plans not to harm us, but for our good, then there is no way we can go wrong. It's just those trials and painful tribulations, and that dark valley of death that we know we must walk through that gets us all twisted into knots.
Has He ever failed me? Never.
Will He ever fail me? Never.
That must be enough.
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD rejoices over you. He will quiet you with His love. Or as The Message puts it,
Your GOD is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, he'll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs.
Occupations with the most job openings
Thanks to my friend Buddy McDonald who posted an interesting article on the deplorable education we Americans are getting...
Here is a great place to search for that job that will spur your passion and put money in your pocket. I've copied below the top ten which require a graduate degree. I hope the links transferred, too.
Now compare the article posted on CNBC. Siemens, the German giant corporation is bitterly complaining that U.S. workers do not have the education, training, and skill sets that they require for certain staffing jobs. The company has had to use 30 recruiters to fill their expansion plans. Plus, Eric Spiegel, CEO of Siemens said the company has had to invest in education and training. Volkswagen had 85,000 applicants for 2,000 jobs so it isn't for lack of applicants, but the skill sets that are lacking.
Keeping this complaint in mind, please notice the CollegeBoard.com's second set of most job openings needing a Bachelor's degree...
Not one engineer in the bunch. So how does one really know what kind of education to pursue?
I would venture a guess and say, combining the complaints with the projections that teaching adults would be the number one job opening from now on. Right now on www.Indeed.com there are 5,646 new jobs for teaching adults.
If you live in San Jose, California there are 218 job openings for every person living there; compared to New Orleans where there are 29 job openings for every person living there. The quality of job isn't mentioned, however. We have to search a bit further for that. No surprise the most job openings are for cashiers. (No wonder when I go to Walmart only 1/3 of the cash registers are open!)
For 2008 - 2018 -- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
#1 Cashiers -- 171,990 openings and the earnings are basic minimum wage
#2 Retail sales -- 162,690 same problem
#3 Servers -- 146,620 same problem
#4 Customer Service -- 110,900 barely above minimum wage
#5 Registered nurses -- 103,900 w/Associate Degree -- good living
If we delve a little further into the BLS, we find an interesting table which tells us the projections of occupations -/+ through 2018.
Ah ha! Here we see that service occupations will increase a whopping 13.76% and professional occupations (doctor, lawyer, teachers) will increase by a staggering 16.83% with construction occupations increasing 13.04% by the year 2018.
Here's the kicker... The projections do not uphold what the corporations are begging for since production jobs will decrease by 3%. So what is a person to do to make sure there will be income until the angels escort us to Heaven?
A most excellent dilemma. Why would anyone want to go down a career path for money only and hate what they will have to do for the next 50 years? That's a recipe for burnout, stress related diseases and all kinds of anger issues.
The best advice is determine your motivational spiritual gift, then work within that motivation. Find the occupation which will utilize your God-given gifts, and God-motivated skills. Develop those skills with the best education you can find then, keep close to the LORD. In all you do, do it for Christ for it is He who strengthens you.
Question: Is there an occupation that you wish you had pursued way back when? I'd be really interested to know if you began your perfect occupation when you graduated!
Here is a great place to search for that job that will spur your passion and put money in your pocket. I've copied below the top ten which require a graduate degree. I hope the links transferred, too.
| Occupation | Total Job Openings 2008–2018 | ||
| Postsecondary teachers | 553,000 | ||
| Doctors and surgeons | 261,000 | ||
| Lawyers | 240,000 | ||
| Clergy | 218,000 | ||
| Pharmacists | 106,000 | ||
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors | 94,000 | ||
| Physical therapists | 79,000 | ||
| Medical scientists, except epidemiologists | 66,000 | ||
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 61,000 | ||
| Instructional coordinators | 61,000 | ||
Now compare the article posted on CNBC. Siemens, the German giant corporation is bitterly complaining that U.S. workers do not have the education, training, and skill sets that they require for certain staffing jobs. The company has had to use 30 recruiters to fill their expansion plans. Plus, Eric Spiegel, CEO of Siemens said the company has had to invest in education and training. Volkswagen had 85,000 applicants for 2,000 jobs so it isn't for lack of applicants, but the skill sets that are lacking.
Keeping this complaint in mind, please notice the CollegeBoard.com's second set of most job openings needing a Bachelor's degree...
| Occupation | Total Job Openings 2008–2018 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education | 597,000 |
| Accountants and auditors | 498,000 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education | 412,000 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education | 251,000 |
| Computer systems analysts | 223,000 |
| Computer software engineers, applications | 218,000 |
| Network systems and data communications analysts | 208,000 |
| Computer software engineers, systems software | 153,000 |
| Construction managers | 138,000 |
| Market research analysts | 137,000 |
Not one engineer in the bunch. So how does one really know what kind of education to pursue?
I would venture a guess and say, combining the complaints with the projections that teaching adults would be the number one job opening from now on. Right now on www.Indeed.com there are 5,646 new jobs for teaching adults.
If you live in San Jose, California there are 218 job openings for every person living there; compared to New Orleans where there are 29 job openings for every person living there. The quality of job isn't mentioned, however. We have to search a bit further for that. No surprise the most job openings are for cashiers. (No wonder when I go to Walmart only 1/3 of the cash registers are open!)
For 2008 - 2018 -- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
#1 Cashiers -- 171,990 openings and the earnings are basic minimum wage
#2 Retail sales -- 162,690 same problem
#3 Servers -- 146,620 same problem
#4 Customer Service -- 110,900 barely above minimum wage
#5 Registered nurses -- 103,900 w/Associate Degree -- good living
If we delve a little further into the BLS, we find an interesting table which tells us the projections of occupations -/+ through 2018.
Ah ha! Here we see that service occupations will increase a whopping 13.76% and professional occupations (doctor, lawyer, teachers) will increase by a staggering 16.83% with construction occupations increasing 13.04% by the year 2018.
Here's the kicker... The projections do not uphold what the corporations are begging for since production jobs will decrease by 3%. So what is a person to do to make sure there will be income until the angels escort us to Heaven?
A most excellent dilemma. Why would anyone want to go down a career path for money only and hate what they will have to do for the next 50 years? That's a recipe for burnout, stress related diseases and all kinds of anger issues.
The best advice is determine your motivational spiritual gift, then work within that motivation. Find the occupation which will utilize your God-given gifts, and God-motivated skills. Develop those skills with the best education you can find then, keep close to the LORD. In all you do, do it for Christ for it is He who strengthens you.
Question: Is there an occupation that you wish you had pursued way back when? I'd be really interested to know if you began your perfect occupation when you graduated!
Walmart and the sex discrimination case
Recently the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 the class action suit claiming Walmart was discriminatory against women. Walmart has a company-wide policy that local managers set salaries and give promotions.
The ruling brief from Justice Scalia stated because the suit did not prove discrimination was a company-wide policy it had no basis. Interestingly the liberal brigade stated:
Come on! Why is it automatically assumed that people (I'm not discriminating here) people who work at a certain place for more than five years are automatically qualified to manage the place? How can that be?
Walmart's managers do have considerable control -- pay scales, pay raises, promotions, and days off. However, the problem isn't with the Walmart managers, it is with this ruling brief quoted above...
I have certain qualms with this. A person does not learn how to manage by osmosis. It takes a great deal of training. Running the sports department and managing a store full of employees does have some of the same skills, but frankly managing people is much harder and much more crucial than keeping guns stocked, and ordering the right kind of tents.
I am not saying that 70% of Walmart's employees are not good, conscientious people. What I am saying is that there isn't a nation-wide company that has more than 33% women in management unless it is woman-owned. Corporate America is not kind to women.
Unless a woman has the kind of husband that works from home or wants to be the homemaker, a woman can't juggle the time involved in corporate management with being soccer mom. That is burning the candle at both ends which ends with no candle at all in a much shorter period of time.
Rather than women v. men manager stats, I would love to see secret ballot employee votes on the best managers. It would probably be as many women as men -- or maybe not. Women bully women in the corporate world 71% of the time. (Workplace Bully Institute.org 2009 study).
Plus there's the old adage, if a person can't do the work -- promote him out of the department. So what's fair?
Absolutely nothing in this world is fair. We have to wait until we get to Heaven for that.
The ruling brief from Justice Scalia stated because the suit did not prove discrimination was a company-wide policy it had no basis. Interestingly the liberal brigade stated:
In a partial dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said there was enough evidence of systematic sex discrimination to allow the suit to proceed, though not for damages. "Women fill 70% of the hourly jobs in the retailer's stores, but make up only 33% of the management employees," she wrote. "The higher one looks in the organization, the lower the percentage of women."Quoted from Los Angeles Times
Come on! Why is it automatically assumed that people (I'm not discriminating here) people who work at a certain place for more than five years are automatically qualified to manage the place? How can that be?
Walmart's managers do have considerable control -- pay scales, pay raises, promotions, and days off. However, the problem isn't with the Walmart managers, it is with this ruling brief quoted above...
I have certain qualms with this. A person does not learn how to manage by osmosis. It takes a great deal of training. Running the sports department and managing a store full of employees does have some of the same skills, but frankly managing people is much harder and much more crucial than keeping guns stocked, and ordering the right kind of tents.
I am not saying that 70% of Walmart's employees are not good, conscientious people. What I am saying is that there isn't a nation-wide company that has more than 33% women in management unless it is woman-owned. Corporate America is not kind to women.
Unless a woman has the kind of husband that works from home or wants to be the homemaker, a woman can't juggle the time involved in corporate management with being soccer mom. That is burning the candle at both ends which ends with no candle at all in a much shorter period of time.
Rather than women v. men manager stats, I would love to see secret ballot employee votes on the best managers. It would probably be as many women as men -- or maybe not. Women bully women in the corporate world 71% of the time. (Workplace Bully Institute.org 2009 study).
Plus there's the old adage, if a person can't do the work -- promote him out of the department. So what's fair?
Absolutely nothing in this world is fair. We have to wait until we get to Heaven for that.
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